A couple of mentions up there to the Silkworm by Robert Galbraith. The bloke on the front cover is me. My daughter is the illustrator and asked me to pose a few shots. I think she must have photoshopped me slimmer.
Bit annoyed that nobody got my anti-gravity gag though.
Finished Addlands by Tom Bullough at the weekend. Supremely well written about life on the edges set in the Welsh Borders (“Addlands” is local dialect for the headlands of the fields).
About to start The Djinn in the Skull by Samantha Herron.
The Future History of The Arctic by Charles Emmerson. Really compelling and I’ve learned a lot even though only half way thru. For instance I now know how Canada came to be and that the US purchased Alaska for $7.2m from Russia. At the time it seems both US citizens and Russians each thought they had been robbed.
Rereading Kim Stanley Robinson’s “Blue Mars”, the best science fiction novel ever written
I’ve only just started Blue Mars having Read Red and Green in quick succession last year…
I’ve a backlog on the kindle now with “Leviathan Wakes” and some other books to get to, plus I downloaded some book on the Tour Divide I need to pick up again…
I am also a bit of a Phillip K Dick-head but have never read The Man in the High Castle, so will be getting on it as I have started the TV series.
My current thinky book is A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James, and my non-thinky books are the Jack Reacher series. The Feynman book mentioned earlier is excellent too.
Just finished A Brief History of Seven Killings that I found cheap in the local bookshop. Although a bit of a slog at first, it became very compelling. Now changing gears with a bit of James Herriott, but looking forward to Perdido Street that I have lined up next – hoping it’s more like The Scar than Iron Council.
jimoiseau – Member
I am also a bit of a Phillip K Dick-head but have never read The Man in the High Castle, so will be getting on it as I have started the TV series.
The TV series only has a passing reference of similarity to the book.
I’m part way through Celts by Dr Alice Roberts and Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Rivers of London was described to me as “Policeman Harry Potter solves crimes whilst meddling with the River Gods… With swearing”. Not quite, but it’s easy reading and quite fun.
Just started Corsa Rosa; a history of the Giro D’Italia by Brendan Gallagher. Hopefully finish it just as the race starts so I will be able to bore people with factoids for 3 weeks.
Just reading the third Fire and Ice book (Game of Thrones).
Great reads even if you’ve seen the TV show. In fact, you’re better off watching the tV show first then reading the books otherwise the TV show will seem average.
“The Wake”, by Paul Kingsnorth. It’s great but the phonemic/cod Anglo Saxon script is a bit of a haul.
Re-Reading “The things the carried” by Tim O’Brien. Still awesome Vietnam narrative.
“Landmarks” by Robert Macfarlane. Only read the preface of his latest, this time on the link between dialect and language. I suspect it will take preference over the other two now I’ve started!
“Nowt but a fleein’ Thing” by Al Phizacklea. It’s the history of climbing on the crags of Scafell.
“The strange last voyage of Donald Crowhurst” – what it says on the tin really. Entered a round the world solo yacht race, lost his bottle, lost his sanity and eventually stepped off the boat.
That Crowhurst book is great – there’s another good book about the race, think it’s A Voyage For Madmen ot something, if you want some further reading.
