David Sedaris - Let's Discover Diabetes With Owls. A collection of short (mainly autobiographical) stories. If you like his monologues on Radio 4, this is for you. Always clever, always witty, sometimes hilarious.
So I'm ploughing quite quickly through Hunter Thompson's The Great Shark Hunt, Generation Of Swine and Songs Of The Doomed in one huge and not very handy tome.
Finished "Lamentation", the 6th book in the Shardlake series the other week and I've decided to reread the series. I just really love the way Sansom describes life in the 16th century while managing to keep a murder mystery both interesting and surprising. There were rumours, some 7 years ago, of the BBC commissioning a TV series - apparently with Ken Branagh as Shardlake
Excellent author. Couldn't agree with you more. I have to wait til Christmas for my copy of Lamentation. I'm guessing that you've read Dominion?
It took me two months but I finally finished Cormac McCarthy's Suttree. Not really worth it unless you're a big McCarthy fan.
I rushed through Guy Martin's autobiography, decent but rather matter of fact and lacking anecdotes. Now reading The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime as I enjoyed the show.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers) - set in a small mill town in the late 1930s American south, this revolves around a lonely deaf guy who does not speak and how a number of other disparate characters are drawn to his easy going and sympathetic nature, as they seek to deal with their own struggles. It is a study of alienation and loneliness but, in painting a picture of American life at the time, it also pulls no punches in addressing themes of politics, poverty, race and gender. Published in 1940, this was certainly an extraordinary first novel, especially from a 23 year old author.
Finished "Lamentation", the 6th book in the Shardlake series the other week and I've decided to reread the series. I just really love the way Sansom describes life in the 16th century while managing to keep a murder mystery both interesting and surprising. There were rumours, some 7 years ago, of the BBC commissioning a TV series - apparently with Ken Branagh as Shardlake
Excellent author. Couldn't agree with you more. I have to wait til Christmas for my copy of Lamentation. I'm guessing that you've read Dominion?
No I haven't actually - but it does pop up on my kindle 'suggested titles', so I might give it a try at some point. Any good?
Rick Broadbent – That Near Death Thing. An insight into the Isle of Man TT. Very good if you’re into bike racing.
Mat Oxley – The Fast Stuff. As above really, only not as interesting.
Hitchhicker’s Guide. Overrated I thought. Wacky for the sake of it.
John Steinbeck – In Dubious Battle. Political and brutal, a prequel of sorts to The Grapes of Wrath. Great book.
I think you need to put HGTTG into context RP. It was quite groundbreaking at the time.
Just finished my first ever Frederick Forsyth novel, "Avenger". Really good plot and well researched. He likes to put across his right wing point of view, and as such you start to think "I know where this is going". Then at the end you find out you were wrong... Thoroughly enjoyable
"The Complete Enneagram" by Beatrice Chestnut. The Enneagram is a personality typing system at it simplest, a transformative tool at its best, that originated more than 1,000 years ago but has been re-discovered and developed significantly in the last 100 years. Kind of Jungian only much more intelligible and usable. Fundamentally, the Enneagram identifies 9 personality types but Chestnut expands this brilliantly with 3 sub-divisions of each type. Fascinating. You will be amazed if you get into this.
Finished "Lamentation", the 6th boyou'ren the Shardlake series the other week and I've decided to reread the series. I just really love the way Sansom describes life in the 16th century while managing to keep a murder mystery both interesting and surprising. There were rumours, some 7 years ago, of the BBC commissioning a TV series - apparently with Ken Branagh as Shardlake
Excellent author. Couldn't agree with you more. I have to wait til Christmas for my copy of Lamentation. I'm guessing that you've read Dominion?
No I haven't actually - but it does pop up on my kindle 'suggested titles', so I might give it a try at some point. Any good?
Sorry, my Lord, only just seen this. I can thoroughly recommend Dominion. Sansom does the same job of making you feel that you're actually there back in the 50s as he does with Tudor times in the Shardlake series, the big difference being that this is complete fiction as it's a "what if".
