Reply With QuoteIf you like leadership/teamwork/motivation/self improvement books i'd highly recommend 'The Attributes' by Rich Diviney. Very interesting and potentially very useful.
Wonderfully funny book.Originally Posted by Templogin
I love anything by Evelyn Waugh. I've just re read the Sword of Honour trilogy which are roughly a satirical take on his WWII experiences.
Cheers,
Neil.
If you like leadership/teamwork/motivation/self improvement books i'd highly recommend 'The Attributes' by Rich Diviney. Very interesting and potentially very useful.
I have listened to all three (The Martian, Project Hail Mary and Artemis) on Audiobook and they are all great - last one is weakest but deffo worth a read/listen.
Just finished reading Ken Follett Century trilogy.. absolutely fascinating journey through 20th century history! Read some of his other stuff and also now onto Pillars of the Earth. Probably my favourite author next to Cornwell.
I think Artemis was one he wrote before The Martian but couldn’t get published. As soon as The Martian was a huge hit the publishers had a change of heart!
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Currently reading “The Plot against America” by Philip Roth. Very good with engaging pace and very warm story writing and point of view
Currently reading and enjoying 'The Escape Artist' by Jonathan Freedland. Story of Walter Rosenberg and his time in/escape from Auschwitz/Birkenau.
The Tiger by John Vaillant, absolutely fascinating.
Recently finished Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison, a book about a relationship between necrophiliac and a cannibal. Enjoyably disgusting.
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Holy shit! I enjoyed this in a perverse way. The concept is set out very early, and there is 'did they really go there?!' moment about 25% of the way through. Not for the easily offended...but entertaining nonetheless.
I’d like a recommendation please 🙏
I’m just drawing to a close on a truly excellent book The Magus by John Fowles…. I started last summer, but didn’t finish it before the end of my holiday in Greece and promised myself I’d hold on to the final half for my next holiday in Greece and now into the final coupe of chapters…. I’ve read a few other things (mainly fiction for me)
It’s an astoundingly good book…. Incredible writing, great story telling and highly thought provoking
My other favourite recent read was the shadow of the wind by Zafron - a wonderful story
So, two recommendations from me…. If I like those books, what else might I like?
I loved Shadow of the Wind, so read all four in the series of cemetary of forgotten books, next is The Angels Game?
Thank you
Yes I’d heard, but I was led to understand that Shadow of the wind was the standout…
Is it as good? And is Angels Game the better one to dive into…. I did love it and I am now going to take the plunge ans download in the morning!
´´All the Light We Cannot See´´ and- or ´The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August´´...you might enjoy...´´Carter Beats the Devil´´ not as deep but an astonishingly enjoyable read.
For my money though I preferred Fowles´ ´The Collector´´ to ´´The Magus´´.
´´The Book Thief´´ might also be up you strasse, if you´ve not already read it.
Last edited by Passenger; 23rd July 2023 at 20:32.
I think The Magus is fantastic, but better read when you are 20 than 40.
I love Carter Beats the Devil.
All the light we cannot see was a recommendation from my stepdad a while back…. So, it gets the vote for next read and is now downloaded on my kindle
Will add the others to my booklist…. And the the Zafron book suggested above
Thank you
I read it when I was 49! But have suggested it to my daughter’s boyfriend as his next read
An amazing book…. It’ll stay with me for a long time
I read it when I was in my 40's too. I wish I had read it when I was younger.
Another vote for Carter Beats the Devil, thoroughly enjoyed it.
I have not read this yet, but am looking forward to it, Great-Uncle Harry: A Tale of War and Empire by Michael Palin.
https://www.themichaelpalin.com/shop...ar-and-empire/
Kingdom of Silence by Jonathan Grimwood...So good I read it over again immediately. Breath taking tale of heroism and the horrors of war spanning both big'uns, a compelling mystery man and love story all in one...it's fiction though so vividly written and well researched, it could be fact. One of the best books I've read in a while.
https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Silen.../dp/B086R544MD
Last edited by Passenger; 31st October 2023 at 13:49.
Just finished the “History of Hamas”. Not sure about the ending..
Just finished “Chip War” by Chris Miller. A very interesting book that I’d commend to anyone concerned with export control, the China/Taiwan relationship and US intellectual property.
Just finished Silverview, John Le Carre's posthumous novel that had to be finished by his son.
Pretty decent overall.
Cheers,
Neil.
