The Eagle and the Lion – Goldsworthy ( Rome v Parthians and Sassanids) – basically 600 years of Empire rivalry and conflict. Up to the first clash as Carrhae 53bc – no spoilers – doesn’t end well from Crassus and his roman Army.

Cloud cuckoo land by Anthony doerr. Really good tale spread over centuries with good characters. One of those reads that you don’t really want to finish. Some detective fluff next as an interim read…

Sapiens
A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari

Finally got round to reading Dune in preparation for the second film being released (boo that it’s been delayed until March!).

I’m halfway through and it’s really good, very captivating and the world building is amazing. I always heard it was quite dense and a difficult read but it’s not at all. The pace has been quick and the plot is super exciting and mysterious.

Unmasking Autism by Dr Devon Price.

Recommended.

Finished the first nine (!) Laundry Files by Charles Stross. Bit annoyed he’s not completed the series (have to wait a couple of years), but started on the next series anyway. My wife and I rarely read the same books, but she’s enjoyed these as well so thanks for the recommendation from way back up this thread.

Sapiens
A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari

I enjoyed this but not so much Home Deus the follow up.

I read one of the Laundry Files (your recommendation here) not for me, but I absolutely get why you like them 🙂

Homo Deus is definitely more than a bit iffy, it’s a lot like the Germs Guns and Steel that came out a few years back, initially heralded as a great work until they get a bit more of a close read, and then folks realise that they’re both actually just a bit half baked.

No Off Switch, Andy Kershaw’s autobiography. Some holiday reading. Just started it  but he seems to have led a pretty bonkers life. At the moment he’s growing up in a small parochial world, but his restless ADHD character is about to be set free.

I read one of the Laundry Files (your recommendation here) not for me, but I absolutely get why you like them

It goes from very geeky to very lovecraftium(tm) in a few books. Definitely develops as a series. Probably first 2 books were the weakest. But yeah, my kind of thing and – later books especially – some great page-turning plots.

Oh, OK, I’ve read the first one, and it felt like a Rivers of London clone – although it’s older I think, so maybe the other way around, I’ll give it some more time. I do like Lovecraft

Interestingly I will start a book later that was written by my cousin (Unpublished but shortlisted for a literary fiction award) who I likely met over 50 years ago when we were both very young but have not spoken to since. We recently made contact over Twitter.

I’m on Virtual Light by William Gibson. Took some getting my head into his style after some of my recent reading, but about halfway through and really enjoying it.

If you’ve not read ‘No Country For Old Men’ and have a Kindle – currently 99p on Amazon.
(https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004FV4T8E)

River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana’s Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon

Only just started it the other day but a good 50-60odd pages in already, loving it so far.

Oh, OK, I’ve read the first one, and it felt like a Rivers of London clone – although it’s older I think, so maybe the other way around, I’ll give it some more time. I do like Lovecraft

Yeah, the first Laundry book was published in 2004, the first Rivers book in 2011. I’ve read all of the Rivers books, and most of the Laundry ones, and I can’t say there’s that much similarity between them, the Laundry is 007 x Lovecraft, whereas Rivers is police <span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>procedural x urban magic, (see Kate Griffin’s Matthew Swift books).</span>

Finally finished Game of Thrones … Bit disappointed it’s not finished by the author, but I should of done my research. I suppose ChatGPT will have to finish it for George RR Martin.

Read a few books in between the torture.

Next up:
“Star of the Sea” by Joseph O’Conner.

and I can’t say there’s that much similarity between them

Man is co-opted (he doesn’t want to be) into part of routine organisation, the civil service/cops, and finds himself dealing with the supernatural in a nudge nudge wink wink way that bits of govt in charge of them sort of know about but don’t want to really be involved in and hold in some disdain for it’s unruliness and the general public are utterly clueless about, and they get to save the world with it knowing about it at all. And he still has to deal with all the petty bullshit that goes on in those organisations for irony and minor laughs. The stories/plots start small and get increasingly world enveloping with a recurring cast of villains and allies.

They’re pretty similar.

Victory City by Salman Rushdie. I picked it up to read while on holiday, I’m quite enjoying it so far.

Because I’ve never read it, I’m struggling through Wuthering Heights.

