Jump to content
  • Sign up for free and receive a month's subscription

    You are viewing this page as a guest. That means you are either a member who has not logged in, or you have not yet registered with us. Signing up for an account only takes a minute and it means you will no longer see this annoying box! It will also allow you to get involved with our friendly(ish!) community and take part in the discussions on our forums. And because we're feeling generous, if you sign up for a free account we will give you a month's free trial access to our subscriber only content with no obligation to commit. Register an account and then send a private message to @dave u and he'll hook you up with a subscription.

Recommended Posts

39 minutes ago, Sut said:

Anyone trying to homeschool kids at the minute should take a look at Amazon's kindle site - one of the sections they have there is a load of free books for kids. Another has a load of books for a range of subjects (mainly Maths and Science) for age groups from infants up to a-level.

 

I've not long finished Alistair Reynolds' third Revenger novel and can recommend it to anyone on the lookout for some Space Opera. I'm not far into Empress of Forever, which is kind of a female Flash Gordon/Star Wars SF romp that's not too bad.

 

I've just started one of Norman Mailer's books, Fire on the Moon, about the Apollo 11 mission. It appears to be mostly about himself so far, though.

 

Good to see you back posting mate. 
 

I’m nearing the end of the first Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London book and I’m a bit underwhelmed to be honest. 
 

I absolutely adore the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher and these looked to be in a similar vein but the main character is nowhere near as engaging and the humour in comparison is really lacking. 
 

It’s held my interest enough for me to try the second in the series to see if it improves. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Trying to work my way through a top list of books I feel I should have read but haven't.

 

Just finished Brave New World, which I struggled with at first but once it got going I enjoyed the concept.

 

Going for either Gulliver's travels or Robinson Crusoe next, leaning towards Crusoe.

 

 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Paul said:

Finished Red Mars, but it just wasn’t engaging enough so I’ve not bothered with the other two in the trilogy. 
 

I read the first Hill/Jordan book by Val McDermid about the hunt for a serial killer. It’s pretty gruesome at times but a decent read. I’m on the second one now, The Wire In The Blood. 
 

However, I’ll also be all over that Parker novella SA mentioned above. Superb heads up, that. 

I read those McDermid about a year ago.

I found them entertaining, but the plot quality declined in the last two novels as the stories concentrated on the relationship between the two central characters at the expense of a gripping yarn. Tantric sex, explored by a lesbian author, is not much of a turn-on for me I’m afraid.

I’m currently binge-reading the Flashman novels, again.

 

I find a hero who shags whatever is available, in the most unlikely circumstances, no matter how ridiculous, is a far more enjoyable read.

 

There are worse ways to self-isolate.

 

 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, Tourt said:

I read those McDermid about a year ago.

 

 

 

I found them entertaining, but the plot quality declined in the last two novels as the stories concentrated on the relationship between the two central characters at the expense of a gripping yarn. Tantric sex, explored by a lesbian author, is not much of a turn-on for me I’m afraid.

 

 

 

I’m currently binge-reading the Flashman novels, again.

 

I find a hero who shags whatever is available, in the most unlikely circumstances, no matter how ridiculous, is a far more enjoyable read.

 

There are worse ways to self-isolate.

 

 

I love the Flashman books- Flashman's Lady is one of the best books I've ever read. Real shame Fraser never got to do the Civil War ones before he died. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Sugar Ape said:

 

Good to see you back posting mate. 
 

I’m nearing the end of the first Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London book and I’m a bit underwhelmed to be honest. 
 

I absolutely adore the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher and these looked to be in a similar vein but the main character is nowhere near as engaging and the humour in comparison is really lacking. 
 

It’s held my interest enough for me to try the second in the series to see if it improves. 

Worth persisting with if you ask me. Just an English version of Dresden.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been struggling with a political spy novel by James Naughtie, A Madness in July. Sat outside in the sun today, I finally decided to knock it on the head, not even 100 pages in. Too many books lying unread to trudge through something clunky and impenetrable.

 

It served as a decent reminder, though, that writing that flows and grips the reader is very much based on skill more than intelligence. 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Started re-reading A Confederacy of Dunces today. A chapter in and I'm pissing myself already. An all-timer. 

 

Ignatius J. Reilly is one of the great literary comic creations, with the permanent tone of Stronts calling 'Istvan Kunstain' an insolent, slanderous worm.

 

Sublime.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Mudface said:

I love the Flashman books- Flashman's Lady is one of the best books I've ever read. Real shame Fraser never got to do the Civil War ones before he died. 

Flash man and the Redskins  is fabulous 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 07/04/2020 at 23:57, Sugar Ape said:

John Connolly has had to delay the publication of his latest novel so he’s writing a new Charlie Parker novella called The Sisters Strange and posting a chunk of it every day as he writes it on his website. 
 

First six days worth are available starting here:

https://www.johnconnollybooks.com/the-sisters-strange

Just started the first few Charlie Parker novels after having them downloaded to my tablet for ages and I am enjoying them. Very well written and with echoes of James Lee Burke (who I also enjoy) to them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Lizzie Birdsworths Wrinkled Chopper said:

Started re-reading A Confederacy of Dunces today. A chapter in and I'm pissing myself already. An all-timer. 

 

Ignatius J. Reilly is one of the great literary comic creations, with the permanent tone of Stronts calling 'Istvan Kunstain' an insolent, slanderous worm.

 

Sublime.

