Books

[blewuporstuffed]

Just finished The Border Trilogy by cormac Mccarthy on audiobook and have to say it is fantastic, the reading of it by Brad Pit really makes it. Perfectly suited to reading that type of thing.
You can get all 3 books together on audible.

[Canalman]

Just finished a biography about Kim Philby the spy. Cracking read and very hard sometimes to believe it was all true. Think it was called Kim Philby and his friends or something like that. Seems the guy could charm the birds from the trees.

Racing through the secong Game of Thrones book. Very good like the first one. I would have sneered at anyone in the past that said such fantasy (for want of a better term) books were worth a read.

[Hardy]

Just finished a biography about Kim Philby the spy. Cracking read and very hard sometimes to believe it was all true. Think it was called Kim Philby and his friends or something like that. Seems the guy could charm the birds from the trees.

Racing through the secong Game of Thrones book. Very good like the first one. I would have sneered at anyone in the past that said such fantasy (for want of a better term) books were worth a read.

I'm having the same experience with the Hunger Games series. Wouldn't have believed I'd read anything like it, but I'm on the third one. It's harmless but compelling stuff. After reading the Stig Larsson series, here I am again enjoying a trilogy with a seventeen-year-old girl as protagonist. Should I seek help? (Suzanne Collins is no Stig Larsson, though.)

[Main Street]

 I had almost resorted to going to my standby classic The Count of MC  when I got diverted by  David Benioff - City of Thieves.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1971304.City_of_Thieves

I have to admit, I have been ground into the dirt by the grim, clichéd, NKVD, hard crusted black bread depictions by non- russian writers on the russian disposition, during Stalin and post-Stalin eras. Therefore I approached this book with trepidation aplenty,  especialy considering it's about 2 Russian souls inside a Leningrad under siege during WW2, and it's wintertime with a vengeance. But life throws up some pleasant surprises, just when we think we have a few things figured out,  this book is pure joy so far, I'm about half way through.

[50fiftyball]

Has anyone read AP McCoy's book? I recently read Tim S. Grover's "Relentless", he was the famous coach of Dwayne Wade among other high profile basketball stars. Brilliant insight into the dedication and determination of those guys.

[5 Sams]

Has anyone read AP McCoy's book? I recently read Tim S. Grover's "Relentless", he was the famous coach of Dwayne Wade among other high profile basketball stars. Brilliant insight into the dedication and determination of those guys.

Yep. Excellent read. £3.66 if you have a Kindle

[The Iceman]

Just finished "the Passage" by Jason Cronin. New twist on vampires. Very very good 7/10 It is part 1 of a trilogy so looking forward to finishing the series.

[Denn Forever]

You don't give marks easily Iceman.  Very Very good only gets a 7/10.

[LeoMc]

Almost finished the Mitch Rapp first book now. It's not at all like Spenser I have to say. Spenser is way more wise cracking and a real pulp fiction kind of PI. Of course the Rapp series may develop more in the next books, but at the moment he seems more like a Jack Reacher character than a Spenser character.

Just tried one of the Mitch Rapp books, as you says he is a bit Jack Reacher but not as likeable though I have borrowed another one to see if he will grow on me.
Must look out for the Spenser ones if they compare favourably with Bosch. Am almost our of Lee Child & Michael Connolly books so looking for something new.
Am also working through David Dowlings "Station" series and they are a nice wee read also.

[AZOffaly]

Spenser is the man if you like the wisecracking PI type. He goes a bit too heavy at times, especially with his love interest and his feelings about her, but all in all they are a great read.

[Tony Baloney]

Almost finished the Mitch Rapp first book now. It's not at all like Spenser I have to say. Spenser is way more wise cracking and a real pulp fiction kind of PI. Of course the Rapp series may develop more in the next books, but at the moment he seems more like a Jack Reacher character than a Spenser character.

Just tried one of the Mitch Rapp books, as you says he is a bit Jack Reacher but not as likeable though I have borrowed another one to see if he will grow on me.
Must look out for the Spenser ones if they compare favourably with Bosch. Am almost our of Lee Child & Michael Connolly books so looking for something new.
Am also working through David Dowlings "Station" series and they are a nice wee read also.

I recently read a David Baldacci book with a character John Puller. If I was Lee Child I'd be consulting my lawyers!

I dug back into my collection of Elvis Cole books by Robert Crais. Similar to Bosch etc., in fact they are neighbours in the books and Bosch gets referenced in one of them.

[ONeill]

"The Popes - A History" by JJ Norwich  - a fine read.

[Hardy]

I've been hearing Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series (Master and Commander, etc.) proclaimed for years as being among the best historical fiction there is. Most recently, I heard a re-broadcast interview with Derek Davis about his favourite books and he put these at the top of his list. So I decided to treat myself.

I'm nearly half way through Master and Commander and I'm beginning to wonder. So far, there's no plot, hardly any character development, no sympathetic characters at all (the hero you're invited to identify with is a pirate in British navy uniform, motivated solely by greed) and nothing has happened except the ship sailing up and down, over and across the Mediterranean. It would be fascinating on the minutiae of sailing ships and their rigging, get-up and oddly-named bits and pieces if that wasn't more or less all there is.

Has anybody here read these and am I missing something? Or is it just taking a long time to warm up?

[heffo]

I've been hearing Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series (Master and Commander, etc.) proclaimed for years as being among the best historical fiction there is. Most recently, I heard a re-broadcast interview with Derek Davis about his favourite books and he put these at the top of his list. So I decided to treat myself.

I'm nearly half way through Master and Commander and I'm beginning to wonder. So far, there's no plot, hardly any character development, no sympathetic characters at all (the hero you're invited to identify with is a pirate in British navy uniform, motivated solely by greed) and nothing has happened except the ship sailing up and down, over and across the Mediterranean. It would be fascinating on the minutiae of sailing ships and their rigging, get-up and oddly-named bits and pieces if that wasn't more or less all there is.

Has anybody here read these and am I missing something? Or is it just taking a long time to warm up?

I started the first book in the series a few months ago on a flight and gave up after two chapters.

[The Iceman]

Finished Book 2 of Justin Cronin's series. 1st was the Passage, this booked called the twelve. Just as good as the first one  7/10 read it!!