What books did you read in 2022?

[little che]

2 hours ago, Miner Willy said:

30. Earth Abides by George R Stewart - I thought this was great. Didn't really know where it was going for much of the book, but really enjoyed it throughout.

29. Featherhood by Charlie Gilmour - Guy adopts a magpie and describes his relationship with it and also his largely absent biological father. Much better than that might make it sound.

28. Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead - Not sure why I had this on my Kindle, but I thought it was really good and very well written.

27. The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman - Enjoyed rather than loved this. I'll read the next one, but it's not completely grabbed me.

26. La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman - Very late to this - it was the catalyst for re-reading the Northern Lights books. I did enjoy it, but it was very different to the original trilogy, and wasn't really what I was expecting going in.

25. The Future we Choose by Christina Figueres - An OK book on climate change, though I've read so much on this topic, and probably several that I think are better.

24. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman - As below, really enjoyed and the ending remains a powerful gut punch.

23. Lonely Castle in the Mirror - Decent enough story, and I thought the way it covered the narrator's loneliness was effectively done.

22. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman - I vaguely recall from years ago that I thought this series got better as it went along and the world(s) opened out, and that was my feeling again. I really enjoyed this, much more so than the first book.

 

Previously:

 

  Hide contents

30.Earth Abides

29. Featherhood

28. Great Circle

27. The Secret Commonwealth

26. La Belle Sauvage

25. The Future we Choose

24. The Amber Spyglass

23. Lonely Castle in the Mirror

22. The Subtle Knife

21. Northern Lights

20. Notes from the Burning Age

19. Spike

18. The New Jim Crow

17. Empire of Pain

16. The Brave Athlete

15. Ball Lightning

14. Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwarfare

13. The Chysalids

12. The Border

11. Inverted World

10. The Mirror & the Light

9. To Kill a Mockingbird

8. Ghost Wall

7. The Cartel

6. Bring Up the Bodies

5. The New Climate War

4. Death's End

3. The Children of Men

2. Neuromancer

1. The Sleeping Beauties

 

I recently finished Great circle. I wasn't sure going in that it would be my sort of thing as it is described as feminist literature, but it was excellent ... More so the historic parts of it rather than the contemporary sections. I can imagine it would make a cracking film.

 

 

[Miner Willy]

10 hours ago, little che said:

I recently finished Great circle. I wasn't sure going in that it would be my sort of thing as it is described as feminist literature, but it was excellent ... More so the historic parts of it rather than the contemporary sections. I can imagine it would make a cracking film.

 

 

 

Yeah, I think the historical story was stronger, but I did rather like the modern stuff too. I really liked the character of Marian and her relationship with her brother and Caleb(?) It's one of those well written books that makes you realise you should occasionally read stuff that doesn't t necessarily sound like 'your sort of thing'.

[Vimster]

09 - If Chins Could Kill: Confessions Of A B-Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell

Largely entertaining memoir of his life in films and TV from 2001, you get a good insight into various levels of film-making as he's been in low-budget trash and had small parts in big Hollywood films. Bruce reads the audiobook, whenever he quoted Sam Raimi he'd do an impression of him that always made me chuckle. Could have done without the last 1h 45m or so where he pads it out talking about his book tour. 

 

Spoiler

01 - Fever Of The Bone by Val McDermid

02 - Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music by Matt Anniss

03 - And Away by Bob Mortimer

04 - Die Trying by Lee Child

05 - A Fabulous Creation: How The LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth

06 - Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture by Simon Reynolds

07 - Who Owns England by Guy Shrubsole

08 - The Van by Roddy Doyle

09 - If Chins Could Kill: Confessions Of A B-Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell

 

[Boothjan]

Spoiler

1. Emperor: The Death of Kings by Conn Iggulden - 8/10

2. Back From The Brink by Paul McGrath - 9.5/10

3. Nemesis Games by James S A Corey - 9/10

4. Love as Always, Mum by Mae West

5. I, Partridge by Alan Partridge - 9/10

6. One by Peter Schmeichel - 7/10

7. Diddly Squat: A Year on the Farm by Jeremy Clarkson - 7.5/10

8. Shackleton's Boat Journey by Frank Worsley - 9/10

9. Redemption by Troy Deeney - 8/10

10. The White Ship by Charles Spencer - 8.5/10

11. Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol by Steve Jones - 7/10

 

12. Being Elvis by Ray Connolly

 

Marketed as a 'perfect companion' to the Baz Luhrmann film (which I'm yet to see) this is an unspectacular albeit interesting biography on Elvis Presley - it's actually a pretty miserable story, and whilst I knew a lot of the troubled lifestyle he led, I wasn't aware of the extent of his paranoia, infidelity and loneliness he felt.

