# Recommend a Book



## Newbie!

I've just run out of books to read and I cant find the old thread with book recommendations so I'm just looking for some thoughts from other posters.

I don't like chick-lit and in this case I don't want non fiction. Previous books that I've loved for A thousand Splendid Suns or the Bookseller of Kabul and although they're not particularly good books, I love the pageturner quality of crime or suspense like Dan Brown. Any thoughts?


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## Maxie37

The hunger games trilogy are pretty good, and I just finished one called Before I go to Sleep by SJ watson (thriller) that was good. I can also recommend the room by Emma O'Donoghue


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## Ceist Beag

If you haven't read the Game of Thrones series yet there's enough there to keep you going for quite a while!  Also the Stieg Larsson trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc.) is excellent.


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## Jazz01

second for the Stieg Larsson trilogy - great read, even if you have seen the films... Also, a book called "Daddy" by Loup Durand... really enjoyed that book...


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## Kkma

Ceist Beag said:


> If you haven't read the Game of Thrones series yet there's enough there to keep you going for quite a while!  Also the Stieg Larsson trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc.) is excellent.



Both excellent recommendations. Also the Wheel of Time series. Another good long book it's A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. Jodi Picault (sp?) Interesting reads though a bit obviously moralising. Penny Vincenzi, popular fiction, not quite chick lit, the trilogy I enjoyed. Kate Mosse, Labyrinth - Dan Brown esque but better written. Patrick O Brian, historical sea-faring adventure - I love these. PD James, literary whodunnits. Robert Harris political thrillers. James Clavell, particularly Shogun but others good too, Taipan I think it's another title. Yer man who wrote those Jason Bourne books... Robert Ludlum? Niall Williams, Four Letters of Love (not sure if this is title). William Trevor, Kate Morton. John Le Carre. Hmmm. There's a book called The Modern Library, think Colm Toibin one of the authors, I usually look for something in that if I'm in a serious reading mood.


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## suemoo1

anything by Michael Connelly, John Connelly, Kurt Coban, I have read them all, really excellent.. crime/mystery/suspense etc.. Peter James, Mo Hyder,Nikki French, Mark Billingham.. all of these in a series so plenty to keep you going.


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## vandriver

I'm a Michael Connelly addict!


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## Nutso

Also the Gone Series by Michael Grant in addition to almost all of the above!


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## Laramie

Wallander series by Henning Mankel


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## truthseeker

The Painted Man - check out the reviews on Amazon, a great read.

Game of Thrones series is the best consistently good series Ive read in a long time. Must try out the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - been on my shelf years and havent opened it yet, think the cover puts me off.


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## Shawady

Ulysses


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## Seagull

Given the books you've mentioned, you might like Mitch Albom's books.

You don't mention whether you read sci-fi or fantasy. 

I gave up on the wheel of time. I didn't have the stamina. I also found it was starting to get very disjointed, with too many disparate story lines.


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## BillK

If you like the Patrick O'Brian series, you should try the Hornblower series by CS Forester. he also wrote an excellent book, later made into a film, called "Brown on Resolution".


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## ALEXA

Room by Emma O'Donoghue is an excellent read as is The Memory Keeper's Daughter and The Help ( made into a film ). Any book by Joanne Harris is usually good and The Lollipop Shoes is great if you like books based around characters. I've also enjoyed the Steig Larson trilogy.


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## Newbie!

Thanks for the replies. I've read the Stieg Larsson trilogy but they are perfect holiday books. 

Shawady, I think I'll save Ulysses for another day! Seagull, I hate Sci fri...I would generally have also said I hate fantasy but have read a few fantasy books and sort of enjoyed the esacpism!

Will check out some of the other suggestions tomorrow.


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## truthseeker

Seagull said:


> I gave up on the wheel of time. I didn't have the stamina. I also found it was starting to get very disjointed, with too many disparate story lines.



Same here, couldnt get into it at all. I was disappointed because I need a new series to get my teeth into!


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## amtc

Would second Before I go to Sleep. Also Val McDermid?


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## truthseeker

If you read and liked The Book Thief you should like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I loved it.


