The what are you reading at the moment fred

[Shanks said no]

Read Irvine Welsh, The Blade Artist in last few days. Actually first paper book I have read in years as opposed to Kindle books. I enjoyed it but as others have said it had script written all over it.

 

Now back to reading every book on my late fathers Kindle before it finally packs in. He was very much a pulp crime fiction man and although some books are good its a hard slog but I want to read every one in his memory. Daft as it may sound.

[leginten]

Just finished James Robertson's "The Testament of Gideon Mack". Absolutely outstanding.

[Haken]

Finished Christine (again).  I was quite surprised by how much of it I'd forgotten.  Some details just didn't stick, and yet - see below - other details of things I've read come roaring back.

 

So am now reading The Dead Lands which is a post-apocalyptic novel set in a North America almost wiped out entirely by a flu-type virus ('The Stand' anyone?) and subsequent nuclear strikes.  The author, Benjamin Percy, name-checks King in the intro.  There's a bit of background given where a passing remark is made that it was thought that the flu was started by an infected individual, employee of a research centre, falling out of a car at a gasoline station.  This triggered the memory that in the unabridged version of 'the Stand', this is how Captain Trips (see - I remember that they called the flu Captain Trips, but couldn't remember what they used to smash up Christine!) started to spread.

 

Anyone else get this?

[the general]

Mark E Smith's autobiog

[Haken]

Finished Christine (again).  I was quite surprised by how much of it I'd forgotten.  Some details just didn't stick, and yet - see below - other details of things I've read come roaring back.

 

So am now reading The Dead Lands which is a post-apocalyptic novel set in a North America almost wiped out entirely by a flu-type virus ('The Stand' anyone?) and subsequent nuclear strikes.  The author, Benjamin Percy, name-checks King in the intro.  There's a bit of background given where a passing remark is made that it was thought that the flu was started by an infected individual, employee of a research centre, falling out of a car at a gasoline station.  This triggered the memory that in the unabridged version of 'the Stand', this is how Captain Trips (see - I remember that they called the flu Captain Trips, but couldn't remember what they used to smash up Christine!) started to spread.

 

Anyone else get this?

Finished The Dead Lands.  Very good, once I got used to the sort of detached narrative voice.

 

Now onto The Girl in the Spider's Web, the new addition to 'The Dragon Tattoo' books.  Steig Larsson's creation is being taken forward by Swedish journalist David Lagercranz.  Only 30 or so pages in, and so far so good.

[Morgan]

Gerald Seymour - The Walking Dead.

[Hugh Phamism]

Finished The Dead Lands.  Very good, once I got used to the sort of detached narrative voice.

 

Now onto The Girl in the Spider's Web, the new addition to 'The Dragon Tattoo' books.  Steig Larsson's creation is being taken forward by Swedish journalist David Lagercranz.  Only 30 or so pages in, and so far so good.

 

The Girl in the Spider's Web is pretty good. After a few chapters you completely forget that it is not a Steig Larsson original, and the characters just carry on from where they left off.

[William H. Bonney]

The Girl in the Spider's Web is pretty good. After a few chapters you completely forget that it is not a Steig Larsson original, and the characters just carry on from where they left off.

I've read the trilogy but kinda lost interest after the first book. As someone else pointed out it was pages of drinking coffee, eating pizza and shopping in IKEA.

Edited April 29, 2016 by William H. Bonney

[Psychedelicropcircle]

Reading Jorgen todenhorfer's my journey into the heart of terror. One Group of European IS that enjoy the game have suggested bosses push into Qatar before 2022 so IS can host the WC!

[systemx]

Just finished two Icelandic crime books by Ragnar Jonasson(Snowblind and Nightblind)Peter Mays Coffin Road finished last night.will start the new Stuart Macbride Logan Macrae tonight.

New Ragnar Jonasson out in fortnight for Kindle.Going to order the Quentin Bates Icelandic series

[Tazio]

Currently rereading Easy Riders, Raging Bulls.

 

The story of how Hollywood changed its power base as the new generation of directors in the late sixties and early seventies arrived. A brilliant read if you are interested in film.

[scott herbertson]

Just bought a copy of the rarest book on Jack the ripper, at an auction buried in a lot of other true crime books. Very lucky as the other book guys there hadn't spotted it and I got the lot of books for ?20 - it's worth upwards of ?300

 

It's rare for a number of reasons, and also interesting - the author used his daughter (in the 1930s) to pose in the positions of the dead bodies for photographs for starters! he also proposed the killer was female and a midwife

 

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/rip-stewartbio.html

[Trapper John McIntyre]

A remarkable book by William Prochnau entitled 'Once Upon a Distant War'.