 

Didn't take me long to get through, and it made me want to watch the film if I get the chance.

 

7/10

[HarryBizzle]

This is embarrassing but I hadn't read a single book until this month.

 

1. The Last Continent (T. Pratchett) 

Good, but a bit self indulgent. Quite a bit of mystical, unimpenetrable Pratchett. Ending was quite deus ex machina, which made a lot of the middle slog feel extraneous. I think Rincewind is just generally a bit of a weak character who hasn't really grown or developed meaningfully as time has gone on.

 

2. How the Marquis Got His Coat Back (N. Gaiman) 

A nice short story. Neverwhere is my favourite Gaiman novel by some distance, so I was pleased for more of it. I need to get his collections of short stories, I think. There's a couple of his novels I've not read, but things like American Gods and Anansi Boys haven't done a lot for me.

 

3. Carpe Jugulum

I think this might be one of my favourite Discworld novels. I first remember seeing this in the school library when I was about 13 and picking another Discworld book instead, and haven't read it until now. It's absolutely brilliant, full of the best of Granny Weatherwax, which is essentially the best of Discworld - absurd, hilarious, melancholy and poignant. 

[HarryBizzle]

4. The Picture of Dorian Gray

 

This has been on my list of books to read for years. Feels much more modern that I would have expected, although I have to say I had to look up more words than I can remember having to when reading anything else previously.
 

Just when you think it's going in a certain direction, it messes with your expectations slightly, which I greatly appreciated. It is in places very self indulgent and almost painful to read - in particular when Wilde is quoting Shakespeare wholesale or where he's going over Dorian's obsessions in a way that is apparently an homage to "Against Nature," but these are relatively brief bits in a book that I think is otherwise paced very well. I particularly like all the dry Victorian wit.

[Jamie John]

10/24 - Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel 

 

 

It's taken me over a month to get through this, and with less than half of 2022 now remaining, I can't see myself reading 24 books this year.

 

I definitely did enjoy it, and I now want to read the sequel, but bugger me if it's not hard work in places. As mentioned earlier in the thread, Mantel has the irritating habit of using the pronoun 'he' not necessarily to indicate the male character most recently referred to, but rather to just refer to Cromwell himself. For example, there might be a conversation between Henry VIII, Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer and Lord Norfolk, and after Henry has finished a lengthy speech, Mantel will just write "He says [blah]" or "He does [such and such]", leading you (the reader) to think that she's still referring to Henry, when she's in fact talking about Cromwell. It was a stylistic choice that I just couldn't get used to, even after nearly 600 pages, and led to me having to frequently re-read passages so I could figured out who the fuck she was talking about.

 

She's also pretty light on exposition in general, just stating place names or manor houses with little description, leaving you to fill in the gaps before she immediately starts bombarding you with a melange of direct speech, indirect speech and internal monologue, often inconsistently punctuated, so you feel like you're reading a play without the stage directions more than you are a novel. It doesn't help, either, that she'll often refer to characters by their title or the area of the country that they own ('Norfolk', 'Winchester', 'Archbishop') rather than their name, especially when characters' titles change several times throughout the book. Nor does it help that she will suddenly reintroduced characters from 100 pages ago without reminding you who they are. And it really doesn't help that every fucker is either called Thomas or Mary. I was reading the Kindle edition, but I think I'd have been able to parse all the different characters more easily if I was reading the print version, with easy access to the lists of characters and the various places they inhabit at the front of the book)

 

Still, all that being said, if you can see past the stylistic quirks then this is definitely a piece of Literature with a capital L that I can appreciate. It truly is meticulously researched, and some of the prose is inspired. Now that I've finished it and have a good grasp of what's going on and who everyone is, I kind of feel like I should read it again, but I'll probably just watch the BBC adaptation with Mark Rylance instead.

[Vimster]

10 - Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C Clarke - Fair whipped through this. Grounded SF that is probably a little too dry in places, with rather stiff characters, but I was keen to see what would be discovered next. I've heard the sequels aren't worth bothering with; the unanswered questions and the mystery of Rama doesn't need to be fleshed out. 