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## liaconn

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klausmann is excellent.
Also Sister by Rosamund Lupton


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## Ceist Beag

For those that read (and loved) the Stieg Larsson trilogy, have any of read anything by Jo Nesbo? I see a lot of quotes comparing the two so just wondering if they are in the same league.


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## BillK

I got halfway through a Jo Nesbo and threw it in the recycling bin.

The Wallander series  by Henning Mankell is brilliant.


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## AgathaC

truthseeker said:


> If you read and liked The Book Thief you should like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I loved it.


 Loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, couldn't really get into The Book Thief. I recommend 84 Charing Cross Road.


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## BillK

You could try "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett and also the sequel, "World without End".


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## nolo77

I agree with recommendations for Before I Go To Sleep if you're looking for a thriller.  Also I recently read Don't Tell by Karen Rose as I was looking for a new series of thrillers and I had heard she was very good. Excellent page-turner of a book. Will definitely read more of hers.


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## Alwyn

I don't like Jo Nesbo's book either. 

Read half of Fifty Shads of Grey and politely gave it to our local second hand shop.  What complete and utter rubbish.

Any Lynda La Plante fans out there?


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## Firefly

Hi all,

Heading away for holidays soon. Anyone any decent book recommendations - not really bothered on the subject once it's a good read. Preferably something non-fiction, but nothing too heavy. I have Andre Agassi's auto-bio already packed and the final Larsson book, but looking for another 2 or 3....

Thanks!
Firefly.


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## Firefly

Well, I've just bought the 3 below, but any other recommendations fire them on:

The Boys in The Boat
Unbroken
The Book Thief

They all revolve around events in WWII coincidentally


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## Deiseblue

Firefly , you might enjoy the Bernie Gunther series penned by Philip Kerr.

Set before , during & post World War 2 .

The Berlin Noir trilogy is undoubtedly the place to start - along with The Raymond Chandler books the best crime fiction I have read .


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## Firefly

Thanks Deise, they look pretty good! I'll come home with a burnt forhead and a white face from all the reading I'm planning! What kids?!!


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## Firefly

Picked up The Moth at lunchtime today and looking forward to it - interesting concept..


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## grenzgebiet

The original of the Scandinavian Crime fiction series by Sjowall and Wahloo should not be missed -
ten books on the Martin Beck series.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sjöwall_and_Wahlöö
Not sure if it has been shown in Irl/UK but the TV series based on the books was also a hugh success.

Non-crime:  if you haven't read Iris Murdoch - she has written about 25 books spanning almost five decades which are fantastic for their vocabulary and descriptions alone.
It is amazing how few words we actually use - reading someone like Murdoch is a revelation.


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## so-crates

For a holiday read short stories might be perfect - I'd definitely recommend The Dubliners 100 (a selection of short stories by modern Irish authors inspired by the Joycean originals celebrating the 100th birthday of the original). 
Some info here http://www.tramppress.com/product/dubliners-100-2/
Review here: http://www.theguardian.com/books/20...00-15-new-stories-inspired-by-original-review


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## Leper

Came across "The Whitest Flower" by Brendan Graham a couple of years ago.  It is a well researched book and I have used it for my journeys to Co Mayo and Co Galway to visit places of now well known historical interest.  The Whitest Flower is about our Great Famine and the struggle against landlordism, his agents and the will to survive.  The writer went out of his way to justify each sentence.  Two other books complete the trilogy but the latter two "don't hold a candle to "The Whitest Flower." 

Brendan Graham wrote some Eurovision winning songs also.


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## DB74

Just finished All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and I can't recommend highly enough. Superb book that I couldn't put down, one of those where you wish there were another couple of hundred pages. Winner of several prizes, including Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2015

Here's the blurb from the author's website

_Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks. When she is six, she goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, every house, every manhole, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navigate the real streets with her feet and cane. When the Germans occupy Paris in June of 1940, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast, where Marie-Laure’s agoraphobic great uncle lives in a tall, narrow house by the sea wall.