 

It is all about David Halberstam and Neil Sheehan, correspondents in South Vietnam between 1961 and the assassination of President Diem in November 1963.

 

One surprising aspect about the book is that despite every warning, there was absolutely no indication at any time that Kennedy was becoming concerned enough with what was happening there to order a reverse of US policy. Sheehan and Halberstam were treated disgracefully for telling the truth despite the fact that they were both Cold War children who believed in the War and America's place but were the first to openly criticise its methods.

 

A real eye-opener.

 

Neil Sheehan of course went on to write 'A Bright Shining Lie' probably the greatest book ever about the War.

[Haken]

The Girl in the Spider's Web is pretty good. After a few chapters you completely forget that it is not a Steig Larsson original, and the characters just carry on from where they left off.

 

 

I've read the trilogy but kinda lost interest after the first book. As someone else pointed out it was pages of drinking coffee, eating pizza and shopping in IKEA.

I felt the 'trilogy' was probably a good bit longer than it needed to be.  I'm only 120 pages or so into this fourth book, but have to say I'm enjoying it more than I remember enjoying any of the others.

[trotter]

Got a 16 hour flight to Dubai in a few weeks, ordered up this especially to get me through it. A mate has read it and says it's just incredible how they got away with it for so long. 

[leginten]

Just finished T.C. Boyle's "The Women", about Frank Lloyd Wright's tempestuous relationships. Boyle is a phenomenal writer, and this is just as good as the rest of his books.

 

On to Cormac McCarthy's "The Crossing" now.

[Haken]

Finished The Dead Lands.  Very good, once I got used to the sort of detached narrative voice.

 

Now onto The Girl in the Spider's Web, the new addition to 'The Dragon Tattoo' books.  Steig Larsson's creation is being taken forward by Swedish journalist David Lagercranz.  Only 30 or so pages in, and so far so good.

Finished The Girl in the Spider's Web and, imo, it knocked spots off the Larsson books in terms of its action and its pacing. 

 

About to start Dominus which looks to be a Dan Brown type conspiracy effort.  So there's a decent chance it'll get chucked after 100 pages or so.

[Haken]

Finished The Girl in the Spider's Web and, imo, it knocked spots off the Larsson books in terms of its action and its pacing. 

 

About to start Dominus which looks to be a Dan Brown type conspiracy effort.  So there's a decent chance it'll get chucked after 100 pages or so.

Dominus is awful.  That's all.

 

Now, in need of something a bit more literary, and reading Kate Atkinson's Life After Life.  Very promising first 60-odd pages.  Puts me in mind of David Mitchell a bit in terms of trying different structural approaches.

[superjack]

Currently on book 2 in the starboard ascension trilogy. A very addictive read. I found the trilogy when a friend told me about bookbub. All you do is sign up, select your favourite genres and it will email you some excellent deals, usually free, every day for kindle downloads.

Check bookbub out peeps and you won't be disappointed.

[Ian Beale]

Lone Survivor .

[John Findlay]

Just finished Bill Bryson's Little Dribblers. His follow up to Notes from a small island. Had its laugh out loud moments.

Edited May 21, 2016 by John Findlay

[AWM]

[PumpkinJambo]

Is this good? I have it on Amazon wish list.

 

Currently reading Revenger by Rory Clements, the second in the John Shakespeare series. John Shakespeare (brother of William(!)) is an 'intelligencer' during the latter part of the reign of Elizabeth I. It's good but I prefer SJ Parris' Giordano Bruno series, set slightly earlier in Elizabeth's reign. Neither are as good as CJ Sansom's Shardlake series which I've posted about before.

[AWM]

Is this good? I have it on Amazon wish list.

 

Currently reading Revenger by Rory Clements, the second in the John Shakespeare series. John Shakespeare (brother of William(!)) is an 'intelligencer' during the latter part of the reign of Elizabeth I. It's good but I prefer SJ Parris' Giordano Bruno series, set slightly earlier in Elizabeth's reign. Neither are as good as CJ Sansom's Shardlake series which I've posted about before.

I only got it this morning so have just started it.  I've really enjoyed the first three books so expect this to be of similar quality.  All the reviews I've seen have been positive. 