 

Spoiler

01 - Fever Of The Bone by Val McDermid

02 - Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music by Matt Anniss

03 - And Away by Bob Mortimer

04 - Die Trying by Lee Child

05 - A Fabulous Creation: How The LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth

06 - Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture by Simon Reynolds

07 - Who Owns England by Guy Shrubsole

08 - The Van by Roddy Doyle

09 - If Chins Could Kill: Confessions Of A B-Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell

10 - Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C Clarke

 

[HarryBizzle]

5. Equal Rites (Pratchett)

 

I have almost no recollection of this but on completing it have concluded I’ve read it before. There’s familiar bits like the stuff between Cutangle and Granny Weatherwax that I’ve definitely read. 
 

The fact that I bought it in 2011 and remember next to nothing of it says a lot about it, really. It’s very early Discworld and while pleasant enough is far from remarkable and isn’t even as clever or funny as later novels. 
 

A lot of Pratchett’s novels seem to end in quite a Deus Ex Machina fashion. They tend to introduce an issue, plod along with very little resolution and then in the final act it all comes together, when the main character does something fairly unexpected - often making a decision which seems paradoxical. 
 

Anyway, this is generally fine but if the humour and content of the plodding along bits is no good then it all falls apart a bit. 

It also sort of reinforces my idea that as much as I really enjoy Discworld novels, they rarely leave an impact. I seem to remember next to nothing of them in comparison to other books which I read long before the Discworld ones I’ve forgotten. 

 

I’ve got Sourcery next as it’s 99p on Kindle at the minute, but honestly don’t really like the Rincewind novels much. 

[joemul]

Station Eleven - I really enjoyed this. It was beautifully written. It did however end quote abruptly, I thought. It feels like a long short-story. 
 

I could easily envisage another book or two continuing this story. 

[Stopharage]

22. Notorious by Raphael Rowe. 

This guy is the presenter of ‘World’s Worst Prisons’ and the focus of the book is on his own imprisonment. It’s the recounting of how he was sent down for a murder that he didn’t commit and how he achieved justice. The Met Police come out of it as well as you’d probably expect. 

 

23. Theroux the Keyhole by Louis Theroux. 
Much better than his recent autobiography. Warts and all account of his pandemic existence and he comes across far more grounded and natural. 

 

24. Cultish by Amanda Montell. 
Looks into the background and existence of a variety of modern cults, including Scientology, Waco and MLMs. Interesting read. 

 

25. A Bit of a Stretch by Chris Atkins

Another ex-prisoner recounts his life whilst imprisoned. Sent down for exploiting a tax scheme, a British documentary maker is very much as fish out of water who has to embrace prison life. Rails against the lack of fishing, poor conditions and more. 

 

26. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead. 
A really well written crime potboiler. What it’s particularly great at doing is grounding you very much in the experiences of racial inequality in New York in the 60s. It’s educational as part of the plot, nothing feels shoehorned in. Recommended. 

 

27. The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman

Similar in style and tone to John Higgs’ writing. This recounting of the Nineties covers everything from Nirvana to Tab. Overwhelmingly based on the American experience, it’s an interesting and engaging read. Recommended. 

 

28. Barca by Simon Kuper. 
Account of Barca’s existence and unique status. Have written more about it in the football thread. 

 

29. The Premonition Bureau by Sam Hughes

Interesting subject matter, poor delivery. Thought this was all over the place and needed a decent editor to improve the flow and continuity of the writing. It’s the recounting of an organisation set up to monitor and assess the premonitions that various people have prior to disasters. Think it was somewhat of a missed opportunity. 
 

Spoiler

1. How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie.

2. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

3. Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain by Sathnam Sanghera

4. The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth

5. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

6. My Last Supper by Jay Rayner

7. How to be a RockStar by Shaun Ryder

8. Putin:Prisoner of Power by Misha Glenny

9. Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall

10. Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem and Russia's Remaking of the West by Luke Harding

11. Manifesto: How a Maverick Entrepreneur Took on British Energy and Won by Dale Vince

12. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

13. The Collector by John Fowles

14. Redemption by Troy Deeney

15. Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld

16. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

17. The Damned United by David Peace

18. Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney

19. How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

20. When the Dust Settles by Lucy Easthope
21. The Hidden Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

22. Notorious by Raphael Rowe

23. Theroux the Keyhole by Louis Theroux

24. Cultish by Amanda Montell

25. A Bit of a Stretch by Chris Atkins

26. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

27. The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman

28. Barca by Simon Kuper

29. The Premonition Bureau by Sam Hughes

 

