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Thread: Anyone read any good books recently ?

  1. #2001
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    I love film noir and the associated books that produced it so I am reading an anthology, The Big Book of Pulps at the moment.

    It's a mix of stories and authors of the '20s, '30s and '40s that featured in mags like Black Mask etc.
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  2. #2002
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    [QUOTE=misterzero;4992067]Just read The Drinker and Once A Jailbird by Hans Fallada.They are powerful bleak books .The author had a terrible life and wrote The drinker on scraps of paper in code whilst imprisoned in psychiatric hospital under the Nazis for trying to murder his wife under the influence of opium.

    Just about to start on Alone in Berlin. I bought a copy months ago but haven’t had the time to make a start on it.

  3. #2003
    Master Templogin's Avatar
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    Harry's Last Stand - Harry Leslie Smith

    Grim read, but sums up life in the pre-war slums, kids died of TB and other horrors, poverty hunger, and why we are heading back that way.

  4. #2004
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    First Light - the autobiography of Geoffrey Wellum, left school in 1939 age 17 to join the RAF to train as a fighter pilot, an absolutely compelling story and a personal insight into the Battle of Britain.

  5. #2005
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    I haven't read all 41 pages of this thread, it's a novel in itself. Apologies if this has been mentioned before.

    I have just finished the Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larson. My wife read them when they were first released and they have been on the book shelf ever since, I don't know why I hadn't picked one up even after watching the movie , The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
    I've read them back to back and really enjoyed doing it that way. Great writing and translation, a shame he died so young and before he got recognition.

  6. #2006
    Master mickylall's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Riley View Post
    I haven't read all 41 pages of this thread, it's a novel in itself. Apologies if this has been mentioned before.

    I have just finished the Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larson. My wife read them when they were first released and they have been on the book shelf ever since, I don't know why I hadn't picked one up even after watching the movie , The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
    I've read them back to back and really enjoyed doing it that way. Great writing and translation, a shame he died so young and before he got recognition.
    There are a couple more in the series by David Lagercrantz (?) who used the author’s notes to continue the story. Quite good but didn’t really enjoy them anywhere near as much as the original trilogy still worth a read. Also give Jussi Adler Olsen a go, very similar and a really good series

  7. #2007
    Master mickylall's Avatar
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    Song of Achilles was every bit as good as i hoped it would be, really enjoyed it so will give The Iliad and Odyssey a go once I've finished my current book

  8. #2008
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    Laughing out loud at Michael Frayn's 'Skios'. Hilarious farce.

    Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

  9. #2009
    Currently ripping through 'The Cartel' by Don Winslow, the second novel in his 'Cartel' trilogy (along-with 'The Power of the Dog' & 'The Border').

    A brutal, thrilling, engaging account of the Mexican drug 'wars' spanning several decades.

    What makes it special is the highly-researched way in which the author has woven in real-life events, persons & conspiracies - e.g. political assassinations, US support for the Contras, rumoured CIA assistance with drug-smuggling, Mexican Special Forces defection to form the 'Los Zetas' cartel - such that sometimes you have to sit-up and remind yourself this is more than just a novel of fiction.

    The brutality is a bit hard to read, plots occasionally remind of other films/books, and sometimes the characterisations of Irish & Italian-American gangsters feels a bit forced compared to the main body of the books, but overall the series has been excellent so far.

  10. #2010
    Master Mark020's Avatar
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    Reading The Border now. Don Winslow is really a very good read.

  11. #2011
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    I read these together (again after many years)

    Marcus Aurelius - meditations

    Epicteus - Enchiridion


    The thoughts of two men; the first an emperor of ancient rome who was erudite and a thinker (and not a crazed self deifyng prat) and the second; a slave with a broken knee who rose above slavery to become a philosopher. Fascinating read if you fancy getting deep into the minds of two great men (in my view).

    B

  12. #2012
    Master wildheart's Avatar
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    Just finished Blitzed - Norman Ohler, incredible well researched book on how the Nazi war machine ran on Methamphetamine. Hitler himself a junkie as many other Nazi leaders were. It puts a new spin on why, such disastrous decisions were made, by the Nazi leadership. The invasion of Russia for one. Up there with Antony Beevor for me!

