What books did you read in 2023?

[Miner Willy]

First update of the year. With hindsight I appear to have spent the start of 2023 reading and listening to a collection of the most depressing and upsetting books imaginable:

 

1. My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World's Deadliest Migration Route by Sally Hayden. Well, this is one of the bleakest, most awful things I've ever read. Great, but so depressing and grim.

2. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney. It was decent enough. Probably I'd say better than Conversations With Friends, but not close to Normal People.

3. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. As good as it is, I didn't really enjoy the first half especially, as it was just so bleak. There was one particular point where a character did something that actually made me shout "no!" out loud - it's really powerful stuff.

4. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. I noticed my favourite sci-fi book was free on Audible. It's still great.

5. The Fault in our Stars by John Green. Two teenagers suffering from cancer find love. Well written, but predictably upsetting.

6. The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State by Nadia Murad. A pretty incredible (true) story. Again, extremely grim reading.

7. The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland. True story of a guy who broke out of Auschwitch to warn the world what was happening there. A fascinating story, but obviously this is another bleak and upsetting topic.

8. The Gunslinger by Stephen King. I read The Stand a couple of years back and absolutely loved it, so been meaning to read the Dark Tower books. To be honest I didn't like this anywhere near as much, and am now not sure about going further with this series.

9. Doughut Economics by Kate Raworth. I know next to nothing about economics, but this was interesting and seemed like a sensible way to think about issues such as redistribution of wealth and climate change.

 

Time to read something lighter, I think.

[Timmo]

5 hours ago, Miner Willy said:

8. The Gunslinger by Stephen King. I read The Stand a couple of years back and absolutely loved it, so been meaning to read the Dark Tower books. To be honest I didn't like this anywhere near as much, and am now not sure about going further with this series.

 

 

I'm halfway through the final book and couldn't recommend it to be honest. Half of the books are great but half are middling.

[Jamie John]

2 hours ago, Timmo said:

 

I'm halfway through the final book and couldn't recommend it to be honest. Half of the books are great but half are middling.

 

Agreed - having read all seven, the series starts to rapidly downhill after book three. I did enjoy the first three books, however, although I read them all when I was an impressionable early 20-something, so my tastes may well have changed.

[Jamie John]

3. Carpe Jugulum, Terry Pratchett (1998)

 

 

This was quite funny in places, but, like a lot of the Discworld novels, quite difficult to visualise in places and tell what was actually happening. Quite often when I read Pratchett I feel like he's spinning so many plates at the same time that it's a task for the reader to keep track of all the different scenes that are occurring concurrently, especially if you're reading it in sporadic bursts. His better novels are the ones where the scope is more narrow, I think, with fewer characters.

 

Read in 2023:

 

Spoiler

1. The Gentle Parenting Book, Sarah Ockwell-Smith (2016)

2. The Silence of the Girls, Pat Barker (2018)

3. Carpe Jugulum, Terry Pratchett (1998)

[Iain]

5. Rommel? Gunner Who?: A Confrontation in the Desert - Spike Milligan

The second of Spike Milligan's war memoirs, this volume covers his time fighting in Algeria. Much of the humour from the first book is maintained in this one although there are also some more sober writings such as where he mentions the horror of seeing men he knew killed after a German attack. The one thing that needs mentioned though is some of the racist language used in this book. I'm not going to say if he was racist or if he was just using language of the time but it does come as a shock when it appears.

[smac]

Yeah, it's of its era - Spike and race relations is a tricky subject.

[instasis]

1. Kings Of A Dead World

 

Interesting kinda post-apocalyptic dystopian novel that's a little bit too on the nose really. I quite enjoyed it but it did not quite stick the landing.

 

2. The Cabin At The End Of The World

 

I absolutely loved this, and thought it was brilliant. It very much stuck the landing!

 

3. Salvation City

 

I did not love this. Written in 2010, it predicts the pandemic we just had and then does some other really lightweight stuff with it. Not good.

[Spleen]

Thought I'd keep track now as I've just started reading books again after not bothering for ages.

Probably no reviews by me, but helpful scores. Ha.

 

1. The Girl With All The Gifts. MR Carey 9

Great start to the year, tried watching the film but it just seems weird.

Story wise it bares a strong resemblance to The Last of Us.

  
2. The Silent Patient. Alex Michaelides 8

Cool murder mystery, nice twist at the end. Easy read.

