Books - What are you reading?

[Desiderata]

Got4wheels said:

I finished reading Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger earlier this afternoon.

Absolutely wonderful book talking about tribal pre oil Arabia just as it was beginning to move into the petrodollar dynasty we see today. The further you read the more the book felt like a love letter to an era that Thesiger knew was ending as oil companies were sniffing around. It brought a rye smile to my face as he described Abu Dhabi as a small town with a population of 2000.

I'd recommend the book to anyone who's a history buff and wants to know more about an era thats beginning to slip out of living memory.

Next up for me is Jean-Paul Sartre's The Age of Reason.

Michael

I've just picked this out to reread. I read it about twenty years ago then lent it to someone and just got it back recently. Looking forward to it immensely, the guy was an absolute legend, the kind of hero they don't seem to make any more.

[epom]

The Book Thief arrived in the post this morning. Have heard a lot about it and am looking forward to it.

[hairykrishna]

Some of the Sharpe books are free on Kindle at the moment so I've been revisiting that series.

[egor110]

Siko said:

Just finished Bill Browder's "Freezing Order" which I was sent for free by accident from Amazon, after I had ordered it originally for the FiL Absolutely brilliant rollercoaster read of Browder's efforts to hinder Putin's money laundering apparatus and the Russian states constant chilling attempts to get him, legally or otherwise. 10/10 from me, I couldn't put it down and really not my sort of thing normally.

Also recently read "Putin's People" by Catherine Belton, which was a fascinating and important read but a slog to get through too. This covers how Putin came to power and how he finances/runs his kleptocracy, it's every bit as dysfunctional and chilling as you can imagine it to be. I found the massive list of characters to be difficult to follow and must admit I skim read a lot of it as it is fairly hefty aswell (500 pages). However, it is worth it to understand how we are where we are with Russia today and what motivates them.

Have you read from Russia with blood?

[towser]

Recently finished "A History of Loneliness" by John Boyne. A book about an Irish priest spanning the late 50s to the current day - it's a study of the catholic church in Ireland and the slow dawning and reaction to the child abuse scandal. The main character is very well portayed as someone who is easily led and naive who tends to believe what he wants to believe and ultimately his having to come to terms with this and his part in the scandal. It sounds dreary but John Boyne always tells a good story and this was really enjoyable. A couple of clumsy and hard to believe passages in the book but apart from that good stuff. 4/5

Edited by towser on Monday 6th June 20:54

[Got4wheels]

Desiderata said:

I've just picked this out to reread. I read it about twenty years ago then lent it to someone and just got it back recently. Looking forward to it immensely, the guy was an absolute legend, the kind of hero they don't seem to make any more.

I'll add that to my list. If you haven't already, please read Arabian Sands, you'll really enjoy it. You are very generous in lending a book out for 20 years!

He is a hero, I only came across him by accident on a podcast shortly after the first lockdown. He's still widely admired across Saudi today, the last of Britain's great explorers.

Michael

[Siko]

egor110 said:

Have you read from Russia with blood?

Not yet - looks good though, thanks for the suggestion. I'm back for now though to my neverending pile of WW2 aviation books....3 volume history of the FW190 anyone, or is it just me?

[irc]

Desiderata said:

I've just picked this out to reread. I read it about twenty years ago then lent it to someone and just got it back recently. Looking forward to it immensely, the guy was an absolute legend, the kind of hero they don't seem to make

Reminded me of Eric Newby's story of meeting Thesiger by chance in the Hindu Kush.

"The ground was like iron with sharp rocks sticking up out of it. We started to blow up our air beds. "God, you must be a couple of pansies," said Thesiger."

Which Newby used as the closing line in his "A Short Walk In The Hindu Kush.

Eric Newby! Now that was a traveller. As an 18 yr old was on the last sailboats carrying grain from Australia to the UK before WW2. Escaped POW in Italy in the war. And numerous travels everywhere in later life.




Newby's book about his time as an escaped POW has an amazing story about him meeting an off duty German Officer who is on the hills butterfly hunting. Sees through his cover story right away but instead of capturing him offers him a beer and chats about life and war.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainme...

But I'm waffling on now so I'll stop.

Edited by irc on Tuesday 7th June 20:42

[tertius]

Newby’s book mentioned above The Last Grain Race is well worth a read, as is the companion photographic volume (though obviously it’s less reading and more looking. The ship in question Moshulu still exists and is moored in Philadelphia:

[coppice]

For more modern travel (and much more - history , geography , politics ) I cannot recommend Jonathan Raban too highly. A contemporary and friend of Paul Theroux , but in my view even better. Old glory , Passage to Juneau and Badlands are favourites- all about the USA , from Mississippi to Alaska

[Welshbeef]

lowdrag said:

There are some books that are spellbinding, some you don't want to ever end, and there are those you look how many pages you have left, wanting to get there ASAP. This was one of the latter, with a typically formulaic structure. Is the Chief Inspector a woman? Box ticked. Is she gay? Box ticked. I could go on, but this is the second of the Kate Daniels I have read and it will be the last. I get all my books for free, so if another turns up it will head straight to the pile for the English library.

