King Of The Cat Cafe Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 I have just finished "American Psycho", by Bret Easton Ellis. It's a satire about the yuppie class of high earning bankers and the like in New York in the latter part of the 20th century. Oh, and the protagonist likes killing and mutilating women. It is actually a bit of a slow burner, and although I almost gave up a few times, I persisted to the end. I am typing this on an iPad Mark 2. I'm wearing a Thomas Nash pure cotton shirt, navy with pale blue stripes; a blue lambs wool jumper by Red Herring; black jeans from M&S; black socks by Pringle; and underwear from Primark. Later, I plan to watch a recording of the Jeremy Kyle Show that asks "Is bringing your son up to support Hibs a form of child abuze?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riddley Walker Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 (edited) On 10/01/2018 at 12:43, Haken said: I've picked that up, thought about buying it, put it back down a few times now. Will be interested to hear how it pans out. Sigh. I eventually finished reading this after putting it down a couple of times. Each chapter is split into four sections describing four different ways the protagonist's life could have gone. It's mainly set in 1960s New York. It's extremely well written but very Bookery. After 400 pages I was really enjoying it. After 700 pages I was finding it extremely repetitive and by the time it hit 1000 pages I was wishing it to end. I'd give it 3 out of 5 if I'm feeling generous, although when the afterglow of dullness is gone I might think more favourably about it. Far too long for the subject. Edited March 21, 2018 by Riddley Walker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riddley Walker Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 I think that's the first time I've ever written the word "sigh" out and I don't like myself for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 3 hours ago, Riddley Walker said: Sigh. I eventually finished reading this after putting it down a couple of times. Each chapter is split into four sections describing four different ways the protagonist's life could have gone. It's mainly set in 1960s New York. It's extremely well written but very Bookery. After 400 pages I was really enjoying it. After 700 pages I was finding it extremely repetitive and by the time it hit 1000 pages I was wishing it to end. I'd give it 3 out of 5 if I'm feeling generous, although when the afterglow of dullness is gone I might think more favourably about it. Far too long for the subject. Thanks for that. You've confirmed what I feared it might be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helzibob Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Reading a Stuart MacBride book. I’m enjoying it despite it being all about Steel and not Logan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted March 26, 2018 Share Posted March 26, 2018 Finished I Am Travelling Alone. Don't know if it was down to poor writing or poor translation (or both), but I got really annoyed by the number of times one character 'pulled a lozenge from out of her pocket' and the number of times people winked (yes, winked with an 'i') at each other - perhaps it is a particularly Norwegian trait. 3 out of 5. So now onto another translated effort. This time, Metro 2033 which is post-apocalyptic fare set in Russia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougal Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Recently finished Red Sparrow which was entertaining and moved along at a fair clip. Almost finished Ready Player One. Loving it and all the eighties references. Hope the movie does it justice!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 On 03/04/2018 at 20:38, dougal said: Recently finished Red Sparrow which was entertaining and moved along at a fair clip. Almost finished Ready Player One. Loving it and all the eighties references. Hope the movie does it justice!! Re Ready Player One, the film is a fair bit different from the book. Both are decent in their own right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Didn't finish Metro 2033 because, by god, it is boring. It's got tons of good reviews, so the problem is obviously with me. I'm now well into The Dark Room by Jonathan Moore, a crime thriller set in San Francisco. Got about a third to go, but it's been pretty decent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helzibob Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Just started The Road, Cormack McCarthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inspector Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 3rd part of a trilogy by Andrew Frediani on the life of Octavian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maple Leaf Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Just started to read Hamlet. Hated Shakespeare in school and haven't read any since then, but I thought I'd give him another try. I fully expect to put it aside before I'm halfway through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 18 hours ago, Helzibob said: Just started The Road, Cormack McCarthy. Great book if you can get used to McCarthy's style. Some really gruesome bits done through suggestion rather than graphic description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Finished The Dark Room Pretty decent without being anything spectacular. Now onto The Boy on the Bridge, by M R Carey, which is set in the same post-apocalyptic world as The Girl With All the Gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disser Pointon Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Latest book in the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly, the Woman in the Woods, by far my favourite book series of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Finished The Boy on the Bridge Bit of a slow middle but a cracking ending which, on reflection, was kind of inevitable, but a nice tie in with the events of TGWATG. Now onto Hugo and Nebula award winning sci-fi effort called The Windup Girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Albert Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 On 09/04/2018 at 17:55, Helzibob said: Just started The Road, Cormack McCarthy. Much better than the film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Of The Cat Cafe Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Just finished "Saboteur" by Andrew Gross - as