3. The Holiday. TM Logan 5

Giant cock tease story, it all seems to happen right at the end.

4. Artemis. Andy Weir 8

I didn't have a problem with this like other, enjoyed the main character and writing style.

5. How To Kill Your Family. Bella Mackie 8

Another job murder book. Enjoyable.

6. We Begin at the End. Chris Whitaker 10

This was brilliant I thought, excellent characters and story.

7. All The Wicked Girls. Chris Whitaker 9

Almost on a par with the previous book.

8. The Midwife of Auschwitz. Anna Stuart 9

Harrowing and yet inspiring. The things people go though are crazy. It's a mad time.

9. Don't Go Back. Mark West. 8

Not bad, not bad. Another murder mystery.

10. The Remains of the Day. Kazuo Ishiguro 10

I read this after @QuackQuack said it was his favourite book. Yes, it's brilliant. I feel so sad for Stevens.

11. The Catch. TM Logan. 7

Better than his previous book I read, which isn't saying much. Set around Nottingham where I used to live and mentions the place Beeston where I used to work, so that's extra plus points.

12. Light of the Jedi. Charles Soule. 8

Started reading the Darth Plagueis book but only got 20% through before the made up names and lore became too much for me. This was much better I thought, I guess I'll have to read the others in this series.

 

 

Currently reading: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. This seems great so far. Set in the videogame world as well, so it would be loved here.

[Boothjan]

Spoiler

1. A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin - 9/10

 

2. Reckless by Chrissie Hynde

 

I was a bit disappointed by this autobiography - it's not the most cohesive of memoirs, the voice in my head was very much a drug addled diatribe.  I was also a bit disappointed that the book finishes after the Pretenders' first album and subsequent tour.  Hynde is such an iconic figure - I wanted to know more about her life after she became famous, although it was an interesting enough tale building up to her hitting the big time in London.  

 

Unspectacular but didn't take long to get through.

 

6/10

[instasis]

4. Day Of Ascension

 

A WH40k novel written by an author who doesn't just do WH40k novels? HERESY! However, it's really very good. I liked that it takes two factions (Genestealer Cults, Adeptus Mechanicus) and makes them accessible. It lowers the universe specific techno-babble nonsense to such a point that the story is accessible without decades of reading the lore. It also satirises the factions and the context better than most; despite best efforts, I feel that sometimes gets lost as the virtues of brotherhood amongst super soldiers are explored.

 

I really enjoyed it; all the main parties were sympathetic but ultimately deluded in their actions, it's well paced and it's a good setup to go and explore more.

[Stopharage]

8. Exit Stage Left by Nick Duerden. 
The curious afterlife of pop stars. It’s various tales of pop stars as they’ve faded into obscurity and also tells of those who’ve had great longevity or who rose from the ashes of their previous success. 
 

What makes this so great is the sheer range of stars that feature and not in a stolen quote here or there but decent interviews that inform and entertain. Shaun Ryder, Robbie Williams, Billy Bragg, Suzanne Vega, Leo Sayer, Lisa Maffia, KLF and many more are all featured. 
 

It’s mostly British artists or various genres and even the ones you’re not that interested in prove engaging. Recommended. 4/5. 
 

Spoiler

This Much Is True by Miriam Margolyes

Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon

6. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton

Good Pop Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker

The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis

Dead In The Water by Matthew Campbell & Kit Chellel

3. The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers

The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland

A Ladder In The Sky by John Boyne

4. Rogues by Patrick Madden Keefe

The Game by Micah Richards

Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Exhalation By Ted Chiang

The Devil And The Dark Water by Stuart Turton

Empire Of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

The Ministry Of The Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

Puckoon by Spike Milligan

One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky

There Is No Antimetics Division by qntm

The Miracle Pill by Peter Walker

All About Me by Mel Brooks

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

In The Garden Of The Beasts by Erik Larson

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

Sea Of Tranquility by Emily St Mandel

Nothing But The Truth by The Secret Barrister

The Fourth Turning by William Strauss & Neil Howe

Managing Expectations by Minnie Driver

Meantime by Frankie Boyle

1. Expected Goals by Rory Smith

8. Exit Stage Left: The Curious Afterlife of Pop Stars by Nick Duerden

How To Be Perfect by Michael Schur

Lost Connections by Johann Hari

Chasing The Scream by Johann Hari

7. Maybe I Don’t Belong Here by David Harewood

The Little Friend by Donna Tarrt

2. The Every by Dave Eggers

5. Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me - Various, including Stephen Colbert

 

[Spleen]

 

13. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. 10

I thought this book was excellent. Certainly helps that it's set in the classic videogame world.

