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All about the amazing crew that won the 1936 Olympics for the USA,
and reading Hugh Laurie's father was one of the crew that rowed for the UK
Great story, also highlighting the evil Nazi empire....
Currently reading 'The Mind of a Bee'.
As title suggests, a fascinating account about the intelligence and abilities of bees - for example, they can 'see' the polarisation of light and use to navigate when the sun is hidden, can see uv wavelengths (but poor with red) and so on.
Slightly technical but highly recommended.
All about the amazing crew that won the 1936 Olympics for the USA,
and reading Hugh Laurie's father was one of the crew that rowed for the UK
Great story, also highlighting the evil Nazi empire....
Originally Posted by Kingstepper
You might like the soul of an octopus - Sy Montgomery amazon
Seconded.
This is proving to be a valuable resource. Yet again I find myself reading a book that seems familiar - Munich by Robert Harris. I have noted reading this earlier in the thread, so I have put that down and picked up Zero, the Biography of a Dangerous Idea - Charles Seife.
Our holiday by Louise Candlish. Great holiday murder read. V entertaining.
Having watched the first three series of Slow Horses on Apple.
I have bought the complete set and currently on the 5th book.
Bloody fantastic.
Jackson Lamb played by Gary Oldman is brillant.
This is interesting. I never realised (stupidly) it was based on novels, I'll look these up for the kindle
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Mick Herron is the author
Thanks, think I will and added to my wishlist!
I read an advanced copy of The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami. This new novel is coming out in English this fall 2024 in the UK and US.
The City and Its Uncertain Walls is based on a short story with a similar title Murakami originally published in Japan in 1980. In the afterword to this new book, Murakami quotes Jorge Luis Borges as saying that there are a limited number of stories one can tell in a lifetime, so the art of storytelling is a process of rewriting and retelling.
That is a good summary of The City and Its Uncertain Walls. It is quintessential Murakami, which I love, but it is a whole lot more of the same. In a way, you could say it is Murakami taking a deep dive on Murakami. It is very meta, and very heavy on magical realism. Some fans will really get into that, but my guess is casual readers may be disappointed.
Last edited by williemays; 25th August 2024 at 16:57.
Hi
Heart of Darkness, Gaza: An Inquest into its Martyrdom, Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn't Food....and Why Can't We Stop .....
L-K
I'm re-reading One Summer in 1927 by Bill Bryson.
Absolutely fascinating. It's heavy on Charles Lindberg and the race to be the first to cross the Atlantic, and also on Babe Ruth and the various baseball scandals of the time, but there are dozens of tangents and meanderings into politics, finance, popular culture and 1920s life in general. Its a better read the second time around.
''An immigrant's loveletter to the West'' - Konstantin Kisin, should be mandatory in education....
ATB,
www.lolaandtoff.com
Indeed. Brilliant book
Just finished Slow Horses (book). I would agree with fantastic as a description. Recommended.
I read Chickenhawk in 1984 and decided to read it again (actually I'm mostly consuming it in audiobook form) a few weeks ago. About half-way through. It's an eye-opening, brilliant memoir, just as I remembered. If I do have one criticism it's that, although it has a beginning and an end, there's no real flow in the meat of the book inbetween; it doesn't "unfold" in the way that some memoirs do, or that a novel would. It's really just a series of experiences and events, some of them extraordinary and grim.
I usually like Stephen King books read most of his work over the years but really struggling with “Holly” the story seems ok so far but the constant references to covid and trump which I can’t see have any relevance to the story are really doing my head in and ruining the flow of the book
Currently reading Bomber Boys: Fighting back 1940-45 by Patrick Bishop. A real eye opener about the bomber war over Germany.
My bedtime book is Grantchester Grind. High quality hilarity by the ever reliable Tom Sharpe.
Cheers,
Neil.
I read this around the 80’s and it inspired me to be a helicopter pilot (didn’t make it in the end). Amazing book
On the theme of Chickenhawk, Low Level Hell and To The Limit are both excellent.
If you want to shift from helicopter pilots to MACV-SOG then Bright Light is good and We Few is pretty extraordinary.
Back on helicopters, I just finished Alan Bristow's autobiography which is also worth reading.
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I have just finished all of the "New" Hercule Poirot books buy Sophie Hannah. I had read the first one a few months ago or last year. I can't quite remember. They are decent, though not up to Christie's earlier books about the detective. More on par with when she was fed up of him, but decided to continue due to the demand. Some of her later works were hit and miss. I would put these new stories on par with those or maybe even slightly below them.
I'll take a look at those. I was going to mention a few MACV-SOG. I stumbled on them by accident. Most are told on a mission by mission and most aren't written very well in reality but it's the way it all just seems so matter of fact to most them that amazes me. Ones I've read so far:
Whiskey tango foxtrot
Sog chronicles vol 1
Sog code name dynamite 1 &. 2 (this bloke is mental)
Whispers in the tall grass and We few: special force in Vietnam (same author)
I've got "Odds of survival, a helicopter pilots story" lined up.
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Hi all,
Just read Endland by Tim Etchels. It's a cluster of short stories set in the "not quite this one" universe. It reminds me of a cross between Marabou Stork Nightmares possibly, with some well early Jeff Noon chucked in. Easy to dip in and out of as many short story compilations are, and at times can be a bit disconcerting, but a good read nevertheless,
Cheers, Richie
Continued with the Slough House series of books by Mick Herron: -
- Dead Lions
- The List
- Real Tigers
- Spook Street
- London Rules
- The Marylebone Drop / The Drop
- Joe Country
- The Catch
- Slough House
Just two more to read now.
I found this website useful when finding out which order to read a series in - https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/
Currently enjoying the collected short stories of Somerset Maugham in two volumes.
Wonderful stuff.
Cheers,
Neil.
Damascus Station and Moscow X, both by David McCloskey.
Hunted by Abir Mukherjee.
All thrillers, all involve either the CIA or FBI, all very compelling.
Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway.
As you'll probably know Harkaway is John le Carré's son. He's written a George Smiley novel set straight after the events of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
It's labelled "A John le Carré Novel" which annoys me as the bloke's dead, but I think it's very good and, like the reviewers, judge it to be like a lost le Carré.
Be warned I've read all but one of JlC's novels and like them all, so you might think I'm easily pleased where his books are involved.
Once you have completed the series
Try "The Secret Hours"
Without revealing too much its about certain characters (not all) who were in Berlin after the wall came down.
Quite long winded in places, but does provide additional background information.
Thanks both. I will take a look at those.
I am working my way through Bad Actors by Mick Herron; 999 pages according to my eReader. It's up to the usual standard.
Currently reading Putin’s People by Catherine Belton. Fascinating insight and sadly a reflection on how people, especially politicians, will turn a blind eye for a price.
Big fan of Nick Harkaway's work, think i've read most of them, Tigerman, Gone Away World, Gnomen, Titanium Noir all excellent and all different...will try KC.Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway.
As you'll probably know Harkaway is John le Carré's son. He's written a George Smiley novel set straight after the events of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
It's labelled "A John le Carré Novel" which annoys me as the bloke's dead, but I think it's very good and, like the reviewers, judge it to be like a lost le Carré.
Be warned I've read all but one of JlC's novels and like them all, so you might think I'm easily pleased where his books are involved.
I try to alternate between fact and fiction, not always 1:1 but I keep this in mind when choosing books. I don't really know how the Falklands war caught my attention, but then I wanted to read a proper book on it and read The Battle for the Falklands byMax Hastings and Simon Jenkins. It was very detailed, but not a difficult read and interesting too.
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