Read Any Good Books Lately?

[torbrexbones 717]

Billy Connolly's autobiography 'Made in Scotland' is a good read for fans and gives some insights to where his humour came from.

Not sure if non-fans would get much out of it.

[Spade_Cooley 9,525]

 

Enjoyable read on the history of performers dying on stage. Never knew Kenneth Horne's death was down to him ditching all his medicine on the advice of a faith healer.

[Spade_Cooley 9,525]

 

The life story of Robert "Parkins" Peters, a serial bigamist (at least eight wives, possibly 12), fraudster, conman, fantasist, defrocked minister and Mastermind contestant who repeatedly tried to ingratiate himself into higher academia and usually succeeded (at least for a while).

[the_engineer 1,415]

Zoo - otsuichi 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,689]

Five months into 2020 and over two into lockdown, and only two DLers have read a book?! I suppose everyone is watch Netflix etc.

 

In the absence of any worthwhile live sport, I've started a 2016 bio of everyone's favourite magical-realism feminist author...

 

 

For practical reasons, I'm a committed Kindler (phones are way too small for my ageing eyes) these days, though of course the real thing is nicer . What's your medium of choice?

[Bibliogryphon 9,579]

3 hours ago, harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy said:

Five months into 2020 and over two into lockdown, and only two DLers have read a book?! I suppose everyone is watch Netflix etc.

 

In the absence of any worthwhile live sport, I've started a 2016 bio of everyone's favourite magical-realism feminist author...

 

 

For practical reasons, I'm a committed Kindler (phones are way too small for my ageing eyes) these days, though of course the real thing is nicer . What's your medium of choice?

Definitely a book. Can't be doing with gadgets.

 

Just started third book in Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series

[Toast 16,140]

21 minutes ago, Bibliogryphon said:

Definitely a book. Can't be doing with gadgets.

Just started third book in Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series

 

Well, there's a coincidence, because I was just going to say that I was reading one of those.

I'm on The Hanging Tree.  I've read them all in order except Moon Over Soho, which so far I have failed to find in a charity shop.

 

Books for me too.  No worries about needing to recharge.

I'm a slow reader these days as I find I fall asleep too quickly - maybe too much screen use has tired my eyes.  Before the internet I used to read several books a week.  I  get most of my books from charity shops.  Sometimes from the library.

[Bibliogryphon 9,579]

31 minutes ago, Toast said:

 

Well, there's a coincidence, because I was just going to say that I was reading one of those.

I'm on The Hanging Tree.  I've read them all in order except Moon Over Soho, which so far I have failed to find in a charity shop.

 

Books for me too.  No worries about needing to recharge.

I'm a slow reader these days as I find I fall asleep too quickly - maybe too much screen use has tired my eyes.  Before the internet I used to read several books a week.  I  get most of my books from charity shops.  Sometimes from the library.

I bought Moon over Soho and Whispers Underground from the Works on two books for a fiver. Libraries are great but they have limited stock. There is a charity  book stall at our station paperbacks 50p Hardbacks £1.

 

However if I never bought another book. I still wouldn't run out for years.

[Toast 16,140]

37 minutes ago, Bibliogryphon said:

Libraries are great but they have limited stock.

 

Yes, but the one I belong to (Oxfordshire) has a good online catalogue, so you can check what they have, where it is and whether it's out on loan.

You can reserve any book and collect it from the branch of your choice. 

 

When there's an popular author's new book in the pipeline, it will appear in the catalogue as "on order" and you can reserve a copy at that point.  I always did this when there was a new Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine due out, and often I was the first to get my grubby paws on it.

[Great Uncle Bulgaria 1,283]

Been reading a lot of historical fiction lately, which is undemading stuff but often educational and throws up the odd fact which comes in handy in quizzes. Currently reading Jean Plaidy's Charles II trilogy - pretty good, although given written in the 50s all the naughty bits are glossed over. Her George III book by comparison was pretty tedious, primarily due to the dullness of the protagonists George and Queen Charlotte, who did little but reproduce (15 times, as you asked). Philippa Gregory is more popular these days but sometimes less historically accurate and she has an annoying habit of writing the same story twice, from the perspective of different people  - efficient use of research perhaps, but annoying for the reader who has invested money or (more commonly given I get most of them from the library) time in seeking out something different to read. Elizabeth Chadwick's Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy  was time consumimg but enjoyable..

[Toast 16,140]

46 minutes ago, Great Uncle Bulgaria said:

Been reading a lot of historical fiction lately

 

I quite enjoy the Shardlake novels by CJ Sansom, Henry VIII period.  I've read four so far, but I need a long break in between them because they are far too long, padded out to the point where the story could be told in half the page count.  Good stories though, and the period detail is fascinating.

