The what are you reading at the moment fred

[robertlaird]

Currently reading "Big Dunc".

It will need to improve a lot, if I'm to hit the halfway point, or it's down to the local charity shop with it.

[ƒιѕнρℓαρѕ]

50 minutes ago, robertlaird said:

Currently reading "Big Dunc".

It will need to improve a lot, if I'm to hit the halfway point, or it's down to the local charity shop with it.

 

Gary Mackay's was like that, tough going! Like Alex McDonald said, his head is only useful for wearing hats

[robertlaird]

12 hours ago, ƒιѕнρℓαρѕ said:

 

Gary Mackay's was like that, tough going! Like Alex McDonald said, his head is only useful for wearing hats

 

12 hours ago, ƒιѕнρℓαρѕ said:

 

Gary Mackay's was like that, tough going! Like Alex McDonald said, his head is only useful for wearing hats

I went along to the Book Festival many moons ago to listen to David Peace on his book about Shankley. Really interesting and amusing,, which I hoped I would get from Dunc. I suppose it's different in a lot of ways.

[dougal]

[dougal]

[CostaJambo]

Quite enjoying Bob Mortimer's first novel. Will probably read the new one after.

[tedarmy]

[AndrewB]

Just finished this.  Quite good, but I don't really like all the "oh look, the Berlin Wall has fallen", "oo-err, New Labour / Brexit / Covid."

Some of it is shoehorned in, like TV's Our Friends in the North.

 

On the whole, the family sagas are good in here.

[AndrewB]

On 31/05/2025 at 21:54, Libertarian said:

Currently reading a selection of short stories by Ernest Hemingway. He has a great way of using a few words to describe feelings and situations. Lots of stories of bullying fighting, boxing and men in war.

I realise I'm replying to a very old post but I read For Whom the Bell Tolls last month.  The first Hemingway I've ever read.  Really powerful, very moving.  Recommended!

[Libertarian]

2 hours ago, AndrewB said:

I realise I'm replying to a very old post but I read For Whom the Bell Tolls last month.  The first Hemingway I've ever read.  Really powerful, very moving.  Recommended!

I read For Whom the Bell Tolls a few years ago.  I agree that it's a wonderful book.  It's amazing how Hemingway had such descriptive talent and power. I remember how in the novel he describes pine covered hills and I thought to myself it doesn't seem like any Spanish landscape i have ever seen.  Then a couple of years ago my wife and I visited Sativa 20 miles or so outside Valencia and while climbing out to a nearby castle,  the landscape was exactly as Hemingway had described. He was a wonderful writer 

[PortyJambo]

On 04/07/2025 at 18:00, PortyJambo said:

Got this one lined up for my next read, the second book in this series. 

 

Started reading RR Haywood's books a while ago, and have enjoyed just about all of them. His stories, especially his long running zombie series "The Undead", are full of laugh out loud humour that appeal to the schoolboy in me, although the Delio books are a little more serious.

 

I can't recommend this one if anyone was thinking of picking it up to read. The first book was good, but the second was long-winded, repetitive and had a poor ending. Pretty sure there won't be a sequel but, even if there is, I won't be reading it.

[EIEIO]

Just finished Caledonian  Road by Andrew O'Hagan.

A wide ranging look at mainly London touching a lot on dodgy Russians using it as their money laundry. Enjoyed it, lots of characters only one or two you would call sympathetic.

Edited August 14, 2025 by EIEIO
Spelling

[dougal]

[Shanks said no]

Hard read but powerful.

[superjack]

A book I've been waiting on finally got released today, the Damned King by Justin Lee Anderson. Its the third book in the Eidyn series. 

A fantasy series where the geography of the land is based on Edinburgh. 

Loved the first 2 books, I even re read them prior to this 1 being released. Highly recommended. 

With the authors description of the Easter Road, I've always assumed the author is a Jambo. 

[Shanks said no]

3 hours ago, superjack said:

A book I've been waiting on finally got released today, the Damned King by Justin Lee Anderson. Its the third book in the Eidyn series. 

A fantasy series where the geography of the land is based on Edinburgh. 

Loved the first 2 books, I even re read them prior to this 1 being released. Highly recommended. 

With the authors description of the Easter Road, I've always assumed the author is a Jambo. 

 

His dad was Ian Anderson (Edinburgh born like JLA) who played for Dundee and St Johnstone before playing for numerous clubs across USA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Anderson_(Scottish_footballer)

[dougal]

[Libertarian]

 

[highlandjambo3]

Got these two lined up for my hollybobs in Corfu next month.  I’m a bit of a cat fan so that will be a happy read.  Read a lot of Tom Clancy’s earlier stuff so, not sure what to expect.

[dougal]

[leginten]

On 14/08/2025 at 17:42, EIEIO said:

Just finished Caledonian  Road by Andrew O'Hagan.

