I've normally got books on the go in a few different formats, paper copy/audiobook/Kindle etc, and end up reading them at different speeds.
Somehow I've ended up completely by chance reading about 4 different books about Russia and/or war just as everything has broken out.
- Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn (last 3rd is set during WW2) - absolutely brilliant book, I had an advance copy, it's out later in the year, would recommend it, a bit like a Dorset Downton Abbey, but the characterisation is really good.
- City of Thieves by David Benioff, which is about two Russian soldiers during the siege of Leningrad trying to find a dozen eggs for an officer's daughter's wedding cake. Also a good read.
- Force Benedict by Eric Carter, nonfiction account of his experiences in WW2 when he was a fighter pilot on a unit that Churchill sent to help Stalin. Been dipping in and out of it for a few weeks, but really interesting so far. Apparently he only died last year at 101!
- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, about a Count in Bolshevik Russia under house arrest in a hotel. Just started but decent so far.
Half way through "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follet,a historical masterpiece starting around the 1st world war,and the first of a triology all books around 850 pages.Ken was also responsible for a triology call Pillars of the Earth about the building of a Cathedral,long books but compulsive reading.
Half way through "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follet,a historical masterpiece starting around the 1st world war,and the first of a triology all books around 850 pages.Ken was also responsible for a triology call Pillars of the Earth about the building of a Cathedral,long books but compulsive reading.
Read ‘the ghosts of cathkin park’, a good read which many on here would find of interest (former league & cup winner, 3rd in top flight & gates >20000 to out of existence)
I've been really enjoying nordic crime books with a good bit of surreal humour by Antti Tuomainen - The most recent read 'The Rabbit Factor' was a real page turner with plenty of tension a bit of gore and humour too
Read ‘the ghosts of cathkin park’, a good read which many on here would find of interest (former league & cup winner, 3rd in top flight & gates >20000 to out of existence)
Currently reading White City - darkly funny
Did make me wonder have David Benioff could have written such a terrible last series of GOT, clearly has talent!
Just started this anyone else read it. Scandal at Dolphin Square: A Notorious History by Daniel Smith and Simon Danczuk
24 February 2022 By Editor
Designed as a city dwelling for the modern age, Dolphin Square opened in London’s Pimlico in 1936.
Boasting 1,250 high-tech flats, a swimming pool, restaurant, gardens
and shopping arcade, the complex quickly attracted a long list of the
affluent and influential.
But behind its veneer of respectability, the Square has become one of
the country’s most notorious addresses; a place where the private lives
of those from the highest of high society and the lowest depths of the
underworld have collided and played out over the best part of a century.
This is the story of the Square and its people, an ever-evolving cast
of larger-than-life characters who have borne witness to, and played
pivotal roles in, some of the most scandalous episodes of the 20th and
21st centuries.
Scandal at Dolphin Square: A Notorious History by Daniel Smith andSimon Danczuk is published on 24 February, 2022.
Daniel has written about another unlikely historical meeting of high society and crime in Bigger than Profumo! ‘The scandal that history forgot’.
Share this article:Filed Under: Latest ReleasesTagged With: 20th century, 21st century, crime, history, London, new release, politics, scandal
Half way through "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follet,a historical masterpiece starting around the 1st world war,and the first of a triology all books around 850 pages.Ken was also responsible for a triology call Pillars of the Earth about the building of a Cathedral,long books but compulsive reading.
Read the Fall of Giants trilogy a couple of years ago. Really enjoyed them all.
Was released October (?) last year and insisted on reading the series in order beforehand - Ended up reading it inside 24-hours.
Ots not Bernard Cornwall's best story based on the excellent Sharpe series (He releasing another this year), but found it interesting how it covered the period after Waterloo, and ultimately the end of Sharpe and Harper's journey on the Napoleonic War.
Of course its only a story
But thought it was a very good way to end the series between himself and the Duke of Wellington, given the miles they marched together.
Can't remember who recommended them a long time ago, but just read the 6 Val McDermid DCI Karen Pirie series. Absolutely loved them and now starting her other PI Kate Brannigan series but it seems a little light after the previous series.
