This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

miamee

I am liking it and some parts are wonderful but others are boring the pants off me 😄 I will get there eventually, I am determined to finish it!

ClydeTallyBump

Reading a book called Disappear Doppelganger Disappear by Matthew Salesses. I am 40 pages in and very confused!

wreade1872

Finished Star-Begotten (1937) by H.G.Wells, not great. Figures of Earth (1921) by James Branch Cabell is another fantastic read. You should check out Jurgen then Figures of Earth if your intersted in early fantasy or just really good erudite writing. Figures isn't naughty like Jurgen.

Speaking of naughty, also read Lysistrata (411 B.C.) by Aristophanes, even the gutenberg versions have illustrations. Very adult, very funny comedy satire.

Currently rereading Exploits of Englebrecht (1950) by Maurice Richardson, a set of short surreal (mostly) sports tales, very Monty Python. Also reading the Cleft (2007) by Doris Lessing and Here Comes a Candle (1950) by Fredric Brown. The latter is a noir thriller although it has this almost Twilight Zone like narrator. The former is a sort of faux history/mythology tole by a roman scholar about how women were the first sex.

Oh and i also recently finished rereading Happyslapped by a Jellyfish by Karl Pilkington. It hasn't stood up well, hiliarious the first time not so much any more.

peek a boo

I read The Last Girl by Nadia Murad over the weekend. Heart wrenching

Xofpod

Read Washington Black, Esi Edugyan. Had it in my pile for quite a while and had some rave recommendations. Also, I loved her previous book, Half Blood Blues, so I had high hopes. Bit disappointed in the end - starts off very strong but, for me, kind of lost direction a little after the half-way point.

On to Patricia Lockwood's Nobody is Talking about This next

eire4

Finished Irvine Welsh's Skagboys. It is a prequel to Trainspotting. So if you have not read Trainspotting try and read this first as it really sets the stage for all the characters very well. Not quite as crazy as Trainspotting or its sequel Porno but very enjoyable all the same.

Xofpod

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117817537#Comment_117817537

Read the earlier ones and was pleasantly surprised with the sequels (Blade Artist, Dead Man's Trousers) but can't summon up the enthusiasm for a prequel. Can't really think of any prequel worth the effort....

eire4

Finished Susan Wright's Slaves Unchained the third and final book in her sci fi action adventure series and it was like the previous two a fun and enjoyable read.

eire4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117822044#Comment_117822044

It was not as good as Trainspotting itself or Porno I agree but I still enjoyed it and well worth the read if you like the series. I have both Blade Artist and Dead Mans Trousers on my to read shelf and am looking forward to them.

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117817537#Comment_117817537

I finished this a while back. Really enjoyed it, had more of a structured narrative than Trainspotting, but I think Trainspotting edged it out as it really had everything: funny, sad, grim and really f***ing grim. Not that Skagboys didn’t but Trainspotting done it better.

Xofpod

Finished Patricia Lockwood's No One is Talking About This. It's a funny one, like two different books grafted together. The first part is stream of consciousness musings about the internet, the second part a meditation on grief. Not what I was expecting after Priestdaddy but I'm glad I read it.

eire4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117859657#Comment_117859657

I think that is a fair summary of the two books.

The Spy that came in from the cold.

My first La Carre book. Expected it to be bigger for some reason. Having read a number of long books of late I am glad it is not, but I am enjoying it a lot. It must have been absolutely thrilling when it was first published, a glimpse into the underhandedness of that world.

eire4

Finished Harlen Coben's Win an enjoyable action crime novel. This one is focused on Win one of the support characters from his earlier action crime novels.

silliussoddius

Back on a Bernard Cornwell binge with Sharpe’s Regiment, I’ll read a few and then move on to a book about Genghis Khan that was mentioned the After Hours book thread.

Xofpod

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117892093#Comment_117892093

If you like Le Carre, you might like Mick Herron's Slough House series. Same grimy world of espionage, a bit more humour.

baconsarnie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117892093#Comment_117892093

That was also my first Le Carre book, and i have since read about 15 of his books since. I would strongly recommend reading the Smiley Trilogy after this (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Smiley's People and the Honorable Schoolboy). All superb.

The Perfect Spy is probably his best book though.

Thanks both, reading list updated!

eire4

Finished Dawn by Octavia Butler. The first book in a sci fi trilogy. An interesting read set in a post nuclear war earth where an alien civilization has come and rescued the few human survivors but they want something in return.

baconsarnie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924476#Comment_117924476

I read two of her books this year (Parable of the Sower and Kindred). She was an absolutely amazing writer.

eire4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924488#Comment_117924488

Sad that she died at only 58 years of age.

eire4

Finished Ken Bruen's The Dramatist. Another masterpiece of a crime drama set in Galway that really just has it all. Cannot praise it too highly.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117924488#Comment_117924488

I believe they're both being made into TV shows at the moment.

Xofpod

Reading John Higgs' "William Blake vs the World". I love all of his stuff but this is seriously a book of big ideas. Neurophysics, quantum mechanics, 18th century revolutionary politics, reflections on the subjective nature of reality, all wrapped up in the poetry and art of Blake. (and that's only the first four chapters). He stretches some points a bit too far, but never a dull moment....

eire4

Finished Octavia Butler's Adulthood Rites book 2 in this sci fi series. The book starting a few years after the end of book 1 and again it is a really interesting and compelling read. 

Fionne

Last night, I finished When All Is Said by Anne Griffin and also That Place We Call Home by John Creedon. I'd give both a 4 out of 5 rating.

eire4

Finished Lars Brownworth's The Normans an interesting and concise account of how the Vikings who settled and created the Dutchy of Normandy in Northern France emerged to become such important players in the wider history of Europe.

eire4

Finished Octavia Butler's Imago the third and final instalment in her sci fi trilogy set in a post nuclear war earth after an alien race has arrived and saved what was left of humanity but want something in return. The whole series had a really interesting premise although I felt this third book was not as good as the first 2.