Ian Rankin thinks it’s Terrific and willing to have that on the front.

[Welshbeef]

AstonZagato said:

I had a few days in Crete, opposite Spinalonga Island so read a few books.

The Island
Victoria Hislop
Not my normal fare - no spies, murders, scantily-clad ladies or helicopter gunships. However, it's about the leper colony at Spinalogna so very topical.
Nicely written, though rather consciously (every noun being given some epithet - e.g tomatoes would be "blood-red").

Thursday Murder Club
Richard Osman
Mildly diverting. Not as amusing or interesting as I thought it would be from the plaudits. However, a reasonable holiday read

Doctor for Friend and Foe
Dr Rick Jolly
Account of the medical teams for the Falklands campaign. Likeable and moving. Quite heavily populated by TLAs. Perhaps a little self-promotional, if one were to nit-pick.

And on That Bombshell
Richard Porter
An insider's view of Top Gear. Written in Richard's amusing style. I enjoyed it.

The Mistress
James Patterson
Beach holiday pulp fiction. Unlikeable main character. Some obvious plot twists, two-dimensional characters.

Mythos
Stephen Fry
Nice anthology of the better known Greek myths. He has a decent attempt at drawing a consistent timeline (which isn't really a thing). Seemed appropriate to read in Greece.

That’s a lot of books for a holiday - didn’t you visit or explore the island or was this on a sun lounger by the pool?…

[droopsnoot]

Welshbeef said:

Ian Rankin thinks it’s Terrific and willing to have that on the front.

I always wonder how these authors get time to read other people's novels, and how they make sure that they don't end up subconsciously taking ideas from something they read. Because of that, I'm quite cynical about that sort of testimonial. And just because Ian Rankin (or any other author) writes some books that I enjoy doesn't mean he enjoys reading the same type of books that I do.

(I haven't read the book in question, I should add.)

[Skyedriver]

Desiderata said:

Got4wheels said:

I finished reading Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger earlier this afternoon.

Absolutely wonderful book talking about tribal pre oil Arabia just as it was beginning to move into the petrodollar dynasty we see today. The further you read the more the book felt like a love letter to an era that Thesiger knew was ending as oil companies were sniffing around. It brought a rye smile to my face as he described Abu Dhabi as a small town with a population of 2000.

I'd recommend the book to anyone who's a history buff and wants to know more about an era thats beginning to slip out of living memory.

Next up for me is Jean-Paul Sartre's The Age of Reason.

Michael

I've just picked this out to reread. I read it about twenty years ago then lent it to someone and just got it back recently. Looking forward to it immensely, the guy was an absolute legend, the kind of hero they don't seem to make any more.

Many years ago I read "A life of my choice" by Wilfred Thesiger, still have it, not sure I could read it again, it educated and horrified me in equal measures. It was a different time although I wouldn't be surprised if some of the horrors still go on to this day. (Like the three young boys who'd had their hand chopped off because they'd been circumcised by an unauthorised person). Crazy people.

[coppice]

droopsnoot said:

I always wonder how these authors get time to read other people's novels, and how they make sure that they don't end up subconsciously taking ideas from something they read. Because of that, I'm quite cynical about that sort of testimonial. And just because Ian Rankin (or any other author) writes some books that I enjoy doesn't mean he enjoys reading the same type of books that I do.

(I haven't read the book in question, I should add.)

If you write for a living , or just as your passion (as I do ) then you read -constantly . I usually have several books going and I will read a cornflake packet if that 's all that is available! Of course you absorb and can be influenced by other writers but you find your own voice. My early attempts in print were toe curlingly awful Hemingway pastiches and it took many , many thousands of words to evolve my own style . I don't think Ian Rankin expects everyone to share his taste , but as you come to know an author through their work , you begin to recognise patterns and preferences which help you make your own choices.

Writing is a joy for some of us , even though hardly anybody actually makes more than peanuts.

[MC Bodge]

Skyedriver said:

Many years ago I read "A life of my choice" by Wilfred Thesiger, still have it, not sure I could read it again, it educated and horrified me in equal measures. It was a different time although I wouldn't be surprised if some of the horrors still go on to this day. (Like the three young boys who'd had their hand chopped off because they'd been circumcised by an unauthorised person). Crazy people.