Can't remember who recommended them a long time ago, but just read the 6 Val McDermid DCI Karen Pirie series. Absolutely loved them and now starting her other PI Kate Brannigan series but it seems a little light after the previous series.
Might have been me? I enjoyed both to be fair, just read Blue Genes in the KB series. Interesting premise.
Just read It's Always Summer Somewhere by Felix White.
Thought it would be a light read about cricket and music (and there was a lot of them in there, obviously), but it was surprisingly raw and profound - it was essentially a memoir about his life but wrapped around his mum's battle with (and death from) MS, and the effects it had on his childhood and his adult life.
Really quite an emotional read at times, very well written.
Recently finished GB 84 by David Peace. Not an easy read for sure, same style as Red or Dead. Mesmerizing - at least for me. My partner abandoned it early on, too frustating, plodding, she said. Then again she lived through the miner's strike and Thatcher, I was on another continent.
Recently finished GB 84 by David Peace. Not an easy read for sure, same style as Red or Dead. Mesmerizing - at least for me. My partner abandoned it early on, too frustating, plodding, she said. Then again she lived through the miner's strike and Thatcher, I was on another continent.
I read one of his called Tokyo year zero. It was a struggle, but interesting
A fascinating read about a lad (he’s in his thirties now) whose family lives two days hike from the nearest road on the wild West Coast of NZs South Island. After 17 years living with his family in remote isolation he left home to attend school in Wanaka. On completing his education he set off to explore the world travelling to 60 countries on six continents and taking a variety of jobs, including teaching extreme survival skills in Antarctica and working as a dog musher with huskies in arctic Norway.
Half way through "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follet,a historical masterpiece starting around the 1st world war,and the first of a triology all books around 850 pages.Ken was also responsible for a triology call Pillars of the Earth about the building of a Cathedral,long books but compulsive reading.
“Pillars of the Earth” was passed to me by my son with the recommendation that it’s the best novel he’s ever read. He wasn’t far wrong.
I recently finished the 5 book Harbinger series by Jeff Wheeler.
Thought I'd try something different and bought all five of this fantasy fiction series for a pound each on Amazon (Kindle).
I think these books may be aimed at the younger reader, you certainly need an imagination to proceed, but to be honest I quite enjoyed the read. There was plenty of time to get to know the characters and back stories of the two main protagonists.
I'd stop short of recommending these books to the rough, tough readership of Charlton Life , but I would say, if you know a young reader who likes the fantasy genre, then would highly recommend to them - particularly girls - who end up as the heros of the series.
There is nothing sordid, sweary or nasty here, you can safely hand to your kids ... and maybe read yourselves.
I'm halfway through The Tattooist of Auschwitz, a fascinating read. Have read several books about the Holocaust but still struggle to understand how the perpetrators could be so cruel.
American Gods, really couldn't get on with it - I really enjoyed Good Omens and Stardust was decent (although rare example of the film being better), but just couldn't get into American Gods for some reason.
Spoilers for anyone intending to read it:
A couple of the twists seemed really telegraphed. There's a bloke called Low Key in a book about gods, surprise surprise he's Loki, shocker.
And they mentioned Shadow not having a Dad too many times for it not to end up being one of the other characters, Wednesday/Odin the obvious choice.
Killing Commendatore. Haruki Murakami. Have read most of his novels and am planning to re-read IQ84 again soon. Love his writing style and some of the crazy, unexpected things that happen.
Story I'd never heard before about Brian Clough basically taking in a couple of kids from a dodgy area of Sunderland, letting them hang around the Forest team (basically every football loving kid's dream - free kits, coats, balls etc, going on the team coach, the dressing room, the dugout) and then end up living with him and his family.
Fantastic book, very personal and very well done, although the down sides to Clough (the grumpy days, the overbearing/obnoxious side to him, the descent into alcoholism etc) are very swiftly mentioned and skirted over a bit (understandably for someone he was obviously a hugely positive influence for). It concentrates a lot on the caring and funny sides of Clough.