In another world in Germany, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio Werner finds. He becomes a master at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and, ultimately, makes him a highly specialized tracker of the Resistance. Werner travels through the heart of Hitler Youth to the far-flung outskirts of Russia, and finally into Saint-Malo, where his path converges with Marie-Laure’s._


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## Firefly

For anyone interested I picked up Shakespeare by Bill Bryson at the weekend. It's very interesting.


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## Firefly

DB74 said:


> Just finished All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and I can't recommend highly enough. Superb book that I couldn't put down, one of those where you wish there were another couple of hundred pages. Winner of several prizes, including Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2015



Looks good - just picked it up, thanks!


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## Firefly

Here are my thoughts on the books I read if anyone's interested

Unbroken
One of the best books I have ever read. An incredible true story of perseverance. For anyone with a remote interest in WWII (an in particular the Japonese side of things) it's highly recommeded.

The Boys in The Boat
Again a true story related to WWII - more specifically the Berlin Olympics in 1936. A good read and some great insights into rowing. Not a patch on Unbroken but good all the same

Open - Andre Agassi
A very good book and recommended even if you're not into either tennis or sport.

The Moth
Half way through this and it's only OK. Some of the stories are good, some a bit iffy and it's obvious to me that those with the stories are authors, lecturers or others promoting their wares

All The Light We Cannot See
A very good fiction book. WWII again the backdrop. Lovely story and reminded me of Life is Beautiful

Lee Child - The Affair
Page-turning Jack Reacher novel - pretty good and one you'll finish in a day.

Firefly.


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## cremeegg

I am surprised no one has recommended Terry Prachett. So here goes.

I suggest the Discworld novels of Terry Prachett. Even if you think fantasy comedy is not your thing, you will soon realise there is a lot more to Terry than amusing silliness, at which he is the best since Wodehouse.


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## Firefly

Started Bill Bryson "At Home" and it's really, really good. He has a wonderful way of making the mundane fascinating. Anyone with a passing interest in history would love it.


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## Purple

cremeegg said:


> I am surprised no one has recommended Terry Prachett. So here goes.
> 
> I suggest the Discworld novels of Terry Prachett. Even if you think fantasy comedy is not your thing, you will soon realise there is a lot more to Terry than amusing silliness, at which he is the best since Wodehouse.


I loved Terry Prachett! 
I also enjoyed Douglas Adams "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and the follow up "Long Dark Teatime of the Soul" as well as the book Prachett and Neil Gaiman did together called "Good Omens" where the son of Satan got mixed up at birth and grew up as a normal kid.


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## so-crates

I am in the middle of re-reading my entire Terry Pratchett collection (as a tribute to the man himself who passed away of course). Not just enjoying the books individually but seeing things I never realised the first time. Particularly the cross-linking between different books and how the ones I always thought of as outliers are not quite as far removed.


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## BillK

Ceist Beag said:


> For those that read (and loved) the Stieg Larsson trilogy, have any of read anything by Jo Nesbo? I see a lot of quotes comparing the two so just wondering if they are in the same league.


Not In my book!


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## Firefly

Reading Adapt by Tim Hartford at the moment - finding it fascinating. Essentially comparing natural selection / evolution in the biological world with the success / failure of business and governments. There's a great (small) section on why the USSR failed for example and also why D Rumsfeld made such a hash of Iraq.

It's really good - he's like David McWilliams in that he focuses on real-world events that most people can relate to, however, he offers a deeper level of economic analysis and we don't have to read about when he played soccer or worked in the Central Bank.

Anyway so far so very good.

Also, reading Steve Jobs bio by Walter Isaacson  - Jobs obviously had some great skills & brought real change, but you'd be hard pushed to say he had any integrity!


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## Firefly

Just finished Adapt by Tim Harford - very good read. Actually started another from him last night - The Undercover Economist Strikes Back. First impressions are very good. Hadn't realised that Macroeconomics was born out of the 1929 crash, I had assumed it was always there...

Also read Seve: The Autobiography - always has been my favourite golfer, however I just got the feeling from the book that his sense of importance was elevated. Not the best book in any case. For an auto-bio, Agassi's is really good.


