What are you reading at the moment?

[pooley]

Just finished We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E Taylor - worth a read,

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street.

 

Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets. The stakes are high: no less than the first claim to entire worlds. If he declines the honor, he'll be switched off, and they'll try again with someone else. If he accepts, he becomes a prime target. There are at least three other countries trying to get their own probes launched first, and they play dirty.

 

The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad - very mad.

[bossman]

Currently Reading:

 

Detroit 67: The Year That Changed Soul (The Soul Trilogy)

Stuart Cosgrove

 

I used to go to Wigan Casino during the 70s and have been into the scene forever, started dancing again about a year ago and now I go to gigs all over the country, fascinating how the scene came about and how it originated in the States all those years ago, brilliant read so far! KTF

 

I have the sequel also:

 

Young Soul Rebels: A Personal History of Northern Soul

Stuart Cosgrove

 

Will read this on my holidays in Greece on turtle beach! sweet! KTF

Edited July 19, 2017 by bossman

[LeMarchand]

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

 

The story of four friends who aren't the kids saving the universe whilst a YA struggle for the fate of the world rages around them (and in the chapter headings). An intriguing idea, though a bit of a cheat as one of the friends is a quarter god. Still, the struggles the kids face are generally more down-to-earth - which is probably why I didn't get on with it. Also, I'm so not the target demographic and didn't really empathise with main protagonist and narrator. Might be good if you are part of the TD, though.

[LeMarchand]

The Forever Watch by David Ramirez

 

On a generation ship still many years from its destination, a talented telekinetic teams up with a cop to investigate what appears to be the work of a serial killer. Their investigations lead them to discover the truth about their mission.

 

Starts off well but keeps going off on new tangents, often with large gaps in the narrative as weeks/months pass and are summed up with a bit of exposition.

[Gibbo]

Currently reading "On The Beach" by Nevil Shute. Crumbs, how depressing. Had to stop half way through.

[simonw]

Reading 'Conclave' by Robert Harris, thriller about the Catholic Church and the (s)election of a new pope, including all the usual stuff of thrillers, death, debauchery, collusion, money laundering, bribery, corruption. I pretty much thought that the church was like this anyway!

 

I like Robert Harris' books, didn't know of this one until my late father gave it to me. A bit of a curve-ball, but good all the same.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

I'm reading David Eddings' Belgariad books again. It's been about ten years since I last read them and they're just as much fun to read now as they were then.

 

I've gone through the first two books in a little under a week.

[korifugi]

I'm reading David Eddings' Belgariad books again. It's been about ten years since I last read them and they're just as much fun to read now as they were then.

 

I've gone through the first two books in a little under a week.

 

Always loved the Belgariad - and the Mallorean...

 

 

...and the Elenium & Tamuli

...and The Redemption of Althalus.

 

 

Strangely enough though - I'm not a fan of the New Gods series.

[LeMarchand]

I'm reading David Eddings' Belgariad books again. It's been about ten years since I last read them and they're just as much fun to read now as they were then.

 

I've gone through the first two books in a little under a week.

 

Oddly enough I just gave my set of the first four to Oxfam as part of the ongoing "garage clean up". Loved the first four at the time, but hated the fifth with a passion. Tried a later one and was unimpressed. Figured I'd never get around to a re-read so someone else might enjoy them.

[Ksavage413]

Haven't been doing as much reading as I should :c

 

Very open to suggestions. Last book I read was a reread of The Martian. Last non-reread was The Dark Tower.

[LeMarchand]

Haven't been doing as much reading as I should :c

 

Very open to suggestions.

 

One I always try to get people to read, but the subject matter is a hard sell: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Skallagrigg-William-Horwood/dp/0140072063 - it's one of the few books I've read to make me change the way I look at things and to betray my signature. Not available in ebook, though .

 

More available and less of a hard sell: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philip-Mortal-Engines-Predator-Collection/dp/B00J9E5832. The prequel books are OK, but not essential, while the core Quartet is brilliant. Forget about the YA tag, and enjoy a great read with a finale (to the series) that left me stunned. Bonus: you can be one of those people who go "Of course, it's not as good as the book" when the film of the first book comes out next Xmas.

[Ksavage413]

One I always try to get people to read, but the subject matter is a hard sell: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Skallagrigg-William-Horwood/dp/0140072063 - it's one of the few books I've read to make me change the way I look at things and to betray my signature. Not available in ebook, though .

 

More available and less of a hard sell: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philip-Mortal-Engines-Predator-Collection/dp/B00J9E5832. The prequel books are OK, but not essential, while the core Quartet is brilliant. Forget about the YA tag, and enjoy a great read with a finale (to the series) that left me stunned. Bonus: you can be one of those people who go "Of course, it's not as good as the book" when the film of the first book comes out next Xmas.

