Reply With QuoteI think I paid for it, but I got another version for about 60 cents and it's working fine so far.Originally Posted by Templogin
Was it the version that Amazon gave away free? (Most of his books I think).
I think I paid for it, but I got another version for about 60 cents and it's working fine so far.
Quartered safe out here - George MacDonald Fraser. Incredible account of infantry soldier in Burma 1945, just an outstanding memoir.
Ring by Stephen Baxter.
For the sense of wonder as well as the ideas, imagination and scientific explanations it's very good. For the characters and their development as well as story development it's actually rather poor. It's a real pity that Baxter can't do what he does well and write like Iain M Banks, who's still sorely missed and has left a huge void in science fiction.
Boy do I miss Iain M Banks, an outstanding imagination and storyteller, his non sci fi works are also very, very good imho.
Accidental President done, thoroughly enjoyable.
The Great Stink of London up next. Covers the creation of the sewer network in Victorian London by Sir Joseph Bazalgette.
Zero Footprint
Simon Chase and Ralph Pezzullo
The true story of private military contractor's covert assignments in Syria, Libya, and the world's most dangerous places.
To be honest I was expecting a load of gung-ho tosh where men were comparing leg holsters and their latest Glock, whilst wearing RayBans. The reality was far from this. The PMCs are mostly ex special forces from the UK and US, working with the CIA on deniable missions, including arming insurgents who are less mad than the current lot of insurgents that we want rid of. Getting shot at on an almost daily basis was de rigeur. This isn't a few pops from a pistol, this is being on the wrong end of a load of AK47s or 50 calibre machines guns, losing your mates after trying to save them from horrific wounds, patching up children, the victims of a school bombing, kids with missing limbs and all of the horrors of war. The PMCs were taking home about £2,000 a day, paid in cash, which they then had to launder through overseas property to get it back into the UK or US. It was an unholy read, but a worthwhile one. Certainly an eye-opener.
Rather then let books gather dust on my bookshelf I give them away free of charge once read. If you would like to be the next person to read this book then leave a note of interest in the thread, then PM me your details so that I can put the book in the post to you. UK only please due to postage costs.
Next on the reading list is:
Stalag Luft 3 - The official history of the "Great Escape" PoW Camp
An official account
Last edited by Templogin; 10th March 2021 at 07:38. Reason: sPillOng
The Undercover Economist Strikes Again by Tim Hartford. What the original did for microeconomics this does for macro. A fun, informative read.
I'm also working my way through a Bond novel a month. Currently on Moonraker. Then watching the associated film with my son. I think Moonraker the movie and Moonraker the novel most have the most divergent plot of any of the adaptations. The former set in Venice, Brazil and outer space, the latter in Kent.
Zero Footprint now taken.
Would love to read zero footprint when you are done with it
It's been reserved I'm afraid. With any luck the person who has asked for it may pass it on when he has finished.
Currently John Le Carre's A Legacy Of Spies.
Blimey it is slow going, almost glacial.
Cheers,
Neil.
Leviathan Wakes - James S A Corey
First book in the Expanse series. Better than than the TV show loved it!
Andy has been kind enough to send it to me; drop me your details and I’ll forward it on when I’ve finished.
Audio books at the moment.
Terry Pratchett, "Witches Abroad," read by Nigel Planer, Neil from the Young Ones. It was very good, mainly because of Nigel's reading. I loved his interpretation of Granny Weatherwax's voice .
Listening to John Le Carre's " The Spy Who Came In From The Cold." Very good and great reading, especially from a Yank. Usually the american readers I find quite difficult to listen to, but this one pulls it off with aplomb.
Last edited by Ventura; 25th March 2021 at 16:32. Reason: Autospell/correct errors in names.
I've recently discovered M.R.Carey.
I started with the Rampart trilogy but because the third book hadn't been published (it was released this week) I read another of carey's books, 'The girl with all the gifts.'
TGWATG is a cracking book even if the ending was predictable. I'm currently reading the prequel 'The boy on the bridge.'
TGWATG & TBOTB are set in the near future in England, a disease has destroyed civilisation & the survivors are seeking a cure. I really can't say much more without spoilers.
The rampart trilogy (The book of Koli etc.) again a dystopian future in England. This time it's set hundreds of years from now, after a war has reduced England to a feudal state. It follows the life & journey of a teenage lad as he becomes a man.
All books are thoroughly recommended.