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## cremeegg

I have just read "The Scrap" about 1916 by Gene Kerrigan. Excellent. It is a factual retelling of the events of Easter Week from the point of view of a small number of Volunteers. Detailed enough to be satisfying and dynamic enough to be interesting. There is almost no analysis just information. Which I think was an excellent approach.

This is completely different from GKs usual output, so don't be put off if you know and loath GK


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## Firefly

Finished The Undercover Economist Strikes Back and it's excellent. It provides an interesting analysis of macroeconomic approaches and some of the pitfalls and difficulties in devising solutions and policies. There's a great section on Henry Ford and how by paying people above the odds, in a way, led to unemployment locally. Several sections are really very good and it's a book I will read again.

Picked out a few by Malcolm Gladwell over the weekend to - Outliers and The Tipping Point so will start one of these tonight.


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## Firefly

Outliers is another great book IMO


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## Purple

You're doing a lot of reading recently Firefly


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## Firefly

Purple said:


> You're doing a lot of reading recently Firefly


Still haven't gotten round to reading The Great Upheaval though!!


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## Leper

I have just finished The Black Horse Inside Coolmore.  It was written by a Welshman named Jones who is a former newspaper journalist and former employee at Coolmore.  It is an excellent insight into the Irish and International multi-billions bloodstock industry from the people at the top and their employees at the bottom. A fascinating read to say the least.


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## Firefly

Leper said:


> I have just finished The Black Horse Inside Coolmore.  It was written by a Welshman named Jones who is a former newspaper journalist and former employee at Coolmore.  It is an excellent insight into the Irish and International multi-billions bloodstock industry from the people at the top and their employees at the bottom. A fascinating read to say the least.



Sounds great - I'll pick this up


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## Firefly

Reading "The Power of Habit" at the moment - about 3/4s way through and it's very good.


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## Firefly

Firefly said:


> Reading "The Power of Habit" at the moment - about 3/4s way through and it's very good.



Finished this last night - very good overall. Got more out of the first 1/2 of the book than the second half. A good read if you're interested in understanding how habits (good/bad) are formed and how those evil corporations use tricks to get us to buy their stuff. 

Started "The Everything Store" last night too about Amazon.com - start is very good but hope it's critical of Amazon as well as the inevitable, usual gush that such books contain.


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## Firefly

The Everything Store was good enough - no major revelations really, just an insight into someone obsessed with expanding and efficiency. Amazon reminds of Germany in WWII attacking on all fronts. They've yet to turn a profit so if I was a CIO I think I would be putting my cloud-based infrastructure with Microsoft.

Reading "Winners" by Alistair Campbell at the moment and it would want to get better. I'm 100 pages in and it could be going to a charity shop!


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## cremeegg

The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow

Everything A Brief History of Time should have been. It's brilliant. It outlines in an easy to grasp manner the state of scientific thinking about the nature of matter and the universe, and the origin of the universe and of time. Couldn't recommend it more highly. Should be on the school curriculum.


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## Purple

cremeegg said:


> The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow
> 
> Everything A Brief History of Time should have been. It's brilliant. It outlines in an easy to grasp manner the state of scientific thinking about the nature of matter and the universe, and the origin of the universe and of time. Couldn't recommend it more highly. Should be on the school curriculum.


Did you ask Firefly before you posted in his thread?


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## Firefly

Purple said:


> Did you ask Firefly before you posted in his thread?



LOL!

Anyways, just finished The Maximalist - very good. Tony O'Reilly ended up thinking he was Midas. Great insight into how competitive things are at the top. Also read Quintessentially Feargal: A Memoir - entertaining but a little safe and read it in a few hours. 

Currently reading Thinking, Fast and Slow and it's amazing but a lot to it so will probably take longer than normal - although Game of Thrones has finished!


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## Purple

Firefly said:


> Currently reading Thinking, Fast and Slow and it's amazing but a lot to it so will probably take longer than normal - although Game of Thrones has finished!


Good book. Started really well but got harder to read the further I went into it.