CHATGPT to the rescue 😉

https://liamswayne.github.io/index.html

Click here to read The Winds of Winter written entirely by AI
Click here to read A Dream of Spring (also written by AI)

Might do this by Audio 🙂

Read Seth Dickinson’s second Baru Cormorant book on holiday – first one was exceptional but this one got a cooler reception, classic difficult second book for the author. Actually pretty good imho, author had issues with the manuscript getting too long so there are some technical problems with the narrative, but he still knows the story he wants to tell. Third one (Tyrant) is meant to be good and will read.

Reading Seiobo and below atm by Laszlo K. Series of interlinked short pieces, which on the face of it should be an easier read for an author who is relentless in their disregard of the full stop. Early days with it but each piece has been better than the last, so shaping up nicely.

FYI
Nice wee film doing the rounds ATM 😃

Some garbage by Anne Rice… i’m 540 pages in and still not exactly sure what the plot is or why… i thought she was a bit of a master of horror… but basically she’s a master of remmebering who’s who in her list of 4000 characters who are all intertwined in some way.

Just about to finish Surface Detail (Iain M Banks), after working through them all again I’ve come to the conclusion that its his greatest Culture book. its got everything.

Mid way through Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein as it was free, and there was a fair bit of press about it recently (anniversary of some kind?). Different from the films which, on reflection must just be inspired by it, and well worth a read.

Just about to finish Surface Detail (Iain M Banks), after working through them all again I’ve come to the conclusion that its his greatest Culture book. its got everything.

I loved that one! (I love all of them tbh) but yeah Surface Detail is great. It’s got the best ship mind in it too – falling outside the normal moral constraints. That ‘battle’ scene is just too good.

Different from the films

Spoilers (not really) I think the thing that struck me most with Frankenstein was the the passages of him creating the monster are like ” I worked on the creation and it came to life”, none of the thunder, lightening, Igor the assistant “It lives!!” nonsense you get in the films. It’s like the ending to Dracula, you get to the part where the scooby gang are chasing him back to his castle and the American basically just opens the coffin and shivs him. The whole death happens in about a sentence and a bit, maybe half a paragraph at best, it’s like Stoker couldn’t be arsed, and you read it and think “Wait; Is that it? Have you just killed off the world’s greatest anti-hero in 20 words?”

I’m working through The Hollywood Kid at the moment, by Oscar Martinez and his brother. Basically an overview of how El Salvador’s gangs developed, how embedded they are in society, and following the life and death of one particular gang member.

Also just picked up a copy of Jupiter’s Travels for £1 – the memoirs of the first guy to motorbike around the world, apparently

Reading Seiobo and below atm by Laszlo K.

Superb book. Might reread this and Destruction & Sorrow Beneath the Heavens as I’m stuck for inspiration finding new stuff.

Also just picked up a copy of Jupiter’s Travels for £1 – the memoirs of the first guy to motorbike around the world, apparently

It’s fantastic, a really wonderful snapshot of the world as it was. One of my favourite books.

I’m currently reading The Shadow Casket by Chris Wooding, part two of a traditional fantasy series. Enjoyed the first book very much and this is more of the same.

Just finished Whatever happened to the C86 Kids by Nige Tassell, if you are of a certain age of which I’m sure many on here are and you like indie music,then you’ll enjoy this. Recommended 👍

Last few i’ve listened to, walking the dogs;

Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut
Mayflies – Andrew O’Hagan
Harrys Game – Gerald Seymour

Satsuma Complex – Bob Mortimer

Currently listening to Meantime by Frankie Boyle, all recommended.

Just finished Whatever happened to the C86 Kids by Nige Tassell, if you are of a certain age of which I’m sure many on here are and you like indie music,then you’ll enjoy this. Recommended 👍

Ah, you may be interested in Pandamonium! How (Not) to Run a Record Label by Simon Williams, which I’m half way through. I don’t read much non- fiction, but I’m enjoying this immensely.

Very well written (and amusing) recollection of falling into running a record label, interspersed with a very honest counterpoint which I wasn’t expecting and won’t spoil.

Deathfire by Nick Kyme. Book 32 of the Games Workshops Hours Heresy series.

Its hard to pick books up at a reasonable price now as they’re out of print; the later books in the series are stupid money on eBay.