Agreed - I enjoyed it.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Interesting perspective on happiness by a Professor of Behavioral Science at the LSE:
"Happy Ever After - Escaping the myth of the perfect life" by Paul Dolan
Will post it FOC if anyone wants it, pm me. I prefer to pass books on than keep them once read.
Hi All,
Just read "A Bikers Life" by Henry Cole, the bloke off The Motorbike Show. Excellent book, he's done some seriously good stuff ( in more ways than one !) in his life.
Cheers, Richie
I can recommend this one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spencer-Edw...cx_mr_hp_atf_m
alexpriorauthor.com/
I've heard it's excellent!
So clever my foot fell off.
1/4 of the way through Year of the Locust after many, many years awaiting the follow up to I am Pilgrim.
Loving it so far. Re-read Pilgrim before starting it, unrelated, but wanted to remind myself of how good it was.
Just finished this one, a set of short stories really enjoyed it.
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I'm also reading Year of the Locust. I'm really enjoying it, having begun to doubt I'd live long enough to read it...
It's very good, I think re-reading I am Pilgrim might have been a good move, but I am enjoying nonetheless.
Currently reading Eric Clapton's biography, a bulk buy from the charity shop.
Not a book I'd normally select but well written and very interesting so far.
Cheers,
Neil.
Sums Clapton up that book, not a hero to meet.Currently reading Eric Clapton's biography, a bulk buy from the charity shop.
Not a book I'd normally select but well written and very interesting so far.
Certainly took its time to come out eh!
I re-read Pilgrim, just because, not needed at all. Whilst I remembered the ending and other aspects of it, could not piece enough together and was still another book I couldn’t put down & was a 3 day holiday read.
Maybe in another 10 years a third book will appear. Wonder what the background was in the release / completion. Assumption on personal reasons vs writers block.
Currently rereading for the 4th time The Power of the Dog Trilogy. Don Winslow is amazing.
City on Fire has been superb as well as was The Force.
I have been absent from this thread for a while as I had nothing to give away. I have recently bought a Kobo Reader, stylus and Sleepcover case. I can't say that I would recommend them, but I was fed up with Amazon and their disposable Kindles. You can't get the batteries for them. The truth is the same for the Kobo though. There seems to be two choices of covers for it, one with a battery and one without. It's really hard work to get batteries sent up to Shetland due to the Post Office rules. If the battery is in something, perhaps a torch or an iPad than all is weel, but "loose" batteries, power banks and Kobo battery cases etc. are out of the question. The Kobo library seems expensive too, but to be fair I haven't deeply researched the difference between that and Amazon. A real bugbear is that the power button is on the back of the Kobo so to turn the device on it is necessary to pull the case open at the back to access the switch. The greatest advantage is that with 1 book or 100 installed the device is no heavier! Enough of the moaning and onto the books: -
- Archangel - Robert Harris - Reading this at the moment. It's hard going at first
- Sea Lord - Bernard Cromwell - Sea Lord - A tale of riches to rags and the high seas: Excellent read
- Act of Oblivion - Robert Harris - A tale of regicide: Good read but goes on a bit when one is hoping for the denouement
- Finding Hildasay - Christian Lewis - A tale of an ex-Para struggling with depression who walks the UK coastline: An OK read
- The Fear Index - Robert Harris - A tale of AI and its ambitions: Predictable plot but still a reasonable read
- Munich - Robert Harris - A Tale of the Munich Agreement: Spy Thriller and a good read
- Agents in Berlin - Alex Gerlis - Another spy thriller and well worth a read
- Final Approach - John J Nance - Hijacking thriller - well worth a read
If you have an e-reader and haven't signed up to the online UK libraries: Libby, and BorroBox, I would thoroughly recommend that you do.
I love Don Winslow, gripping reads conversely I really struggle with James Ellroy.
Right now I've been reading a lot of Australian crime stuff, Peter Temple is my absolute favourite but Chris Hammer is also very good.
Have you read the neal Carey series which has recently been reissued , it's worth a read even though it's his early stuff
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I just finished the graphic novel Why Don't You Love Me? by British cartoonist Paul B. Rainey. It is one of the best books I have read in any format in a long time. I recommend reading it before looking at any reviews or blurbs, but here is a one-page (out of 214) sample:
One of my favourite films always has been The Unbearable Lightness of Being. So decided to finally read the book by Milan Kundera. He was so upset by the film adaptation of his book that he refused to let them use any of his other books.
