Another one for re-reading Dune, having watched the movie last week.

Alongside Simon Winder’s Lotharingia. I love his histories of Europe, so dense in detail and fascinating imagery, in fact so dense that I can happily re-read them as I’ve remembered so little 😁

Eleanor of Aquitaine by Marion Meade

We’ve just come back from France and made an overnight stop at the Grand Hotel de l’Abbaye in Beaugency which is where Eleanor’s marriage to Louis VII was annulled prior to her going on to marry the future Henry II a few weeks later. Eleanor was quite a woman.

Staying at the beautiful Abbaye gave me the incentive to find out more about her.  And there’s a lot.

Eleanor was quite a woman.

Staying at the beautiful Abbaye gave me the incentive to find out more about her! And there’s a lot.

I just listened to an episode of the “You’re Dead To Me” pod last week about her. Worth a play if anyone’s after a brief and fairly light-hearted primer.

Finished And Away this week, quite enjoyed that. Rereading Dune, and thoroughly enjoying Richard Morris’s excellent biography of Leonard Cheshire.

Currently working through Charles Stross’ ‘Laundry’ series, which I started once and never carried on with. Downloading the ones I didn’t already have as I go, currently reading The Apocalypse Codex’. Written in 2012, it has some quite remarkable parallels with America in 2019/20. Only possibly without sleeping elder Gods from outside our continuum. But lots of self-serving evangelicals and Pentecostals trying to Save The World…
…but for whom.

Just read Michel Barnier’s “My Secret Brexit Diary” which was thoroughly depressing, appreciate there is a bias there but we came across as unable to cogently articulate what we wanted as a result of leaving the EU.

Also re-read the first two books from William Gibson’s “Bridge Trilogy” – Virtual Light and Idoru. One of my favourite authors and love his ability to set a sense of place.

After finishing Stuart Maconies the nanny state made me, I have almost finished rereading his the pie at night. I’ve got Bob Mortimer autobiography in a pile of books I got for my birthday last week.

Just re-read Grapes of Wrath. Such a beautiful book and clearly obvious why Steinbeck is an important author for anyone really interested in literature.

Now back to my main love of history and the two world wars and really enjoying a book recommended on here about WW2 through the eyes of German civilians called The German War.

Currently reading Hearthstone by CJ Samson, a Tudor crime novel based in 1545, the French are about to attack England, Henry VIII pops down to Portsmouth and stuff goes wrong.

Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life.

13thfloormonk
Full Member
Another one for re-reading Dune, having watched the movie last week.

Battering through it for the first time. film was great so thought it was worth looking at. bout 115 pages in the now. Loving it.

Just getting back into reading….since September I’ve read:

Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe. Both were fantastic

At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop. Again Fantastic.

Who They Was by Gabriel Krause. One of the best books that I’ve ever read.

Currently got Shuggie Bain, The Trial by Kafka and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad to read.

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, after hearing some of it serialized on R4
Previous read was Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life for the same reason.

Currently reading The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson and have Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill to read next

Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life.

@mrb123 Is that any good? I’ve been tempted to pick it up, but the author’s name suggests too much new-age hippy stuff. 😀

Yes, I’m not far through it but absolutely fascinating so far. Definitely written by a scientist rather than a hippie as far as I can tell!

I really enjoyed Entangled Life. It might get a bit dense if you don’t have at least a passing interest in fungi, but you could easily read it a chapter at a time as an in-betweenie.

Atlas of the Irish Revolution arrived today. One for dipping in and out of especially as it weighs about 10kgs

Woken furies by Richard Morgan.

3rd book of the Altered Carbon series and I think the the best story and best written.

Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape by Cal Flyn

This book explores the extraordinary places where humans no longer live – or survive in tiny, precarious numbers – to give us a possible glimpse of what happens when mankind’s impact on nature is forced to stop. From Tanzanian mountains to the volcanic Caribbean, the forbidden areas of France to the mining regions of Scotland, Flyn brings together some of the most desolate, eerie, ravaged and polluted areas in the world – and shows how, against all odds, they offer our best opportunities for environmental recovery.

By turns haunted and hopeful, this luminously written world study is pinned together with profound insight and new ecological discoveries that together map an answer to the big questions: what happens after we’re gone, and how far can our damage to nature be undone?

Just finished an amazing book about Vietnam, ”The Mountains Sing” by Nguyén Phan Qué Mai and now cheering myself up with Irvine Welsh’s “A Decent Ride”.

Talking of Vietnam: Chickenhawk by Robert Mason is 99p on Kindle at the mo.

