Books - What are you reading?

Books - What are you reading?

Author
Discussion

gary2010

186 posts

168 months

Monday 11th February 2019
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I have just started Hurricane combat by Wing commander K.W Mackenzie ,only 30 pages in but so far but gives a great feel about life flying Hurricanes.

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 11th February 2019
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This week;
The Afghan
The Cobra

By Frederick Forsyth.

Just about to start, Breakout at Stalingrad (Henrich Gerlach).

Scabutz

7,482 posts

79 months

Monday 11th February 2019
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Just started this. True story, former SAS chap goes climbing in Transylvania, hit by avalanche, broken leg, pelvis, internal bleeding, frostbite. Had to crawl to safety over three days.

Craiglamuffin

358 posts

179 months

Friday 15th February 2019
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Having never been a sci-fi fan, Jeff Vandemeer's Annihilation (southern reach) trilogy were a nice surprise. Really intriguing and pleasantly odd, if a little waffly.

Half way through his Borne book now, which feels like a plot my 9 year old could have come up with, but it's all written so well that I'm really liking it.

My normal fodder is non fiction. Has anyone else read Fordlandia by Greg Grandin? It's all about ford's rubber plant in the amazon where they tried to recreate small town America in the rainforest. Its great!

Goaty Bill 2

3,393 posts

118 months

Saturday 16th February 2019
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Just finished 'To Have and Have Not' by Hemingway

The first chapter was like watching the film, right down the exact dialog in many cases.
So much so that I could hear Humphrey Bogart and Walter Brennan's voices in my head as I read it. And then the film and the book parted company substantially.
Both (film and book) are great in their own way.

A lovely modern high quality hardback Folio edition from 1999 that felt as though it had never been opened.


droopsnoot

11,810 posts

241 months

Saturday 16th February 2019
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I've just finished "The Gathering Dark" by James Oswald, one of his Tony McLean series. Very good as usual, though this one had a bit more of the fantasy aspect to it that I'm not much of a fan of.

droopsnoot

11,810 posts

241 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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I've just finished "The Emperor's Revenge" by Clive Cussler, one of his "Oregon" series. As good as they usually are if you like that kind of thing, which I do. Started on another one now.

Huff

3,141 posts

190 months

Tuesday 19th February 2019
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Just finished this: and - having long had a bit of an affinity for trees and woods, woodworking, strolling in forests etc - I loved it.
Writing is clear yet poetic; a proper wide-ranging miscellany, yes, but coherently-presented, and nicely argued in places. Overall effect - very soothing.



Several other quite different tomes on the go currently...

Adam B

27,142 posts

253 months

Wednesday 20th February 2019
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FunkyNige said:
I'm not sure if it came from a recommendation on here, but 'D-Day through German eyes' is a fascinating read about D-Day, it's taken from interviews with German soldiers in the 1950s.
Read that and book 2 - really fascinating (and horrifying) stuff

sas62

5,624 posts

77 months

Thursday 21st February 2019
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I just started re-reading Dick Francis books and up to around his 10th. Easy reads and reasonable plots but boy have the attitudes and language dated - particularly Smokescreen, based in South Africa. It's interesting how many of his plot twists and turns could have been resolved instantly using a mobile phone these days.

Fastchas

2,640 posts

120 months

Thursday 21st February 2019
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Tony Angelino said:
unrepentant said:
Scabutz said:
mattyn1 said:
On recommendation, I am just about to start this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soldier-Spy-Tom-Marcus/dp...

Anyone read it?

I'm half way through this. fking amazing.
Just ordered it. Thanks!
Ditto.
I'm a little over half-way through this and a bit disappointed. I thought it may give more of an insight into the underworld of MI5 but it is more about the personal experiences of the author and some of his struggles.

Desiato

959 posts

282 months

Thursday 21st February 2019
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After reading lots of readable but not great fiction I’ve been reading Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden. All about the history of and the hunt for Pablo Escobar. Very interesting read.


