The "I am currently reading" thread

[feargal 21]

22 hours ago, top4718 said:

I might give it a go if thats the case.

If you pm me your address Top, I'll post it to you. 👍

[Rockers rule 673]

Tommy's World - Billy Hopkins.

Book 6 of 7 charting the (true) history of the Hopkins family.

Bought this as a filler, 4 for a £.

The book itself although part of a series easily stands alone as a story in it's own rights.

Do I want to find the other books in the series ?

Simple answer - NO.

 

Set in the late 60's early 70's, while I quite like looking through rose coloured spectacles myself,

at times you feel like the story line is set around a 1970's shopping list of goods, places no longer there

and Events rather than a story that mentions them in passing.

Really annoying how probably 8 out of 10 new characters introduced into the story line have names that are 

Alliterated.

 

Hat's off to Billy (no longer with us) for putting his memoirs down on paper and achieving quite a following 

from those who enjoyed his books,

Sadly, not for me.

 

Keep save read well.

 

 

[top4718 838]

On 01/08/2021 at 21:21, feargal said:

If you pm me your address Top, I'll post it to you. 👍

Brilliant thank you.

[wearysmith 140]

Last time I read through Barr & Bolland's 'Camelot 3000', it must have been in the mid-80s. Enjoying them.

Dated it may be, but it would make a brilliant film.

 

[Guest]

Finished The Magus of Hay and the novella The House of Susan Lulham, both by Phil Rickman.  Excellent, as ever.  Just started Friends of the Dusk by the same author. 

 

It's all smart, spooky and intriguing, but the author does have his hobby-horses.  Atheists, psychiatrists, medics and sceptics don't do well in the Merrily series; they're either saddled with varying degrees of villainy, bumped off or soundly castigated by sympathetic pagans, musicians and vicars.  I love the series, but then I'm secure in my atheism and scepticism, and the odd poke is worth it for the superb storytelling and the delightful Gomer, Athena/Anthea and Frannie Bliss. Though I do hope Richard Dawkins has a sense of humour.

[feargal 21]

Just finished Anno Dracula by Kim Newman... Excellent - clever and funny. Happily it's part of a series, so roll on book 2 😁

[ChrisIB 11]

So Anyway, John Cleese
I was curious what produced such a funny man. He comes across not  so much as angry but rather frank and compassionate and tells some great stories. His old teacher had gone to Oxford hoping to become a scholar and was thrilled to discover one of his tutors was to be a famous philosopher, R G Collingwood.
Hoping to make a good impression, he researched an insightful and original question for their first meeting. Apparently, without pausing, Collingwood told him (without looking round) that if he would go to the bookcase behind him and from the second shelf up, take the sixth book from the left, the one with the red cover, and then turn to page 134, the fourth paragraph would answer his question. It did.

[metalman 21]

Here's my August round-up with some really good ones in amongst them.

 

Robert Thorogood - The Marlow murder club. While swimming in the river, sprightly pensioner Judith Potts hears her neighbour being murdered and decides to investigate, assisted by the vicar's wife and a local dog-walker. I really enjoyed this one up until the final solution which suffered from Highsmithian improbability. It had the misfortune to come out at the same time as the similarly titled Richard Osman book but well worth seeking out in its own right. He is of course the man behind the Death in Paradise TV series.

Jenny Randles - The Pennine UFO mystery. Strange goings on in the Todmorden area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Supposedly factual - make of it what you will.

Hulbert Footner - Easy to kill. Old men in Newport, Rhode Island are being threatened and if they don't pay up, seemingly frightened to death. Madame Storey and her sidekick Bella Brickley are on the case. Quite thriller-y rather than detective-y but not bad.

Martin Edwards - Gallows Court. Edwards' attempt to write a cross between a modern thriller and a Golden Age detective story. Reporter Jacob Flint investigates a clutch of murders, all of which seem to lead back to the mysterious Rachel Savernake. Very good.

Mrs. Victor Bruce - The Peregrinations of Penelope. A 1920s flapper tries her hand at motoring, flying a plane, speedboating etc. In a striking example of the phrase 'Write what you know', Mrs Bruce herself was a famous motor racing driver, aviator, speedboat racer etc. (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs_Victor_Bruce). Gently amusing.

Dorothy L. Sayers - Unnatural death. Lord Peter Wimsey investigates the possible poisoning of a pensioner. Excellent. Read it now before it gets cancelled for racism, anti-Semitism etc.

Agatha Christie - Cards on the table. While his eight dinner guests are playing bridge, Mr Shaitana is polished off with a stiletto through the heart. Four of the guests are possibly murderers, four of them are sleuths, including Hercule Poirot. Excellent. Read it now before it gets cancelled for racism  etc.

Jack Vance - Alastor: Marune 993. Typical Vance hero Pardero is found at a spaceport with complete amnesia. Can he recover and fulfil his destiny as a Kaiark of the Rhune clan? You bet. As enjoyable as all other Vance novels.

