What are you reading at the moment? Recommendations welcome

[Chris Yugay]

Hi Chris! My, that prologue to the Secret Library is certainly chilling! Had me gripped. It was a bit of a challenge to go from that, to kid at school, lol. Is this book available in a kindle format? I'd like to read more, but do best on the screen. Thank you!

Glad you enjoyed it, Victoria, even though many here frown upon prologues And no, the book is not available in Kindle. But if you give me your email address (you can do so through a private chat) I can send you a pdf copy.

 

[Victoria Bastedo]

Glad you enjoyed it, Victoria, even though many here frown upon prologues And no, the book is not available in Kindle. But if you give me your email address (you can do so through a private chat) I can send you a pdf copy.

Yes, that would be nice, send me the PDF.

 

[Jonny]

In memory of John Le Carre I downloaded Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy last night. I have never read it, or watched the film or the TV adaptations.

@Steve C tells me I'm in for a treat, and 20 mins in so far, ambling around the supermarket, I'm really enjoying it. Nice engaging style, but interestingly, quite dated by today's "rule bound" standards. Already heard several speech tags modified by adverbs As I'm old school anyway it doesn't bother me in the slightest, although perish the thought that I'd use them myself

 

[Andy D]

2021 - I’m trying not to constantly be reading my phone by watching football. I’m obviously doing a very poor job...

 

[Jonny]

Re my post #94 above.

I shelved Tinker, Tailor... not because I didn't like it, on the contrary actually. It's great, or at least the bits of the story I had assimilated are.

But because I was 'reading' it on Audible when out on my constitutionals, I found I just couldn't keep track of the plot. It's a bit labyrinthine for my tiny brain. I think that to do it justice, I need to be sitting down and concentrating more.

As I listened, I kept finding myself wondering who so and so was, and what their significance to the story might be. Doubtless when they had been first introduced, my concentration must have been taken by the fabulous smell coming from the bakers I pass every day; either that or I was simply cream crackered and gasping for air.

The movie was on the box last week and I've recorded that. I'm tempted to cheat and go shorthand but feel that I'd be sure to be missing out.

 

[Emily]

@Jonny, maybe if you watched the movie and "got" the plot in one fell swoop, then you could go back amd enjoy the novel, understanding the basic plot/character framework in place. I find sometimes, it's the language and execution of a novel that I really enjoy, not necessarily the plot; or perhaps I know what the plot is, but the journey of it is where the pleasure lies

 

[Andy D]

Re my post #94 above.

I shelved Tinker, Tailor... not because I didn't like it, on the contrary actually. It's great, or at least the bits of the story I had assimilated are.

But because I was 'reading' it on Audible when out on my constitutionals, I found I just couldn't keep track of the plot. It's a bit labyrinthine for my tiny brain. I think that to do it justice, I need to be sitting down and concentrating more.

As I listened, I kept finding myself wondering who so and so was, and what their significance to the story might be. Doubtless when they had been first introduced, my concentration must have been taken by the fabulous smell coming from the bakers I pass every day; either that or I was simply cream crackered and gasping for air.

The movie was on the box last week and I've recorded that. I'm tempted to cheat and go shorthand but feel that I'd be sure to be missing out.

It’s a great film Jonny, well worth a watch! Has a distinct style and the complex plot / web of characters are all there (haven’t read the book so can’t compare) with a fantastic central performance from Gary Oldman...

 

[Jonny]

@Jonny, maybe if you watched the movie and "got" the plot in one fell swoop, then you could go back amd enjoy the novel, understanding the basic plot/character framework in place. I find sometimes, it's the language and execution of a novel that I really enjoy, not necessarily the plot; or perhaps I know what the plot is, but the journey of it is where the pleasure lies

That's a great idea, Emily. I might just do that. But, hang on... it's not cheating, is it? Are you sure now? See, because at some highfalutin literary party in the the future, I want to hold court and deliver an erudite deconstruction of Le Carre's style, with particular emphasis on plot and characterisation.