Razzle

But this thread has inspired me to order a copy of Isaac Walton’s the compleat angler as a birthday present to myself

Ooh, I love a book thread.

I’m currently reading the the 4th Earthsea book, can’t recall the name as they are all in one volume. After that I have the 4th Expanse book, Cibola Burn. Then after that I’ve scheduled another re-read of Dune. After that who knows, I might read the Revelation Space books again because the 4th one of those came out this year.

I might have to find something non-scifi/fantasy to read at some point though!

Currently reading Everything is f**ked, a book about hope by Mark Manson. It’s quite thought provoking and makes a change from the everything is always positive mantra of many authors

Talking of Vietnam: Chickenhawk by Robert Mason is 99p on Kindle at the mo.

Ooo, I like a 99p book – ta! The Mountains Sing looks interesting too – added to my wishlist, ta. 🙂

Last week I read The Mirror and The Light by Hilary Mantel because I was camped out in the crappy Travelodge next to the Tower of London where a lot of the book is located.

Great book, though not as snappy as the first two I thought. She’s one of the best British writers working today I think – I love the style and pace of her prose.

Recently finished this: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-beast-the-emperor-and-the-milkman/harry-pearson/9781472945068
I thought it was very good. Entertaining, droll and informative.

Just started Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornmwell. So far it’s been good. I have read a lot of Cornwell’s stuff and enjoyed it. Very clever.

Just about to finish:

Slough House, by Mick Herron

B-team spies with issues fiction series.

Just about to start:

Far from the light of heaven by Tade Thompson

Science fiction mystery.

How does one do those funky Amazon preview things in the forum BTW?

Use the “Share” link under the buy it box, I believe
(yep, I just pasted the link that the <embed> option gave me to get)

Half way through Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon – my mums favourite book, she died almost a year ago so I’m reading through her copy of the Scots Quair trilogy.
I read it at school (forty years ago!) and again since, but probably 30 years ago. I’d forgotten how flowing the prose, how well written the characters are how readable a story it is.
Before that, Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry – one of the best books i’ve read for a while.

@jimster01 – good series that. Both characters and historical context really well written I thought.

I’m reading Harrier 809 recommended earlier on this thread (still think Into the black is Rowland White’s best book). Enjoying it so far.

Binged my way through four of Jasper Fforde ‘Tuesday Next’ series. I do like alternate world/contemporary fiction and enjoyed every one of these. Take a break tho to finish book four of the ‘Breed’ fantasy series (K.T. Davis) which are a cut above this kind of trope in terms of plot and writing. Quite rude as well 😉

I have M&W gone fishing on the go as well with ‘Terms May Apply’ (Keith Pearson) on standby. I like the Pearson books even if they are a bit same-y. Favourite was ‘The ’86 fix’.

Finished Harris’s Conclave. Not my fav of his and I worked out the twist pretty early. Still ploughing through ‘Big Week’ – great amount of detail but I need to be in the mood for it.

Oh and second Tuesday Murder club was excellent.

I’m currently reading the the 4th Earthsea book, can’t recall the name as they are all in one volume.

Tehanu. I re-read the original trilogy last year, and read that for the first time and am now in the middle of Tales of Earthsea, the short story collection. I’m taking them one story at a time and thoroughly enjoying them. LeGuin is such a beautiful writer.

My kayaking meter reader recommends “the man in the tent”

I’ve got two on the go at the moment, which is not how I usually do it:
Underland by Robert Macfarlane
Zero History by William Gibson

Tehanu. I re-read the original trilogy last year, and read that for the first time and am now in the middle of Tales of Earthsea, the short story collection. I’m taking them one story at a time and thoroughly enjoying them. LeGuin is such a beautiful writer.

I’m reading the Earthsea books with my daughter at the moment – she loves them. Years since I read them but very impressed with Tombs of Atuan in particular, a masterful story. I should re-read Tehanu although I suspect time has not improved it.

Finished Joe Abercrombie’s last one recently – the Wisdom of Crowds. Loved it – opinion seemed a bit mixed from some discussions I saw, folk not happy with the fantasy setting taking a back seat, but that was fine with me.

I’ve really enjoyed the latest Joe Abercrombie (been listening to them on audiobook rather than reading). I wasn’t sure I’d go back to them after the initial set, but they’ve been good reads. Glad he’s taking them in a new direction.

The bloody nine tho is/was still my favourite character.

Kings and Conquerors Philip and Alexander (the Great) – Adrian Goldsworthy – written some cracking books – those ancient Greeks are bonkers though…..