[Jamie John]

A couple of holiday reads:

 

11/24 - H.P. Lovecraft, The Complete Fiction

 

 

I've been picking away at this for the last year or so, and although I've not read every single story in it, I've gone through all of the famous ones. My favourite was probably Colour of of Space - that one stands out as being particularly interesting and weird. Most of the others, while diverting, have been iterated on so much elsewhere now that they've lost some of their impact. Still, if I was reading these for the first time in the nineteen twenties and thirties then there would certainly be a lot of strange new ideas here. Shame about the appalling racism, however.

 

12/24 - Half a King, Joe Abercrombie 

 

 

Having enjoyed Abercrombie's other fantasy fiction, I thought I'd give this ago. I thought it was just the first in another saga set in a different fantasy universe, but really it's a book aimed at teenagers, with far less of the profanity and graphic violence that characterises his other work. It was fine, but pretty forgettable and quite by numbers as this sort of thing goes - a young king is usurped and has to reclaim his throne with the help of a ragtag fellowship. If I was still 14 years old then I'd imagine I would have loved it, but I won't bother with the sequels.

[Garwoofoo]

Just finished Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart.

 

Easily the bleakest book I've ever read. It's the story of a young boy growing up in the roughest parts of Glasgow in the 80s with his alcoholic mother, it's clearly at least partly autobiographical, and the subject matter makes it a very, very tough read. Two of the chapters here were among the most upsetting things I've ever read, and one of them kept me awake at night for hours after I read it.

 

It's also an absolute masterpiece. I hung on every word, desperately wanting a happy ending for these unflinchingly well-depicted characters. I would recommend it without question, but be aware of what you are getting into.

[little che]

On 13/08/2022 at 14:24, Garwoofoo said:

Just finished Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart.

 

Easily the bleakest book I've ever read. It's the story of a young boy growing up in the roughest parts of Glasgow in the 80s with his alcoholic mother, it's clearly at least partly autobiographical, and the subject matter makes it a very, very tough read. Two of the chapters here were among the most upsetting things I've ever read, and one of them kept me awake at night for hours after I read it.

 

It's also an absolute masterpiece. I hung on every word, desperately wanting a happy ending for these unflinchingly well-depicted characters. I would recommend it without question, but be aware of what you are getting into.

Yeah it's a grim classic all right. I very much enjoyed it but I can't see myself re-reading it as it is emotionally draining.

[Vimster]

11 - Fallout: Disaster, Lies and the Legacy of the Nuclear Age by Fred Pearce

One of the reviews on the Audible page for this book looking at the aftermath of various nuclear incidents complained it was not pro-nuclear enough, and frankly whilst I do my best to avoid confirmation bias this felt like an endorsement.

 

Spoiler

01 - Fever Of The Bone by Val McDermid

02 - Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music by Matt Anniss

03 - And Away by Bob Mortimer

04 - Die Trying by Lee Child

05 - A Fabulous Creation: How The LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth

06 - Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture by Simon Reynolds

07 - Who Owns England by Guy Shrubsole

08 - The Van by Roddy Doyle

09 - If Chins Could Kill: Confessions Of A B-Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell

10 - Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C Clarke

11 - Fallout: Disaster, Lies and the Legacy of the Nuclear Age by Fred Pearce

 

[Boothjan]

Spoiler

1. Emperor: The Death of Kings by Conn Iggulden - 8/10

2. Back From The Brink by Paul McGrath - 9.5/10

3. Nemesis Games by James S A Corey - 9/10

4. Love as Always, Mum by Mae West

5. I, Partridge by Alan Partridge - 9/10

6. One by Peter Schmeichel - 7/10

7. Diddly Squat: A Year on the Farm by Jeremy Clarkson - 7.5/10

8. Shackleton's Boat Journey by Frank Worsley - 9/10

9. Redemption by Troy Deeney - 8/10

10. The White Ship by Charles Spencer - 8.5/10

11. Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol by Steve Jones - 7/10

12. Being Elvis by Ray Connolly - 7/10

 

Holiday reading!

