This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Joe_ Public

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I've started to get the feeling that at the end of HHhH he's gong to reveal he made the entire thing up.

Co-incidentally I read this book last week. Enjoyable enough but I did find the author's style a bit exasperating and pretentious at times. His ability to write well is the saving grace and it is, of course, a fantastic story that only the greatest dolt could manage to mess up. Quite a clever title too!

Birneybau

Callan57 wrote: »

Wrung out like a dishcloth after Academy Street so now I anticipate some good clean fun as I pick up Ablutions by Patrick deWitt - it it's anything like The Sisters Brothers and Undermajordomo Minor it should be an enjoyable weekend

Actually about 30% read on my Kindle, put it on the back burner about a year ago, wasn't doing much for me.

Having finished 'Olive Kitteridge' (loved it) and put 'Gold Fame Citrus' back on the shelf (tough read) have began 'Maestra'. Would never, ever be my type of book but thought fcuk it.

Washington Irving

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I'm reading HHhH by Laurent Binet.

It is about Reinhard Heydrich who was the head of the Nazi secret service and by all accounts the brains behind Himmler. In 1942 two Czechoslovakian parachutists were sent on a mission by London to assassinate him in Prague.
It's written in a really strange style... it's basically a history book but it reads almost like a conversation... if that makes sense. Imagine you have a friend who knows a lot of history and is very good at telling it so it sounds like the most interesting thing in the world and you can understand and keep track of it all. That's what this book is like.

There's loads of background information on Heydrich himself but also on key points in the lead up to the outbreak of WW2 and the parts played by Britain and France in basically giving Hitler free reign over most of Europe. I'm finding it fascinating.

Are you reading the original or the translated version?

Been hesitating on it for a while, think you've convinced me to start now.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Washington Irving wrote: »

Are you reading the original or the translated version?

Been hesitating on it for a while, think you've convinced me to start now.

It's in English, so I assume that's the translated one?

It's really very interesting but I am finding some of his asides pretty annoying. It's like he's telling the story of writing the book in among the actual book. Sometimes it's fine and other times I'm yelling internally at him to just get back to the damn story!!

There's two films based around this event coming out sometime this year. There's 3 Irish actors playing the Czech and Slovak parachutists

Joe_ Public

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

It's in English, so I assume that's the translated one?

It's really very interesting but I am finding some of his asides pretty annoying. It's like he's telling the story of writing the book in among the actual book. Sometimes it's fine and other times I'm yelling internally at him to just get back to the damn story!!

There's two films based around this event coming out sometime this year. There's 3 Irish actors playing the Czech and Slovak parachutists

I took it as just his way of justifying why he should be writing the book at all, given the numerous accounts that already existed. He mentions one book that comes out while he's still at the research stage and seems pretty miffed at the good reviews it was getting. You need a lot of chutzpah as an author to insert yourself into an historical narrative and the talent to pull it off. I think Binot just about manages it with quite a few reservations and no little hollering at him when he goes off on another self-serving tangent.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I took it as just his way of justifying why he should be writing the book at all, given the numerous accounts that already existed. He mentions one book that comes out while he's still at the research stage and seems pretty miffed at the good reviews it was getting. You need a lot of chutzpah as an author to insert yourself into an historical narrative and the talent to pull it off. I think Binot just about manages it with quite a few reservations and no little hollering at him when he goes off on another self-serving tangent.

Some of it's fine, quite interesting actually and it will probably change how I read these kind of historical books in the future. Just at certain times I'm getting really into the actual history part of it and he takes a little break to tell us how he went back to double check with his ex what colour the car in the museum was

The good thing is there's never a chapter more than about 2 pages so even when he does go off on one he comes back pretty quickly.

I would definitely recommend it if anyone was thinking about reading it.

eire4

Finished a re read of Anne Rice's second Mayfair chronicles book Lasher. Carries on directly from the first book The Witching Hour and where that ended. In classic Anne Rice fashion she delves into the history of the being that Lasher is before bringing things to an abrupt and dramatic conclusion.

