Books - What are you reading?

[Mezzanine]

I enjoyed 'Trigger Mortis', thought it would make a great Bond film if they were ever to do a 'period' set Bond film in the future.

It is not high-grade literature but a good disposable holiday read.

[DRFC1879]

coppice said:

Can I recommend a book by my oldest friend's daughter? I read it with trepidation as crime fiction is not my thing at all and how would I put it , if it was badly written and/or a poor read ? I needn't have worried - it is a cracking read and near unputdownable.

Between the Lines by Freya Wolfe (her real name, but perfect for the genre).

Downloaded on your recommendation and I'm really enjoying it.

I guess it helps a little that I'm from South Yorkshire and my degree specialised in linguistics but a good read so far regardless!

[cranford10]

This
Never going to win any literary awards but very enjoyable. Like an updated Red Storm Rising if you like that sort of thing ( I do !)

[Dinlowgoon]

Where my heart used to beat - Seb Faulks.
His best so far. Being orphaned at 8 I’ve only just found out my Dad served in Normandy as a tank engineer. The ‘We don’t talk about it’ really strikes a chord but I’m aghast at why my siblings never mentioned it.
I’m doing research into his little outing as we speak.
Really makes sense to me now him being a introverted character. The bloke hardly spoke (from memory).
The mental therapy is great on this one.

[nellystew]

cranford10 said:

This
Never going to win any literary awards but very enjoyable. Like an updated Red Storm Rising if you like that sort of thing ( I do !)

Bought this, fingers crossed as Red Storm Rising is one of my favourite books

[MC Bodge]

Identity Crisis by Ben Elton.



A great satire on identity politics and social media storms. Events since the publishing have been very close to some of the narrative of this book.

-Not the left wing rant that some may assume.

Really worth an easy read.

Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 10th December 08:36

[Siko]

Maximum geek mode on: "Luftwaffe Special Weapons 1942-5" by Robert Forsyth.

[coppice]

DRFC1879 said:

coppice said:

Can I recommend a book by my oldest friend's daughter? I read it with trepidation as crime fiction is not my thing at all and how would I put it , if it was badly written and/or a poor read ? I needn't have worried - it is a cracking read and near unputdownable.

Between the Lines by Freya Wolfe (her real name, but perfect for the genre).

Downloaded on your recommendation and I'm really enjoying it.

I guess it helps a little that I'm from South Yorkshire and my degree specialised in linguistics but a good read so far regardless!

I'm delighted - give her a good review if you get time ? I saw her a couple of months ago and she is writing another with the same 'heroine' .

I struggled to work out whodunnit until the last 50 pages which I hope says more about the book than the reader .

I have written three books (the last on cars/motorsport ) and the sheer time and effort involved is ...errr... significant - and my stuff doesn't need me to work out a plot !

[Prolex-UK]

nellystew said:

cranford10 said:

This
Never going to win any literary awards but very enjoyable. Like an updated Red Storm Rising if you like that sort of thing ( I do !)

Bought this, fingers crossed as Red Storm Rising is one of my favourite books

Me too.

So far its OK

Story moves along nicely

[Ace-T]

coppice said:

DRFC1879 said:

coppice said:

Can I recommend a book by my oldest friend's daughter? I read it with trepidation as crime fiction is not my thing at all and how would I put it , if it was badly written and/or a poor read ? I needn't have worried - it is a cracking read and near unputdownable.

Between the Lines by Freya Wolfe (her real name, but perfect for the genre).

Downloaded on your recommendation and I'm really enjoying it.

I guess it helps a little that I'm from South Yorkshire and my degree specialised in linguistics but a good read so far regardless!

I'm delighted - give her a good review if you get time ? I saw her a couple of months ago and she is writing another with the same 'heroine' .

I struggled to work out whodunnit until the last 50 pages which I hope says more about the book than the reader .

I have written three books (the last on cars/motorsport ) and the sheer time and effort involved is ...errr... significant - and my stuff doesn't need me to work out a plot !

The OH keeps asking me what I want for my birthday, I am very rubbish at deciding. So thank you for this recommendation as he has now just ordered it.

Also just started the latest in the Invisible Library series: The Untold Story. Lightweight but entertaining fantasy series about a librarian, dragons, fae and the multi dimensional worlds in which they live.

[droopsnoot]

I've just finished "Dust" by Patricia Cornwell. One of her novels featuring Kay Scarpetta, I found it a bit annoying to read. The basic storyline is good featuring a serial killer, but I found a lot of stuff that wasn't really relevant to the story. I recall thinking that she'd gone from being very good in the earlier novels to being a bit poor, and then got better again, so I suspect this is from that middle period.

[andy_s]

Prolex-UK said:

andy_s said:

Prolex-UK said:

The dark hours

Latest balard bosch novel

Just started and very impressef

^ But this first!

Just finished it.

Very good indeed

Set in pandemic so we have covid stuff.. Aftermath of george floyd demos BLM and the jan 6th white house storming going on in the background

Roger that...