Almost a bit of a companion piece to 'Provided You Don't Kiss Me' by Duncan Hamilton (which I'd recommend too!).
Ploughing through Tale of Two Cities. Almost from the get-go Dickens has us journeying up Shooters Hill of all places!! ..on the way to Dover.... Well worth the effort. And much more than just the famous first line...
Comments
Somehow I've ended up completely by chance reading about 4 different books about Russia and/or war just as everything has broken out.
- Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn (last 3rd is set during WW2) - absolutely brilliant book, I had an advance copy, it's out later in the year, would recommend it, a bit like a Dorset Downton Abbey, but the characterisation is really good.
- City of Thieves by David Benioff, which is about two Russian soldiers during the siege of Leningrad trying to find a dozen eggs for an officer's daughter's wedding cake. Also a good read.
- Force Benedict by Eric Carter, nonfiction account of his experiences in WW2 when he was a fighter pilot on a unit that Churchill sent to help Stalin. Been dipping in and out of it for a few weeks, but really interesting so far. Apparently he only died last year at 101!
- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, about a Count in Bolshevik Russia under house arrest in a hotel. Just started but decent so far.
Read ‘the ghosts of cathkin park’, a good read which many on here would find of interest (former league & cup winner, 3rd in top flight & gates >20000 to out of existence)
Currently reading White City - darkly funny
Now onto David Hepworth’s 1971 Never A Dull Moment - which is also excellent.
Scandal at Dolphin Square: A Notorious History by Daniel Smith and Simon Danczuk 24 February 2022 By Editor
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Was released October (?) last year and insisted on reading the series in order beforehand - Ended up reading it inside 24-hours.
Ots not Bernard Cornwall's best story based on the excellent Sharpe series (He releasing another this year), but found it interesting how it covered the period after Waterloo, and ultimately the end of Sharpe and Harper's journey on the Napoleonic War.
Of course its only a story
But thought it was a very good way to end the series between himself and the Duke of Wellington, given the miles they marched together.
Absolutely brilliant! The journey of a lifetime ...
Thought it would be a light read about cricket and music (and there was a lot of them in there, obviously), but it was surprisingly raw and profound - it was essentially a memoir about his life but wrapped around his mum's battle with (and death from) MS, and the effects it had on his childhood and his adult life.
Really quite an emotional read at times, very well written.
Thought I'd try something different and bought all five of this fantasy fiction series for a pound each on Amazon (Kindle).
I think these books may be aimed at the younger reader, you certainly need an imagination to proceed, but to be honest I quite enjoyed the read. There was plenty of time to get to know the characters and back stories of the two main protagonists.
I'd stop short of recommending these books to the rough, tough readership of Charlton Life
There is nothing sordid, sweary or nasty here, you can safely hand to your kids ... and maybe read yourselves.
Spoilers for anyone intending to read it:
And they mentioned Shadow not having a Dad too many times for it not to end up being one of the other characters, Wednesday/Odin the obvious choice.
Story I'd never heard before about Brian Clough basically taking in a couple of kids from a dodgy area of Sunderland, letting them hang around the Forest team (basically every football loving kid's dream - free kits, coats, balls etc, going on the team coach, the dressing room, the dugout) and then end up living with him and his family.
Fantastic book, very personal and very well done, although the down sides to Clough (the grumpy days, the overbearing/obnoxious side to him, the descent into alcoholism etc) are very swiftly mentioned and skirted over a bit (understandably for someone he was obviously a hugely positive influence for). It concentrates a lot on the caring and funny sides of Clough.
Almost a bit of a companion piece to 'Provided You Don't Kiss Me' by Duncan Hamilton (which I'd recommend too!).
Bit more here:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/oct/30/brian-clough-and-me-if-it-wasnt-for-him-id-be-in-prison
Would recommend it.
Almost from the get-go Dickens has us journeying up Shooters Hill of all places!! ..on the way to Dover.... Well worth the effort. And much more than just the famous first line...