Sadie's actions at times were annoying and Sam came across a little bit like Stevens in Remains of the Day but the entire story was great

 

I'm now reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

 

Spoiler

1. The Girl With All The Gifts. MR Carey 9

Great start to the year, tried watching the film but it just seems weird.

Story wise it bares a strong resemblance to The Last of Us.

  
2. The Silent Patient. Alex Michaelides 8

Cool murder mystery, nice twist at the end. Easy read.

3. The Holiday. TM Logan 5

Giant cock tease story, it all seems to happen right at the end.

4. Artemis. Andy Weir 8

I didn't have a problem with this like other, enjoyed the main character and writing style.

5. How To Kill Your Family. Bella Mackie 8

Another job murder book. Enjoyable.

6. We Begin at the End. Chris Whitaker 10

This was brilliant I thought, excellent characters and story.

7. All The Wicked Girls. Chris Whitaker 9

Almost on a par with the previous book.

8. The Midwife of Auschwitz. Anna Stuart 9

Harrowing and yet inspiring. The things people go though are crazy. It's a mad time.

9. Don't Go Back. Mark West. 8

Not bad, not bad. Another murder mystery.

10. The Remains of the Day. Kazuo Ishiguro 10

I read this after @QuackQuack said it was his favourite book. Yes, it's brilliant. I feel so sad for Stevens.

11. The Catch. TM Logan. 7

Better than his previous book I read, which isn't saying much. Set around Nottingham where I used to live and mentions the place Beeston where I used to work, so that's extra plus points.

12. Light of the Jedi. Charles Soule. 8

Started reading the Darth Plagueis book but only got 20% through before the made up names and lore became too much for me. This was much better I thought, I guess I'll have to read the others in this series.

[Vimster]

3. Paul MacCartney The Biography by Philip Norman - huge and very detailed biography of the ex-Beatle which whilst not official does have his tacit approval. Naturally concentrates most on his time in The Beatles and the Wings era, tailing off somewhat in the 80s, the 2000s being almost entirely about his rocky marriage to Heather Mills.

 

 

Spoiler

1. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

2. Apocalypse On The Set by Matt Taylor

3. Paul MacCartney The Biography by Philip Norman

 

[Iain]

6. The Last Day - Andrew Hunter Murray

Set 30 years after the Earth has stopped rotating so parts of the planet are in constant sun and other constant darkness. The UK lies in a twilight part which is essentially a goldilocks zone to allow people to live there. While the descriptions of life in this post apocalypse are generally well written, and the UK has an immigration policy that Suella Braverman can only dream of, the main story is of an ocean scientist trying to uncover a hidden truth from one of her old university professors. This is what lets the book down, as the protagonist generally finds clues with the most incredible luck, and behaves in a manner that at times can be flat out annoying. Bang average.

[joemul]

On 17/02/2023 at 15:18, Pelekophoros said:

 

2. The Cabin At The End Of The World

 

I absolutely loved this, and thought it was brilliant. It very much stuck the landing!

 

.

I picked this up but thought it was awful. The premise is interesting but the writing style is so bad it sucks any tension out of the plot. I genuinely thought it was one of those self published Amazon efforts. 
 

Others may well like it but it’s not for me. 

[Spleen]

Station Eleven. Emily St. John Mandel. 10
A book set in a post apocalyptic world after a flu wipes out 99% of the population. Brilliantly written story that follows multiple people both before the flu took hold, during it and after. Focusing mainly on a traveling Symphony that moves from town to town putting on Shakespeare/playing music and also the life of Arthur Leander and the people around him. As they say in the book, survival is insufficient (I know it's from Star Trek). I guess I've have to watch the series now.

Lost in Time. A.G. Riddle. 9
A book about time travel, murder mystery and the group of six initial inventers of Absolom (the time travel device) and their families. Really good story, well written with quite short chapters so it doesn't stay with one person for long, which is good. Even though it's about time travel, it isn't that confusing, which they can be if you really think about them. An excellent read, positively zipped by. It's also got dinosaurs in it, everyone loves dinosaurs.