My Dad has some Thesiger books. I must read them.

This is an excellent book



Another that contains some incidents and attitudes that were "of their time", but what a life!

[Derek Smith]

coppice said:

If you write for a living , or just as your passion (as I do ) then you read -constantly . I usually have several books going and I will read a cornflake packet if that 's all that is available! Of course you absorb and can be influenced by other writers but you find your own voice. My early attempts in print were toe curlingly awful Hemingway pastiches and it took many , many thousands of words to evolve my own style . I don't think Ian Rankin expects everyone to share his taste , but as you come to know an author through their work , you begin to recognise patterns and preferences which help you make your own choices.

Writing is a joy for some of us , even though hardly anybody actually makes more than peanuts.

I was criticised by aunts for 'always having your nose stuck in a book'. It was a fair enough comment - book in one pocket, lump of cheese in the other was my norm - but the criticism amounted to low expectations. Reading lots of books was above my station. I started writing in my 20s, 50 years ago, and got my first cheque when I was 27.

I'm not sure I have a style, so much as a base level of grammar, vocabulary and preferences, and a range of styles to suit the market. I listen to criticism, intently actually, and am only too pleased when people send me their opinions.

I can be confident, excited, world-weary, self-deprecating (although I'm not too good at that), humorous and hilarious. If you want to sell, a personal style is an indulgence only the successful can enjoy.

I read different authors to understand how they 'sound' and I will, without embarrassment, copy them if I reckon the style will sell. There's nothing wrong in that I think. My best original idea was never to come up with an original idea. When I forgot this mantra as a police officer, there was always blame, despite any success. In fact, the more success, the greater the bking. Sort of knocks it out of you.

I enjoy writing. However, I use the sales of articles and books as validation of my ability. It's probably a weakness.

On the other hand, I've posted many thousands of words on PH. It's all part of my hobby of writing.

[coppice]

I can adapt for the audience but people tell me they can recognise my stuff- the usual comment is 'I can hear your voice' , which is a nice thing to hear . I realised why that was ; I was a lawyer , so writing was a big part of the job , and I always used a Dictaphone . I hate legalese , and always strived to make even complicated stuff easy to read. Speaking aloud also helps to create a readable rhythm in the text.

I write book reviews for a US website and I do find it fun changing to a US idiom for a different audience. 'Two nations divided by a common language' and all that .

I've only ever written about my interests for fun , but like Derek , I was thrilled to get my first cheque for a magazine article. And I got a bloody massive buzz when I found my first book on sale in Waterstones Piccadilly .

[Got4wheels]

Thanks to the pandemic I really got back into writing. I started a Covid diary that stretched from 17 March 2020 to 17 March of this year. It was a cathartic process and it kept me sane throughout, as a history buff too, I decided I should write down my own experiences and keep it as a record for the future.

I dabble in poetry too, and I jointly run an open mic night in Scunny that I helped restart in September last year. Thanks to it, I can say all but one of my poetry books were written by people I've met! My exploits are chicken feed compared to some of you guys, but it's a great hobby!

Michael

[AstonZagato]

Welshbeef said:

AstonZagato said:

I had a few days in Crete, opposite Spinalonga Island so read a few books.

The Island
Victoria Hislop
Not my normal fare - no spies, murders, scantily-clad ladies or helicopter gunships. However, it's about the leper colony at Spinalogna so very topical.
Nicely written, though rather consciously (every noun being given some epithet - e.g tomatoes would be "blood-red").

Thursday Murder Club
Richard Osman
Mildly diverting. Not as amusing or interesting as I thought it would be from the plaudits. However, a reasonable holiday read

Doctor for Friend and Foe
Dr Rick Jolly
Account of the medical teams for the Falklands campaign. Likeable and moving. Quite heavily populated by TLAs. Perhaps a little self-promotional, if one were to nit-pick.

And on That Bombshell
Richard Porter
An insider's view of Top Gear. Written in Richard's amusing style. I enjoyed it.

The Mistress
James Patterson
Beach holiday pulp fiction. Unlikeable main character. Some obvious plot twists, two-dimensional characters.

Mythos
Stephen Fry
Nice anthology of the better known Greek myths. He has a decent attempt at drawing a consistent timeline (which isn't really a thing). Seemed appropriate to read in Greece.

That’s a lot of books for a holiday - didn’t you visit or explore the island or was this on a sun lounger by the pool?…

The wife wanted a lazy holiday and we'd done Crete before a couple of times (so we've done Knossos and the Samaria gorge for instance). We therefore were mainly stationary. But we did visit Spinalonga for a morning. But that was a bit slow for me - a book a day is more usual.