Just finished Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. It was recommended on R4’s A Good Read a few weeks back.
Cracking short novel…haven’t read anything as good as it a few years.

It’s a slightly easier read than I was expecting. Covers a chunk of WWII I don’t know much about.

Just finished. Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children.

But read “Y the Last Man” graphic novel inbetween.

A William Shater book next, ….. just picked up at the charity shop the complete Game of Thrones books. It looks a a bit daunting.

Done the Iliad, Oydessy and War & Peace… so should make it.

Wish me luck 🙂

Underland by Robert Macfarlane

I love his books, he’s a wonderful writer. Have you got to the bit where he references Alan Garner’s book ‘The Weirdstone of Brisingamen’? That bit encapsulates my worst nightmare! I bought one of his books as a paperback, started to read it, thought it was so good I found the hardcover version online and gave the paperback to a mate for a Christmas gift, then set about finding all of his books as hardcovers. Spent a very happy nine days camping in south Devon, sitting outside my tent reading the pile of his books I’d taken with me, when I wasn’t walking, or down the pub! One of my best holidays, that.

just picked up at the charity shop the complete Game of Thrones books. It looks a a bit daunting.

I haven’t seen the telly show but the books are good, so much so that I have continued to not want to watch the telly show as chances are it’ll be nothing like I expect.

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.

I thoroughly enjoyed Tombs of Atuan it had me staying up to very late sat in bed reading rather than going to sleep. It’s still early days with Tehanu so I’ll see how it progresses.

Black Earth by Timothy Snyder. It’s about how the nazis perfected the techniques of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe from 1941 on. It’s pretty grim and I’ve been having to take a break from it from time to time. It is, however, superbly researched and written…

Underland by Robert Macfarlane

I love his books, he’s a wonderful writer. Have you got to the bit where he references Alan Garner’s book ‘The Weirdstone of Brisingamen’?

I’m disappointed. After reading this, I was hoping for an author similar to Alan Garner and, when I googled Macfarlane, realised that I read one of his books last year and was very underwhelmed by it. Not sure why. I love books about walking, travelling, the landscape, etc, and love nicely written books, but this didn’t get me at all.

Just back from holiday and enjoyed:
English Pastoral, James Rebanks. Really interesting book on farming, the environment and ecology in the UK.
This Is Going To Hurt, Adam Kay. Brilliant, amusing, heart breaking book on the life of a Junior Doctor
The Farther Corner, Harry Pearson. A story of North Eastern football, good read if you like non-league football, less so if you don’t.

Agreed on English Pastoral and This is going to hurt.

@beej – Nemesis is worth a read as well. Hastings is a bit ‘old school’ but I still enjoy his books. Except fighter back in the 1970s I think when he was convinced one of the German fighters could out turn a spitfire. Can’t remember all the details but all the living spit pilots told him he was wrong, but I don’t think it was ever edited. There was even a diagram in the book!

Black Earth by Timothy Snyder. It’s about how the nazis perfected the techniques of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe from 1941 on.

Yeah I have read lots on the subject and it’s pretty scary – but the groundwork for it was the murder of some 440,000 German citizens starting right at the outset of WW2 just for having the temerity to not be ‘useful citizens’ due to mental health issues and being residents of asylums. They would have killed a great many more too if the Church hadn’t spoken out about the practice and made the Nazis scale it back.

Thanks @alex , I’ll check it out. I’ve read the Falklands one and I made it partway through All Hell Let Loose.

This Is Going To Hurt, Adam Kay.

I have that at home and I think I might read it next (currently reading ‘The German War’ by Nicholas Stargardt) so I get some light relief before embarking on the massive ‘Rise and Fall of the Nazis’ (over 1,200 pages of almost blind-point text).

I gave “This is going to hurt” to my dad last year – still waiting to borrow it to read as I liked what I saw of it.

Finished reading this a few weeks ago. Interesting book which I thought was very readable and raised a lot of thought provoking ideas. As a historian, it seems that he was a bit off the mark on some the technical / detail elements but as a whole, really enjoyed reading it.

Just finished this one – and it is important to read them in order. Loved the series and the way they written. Not sure the TV drama did them justice. It was watchable but, as with most things that are adapted from books, a lot of stuff gets missed out.

And currently reading this – given it as a birthday present. It’s an interesting read but it does feel more like a PR exercise for the company than a proper autobiography.

@desperatebicycle belated thanks.

Thirteen by Richard Morgan first SF writer since Gibson that I’ve really enjoyed.

Wolf Hall

nearly finished that, then i’m on to Green Earth, by Kim Stanley Robinson.

Typee by Herman Melville. I’m quite enjoying it; nothing like the scope or depth of Moby Dick but it has that recognisable witty observation, sense of fun and critical eye.

After that, I need to get going on the next book club choice, the dystopian We by Yevgeny Zamyatin.

Just finished Winterdance by Gary Paulsen. A wonderfully concise book which made me laugh out loud umpteen times and did not inspire me to do the Iditarod.