[The White Cockade]

 

Reading this again for about the 12th time

got it when I was ten over 40 years ago

it's a kids book but best football story I have ever read

[Shanks said no]

Read Irvine Welsh, The Blade Artist in last few days. Actually first paper book I have read in years as opposed to Kindle books. I enjoyed it but as others have said it had script written all over it.

 

Now back to reading every book on my late fathers Kindle before it finally packs in. He was very much a pulp crime fiction man and although some books are good its a hard slog but I want to read every one in his memory. Daft as it may sound.

My late fathers kindle has failed so am back to reading my own stuff again. Finding The Last days of disco by David F Ross to be a laugh out loud read and very realistic take of the early 80's Scotland.

[PumpkinJambo]

I only got it this morning so have just started it. I've really enjoyed the first three books so expect this to be of similar quality. All the reviews I've seen have been positive.

Cool, I've only read the first in the series and I have so many series the go, I forget where they are all at! Will definitely catch up with this series.

[PumpkinJambo]

I only got it this morning so have just started it. I've really enjoyed the first three books so expect this to be of similar quality. All the reviews I've seen have been positive.

DP, soz

Edited May 22, 2016 by GorgieGooner

[EIEIO]

I persevered and glad that I did.

 

Now reading a book written by a German of Hungarian descent that is about Hitler waking up in 2011 and getting used to the changes. Only a couple of chapters in but very promising.

Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes

Picked this up in my hotel in Thailand quite enjoyed it.

 

Sent from my LG-K350 using Tapatalk

[Shanks said no]

I know I will get pelters but am enjoying a Decent Ride by Irvine Welsh way too much. To the extent of doing the front garden with the wife and saying out loud in Juice Terry words what I thought of a female walking by. Been married 30+ years and even she looked shocked at what I said!

[Haken]

Have just finished Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.  I would highly recommend it (though I kind of felt that I was one of the last people to read it as folk kept on saying to me, 'Oh, I read that.  It's really good!').  It tells the story of Ursula, and her multiple life scenarios.  Her life ends in a variety of ways and at different points in her timeline.  It's one I'll probably read again in a few years.

[Debut 4]

The Rise and Fall of John Gotti.

 

Again, if you like your real life mafia stories then I recommend this.

[MacDonald Jardine]

Just finished James Robertson's "The Testament of Gideon Mack". Absolutely outstanding.

That was a remarkably good book.

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[The Natural Order]

Just finished Stolen Angels by Shaun Hutson (a far better horror writer than King).

 

Really surprised people liked The Girl in the Spider's Web. I thought it was an awful book. The tone, style and pacing are so different from the original trilogy and character development is practically non existent. To me it just read like a very "paint by numbers" rip off.

 

Currently just about finished "The Wave" by Tod Strasser, a very short but enjoyable book. Mad to think it's based on a true story.

[Haken]

Just finished Stolen Angels by Shaun Hutson (a far better horror writer than King).

 

Really surprised people liked The Girl in the Spider's Web. I thought it was an awful book. The tone, style and pacing are so different from the original trilogy and character development is practically non existent. To me it just read like a very "paint by numbers" rip off.

 

Currently just about finished "The Wave" by Tod Strasser, a very short but enjoyable book. Mad to think it's based on a true story.

It's ages since I read anything by Hutson.  Isn't he the guy who wrote 'The Slugs'?  What is it about him that makes him, iyo, a better horror writer than King.  Genuinely curious.

[The Natural Order]

It's ages since I read anything by Hutson.  Isn't he the guy who wrote 'The Slugs'?  What is it about him that makes him, iyo, a better horror writer than King.  Genuinely curious.

Yip, Slugs is one of Hutson's.

 

For me King's best work is as much, if not more, fantasy than horror. It's the little critters under the porch, the possessed car, or "The Stand's" good v evil battle etc. Hutson's best books tend to include aspects real world horror. For me there's nothing more horrific at times than what people can do to each other or what effect events can have on the human mind.

 

I suppose it's often also about where emphasis of an act is. King will write about about the crazed guy with the axe trying to get the heroine, but it's more about the "why" and "how" of the axe man. The heroine's more of a old school b-moive character there to look pretty and scream. Hutson would write exactly the same scene but the emphasis would be less on the ax man and more on the impact of the victim, the physiological terror, the thoughts of saving family etc.

[Haken]

Halfway through Medusa by Torkil Damhaug which is, apparently, an 'Oslo Crime Files novel'.  Pretty sure I picked it up in one of these cheap 3 for ?5 places (probably The Works), but it's surprisingly decent. 

