What are you reading at the moment? Recommendations welcome

[RK Wallis]

I’m listening to Anne of Green Gables for the first time, read by Rachel McAdams. Now I’m reminded why I loved reading it as a kid.

 

[Jonny]

Been busy since New Year with my walking reinstated so have “read” 2.5 books so far.

A Belfast Child by John Chambers - Memoir 3/5

The Brentford Triangle by Robert Rankin - sort of in the Adams / Pratchett vein, but a bit cumbersome and overwritten in places - 3/5.

And I’m halfway through Hurt by Brian McGilloway (Police procedural set in N I) 4/5

 

[Bloo]

I'm in the middle of John Woman by Walter Mosley. I don't know what to make of it just yet.

The novel's namesake was born with another name. However, he buries it and and his past and becomes a university history professor who is skeptical of mainstream history. He's a modern day rebel without a cause.

John is more than just quirky. His temperament lies on the border of eccentric and just plain weird. He often acts and reacts in ways that aren't believable. Some of the female characters don't mind, though. They can't keep their hands off the man called Woman.

The Easy sex works in the detective novels Mosely is better known for. However, I'm not convinced it works here.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Reading Thomas Tryon's 70's horror, The Other. Damn. Still listening to In the Garden of the Beasts, Eric Larson. The man has to write faster. I've gone through his back catalogue. Beginning to research E Company Dead, so it's non fiction for the foreseeable future.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Been busy since New Year with my walking reinstated so have “read” 2.5 books so far.

A Belfast Child by John Chambers - Memoir 3/5

The Brentford Triangle by Robert Rankin - sort of in the Adams / Pratchett vein, but a bit cumbersome and overwritten in places - 3/5.

And I’m halfway through Hurt by Brian McGilloway (Police procedural set in N I) 4/5

I'll check out Brentford Triangle. No one can match Adams or Sir Terry.

 

[RK Wallis]

Just listened to Frank Kafta's Metamorphosis. So much better than I expected!

 

[Josephine]

The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers. Has a really nice cover, among other things. It's set locally, which is a big draw, about C18th local folk heroes/dastardly criminals the Cragg Vale Coiners, which is absolutely my jam, but I'm a bit ambivalent so far about his writing style. Maybe it'll grow on me. Paul Kingsnorth calls him "the master of rural English noir" and it's hard to see how I wouldn't like that.

 

[MattScho]

Reading Home by Matt Dunn. Lively writer, but the book seems to be building to a Dorothy revelatory conclusion, which means not at all, in any way, my philosophy. I actually am feeling trapped into reading it. My local credit card expired, and I'm not allowed to buy ebooks on my non local one, so I'm working through the drunken purchases that I later decided were not worth ever reading.

 

[RK Wallis]

Reading Home by Matt Dunn. Lively writer, but the book seems to be building to a Dorothy revelatory conclusion, which means not at all, in any way, my philosophy. I actually am feeling trapped into reading it. My local credit card expired, and I'm not allowed to buy ebooks on my non local one, so I'm working through the drunken purchases that I later decided were not worth ever reading.

I've been trapped similar Bar the drunkenness. I can't drink.

 

[E G Logan]

After finding Sweetpea and In Bloom by CJ Skuse totally compulsive (definitely recommend), then seeing that the reviews for her next one, The Alibi Girl, were mixed, I bought her latest YA, The Deviants.

I told myself it was for research: I have only ever (since I was YA myself) read one YA book. Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, by mistake, from a Barcelona bookshop. Good, BTW, but probably not very representative of the sector/genre. So I was mentally taking notes here. It is very good, very well plotted, and I could see why Skuse went for YA instead of adult; there are things she could do with YA that wouldn't be possible or would fall flat for adult readers.

I did give in and get Alibi Girl. It's on the list after This Charming Man, Caimh McDonnell, which I am just finishing, and The Apparition Phase, Will Maclean.

This Charming Man (TCM) is the second book in what I understand is going to be a Stranger Times Newspaper series. It is pretty strange and, frankly, could have done with a bit more editing, not least to sort out a large cast of weird characters. (Think Terry Pratchett meets Mick Herron.) The first one was better.

I had just dipped into The Apparition Phase before TCM arrived. It's a well-reviewed (Guardian, etc) '70s-set ghost story with disturbed adolescents, and at the start at least the style is interestingly factual. It's not 'spooky' at all, though the theme is pretty classic... so far.

