MIDDLE ENGLAND by Jonathan Coe - an entertaining, sometimes funny, State of the Nation novel. It starts in 2010 and ends in 2018 so it takes in all the major events of those years (not including RD and CAFC!) and manages to give a fairly even-handed picture of the two sides of the Brexit debate.
Just finished my first John Grisham - King of Torts. Fast paced courtroom drama about a principled public defence lawyer who gets his head turned by finding a back door into the (apparently) easy and lucrative Tort law (civil liability suits) market. Easy read and quite compelling.
Is that the one with the private jets etc?
Read it years ago about the same time as The Runaway Jury and enjoyed both.
Recently finished The Mountain Shadow by Gregory David Roberts, the follow up to his first book Shantaram. About an Australian who is involved in criminal racketeering in India. Johnny Depp had apparently at one time wanted to make a film based on Shantaram but it never got out of the starting blocks.
Currently reading The Thirst by Jo Nesbo, the latest Harry Hole Norwegian police thriller. Always find the Nesbo books a good read.
Just finished my first John Grisham - King of Torts. Fast paced courtroom drama about a principled public defence lawyer who gets his head turned by finding a back door into the (apparently) easy and lucrative Tort law (civil liability suits) market. Easy read and quite compelling.
Is that the one with the private jets etc?
Read it years ago about the same time as The Runaway Jury and enjoyed both.
Just finishing The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.
It's about the American 8 in the Berlin Olympics of 1936.
It's a fantastic read which goes into American varsity sport, how the depression effected the poor in America, the politics of the IOC, the way the Nazis saw their Games, how a rowing 8 comes together and the personal story of Joe Rantz one of the rowers.
It was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year and is a multi faceted wonder.
Interspersing the master, perhaps the prototype developer and innovator of the 'hard boiled' cops and villains/private dick/revenge seeker/killer hunter novel, Raymond Chandler .. 'The Long Goodbye' with .. 'Exactly' by Simon Winchester, another masterpiece detailing the history of and developments in precision engineering .. a terrific, detailed and superbly written 'history' book
On first chapter of 'Grant' - a new biography of Ulysses S. Grant by American author Ron Chernow. At a 1,000 pages should keep me occupied for a while! Also about to start 'Jackdaws' by Ken Follett, a present from my Daughter. Novel set jut before D-Day involving SOE and the French resistance. Little light reading for the train.
On first chapter of 'Grant' - a new biography of Ulysses S. Grant by American author Ron Chernow. At a 1,000 pages should keep me occupied for a while! Also about to start 'Jackdaws' by Ken Follett, a present from my Daughter. Novel set jut before D-Day involving SOE and the French resistance. Little light reading for the train.
not Karlan's autobiography then ? .. ((:>) .. enjoy
On first chapter of 'Grant' - a new biography of Ulysses S. Grant by American author Ron Chernow. At a 1,000 pages should keep me occupied for a while! Also about to start 'Jackdaws' by Ken Follett, a present from my Daughter. Novel set jut before D-Day involving SOE and the French resistance. Little light reading for the train.
Interested to know what you think about the Chernow book, enjoyed his Hamilton although it was a bit too long.
On first chapter of 'Grant' - a new biography of Ulysses S. Grant by American author Ron Chernow. At a 1,000 pages should keep me occupied for a while! Also about to start 'Jackdaws' by Ken Follett, a present from my Daughter. Novel set jut before D-Day involving SOE and the French resistance. Little light reading for the train.
Interested to know what you think about the Chernow book, enjoyed his Hamilton although it was a bit too long.
I'll let you know - in about 6 months! Only on first 30 or so pages but very impressed so far.
Yet another Peter Robinson DCI Banks novel (I'm so predictable). Watching the Dark. Slow starter but turns into a very clever and intriguing story about human trafficking, low level gangsters in Britain and high level ones in Estonia. A lot of it is set in Estonia and takes on a bit of a John Le Carre spy novel feel at times.
Slogging through the Booker Prize winning “Milkman” at the moment. Not sure what to make of it, it has a very slight story and the rest is all about texture and tone, but I can’t say I am enjoying it that much.
Slogging through the Booker Prize winning “Milkman” at the moment. Not sure what to make of it, it has a very slight story and the rest is all about texture and tone, but I can’t say I am enjoying it that much.
