Books - What are you reading?

[droopsnoot]

I finished "Badlands" by CJ Box the other day, a bit different in that it isn't one of his Joe Picket series. It was readable, I certainly wouldn't avoid any others with this character, if there are any. Investigator is involved in a long-time search for a truck driving serial killer, but also moves to North Dakota in a busy mining town for her full-time job and deals with stuff there.

[colonel c]

The way of kings trilogy by Brandon Sanderson.




Part of his Stormlight Archive series.

Very slow going. Chronicling three main protagonists who have a tough and prolonged-time trying to achieve anything. Yet I'm keeping with it.

[MC Bodge]

"Worms To Catch" Guy Martin.

An easy, but very interesting read. I really enjoyed it.

I know that some dislike him, but I have a lot of time for him.

[droopsnoot]

I've just finished "The Kill Room" by Jeffery Deaver, a Lincoln Rhyme story with a few twists in it. The only part of these that I don't much care for are the way that the author includes the contents of the whiteboards that they use to keep track of the case. I never read them, and it never seems to make the story any less understandable or enjoyable.

[g3org3y]

An interesting book on tax? Yes! Inspired after his Triggernometry interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLox5oCqmG0

[glazbagun]

g3org3y said:

g3org3y said:

Now onto this:

Finished this morning.

Insightful, positive and actually quite uplifting. Did open my eyes to quite a few common misconceptions about the world we live in.

I might add that to the pile. I always made time for a new Hans Rosling talk.

[rst99]

A solid Harry Hole excursion mixing WWII and Neo-Nazism in a Nordic setting.



Now onto this about post-Columbian slavery in the Americas. A worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in American/European history or the subject of slavery itself.

[MikeGTi]

Kind of sticking with a theme, I'm currently reading this:



It's really interesting, and details some really interesting disinformation campaigns from history.

I've got a long list in a similar vein to follow

[matchmaker]

I've just read "Death in the North Channel", about the loss of the Irish Sea ferry "Princess Victoria" in January 1953. Absolutely harrowing read - 135 dead is still (I believe) the greatest peacetime loss of lives in British territorial waters. Only 44 survived, and there was not a single woman or child in that total.

I'd read about the disaster before, but it wasn't until I read this book that I discovered that the car deck was effectively open - the stern door was only about 5 feet high. Another fact that I didn't know - Princess Victoria only had W/T (Morse) radio equipment so could only directly contact the Coast Radio Station at Portpatrick and one of the rescuing destroyers. All the other vessels involved in the rescue including the two RNLI lifeboats had R/T (voice) radio equipment.

(I've cross posted this to Boats, Planes and Trains)

Edited by matchmaker on Wednesday 8th July 11:14

[easyhome]

I’ve just finished Devolution by Max Brooks (author of World War Z). A change from zombies to Big Foot, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Also, don’t know if it’s been mentioned here before but for those who are fans (and if you’re not, why not?!), John Connolly has recently released a new Charlie Parker novella on his website. As with all of these, absolutely fantastic.

[biggbn]

Peter Cozzens 'The Earth is Weeping', a history of the wars with America's indigenous tribes. Well written, wonderfully researched and fairly even handed. Highly recommended

[jimmyjimjim]

Just started Janissaries IV: Mamelukes by Jerry Pournelle. Only 33 years since the third book came out.

[irc]

matchmaker said:

I've just read "Death in the North Channel", about the loss of the Irish Sea ferry "Princess Victoria" in January 1953. Absolutely harrowing read - 135 dead is still (I believe) the greatest peacetime loss of lives in British territorial waters.e]

Actually I believe the loss of the Iolaire just outside Stornaway harbour on 1st January 1919 had a greater death toll of 205 including a great uncle of mine.

Aside from the number the tragedy of the Iolaire was that almost all the dead were merchant marine or servicemen who had survived WW1 only to drown within sight of home. 188 of the dead were from Lewis and Harris.

My grandfather was the only one of 4 brothers to survive WW1. Two brothers killed in battle and one on the Iolaire.

John Macleod wrote an excellent book on the subject. Most of the dead were from Lewis which in many ways lost a generation. My two great aunts from Lewis were among those who never married as so many men if their generation were dead.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Heard-Bell-Loss-Iola...

[jimmyjimjim]

Having finished one book I was waiting 33 years for, I moved on to one I was waiting 6 years for - Jim Butcher, Dresden Files book 16, Peace Talks.

Lets just say I'm glad book 17 is now due in September, as this was clearly "Peace talks, part 1".

[p1doc]

jimmyjimjim said:

Having finished one book I was waiting 33 years for, I moved on to one I was waiting 6 years for - Jim Butcher, Dresden Files book 16, Peace Talks.

Lets just say I'm glad book 17 is now due in September, as this was clearly "Peace talks, part 1".

worth waiting for? I have read all the others so far but long wait between books!

[CostaBrava1972]

'Two-Eight-Six' by Clive Ashman - it's fiction, but quite the blockbuster.

Beginning with the 1957 Mille Miglia, the action updates once we join two guys from Newcastle competing on our modern-era equivalent, in a classic Lancia Aurelia (car '286').

Their experiences soon echo parallel accounts of a senior Roman soldier called Carausius (we'd say he's Belgian....) who's put in charge of the late-Roman navy defending the Roman province of 'Britannia'.

Under his command, the 'Classis Britannica' becomes unusually effective at fighting seaborne Saxon raiders, but his growing success only annoys the emperor. So Carausius himself is a true-life (but long-forgotten) historical character dating from AD 286, whose response was to declare UDI for Britain from the rest of the Roman Empire, in a sort of early 'Brexit' arrangement.

A split that lasts nearly 10 years until (spoiler alert....! ) Carausius gets murdered by his accountant and 'The Empire Strikes Back'! Altogether an interesting and exciting historical mix of the maritime, political, and motoring..... so here's its cover:

[CostaBrava1972]

Blooming heck..... that's big! (The cover I mean - not the thumbnail expected!)

[jimmyjimjim]

p1doc said:

jimmyjimjim said:

Having finished one book I was waiting 33 years for, I moved on to one I was waiting 6 years for - Jim Butcher, Dresden Files book 16, Peace Talks.

Lets just say I'm glad book 17 is now due in September, as this was clearly "Peace talks, part 1".

worth waiting for? I have read all the others so far but long wait between books!

It's decent, but it really does read as the first half of a book. The next book will obviously start the moment this one finished.

[Ace-T]

jimmyjimjim said:

p1doc said:

jimmyjimjim said:

Having finished one book I was waiting 33 years for, I moved on to one I was waiting 6 years for - Jim Butcher, Dresden Files book 16, Peace Talks.

Lets just say I'm glad book 17 is now due in September, as this was clearly "Peace talks, part 1".

worth waiting for? I have read all the others so far but long wait between books!

It's decent, but it really does read as the first half of a book. The next book will obviously start the moment this one finished.

Crikey its been 6 years? I guess JB's personal life going a bit to pot didn't help.

When it was announced there would be 2 books this year I figured it could be a 2 parter. As a result I am starting again at Storm Front and working my way through Harry's journey again. He is a bit of a whiney git in the first book though.

[whitesocks]

Golden Age Batman omnibus Vol1