A wide ranging look at mainly London touching a lot on dodgy Russians using it as their money laundry. Enjoyed it, lots of characters only one or two you would call sympathetic.

I finished it last week. Really enjoyed it. Hadn’t read anything by O’Hagan before, so wasn’t really sure what to expect. 

[leginten]

On 28/08/2025 at 18:55, Libertarian said:

 

Any good? I thought of getting this when it came out. I’m currently ploughing my way through Judith Herrin’s book on Ravenna, where Justinian features quite a lot at various junctures.

[EIEIO]

10 minutes ago, leginten said:

I finished it last week. Really enjoyed it. Hadn’t read anything by O’Hagan before, so wasn’t really sure what to expect. 

Recommend Mayflies, I think,by him. Totally different from Caledonian Road.

[leginten]

7 minutes ago, EIEIO said:

Recommend Mayflies, I think,by him. Totally different from Caledonian Road.

Thanks. I liked the TV adaptation of Mayflies, so I might give the book a go. 

[Libertarian]

5 hours ago, leginten said:

Any good? I thought of getting this when it came out. I’m currently ploughing my way through Judith Herrin’s book on Ravenna, where Justinian features quite a lot at various junctures.

I'm over 100 pages in and finding it an enjoyable read. I think it helps that I visited Istanbul/Constantinople a few years ago and rented flat just behind the remains of the Hippedrome. It's also interesting that such a famous historical figure was so devoted to his wife Theodora, despite the latter being a former prostitute. 

[Haken]

[AWM]

[Pingu]

On 19/08/2025 at 15:25, Shanks said no said:

Hard read but powerful.

 

This is really good. If you liked it, I'd recommend Young Team by Graeme Armstrong.

[dougal]

[Libertarian]

Read these years ago and just started rereading them. Fantastic stuff,  you have to pinch yourself to remember that everyone in the diary is long dead since Pepys makes them so alive. 

[Golden_Vision]

Loving this. Sci Fi isn't my thing but this is gripping stuff, I couldn' t put it down. The reviews reallg  do reflect how good it is. 

 

[dougal]

[...a bit disco]

Just finished this.

 

What a depressing, but well researched, piece of writing.

 

Scary too, in a Threads kind of way.

[dougal]

[benny]

1 hour ago, ...a bit disco said:

Just finished this.

 

What a depressing, but well researched, piece of writing.

 

Scary too, in a Threads kind of way.

She has been on Joe Rogan podcast a few times.Great guest.

[...a bit disco]

3 minutes ago, benny said:

She has been on Joe Rogan podcast a few times.Great guest.

 

Certainly knows her onions. Very good with her research.

[Chairman of the Bored]

Heard Ian McEwan on The World Service the other night, talking about his new novel. Went hunting for it in Waterstones only to find it isn't released until 18th September. Looks good though.

[dougal]

[dougal]

[Haken]

[Papa J]

Edited October 2, 2025 by Papa J

[Papa J]

[Papa J]

[Flimsy]

7 minutes ago, Papa J said:

Sometimes mentioned as one of the greatest novels ever. I tried last year and gave up. I'm a prolific reader but found this an incomprehensible slog.

[Papa J]

6 minutes ago, Flimsy said:

Sometimes mentioned as one of the greatest novels ever. I tried last year and gave up. I'm a prolific reader but found this an incomprehensible slog.

 

It is hard work at times.  Persisting for now.

[dougal]

[Tazio]

Piked this up yesterday as I had a days travelling and wanted something non taxing. Same formula as his previous books in the Thursday Murder Club series but still enjoyable with a nice gentle humour running through it. 
 

[PortyJambo]

On 01/10/2025 at 14:43, Haken said:

I've got the first book in that series, Prince of Thorns, on my Kindle but haven't got around to reading it.....10 years since I bought it to be exact 

 

I'm sure I'll enjoy it when I do read it, and probably get the 2 other books in the trilogy, King and Emperor, too. Not sure why I haven't read it yet, as I love that Joe Abercrombie type of dark, epic fantasy, just seems to keep slipping down the list and to the back of my mind.

[Haken]

On 03/10/2025 at 15:00, PortyJambo said:

I've got the first book in that series, Prince of Thorns, on my Kindle but haven't got around to reading it.....10 years since I bought it to be exact 

 

I'm sure I'll enjoy it when I do read it, and probably get the 2 other books in the trilogy, King and Emperor, too. Not sure why I haven't read it yet, as I love that Joe Abercrombie type of dark, epic fantasy, just seems to keep slipping down the list and to the back of my mind.

The first book is pretty good and very reminiscent of Abercrombie, particularly the Shattered Sea trilogy.  

[westbow]

Half way through- he was a real hippy when he was younger 😀