Apeirogon by Colum McCann – really enjoyed it despite the fairly harrowing subject matter. The cadence was good but it did leave a few unanswered questions but maybe that was the point.

<span class=”bbp-author-name”>@Bikingcatastrophe my sister and brother in law know Peter and have advised him on matters around arson. He’s even made Mac the County Fire Officer in his books as a thank you. I really enjoy them especially the fact that it’s set so locally and has so much detail of real places I know well.</span>

<span class=”bbp-author-name”>Currently reading Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. It’s an incredible piece of writing, I can’t possibly convey in words just what she can do with them, it’s like magic.</span>

The Old Ways – Robert Macfarlane
Beautifully written.

Police at the station and theu dont look friendly by Adrian McKinty, I did enjoy it , come to the end of the Sean Duffy novels, just ordered Berlin Game, Len Deighton.

My novel reccommndation would be Covenant with Death John Harris – a novel written by a veteran of the The Somme about a bunch of young lads joining a Pals battalion in 1915.

Currently reading Neil Stephenson’s new book, ‘Termination Shock’, about halfway through. Very pertinent, set about seven years ahead, featuring geo-engineering to try to control climate warming, the conflict between India and China, even briefly mentions Harry and Megan!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termination_Shock_(novel)

I’ve just started the new Neal Stephenson, only about 8 pages in so far. I have just had another go at the Samuil Petrovich series which I do like. I also dip in and out of Jay Stringer’s books.

This is funny, an easy read- and a real eye opener on what it’s actually like to be a doctor. Even though I work alongside doctors every day in a hospital I had no idea! It’s certainly helped me understand their profession a lot more.
It’s essentially a long series of anecdotes, so very easy to pick up but also a bit too easy to put down again, as there’s no plot to keep you page turning

Signs of the Inka Khipu – Binary Coding in the Andean Knotted-String Records.
Exactly as it sounds…

Have you got to the bit where he references Alan Garner’s book ‘The Weirdstone of Brisingamen’?

Yes – MrsSalmon has the Weirdstone of Brisingamen on CD in the car, it’s really good!
I did leave Underland alone for a while though after hearing Macfarlane on the radio – he got on my nerves a bit for some reason

Because my wife picked it up in a charity shop. A tough read. First published in 2003. Quite suprising that in the course of his research for the book the author interviewed several participants in the events described. I hadn’t realised Khrushchev was up to his neck in the purges of the late 1930s and WW2. But being in power after Stalin’s death was able to cover up the extent of his involvement by destroying papers.

Also quite chilling descriptions of the Katyn massacre. Thousands of Polish officers and intellectuals murdered by the Russian during WW2 on Stalin’ orders. Thousands of the Poles were killed by Vasily_Blokhinn with a bullet to the head as they were led into a room at 3 minute intervals. Believed to be the most prolific executioner in history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Blokhin#Role_in_the_Katyn_massacre

Laidlaw by William Macilvaney. The daddy of all the “tartan noir”. Now with the passage of time evokes Glasgow in the 70s in all its glory. You can picture the pubs hazy with fag smoke and hear the bones crunching when life turns violent.

Sorry, but I’m enjoying this…

Roadside free box pick up. Always worth a rummage.

@irc
Just followed the link .. heavy man.

7000 in 28 days.

Mental.

Also quite chilling descriptions of the Katyn massacre

I think more chilling is perhaps the fact that under Gorbechev, who I think was the first CCCP leader to admit to Russian involvement (under Glasnost) and then Yelstin releasing the signed orders of Stalin, things have once again returned to outright denial under Putin, who’s once again claiming it was Nazi propaganda.

just ordered Berlin Game, Len Deighton.

You can watch the excellent 80s TV series starring Ian Holme as Bernard Sampson on Youtube. 13 x 1 hour episodes.

I watched it, for the first time in 20 odd years, earlier this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3cDtZ4zSsw

Civilisations – Laurent Binet.

If the conquistadors didn’t conquist and the Inca then invaded Europe.

I think more chilling is perhaps the fact that under Gorbechev, who I think was the first CCCP leader to admit to Russian involvement (under Glasnost) and then Yelstin releasing the signed orders of Stalin, things have once again returned to outright denial under Putin, who’s once again claiming it was Nazi propaganda.
Posted 20 minutes ago

True. The book was published in 2003 so the research would have been conducted during the Gorbachev and Yeltsin eras. Probably couldn’t be done now.

I’m reading the new Joey Dunlop book – Joey Dunlop The definitive Biography. It’s a good read. Lots of background info about his life off the track.

You can watch the excellent 80s TV series starring Ian Holme as Bernard Sampson

Ian Holm as Bernie Samson was miscast IMO. Though not as bad as Gary Oldman playing George Smiley.

Just sitting down to start The Book of Joy – His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams. It’s been sitting on my to read pile for ages and I’m finally feeling like reading it. Looking forward to some joy, optimism and positive perspectives.

@Footflaps

You can watch the excellent 80s TV series starring Ian Holme as Bernard Sampson on Youtube. 13 x 1 hour episodes.

Nice one cheers

Jah Wobble’s “Memoirs of a Geezer”