 

13. 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea by Jonathan Franklin

 

Extraordinary is definitely the word for this remarkable true story of Mexican fisherman Jose Alvarenga who was lost at sea for 14 months.  It's very interesting - throughout the book, Franklin also interviewed survival experts who explain exactly what would have been happening to Alvarenga's body, mental faculties etc as his ordeal progressed.  Alvarenga himself was interviewed at length, so the story is mainly survival from his point of view.

 

Definitely worth a read - I have no idea how on earth a human being can withstand such an experience and live to tell the tale!

 

8.5/10

 

14. Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden

 

See Star Wars: New Canon thread

 

9/10

 

15. The Auschwitz Photographer: The powerful true story of Wilhelm Brasse by Luca Crippa and Maurizio Onnis

 

This book is another dramatic and emotional memoir of an Auschwitz survivor, and is one I didn't know anything about previously.  When I visited the camp a few years ago, I remember seeing portrait after portrait of prisoners on the walls of the corridors.  What I didn't know was that these were all taken and processed by a single team of prisoners.  Wilhelm Brasse - a Polish prisoner - was in charge of this unit, as he was a talented photographer and developer.  The Nazis used his skills to document thousands of inmates (many of whom were of course murdered shortly afterwards).  

 

But these men were prisoners too, always fearing for their lives - this book tells the story of how they managed to get through their ordeal, whilst also helping fellow prisoners obtain food, before also helping resistance movements inside the camp.

 

8/10

 

16. Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn

 

See Star Wars: New Canon thread

 

8.5/10

[Stopharage]

30. Wilder Girls by Rory Power.

I had this on my Wishlist as it had been recommended in one of the various end of year articles. It's a slice of YA fiction in which a girls school on a small island of the US coast has to go into quarantine due to a toxin on the island. The toxin affects the girls in various ways and it's about the mystery of the toxin and the government's response to it. Easy enough read, central mystery relatively interesting and whilst the body horror is fairly mild it's well done. Very much a light read. 

 

31. Come Undone by Terri White

This is very much not a light read. It's the fairly brutal memoir of Terri White, editor-in-chief of Empire and is a warts-and-all account of her various sexual assaults, unforgiving upbringing and descent into addiction and self-destruction. She is candid throughout and honest about her flawed and destructive existence. Lots of discussion about self-harm, suicide and being institutionalised, so be aware of that before going in. Have since found out that this is being adapted for TV with Billie Piper in the main role. An illuminating read rather than an enjoyable one. 

 

32. Kicking Back by Nedum Onouha

Autobiography of the ex-footballer, now podcaster and pundit. He's an erudite and interesting guy, with some blunt views and principles that he champions throughout. He's brutally honest in his appraisals of various famous football figures, including Mancini, Redknapp, Sven and Joey Barton. Clearly has his head screwed on and can see beyond the curtain to have a refreshing take on the ridiculousness of top class football and its trappings. 

Spoiler

1. How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie.

2. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

3. Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain by Sathnam Sanghera

4. The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth

5. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

6. My Last Supper by Jay Rayner

7. How to be a RockStar by Shaun Ryder

8. Putin:Prisoner of Power by Misha Glenny

9. Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall

10. Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem and Russia's Remaking of the West by Luke Harding

11. Manifesto: How a Maverick Entrepreneur Took on British Energy and Won by Dale Vince

12. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

13. The Collector by John Fowles

14. Redemption by Troy Deeney

15. Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld

16. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

17. The Damned United by David Peace

18. Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney

19. How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

20. When the Dust Settles by Lucy Easthope
21. The Hidden Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

22. Notorious by Raphael Rowe

23. Theroux the Keyhole by Louis Theroux

24. Cultish by Amanda Montell

25. A Bit of a Stretch by Chris Atkins

26. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

27. The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman

28. Barca by Simon Kuper

29. The Premonition Bureau by Sam Hughes

30. Wilder Girls by Rory Power

31. Come Undone by Terri White

32. Kicking Back by Nedum Onouha

 

[Miner Willy]

37. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. Bought in an Audible sale despite suspecting it wasn't the kind of thing I'd like. And it wasn't. I appreciate others will have different perspectives, but I just don't get this kind of nothingy, light hearted fluff. It isn't terrible or anything, but just seems completely pointless to me. (Yes, I'm a grump).
36. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Strangely, I've never read this before. Incredible that it was written almost a hundred years ago.
35. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel. Oh man, I loved this.
34. How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu. Yeah, I loved this too.
33. Pachinko by Min-jin Lee. Not sure when or why I bought this, or what I was thinking when I did. I thought it was... OK.
32. When the Dust Settles: Stories of Love, Loss and Hope from an Expert in Disaster by Lucy Easthope. Recommended on here I think. I thought it was fascinating.
31. Eight Months on Ghazzah Street by Hilary Mantel. My first Mantel after reading the Wolf Hall trilogy. Very different of course, but probably anything by Mantel is worth reading - and this is.