in just stopped reading "Saboteur" by Andrew Gross. It is all about a plot to destroy Nazi heavy water production in Norway during WW2. I did try, I gave it 300 pages. I actually started to wonder if it was a collaboration between two authors of differing abilities such was a variation, in my mind anyway, in the writing style. My review: "Plodding, predictable plot; dire dialogue". However, Nelson DeMille said it was "a terrific read" and Peter James found it "a brilliant tour de force". What the hell do I know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rousset1 Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 6 hours ago, Francis Albert said: Much better than the film. The novel that inspires a film usually is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Albert Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 (edited) The Geogetown Set by Gregg Herken. For anyone following the Poisened Russian Spy thread about the new Cold War essential reading about the old Cold War. Confirmation that though the technology may have changed there is really nothing new ... and that dirty tricks, media manipulation, meddling in others' elections, politically driven sackings (even if as yet it has not led to suicide), absurd conspiracies and plots including assassination attempts are nothing new and that is just talking about "our side". It puts current hysteria into some sort of perspective. Edited April 20, 2018 by Francis Albert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 On 20/04/2018 at 13:18, Haken said: Now onto Hugo and Nebula award winning sci-fi effort called The Windup Girl. All I can say is that The Windup Girl deserved its awards. Crammed full with plausible and scarey ideas about the way the planet is headed. Now onto The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye, the fifth book featuring the lassie wi the Dragon tats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougal Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 Half way through The Terror by Dan Simmons. Good mix of history and horror. Bloody massive book though, over 900 pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 Finished TGWTAEFAE. Really poor fare. This series may have run its course. Now reading The City and the City by China Meiville. I avoided watching it on TV while the book was sitting unread on the shelf. Pretty good stuff so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helzibob Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 I’m heading on my holidays in a few weeks. Any recommendations on dystopian type books, preferably series or trilogies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 8 hours ago, Helzibob said: I’m heading on my holidays in a few weeks. Any recommendations on dystopian type books, preferably series or trilogies? The Stand by Stephen King (though guessing you may have read it. If so, read it again) The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness (YAF but really good, big questions about terrorism) Recently read the Divergent trilogy - it was ok but a bit of a poor man's Hunger Games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helzibob Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 9 minutes ago, Haken said: The Stand by Stephen King (though guessing you may have read it. If so, read it again) The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness (YAF but really good, big questions about terrorism) Recently read the Divergent trilogy - it was ok but a bit of a poor man's Hunger Games. Not read the stand. Read the other two though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjack Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 8 hours ago, Helzibob said: I’m heading on my holidays in a few weeks. Any recommendations on dystopian type books, preferably series or trilogies? The red sister by Mark Lawrence, the sequel comes out tomorrow, the grey sister. I'll be saving that for my holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helzibob Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 5 minutes ago, superjack said: The red sister by Mark Lawrence, the sequel comes out tomorrow, the grey sister. I'll be saving that for my holiday. Cheers. I’ll have a look. I’ve finished the Dominion trilogy recently and the wool trilogy the other year. They were both very readable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EH11_2NL Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 The IRA, The Provos and Sinn Fein by Peter Taylor. Excellent stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rab87 Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Can anyone share good audiobooks. Fancy getting into them to help with commuting Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 On 16/05/2018 at 10:53, Haken said: Finished TGWTAEFAE. Really poor fare. This series may have run its course. Now reading The City and the City by China Meiville. I avoided watching it on TV while the book was sitting unread on the shelf. Pretty good stuff so far. Really struggled with TCatC. A really good idea but delivered by a fairly weak story, imo. Now reading Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and son, Owen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maroonblood22 Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 On 03/04/2018 at 23:38, dougal said: Recently finished Red Sparrow which was entertaining and moved along at a fair clip. Almost finished Ready Player One. Loving it and all the eighties references. Hope the movie does it justice!! Just finished reading Ready Player One last night. Honestly thought it was superb! Not that I've read too many books in my lifetime but the creativity or the author and 80's references were just brilliant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William H. Bonney Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Bit late to the game but thought I'd read the dark tower series. I'm on book two, the drawing of the three, which is excellent so far. I might deviate slightly from the order and read salems lot as I believe there are references. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan_R Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Currently been reading a lot of true stories based around undercover agents and biker gangs (like what Gangland Undercover tv series was based on, tremendous viewing btw!) Most of the operations lasted way longer than anticipated and most of the guys were undercover for years, toying with death and wrestling with the fact that they embraced the fast bikes, beer, woman and camaraderie. Good reads. I've currently two on the go: Gods of Mischief (george rowe) and No Angel (Jay Dobyns) Decent reads but not as good as 'Vagos, Mongols and Outlaws by Charles Falco' or "under and alone by william queen" Makes sons of anarchy seem like desperate housewives on motorbikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWM Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Of The Cat Cafe Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 I currently have three on the go: "Sleep Baby Sleep", by David Hewson. It is about a Dutch detective investigating murders in Amsterdam . "The Ghosts of Altona", by Craig Russell. It is about a German detective investigating murders in Hamburg . "The Crow Girl", by Erik Axel Sund. It is about a Swedish detective investigating murders in Stockholm. You my have noticed a theme here... By the way, I thoroughly recommend Craig Russell. He is one of the most gripping British crime writers around, not just for the Jan Fabel series set in Hamburg, but also for the Lennox series set in Glasgow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamhammer Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Love this fellas books. Mind blowing and they look beautiful too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 On 04/06/2018 at 09:57, Dino Velvet said: Bit late to the game but thought I'd read the dark tower series. I'm on book two, the drawing of the three, which is excellent so far. I might deviate slightly from the order and read salems lot as I believe there are references. I would do yourself a favour and stop after the fourth book. Just come up with your own ending. Whatever you come up with, it will be better than what King managed. There's a character from (the excellent) Salem's Lot who appears in the last couple of books. I don't think you need to have read SL to benefit from his appearance in The Dark Tower Series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 15 hours ago, King Of The Cat Cafe said: I currently have three on the go: "Sleep Baby Sleep", by David Hewson. It is about a Dutch detective investigating murders in Amsterdam . "The Ghosts of Altona", by Craig Russell. It is about a German detective investigating murders in Hamburg . "The Crow Girl", by Erik Axel Sund. It is about a Swedish detective investigating murders in Stockholm. You my have noticed a theme here... By the way, I thoroughly recommend Craig Russell. He is one of the most gripping British crime writers around, not just for the Jan Fabel series set in Hamburg, but also for the Lennox series set in Glasgow. I'm down to three unread books on the shelf and The Crow Girl is one of them. Nae spoilers, now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William H. Bonney Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 1 hour ago, Haken said: I would do yourself a favour and stop after the fourth book. Just come up with your own ending. Whatever you come up with, it will be better than what King managed. There's a character from (the excellent) Salem's Lot who appears in the last couple of books. I don't think you need to have read SL to benefit from his appearance in The Dark Tower Series. I'll persevere but you're not the first person to tell me similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor jambo Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Reading "The falcon of Sparta" by Conn Iggulden nearly finished great book (as with all his stuff) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 Finished Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owen King. It was ok - 3/5. About to go on holiday so the Kindle's been loaded up. Going to start with The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjack Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 8 hours ago, Haken said: Finished Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owen King. It was ok - 3/5. About to go on holiday so the Kindle's been loaded up. Going to start with The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie The blade itself is an excellent book, as is the rest of the first law trilogy. I'm pretty sure I first heard about the books earlier on this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 9 hours ago, superjack said: The blade itself is an excellent book, as is the rest of the first law trilogy. I'm pretty sure I first heard about the books earlier on this thread. I've got all three books on the Kindle. It's one of the old Kindles, so all I can say is that I'm 4% into it and so far, so good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlphonseCapone Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 Anyone read any of John ajvide lindqvist books? Reading Handling the Undead just now and I'm struggling a bit with it, some of the sentence structure is odd. Not sure if that's all down to the Swedish to English translation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamhammer Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 Really enjoying this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 So my Kindle (which I only use on holiday) decided to pack in while I was half way through The Blade Itself. from the hotel's supply of books: The Chalk Man - really good thriller which I read in a day Grist Mill Road - this was a pre-publication copy. More of a literary thriller and also very good Trust No One - another pre-publication effort. Meant to be a thriller set around GCHQ and MI5. Dreadful stuff. Now back home and onto Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jambo_ Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnrazor Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 The Jim Corbett Trilogy ; The Man-eaters of Kumaon. The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag. The Temple Tiger and More Man-eaters of Kumaon. Tales about Jim Corbett hunting Man-eating Tigers and Leopards in early 1900's India. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haken Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Finished Assassin's Fate. Well, that ending wasn't entirely unpredictable, but packed a punch nevertheless (at least for those who have followed Fitz and the Fool from the beginning). Now reading some wee weird horror type thing called The Visitors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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