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## michaelm

Firefly said:


> Started Bill Bryson "At Home" and it's really, really good. He has a wonderful way of making the mundane fascinating. Anyone with a passing interest in history would love it.


You might like this easy to read, somewhat meandering, Bryson book 'One Summer: America 1927'


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## DB74

Just finished The Boys In The Boat and Unbroken. Loved both. Any other similar recommendations Firefly? There's something about that period of time in the USA between 1925 - 1939 that is fascinating for some reason.

Also read About Grace by Anthony Doerr (the author who wrote All The Light We Cannot See) - not bad but not as good by a long way. Too many descriptive passages and not enough story for my liking.


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## Purple

Just finished re-reading Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. Still my favourite novel.

Starting “The Invention of Russia: The Journey from Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War” by Arkady Ostrovsky.


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## Firefly

DB74 said:


> Just finished The Boys In The Boat and Unbroken. Loved both. Any other similar recommendations Firefly? There's something about that period of time in the USA between 1925 - 1939 that is fascinating for some reason.



I have a book called The Book Thief sitting pretty on my bookcase that's meant to be good but haven't gotten round to reading it yet. If you like that time-period in the USA how about "One Summer: America, 1927" by Bill Bryson maybe? I've read his books on Shakespeare and At Home and both were very good. 

Still reading "Thinking, Fast and Slow" and it's very good but heavy going - almost like a psychology course! It has so far dealt with what the author calls System1 and System2 thinking - the former being how you can answer 1+1 without much effort, but 14x27 uses the latter. It looks at how System1 thinking will make sense of most things and that lazy System2 goes along with it most of the time. It's quite interesting really and I can see parallels with how lots of people are for Trump and his wall across Mexico!


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## so-crates

The Book Thief is definitely worth reading - don't just use it as intellectual decoration!!


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## amtc

Being Alexander I loved....must admit I do know the author but recommended to enough people who also liked it.

Bought Cecilia Ahern Marble Collector. Lot of rubbish


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## DB74

I've started The Book Thief twice now but can never get into it at all, maybe it's the style of writing

Just finished The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (her first adult novel). Brilliant book, couldn't put it down.


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## Purple

DB74 said:


> Just finished The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (her first adult novel). Brilliant book, couldn't put it down.


Is it very similar to a Tolkien book or did she actually make this one up herself?


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## Firefly

DB74 said:


> I've started The Book Thief twice now but can never get into it at all, maybe it's the style of writing
> 
> Just finished The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (her first adult novel). Brilliant book, couldn't put it down.




Snap! I laboured my way through The Casual Vacancy but couldn't get past half of the book - didn't like it at all! That's the great thing about choice!


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## ajapale

My summer read was Hopscotch - a Memoir by Hillary Fannin. beautifully observed childhood in the 60s/70s Ireland.


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## peemac

I'm not a big book reader, but one that I really enjoyed was Entry Island by Peter May.

Also just finished Extraordinary People by same author - 1st of a trilogy and planning to get the other 2 now.

Reginald Hill's The Woodcutter is one other that is difficult to put down.


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## Purple

Just finished reading Mr. stink by David Walliams to my youngest daughter. I was balling my eyes out at the end. One of the best books I've read in ages! The man has an utterly beautiful mind.


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## cremeegg

Tom Holland's history books. I have read Persian fire and Rubicon, am looking forward to Scourge of fire and Millennium.


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## Purple

Firefly, no new books in nearly a month... Is everything ok?


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## Firefly

Purple said:


> Firefly, no new books in nearly a month... Is everything ok?



It's TV season in our place at the moment! Still working through Thinking, Fast and Slow. It's very good but you need to be in the "learning" mood for it!


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## DB74

Firefly (& other people too I suppose ), just finished The Death's Head Chess Club by John Donoghue. Got it for Christmas and finished it already so it's a real page-turner. WW2-based, it's about a Jewish inmate of Auschwitz who was forced to play chess against Nazi guards. He then meets one of the guards at a chess tournament in Amsterdam in 1962 and the story moves between the 2 periods. Well worth getting anyway. 

Going to start The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George now so I'll post up my thoughts on that soon.


