This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Travel is good

Circe by Madeline Miller. I recently read Achilles Song by the same author. They are fiction, though loosely based on the Greek tragedies.

Thanks for all the book recommendations, some great books!

eire4

Finished Jo Nesbo's crime thriller The Phantom. Another good entry in the author's Harry Hole series with quite the twist towards the end.

Mr.Nice Guy

I finished The Hunger by Alma Katsu. It's a supernatural twist on the true-life story of the pioneering Donner party who got stuck in the mountains of the US while on their way to California in 1846.

I enjoyed the atmosphere of the story and the characters are well written. If I had to be critical, I'd say the ending was a bit abrupt for my liking, but a good horror story overall.

Daisy78

Cat among the Pigeons, an Agatha Christie for Christmas.

Love is Blind, William Boyd.

The third of his I read. Really enjoy his books.

Xofpod

The Candy House, Jennifer Egan

eire4

Finished Isaac Asimov's sc-fi adventure The Stars Like Dust and really enjoyed it. Set in the same galaxy but pre galactic empire of his Foundation novels it packs a lot of twists and turns into what is a smaller novel and first of 3 in this galactic empire series.

eire4

Finished Ken Bruen's Purgatory another classic noir crime novel featuring the Galway author's acerbic and witty Jack Taylor character. Loved every minute of it brilliant.

Mehaffey1

Nearly a quarter of the way through The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas. Very well written and a refreshing storyline so far.

Listening to White Bones by Graham Masterton on Audible, again about a quarter of the way through. Great narration but I must warn you that it really is graphic. Maybe it's because I'm listening to the audiobook but it doesn't pull any punches.

Had only finished 1 book all of 2022 and that was on the 30th December so feeling very spoilt for choice now.

Xofpod

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120020965#Comment_120020965

Finished and enjoyed it. Some sections are stronger than others and overall, it didn't have the same impact for me as A Visit from the Goon Squad, but would definitely still recommend. It goes off on tangents from the previous book and while it could definitely be read as a standalone, I found myself checking upon details on characters, etc. om t'internet.

Xofpod

On to Joe Country, the 6th book in Mick Herron's Slough House series. Standard seems as high as ever.

The series has recently been filmed as Slow Horses on Apple TV. Much as I like Gary Oldman and hear very positive reviews, this is one of those cases where I'm definitely happier to stick with the book version.

eire4

Finished Tana French's crime drama The Trespassers and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Travel is good

The Black Count by Tom Reiss. It is the story of Alexander Dumas, the father of the writer Alex Dumas. You can see where the writer found his inspiration for The Count of Monte Cristo. A really interesting tale of the Revolution in France and the subsequent story of Napoleon. Alexander Dumas (father) and Napoleon were actually contemporaries at one stage with Napoleon being a bit jealous of Dumas. Now I have more books to investigate about Napoleon. It’s worth reading.

Travel is good

Just for a bit of light relief I am starting “The Dry” by Jane Harper. It’s an Australian thriller, where three members of the Hadler family are killed. Policeman Aaron Falk, from Melbourne, is sent to investigate.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120144329#Comment_120144329

They made a decent film out of that with Eric Bana. It's like a scandi noir in the outback.

Travel is good

Exactly! I do like Scandi noir so I’m sure I’ll like this one. Thanks for the tip-off about the film.

Xofpod

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120144329#Comment_120144329

The Lost Man by the same author is even better, if you liked that one.

Xofpod

Taste, Stanley Tucci. A strange mixture of memoir, food criticism, recipes, hollywood insights,..

Absolutely loved it. Don't read it when you're hungry though - my mouth was watering after 10 pages.

eire4

Finished Isaac Asimov's sci-fi adventure Nemesis. A standalone novel as opposed to his various galactic empire series. Worth a read but nowhere near the level of the foundation, robot and other galactic empire books.

baconsarnie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120145449#Comment_120145449

I really enjoyed the TV series he did when he traveled Italy. He just seems like a genuinely decent person, and funny as well.

Xofpod

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120181230#Comment_120181230

Definitely intend to watch it - it's on one of the Sky channels I think?

If you ever get the chance, watch his movie Big Night; captures some of the spirit of italian America that's in the book, the glorious food, and is a great film in itself

baconsarnie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184812#Comment_120184812

I think it was originally a CNN production, i happened across it on BBC.

eire4

Finished Isaac Asimov's sci-fi adventure The Currents of Space which is the second of his 3 galactic empire novels set in the pre foundation days and an enjoyable read. 

Xofpod

But Beautiful, Geoff Dyer - possibly one of the best books about music I've read. Short, fiction-style passages from the lives of some of the great jazz musicians. Brilliant.

Mr.Nice Guy

Finished 'Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground' by Susan McKay. It's written 20 years after her previous book 'Northern Protestants: An Unsettled People'. Her first book was about unionism's unease following the signing of the GFA, and this is about their discomfort following Brexit. You do get a sense that the younger people interviewed aren't as fixated on the past and symbolic issues like flags the way the older folks are. Strong sense from the interviews that the people feel the DUP got shafted by Westminister and were foolish not to take the May Brexit deal involving the backstop. Sad thing is most of the older crowd will still vote DUP despite that.

megaten

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120226688#Comment_120226688

Interesting book, read it a few months back. Found it interesting too that some of the traditional Protestant Church's seem to be losing ground to the American evangelical style ones. Don't know if that bodes well for the future.

Finished "This Book Could Fix Your Life" which is a New Scientist publication and follows "This Book Could Save Your Life".

Both really interesting though Save Your Life is definitely better. They basically contain loads of good advice but good advice that is backed up by scientific research, and not based on the individual poor studies that can generate tabloid headlines. Self help books that have been through the scientific method, and they also highlight what's nonsense.

Been reading a lot of non fiction anyway so next is a fiction - Mother Knight by Vonnegut

marvelkhaleesi

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare - some fluff before getting stuck into Terry Hayes’ I Am Pilgrim for book club. Read it years ago but looking forward to the reread

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120240830#Comment_120240830

I don't really read thrillers but I really enjoyed I Am Pilgrim. Would be happy to read others that entertaining

marvelkhaleesi

@[Deleted User] Pilgrim reminded me of Day of the Jackal which is a much shorter book and fairly old. I devoured it though