  13. #2013
    Grand Master VDG's Avatar
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    Highly recommended

    Fas est ab hoste doceri

  14. #2014
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    Stalingrad - Antony Beevor

    Long book and grim reading. This is why we should send our politicians and leaders into war first. A senseless waste of millions of lives, both military and civilian.

  15. #2015
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    The secret life of Bletchley Park - Sinclair McKay

    Interesting, if repetitive, book that was more about the people and the effects of what they were doing, decrypting messages, than the technical side of things.

  16. #2016
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    Bond

    I've been reading Ian Fleming's James Bond books this long weekend. I've managed Casino Royale and most of Live and Let Die so far.
    I love a Kindle but not the prices on Amazon, which are at £4+ per book. Should you wish to download them for free from Canada, there is that option, although of course that may breach UK copyright, which should not be condoned.

  17. #2017
    Master sean's Avatar
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    Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou. This was a good, in-depth read about a multimillion dollar fraudster (not of this parish).

    Fear by Bob Woodward. Interesting read, which I suspect gets even more interesting as hindsight improves.

    The Apprentice by Greg Miller. A Post reporter on the Russia angle, and a nice complement to the previous book.

    Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer. Head copywriter at Random House. Some good stuff among the run-of-the-mill 'you should write like this, not like that' content.

    If you're interested in the Nixon years, I recommend the following:

    The Final Days by Bob Woodward
    Nixon: A Life by Jonathan Aitken
    31 Days by Barry Werth
    Washington Journal: Reporting Watergate and Richard Nixon's Downfall by Elizabeth Drew
    Blind Ambition by John W. Dean
    The Nixon Defense by John W. Dean
    Watergate: The Corruption of American Politics and the Fall of Richard Nixon by Fred Emery

    Elizabeth Drew's book is especially interesting, as a contemporaneous account of the final year or so of the Nixon presidency.

  18. #2018

    Chris Voigt - Never split the difference

    Really interesting book about the evolution of FBI negotiating techniques from a guy at the sharp end. Excellent insight for anyone who engages in negotiation... so that makes all of us!

  19. #2019
    Just finished Ready Player 1.
    What a great book, a joy to read from start to finish and totally different from the film ( which was good as well!)
    I think it was the era it was based in, the pop culture references , the tech and the geek of it all.
    Excellent book and now look forward to another by him.

  20. #2020
    Master hhhh's Avatar
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    On holiday this week so doing a fair bit of reading.

    Just finished “How to be a Footballer” by Peter Crouch. Very funny but also shone a light on the less glamorous side of their lives. A constant roller coaster of massive highs followed by huge lows, especially for the younger, less established players. Well worth a read, even if you’re not necessarily a football fan. And Peter Crouch is a master of the deadpan.

    I’m now a few chapters in to “A man called Ove”, a debut novel by Swedish author Fredrik Backman, and it’s shaping up nicely. I am already 100% convinced that Ove is a stalwart member of TZ UK.

  21. #2021
    Just finished "The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914" by Christopher Clark. Hard going some of the time, loads of detailed information and insight; I really need to read it over again to get the best out of it. But it shows how a few extremists, in what seemed a localised dispute, set off a train of events that resulted in the Great War.

  22. #2022
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    Just finished Robert Westall's 'the stones of muncaster cathedral' - two great wee supernatural novellas from the brilliant Tyneside author.

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  23. #2023
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    Halfway through James ellroy's new book the storm and enjoying it .I think he is one the best "crime " writers out there .Although you have to get into his style of pared down sentences and racist swearing throughout .

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  24. #2024
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    Quote Originally Posted by hhhh View Post
    On holiday this week so doing a fair bit of reading.

    Just finished “How to be a Footballer” by Peter Crouch. Very funny but also shone a light on the less glamorous side of their lives. A constant roller coaster of massive highs followed by huge lows, especially for the younger, less established players. Well worth a read, even if you’re not necessarily a football fan. And Peter Crouch is a master of the deadpan.