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## cremeegg

This years Caboodle contest, I have 6 so far and am running out of inspiration.

http://caboodle.nationalbooktokens.com/hiddenbooks/default.aspx?competition=11#


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## Leper

I've been to Spain several times this year and on each Ryanair flight I came across people reading "I Am Pilgrim" by Terry Hayes.

So, I bought the book. All the women characters have well endowed beautiful bodies, wear the highest of high heels, walk in painted on miniskirts, legs up to their armpits, each one God's Gift to hetrosexual men. Most characters although stinking rich and know the US President are as shallow as a puddle in a hot July. The men are good and evil as required. Terrorists are formed, anti terrorists fight back, the Twin Towers attacks feature. Every country in the Middle East is visited along with Afghanistan, Pakistan, USA, Britain and Italy. Throw in a few executions, small pox plot to ruin the world, the religion of love and blatant terrorism.

It is nearly 900 pages of rubbish. It's fast moving and attracts you always to the next page never mind the next chapter, even believable, well written and I loved it. Pure escapism.


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## odyssey06

_"Boy Wonder: Tales from the Sidelines of an Irish Childhood" by Dave Hannigan._

A trip down sporting memory lane for boys who grew up in 1970s or 1980s Ireland...
https://www.rte.ie/culture/books/2017/1023/914569-boy-wonder/

Subbuteo, Shoot magazine, Raleigh Bikes... it's all there.


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## Firefly

Leper said:


> I've been to Spain several times this year and on each Ryanair flight I came across people reading "I Am Pilgrim" by Terry Hayes.
> 
> So, I bought the book. All the women characters have well endowed beautiful bodies, wear the highest of high heels, walk in painted on miniskirts, legs up to their armpits, each one God's Gift to hetrosexual men.



Sounds good to me


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## odyssey06

Leper said:


> I've been to Spain several times this year and on each Ryanair flight I came across people reading "I Am Pilgrim" by Terry Hayes.
> So, I bought the book. All the women characters have well endowed beautiful bodies, wear the highest of high heels, walk in painted on miniskirts, legs up to their armpits, each one God's Gift to hetrosexual men.



You did well to get all that from the text in a book... is there a movie version of this???


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## DB74

Purple said:


> Just finished re-reading Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. Still my favourite novel.



I saw a BBC adaptation of this recently, I thought it was excellent


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## Firefly

"Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight about Nike. Very well written and I really enjoyed it. 8/10
Also well written is Red Notice by Bill Browder, which was a fascinating insight into Russian corruption and a highly recommended read. 9/10


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## odyssey06

Just finished a 'travelogue' type book by Lawrence Osborne, The Wet and the Dry - A Drinker's Journey, about the author's travels through 'dry' Muslim countries in search of a drink. An easy read, as each chapter stands alone so you can dip in and out of it. Osborne is more well known as a novelist and I think his skill with the language takes this up a level.

Osborne has been asked by the Raymond Chandler estate to write the next Philip Marlowe novel which is out this summer, so I look forward to that.


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## michaelm

I quite enjoyed Prisoners of Geography.  "If you've ever wondered why Putin is so obsessed with Crimea, why the USA was destined to become a global superpower, or why China's power base continues to expand ever outwards, the answers are all here."


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## Purple

Just started "Guns, Steel and Germs". I'm reading it at the same time as Rousseau's "Social Contract and Discourse" which is hard going for a pleb like me.


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## odyssey06

Purple said:


> Just started "Guns, Steel and Germs". I'm reading it at the same time as Rousseau's "Social Contract and Discourse" which is hard going for a pleb like me.



Guns, *Germs *and Steel is one of my favourite books of all times, epic scope and vision... I think I've read about half a dozen of the books it referenced subsequently as it touched upon so many topics I wanted to dig into each of them e.g. the populating of Polynesia, the mega fauna of North America pre the arrival of humans, the books of Marvin Harris.


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## Purple

Steel and germs, Germs and Steel...


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## odyssey06

I've been reading a lot of magazines lately rather than books, if I have a spare hour I can get through a magazine without worrying about when will get to read rest ofit.