I’m also part way through the Eisenhorn series by GW; on the the Ravenor Omnibus, it’s a massive book.

I don’t get upset when ‘celebrities’ die, but when Banks went I was gutted. He is, by a distance my favourite author. Stross and Gibson and Stephenson and Mcleod all have aspects, but none of them are Banks. None of them scratch that itch.

Anyways, I read the Joe Abercrombie age of madness trilogy which was decent enough. Some memorable characters in that.

There was a pseudo fantasy series I picked up from Stross’ blog that I was going to reccomend but I am absolutely fecked if I can remember the author or the titles. It involved one of those universes where magic is a commidty and a system and they exists in some vagule industrial type era with like a mayan/inca backdrop where there human souls involved and stuff. Gah. I have googled, but suffering major brain fail.

Also just picked up a copy of Jupiter’s Travels for £1 – the memoirs of the first guy to motorbike around the world, apparently

i got a copy for my birthday once, dont remember if i ever read it.
My round the world travels got kinda condensed into riding around
se asia on a dirtbike
Last book was Guy Martin’s autobiography, an insight into the racing world and how i might feel about it,
and just started the Natural History of Badgers, as that is of concern to me,especially in these days of pseudo-science,scapegoating badgers and deifying the infected cattle as the govt pays for/encourages the genocide while turning a blind eye to foxhunting.
reintroducing beavers and pine martens is a great idea, like stopping the grey squirrels and other invasive pests,but why are (cash)cows so protected? they harbour and spread the disease, fart holes in the ozone layer,you need the digestive juices of a dog to break their meat into bits that humans can process efficiently, are mostly antibiotics,take up all the land that can be put to better use, widen the gap between the rich and the poor,etc. so 12% of americans eat 50% of the beef, doesnt that tell you something?
an interesting fact- westerners only developed the gene needed so they could eat cows milk 5000years ago-asians didnt- thats why they dont like dairy

tell me i’m wrong!

They’re pretty similar.

That can be said about an absolute shit-ton of books, when all’s said and done.

Anyway, finished Heavy Weather, now reading ‘Lost & Found’, by Elizabeth Garner, Alan Garner’s daughter. It’s a real book, and signed by the author, given to me by friends for my birthday. It’s a collection of old traditional folk tales.

Because I’m not prepared to take precious hardcover books out with me, I’m also reading ‘The Sisters Brothers’, by Patric DeWitt on my phone, it’s a western set in the early 1800’s, about two brothers who are contract killers. First time I’ve read it in absolutely ages, so I’ve forgotten most of the story. It’s pretty brutal.

you need the digestive juices of a dog to break their meat into bits that humans can process efficiently, are mostly antibiotics,take up all the land that can be put to better use, widen the gap between the rich and the poor,etc. so 12% of americans eat 50% of the beef, doesnt that tell you something?
an interesting fact- westerners only developed the gene needed so they could eat cows milk 5000years ago-asians didnt- thats why they dont like dairy

What they do in America is different to what we do here, and so what about western people developing a gene 5000 years ago, we here in the U.K. are different from those during the Neolithic 5000 years ago, when agrarian farmers started to immigrate from what is now Türkiye and the Mediterranean via France. And another little fact for you, us westerners have between 2-7% of Neanderthal DNA, which gives us certain advantages, but also brings with it certain disadvantages – Type II diabetes, Lupus and smoking addiction come from Neanderthal DNA. Eastern humans don’t have Neanderthal DNA, they have Denisovian, which may bring with it lactose intolerance, plus their agricultural practices are completely different, due to huge environmental factors.

Your point is, again?

Because I’ve never read it, I’m struggling through Wuthering Heights.

Please do let us know whether it was worth the struggle! I’ve considered reading it quite a few times, but have never quite decided whether I would end up satisfied at reading (what I imagine will be) a well-crafted story, or if I’d just end up feeling worn out!

Started Ben MacKintyre – Operation Mincemeat.

Just finished my Brother’s books about being a new, young teacher in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1980’s: ‘All Teachers Great and Small’, ‘All Teachers Wise and Wonderful’ and ‘All Teachers Bright and Beautiful’. Cheery, humorous and easy to read (especially after all the spy novels I’ve been ploughing through).