Xofpod

Harlem Shuffle, Colson Whitehead.

Joe_ Public

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117991774#Comment_117991774

Creedon was a lovely warm read, bit like listening to his radio show, and served as a primer for ancient Irish history I'd learned at school but long forgotten. Plus, i never knew he'd spent time in a seminary, studying for the priesthood. That came as a bit of a surprise.

eire4

Took a more recent happy trip down memory lane reading the Celtic FC book Treble Treble for a change of pace.

baconsarnie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118036826#Comment_118036826

That trilogy is very much on my list for next year.

I finished Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy, which is a superb piece of sci-fi writing.

eire4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118078431#Comment_118078431

Overall I thought the trilogy was decent. The first book I liked the second was the best of the 3 IMHO, the third one I felt was not quite at the level of the first 2. But overall a good read.

RandomViewer

Halfhead by Stuart MacBride,

Thriller set in a Future overcrowded Glasgow where criminals are mutilated ,lobotomised and put to work cleaning,

His ordinary crime novels are funnier and better plotted

eire4

Finished Ken Bruen's Priest. Another brilliant entry in the Galway authors Jack Taylor crime series. At times witty, at times funny and at times noir but always a real page turner. Loved it.

Xofpod

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040337#Comment_118040337

Absolutely loved this. Was slow to start but that was me rather than the book. There was a real Walter Mosley vibe off this for me - coincidentally, I also love him....

Going to look up Whitehead's non-fiction shortly. I like everything else he's written so it's worth a look

HalloweenJack

Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell.

Picked this up on the basis of its blurb. Its about the short but eventful career of a rock band in the late 60s. Its an interesting story, especially if you're into music and counter-culture from that time.

There are a quite a few cameos from entertainers of the time. Some are interesting and help the story along, others are cringey and seem to be there just for the sake of it.

Death is a big theme in the book and one that touches each character in a different way. It's quite intriguing in that respect. It also has an interesting approach to mental health.

Some of the writing is quite good though, at times, the plot can feel predictable. There are also some parts that are a bit too fantastic for me.

I got really into it and was flying through it by the end. I'd recommend it as a satisfying read, though I have my problems with it.

eire4

Finished Tana French's crime drama The Secret Place. Really enjoyed this one and a bit different as while it is a who done it murder mystery with all the action taking place over the course of one day it is also a coming of age story too in many ways.

Xofpod

Read a few recently:

-The Noble Hustle, Colson Whitehead - non-fiction about the writer's stab at the World Series of Poker a few years ago. I love this guy's fiction and love poker but this is middling at best

-Nobody Walks, Mick Herron. A quick thriller related to his Slough House spy series. A fine read but not up to his other stuff.

-Bog Bodies, Declan Shalvey (graphic novel) - a short tale about gangland hits and the disposal of bodies in the Dublin mountains. Atmospheric but slight.

After a run of OK books, I'm really looking to get my teeth into something good next.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Reading Dracula at the moment. Very different from what I expected. Opening section was great, very atmospheric. It's slowed down a bit but I get the feeling it's one of those books you have to view after finishing, if that makes sense?

Joe_ Public

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118206007#Comment_118206007

My main recollection of reading Dracula - and it is not recent! - is of expecting it to be a rather different book to the one I encountered, probably because my view had been shaped through the prism of all the various film adaptation. So while very psychological, it seemed a lot less "horrific" than I anticipated. Not sure if I'm misremembering, I think i might put both this and Frankinstein on the re-read list for xmas.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118206467#Comment_118206467

Yeah, that's pretty much my experience so far. I think I'm about half way through and the man himself has barely appeared in person after the initial section set at his castle. I'm interested to see once I'm finished if there's any of the many adaptations that actually stick to the book. I can already say that most of the ones I'm aware of don't appear to.

eire4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118206467#Comment_118206467

I think thats fair it is much more psychological rather then straight up scary horror. Personally I loved it. Have read 3-4 times over the years.

eire4

Finished Ken Bruen's The Cross. Another brilliant and enjoyable Irish noir crime drama from Bruen.

Xofpod

Reading Circe, Madeline Miller. Really enjoying it so far.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.

Very short, probably technically a novella. It's set in the 80s in New Ross (I think?) It's a smallish Irish town anyway, and it's the run up to Christmas and the local coal man is doing his rounds, has an unsettling experience at the local convent/laundry and it leads him to reflect on his own childhood and question the reality of what's going on around him.

I really liked it. It is basically the shame of Catholic Ireland explored through this one man and this one town, but its really well written and it doesn't go into too much detail so it's never difficult to read, but unless you've been living under a rock you'll know what's going on anyway.

neris

Just finished the Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinnnis. Authors an American who becomes obsessed with football during the USA world cup in 94 and moves to Italy a few years later to live in a small town in the Abruzzo region where the local football team have gotten promotion to to Serie B but theres all sorts of dodgyness going on around the club, the manager and the owners with rumours of back handers to throw the last game of the season.

New Home

Funny, I read that last year/early this year and then passed it on to a friend, originally I had picked it up in a charity shop. 🙂

eire4

Finished Jack Whyte's The Burning Stone a prequel to his Arturian series. I have always been a big historical fiction fan and was looking forward to my first book with this author. The story is set in the early 4th century in Roman Britain and overall I liked it although the middle part of the book went on a bit.

eire4

Just saw today that one of my favourite authors Anne Rice died over the weekend at the age of 80. She comes actually from a strong Irish-American background with her maiden name being O'Brien. RIP to a truly gifted writer.