 

[Pamela Jo]

I've looked for this book forever, but never found it 2nd hand. I finally bought it new. It's everything I was promised. A Night in the Lonesome October

 

[Pamela Jo]

A Night in the Lonesome October has the most fascinating structure. The characters are literally tropes but the way Zelazny drip feeds info to build and maintain the mystery plot is genius. And all done in a minimalist style told by a dog in first ...canine?
Just learned about an interesting book Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I knew weird cafe's and spots all over Tokyo so I really get this. Mixed reviews on Good reads. Great hi concept. Before the Coffee Gets Cold

 

[Josephine]

Oh gosh. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Black Lives Matter stuff. It's brilliantly written, uncomfortable to read, compelling. Close to tears so many times. Highly highly recommend it.

 

[Pamela Jo]

"Where the Crawdads Sing." I really did not expect to like it. I hate things like "The Help" in a certain American Southern genre, but the buzz for the movie is hot and it was in the window at Oxfam so.... The author is an award winning nature writer. She's managed to lace her story with magnificent description and science that enhances her plot. It's worth studying for anyone world building. She manages to hit the bullseyes for literary, mystery, romance, and women's fiction then combine it with nature study all in a debut novel. I am in awe.

 

[Hannah F]

"Where the Crawdads Sing." I really did not expect to like it. I hate things like "The Help" in a certain American Southern genre, but the buzz for the movie is hot and it was in the window at Oxfam so.... The author is an award winning nature writer. She's managed to lace her story with magnificent description and science that enhances her plot. It's worth studying for anyone world building. She manages to hit the bullseyes for literary, mystery, romance, and women's fiction then combine it with nature study all in a debut novel. I am in awe.

I had no intention of lining her pockets by buying it since she has most probably covered up the fact that her own step-son murdered villagers when they lived in Africa, but a friend lent it to me and I loved the writing. Makes me wonder though: but how many parallels with her own story? Including the name of the cat.

 

[Peyton Stafford]

Great performance poet - I remember him on tv in my teens - but what was the programme he used to have a slot on?
The Rattle Bag, by any chance - Heaney and Hughes?

You read Rebecca Solnet? Me, too. Seamus Heaney? Ted Hughes...? Oh, Lady of Lothlorien! You bring peace to my heart. In Litopia, you have given me a home.

 

[Peyton Stafford]

"Where the Crawdads Sing." I really did not expect to like it. I hate things like "The Help" in a certain American Southern genre, but the buzz for the movie is hot and it was in the window at Oxfam so.... The author is an award winning nature writer. She's managed to lace her story with magnificent description and science that enhances her plot. It's worth studying for anyone world building. She manages to hit the bullseyes for literary, mystery, romance, and women's fiction then combine it with nature study all in a debut novel. I am in awe.

I thought it a lovely story. The protagonist, I wanted to hug and say, "Live with me in my home. You will be safe."

I expected it to be a boring naturist journal story. No characters but characachures. No plot but plodding. So, it surprised me. I wish could write as well.

 

[MattScho]

I had no intention of lining her pockets by buying it since she has most probably covered up the fact that her own step-son murdered villagers when they lived in Africa, but a friend lent it to me and I loved the writing. Makes me wonder though: but how many parallels with her own story? Including the name of the cat.

AAArrghh. Reminds me a story, About 20 year back, my mom started talking about her new friend, a mystery writer from New Zealand with whom she'd been hanging out with, and even had over for dinner a couple times. She was fascinated by her new friend, Anne Perry, and wondered if I'd ever heard about her. My Mom never has believed in the internet.

 

[Hannah F]

AAArrghh. Reminds me a story, About 20 year back, my mom started talking about her new friend, a mystery writer from New Zealand with whom she'd been hanging out with, and even had over for dinner a couple times. She was fascinated by her new friend, Anne Perry, and wondered if I'd ever heard about her. My Mom never has believed in the internet.

I saw the film Heavenly Creatures - a loose portrayal of the murder.

 

[MattScho]

I saw the film Heavenly Creatures - a loose portrayal of the murder.

The reason Jackson was handed the crown jewels. a really good film

 

[Josephine]

Bloody hell this thread has got dark...

 

[JanePettegree]

If your shelf hasn’t collapsed by now - Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing. I’ll be looking ar swamps with new eyes.

 

[Jonny]

During walks in recent weeks I've "read" the first three books in Tom Holt's J W Wells & Co. series. Big thanks to @MattScho who told me about Holt. Sharp, witty, hilarious and brilliant... oh, and so is Tom Holt. The books in question were and indeed still are...

• The Portable Door
• In your Dreams
• Earth, Air, Fire & Custard.

Then have been devouring another two books by the excellent Christopher (Chris) Brookmyre. Funny, dark, clever, satirical thrillers that are any reader's holy grail - unputdownable - or in this case, impossibletostoplisteningtoable

• All Fun And Games Until Someone Loses An Eye
• Country Of The Blind

Cannot recommend all of the above highly enough.

