Just finished reading Finders Keepers by Steven King. It's the follow up to Mr Mercedes, Steven King back to his best. Just ordered End of Watch, the third in the triology.
John le Carre’s The Night Manager, which I bought on Amazon’s one click purchase (by mistake) with a strange involuntary finger twitch.
I’d fairly recently watched the enjoyable TV series, and to be honest didn’t exactly throw myself into the book. This was a mistake as I then had difficulty following the roles of some of the characters in the storyline. My fault entirely, but I just ploughed on regardless. Obviously there wasn’t an issue identifying the main personalities from the TV show, and the character Jed, played by the alluring Elizabeth Debicki was particularly prominent in my mind - but I’d probably best not go there!
The most interesting read for me, was in the author’s epilogue where le Carre discusses the changes made between his book and the screen version (and there are many). Missing from his 25 year old tale is Pine’s trip to Northern Quebec; the Colombian drugs barons are replaced by middle eastern warlords and there is no zillion dollar luxury yacht for Richard Roper in the TV version. Mr Burr in the book becomes the heavily pregnant Mrs Burr on TV. Furthermore, a completely new ending to the story was hatched. All of which led le Carre to muse, ‘Why didn’t they write their own bloody novel?’
However, le Carre is evidently thrilled by the result of the TV transformation. There is enough of his story remaining to still be his story, and in any case he concludes, “Did I really get all that into the novel? I’d like to think that I did. But if I didn’t, my thanks to the movie for doing it for me”.
Incidentally, I have subsequently watched both parts of JLC’s appearance on the Hay Sessions 2013. (Can still be viewed on Sky Arts via iplayer). What an incredible and interesting life he has led. Abandoned by his mother when aged 2 and brought up by his roguish father, who served several terms in prison. He attended boarding school in Germany, was recruited by MI5 and MI6, he taught at Eton and then a career as a successful novelist - the man has led a life and a half!
Just finished Reading the last four parts of the Harry Potter series. A bit childish even for me at the start, but starting at number 4, they get better and the last one and the way it ties the strands is really enjoyable, and to be honest, I raced through it too fast and am already getting the hankering to go again. I know there have been some more written since the Deathly Hallow, but that was a great way to finish. Onto Conn Iggulden and the Wars of the Roses next. Anyone read Ravenspur?
Just finished Reading the last four parts of the Harry Potter series. A bit childish even for me at the start, but starting at number 4, they get better and the last one and the way it ties the strands is really enjoyable, and to be honest, I raced through it too fast and am already getting the hankering to go again. I know there have been some more written since the Deathly Hallow, but that was a great way to finish. Onto Conn Iggulden and the Wars of the Roses next. Anyone read Ravenspur?
Love the Conn Iggulden series on the War of the Roses... Fraid I've not reached Ravenspur either yet
'We Need to Talk About Kevin' .. Lionel Shriver .. over long, difficult, disturbing, over wrought, brilliant .. similar (to my mind) genre to 'American Psycho' though not nearly so graphic .. the gradual decline of morés and attitudes and the quasi acceptance of violence and the doling out of casual cruelty and murder amongst the young and prosperous and the bewilderment of their parents in the USA in the 90s and 00s
A friend lent me a boxed set of detective/thriller novels, six different writers, the only one I have read anything by being Peter James. So far read a Dick Francis (Risk) - simply written, but quite a good plot, David Hosp (Dark Harbour) very good story, first of four featuring his character Scott Finn, and currently on David Baldacci's Stone Cold, a real page turner featuring a dazzling array of fascinating characters.
A friend lent me a boxed set of detective/thriller novels, six different writers, the only one I have read anything by being Peter James. So far read a Dick Francis (Risk) - simply written, but quite a good plot, David Hosp (Dark Harbour) very good story, first of four featuring his character Scott Finn, and currently on David Baldacci's Stone Cold, a real page turner featuring a dazzling array of fascinating characters.