 

I'm now reading Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber.

 

Spoiler

1. The Girl With All The Gifts. MR Carey 9

Great start to the year, tried watching the film but it just seems weird.

Story wise it bares a strong resemblance to The Last of Us.

  
2. The Silent Patient. Alex Michaelides 8

Cool murder mystery, nice twist at the end. Easy read.

3. The Holiday. TM Logan 5

Giant cock tease story, it all seems to happen right at the end.

4. Artemis. Andy Weir 8

I didn't have a problem with this like other, enjoyed the main character and writing style.

5. How To Kill Your Family. Bella Mackie 8

Another job murder book. Enjoyable.

6. We Begin at the End. Chris Whitaker 10

This was brilliant I thought, excellent characters and story.

7. All The Wicked Girls. Chris Whitaker 9

Almost on a par with the previous book.

8. The Midwife of Auschwitz. Anna Stuart 9

Harrowing and yet inspiring. The things people go though are crazy. It's a mad time.

9. Don't Go Back. Mark West. 8

Not bad, not bad. Another murder mystery.

10. The Remains of the Day. Kazuo Ishiguro 10

I read this after @QuackQuack said it was his favourite book. Yes, it's brilliant. I feel so sad for Stevens.

11. The Catch. TM Logan. 7

Better than his previous book I read, which isn't saying much. Set around Nottingham where I used to live and mentions the place Beeston where I used to work, so that's extra plus points.

12. Light of the Jedi. Charles Soule. 8

Started reading the Darth Plagueis book but only got 20% through before the made up names and lore became too much for me. This was much better I thought, I guess I'll have to read the others in this series.

 

13. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. 10

I thought this book was excellent. Certainly helps that it's set in the classic videogame world.

Sadie's actions at times were annoying and Sam came across a little bit like Stevens in Remains of the Day but the entire story was great

 

 

[QuackQuack]

5. Strong Female Character - Fern Brady

 

A book by the comedian on being an autistic woman.

I’m not sure I could recommend it. It was relentlessly grim in her university years and I didn’t think much of the prose. 

 

If you wanted to get most of the story you can listen to the recent RHLSTP with her.

[Stopharage]

10 hours ago, QuackQuack said:

5. Strong Female Character - Fern Brady

 

A book by the comedian on being an autistic woman.

I’m not sure I could recommend it. It was relentlessly grim in her university years and I didn’t think much of the prose. 

 

If you wanted to get most of the story you can listen to the recent RHLSTP with her.

Thanks for this, I was in 2 minds as to whether to get it, so will give it a miss. 

 

 

[Boothjan]

Spoiler

1. A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin - 9/10

2. Reckless by Chrissie Hynde - 6/10

 

3. Star Wars: Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn

 

See Star Wars thread

 

9.5/10

[Iain]

7. Windswept & Interesting: My Autobiography - Billy Connolly

Biography dictated by the Big Yin himself before being transcribed by his family, this gives the life story of one of the finest comedians ever. As can be expected it is hilarious in parts but also goes into darker territory as he recalls a terrible childhood both at home and at school. As he has dictated this it can read almost like one of his performances where he basically just starts giving anecdotes about his life. Recommended for those who aspire to have a windswept and interesting life.

[Spleen]

Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber. 10
A book about ants, humans and how the former live. This is a great book, the detail of goes into when dealing with the ants is amazing, the humans are secondary. It also contains detailed ant and snail sex, which is something I never thought I'd read about. Just when it was looking like both species could live in harmony the humans ruined it, which seems par for the course.

 

I'm now reading Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker. I loved his other two books so I have high hopes for this one.

 

Spoiler

1. The Girl With All The Gifts. MR Carey 9

Great start to the year, tried watching the film but it just seems weird.

Story wise it bares a strong resemblance to The Last of Us.

  
2. The Silent Patient. Alex Michaelides 8

Cool murder mystery, nice twist at the end. Easy read.

3. The Holiday. TM Logan 5

Giant cock tease story, it all seems to happen right at the end.

4. Artemis. Andy Weir 8

I didn't have a problem with this like other, enjoyed the main character and writing style.

5. How To Kill Your Family. Bella Mackie 8

Another job murder book. Enjoyable.

6. We Begin at the End. Chris Whitaker 10

This was brilliant I thought, excellent characters and story.