I haven't read it (yet!!) but this sounds absolutely amazing
The Windsor Knot
"The first book in a highly original and clever new crime series featuring Queen Elizabeth II as an amateur detective who solves crimes in secret and behind the scenes, in between her royal duties"--
The morning after a dinner party at Windsor Castle, 89-year-old Queen Elizabeth is shocked to discover that one of her guests has been found murdered in his room, with a rope around his neck.
When the police begin to suspect her loyal servants, Her Majesty knows they are looking in the wrong place.
For the queen has been living an extraordinary double life ever since her coronation. Away from the public eye, she has a brilliant knack for solving crimes.
With her household's happiness on the line, her secret must not get out. Can the queen and her trusted secretary, Rozie, catch the killer without getting caught themselves?
Stalag Luft 3 - The official history of the "Great Escape" PoW Camp - An official account
John Grehan
A history of Stalag Luft III is an amazing book. I was really surprised at the ingenuity of the prisoners, producing things that they needed for escapes, from margarine lamps to clothing from blankets to tools to radios for listening to BBC broadcasts. The camp is divided into compounds and each is described in detail, and what the prisoners were up to in them. The book ends with the stories of the Airmen's escape through tunnel Harry, and their subsequent captures, then then prosecution of certain camp staff who either helped (often indirectly) or helped through omission. A fabulous book, extremely detailed, and well worth a read.
Rather then let books gather dust on my bookshelf I give them away free of charge once read. If you would like to be the next person to read this book then leave a note of interest in the thread, then PM me your details so that I can put the book in the post to you. UK only please due to postage costs.
Next on the reading list is:
Sam's Teach Yourself SQL
Ben Forta (Edition 5)
Sam's Teach Yourself SQL
Ben Forta (Edition 2)
I picked this book up used from Amazon. It's yellowed and well-used, but very usable for people who want to learn SQL. The exercise data are downloadable from the author's site, as is an errata. The learning pace is gentle and the exercises are excellent so that you build on your learning. This book was a replacement for one that I threw away in error. I have also bought a later edition (edition 5), which is laid out differently, but contains much of edition 2 copied and pasted. SQL is an easy language to learn with a bit of guidance, has been in use for years with relatively few changes.
Rather then let books gather dust on my bookshelf I give them away free of charge once read. If you would like to be the next person to read this book then leave a note of interest in the thread, then PM me your details so that I can put the book in the post to you. UK only please due to postage costs.
Next on the reading list is:
Sam's Teach Yourself SQL
Ben Forta (Edition 5)
I (like a significant proportion of the UK's population) received THe Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman, for Christmas, and have just finished it. I wanted something light, and I made a good choice - I really enjoyed it. It was well written, well-plotted, and quite absurdly touching in parts. It was a light read, but no worse for that. I always felt that I was in good hands - that Osman knew what he was doing. Recommended.
Maybe try 'The Crow Road', I think its an accessible book. There was a BBC mini-series made of it, if you get stuck!
I'm half way through it at the moment, definitely worth a read.
I'm terrible for not sticking to one book at a time. Besides the above also juggling 'The Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follett and Boccacio's 'The Decameron'.
Pm sent.
Cheers,
Neil.
Neil
Please consider the book yours. I will have it in the post this week. Nothing pleases me more than when when one of my books gets passed on after the recipient has read it.
Thanks
I've recently thought that some form of book swapping club would be a good idea, well done
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Agreed, although I am just trying to get rid of mine. In fact here are a couple that didn't go the first time that I offered them out, and a couple of new ones. Please leave your interest in the thread to reserve one or more:
Private Island (Why Britain Belongs to Someone Else) - James Meek
Undercover (The True Story of Britain's Secret Police) - Rob Evans and Paul Lewis
Bonjour! Is This Italy (A Hapless Biker's Guide to Europe) - Kevin Turner
Postcards from the Edge (A 5,000 mile Journey Around the Coast of Britain (on a Moulton)) Peter Mann
Cheers Andy.
It will indeed be passed on.
All the best,
Neil.
Cheers,
Neil.
Would love to read Private Island please, this is a great idea.
Tim
I enjoyed unfolding travels thank you, and my daughter is next on the list to read it.
If 'Postcards from the Edge of Britain' is still available, I would be interested in reading that as well.
I've had bad luck starting new books this year. The last three went about 25 pages and I just couldn't get interested.
That changed today...I'm 50 pages into Stephen King's new short novel, Later, which is currently #4 on the New York Times Fiction Best Seller List. I'm not King's biggest fan because his "supernatural" tendencies are a bit too far-fetched for me to find believable. Plus, some of his long novels fall victim to King's self-indulgent plunges into chapters and chapters of "do-nothing" prose.
