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Re: Good reads
Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2023 8:34 pm
by paddy no 11
Read the 1st book of slow horses by mi k herron
The series deviates not a jot from the book, love the series so will stick with that, the books aren't so well written that I'd be missing loads you not reading them
Re: Good reads
Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 6:16 pm
by paddy no 11
Station Eleven - excellent post apocalyptic (pandemic) novel. Written before covid so kudos to the author
Re: Good reads
Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 6:18 pm
by paddy no 11
I am pilgrim - What starts out as a potentially intriguing thriller turns into a steaming turd full of islamophobia and captain America saving the world
Re: Good reads
Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2023 9:06 am
by Son of Mathonwy
paddy no 11 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 6:16 pm
Station Eleven - excellent post apocalyptic (pandemic) novel. Written before covid so kudos to the author
Nice book. Kind of on the other end of the spectrum from The Road. Nasty things happen but they don't get the book's whole attention. There's a TV adaptation - have you watched it? (I haven't)
Re: Good reads
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2023 7:04 pm
by paddy no 11
Son of Mathonwy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 01, 2023 9:06 am
paddy no 11 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 6:16 pm
Station Eleven - excellent post apocalyptic (pandemic) novel. Written before covid so kudos to the author
Nice book. Kind of on the other end of the spectrum from The Road. Nasty things happen but they don't get the book's whole attention. There's a TV adaptation - have you watched it? (I haven't)
I haven't seen it, yep definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum to the road. Both are very good, there's bits of the road I can easily recall 10 years later
Re: Good reads
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2024 7:16 am
by Sandydragon
Politics on the edge by Rory Stewart. Yes it’s a politicians memoir and thus you have to be sceptical over the recollection in places. But illuminating on the state of government and politics in general.
Re: Good reads
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2024 10:23 pm
by paddy no 11
I read shuggie bain based on this thread
I found it pretty tough going for the most part it wasn't until about 100 pages from finishing that I found it easier to read
Based on donnys review I'm sure the bleakness is entirely accurate and hence unsettling.
Few wtf moments including around Willie's return from the war
Well written though I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone
*the taxi driver union will have the author black listed
Re: Good reads
Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2024 1:06 pm
by Donny osmond
Here's another one for you then paddy:
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
I only picked it up in a motorway service station as I'm on a school trip and needed some reading while on the bus.
This is an insanely good book. It's enthralling and emotional and held me right until the final page. I mean, it's just the story of Achilles, it's not new. Just, the way it's written is lyrical and shows an understanding of different aspects of male psyche that is profound. The first half is the most tender, sweetest love story, but the tone changes as the story moves and the main characters grow into their destinies in war, Troy and legend. The change in dialogue and character is very skillfully done and you feel sympathy will all the main characters at all points in the story. It's a tragedy, obviously, but well worth the emotional investment.
Re: Good reads
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2024 7:48 pm
by paddy no 11
Donny osmond wrote: ↑Thu Sep 26, 2024 1:06 pm
Here's another one for you then paddy:
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
I only picked it up in a motorway service station as I'm on a school trip and needed some reading while on the bus.
This is an insanely good book. It's enthralling and emotional and held me right until the final page. I mean, it's just the story of Achilles, it's not new. Just, the way it's written is lyrical and shows an understanding of different aspects of male psyche that is profound. The first half is the most tender, sweetest love story, but the tone changes as the story moves and the main characters grow into their destinies in war, Troy and legend. The change in dialogue and character is very skillfully done and you feel sympathy will all the main characters at all points in the story. It's a tragedy, obviously, but well worth the emotional investment.
Lol, I read about 100 pages of this and quit, I was less enamoured with the love story than yourself, I might finish it if the 2nd half is as good as you say
Re: Good reads
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2024 8:02 pm
by paddy no 11
An inconvenient death by Miles Goslett
On the death of Dr David Kelly
The death of Dr Kelly I guess was a huge event in my younger years along with the drama of the dodgy dossier, I picked this up in a hotel in France and got stuck in
It's pretty clear that Dr Kelly died elsewhere to where his body was found on Harrowden Hill
It's most likely he died in the presence of people (spooks, MoD types) who weren't planning on him keeling over and having a heart attack in front of them
The Hutton inquiry is/was an abomination
I'm Interested in other opinions, if you have them?
Re: Good reads
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2025 3:19 pm
by paddy no 11
The Lincoln Highway by amor towles
Bit of hype around this - just found this incredibly tedious and quit 230 pages. Hate quitting books but not worth the time
Re: Good reads
Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2025 2:59 pm
by Son of Mathonwy
paddy no 11 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2024 8:02 pm
An inconvenient death by Miles Goslett
On the death of Dr David Kelly
The death of Dr Kelly I guess was a huge event in my younger years along with the drama of the dodgy dossier, I picked this up in a hotel in France and got stuck in
It's pretty clear that Dr Kelly died elsewhere to where his body was found on Harrowden Hill
It's most likely he died in the presence of people (spooks, MoD types) who weren't planning on him keeling over and having a heart attack in front of them
The Hutton inquiry is/was an abomination
I'm Interested in other opinions, if you have them?
Yeah, the whole thing stank.
Blair made sure the inquiry wasn't under oath, so the witnesses could lie to their hearts' content.
Blair lied to the press about Kelly but Hutton gave him a pass.
And that line from Hutton about there being very little blood on the ground because the leaves absorbed it 'like blotting paper' - I'm not a forensic scientist but that sounded like complete bullshit.
Re: Good reads
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2025 11:36 am
by paddy no 11
Pachinko - generational korean/Japanese work
Set amongst the Japanese occupation of Korea and subsequent partition
The narrative could be described as woe be woman and it may well have been........but it gets a bit much here with women being written out so that new female characters can be written in with a whole new series of problems
Also thought it descended into stereotype and the rhett butler character was ridiculous
Enjoyed the historical narrative can leave the rest
Re: Good reads
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2025 11:42 am
by paddy no 11
Jesmond ward - where the line bleeds
This was much better, character driven based on two teenage boys in deep south in their post school days
Not often I've read a book where the main characters are black, without them being specifically the accused or victims or their story relates to their relationship with white people. I'd read another from the same author