Scabutz

7,482 posts

79 months

Thursday 21st February 2019
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Fastchas said:
Tony Angelino said:
unrepentant said:
Scabutz said:
mattyn1 said:
On recommendation, I am just about to start this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soldier-Spy-Tom-Marcus/dp...

Anyone read it?

I'm half way through this. fking amazing.
Just ordered it. Thanks!
Ditto.
I'm a little over half-way through this and a bit disappointed. I thought it may give more of an insight into the underworld of MI5 but it is more about the personal experiences of the author and some of his struggles.
Think a lot of that was because MI5 redacted it. He has a follow up book out this year that took ages to get mi5 to clear. That goes into more details apparently.

Legend83

9,947 posts

221 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
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Scabutz said:
Think a lot of that was because MI5 redacted it. He has a follow up book out this year that took ages to get mi5 to clear. That goes into more details apparently.
Frankly I got bored of him constantly reminding us of how ordinary people could not do what he does - he came across a bit "Super Army Soldier".

Sections where he was mentally judging people as inferior to him as they went about their every day life made him come across as a right pr*ck.

(I would never say it to his face mind hehe)

wombleh

1,778 posts

121 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
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Bit late finding it as it was written years ago but just finished two brothers by Ben Elton, story of Jews in Germany from after ww1 through ww2. Fascinating glimpse into what it was like as the country imploded.

Incredible book and I think it should be studied in school, brought a tear to my eye when I finished it. Can't recommend it highly enough.

coppice

8,562 posts

143 months

Saturday 23rd February 2019
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Max Hastings Vietnam - a huge book, meticulously researched and forensic in its detail. Am left stunned by it - conflict stuff isn't my thing at all (I'd rather read (even) Delia Smith than some macho SAS effort ) but as I grew up with the Vietnam war on TV I wanted a dispassionate account. Nobody comes out of this well , and there must be another 'special place in hell' reserved for Kissinger , where he can be reunited with Nixon .

A masterpiece , harrowing and almost un- putdownable- all 800 pages ...

Goaty Bill 2

3,393 posts

118 months

Saturday 23rd February 2019
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coppice said:
Max Hastings Vietnam - a huge book, meticulously researched and forensic in its detail. Am left stunned by it - conflict stuff isn't my thing at all (I'd rather read (even) Delia Smith than some macho SAS effort ) but as I grew up with the Vietnam war on TV I wanted a dispassionate account. Nobody comes out of this well , and there must be another 'special place in hell' reserved for Kissinger , where he can be reunited with Nixon .

A masterpiece , harrowing and almost un- putdownable- all 800 pages ...
On my bookshelf and in the 'to read' list.

If you found the historical subject interesting;
'The Vietnam War' documentary by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick is an hours long and highly detailed account.
To the extent that it exposes Kissinger and Nixon for the monsters that they were in that episode of history.

Kissinger was much worse than that of course: 'The Trial of Henry Kissinger' by Christopher Hitchens.
It should keep people awake at night knowing what these bds got away with. They really cannot be the only ones.


rst99

545 posts

201 months

Saturday 23rd February 2019
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I've been on a bit of a Peter May Binge. The Blackhouse, Lewis Man, The Chessmen & Coffin Road. Highly recommend them all if you like a bit of crime.

Now on Jane Harper's new one :


Junior Bianno

1,400 posts

192 months

Sunday 24th February 2019
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Goaty Bill 2 said:
'The Idiot' By Dostoevsky
Translation by Eva M. Martin

One from my collection of Heron books 'The Greatest Masterpieces of Russian Literature' series.


Oooh - I've got those. I think you may have read more of them than I have though smile


IanA2

2,762 posts

161 months

Sunday 24th February 2019
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Junior Bianno said:
Goaty Bill 2 said:
'The Idiot' By Dostoevsky
Translation by Eva M. Martin

One from my collection of Heron books 'The Greatest Masterpieces of Russian Literature' series.


Oooh - I've got those. I think you may have read more of them than I have though smile

Interesting, I have never heard of Heron books. Second hand they seem remarkable value:

https://www.hcbooksonline.com/product-category/her...

I do know Folio are Heron of the same quality?

Thanks.