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The Continental Op
On 28/10/2010 at 12:47, uniwildcat38 said:

Re-reading "Boiling a Frog" by Christopher Brookmyre for about the 5th time, while also working my way through the Sherlock Holmes collections on my iPad (the Aussie iBook store hasn't licensed any modern books yet, so I'm trying out all the free public domain stuff instead. If anyone else is doing the same, I recommend Flatland).

 

On 26/11/2010 at 23:31, JWL said:

A Snowball in Hell by Christopher Brookmyre..........again.

Just finished "The Way of All Flesh" by Ambrose Parry, AKA Christopher Brookmyre and his wife, Dr. Marisa Haetzman .

 

A cracking medical detective story, set in 1847 Edinburgh and full of detail about local life and society of the time and featuring a roll call of real life historical figures.

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Francis Albert
On 13/10/2019 at 21:15, been here before said:

Getting near the end of this...

 

heartofmidlothian_preorderthisisourstoryianmurrayhardback_1569319498ianmurraybookfront.thumb.jpg.0a345803525fda28091099bc6280e802.jpg

 

...at the bit about the relegation derby. Seems the Hibs fans are planning on rocking up to Tynecaatle and having some sort of a party. Nail biting stuff waiting to see how that turns out.

Only a hundred pages in but recommended. A good read.

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On 08/10/2019 at 13:08, Haken said:

 

Just about to start some nonsense called The Paths Between Worlds, another 99p Amazon special which they do quite a lot on first books in a series in the hope that you'll like the first on and pay full price for the rest.  We'll see.

This was actually not too bad.  A group of people from a variety of different times in earth's history, are transported 'somewhere else' at the moment before their death.  It has a feel of 'Lost' to it.  It's the first in a trilogy and I'll give the second one a go when it comes out.  I'll also check out the author's other series, 'Extinction Point'.

 

Now onto The Fear by C L Taylor, one of that ever-growing number of female authors who write psychological thrillers apparently for no other reason than to get picked up by the Richard & Judy Book Club.  It's about male grooming of teenage girls - 10% in and it's good enough so far.

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On 23/09/2019 at 14:02, superjack said:

Currently treating myself to some Clive Barker, reading everville. Hooked pretty much straight away.

I take that back, after a while I thought the book just dragged on and on, kept stopping to read other books in between. Only finished it to see what happened in the end, what an anti-climax.

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Black and Blue - Ian Rankin. It's ok I suppose. Rarely read fiction to be honest but it was lying around the hotel so I swapped it for a biography on Rudi Gulliani.

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Shanks said no

Just finished 

 

CC89BABA-C04E-49C4-8AAA-6091AEE5BCB5.jpeg

 

I personally found it an astonishing read. I honestly didn’t realise that people were growing up in such abject poverty a few miles away from me in the 70’s. The stories of sexual abuse, drug misuse, gangs and sectarianism were shocking. 

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Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves. Last of the Jimmy Perez Shetland detective books. Better than the TV adaptations. Her Vera books also adapted for TV are also worth a read.

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Just taken The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón out of the library.

 

An extract was used for a college course and thought I'd give it a go.

Edited by Ron Swanson
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On 23/10/2019 at 09:56, Haken said:

 

Now onto The Fear by C L Taylor, one of that ever-growing number of female authors who write psychological thrillers apparently for no other reason than to get picked up by the Richard & Judy Book Club.  It's about male grooming of teenage girls - 10% in and it's good enough so far.

The Fear was pretty enjoyable, I have to say, in an easy to read fast-paced thriller sort of way.  Will try some more of Ms Taylor's effort (got another one downloaded on the Kindle, 99p effort).

 

Now going to start Tryptich by Karen Slaughter.  Never read any of her stuff before.

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On 25/10/2019 at 14:07, Ron Swanson said:

Just taken The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón out of the library.

 

An extract was used for a college course and thought I'd give it a go.

Read it years ago. Can't remember a thing about it other than it being very good.

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On 29/10/2019 at 15:48, Haken said:

Now going to start Tryptich by Karen Slaughter.  Never read any of her stuff before.

Really enjoyed this.  Nothing particularly earth-breaking, but fairly complex main characters.  I will definitely give Ms Slaughter another go, so to speak.