I have read three Booker prize winning books, including the Booker of Booker's Midnight Children by Salmon Rushdie. Must admit to finding it and Disgrace by J M Coetzee a struggle to complete. I did enjoy Remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro. I think in my case it could be a lack of intellect with these highbrow tomes. I'm guessing the literary judges of these things know a bit more than me.
I didn't even start to read books until my late 40s which will forever be of regret. The book that finally put me on the road was John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men. A great story contained within 100 pages, just right for me at the time as it wasn't the daunting prospect that I found so many larger volumes. I have since completed the full version of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, so size alone is no longer a problem, although to be honest the first I knew of its volume was when I noticed the age it took for my kindle to clock up a single percent. A great story btw, but v e r y l o n g winded.
Just finished “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” by David Lagercrantz. This is the guy who was commissioned to continue the Millennium series written by the late Stieg Larsson, i.e. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo etc.
As it is some years since I read the three books written by Larsson, I can’t say I noticed any difference in style. Would recommend it. Am going straight on to read the next in the series, “The Girl Who Takes An Eye For An Eye”.
Just finished “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” by David Lagercrantz. This is the guy who was commissioned to continue the Millennium series written by the late Stieg Larsson, i.e. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo etc.
As it is some years since I read the three books written by Larsson, I can’t say I noticed any difference in style. Would recommend it. Am going straight on to read the next in the series, “The Girl Who Takes An Eye For An Eye”.
I agree, very well done. Not read Eye for an Eye yet.
at last I have just started the written back in 2013 autobiography (very well ghost written by Martin Samuel) of Harry Redknapp .. thoroughly enjoyable read so far
The Treatment, by Mo Hayder. Her second Jack Caffrey novel and even more disturbing than the first. Set around Brockwell Park the themes are as dark as it can get, but compelling. If you could read a book whilst looking through your fingers, this would be it...
Bit of recent fiction reading .. 'The Border' by Don Winslow .. a book and author from the very top of the Premier League of super documentary like US crime fiction Recently read a couple by Peter Swanson .. much 'lighter' than Winslow .. very good reads .. he specialises in wicked women .. VERY wicked women ((:>)
Bit of recent fiction reading .. 'The Border' by Don Winslow .. a book and author from the very top of the Premier League of super documentary like US crime fiction Recently read a couple by Peter Swanson .. much 'lighter' than Winslow .. very good reads .. he specialises in wicked women .. VERY wicked women ((:>)
Just ordered The Force by Winslow ... hope I enjoy it as I can then start looking at the rest of his books.
Comments
Read it years ago about the same time as The Runaway Jury and enjoyed both.
Currently reading The Thirst by Jo Nesbo, the latest Harry Hole Norwegian police thriller. Always find the Nesbo books a good read.
It's about the American 8 in the Berlin Olympics of 1936.
It's a fantastic read which goes into American varsity sport, how the depression effected the poor in America, the politics of the IOC, the way the Nazis saw their Games, how a rowing 8 comes together and the personal story of Joe Rantz one of the rowers.
It was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year and is a multi faceted wonder.
Read it. You won't be disappointed.
What a talented author Philip Kerr was.
Good stuff and some very funny.
I didn't even start to read books until my late 40s which will forever be of regret. The book that finally put me on the road was John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men. A great story contained within 100 pages, just right for me at the time as it wasn't the daunting prospect that I found so many larger volumes. I have since completed the full version of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, so size alone is no longer a problem, although to be honest the first I knew of its volume was when I noticed the age it took for my kindle to clock up a single percent. A great story btw, but v e r y l o n g winded.
Homage to Catalonia - Orwell
As it is some years since I read the three books written by Larsson, I can’t say I noticed any difference in style. Would recommend it. Am going straight on to read the next in the series, “The Girl Who Takes An Eye For An Eye”.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz. A bit Mills and Boomy so far.
Done Deal: An Insider's Guide to Football Contracts, Multi-Million Pound Transfers and Premier League Big Business by Daniel Geey.
Recently read a couple by Peter Swanson .. much 'lighter' than Winslow .. very good reads .. he specialises in wicked women .. VERY wicked women ((:>)