Aenaes

I finished The Martian and I really enjoyed it. Then I read The Arraignment by Steve Martini. It was an alright legal crime thriller, not much to be said.

I've started The Well And The Mine by Gin Phillips. It's set in 1930's Alabama and nine-year old Tess sees a woman dump a baby into her family's well.

Callan57

The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif

Xofpod

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi.

Fathom

Girl the Kicked Over the Hornets Nest by Larsson.

Lavinia

Fathom wrote: »

Girl the Kicked Over the Hornets Nest by Larsson.

Its a great read, like the movie too but book is (always) better.

Belle E. Flops

Really liked Slaughterhouse 5.

I've since moved onto A Slanting if the Sun by Donal Ryan after seeing it mentioned here a few times. I don't usually read short stories so I keep finding I have to remind myself that each story is different and unrelated to the last. Other than that though I'm enjoying it.

Xofpod

Belle E. Flops wrote: »

Really liked Slaughterhouse 5.

I've since moved onto A Slanting if the Sun by Donal Ryan after seeing it mentioned here a few times. I don't usually read short stories so I keep finding I have to remind myself that each story is different and unrelated to the last. Other than that though I'm enjoying it.

He's a great writer but he brings a deliberate, relentless negativity to these stories that doesn't quite ring true for me, compared to his other work.

Fathom

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. S Larsson. 2nd time.

Pickpocket

I'm currently reading E.H. Gombrich's 'The Story of Art' (16th ed). It's a nice and leisurely introduction to the subject and unlike many other books every work of art referred to in the text is reproduced in full-colour, glossy photos. It makes such a difference being able to view the works as they're being addressed.

Compare that to Julian Barnes' recent 'Keeping an Eye Open: Essays on Art'. That's also an excellent book but he takes a different approach. There's relatively few photos and often times he'll only highlight a particular detail of the work, so you're regularly referring to Google to see the full image, or indeed the many other works that aren't reproduced in the book at all.

Anyway, two of my favourite pieces of trivia so far:

- Persian rugs and all of the extraordinary latticework that we recognise from that part of the world developed because Islam prohibited human beings being depicted in works of art. So all of the artist's talent was poured into those highly imaginative and abstract patterns.

- We've all heard of the The Dark Ages, but that was actually when Western art began to look inside itself. Egyptian artists reproduced what they knew, Greek artists captured in detail what they could see, but those early Christian artists were the first to explore how they felt as human beings.

A thoroughly interesting read.

echo beach

Xofpod wrote: »

He's a great writer but he brings a deliberate, relentless negativity to these stories that doesn't quite ring true for me, compared to his other work.

I didn't find the undoubted negativity in Slanting of the Sun to be relentless and I'm not sure if it was deliberate. It is true to the experience of many in rural Ireland today.

Xofpod

echo beach wrote: »

I didn't find the undoubted negativity in Slanting of the Sun to be relentless and I'm not sure if it was deliberate. It is true to the experience of many in rural Ireland today.

I'd certainly agree with you when it comes to his two novels but in the short stories it struck me that he was trying a little bit too hard to achieve a certain type of result. They didn't seem as natural as the other work, which could hardly be described as light and breezy.

echo beach

Xofpod wrote: »

I'd certainly agree with you when it comes to his two novels but in the short stories it struck me that he was trying a little bit too hard to achieve a certain type of result. They didn't seem as natural as the other work, which could hardly be described as light and breezy.

We'll have to agree to disagree, which is part of the joy of reading. No two people read the same book. We come to it with our own lives and experiences and read it from that perspective. I found the characters so natural I could see parts people I know (even dare I say myself) in some of them.

I am often left cold by books others are raving about, while my own favourites might get a shrug of the shoulders even from friends with similar tastes.

Joe_ Public

It's a book that's been on my shelf for as long as I care to remember and finally got round to reading it last week: The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. A good book with an unusual and interesting story, though the nautical terminology (as with Moby-Dick) is quite challenging.