[King Of The Cat Cafe]

Now reading The Redbreast, by Jo Nesbo. He is Norwegian and it is about a Norwegian cop called Harry Hole (they pronounce it differently.)

 

I am genuinely blown away by the quality and depth of the writing. The characterisation is deep and sympathetic.

 

It is the third in the series and I have just bought the other seven books secondhand for ?18.

 

Nesbo was a pretty good footballer in his younger years and turned to writing after he crocked an acute cruciate ligament just as he was about to sign for Spurs.

[elvoys]

Just finished T.C. Boyle's "The Women", about Frank Lloyd Wright's tempestuous relationships. Boyle is a phenomenal writer, and this is just as good as the rest of his books.

 

On to Cormac McCarthy's "The Crossing" now.

 

The Crossing is extremely underrated and one of his most haunting along with The Road. The first section with Billy's parents' murder and then his silent bond with the wolf is incredible. Also, his relationship with his brother Boyd feels more real than either of John Grady Cole's Mexican girls in Pretty Horses and Cities of the Plain. Probably another example of McCarthy's main failing - not being able to inhabit female characters.

 

Strange thing is in the last of the trilogy (Cities) it seems that Billy Parham has turned into a regular cowboy hick despite all he went through in The Crossing. Might just be me that read him that way.

[269miles]

Just finished Bridge of Spies by Giles Whittell.

 

Brilliant read , well written in an almost thriller style. Fascinating details about Gary Powers/U2 spy plane and the relationship between Ike & Kruschev.  I skimmed the end of the book which deals with the actual spy swap as I didn't find it as interesting. 

 

Now reading Unreliable Sources by John Simpson. Anyone who thinks tabloid trash is a  modern day phenomenon is in for a surprise. 

[Haken]

Had to dig all the way down to page 10 for this thread.

 

Currently reading A Little Life by Hana Yanagihara.  Big book (720 pages) and I'm about 200 pages in.  I think it's got the potential to be the most depressing thing I've ever read, in a good way.  It's about four friends making their way through life in New York, though it concentrates mainly on one of the characters, Jude, whose early years (from what I've managed to gather so far) have been traumatic, to say the least.  This book has the potential to be genius; will let you know how it pans out on that front.

[Stephane Grappelli]

'As I Lay Dying' - Faulkner at his finest.

[superjack]

Half way through the second book in the dark tower series by Stephen King. Read the first 1 last week, thought it was quite an addictive read.

[Haken]

Half way through the second book in the dark tower series by Stephen King. Read the first 1 last week, thought it was quite an addictive read.

The early books in the series are really good.  It then falls foul of King's self-indulgence.  And I felt extremely let down by the ending (which I obviously won't say a thing about). 

[superjack]

The early books in the series are really good. It then falls foul of King's self-indulgence. And I felt extremely let down by the ending (which I obviously won't say a thing about).

I'd heard about the books on this thread a while back but never bothered with them at the time. Recently a mate of mine seen I was reading compulsion by shaun hutson and asked if I liked King. I'd never read anything of his before so he recommended the series. Started the first book last week, should be finished the second 1 by the end of the week.

What other Stephen King books would you recommend then?

[niblick1874]

I am re-reading The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the unbeliever by Stephan R Donaldson.

 

When I read the first book there was only one but so many people encouraged him to write more that he ended up writing six.

 

When the next book would come out you would see many people walking about with their faces buried in them.

 

**** your pokemon go.

[William H. Bonney]

I'd heard about the books on this thread a while back but never bothered with them at the time. Recently a mate of mine seen I was reading compulsion by shaun hutson and asked if I liked King. I'd never read anything of his before so he recommended the series. Started the first book last week, should be finished the second 1 by the end of the week.

What other Stephen King books would you recommend then?

I just finished 11.22.63. King at his best. Obviously you have the classics like misery and the shining but I'd recommend reading insomnia and the girl who loved tom gordon, my personal favourite.

[systemx]

Starting the Gunnhilder Series by Quentin Bates who translated the Ragnar Jonnason series from Icelandic,finished last of the trilogy Blackout last week.

[superjack]

I just finished 11.22.63. King at his best. Obviously you have the classics like misery and the shining but I'd recommend reading insomnia and the girl who loved tom gordon, my personal favourite.

Thanks for that, I'll add them to my kindle tonight.

[Stuart Lyon]

Just finished reading 

 

A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies and a Murder Plot at the Heart of the Establishment

 

all about Jeremy Thorpe and his "friendship" with Norman Scott that lead to Thorpe allegedly plotting his murder. Goodness knows how he got away with it!