I signed up to this service through Dublin library system, gives free access to recent magazines like New Scientist, National Geographic, even Decanter wine magazine.
There is an app for mobiles or you can read through browser (hint - select text mode once you have opened the magazine):
[broken link removed]


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## odyssey06

odyssey06 said:


> Osborne has been asked by the Raymond Chandler estate to write the next Philip Marlowe novel which is out this summer, so I look forward to that.



My copy finally arrived from the Library... intriguing so far, some lovely dialogue and narration e.g. arriving at a Mexican hotel room which "doubled as a temporary sauna". 

My appreciation is heightened by having Los Panchos on Spotify (was playing in a Mexican bar Marlowe "soaks up") and sipping a scotch and soda.


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## cremeegg

National Book Tokens, Hidden Books game is back.

http://caboodle.nationalbooktokens.com/hiddenbooks/default.aspx?competition=13#

Lets share our progress or lack thereof.


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## Marion

Just got my pre-order today. 

‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama.

I’ve just started it. Love it already!

Marion


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## DB74

DB74 said:


> Just finished All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and I can't recommend highly enough. Superb book that I couldn't put down, one of those where you wish there were another couple of hundred pages. Winner of several prizes, including Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2015



Anyone who enjoyed this book should get The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason. Loved it


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## odyssey06

I had seen the "Making of the Mob" docudrama on Investigation Discovery. I'm usually not a fan of docudrama format but this did a great job of telling the story of the rise of the Mob in New York and then Chicago. One of the "talking heads" in the show was TJ English.

So I picked up this book through Dublin library system, "Old Bones and Shallow Graves" by TJ English which focuses specifically on Irish-American mobsters.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Old-Bones-Shallow-Graves-Irish-American/dp/1840189959

I liked the way he would talk in dollar amounts about what different rackets brought in what revenues, how mobsters would get protection money from unions in the form of "no show" union jobs and cards. So the mobsters would show up on systems as dock workers but never actually do any work on the docks unless some heads needed a knocking.
I know there is a certain 'glamour' to the 1920s - 1950s era, bootleggers and rat pack and all that, but the book shows things warts and all and how in the last generation people like Whitey Bulger would disappear not just loan sharks or rival mobsters but mistresses, in gruesome fashion.


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## odyssey06

John McGahern - The Collected Stories.

This is a collection of short stories from the late Irish author. I think he lived and worked for a time in Clontarf. 
As a resident of Dublin 3, it is strange to find so many places I am familiar with name checked, pubs, streets, churches... 

One of the characters when asked if he believed in anything said that he believes in "_honour, decency, affection, in pleasure_" ... and that comes through in the best of the stories:

Parachutes
Doorways
My Love, My Umbrella

Bank Holiday
Sierra Leone
Korea
The Wine Breath
Old Fashioned

Annie May & The Conversion of William Kirkwood
A Country Funeral
And this line from Gold Watch reminded me of a time in my own life so much...
_It was she who found the flat in Hume Street, on the top floor of
one of those old Georgian houses in off the Green, within walking
distance of both our places of work. There was extraordinary peace and
loveliness in those first weeks together that I will always link with
those high-ceilinged rooms – the eager rush of excitement I felt as I
left the office at the end of the day; the lingering in the streets to
buy some offering of flowers or fruit or wine or a bowl and, once, one
copper pan; and then rushing up the stairs to call her name, the
emptiness of those same rooms when I’d find she hadn’t got home yet._

So reading this book, the Dublin stories, was a trip down memory lane in more senses than one.


----------



## Ceist Beag

Two recent reads that I found very enjoyable.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman. The story revolves around a small town struggling in economic terms but obsessed with ice hockey and the local team. It easily translates to any rural town around the world, e.g. small towns in Ireland and their local GAA team. For me the beauty in this book was the empathy and understanding shown by Backman in the characters of the town. Everyone is flawed but he showed a real understanding of people in how they are portrayed. It also described quite well for me how a town might be split by an event where one of the local heroes is under question. I really liked this and will definitely pick up the sequel and other novels by Backman.