 

Previously:

 

Spoiler

37. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
36. Brave New World
35. Sea of Tranquility
34. How High We Go in the Dark
33. Pachinko
32. When the Dust Settles: Stories of Love, Loss and Hope from an Expert in Disaster
31. Eight Months on Ghazzah Street

30.Earth Abides

29. Featherhood

28. Great Circle

27. The Secret Commonwealth

26. La Belle Sauvage

25. The Future we Choose

24. The Amber Spyglass

23. Lonely Castle in the Mirror

22. The Subtle Knife

21. Northern Lights

20. Notes from the Burning Age

19. Spike

18. The New Jim Crow

17. Empire of Pain

16. The Brave Athlete

15. Ball Lightning

14. Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwarfare

13. The Chysalids

12. The Border

11. Inverted World

10. The Mirror & the Light

9. To Kill a Mockingbird

8. Ghost Wall

7. The Cartel

6. Bring Up the Bodies

5. The New Climate War

4. Death's End

3. The Children of Men

2. Neuromancer

1. The Sleeping Beauties

 

[RubberJohnny]

Termination Shock - Neal Stephenson's recent output has been hit or miss for me, but this one was a return to form. It's very 2021, there's some stuff about social distancing and so on which is rather dated only a year later given we've all quietly and collectively decided to not give a shit, but it's also about the defining thing of now, the discourse. Suddenly there's a new political idea, the implications of that, the immediate polarisation into tribes around the issue with unusual bedfellows and so on, and yet this is all delivered through sort of globetrotting real-world technothriller trappings, which works well. It's shorter than his regular novels, coming in at under a thousand pages and even the ending is better than his usual ones. Would absolutely recommend.

 

Spoiler

I was slightly disappointed the B-plot about the group representing all India's demographics going into the mountains to fight the Chinese the moment they'd even heard of an injustice didn't end up with them liberating the Xingjiang Muslims there building a dam to block the rivers of the Punjab and control all of India. There was the potential for an incredible cheesy and yet feelgood action movie plot there, but it swerves.

 

[little che]

Notes on an execution by Danya Kukafka

The story of a man in his last few hours on death row and the events that led him there . It moves back and forth from his childhood and visits the family of one of his victims and the cop that spends years trying to get him.

My description sounds inane and makes the book seem very run of the mill, but it was excellent. It at various points made you feel sorry for the protagonist which is no mean feat and I'd thoroughly recommend

 

Under the banner of heaven by Jon Krakauer 

The same author that wrote Into the wild which was made into a great film, this is a non fiction account of a truly shocking crime in the Mormon community and is a good account of the early years of the Church of the Latter day saints ...I confess I didn't realise that their early years were so drenched in blood (both theirs and gentiles )..this was extremely eye opening and in some ways reminded me of a modern day In cold blood. Again, recommended 

 

 

[Miner Willy]

1 hour ago, little che said:

Notes on an execution by Danya Kukafka

The story of a man in his last few hours on death row and the events that led him there . It moves back and forth from his childhood and visits the family of one of his victims and the cop that spends years trying to get him.

My description sounds inane and makes the book seem very run of the mill, but it was excellent. It at various points made you feel sorry for the protagonist which is no mean feat and I'd thoroughly recommend

 

Under the banner of heaven by Jon Krakauer 

The same author that wrote Into the wild which was made into a great film, this is a non fiction account of a truly shocking crime in the Mormon community and is a good account of the early years of the Church of the Latter day saints ...I confess I didn't realise that their early years were so drenched in blood (both theirs and gentiles )..this was extremely eye opening and in some ways reminded me of a modern day In cold blood. Again, recommended 

 

 

 

Krakauer's Into Thin Air is great if you've not read that.

 

[Jamie John]

2 hours ago, Miner Willy said:

 

Krakauer's Into Thin Air is great if you've not read that.

 

 

😱

 

13/24 - Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer

 

 

Weird.