7. All The Wicked Girls. Chris Whitaker 9

Almost on a par with the previous book.

8. The Midwife of Auschwitz. Anna Stuart 9

Harrowing and yet inspiring. The things people go though are crazy. It's a mad time.

9. Don't Go Back. Mark West. 8

Not bad, not bad. Another murder mystery.

10. The Remains of the Day. Kazuo Ishiguro 10

I read this after @QuackQuack said it was his favourite book. Yes, it's brilliant. I feel so sad for Stevens.

11. The Catch. TM Logan. 7

Better than his previous book I read, which isn't saying much. Set around Nottingham where I used to live and mentions the place Beeston where I used to work, so that's extra plus points.

12. Light of the Jedi. Charles Soule. 8

Started reading the Darth Plagueis book but only got 20% through before the made up names and lore became too much for me. This was much better I thought, I guess I'll have to read the others in this series.

 

13. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. 10

I thought this book was excellent. Certainly helps that it's set in the classic videogame world.

Sadie's actions at times were annoying and Sam came across a little bit like Stevens in Remains of the Day but the entire story was great

 

14. Station Eleven. Emily St. John Mandel. 10
A book set in a post apocalyptic world after a flu wipes out 99% of the population. Brilliantly written story that follows multiple people both before the flu took hold, during it and after. Focusing mainly on a traveling Symphony that moves from town to town putting on Shakespeare/playing music and also the life of Arthur Leander and the people around him. As they say in the book, survival is insufficient (I know it's from Star Trek). I guess I've have to watch the series now.

15. Lost in Time. A.G. Riddle. 9
A book about time travel, murder mystery and the group of six initial inventers of Absolom (the time travel device) and their families. Really good story, well written with quite short chapters so it doesn't stay with one person for long, which is good. Even though it's about time travel, it isn't that confusing, which they can be if you really think about them. An excellent read, positively zipped by. It's also got dinosaurs in it, everyone loves dinosaurs

 

[Vimster]

4. Close To The Bone by Stuart Macbride - 8th Logan McRae crime novel, yes it has a decent enough yarn, some good laughs and all the regular characters are there, plus a few others return, but it's getting a bit too familiar now. 

 

Spoiler

1. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

2. Apocalypse On The Set by Matt Taylor

3. Paul MacCartney The Biography by Philip Norman

4. Close To The Bone by Stuart Macbride

 

[Fitzcarraldo]

February

 

05. Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)

Well, it's March and if I read a better (new to me) book it's going to be a good year. Follows a young, black woman in '30s America through various marriages and life events, as she tries to carve out a life of her own, resisting cultural and societal expectations the whole way. I loved the book for the first-half and, after some major plot points, wondered where it could go for another 150-pages. It actually gets better. There's something profound, poignant or funny happening on every page. Just beautiful.

 

06. Springs of Affection (Maeve Brennan)

Originally published in the early '90s, this was re-released last month (possibly for the first time in the UK?). It's a collection of short stories about women living in Ireland, navigating a world not built for them to thrive beyond the walls of their homes. I really enjoyed this – Brennan is great at depicting the banalities of life, its disappointments and the way relationships fade and grow stale. I was sad to read that Brennan died before this was published. It sucks that a woman this talented didn't become a huge deal. If you like The Dubliners then I'd be surprised if you didn't get something out of Springs of Affection.

 

07. Last Argument of Kings (Joe Abercrombie)

Been meaning to get to this final book in the trilogy for a while. Not as consistent as Before They Are Hanged, but its high points are about on par with anything in that, making it comfortably the second best of the three books. I didn't like Jezal's arc at all and I never did come round to the Bloody Nine character, but Abercrombie created a compelling world full of interesting characters with this trilogy. Prose-wise, a nice 'easy' read to go alongside the other novels this month. I know there are standalone books in the universe, but I doubt I'll get to them soon.

 

08. Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)

Another collection of short stories and another novel about how much it sucks to be a women. As with a lot of short story collections, the quality varies, but at around 200-pages it's an easy recommend because the good stories are worth it.

 

In my last post I mentioned reading more upbeat stuff and I failed. Maybe this month?