Tried a few chapters of this but I felt it was not really doing it for me. It did seem as though it might have transferred to the big screen quite easily though. Did it ever make it on film?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Edward. said:

Flash man and the Redskins  is fabulous 

Yep- I always thought that would make a great TV mini-series. In the early '90s, I saw Fraser give a talk at Bath Waterstone's when he was launching a non-Flashman book. He mentioned that he'd had quite a bit of interest in adaptations of the books, but he refused to compromise for a more 'PC' audience as it would be historically inaccurate. He has a point, if Flashman was real, he'd very likely hold views that would be regarded as abhorrent to a modern audience, but it's a shame he couldn't figure out a way to write around it- particularly as he loathed bad language in real life and had a couple of the novels 'censored' by Elspeth's sister.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, VladimirIlyich said:

Tried a few chapters of this but I felt it was not really doing it for me. It did seem as though it might have transferred to the big screen quite easily though. Did it ever make it on film?

Not so far. There's a long backstory to that as far back as John Belushi having been lined up to star in it, but for a multitude of reasons it's never happened to date. Belushi dying a couple of days before he was due to meet the Fox producer who's spent decades off and on trying to get it made, being just one example. It's seen as being somewhat cursed, I believe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Mudface said:

Yep- I always thought that would make a great TV mini-series. In the early '90s, I saw Fraser give a talk at Bath Waterstone's when he was launching a non-Flashman book. He mentioned that he'd had quite a bit of interest in adaptations of the books, but he refused to compromise for a more 'PC' audience as it would be historically inaccurate. He has a point, if Flashman was real, he'd very likely hold views that would be regarded as abhorrent to a modern audience, but it's a shame he couldn't figure out a way to write around it- particularly as he loathed bad language in real life and had a couple of the novels 'censored' by Elspeth's sister.

I love all of the Flasman novels. Fraser's historical research was absolutely exhaustive and anyone looking to learn about the Victorians and Empire could do worse than starting with one of his books to set the scene for themselves. Did you see the film they made in the seventies with Oliver Reed and Malcolm McDowell?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Sut said:

I love all of the Flasman novels. Fraser's historical research was absolutely exhaustive and anyone looking to learn about the Victorians and Empire could do worse than starting with one of his books to set the scene for themselves. Did you see the film they made in the seventies with Oliver Reed and Malcolm McDowell?

Royal Flash- yes, it wasn't bad, but was more of a slapstick comedy and McDowell really doesn't suit the character, he's far too small and slight. Reed would have made a better Flashman to be honest, though he was good as Bismarck.

 

It's on Daily Motion- 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Lizzie Birdsworths Wrinkled Chopper said:

Started re-reading A Confederacy of Dunces today. A chapter in and I'm pissing myself already. An all-timer. 

 

Ignatius J. Reilly is one of the great literary comic creations, with the permanent tone of Stronts calling 'Istvan Kunstain' an insolent, slanderous worm.

 

Sublime.

It’s great isn’t it?

Not sure about Vlad’s call for a film though, as it’s often set in the characters heads and the tone would be really hard to capture.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, Jose Jones said:

It’s great isn’t it?

Not sure about Vlad’s call for a film though, as it’s often set in the characters heads and the tone would be really hard to capture.

It really is. 

 

Completely agree. I'm rarely on-board with film adaptations of a great book as it is. This is one I'd hate to see butchered with someone like Will Ferrell as Ignatius, as was being mooted at one point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Lizzie Birdsworths Wrinkled Chopper said:

Not so far. There's a long backstory to that as far back as John Belushi having been lined up to star in it, but for a multitude of reasons it's never happened to date. Belushi dying a couple of days before he was due to meet the Fox producer who's spent decades off and on trying to get it made, being just one example. It's seen as being somewhat cursed, I believe.

I could definitely have seen Belushi in the role of intellectual slob brought to film.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

58 minutes ago, Lizzie Birdsworths Wrinkled Chopper said:

It really is. 

 

Completely agree. I'm rarely on-board with film adaptations of a great book as it is. This is one I'd hate to see butchered with someone like Will Ferrell as Ignatius, as was being mooted at one point.

Ferrell would be a shocking choice of actor. As I said in the Belushi thread,Ignatius is intelligent and Ferrell's comedy is the exact opposite of that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Sugar Ape said:

 

Good to see you back posting mate. 
 

I’m nearing the end of the first Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London book and I’m a bit underwhelmed to be honest. 
 

I absolutely adore the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher and these looked to be in a similar vein but the main character is nowhere near as engaging and the humour in comparison is really lacking. 
 

It’s held my interest enough for me to try the second in the series to see if it improves. 

Yeah. I agree on the Rivers of London book. I gave up after the first one. Was similarly unfussed about the first Dresden book, too, though. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Scooby Dudek said:

Trying to work my way through a top list of books I feel I should have read but haven't.

 

Just finished Brave New World, which I struggled with at first but once it got going I enjoyed the concept.

 

Going for either Gulliver's travels or Robinson Crusoe next, leaning towards Crusoe.

 

 

I still love Robinson Crusoe. However, it’s all a bit too easy for him. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, SasaS said:

Is the book thread becoming so busy all of a sudden a good or a bad sign? Or is it one of the signs of the apocalypse?

 

 

Viva La GF Book Thread!

 

Ironically, now that I'm off work, I'm "reading" less, as I generally listen to books all day on the job.

 

Just finishing "The History of Sri Lanka" by Patrick Peebles.

 

Not the best book I've ever read, but it does cover the entire history of the island, up to '05 or so, so it's a decent framework for further reading.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share


×
×
  • Create New...