Books - What are you reading?

[tomw2000]

SistersofPercy said:

Mick Herron's Slow Horses Series is brilliant. /snip

Depends on how serious you want your spies. For me, this is perfect.

I forgot about this. Brilliant series, agree.

[Skyedriver]

TheJimi said:

You'll like this, then -

Finished this last night, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

On now with Waging Heavy Peace - Neil Young
Read a few early chapters today, should be an interesting read

[velocemitch]

Skyedriver said:

TheJimi said:

You'll like this, then -

Finished this last night, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

d

One of my favourite books that, if I could write, I would do something like it.
Confession... I stole the idea of the hidden Bugatti for my wife’s book ‘ The Letter’

[andy_s]

Skyedriver said:

Finished this last night, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

On now with Waging Heavy Peace - Neil Young
Read a few early chapters today, should be an interesting read

Had that from my boys for xmas, it's in the pending tray as I wade through a few others; interesting life for sure, not without challenges either.

--

For the Pratchettista, check out The Specialist by Charles Sale, some inspirations there apparently! ["For the curious reader, The Specialist will entertain. For the Discworld devotee, it offers so much more." sayeth someone on Goodreads]

Edited by andy_s on Monday 23 January 19:50

[TheJimi]

velocemitch said:

Skyedriver said:

TheJimi said:

You'll like this, then -

Finished this last night, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

d

One of my favourite books that, if I could write, I would do something like it.
Confession... I stole the idea of the hidden Bugatti for my wife’s book ‘ The Letter’

Glad to hear you guys enjoyed it. It's a real treat of a book, in my opinion.

[droopsnoot]

I've just finished "Slam" by Nick Hornby. A teenage skateboard enthusiast who keeps asking his Tony Hawk poster for advice manages to get himself a girlfriend and has to grow up quickly. A decent enough story, and it's a while since I've read one of his.

[coppice]

HIs latest short work is about the similarities between Charles Dickens and Prince. Leaving aside the fact that the biggest similarity is that Nick really, really likes both , it is a lovely read - clever , funny and informative . His style is so beguiling - it look so easy to write like that but it really isn't ...

[Skyedriver]

Half way through "Waging Heavy Peace" by Neil Young

A rambling collection of memories strung together to form an autobiography in a sort of non-chronological order. Love it.

[RC1807]

I’ve been an avid read of James Lee Burke’s books since a freebie of his was stuck to the cover of GQ in the early 90’s.
His last couple of books though have been filled with spirits from other worlds, which don’t fit.

He’s an amazing, prize winning, crime thriller author - and that’s what I love - so I may have to call it a day with his books now.

A real shame.

[KaraK]

Ace-T said:

Long awaited third Rook Files book from Daniel O'Malley. US import as not out in UK yet (Judas you are fab )

For those not read the others yet, The Rook and Stiletto are urban fantasy novels. Not serious literature, but huge fun.

From seeing this I picked up The Rook and gave it a whirl - that was rather enjoyable I'm now about 25% through Stiletto

[p1doc]

just finished invisible life of addie larue by veschwab very good now starting the world a family history bu simon sebag montefiore-now that is an authors name lol

[FlossyThePig]

I'm working my way through Robert Harris novels. After finishing Pompeii I wish I'd read it before visiting Pompeii itself, similarly with the Cicero Trilogy before I went to Rome. So far so good and currently reading The Ghost.

[coppice]

My favourite was An Officer and a Spy . The worst, and by a very long way is the simply awful Second Sleep .

[Prolex-UK]

The investigator by john sandford

Spin off from the lucas davenport Prey series.


Features letty davenport the adopted daughter of lucas and weather

Half way through and enjoying it.

Stand alone book but having read the prey series you will "get" letty much better.

[p1doc]

KaraK said:

From seeing this I picked up The Rook and gave it a whirl - that was rather enjoyable I'm now about 25% through Stiletto

just started reading the rook -seems to be good so far

[MC Bodge]

andy_s said:

Just finished Desert Star by Michael Connelly, Bosch's latest in other words. I've read all the Bosch books, so not an objective opinion here but if you're familiar then you won't be disappointed at all, excellent throughout in terms of the continuing series and as a standalone [plot/character etc], quality is consistent with most of the other Bosch books. 5/5 Rogers given.

I have just read this.

I thought it was good. I read it quickly. Not his best, but I like the development of Bosch's character as he ages, and it wasn't too "silly".

[Stan the Bat]

MC Bodge said:

andy_s said:

Just finished Desert Star by Michael Connelly, Bosch's latest in other words. I've read all the Bosch books, so not an objective opinion here but if you're familiar then you won't be disappointed at all, excellent throughout in terms of the continuing series and as a standalone [plot/character etc], quality is consistent with most of the other Bosch books. 5/5 Rogers given.

I have just read this.

I thought it was good. I read it quickly. Not his best, but I like the development of Bosch's character as he ages, and it wasn't too "silly".

About halfway through this , not disappointed at all.

[Skyedriver]

Change of book type, just starting Lancia Fulvia - Gold Portfolio as I'm looking to buy one at some point (and have been for a while as prices climb ever northward, should have dived in 3 or 4 year ago).

Interspersed with Gilbern Cars by Michael Burgess

Edited by Skyedriver on Thursday 9th February 20:00

[benjipeg]

just started brave new world on my runs after JR podcast with lex friedman were talking about it - 1hr30 in - bit crazy it was written 1931!!

[Levin]

benjipeg said:

just started brave new world on my runs after JR podcast with lex friedman were talking about it - 1hr30 in - bit crazy it was written 1931!!

It is an absolutely exquisite book. I reread it in the past few months and, while I liked it the first time around, it has gone up even further in my estimation since. Huxley continued to revisit the concept in his later years. Brave New World: Revisited has Huxley revisiting his own thoughts decades later and providing thoughts on things he might have done differently. Island is the direct opposite, being a vision of a utopian society rather than a dystopia. The latter I didn't enjoy quite so much, but certain lines ('Here and now, boys') make it worth a read.

For companion texts, 1984 is by far the most obvious. That said, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is thematically more similar to Huxley's dystopia than Orwell. Both Bradbury and Huxley envisioned a world of unlimited entertainment limiting freedoms, whereas Orwell's vision is much more violent.

Some pages ago, I mentioned Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman. His opening prologue is worth reading if you've read both Huxley and Orwell. It's short, and freely available online. There's a tendency to treat the two visions as competing, though Huxley wrote to Orwell, expressing an opinion that his World State would likely arise from Airstrip One. You may have already guessed as much, but I am a fan of both books.