 

Yes, this was indeed great. Harrowing and heart breaking at times, as you might expect. I really enjoyed Into the Wild by Krakauer as well, so I'll check out Under the Banner of Heaven.

[rumbletum]

19 minutes ago, Jamie John said:

 

 

Yes, this was indeed great. Harrowing and heart breaking at times, as you might expect. I really enjoyed Into the Wild by Krakauer as well, so I'll check out Under the Banner of Heaven.

 

its 99p on Kindle at the moment

 

[lolly]

All The Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy.

 

1st part of his border trilogy, will work my way through the other two presently, if you're a fan of McCarthy you'll most likely enjoy this , I am so I did.Not quite as bleak as Blood Meridian or The Road.

 

Of Mice And Men-  John Steinbeck.

 

I did not enjoy this, though (obviously)I don't think that's the point, it is an 120 page  exercise in building tension and masterfully done.  Absolutely recommended.

 

[Miner Willy]

3 hours ago, lolly said:

All The Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy.

 

1st part of his border trilogy, will work my way through the other two presently, if you're a fan of McCarthy you'll most likely enjoy this , I am so I did.Not quite as bleak as Blood Meridian or The Road.

 

Of Mice And Men-  John Steinbeck.

 

I did not enjoy this, though (obviously)I don't think that's the point, it is an 120 page  exercise in building tension and masterfully done.  Absolutely recommended.

 

 

I loved all of the border trilogy. As I recall, I thought the second and third were even better then the first one. 

[ZOK]

All the Border trilogy novels are amazing.

 

Also @lolly, if you enjoy those (and you will!) and you’ve not read it, check out Butcher’s Crossing by John Williams too, it is similar and also fantastic. I sort of think of it as a precursor to Blood Meridian.

[little che]

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris. All of his novels are extremely readable and this is no exception. It’s about the hunt for the Regicides who signed Charles I death warrant after Cromwell died and the monarchy restored. It focuses on two men who escape to America with an extremely motivated Regicide hunter on their tails. The way he describes 1660s America and the Puritan life is excellent and I highly recommend it.

[Boothjan]

Spoiler

1. Emperor: The Death of Kings by Conn Iggulden - 8/10

2. Back From The Brink by Paul McGrath - 9.5/10

3. Nemesis Games by James S A Corey - 9/10

4. Love as Always, Mum by Mae West

5. I, Partridge by Alan Partridge - 9/10

6. One by Peter Schmeichel - 7/10

7. Diddly Squat: A Year on the Farm by Jeremy Clarkson - 7.5/10

8. Shackleton's Boat Journey by Frank Worsley - 9/10

9. Redemption by Troy Deeney - 8/10

10. The White Ship by Charles Spencer - 8.5/10

11. Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol by Steve Jones - 7/10

12. Being Elvis by Ray Connolly - 7/10

13. 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea by Jonathan Franklin - 8.5/10

14. Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden - 9/10

15. The Auschwitz Photographer: The powerful true story of Wilhelm Brasse by Luca Crippa and Maurizio Onnis - 8/10

16. Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn - 8.5/10

 

17. Sea of Thieves: Heart of Fire by Chris Allcock

 

See the Sea of Thieves thread in the main discussion forum

 

8/10

[Anne Summers]

Just read The River of Time by Jon Swain.

It's a book I've had on my shelf and been meaning to read for years. Absolutely amazing account of his time in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in the 70s during the wars and revolutions going on there. One of the best first-hand accounts I've ever read of the meaninglessness of war and the horrible things it does to people and makes them do. I think it hit home harder as I've been reading it while travelling around SE Asia and meeting people who lived through those times themselves - it's hard to believe it only took place a few years before I was born as the behaviour and situations it describes seem medieval from my 21st century viewpoint. There's a chapter called the Eyes of Vietnam where he talks about a certain look that Vietnamese people who went through hell, seeing their families massacred in front of them and other horrible things like that, have in their eyes. You can still see it today. 

[lolly]

The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monserrat

 

Semi fictional account of convoys in the North Atlantic  from  from 1935 to 1945.  Sounds like cold, unglamorous , dangerous and difficult work that took a heavy toll on the men  that had to undertake it. A solid read and has a reasonable pace about it throughout , only slows down a bit towards the end of the war as it winds down itself. It's a reasonable companion piece to Iron Coffins which is a factual account from a U-boat captain's perspective.