Swiper the fox

I posted at the time that I thought Slanting of the Sun was an extraordinary collection, quite possibly the best I've ever read,
I've finally finished The Mark and the Void, it was tough going and I had another couple of books at he go because I wanted to finish but never looked forward to reading it, some unbelievably funny passages but about 200 pages too long,
On to a rare rdread now, Trainspotting, I know it's gonna be great.

Belle E. Flops

I've finished Slanting of the Sun. Really liked it as a whole but of course I liked some stories more than others. The story that I really loved was 'Long Puck'. It started off so lovely and I found myself smiling away at it, but of course that was never going to be the case for the ending. This was the story that stands out for me from the collection.

Now moving on to 'I Capture the Castle' by Dodie Smith.

Swiper the fox

Belle E. Flops wrote: »

I've finished Slanting of the Sun. Really liked it as a whole but of course I liked some stories more than others. The story that I really loved was 'Long Puck'. It started off so lovely and I found myself smiling away at it, but of course that was never going to be the case for the ending. This was the story that stands out for me from the collection.

Now moving on to 'I Capture the Castle' by Dodie Smith.

Funny, my wife read it a few months after me and some of the stories were as familiar to me as if I had read them that morning, others I had no memory of.
I assume the memorable ones are the best, they were the long puck one, the old folks home one, the first one about the dead girlfriends mother and the last one about the robbery.
I'll say it again, that collection should be compulsory reading for Irish people.

Nekarsulm

Joe_ Public wrote: »

It's a book that's been on my shelf for as long as I care to remember and finally got round to reading it last week: The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. A good book with an unusual and interesting story, though the nautical terminology (as with Moby-Dick) is quite challenging.

And very relevant to the 1916 centenary! How a man can go from writing the first modern spy novel, containing a warning to Britain against German military ambitions, to being executed by that same country.

Joe_ Public

Nekarsulm wrote: »

And very relevant to the 1916 centenary! How a man can go from writing the first modern spy novel, containing a warning to Britain against German military ambitions, to being executed by that same country.

It is a remarkable story alright and intend to head to the library to find a decent biography if there's one available. Speaking of 1916 and that period Irish history, I reread Frank O'Connor's Guests of the Nation for the first time since I was a kid and was reminded what a powerful and well-told story it was. So much good literature from that time has been forgotten I think.

ivytwine

Belle E. Flops wrote: »

I've finished Slanting of the Sun. Really liked it as a whole but of course I liked some stories more than others. The story that I really loved was 'Long Puck'. It started off so lovely and I found myself smiling away at it, but of course that was never going to be the case for the ending. This was the story that stands out for me from the collection.

Now moving on to 'I Capture the Castle' by Dodie Smith.

I adore I Capture The Castle, hope you enjoy it.

I also bought Slanting of the Sun so will get cracking on it soon I hope. Reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close at the moment. Loving it, but it's very sad.

Kurtosis

Haven't posted in this thread in a long while! I attribute this in part to having gotten stuck while reading Beatlebone by Kevin Barry, I'm not entirely sure why as at times it moves along apace but then in parts it got almost impenetrably dense and rather trippy. I don't know if l enjoyed it, brilliant dialogue and gives a real sense of the West, but not sure this outweighed the madness of it all.

Just wrapped up Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy having read the other two books in the trilogy over the last 18 months or so, loved it, just such a visceral and desperately sad at times. All I want to do now is start another McCarthy book (haven't read Blood Meridian yet) but figure I should probably read something else and save it.

In the meantime, I'll get on with planning trips to Mayo and Texas/Mexico.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I'm about half way through Elemental by Amanda Curtin.

It's basically an old lady writing down her life story for her granddaughter. Most of what I've read so far is set in Scotland in a small fishing village and then she joins a gutting crew and is all around Scotland and England. That probably doesn't sound enthralling but it really has been so far.