Later is only 252 pages, so he's not likely to stray too far from the path, and the supernatural/weirdness factor is restrained and believable (if you will!). I'm ready to gobble another 50 pages before dinner.
I'll pick that up in the summer - I'm looking forward to it, having read the other two in the Hard Case Crime series.
And don't feel bad about not finishing a book! King himself says that he always gives a book 10% of its overall length, and if he's not enjoying it by then, he doesn't finish it! It's a rule that has served me well.
Hey, thanks for that! Sounds like a great strategy. I'll try to stop feeling guilty about buying books (Kindle mostly), starting to read them, and then not getting back to them.
It is yours Tim. Please PM me your address and I will get it into the post for you.
Consider it yours Pretzel. I don't keep addresses of people to whom I have sent books, so please furnish me with your address again by pm.
I enjoyed two UK-based graphic novels recently, The Book Tour by Andi Watson, and Breakwater by Katriona Chapman.
Breakwater, set in an old cinema at Brighton, is my favorite of the two. The setting and characters and especially the art are ethereal and sublime in surprisingly moving ways.
The Book Tour is a bit funnier, if you prefer something lighter. The two books work well as a pair, though.
Does anyone else here read graphic novels?
I read some a while ago, on an iPad, and I was impressed with the artwork. In fact it was often better than the storyline.
Not a book, but a fascinating read nonetheless - The Knackerman - Guardian Long Read
Halfway through Revelation by CJ Sansom.
I really enjoy his Shardlake series of novels.
Cheers,
Neil.
Yes, I caught that last week and thought it was excellent.
Just finished Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz - a proper Russian doll of a book, a trad Poirot-esque mystery wrapped in a modern mystery. Great fun.
Just started NOS4A2 by Joe Hill, Stephen King's son, and enjoying it greatly - very Stephen King, unsurprisingly. Great fun.
Always thought you can travel in time if you enjoy reading.
I tend to read history or science books with the odd thriller thrown in. Can recommend: R. V. Jones. Most Secret War (science and history during WW2). James Barr. Lords Of The Desert (UK v USA in the Middle East, allies against the Axis, fighting each other in the Middle East). Julia Boyd. Travellers in the Third Reich (pre-WW2 Germany). Jack Currie. Lancaster Target (WW2 RAF; one of many brilliant WW2 personal stories out there).
You should listen to the audio book of NOS4A2 it's a great listen. The lady that narrates it Kate Mulgrew is fantastic. She also narrates The Fireman by Joe Hill.Just finished Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz - a proper Russian doll of a book, a trad Poirot-esque mystery wrapped in a modern mystery. Great fun.
Just started NOS4A2 by Joe Hill, Stephen King's son, and enjoying it greatly - very Stephen King, unsurprisingly. Great fun.
I'd highly recommend the audio books.
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Kate Mulgrew wrote a couple of memoirs, Born with Teeth and How to Forget, and she narrated the audio editions. She is working on a novel now. She played Captain Janeway on Star Trek Voyager and Red on Orange is the New Black, but her memoirs are about growing up in and leaving Dubuque, Iowa, and then returning to care for her elderly parents. She is a very good writer.
Agree with this, the book is very good but the narration really is top notch. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and it's right at the top for me
Thanks for the heads-up about the audiobooks and the narrator's memoirs - going on the list now!
On my shelf waiting to be read. His earlier book, A Line in the Sand, is excellent.
I thought it was a great read and used the source material really well. I think a A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor provides an interesting companion. He recounts his travel on foot from the Hook of Holland to Istanbul in a trilogy.. The first book takes his as far as middle Europe. It is a bit long winded in part, but there are some great chapters.
Agreed. I also really enjoyed his Flashman Papers, about the risqué adventures of the Flashman character from Tom Brown Schooldays. Not very PC though.
For completeness, I have also read Tom Brown Schooldays, and its pious self-righteousness was sickening. You won’t get that in The Flashman Papers.
Recently finished the Cossack epic And Quiet Flows the Don, Mikhail Sholokov and have just started a Western epic Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry. Really enjoying it, it was a great miniseries around 30 years ago when Westerns were unfashionable. Robert Duvall was brilliant in it. Larry McMurtry died recently. His Last Picture Show has always been a favourite film.
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Indeed fascinating
I reread The Stranger by Albert Camus for the first time in at least 25 years. The scene where Meursault watches passersby from his balcony for most of a day and into the evening is one of my favorite passages from anything I have ever read. I am less sure now, though, that I agree with or even understand the themes. I am reading The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud next for the first time, the acclaimed response to The Stranger from 2013.
Ben Elton's "Time and Time Again". It is gorgeous. Highly recommend!
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