    I’m now a few chapters in to “A man called Ove”, a debut novel by Swedish author Fredrik Backman, and it’s shaping up nicely. I am already 100% convinced that Ove is a stalwart member of TZ UK.
    Excellent book, I think we all know at least one Ove

  25. #2025
    Master wildheart's Avatar
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    Legionnaire - Simon Murray, amazing account of a heart broken 19 year old who serves for 5 years in the French Foreign Legion. Incredible read!

  26. #2026
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by misterzero View Post
    Halfway through James ellroy's new book the storm and enjoying it .I think he is one the best "crime " writers out there .Although you have to get into his style of pared down sentences and racist swearing throughout .

    Sent from my moto g(7) play using TZ-UK mobile app
    I love a bit of Ellroy.
    Cheers,
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  27. #2027
    Craftsman Falcata's Avatar
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    Has anyone read any Nelson DeMille’s books??

    Thoughts ?

  28. #2028
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    Books

    Hi

    Without going through the 40+ pages -

    1. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (third reading as 'difficult')
    2. The Forgotten Australians - Prank Hardy.

    L-K

  29. #2029
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    I am Pilgrim - Terry Hayes
    Espionage/Jason Bourne/Bond with some great world building and no guarantees of who ends up alive.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  30. #2030
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    Vulcan 607
    By Rowland White

    Great story about the vulcan air raid during the Falklands.


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  31. #2031
    Have read quite a few books recently:

    Iain M Banks: "Excession" and "The Hydrogen Sonata." Both excellent reads. Iain is sorely missed and has left a huge hole in British literature and in particular sci-fi.

    Stephen Baxter : "Xeelee Vengeance" and "Xeelee Redemption." Great sense of wonder and awe with regards the technology, physics, science etc. Character development isn't really Baxter's forte, but he brings the sense of scale and wonder to sci-fi not seen since the old sci-fi of Clarke and Asimov. Really enjoyed them for their ideas as well as the aforementioned reasons.

    Terry Pratchett : "Guards! Guards!" and "Men at Arms." Both good fun. Puts a smile on your face.

    Some non Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes books. They were okay to very good. Best of the bunch was Anthony Horowitz's, "The House of Silk." Quite a shocking conclusion especially with regards all the recent stuff in the news over the past few years.

    I am about to start the "Xeelee Omnibus" book. It is supposed to be harder and not a sort of summation of the series like "Vengeance" and "Redemption."
    Last edited by Ventura; 25th October 2019 at 20:22.

  32. #2032
    Master Templogin's Avatar
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    For anyone interested in what was 14 Int Sy, I have been reading books by the operators.

    MRF Shadow Troop - Simon Cursey
    The Operators - Inside 14 Int - James Rennie
    One Up - A Woman in Action with the SAS - Sarah Ford
    She Who Dared - Covert Operations in Northern Ireland with the SAS - Jackie George

    All good books and recommended for anyone with an interest in plain clothes military in NI.

  33. #2033
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    I have read a few good ones recently
    Nelson George :To funk and die in LA .It's a crime novel based around music and part of a series .fun enjoyable reading
    West of babylon by Ted Heller .novel about a band getting together for one last tour
    James ellroy the storm .powerful novel with ellroy's trademark style of violence racism and swearing .it helps if you have read the previous novels in the series

    Sent from my moto g(7) play using TZ-UK mobile app

  34. #2034
    Blindness, by Jose Saramago

    Wildlife Detective, by Alan Stewart

    The Cow Book, by John Connell

  35. #2035
    Master wildheart's Avatar
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    Bring me the head of Sergio Garcia - Tom Cox. Laugh out loud funny, a must read for any golfer!

  36. #2036
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    Quote Originally Posted by swanbourne View Post
    I've read it twice; the first release and then the unabridged release which is 400 pages longer. CBS announced this year that it is making a 10 part mini-series of it.

    Eddie
    I assume you King fans have all read The Talisman,if not,you should try it,I think it beats the Stand.I gave up on him during the Dark Tower series but may try The Institute-looks like the old King.
    Last edited by meridian; 30th October 2019 at 15:54.