Harry Stephen Keeler - The voice of the seven sparrows. Author of some of the most bizarre mysteries ever, Keeler was (in)famous for his webwork plotting system (if you want to know how he did it, just download the document on this page: https://site.xavier.edu/polt/keeler/onwebwork.html). This was his first book so the plot wasn't quite as convoluted as later ones, but is still completely bonkers (and impossible to summarise). And if you think the Sayers and Christie are racist, you really won't like this one.

John Scalzi - Lock in. A viral pandemic has left 1% of the population completely paralysed. Now, about 20 years later, they interact with the world through robotic bodies or by taking over the bodies of certain others, called Integrators. But now someone has found a way to use these arrangements to commit murder. A somewhat more serious work by Scalzi, with the usual wisecracking toned down a bit. Very good.

 

Now reading: Henry Wade - Heir presumptive. Eustace Hendel finds himself nearly in a position to inherit a peerage and lots of money, if he can only bump off his cousin. Excellent so far.

 

[Rockers rule 673]

the Master and Margarita. 

 

Imagine your most intense dream.

Imagine remembering that dream long enough to put it down in writing,

the Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov is that book.

 

The book is in two parts,

one, the appearance of the Devil and his henchmen causing mayhem as they please is

nothing more than a satirical look at Stalin's Russia.

Being Satirical was probably not the best of ideas back in the 1940's resulting in the book not being published until the 1960's

well after Mikhail's death.

If the 1st part of the book has you enthralled (& it will) the 2nd part will have you living that intense dream.

 

For me there is a distinct difference between a dream that is 'Horrific' and one that is 'Intense' even if there is a horrific

value to the second part, there is an underline comedic element throughout the book that not only enhances the story line,

but keeps you a willing participant 

 

Go on find yourself a copy.

(ebay for as little as £3)

treat yourself 

you won't be disappointed. 😈

 

Considering the book was partly destroyed, re-written & not published until many decades after it's initial conception, this book

stands the test of time.

 

Enjoy.

 

I've read it 5 times now and know I've not any of the Russian names pronounced correctly yet 

[Rockers rule 673]

'Are You Watching'  (1 Killer, 13 Victims, a Million Viewers)

 

Vincent Ralph.

 

Bought this 'uncorrected' 'proof' book (Tesco donated books) on a whim & well worth the 50p.

I say on a whim because there is no introduction to the book or fancy blurb (apart from the title)

 

For a debut book Mr Ralph has produced an excellent 'Thriller' type novel.

I'm a little unsure what age group the book is aimed at and his (2) later books are classed as 'young Adult' 

but if that's the age group, I'll gladly wear the mantle of 'young Adult' just to read more of his work 

 

Jessica Simmons's Mother was killed 10 years ago by a serial killer christened 'the Magpie Man' by her Father.

(Because like Magpie's the 'Magpie Man' liked Shiny things so he'd 'borrowed' her Mother 'the shiniest thing of all')

              (I'm 'welling' up here 😭)

 

Enter a internet reality tv show that wants to film Jessica live once a week.

Jessica decides to use the show as a platform to catch the 'Magpie Man' and the twist and turn throughout the book 

become a real page turner (i did the 376 pages in two sittings).

 

in total there are 144 chapters in the book which is a little strange because the story is almost continuous and most of

the 'chapters'  are only one or two pages long, but the thing works.

 

I'll read anything (ish) but this really was a great find & Fully Recommend it.

 

Ebay for as little as £5 

 

His other 2 books are a little dearer at the moment but no doubt i'll come across them at some point.

(my Scottish blood showing through - LOL )

 

Keep safe read responsibly  

 

 

 

 

 

[feargal 21]

In the last few weeks I've read a couple of Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway novels, which I enjoyed.  I read the first few in this series a few years ago but they got samey.  

 

Also was given three books from Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series.  Very gentle reads, but excellent. Unfortunately they're from the middle of the series, but it's not hindered my enjoyment. 

[Rockers rule 673]

Yet again  'got to pick another' - quick look (ain't got my reading glass on')'

 'that 'll do'  4 for a £1 books, from local charity shop.

 

As if. 

Blake Morrison. 1998

 

Hailed as a master piece by the usual Suspects, Sunday Times, Financial Times (?), Independent, Time Out, etc, etc, etc.

The books first chapter re-tells the story of the 'Children's Crusade' (Circa 1212) but then leads into the main crux of the book,

the Trial of those who abducted and killed, James Bulger.

Yes, the book is 'harrowing' with details previously not revealed.

Detailing the 'abduction' and eventually the 'Sentences' handed down, the author has done what he set out to do.

The book fails for me with the inclusion of some (quite a lot) of Morrisons 'off subject' and at times 'positively embarrassing'

recollections / theories of his own.

The whole 'As if' premise is, what 'if' the two boys had had a stable upbringing, 'if' they hadn't played Truant,

'if' they hadn't zigged when they should have Zagged leads into, should these two 'little boys' really have been tried in Adult court. 

The conclusion 'yes', the boys did something 'horrendous' but 'doesn't make them 'evil',  is probably as contentious now as it was then. 

 

The end of the book touches on what rehabilitation (an unknown quantity at the time of publishing) the boys would 

receive (take advantage of) while they were incarcerated.

Would the Authors thoughts have been different? 'If', as we know now, how 'well' their reeducation and return into 'society' worked out.

 

Keep safe.