 

[MattScho]

I'm just finishing up Pratchett's Making Money, number 36 in the discworld collection. Yes, i am reading them in order, and while I'm usually a fan I find this one particularly well done. Also reading bits of Veritas (just the bits my wife worked on (researcher, fixer, translator) by Ariel Sabar (non-fiction)

 

[Josephine]

During walks in recent weeks I've "read" the first three books in Tom Holt's J W Wells & Co. series. Big thanks to @MattScho who told me about Holt. Sharp, witty, hilarious and brilliant... oh, and so is Tom Holt. The books in question were and indeed still are...

• The Portable Door
• In your Dreams
• Earth, Air, Fire & Custard.

Then have been devouring another two books by the excellent Christopher (Chris) Brookmyre. Funny, dark, clever, satirical thrillers that are any reader's holy grail - unputdownable - or in this case, impossibletostoplisteningtoable

• All Fun And Games Until Someone Loses An Eye
• Country Of The Blind

Cannot recommend all of the above highly enough.

Some brilliant titles too!

 

[MattScho]

Some brilliant titles too!

I found Holt to be fantasy crack. I tore through his list (took a while, nice sized list) and have been Jonesing ever since I finished. I really need a fix. regarding titles, i also loved "When it's a jar" (punchline to when is a door not a door Dad joke)

 

[JohnBertel]

Fight Like a Girl: Writing Fight Scenes for Female Characters by Aiki Flinthart

So far much physiology. Hoping for action.

 

[E G Logan]

Just lost a day (May 12) to the latest (bk 8) in Mick Herron's Slow Horses series, Bad Actors.

It's more outright political than before, and if his personal slant (leftward) doesn't chime with yours, you might not like this much, I'd guess.

For myself, I'm happy. Day well spent.


Also, a guilty pleasure: The Palace Papers by Tina Brown. Well written, neatly organised, and obviously the product of interviews with a large number – she says 120 – of very well-placed people. As the editor of several high-profile publications, and at the same time the wife of the legendary editor of The Times, Brown must have been privy to a lot of confidential information which she could not share – and she's trusted to keep her sources private.

Her most surprising revelations have all been splashed in the UK papers and websites, but for me the joy of this book is the completely unexpected tiny snippets that set right previously received public impressions. Sometimes it is a question of emphasis, of focus – I don't want to give anything away – at others it's a correction, pure and simple.

I found the most charming image was of the very elderly and choleric Prince Philip hurling his Kindle into the bath in frustration at not being able to get rid of the unwanted adverts! I'd have thought the royals could have come up with the price of the kind of e-reader that does not carry advertising...

 

[Bloo]

Soo...I picked up some Neal Stephenson on MattScho's suggestion. Holy crap...I can't believe I've not read this guy before now.

Snow Crash started off with the best chase scene I've ever read. The near-future worldbuilding is fantastic. There are oodles of snark and witty dialogue in his dystopian future. Think RoboCop meets Blade Runner. A VR Metaverse is a major part of the plot - amazing since this was pubbed in 1992. Stephenson manages to get a lot of present technology right.

About the only faults I could find were a miserable attempt at a romantic sub-plot and oh-god-that-ending.

I've not yet finished Cryptonomicon, but I hope the ending is better. The book sure is longer. Snark is cranked to eleven in this one. Sometimes, Neal doesn't know when to put the Joker back into the deck.

Most of the tangents he goes off to are interesting, but some are waaay too long. I'm a geek, and I understand the more technical passages. Still, geeks don't need everything explained to them, and non-geeks will tire of the info dumps.

Stephenson plays with history a bit. I sometimes had to Wiki-dive to parse reality from creative license.

 

[MattScho]

Soo...I picked up some Neal Stephenson on MattScho's suggestion. Holy crap...I can't believe I've not read this guy before now.

Snow Crash started off with the best chase scene I've ever read. The near-future worldbuilding is fantastic. There's oodles of snark and witty dialogue in his dystopian future. Think RoboCop meets Blade Runner. A VR Metaverse is a major part of the plot - amazing since this was pubbed in 1992. Stephenson manages to get a lot of present technology right.

About the only faults I could find were a miserable attempt at a romantic sub-plot and oh-god-that-ending.

I've not yet finished Cryptonomicon, but I hope the ending is better. The book sure is longer. Snark is cranked to eleven in this one. Sometimes, Neal doesn't know when to put the Joker back into the deck.

Most of the tangents he goes off to are interesting, but some are way too long. I'm a geek, and I understand the more technical passages. Still, geeks doesn't need everything explained to them, and non-geeks will tire of the info dumps.

Stephenson plays with history a bit. I sometimes had to Wiki-dive to parse what was real from creative license.

MIT did an interview with him, and they asked him about how he was able to get the metaverse so right back in 1992. His answer: because it was so obvious. It's kind of like wondering how someone came up with the idea for Google Earth.