An Irish girl in her twenties, living in New York, goes over the top with drugs and alcohol and finds herself in rehab back in the Emerald Isle. Entertaining and humorous in parts but, at over 600 pages, I thought it was too long.
Home by Marilynne Robinson
The novel concerns the return of a prodigal son, an alcoholic with an dishonourable past, to the home of his old and dying father, told from the perspective of his younger sister (a woman who has herself suffered disappointment in life). The writing has great depth but it is a very sad tale.
The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell
The last of the author's 'Empire Trilogy' sees Singapore facing lasting change on the eve of the Second World War. As @Stonehouse said long ago on this thread, all Farrell's books are great but there are unfortunately very few of them. Farrell died in a boating accident in 1979, a year after this was published.
Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
A lady in her late nineties looks back 76 years to one day in March 1924 (Mothering Sunday, when staff were free to visit their parents) and her assignation that day with her young lover, a soon-to-be-married heir to a neighbouring estate. It tells of their erotic romance, paints a vivid picture of the historical and social context at the time and has great depth on a number of levels.
At 130 odd pages, this is really more of a novella. I thought it was a tremendous read.
The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante
The second of the Neopolitan novels sees the two protagonists, Lila and Elena, in their late teens and early twenties as they start to take different paths, albeit that their friendship (and rivalry) remains at the heart of their emotional lives. Ferrante's writing is a bit like Conte's Italy in the Euros - fast-paced, intense and uncompromising.
Would recommend VALIS by Phillip K Dick.. Messes with your head a bit but really interesting, semi-autobiographical and even more intriguing when you factor in that the author kills himself about a year after it's published.
A friend lent me a boxed set of detective/thriller novels, six different writers, the only one I have read anything by being Peter James. So far read a Dick Francis (Risk) - simply written, but quite a good plot, David Hosp (Dark Harbour) very good story, first of four featuring his character Scott Finn, and currently on David Baldacci's Stone Cold, a real page turner featuring a dazzling array of fascinating characters.
Stone Cold is the 2nd or 3rd story with The Camel Club gang.
FF, the Myron Bolitar books are like a series in their own right. Based on an ex basketball player turned agent. Nowhere near as good as his stand alone stuff.
A friend lent me a boxed set of detective/thriller novels, six different writers, the only one I have read anything by being Peter James. So far read a Dick Francis (Risk) - simply written, but quite a good plot, David Hosp (Dark Harbour) very good story, first of four featuring his character Scott Finn, and currently on David Baldacci's Stone Cold, a real page turner featuring a dazzling array of fascinating characters.
Stone Cold is the 2nd or 3rd story with The Camel Club gang.
So I understand, nearly finished it, cracking read!
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. A serial killer in Soviet Russia under a Stalin that denies that crime exists. Really good read.
The Travellers - Chris Pavone. Took me nearly 100 pages (of 643) to really get into it, but then thoroughly enjoyed it.
Orphan X - Gregg Hurwitz. A former black ops operative now looking after those who are really need help. The only payment is for them to find one more person like them and pass on his number just once. Then his past catches up with him. A great read and some impressive tag lines from Baldacci, Child and Gerritson. Can see this becoming a movie series soon.
The Forgetting Time - Sharon Guskin. About a 4 year old boy who talks about his "other mum" and knows things a 4 year old shouldn't - all the Harry Potter books (when they haven't been in the house or seen the films) the names of every lizard, a vocabulary beyond his years and memories of another life. Really enjoyed reading this.
Comments
I’d fairly recently watched the enjoyable TV series, and to be honest didn’t exactly throw myself into the book. This was a mistake as I then had difficulty following the roles of some of the characters in the storyline. My fault entirely, but I just ploughed on regardless. Obviously there wasn’t an issue identifying the main personalities from the TV show, and the character Jed, played by the alluring Elizabeth Debicki was particularly prominent in my mind - but I’d probably best not go there!