 

I'll certainly look into them (Thank God for Amazon Prime!) over the next few weeks. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Theldron]

When you are after a fun/easy read with a few graphic scenes I like Richard Laymon - read most of them before but going back through, currently reading Island.

[LeMarchand]

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The Memory Of Trees - F.G. Cottam

 

Down on his luck tree specialist Tom Curtis is hired by a billionaire to reforest his estate in Wales, but there are supernatural forces at work.

 

Tolerably atmospheric, but let down by characters who don't get to do a lot and the way they are so matter of fact about the weird happenings: "That creepy thorn bush has just moved itself a few hundred yards. Oh well, flame throwers will sort that out!". It had potential, but all felt a bit rushed.

Edited November 4, 2017 by LeMarchand

[Theldron]

Alan Wake by Rick Burroughs not the first time I have read it and won't be the last. I loved the game and love the novel, very well written, though I know couldn't be hard as the game was such a good story, but still had to be put down on paper.

 

Anyone else recommend a novel based on a game?

[witch]

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

A childrens book - I recently rediscovered it. Absolutely brilliant and still very relevant given the emphasis on numeracy and literacy in schools.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Anyone else recommend a novel based on a game?

 

I rather like the early Halo novels actually.

 

The fall of Reach, The Flood and First Strike are all pretty decent stories and add significant flesh to the game mythos.

[LeMarchand]

Peter and Max: A Fables Novel by Bill Willingham

 

Prose spin off from the acclaimed Fables comic series (think "Once Upon A Time", but better and making sense) by creator Bill Willingham.

 

This is told mainly in flashbacks to the Homelands in time when Fables were just starting to cross to our world with "present day" parts set big war against The Adversary and tells the story of Peter (the piper who ate a peck of pickled pepper) and his brother Max (who grows up to be The Pied Piper). Max grows into a bad sort, accruing power to enact a twisted revenge against Peter and his wife Bo Peep.

 

Although it might not sound it from the description, this was actually pretty good. The climax was over a bit too quickly, but was entirely logical. Spoiled a bit by a short comic strip epilogue where Willingham once again seems to be espousing that "any means necessary" is perfectly OK.

[Syman_a]

i have two books on the go at the moment.

 

The latest Reacher - Midnight line by lee child

And Hacking the curriculum by ian livingstone and Shanaela Saeed

[LeMarchand]

Just finished issues 1-13 of Insexts.

 

 

A fin de siècle tale of a lady and her maid/lover who develop powers that enable them to wreak vengeance upon the men that have wronged them and fight against various supernatural creatures.

 

Have to confess, it was the Art Nouveau covers that drew me to this, though it's generally had good reviews. I found it OK, but wouldn't rave about it.

 

The art is lovely, though it wasn't until a character actually made a comment about her race that I realised that the lady was supposed to be of Hindu descent. I did feel that here were too many spreads (pun intended) devoted to the two ladies getting it on (at one stage it's suggested that this is intrinsic to their powers), and it felt a bit leery - especially for something that is being lauded as a triumph for feminism. Maybe, as a heterosexual male, I'm just looking at it the wrong way.

 

The writing is confused. I'm not sure what the details of ladies' actual powers are or how they got them, or what happened to the sister-in-law (it was possibly her that turned up at the end of the first arc), most of the other characters seem remarkably unfazed to learn that the main lady can turn into a human/mantis hybrid, and the plot occasionally grinds to a halt for the main character to rant about how bad men are/how cruel the world is to women.

 

Not awful, but I'd advise spending your money on something better.

[witch]

Moving - by Jenny Eclair

 

I didnt know she was an author. She is very good. It is the story of Edwina, an old lady who is alone and deciding to sell her London house. It goes back into her past, and the past of her twin children, stepson and family. It is SO well written I really dont want to put it down

[AJWhite1970]

Why mummy drinks - by Gill Sims

 

The author of Peter and Jane on Facebook, this book is written in the same style (lots of FML's) and is based on a 39yo mummy's journey through middle class England.

 

Just brilliantly funny observational writing well worth a read or two

[SpuffMonkey]

Just finished the new Philip Pullman - Belle Sauvage - really very good!

[Andrew_C]

based on a 39yo mummy's journey through middle class England Scotland.

But otherwise spot on. Should have ordered a copy for Mrs C.

 

Just finished the new Philip Pullman - Belle Sauvage - really very good!

Really? I know it is written to appear to be seen through a child's eye, but the construction is SO childish it put me right off.

[SpuffMonkey]

But otherwise spot on. Should have ordered a copy for Mrs C.

 

Really? I know it is written to appear to be seen through a child's eye, but the construction is SO childish it put me right off.

 

Well - it IS a kid's book - but each to their own