The book is a bit heavy at times but absolutely superb overall.
Oh! I’ll have to get that. Really liked I Am Pilgrim!
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Just started Dark Gods by TED Klein which I’ve been meaning to read for years.
Prior to that I read a couple of classic pieces of trash from the prolific Laurence James
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Just re-read 1984, after a long long time.
Not sure that "good" is the right word, but it is uncannily like a factual description of modern-day politics the world over.
If the right people, or enough people, say that something is true, then it is true. Even those who know it is not true can be made to believe that it is.
Russia?
Tories?
Trump?
And it doesn't stop there......
Just finished Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski.
Picked it up for a measly £4 last week and read it on a short break away at the weekend .
It’s one of those books that is just so easy to read. All from the perspective of a kid growing up in 1930s America . It’ll ring a bell for anyone recalling their younger years through to their teens . Very funny and stark in equal measures.
I’m going to get the rest of his books .
As before, if anybody wants it, drop me a PM and I’ll get it off to you .
https://www.amazon.co.uk/D-Day-Dodge.../dp/0955060125
The D-Day Dodger Paperback – 26 July 2006
by Albert Francis Darlington
My absolute pleasure and humbling experiance was to bump into Albert at the iron bridge just before he passed away.
He was on his mobility scooter,I cleared the way around some overgrown vegetation so he could pass and then took him for a hot chocolate.
He told me about his book and I tried to fix his seat without having any tools on me.
He lied about his age to join the Ox and Bucks (one of the best regiments ever) simply because they where going overseas and he wanted to stop the evil Germans.
No false heroics,no brash boasting its warts and all standing up against the German forces and sometime failing.
So different (and real) compared to Bravo 2 Zero and the like.
RIP Albert you are an inspiration.
It was his retort to this,they dodged nothing.
"The D-Day Dodgers were Allied servicemen who fought in Italy during the Second World War. The D-Day Dodgers also inspired a popular wartime soldier's song (Roud Folk Song Index no. 10499).
A rumour spread during the war that the term was publicized by Viscountess Astor, a Member of the British Parliament, who supposedly used the expression in public after a disillusioned serviceman in Italy signed a letter to her as being from a "D-Day Dodger". However, there is no record that she actually said this, in or out of Parliament, and she herself denied ever saying it".
In the end it was Polish troops who took the fortress, as you would imagine there was no love lost with them towards German troops.
https://www.italystarassociation.org...november-1943/
Last edited by bwest76; 8th December 2023 at 23:38.
I have not read it, but Julia: A Retelling of George Orwell's 1984 by Sandra Newman was just published. It is the same story, but told from the perspective of Winston's lover.
Should be mandatory reading in schools world wide, along with Huxley's Brave New World ...but as I've recently discovered pre teens/ teens nowadays IF they do read anything almost invariably it's the dreadful POTTER...sigh..
''2 gin scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. but it was alright, everything was alright, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.''
Last edited by Passenger; 9th December 2023 at 09:58.
Just rewatched the film with Burton and Hurt - it's bloody frightening !!!
B
On your recommendation I've bought it (The Power of the dog), and ordered the other two books. That's me sorted for a few months!
Just re-read Smiley’s People, completely brilliant.
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I’m (slowly) working through the Smiley books. Great stuff.
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Have read 3 of Joe R Lansdale’s Hap and Leonard books while laid up with covid this week and am just starting the 4th, undemanding but nicely crafted fun.
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1984 reminds me of a post I made on the topic of re-reading books on another forum. Just copy and pasted here.
"My GFs kid is reading up on the Russian Revolution. I have given him a copy of Animal Farm. I’ve read it 4-5 times since studying at school but read it again the other day so we could chat about it.
The bits that struck me this time through weren’t the revolutionaries becoming just like the old elite. It was the gas-lighting by Squealer. The animals are always tired and hungry, but they are being told that food production is up and everything in their lives is better. The parallels with the Tories telling us ‘fastest growing economy in Europe’, ‘Brexit Freedoms’ and ‘40 new hospitals’ (Boris making the cabinet chant this last one) is really striking. See also, I think 1984 started selling again when Trump was elected."
I haven't read 1984 for a while, so want to over Xmas, then followed by Julia.
Looking forward to reading this published in (on) the FT today…
Two Santas, a rare watch and a break-in gone bad — a new fiction written exclusively for the FT by CIA officer turned bestselling author David McCloskey
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