It’s a great film Jonny, well worth a watch! Has a distinct style and the complex plot / web of characters are all there (haven’t read the book so can’t compare) with a fantastic central performance from Gary Oldman...

Yes, I've heard many people praising it, Andy, and I never saw the Alec Guinness version on TV (sadly, too young). But between Emily's and your comments I can feel my resolve weakening. Dammit! Where's that remote...

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I am reading The King of The North Wind by Claudia Gold. The story of Henry 2 (you know the one, Thomas a Becket and Eleanor of Aquitaine,father of Richard the Lionheart and 'Bad' Prince John)

And right riveting it is. What an education. And that someone so gifted, bold, powerful and talented, generous in victory; a golden prince, could still die alone and unloved.

I am also reading Natural Causes: Life, Death and the Illusion of Control by Barbara Ehrenreich. Fascinating and wise. Sometimes our immune system is our friend. Sometimes it turns on us, as if it wants us dead. How is that? And would we really want to die by inches, dragged out by drugs to the bitter end.

Last night I read Liminal, a novel by Bee Lewis. A thriller with an element of the supernatural, it's had plenty of good reviews. But I couldn't care for anyone in it, nor buy into the nature writing, or the denouement.

 

[Chris Yugay]

I am reading The King of The North Wind by Claudia Gold. The story of Henry 2 (you know the one, Thomas a Becket and Eleanor of Aquitaine,father of Richard the Lionheart and 'Bad' Prince John)

And right riveting it is. What an education. And that someone so gifted, bold, powerful and talented, generous in victory; a golden prince, could still die alone and unloved.

@Katie-Ellen , excellent choice. I hope the photo will enhance your reading experience. Fontevraud Abbey. Took it last summer during a trip to the Loire Valley. Had no idea what the place was (the goit that I am). Walked in and there they were - Henry, Eleanor and, of course, Richard. And not a single tourist around. I guess everyone is just as ignorant as I am these days. Everyone except you, of course.

 

[Emily]

But between Emily's and your comments I can feel my resolve weakening. Dammit! Where's that remote...

DOOOOO IIITTTTT!!!

 

[CageSage]

That's a great idea, Emily. I might just do that. But, hang on... it's not cheating, is it? Are you sure now? See, because at some highfalutin literary party in the the future, I want to hold court and deliver an erudite deconstruction of Le Carre's style, with particular emphasis on plot and characterisation.

Yes, I've heard many people praising it, Andy, and I never saw the Alec Guinness version on TV (sadly, too young). But between Emily's and your comments I can feel my resolve weakening. Dammit! Where's that remote...

Read the book, watched the movie (okay, both versions that I know of), nothing much different from book to movie except that it's a bit easier to tell who's who. Read the book again after the movie, understood it better. Love both, even with the convolutions.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I lucked into an eBay trader selling ex-American library books at bargain prices, so bought seven novels by Walter Mosley. I've praised him before on the Colony, as he's so skilled at writing conversations while inserting the internal dialogue of the protagonist.
Walter Mosley - Wikipedia

His writing guidance book is one of the best around:

 

[RK Wallis]

I just finished Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Great action, world, characters and dialogue. Not keen on guns in fantasy, but it was worth persevering, but it's for fantasy readers. Now almost finished The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert. That's like a modern-day Alice in Wonderland with a twist and set around New York. Lovely prose.

 

[RK Wallis]

Finished The Hazel Wood. A bit too mind bending for my tastes, too many similies (and I like similies,), and not a strong ending. I’d hoped for more but Six of Crows was more my taste. I was grounded in that story.

 

[Jonny]

Finished Milkman by Anna Burns last week. Extraordinary writing and well worthy of its Man Booker win 2018. The prose is dense and very Northern Irish but utterly fabulous. Mesmerising wordsmithery of sheer brilliance.