 

Started Eden's Revenge, the follow up to the Eden Paradox that I read a few months back.  File under 'Adventures in Space'.  It's decent enough for the train.

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On 11/11/2019 at 12:12, Haken said:

 

Started Eden's Revenge, the follow up to the Eden Paradox that I read a few months back.  File under 'Adventures in Space'.  It's decent enough for the train.

Finished Eden's Trial (not Revenge, as I mistakenly referred to it).  Again, very readable in a I-don't-really-need-to-engage-my-brain-too-much kind of way.

 

Now onto Sleep by C J Samson.

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Finally started the last book in brent weeks light bringer series, been really looking forward to it being released for a while now.

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On 22/11/2019 at 13:34, Haken said:

Now onto Sleep by C J Samson.

Finished Sleep by C L Taylor, not C J Sansom.  Heid's mush.  The book was pretty mush, too.  

 

Now about to start another Karen Slaughter effort, Fractured.

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Just finished the 14th and last of the Bernie Gunther series, written by Edinburgh born Phillip Kerr.

 

Cracking series about a Berlin detective during the Nazi years and beyond, thoroughly recommend them. 

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On 28/11/2019 at 13:53, Haken said:

 

 

Now about to start another Karen Slaughter effort, Fractured.

Fractured - decent.

 

Now onto Found by Erin Kinsley, about a young lad who is abducted and then returned to his family some months later.  Bit of a police procedural but just as much about the impact on the family unit.  Pretty good so far.

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On 12/12/2019 at 12:26, Haken said:

Fractured - decent.

 

Now onto Found by Erin Kinsley, about a young lad who is abducted and then returned to his family some months later.  Bit of a police procedural but just as much about the impact on the family unit.  Pretty good so far.

Finished Found.  Really enjoyed it, so far as you can enjoy a book that concerns the abduction of children by a paedophile ring.  But the story doesn't focus on the criminality/depravity, but rather the investigation and the family impact.

 

After it sitting on the Kindle for over a year, I've now started Perdido Street Station by China Meiville.  Only about 30 pages in and it's bonkers, in a good way.

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Shanks said no

On Wings of Eagles by Ken Follett


Thriller based on true events around Ross Perot. 
 

wasn’t really enjoying it and knew the outcome but midway through reading, it kicked off in Iran/Iraq. Given that it covers the lead up to the Iranian revolution this made it more relevant. Still couldn’t help thinking it was a Perot propaganda price. 

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Just finished a book called "Rogue Heroes", which describes how the SAS was formed, and what they did during the war.

 

Highly recommend it.

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annushorribilis III
49 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

Just finished a book called "Rogue Heroes", which describes how the SAS was formed, and what they did during the war.

 

Highly recommend it.

If you like that kind of stuff you may like Stephen G Ambrose books (he wrote Band of Brothers) His books on D-Day and the Normandy campaign are brilliant. 

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Shanks said no

Wars of the Roses: Stormbird by Conn Iggulden
 

really enjoyable read and will definitely read the rest of the series and other books by him.

 

now onto a couple by Nick Spalding to try to cheer myself up and banish the January blues

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Rupert Pupkin

Just about to start Harry’s Kebabs by Russ Forman AKA The Dribbler from Legendary Club night PURE .

 

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Just finished: Munich by Robert Harris. Decent and well written, but not the most thrilling 'spy thriller'. 

 

Just started: The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh. Quite enjoying it so far but hoping Begbie returns to full psycho mode soon.

 

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On 02/12/2013 at 06:51, superjack said:

I've just started reading "the assassins apprentice" by robin hobb. Number 1 in the far seer trilogy.

a mate got me to try it, so far it is ok, too early to tell. I will try and keep you up to date on how good it is


I was having a wee scroll through this thread and found this post by myself. I downloaded the whole series, 3 trilogy’s, yesterday and am now half way through the assassins apprentice again. Robin hobb must be my favourite author.

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On 19/12/2019 at 13:16, Haken said:

After it sitting on the Kindle for over a year, I've now started Perdido Street Station by China Meiville.  Only about 30 pages in and it's bonkers, in a good way.

Finished PDS.  Not sure how to describe it - steampunk fantasy with elements of sci-fi and horror.  It starts off intriguing with a couple of interesting plotlines and then just explodes.  I really liked it but Meiville won't be everyone's pot of typhoo.