Kept it for a 36hr schlep and just finished it - definitely up to snuff, so 5/5, but finished already - I can't believe I'm now back to itching for the 'next one'!

[DRFC1879]

coppice said:

DRFC1879 said:

coppice said:

Can I recommend a book by my oldest friend's daughter? I read it with trepidation as crime fiction is not my thing at all and how would I put it , if it was badly written and/or a poor read ? I needn't have worried - it is a cracking read and near unputdownable.

Between the Lines by Freya Wolfe (her real name, but perfect for the genre).

Downloaded on your recommendation and I'm really enjoying it.

I guess it helps a little that I'm from South Yorkshire and my degree specialised in linguistics but a good read so far regardless!

I'm delighted - give her a good review if you get time ? I saw her a couple of months ago and she is writing another with the same 'heroine' .

I struggled to work out whodunnit until the last 50 pages which I hope says more about the book than the reader .

I have written three books (the last on cars/motorsport ) and the sheer time and effort involved is ...errr... significant - and my stuff doesn't need me to work out a plot !

Finished it last night; I must say I got suspicious on the whodunnit around 60% but that didn't spoil my enjoyment. As I mentioned earlier, I know my way around linguistics (particularly socio-linguistics) so that helped me to suss it out! I'll leave a good review and definitely buy her next book.

On another note, I noticed a few little grammatical/structural errors as I read it which had sneaked through the proof-reading/editorial process, one of which was clearly where she'd written something then changed her mind slightly on the structure but left part of the original sentence intact. Very easily done, I notice it in my own writing fairly frequently! If she wants to add any proof readers for her next book feel free to drop me a DM.

[MC Bodge]

I have finally got around to beginning to read "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel. It's quite different to anything I have read before and I'm finding it quite intriguing so far.

[CostaBrava1972]

Might I be allowed to mention my new historical novel, "Lawyers of Lugvalio"?

Currently listed, not just in the December 2021 edition of 'Cumbria Life' and their Christmas selection (being of local interest) - but also chosen by last Friday's "Law Society Gazette" as amongst their "Best-Legal-Books-of-2021"?

So John-Grisham-meets-Rosemary-Sutcliffe-meets-Rumpole-of-the-Bailey, then?

Who knows - but do take a look, anyway: https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/reviews/best-law-book...

Or else check out the official Voreda Books website to see if you'd like one: https://voredabooks.com/lawyers-of-lugvalio/

(An ideal gift, still deliverable in time for Christmas...)

Edited by CostaBrava1972 on Wednesday 15th December 21:40

[coppice]

Argh ...the Law Society Gazette. Flashback to a former life .. Good luck with the book . I've written three now, and although the royalties didn't pay for the F458 , they covered my 250 GTO (Tipo Burago ) and with change to spare. I've ordered yours and will report back

[rpm1969]

MC Bodge said:

I have finally got around to beginning to read "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel. It's quite different to anything I have read before and I'm finding it quite intriguing so far.

I’m just coming to the end of the final book in the trilogy. Before reading them I knew very little about Henry VIII beyond having 6 wives. I’ve found the books gripping, fascinating and beautifully written.

[MC Bodge]

rpm1969 said:

MC Bodge said:

I have finally got around to beginning to read "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel. It's quite different to anything I have read before and I'm finding it quite intriguing so far.

I’m just coming to the end of the final book in the trilogy. Before reading them I knew very little about Henry VIII beyond having 6 wives. I’ve found the books gripping, fascinating and beautifully written.

Yes. Fascinating stuff. I'm sure I'll read the other two books too.

[TheJimi]

MC Bodge said:

rpm1969 said:

MC Bodge said:

I have finally got around to beginning to read "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel. It's quite different to anything I have read before and I'm finding it quite intriguing so far.

I’m just coming to the end of the final book in the trilogy. Before reading them I knew very little about Henry VIII beyond having 6 wives. I’ve found the books gripping, fascinating and beautifully written.

Yes. Fascinating stuff. I'm sure I'll read the other two books too.

I really, really wanted to like Wolf Hall. I got into it, then when I read a full conversation for the first time, it screwed with my my head - kept trying, but I simply couldn't get on with how she writes conversations.

Horrible, imo, and very off-putting.

[MC Bodge]

TheJimi said:

I really, really wanted to like Wolf Hall. I got into it, then when I read a full conversation for the first time, it screwed with my my head - kept trying, but I simply couldn't get on with how she writes conversations.

Horrible, imo, and very off-putting.

I understand what you are saying. They do sometimes require a little re-reading. I'm not sure why authors sometimes make dialogue so awkward to read, as it seems so unnecessary.

-having recently read Suttree by Cormac McCarthy, though, the Wolf Hall conversations appear the epitome of clarity.

ps. It is not always clear at first encounter what is "the present" and what is "the past". Again, this is something that the author could quite easily clarify.

Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 20th December 10:42