Knowledge of 'The Troubles' would help but isn't entirely necessary. If you get the audio book, the narrator, Brid Brennan, makes it totally sing. A tour de force and possibly the best Audible turn I heard yet.

Now halfway through Marian Keyes, The Break (sort of to pick up tips but am enjoying it too) she's so witty and her ear for dialogue is brilliant. Also audio booking a great version of Dracula. Read it as a kid but thoroughly enjoying this revisit.

 

[KateESal]

Nearly finished Book 1 of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy, which is a fun take on the unlikely buddy-detective duo trope. Upper MG fun.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

@Katie-Ellen , excellent choice. I hope the photo will enhance your reading experience. Fontevraud Abbey. Took it last summer during a trip to the Loire Valley. Had no idea what the place was (the goit that I am). Walked in and there they were - Henry, Eleanor and, of course, Richard. And not a single tourist around. I guess everyone is just as ignorant as I am these days. Everyone except you, of course.

Sad story in all kinds of ways. No more Angevins buried there after Richard...Angevin power broken in France by that point. By Philippe Capet. Westminster Abbey for Kings of England from now on. Henry 11 died in great distress, betrayed and defeated by Richard. And his special pet, his youngest son, the 'bad' Prince John (well, he was pretty darn bad) was signatory to that betrayal. Henry's lands mostly lost within 25 years of his death BUT an enduring legacy, the Exchequer and English common law.

 

[RK Wallis]

Finished Mother Night credited to Karl Vonnegut as editor, but the writer is someone considered a Nazi war criminal but actually an American spy (but as much as he fed info to the Americans, they disowned him). Moving story.

Then I listened to A Christmas Carol by Dickens because I'd always meant to get around to it. He really is just amazing.

Now reading The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin, recommended by @Ancora Imparo and I'm loving it

 

[Hannah F]

I can't remember if I put this up. I don't see the post so I don't think so. Forgive me if you read this twice.

"Witch" by Finbar Hawkins, published by Zephyr, Head of Zeus.

A YA debut that will suit any age. Set in the 17th Century, a girl, still to embrace her witching way, sets off both to escape the witch finders and revenge her witch-mother's death at their hands.

The voice is unique, the atmosphere dark and yet beautiful. This is a gripping tale of loyalty amidst hostility.

 

[SteveWhy]

I lucked into an eBay trader selling ex-American library books at bargain prices, so bought seven novels by Walter Mosley. I've praised him before on the Colony, as he's so skilled at writing conversations while inserting the internal dialogue of the protagonist.
Walter Mosley - Wikipedia

His writing guidance book is one of the best around:

I really like Walter MOseley. The Easy Rawlins books are the best thing to happen to detective fiction since...what? Can't even remember when.

 

[SarahC]

Finished Milkman by Anna Burns last week. Extraordinary writing and well worthy of its Man Booker win 2018. The prose is dense and very Northern Irish but utterly fabulous. Mesmerising wordsmithery of sheer brilliance.

Knowledge of 'The Troubles' would help but isn't entirely necessary. If you get the audio book, the narrator, Brid Brennan, makes it totally sing. A tour de force and possibly the best Audible turn I heard yet.

I second this re. Milkman. I thought it was brilliant and it's not often we Northerners get to read something in our mother tongue

Interestingly though, my mum grew up in North Belfast in the 70s, which is the precise time and place of the setting, and she found it so unreflective of her own experience to the point where she couldn't even finish it. I recommended it to several people, none of whom actually managed to get through it. To each their own!

I just finished "The Binding" by Bridget Collins which was the best "new" book I've read for a while. Now halfway through Dune, which is obviously magnificent and I don't know how I got away without reading it until now.

 

[Hannah F]

I second this re. Milkman. I thought it was brilliant and it's not often we Northerners get to read something in our mother tongue

Interestingly though, my mum grew up in North Belfast in the 70s, which is the precise time and place of the setting, and she found it so unreflective of her own experience to the point where she couldn't even finish it. I recommended it to several people, none of whom actually managed to get through it. To each their own!