Callan57

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Callan57 wrote: »

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

Hated that book. There's a point in it where you'll either go "OMG! Wow!" or "Get the f**k out of here, book!"

Joe_ Public

penguin88 wrote: »

Haven't posted in this thread in a long while! I attribute this in part to having gotten stuck while reading Beatlebone by Kevin Barry, I'm not entirely sure why as at times it moves along apace but then in parts it got almost impenetrably dense and rather trippy. I don't know if l enjoyed it, brilliant dialogue and gives a real sense of the West, but not sure this outweighed the madness of it all.

Just wrapped up Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy having read the other two books in the trilogy over the last 18 months or so, loved it, just such a visceral and desperately sad at times. All I want to do now is start another McCarthy book (haven't read Blood Meridian yet) but figure I should probably read something else and save it.

In the meantime, I'll get on with planning trips to Mayo and Texas/Mexico.

I'm with you on Beatlebone. There's a swagger to the language and the author's nimbleness and dexterity is quite impressive at times, but it doesn't quite come together in a coherent, meaningful way for me. At one point it segues abruptly from narrative to journalism before lurching back to novel again, an odd sequence that doesn't really work. Barry is clearly talented; I just think he gets a bit carried away with his own cleverness here. Would definitely help, I believe, to be a Lennon obsessive or, at the least, a fan.

Birneybau

Finished 'Maestra', easily one of the worst books I've ever read. Onto 'I Am Pilgrim' today.

echo beach

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Barry is clearly talented; I just think he gets a bit carried away with his own cleverness here. Would definitely help, I believe, to be a Lennon obsessive or, at the least, a fan.

I heard Barry reading an extract from it last year (before publication) and formed the same opinion. Although I love his short stories I wasn't in the least tempted to buy Beatlebone.

Although he was happy to sign any books people had with them he hadn't brought any books to sell, which was a first for any reading I've been at.

Joe_ Public

echo beach wrote: »

I heard Barry reading an extract from it last year (before publication) and formed the same opinion. Although I love his short stories I wasn't in the least tempted to buy Beatlebone.

Although he was happy to sign any books people had with them he hadn't brought any books to sell, which was a first for any reading I've been at.

I've only read one Kevin Barry short story, I think it was called "Seals" and it was rather excellent.

Loafing Oaf

A Journey to Britannia: From the Heart of Rome to Hadrian's Wall, AD 130 by Bronwen Riley

Swiper the fox

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I've only read one Kevin Barry short story, I think it was called "Seals" and it was rather excellent.

You should make it a priority to get hold of his short story collections, they are absolutely superb,

However they are not as good as his novels are bad if you can follow,

I hated Beatlebone, still thought it was better than his first novel though

Xofpod

Joe_ Public wrote: »

It is a remarkable story alright and intend to head to the library to find a decent biography if there's one available. Speaking of 1916 and that period Irish history, I reread Frank O'Connor's Guests of the Nation for the first time since I was a kid and was reminded what a powerful and well-told story it was. So much good literature from that time has been forgotten I think.

Reading After the Lockout by Darran McCann, also very timely given the centenary of the Rising. I heard nothing about it at the time of release but it's shaping up to be an excellent read.

Callan57

Finishes We Are Completely Beside Ourselves ... amazing & gripping book, loved it.

Next is one I picked up by chance The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan

SarahBM

I read 2 books while I was on holidays and started a 3rd. It was a jam packed holiday so I didn't have much time to read. First one I finished was The Burning by Jane Casey which is very good. It's the first in her Det. Maeve Kerrigan series. The second book was An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield. This book I could not put down. I was just completely engrossed in it. and to be honest I would love it it had went on for longer. (Plus I had just been to see the Kennedy Space Center which is amazing, so I was totally in my "space nerd" mode). It's not all about space. It's about having the right attitude in life to be happy. It really was brilliant.
I started Sapiens. But because I have a chest infection I haven't really got started with it yet.