 

Just started The Institute by Stephen King, a Christmas present from my wee lassie.

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Shanks said no

To cheer me up through my annual January blues I lightened the mood 

 

Nick Spalding - Checking Out - story of a bloke who might die at any moment, rather funny

 

Nick Spalding - Dumped, Actually - story of a bloke who has just been dumped, contemplates topping himself but then decides to find the source of his persistent failures in the love department, decent read

 

Jenny Eclair - Moving - a really old lady is rattling around her large London house, thinking back to her life, family and loves. How did it come to this? Very surprising and enjoyable read.

 

Now onto something more violent ..................

 

 

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John Gentleman

Readers may be in interested to know that pen-name 'MC Beaton' (Marion Chesney Gibbons) died on 30-Dec-19. She of the Hamish MacBeth and Agatha Raisin books, both later adapted to TV series. A fine author indeed.

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On 30/01/2020 at 12:24, Haken said:

Just started The Institute by Stephen King, a Christmas present from my wee lassie.

King hasn't written a really decent book in a long time and TI doesn't change that.  It's a decent enough read, more thriller than horror.  And, actually, not really all that thrilling.

 

Now onto Recursion by Blake Crouch.

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On 12/02/2020 at 12:25, Haken said:

Now onto Recursion by Blake Crouch.

ok, Recursion.  Possibly one of the most mind-bending books I've ever read.  If you've never read Blake Crouch, he wrote Wayward Pines which was turned into a TV series.  I think he also does screenplays.

 

Anyhoo, the premise here is the discovery that an individual's conscience can be sent back to a trigger point in the same individual's memory, thus rebooting reality from that point.  It took me a bit of effort to get my head round the concept, and I'm sure if I dug deeper into it I'd find all sorts of flaws.  But I decided just to read the damn thing and, on that level, it's a very entertaining sci-fi thriller.

 

Now onto Genesis by Karin Slaughter, crime series set in and around Atlanta.

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Craig Gordons Gloves

I'm in the middle of this.  It's equal parts sad and funny.  The author became a father for the first time at 58 and these are notes and letters he's written to his sons as he knows he isn't going to be around for them.  It's not maudlin and a very good read.

 

A1DhMCfHKZL.jpg

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I'm going to re read a book I read in the 80s. The Eyes of Darkness, by Dean Koontz.

 

I can't remember a thing about it, as I read a stack of his books around then, and they've kind of all merged into one in my head.

 

Someone told me the plot involves a biological agent called Wuhan 400, and there's an outbreak in Wuhan, China. Curiosity has got the better of me, and thankfully I still have the book. 

 

 

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Shanks said no

Well it’s been on my kindle for ages but then I found out what a large section was about


Dead Men's Trousers by Irvine Welsh

 

I have to admit it, I really enjoyed the vast majority of the book and the Centurion even got a mention 

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Diadora Van Basten

I am planning a trip round Europe following the Path of Rogan from Six Graves to Munich by Mario Puzo.


My plan is to start in Hamburg, then onto Berlin, Budapest, Villalba in Sicily and finish in Munich.

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On 20/02/2020 at 07:59, Haken said:

 

Now onto Genesis by Karin Slaughter, crime series set in and around Atlanta.

Finished Genesis.  Okay - nothing special.

 

Onto 84K by Clare North.  Just started it and don't really have a scooby what it's about, other than it's set in the (near?) future and things appear a bit shan.

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On 04/03/2020 at 11:51, Haken said:

 

Onto 84K by Clare North.  Just started it and don't really have a scooby what it's about, other than it's set in the (near?) future and things appear a bit shan.

Gave up on 84K one-third of the way through.  Really dire stuff.

 

Now on Abandon by Blake Crouch which is much more entertaining.

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I've always been a Robin Hobb fan but had never read the soldier son trilogy. Half way through the first book and I'm starting to struggle a bit. As she is 2 of my favourite authors though I'll persevere to the end of the first book anyway.

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Shanks said no

Conn Iggulden

Wars of the Roses: Trinity: Book 2
 

I had been keeping this for my next holiday but as I was meant to be in Malta this week I treated myself. 
 

Will probably download book 3 later today, loved it.

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