I just finished "The Binding" by Bridget Collins which was the best "new" book I've read for a while. Now halfway through Dune, which is obviously magnificent and I don't know how I got away without reading it until now.

I loved "The Binding"! Emotionally engaging and cleverly written.

 

[Jonny]

I second this re. Milkman. I thought it was brilliant and it's not often we Northerners get to read something in our mother tongue

It's an incredible book. Have you heard the Audiobook? It's amazing. Particularly as it's a NI actress narrating (Brid Brennan) not someone who hasn't got a clue, having a go and murdering the accent. She completely "gets" the words, cadences and rhythms and seems to be loving every minute of performing it. Can't recommend it highly enough. I'm getting all Melvyn Bragg here, but I really was totally mesmerised.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I’m looking forward to reading a fascinating book about the larynx, as reviewed in the New York Times:

Get to Know Your Larynx. Then Make Some Noise.

Before I started recording audiobooks last year, my larynx was about as powerful as a lettuce leaf, but after nine months of narration, it could now bend a teaspoon!

Researching author John Colapinto, I saw that he wrote a novel about a man who commits plagiarism, stealing the novel of a dead roommate. I bought a copy of About the Author for £2.75 on eBay and will soon be reading it, taking a break from Walter Mosley.

To add to the fun, I’m about to start reading Rejection Proof: How to Beat Fear and Become Invincible. Written by Jia Jiang, it should make me mighty!

 

[SarahC]

It's an incredible book. Have you heard the Audiobook? It's amazing. Particularly as it's a NI actress narrating (Brid Brennan) not someone who hasn't got a clue, having a go and murdering the accent. She completely "gets" the words, cadences and rhythms and seems to be loving every minute of performing it. Can't recommend it highly enough. I'm getting all Melvyn Bragg here, but I really was totally mesmerised.

I just listened to the Audible sample of it and you're right, it does seem really well done. It would have been basically impossible for anyone other than an NI person to narrate! It really highlights how well the author got the Hiberno-English onto the page because it just sounds so natural.

It can be sometimes quite jarring for us to hear NI accents on the TV, for example on soaps or scripted shows, because the scripts never take into account the quite different and specific cadences of the dialect, for want of a better word. So we often find it quite embarrassing to hear.

I may be inspired to re-read Milkman actually, talking about it.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I really like Walter MOseley. The Easy Rawlins books are the best thing to happen to detective fiction since...what? Can't even remember when.

The books I bought introduced me to a new character. I was already familiar with Easy Rawlins and Leonid McGill, but Socrates Fortlow is an unexpected treasure. He's an ex-convict who served a sentence of 27 years for a double murder. Although he tries to live life honestly, he meets out justice in his own violent way and has killed again. Another surprise is Killing Johnny Fry which is one of two 'sexistential' novels Mosley has penned. Basically, it's pornography—well-written pornography—the shagging barely stops...there's no plot whatsoever. It's rather boring, being too much of a good thing!

 

[Emily]

Thank you @Paul Whybrow , I'm also going to order this:

Get to Know Your Larynx. Then Make Some Noise.

I don't know if you heard of the book Breath by James Nestor? Definitely one of THE best reads I read last year. I've recommended and bought it for several people. I think you would really get a huge amount out of it (everyone would; should be prescribed reading).
I'll stop now before I get evangelical about it.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Thank you @Paul Whybrow , I'm also going to order this:

I don't know if you heard of the book Breath by James Nestor? Definitely one of THE best reads I read last year. I've recommended and bought it for several people. I think you would really get a huge amount out of it (everyone would; should be prescribed reading).
I'll stop now before I get evangelical about it.

I read it at the end of 2020 and chose it as one of my favourite reads of the year.

 

[Emily]

I didn't see that post, great recommendations I too, loved The Secret Life of Trees, I have it beside my desk and dip into it frequently!