Joe_ Public

Swiper the fox wrote: »

You should make it a priority to get hold of his short story collections, they are absolutely superb,

However they are not as good as his novels are bad if you can follow,

I hated Beatlebone, still thought it was better than his first novel though

Yes I follow your drift. I did read about a third of City of Bohane before I misplaced my copy. I didn't think it was that bad, but still haven't been struck by the overwhelming urge to go back and finish it. His stories are definitely high on my 2016 to-do list, though.

Joe_ Public

Xofpod wrote: »

Reading After the Lockout by Darran McCann, also very timely given the centenary of the Rising. I heard nothing about it at the time of release but it's shaping up to be an excellent read.

Not heard of it or the author to be honest. Interesting topic so will definitely check it out.

Fathom

The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Bradley

Wyldwood

Finishing Helen Dunmore's The Betrayal which is the sequel to The Siege set in the early 1940s in Lenningrad.
I knew nothing about the siege but these books, although fiction, depict such a horrific event that I am now reading actual historical accounts.

Callan57

Took The Old Man and the Sea off my "much loved" shelf yesterday & really enjoyed rereading it .... such a master!!!!

Now it's back to The Red Book

Fathom

Invasion Year, by Lambdin

Xofpod

The Dinner, by Herman Koch. Sat in my To Be Read pile for a long time, finally picked it up cos it was the right size to fit in my pocket and very happy with the choice so far, 50 pages in.

Aenaes

I forgot to update this. I finished The Well And The Mine, it seemed to finish abruptly because there was still quite a few pages left at the back of the book. Still, it was a nicely told story.

I read The Blue Hammer by Ross Macdonald. It's part of the "Lew Archer" series, a private investigator in California. He takes on a case about a missing painting but things aren't what they seem. I had never heard of Lew Archer before but I would read more of them.

Anyway, I've starting Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.

eire4

Finished a re read of Anne Rice's Taltos the concluding book in her Mayfair witches chronicles and like the others before it this is again a sweeping historical tale taking us through history right up to today or 1994 in the case of this book when it was written:)

Gonzovision

Finished a couple of books this week. Have taken a break form non-fiction for a while and thought I'd read a few crime/thrillers.

First up was 'The Hollow Man' by Oliver Harris, it's the first book in his detective Nick Belsey series. It started off quite promising, decent writing, some nice character development but about half way through it became cliched, your typical detective novel. Somewhat disappointing but I still may read the second one as I found the main character quite interesting, on his journey to self destruction.

Finally got around to reading 'Career of Evil' by Robert Gailbraith. I enjoyed the first book, but wasn't overly taken with 'The Silkworm', the story didn't do it for me. I have to say I really enjoyed most of this one. Even if the story is well trodden at this stage, there's something about Rowlings writing that I quite enjoy. Will continue reading the series as the books are released.

And finally I read 'The Dinner' by Herman Koch. I have to say it is one of the worst books I have ever read. Absolute contrived rubbish. I know the narrator was intended to be an ass, but it really put me off from the outset. I never bought into the story, it just felt overly staged, to elicit a reaction from the reader. I felt nothing (ironic I suppose). Couldn't wait to get it finished.

I think next up for me is 'Burma 44' by James Holland. Hopefully up to the standard of his previous WW2 books.

Swiper the fox

Gonzovision wrote: »

And finally I read 'The Dinner' by Herman Koch. I have to say it is one of the worst books I have ever read. Absolute contrived rubbish. I know the narrator was intended to be an ass, but it really put me off from the outset. I never bought into the story, it just felt overly staged, to elicit a reaction from the reader. I felt nothing (ironic I suppose). Couldn't wait to get it finished.

I think next up for me is 'Burma 44' by James Holland. Hopefully up to the standard of his previous WW2 books.

I actually really liked 'the dinner', I've been tempted to read his latest book for a while.
I don't think I posted about finishing The Mark and the Void, God it was hard work, some very funny scenes but quite painful on the whole, not a patch on Skippy Dies, I'm currently reading Trainspotting, I'm almost sure I read it when it came out but I can't say for sure:pac: