What book are you reading

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Re: What book are you reading thread!

Post by STodd »

timor54 wrote:Just finished re-reading the Karla trilogy (Tinker Tailor, Hon. Schoolboy, Smileys People). Still very good after many years. Also Hired: six months undercover in low-wage Britain by James Bloodworth; it’ll make you question why you would buy anything from Amazon ever again :(

Currently reading: McMafia by Misha Glenny; a revelation on how the world really works.

Also just starting WTF by Robert Peston.

I’m predominantly a nonfiction reader that occasionally dips back into fiction.
I've recently bought these again to re-read - I recall them being an excellent read.

Currently reading 'Philby: The Spy Who Betrayed A Generation'

Will then go back to re-reading the Arkady Renko novels by Martin Cruz Smith - have recently re-read Gorky Park, Polar Star and Havana Bay - another 5 or 6 to go...
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Re: What book are you reading thread!

Post by Skipper »

I'm an avid reader from my early chilhood, mainly a fiction reader but also enjoy reference books related to my various interests.
It's difficult to reccomend any book without knowing the potential reader tastes, maybe later in this thread we shall become aware of them. Anyway if you have enjoyed te Le Carré ones (not only the Karla trilogy) maybe the Kenneth Aubrey ones from Craig Thomas are worth a try.
If Tim is a sea lover as his avatar suggests, I'll strongly suggest the Justin Scott's "The shipkiller".

To Neil: are you interested at U.K. history? Then I reccomend you to begin with historical fiction books, as the Alexander Kent ones (Royal Navy in the late 1700's and early 1800's if you are interested at that era). They are a beginning to search for related non fiction ones.

I have just now finished "El hijo de Cardinaud" (I don't know its english title but it can translate as "The Cardinaud's son") from Simenon: last year I did challenge myself to read or re-read all the titles from the belgian author and I'm using to read at least one every three or four another books.

This evening I'll read "Milano calibro19" a series of short stories from the italian writer Giorgio Scerbanenco.
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Re: What book are you reading thread!

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Paul Theroux, “The Pillars of Hercules”. Excellent holiday read.
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Re: What book are you reading thread!

Post by timor54 »

If Tim is a sea lover as his avatar suggests, I'll strongly suggest the Justin Scott's "The shipkiller".
That's a new one on me, I'll investigate :thumbup:

Continuing the nautical theme, last year I scoured every secondhand bookshop I could and accumulated the complete Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian (they're 20 of them, so wasn't willing to buy new...). Brilliant storytelling, took me months to get them all but only few weeks to read.

Would also strongly recommend Coasting and Passage to Juneau by Jonathan Raban.
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Re: What book are you reading

Post by nbg »

Scafell Portrait of a Mountain by Bill Birkett.

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Re: What book are you reading

Post by tempusmaximus »

nbg wrote:Scafell Portrait of a Mountain by Bill Birkett.

Neil
A good book I believe Neil with some fantastic pictures .
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Re: What book are you reading

Post by nbg »

^^^^ Mainly pictures Bernie. Makes it easier! :lol:

Makes me think I am in Cumbria, even when I am not. :)

I also have “a year in the life of the Langdale valleys” by the same author. I particularly like this one, as it covers the area that we most often walk and stay in, when we are in the Lake District.

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Re: What book are you reading

Post by tempusmaximus »

nbg wrote:Mainly pictures Bernie. Makes it easier!
That's my kind of book :lol: :thumbup:

Is the author a local man , Neil ?
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Re: What book are you reading

Post by nbg »

^^^^^ I believe so Bernie, as were his father and grandfather.
http://billbirkett.com/bill-birkett/the-birkett-family/

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Re: What book are you reading

Post by tempusmaximus »

nbg wrote:^^^^^ I believe so Bernie, as were his father and grandfather.
http://billbirkett.com/bill-birkett/the-birkett-family/

Neil
Good read that Neil with some cracking pics . Thanks for posting :)
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Re: What book are you reading thread!

Post by Skipper »

timor54 wrote:... and accumulated the complete Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian.
Brilliant! :thumbup:
I specially love the Maturin character :D

The Alexander Kent's Bolitho saga (28 volumes) makes also an interesting reading and features the same era, as the C.S. Forester's Hornblower series, this one somewhat more "romancesque" and less history oriented.

From Justin Scott there is also a very thrilling sea fiction book, I have read it in its spanish translation "Pesadilla en el mar" (Nighmare at sea) but I don't know its original english title.

Alistair Mc Lean has some brilliant sea books: HMS Ulysses, The lonely sea, South by Java head...

Douglas Reeman has written a handful of very documented sea books, mainly featuring the Royal Navy during WWI and WWII.

From the late sailing era the Richard Dana's "Two years before the mast" and Eric Newby's "The last grain race" are both a must in the non-fiction category.

I'm forgetting some, for sure, but I strongly reccomend all the sea related Joseph Conrad's ones (well, really ALL the Conrad's books) and of course the mytic Moby Dick where the fictional plot is a pretext to show us the whalehunting craft as it was in the late 1800's.

Well, I'll finish here as I have to read... :lol:
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Re: What book are you reading

Post by Skipper »

Oh no!
The forum has censored the title of the Melville's book... :megaeek:
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Re: What book are you reading

Post by josbrownlie »

Why mummy swears by Gill Simms on audible.

A friend of mine was/is reading it so I thought I'd give it a go. Quite a useful insight into parenting/parenthood
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Re: What book are you reading

Post by timor54 »

We’re on a roll now...

Mellvilles’ Moby Richard was loosely based upon the true story on the whaler Essex that was sunk by a sperm whale and followed by an episode of cannibalism.

Another book loosely based on the same tale is Jamrach’s Menagerie by Carol Birch; another excellent book about Victorian London and seafaring.

Got to stop now :)

... and what’s the Forum got against Dick?
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Re: What book are you reading

Post by nbg »

^^^^ A few months ago software was switched on that blocked certain profanities. Unfortunately the software doesn’t like a much longer list of words, than you would imagine! It’s also not intelligent enough to spot the context in which words are used - Hence the title of a classic book gets caught.

Moby Richard would have been ok! :lol:

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