Spoiler

01. Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)

02. Chronicle of a Death Foretold (Gabriel García Márquez)

03. Chess (Stefan Zweig)

04. Jazz (Toni Morrison)

05. Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)

06. Springs of Affection (Maeve Brennan)

07. Last Argument of Kings (Joe Abercrombie)

08. Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)

 

[Chthonic Boom]

6. Midnight's Children by Salmon Rushdie

The life story of a man born at midnight on the day when India became independent, and how his life parallels that of India itself. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I'd been aware of Salmon Rushdie from the fatwa stuff since I was young, and I always had him pegged as quite a Serious Author writing Serious Books for Serious People. It was actually a lot more playful and fun in the writing than I'd expected. I think I'd enjoy it more on a second reading now that I know what to expect, but at 650 pages I don't think I'll be doing that any time soon.

 

 

Read in 2023:

 

Spoiler

1. The Mirror and the Light by Hillary Mantel

2. The End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan

3. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

4. Babel by R. F. Kuang
5. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

6. Midnight's Children by Salmon Rushdie

 

[Boothjan]

Spoiler

1. A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin - 9/10

2. Reckless by Chrissie Hynde - 6/10

3. Star Wars: Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn - 9.5/10

 

4. The Game: Player. Pundit. Fan by Micah Richards

 

Unspectacular but readable autobiography of the former Man City and England defender - quite interesting in places, but isn't a patch on the better offerings from the likes of Paul McGrath and Pat Nevin which I'd recomend over this any day of the week.  Always liked Richards when he was at his heights as a player and I find his positivity quite endearing as a pundit (YMMV of course). 

 

Still, it was only 99p in a Kindle deal and it was enjoyable enough so I can't complain.

 

7/10

[Stopharage]

3 hours ago, Boothjan said:

  Reveal hidden contents

1. A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin - 9/10

2. Reckless by Chrissie Hynde - 6/10

3. Star Wars: Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn - 9.5/10

 

4. The Game: Player. Pundit. Fan by Micah Richards

 

Unspectacular but readable autobiography of the former Man City and England defender - quite interesting in places, but isn't a patch on the better offerings from the likes of Paul McGrath and Pat Nevin which I'd recomend over this any day of the week.  Always liked Richards when he was at his heights as a player and I find his positivity quite endearing as a pundit (YMMV of course). 

 

Still, it was only 99p in a Kindle deal and it was enjoyable enough so I can't complain.

 

7/10

I've just finished that too. 9. The Game - Micah Richards. Would have to agree with that review. However, I was sick to death of him dropping 'Youngest defender to ever play for England' in every single chapter. That's some achievement but after the 3rd time I'd got the message. Anyway, comes across as a decent guy who pretty circumspect about how injury ravaged the end if his career. Decent enough but Nedum Onouha's recent books was far superior and more intellectually challenging. 7/10

 

I also reread 10. Lord of the Flies - William Golding. This was largely due to my eldest studying at school and wanted to be able to help him with his revision. Thing I'll get more out of analysing the themes etc. than I did from reading through it but that's in part due to familiarity. 6/10

Spoiler

1. Expected Goals by Rory Smith

2. The Every by Dave Eggers

3. The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers

4. Rogues by Patrick Madden Keefe

5. Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me - Various, including Stephen Colbert

6. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

7. Maybe I Don’t Belong Here by David Harewood

8. Exit Stage Left: The Curious Afterlife of Pop Stars by Nick Duerden

9. The Game by Micah Richards

10. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

 

Currently reading:

Mickey 7 by Edward AshtonSwan Song by Robert R. McCammon

 

Scheduled for this year:

Good Pop Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker

The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis

Dead In The Water by Matthew Campbell & Kit Chellel

The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland

A Ladder In The Sky by John Boyne

The Game by Micah Richards

Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Exhalation By Ted Chiang

The Devil And The Dark Water by Stuart Turton

Empire Of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

The Ministry Of The Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

Puckoon by Spike Milligan

One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky

There Is No Antimetics Division by qntm

The Miracle Pill by Peter Walker

All About Me by Mel Brooks

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

In The Garden Of The Beasts by Erik Larson

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

Sea Of Tranquility by Emily St Mandel

Nothing But The Truth by The Secret Barrister

The Fourth Turning by William Strauss & Neil Howe

Managing Expectations by Minnie Driver

Meantime by Frankie Boyle

How To Be Perfect by Michael Schur

Lost Connections by Johann Hari

Chasing The Scream by Johann Hari

The Little Friend by Donna Tarrt

 

[Spleen]

Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker. 9
A book about the mysterious disappearance of a child and small town secrets. Not as good as We Begin at the End by the same author, but almost. The characters are all excellently defined and the writing style is very easy to read, you certainly get a feel for living in a small town in America. A good ending that wrapped up all of the plot threads nicely.

 

Now reading Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

A fictional account of a band for the 70's. I started it after watching the first three episodes on Amazon Prime but they're released weekly now and I couldn't wait.

 

Spoiler

Empire of the Ants. Bernard Werber. 10
Lost in Time. A.G. Riddle. 9
Station Eleven. Emily St. John Mandel. 10
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Gabrielle Zevin. 10
Light of the Jedi. Charles Soule. 8
The Catch. TM Logan. 7
The Remains of the Day. Kazuo Ishiguro. 10
Don't Go Back. Mark West. 8
The Midwife of Auschwitz. Anna Stuart. 9
All The Wicked Girls. Chris Whitaker. 8
We Begin at the End. Chris Whitaker. 10
How To Kill Your Family. Bella Mackie. 8
Artemis. Andy Weir. 8
The Holiday. TM Logan. 5
The Silent Patient. Alex Michaelides. 8
The Girl With All The Gifts. MR Carey. 9

 

[Vimster]

5. Dark Alliance: The CIA, The Contras and the Crack Cocaine Explosion by Gary Webb - Book based on a series of articles from 1996 about the contras involvement with cocaine dealing to fund their opposition the Sandinistas, how this fed into the rapid rise in the crack cocaine epidemic and links with the CIA who were stated to protect some of the major players. It's a very complex tale and the book goes into a lot of detail. This is the revised edition which includes a chapter where Webb talks about the reaction to his original investigations and addresses criticisms of it. 

 

Spoiler

1. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

2. Apocalypse On The Set by Matt Taylor

3. Paul MacCartney The Biography by Philip Norman

4. Close To The Bone by Stuart Macbride

5. Dark Alliance: The CIA, The Contras and the Crack Cocaine Explosion by Gary Webb

 

[Spleen]

18. Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 9
A book about the fictional account of a 70s rock band.
Follows then from the pre band days until modern times but written as a series of interviews from all of the people involved in chronological order. Very good story, excellently written, you get a feel for all of the characters (especially the main ones in Billy and Daisy) and the excesses of the 70s music scene superbly. I thought it would be a hard read with it not being a story but it wasn't at all. So much love, loss and the trials and tribulations of fame.

 

 

Spoiler

Tall Oaks. Chris Whitaker. 9
Empire of the Ants. Bernard Werber. 10
Lost in Time. A.G. Riddle. 9
Station Eleven. Emily St. John Mandel. 10
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Gabrielle Zevin. 10
Light of the Jedi. Charles Soule. 8
The Catch. TM Logan. 7
The Remains of the Day. Kazuo Ishiguro. 10
Don't Go Back. Mark West. 8
The Midwife of Auschwitz. Anna Stuart. 9
All The Wicked Girls. Chris Whitaker. 8
We Begin at the End. Chris Whitaker. 10
How To Kill Your Family. Bella Mackie. 8
Artemis. Andy Weir. 8
The Holiday. TM Logan. 5
The Silent Patient. Alex Michaelides. 8
The Girl With All The Gifts. MR Carey. 9

 

[grounded_dreams]

6. Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Was not a big fan of Friends, would watch it if around a mates if it was on, never was a too cool to watch a popular show, just thought it was an OK show. But it really bleed into everyday life and part of the zeitgeist, knew the catchphrases even when not aware where they were from.

But anytime I did see view, it was Matthew Perry which I enjoyed. Always followed his work since, from 

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip to Go On.

Knew bit and bobs about his personal life, but found this fascinating, raw and very honest about his struggles, difficulties and reflecting on how with all the Friends successful and all the wealth it gave him, affected his addiction and mental issues.

 

7. Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

After seeing this was going to be adapted to a TV show, I decided to read this and within the first few pages  due I was in for a treat. Havin the story structured as interviews looking back a la Behind the Music worked brilliantly. The different perspectives on the same situations and arguments works well.

The creation, rise and internal struggles within the band, both artistically and personally was riveting and I sped through reading this.

Just started watching the show, decent so far, so odd adaption changes to the source material so far, but still enjoying it.