[Bibliogryphon 9,579]

16 hours ago, Great Uncle Bulgaria said:

Been reading a lot of historical fiction lately, which is undemading stuff but often educational and throws up the odd fact which comes in handy in quizzes. Currently reading Jean Plaidy's Charles II trilogy - pretty good, although given written in the 50s all the naughty bits are glossed over. Her George III book by comparison was pretty tedious, primarily due to the dullness of the protagonists George and Queen Charlotte, who did little but reproduce (15 times, as you asked). Philippa Gregory is more popular these days but sometimes less historically accurate and she has an annoying habit of writing the same story twice, from the perspective of different people  - efficient use of research perhaps, but annoying for the reader who has invested money or (more commonly given I get most of them from the library) time in seeking out something different to read. Elizabeth Chadwick's Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy  was time consumimg but enjoyable..

I read a fair bit of Jean Plaidy when I was at school. Very easy to read and quite informative.

 

Mrs Herald is currently reading The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

[maryportfuncity 10,646]

Absolutely caning books in lockdown 

 

Some recommendations - though likely I was the only person on the planet reading them last week 

 

David Gaffney's - All the Places I've Ever Lived - ghost story/grim crime caper/coming of age novel set in west Cumbria which happens to take in the infamous murder spree of cabbie Derrick Bird

 

Tom Wareham - The Green Man of Horam - biography of Walter J C Murray - UK nature writer, Wareham makes a convincing case we should consider him alongside more famous nature mystic writers. 

 

 

 

 

 

[time 8,599]

I used to read voraciously but haven't read finished anything for ages. I've currently got 6 books that I've started with a further 15 in the queue. The latest was delivered last week, and the one before that the previous week, so the fact that I've stopped reading hasn't stopped me buying. This is the one I initially started struggling with. I just couldn't get into it, which given the subject shouldn't  have been a problem (and no, its not Benedryl Cummerbund that's putting me off).

[Toast 16,140]

8 minutes ago, time said:

Benedryl Cummerbund

 

Only a slightly less ridiculous name than Benedict Cumberbatch.  I always want to say Benylin Cucumberpatch.

There is/was a poster on Mumsnet whose username was Bendydick Cuminsnatch.  I assume she's a fan.

[Great Uncle Bulgaria 1,283]

Enjoyed Steve Cavanagh's 'Thirteen' recently, although beware others in the series are not as good.

 

For some interesting trash, read Noel Botham's 'The Murder of Princess Diana'. The latter half of the book contains some rather fanciful theorising about the car crash but the first half has some interesting royal dirt - in the early (pre-Diana) days when Charles was sleeping with Camilla, Andrew Parker-Bowles was apparently shagging Princess Anne. Must have made for some interesting conversations over breakfast in both households.

[Toast 16,140]

12 minutes ago, Great Uncle Bulgaria said:

Enjoyed Steve Cavanagh's 'Thirteen' recently, although beware others in the series are not as good.

 

For some interesting trash, read Noel Botham's 'The Murder of Princess Diana'. The latter half of the book contains some rather fanciful theorising about the car crash but the first half has some interesting royal dirt - in the early (pre-Diana) days when Charles was sleeping with Camilla, Andrew Parker-Bowles was apparently shagging Princess Anne. Must have made for some interesting conversations over breakfast in both households.

 

That was hardly a secret.  It was even in The Crown (not an actual shagging scene, mind).

[Great Uncle Bulgaria 1,283]

28 minutes ago, Toast said:

 

That was hardly a secret.  It was even in The Crown (not an actual shagging scene, mind).

oh well, it was news to me :-).

 

[gcreptile 10,970]

So I've started Stephen King's The Stand. After about 120 pages, the plot slowly starts moving.

[msc 18,446]

35 minutes ago, gcreptile said:

So I've started Stephen King's The Stand. After about 120 pages, the plot slowly starts moving.

 

Ah, one of his shorter ones then?

 

[DCI Frank Burnside 3,887]

 

Lord King and Colin Marshall were right bastards 

[runebomme 377]

Tried the the fall of Gondolin but not much new if you have read the Silmarillion

[Genfærd 452]

 

Although much of it is bogus. It's fairly entertaining to read.

[Great Uncle Bulgaria 1,283]

Just finished Jean Plaidy's trilogy 'The loves of Charles II', enjoyable if undemanding read, ideal for late at night. Now moved on to Steve Cavanagh's The Plea, which has started well, although  - as with all books with first person narration - every time the protagonist finishes the chapter facing certain death you know it's not going to happen.

[Toast 16,140]

10 minutes ago, Great Uncle Bulgaria said:

Just finished Jean Plaidy's trilogy 'The loves of Charles II', enjoyable if undemanding read, ideal for late at night. Now moved on to Steve Cavanagh's The Plea, which has started well, although  - as with all books with first person narration - every time the protagonist finishes the chapter facing certain death you know it's not going to happen.

 

I have read a book that pulled that rug from under my feet, so don't be so sure.