  37. #2037
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    Read the Andaman Express by Lorne, really enjoyed it. Nice adventure tale, bit of intrigue and and load of engineering geekery behind it.
    Last edited by wombleh; 31st October 2019 at 17:27. Reason: Book now being sent on

  38. #2038
    Apprentice Scott594's Avatar
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    Just finished reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Great novel about a new world order type future, well worth a read over a weekend!

  39. #2039
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott594 View Post
    Just finished reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Great novel about a new world order type future, well worth a read over a weekend!
    Is this the book burning society I read in the sixties?

  40. #2040
    Has anyone read "Ulysses" by James Joyce? My god what a difficult but interesting read. I have had to listen to the excellent audiobook on YouTube to make any sense of the section called "Proteus" even then I haven't got the majority of it 😲

  41. #2041
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    Awaiting my new copy of ' As The Falcon Her Bells', by Phillip Glaisier.
    I first/last read this book in the mid seventies, and it is an amazing story of falconry, his falcon use in Hollywood film and a short autobiography. Fascinating writing and totally engrossing.

  42. #2042
    Master Templogin's Avatar
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    Led by Donkeys

    The only way that Brexit will be enjoyable is a read of this book. Fromage gets his comeuppance on more than one occasion. Laugh out loud funny, with plenty of images showing this groups guerilla tactics.

    ‘Twas the Night before Xmas - Adam Kay

    An NHS junior doctor caring for maternity patents in a service that is being forked a little more each year. Readers should expect laugh out loud moments, tears of joy and tears of sadness.

    Make the most of the service now before every hospital has the Trump logo over the front entrance, and you will need money to get a bed.
    Last edited by Templogin; 17th November 2019 at 11:14.

  43. #2043
    Grand Master SimonK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Templogin View Post

    Make the most of the service now before every hospital has the Trump logo over the front entrance, and you will need ey to get a bed.


  44. #2044
    Master pacifichrono's Avatar
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    I've been a Nelson DeMille fan since the '80s, although not too impressed with his recent offerings. DeMille's newly-released novel, The Deserter, co-authored with his screenwriter son, is currently on the New York Times Bestseller List. I am about 2/3 through it and am very happy to report that the pre-Millennium Nelson DeMille has returned!



  45. #2045
    If anyone is interested, or is having difficulty like myself with Ulysses, this is excellent as a audiobook:
    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...QoLzoGAZfMi10L

  46. #2046
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    I am currently reading 'Blindfold and Alone ' which tells the circumstances into why the service personel during WW1 that were executed.

    My reason for getting this book is that my maternal greatgrand father is mentioned here, as being one of the 306 that were Shot at Dawn. A good read for all those who are into military history.

  47. #2047
    Grand Master sundial's Avatar
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    The Diet Myth by Prof. Tim Spector

    http://www.tim-spector.co.uk/the-diet-myth/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_ulSXYyBts

    If you need to lose weight the book is an 'eye-opener' and will likely change all your current ideas regarding healthy eating



    dunk
    "Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"

  48. #2048
    Have put "Ulysses" on hold while I read others.

    I have finished, "Look to Windward," another Culture novel by Iain M Banks. Very good read, as with all his sci-fi novels makes you think as well as compare to present living, politics etc.

    I am reading "The Fifth Elephant" by Terry Pratchett, at the moment. I have "Neuromancer," by William Gibson and "The Idiot," by Fyodor Dostoevsky, after Pratchett and then I will go back to Ulysses.

  49. #2049
    Grand Master GraniteQuarry's Avatar
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    HELLRAISERS: THE LIFE AND INEBRIATED TIMES OF BURTON, HARRIS, O'TOOLE AND REED

    Title says it all; they don't make 'em like they used to

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hellraisers.../dp/1848090188

  50. #2050
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GraniteQuarry View Post
    HELLRAISERS: THE LIFE AND INEBRIATED TIMES OF BURTON, HARRIS, O'TOOLE AND REED

    Title says it all; they don't make 'em like they used to

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hellraisers.../dp/1848090188

    Ordered!
    Cheers,
    Neil.

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