Currently halfway through Lamentation - great read. Hard to put down.
1000 Years of Annoying the French by Stephen Clarke. Really amusing and lots of tongue in cheek Froggie bashing. Champagne and the Guillotine would never have existed without British inventions. The capitulation to the Nazis is regarded by the French as merely a temporary ploy to give De Gaulle time to launch the Normandy invasion. Interesting historical context to many events, great insight into the French connection with the North American continent. Don't bother if you're not interested in history though, gets a bit heavy to follow in parts.
1000 Years of Annoying the French by Stephen Clarke. Really amusing and lots of tongue in cheek Froggie bashing. Champagne and the Guillotine would never have existed without British inventions. The capitulation to the Nazis is regarded by the French as merely a temporary ploy to give De Gaulle time to launch the Normandy invasion. Interesting historical context to many events, great insight into the French connection with the North American continent. Don't bother if you're not interested in history though, gets a bit heavy to follow in parts.
'The Son'.. Jo Nesbo .. load of old Tosh but quite entertaining if you like the usual Nesbo implausible plots and mega violence .. As I'm laid up with a heavy cold a t m, this is a reading week .. Just started re-reading 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' .. will it have stood the test of time ?
'The Son'.. Jo Nesbo .. load of old Tosh but quite entertaining if you like the usual Nesbo implausible plots and mega violence .. As I'm laid up with a heavy cold a t m, this is a reading week .. Just started re-reading 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' .. will it have stood the test of time ?
Must admit I DO like a Jo Nesbo so look forward to this when it's in paperback.
I've just finished " Revival" by Stephen King following a recommendation on here. Pleasantly surprised but as with some of his previous offerings, disappointed with the end/last couple of chapters. Is it just me ?
Felt like it was written by someone who thought ' there is a novel in everyone' or did it as a project, rather than a book that was waiting to be written.
Felt like it was written by someone who thought ' there is a novel in everyone' or did it as a project, rather than a book that was waiting to be written.
Ah, well.
As someone once said " I've started, so I'll finish"
Comments
I just really love the way Sansom describes life in the 16th century while managing to keep a murder mystery both interesting and surprising. There were rumours, some 7 years ago, of the BBC commissioning a TV series - apparently with Ken Branagh as Shardlake
Excellent author. Couldn't agree with you more. I have to wait til Christmas for my copy of Lamentation. I'm guessing that you've read Dominion?
I rushed through Guy Martin's autobiography, decent but rather matter of fact and lacking anecdotes. Now reading The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime as I enjoyed the show.
Makes more sense this time.
McGregor's a cunt.
Mat Oxley – The Fast Stuff. As above really, only not as interesting.
Hitchhicker’s Guide. Overrated I thought. Wacky for the sake of it.
John Steinbeck – In Dubious Battle. Political and brutal, a prequel of sorts to The Grapes of Wrath. Great book.
Just finished my first ever Frederick Forsyth novel, "Avenger". Really good plot and well researched. He likes to put across his right wing point of view, and as such you start to think "I know where this is going". Then at the end you find out you were wrong... Thoroughly enjoyable
The Enneagram is a personality typing system at it simplest, a transformative tool at its best, that originated more than 1,000 years ago but has been re-discovered and developed significantly in the last 100 years. Kind of Jungian only much more intelligible and usable.
Fundamentally, the Enneagram identifies 9 personality types but Chestnut expands this brilliantly with 3 sub-divisions of each type. Fascinating. You will be amazed if you get into this.
Currently halfway through Lamentation - great read. Hard to put down.
As I'm laid up with a heavy cold a t m, this is a reading week .. Just started re-reading 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' .. will it have stood the test of time ?
I've just finished " Revival" by Stephen King following a recommendation on here. Pleasantly surprised but as with some of his previous offerings, disappointed with the end/last couple of chapters. Is it just me ?
Now starting " Mr Mercedes".
Felt like it was written by someone who thought ' there is a novel in everyone' or did it as a project, rather than a book that was waiting to be written.
As someone once said " I've started, so I'll finish"
Will let you know how it goes for me.