The most interesting read for me, was in the author’s epilogue where le Carre discusses the changes made between his book and the screen version (and there are many). Missing from his 25 year old tale is Pine’s trip to Northern Quebec; the Colombian drugs barons are replaced by middle eastern warlords and there is no zillion dollar luxury yacht for Richard Roper in the TV version. Mr Burr in the book becomes the heavily pregnant Mrs Burr on TV. Furthermore, a completely new ending to the story was hatched. All of which led le Carre to muse, ‘Why didn’t they write their own bloody novel?’
However, le Carre is evidently thrilled by the result of the TV transformation. There is enough of his story remaining to still be his story, and in any case he concludes, “Did I really get all that into the novel? I’d like to think that I did. But if I didn’t, my thanks to the movie for doing it for me”.
Incidentally, I have subsequently watched both parts of JLC’s appearance on the Hay Sessions 2013. (Can still be viewed on Sky Arts via iplayer). What an incredible and interesting life he has led. Abandoned by his mother when aged 2 and brought up by his roguish father, who served several terms in prison. He attended boarding school in Germany, was recruited by MI5 and MI6, he taught at Eton and then a career as a successful novelist - the man has led a life and a half!
Various critics describe it as " A delicious black comedy", " A gripping psychological thriller" & " A terrific & absorbing suspense novel ".
I found it a tad slow to begin with but once I'd figured out that the story is told by 2 characters , in turn, I couldn't put it down.
Well worth a look.
Onto Conn Iggulden and the Wars of the Roses next. Anyone read Ravenspur?
It has nothing to do with Katrien, she is a very bad liar
An Irish girl in her twenties, living in New York, goes over the top with drugs and alcohol and finds herself in rehab back in the Emerald Isle. Entertaining and humorous in parts but, at over 600 pages, I thought it was too long.
Home by Marilynne Robinson
The novel concerns the return of a prodigal son, an alcoholic with an dishonourable past, to the home of his old and dying father, told from the perspective of his younger sister (a woman who has herself suffered disappointment in life). The writing has great depth but it is a very sad tale.
The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell
The last of the author's 'Empire Trilogy' sees Singapore facing lasting change on the eve of the Second World War. As @Stonehouse said long ago on this thread, all Farrell's books are great but there are unfortunately very few of them. Farrell died in a boating accident in 1979, a year after this was published.
Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
A lady in her late nineties looks back 76 years to one day in March 1924 (Mothering Sunday, when staff were free to visit their parents) and her assignation that day with her young lover, a soon-to-be-married heir to a neighbouring estate. It tells of their erotic romance, paints a vivid picture of the historical and social context at the time and has great depth on a number of levels.
At 130 odd pages, this is really more of a novella. I thought it was a tremendous read.
The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante
The second of the Neopolitan novels sees the two protagonists, Lila and Elena, in their late teens and early twenties as they start to take different paths, albeit that their friendship (and rivalry) remains at the heart of their emotional lives. Ferrante's writing is a bit like Conte's Italy in the Euros - fast-paced, intense and uncompromising.
Biography of Stevie Wonder.
Very good it is too.
Thanks to the Lifer who suggested this author was worth a look.
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. A serial killer in Soviet Russia under a Stalin that denies that crime exists. Really good read.
The Travellers - Chris Pavone. Took me nearly 100 pages (of 643) to really get into it, but then thoroughly enjoyed it.
Orphan X - Gregg Hurwitz. A former black ops operative now looking after those who are really need help. The only payment is for them to find one more person like them and pass on his number just once. Then his past catches up with him. A great read and some impressive tag lines from Baldacci, Child and Gerritson. Can see this becoming a movie series soon.
The Forgetting Time - Sharon Guskin. About a 4 year old boy who talks about his "other mum" and knows things a 4 year old shouldn't - all the Harry Potter books (when they haven't been in the house or seen the films) the names of every lizard, a vocabulary beyond his years and memories of another life. Really enjoyed reading this.