Where the Crawdads sing by Delia Owens. A story about a young girl in 1950s/60s America who grew up pretty much on her own from the age of 7, having been abandoned by her mother and siblings due to an abusive husband/father and then by her father. The story covers two timelines, one following the girl as she comes to terms with her abandonment and how she survives, the other dealing with a murder. The story ticks a lot of boxes, such as prejudice, survival in the face of adversity, the kindness of strangers and of course all wrapped in a murder mystery. It was all done in an interesting angle involving nature. Very enjoyable read.


----------



## Leper

A Perfect Spy by John le Carré - A 600 + page blockbuster and having completed one tenth of the book I have come to the opinion that this is one of the worst books I have ever taken to hand. The plot seems to be going nowhere. The actual volume of the book appears to be way beyond of what is necessary. The style of writing is pedantic at best. It was first published in 1986 and perhaps it is an insight into the thinking of Brits in Britain. So now, how could I have been surprised at their crazy vote for Brexit?

If there was ever an item to break the laws of advertising, it is this book. "A first-rate espionage novel, perhaps his best" from the New York Times and "Without doubt his masterpiece" from the Sunday Times. I cannot say I agree in any way with these newspapers book critics.

What I read jumps in and out of the life of Magnus Pym at various stages of his life. He is the hero of the novel and has been "controlled" since his teens by some eastern block secret agents. He disappears into thin air while serving in Vienna. The search for him gets underway. I got so bored by page 102 that I threw the paperback into a pile and to be inflicted on some Charity Shop bookworm.

A drunken James Joyce wouldn't come up with some of the boring narrative and dialogues. In fact, earlier this year I picked my way through Ulysses with less effort than Le Carré's "masterpiece." The two or three hours of my life in which I wasted reading the novel, I will never get back. I bought Tinker, Tailor, Soldier . . . Spy the same day I purchased A Perfect Spy. That too has been banished to the Charity Shop bag even without reading the first page.


----------



## Ceist Beag

I managed to finish Tinker, Tailor.... and agree Leper that I really didn't enjoy the writing of le Carré. I found it complex for the sake of complexity and really did not enjoy it, it was a real struggle to complete it in the hope that it might improve ... it didn't.


----------



## odyssey06

Leper said:


> A Perfect Spy by John le Carré - A 600 + page blockbuster and having completed one tenth of the book I have come to the opinion that this is one of the worst books I have ever taken to hand. The plot seems to be going nowhere. The actual volume of the book appears to be way beyond of what is necessary. The style of writing is pedantic at best. It was first published in 1986 and perhaps it is an insight into the thinking of Brits in Britain. So now, how could I have been surprised at their crazy vote for Brexit?



Slight flaw in your theory is that Le Carre is a well known Remainer!

I watched The Little Drummer Girl adaptation on BBC1, so slow, think a 2 hour movie would have zipped along nicely if you can accept the implausibility of the premise.
But that bloat seems to affect a lot of adaptations lately. The market seems to have fallen out of the once-off 2 hour TV movie and now it's all about mini-series.
Death and Nightingales was the same. What should have been an intense 90 minute movie stretched out to a languid 3 hour miniseries.

For me, The Sandbaggers TV show from the 70s remains the best espionage fiction I have come across.


----------



## cremeegg

I think that the point of Le Carré's writing is honourable Englishmen trying to do the right thing in challenging circumstances. You probably have to accept the basic premise that being a spy is not essentially a dirty business.


----------



## Purple

odyssey06 said:


> For me, The Sandbaggers TV show from the 70s remains the best espionage fiction I have come across.


The Sandbaggers sounds like some weird porn reference.


----------



## odyssey06

Actually Sandbaggers can mean a few different things, but nothing like that!

I would know it from poker, where it is basically the opposite of bluffing i.e. you have a v good hand but try not to show it to lure other people into betting so you can win a bigger pot.

Other meanings...
*Sandbagging* (grappling), competing in a skill-bracket or being ranked lower than one is deemed capable of. 
*Sandbagging* (racing), deliberately qualifying slower than what the car can actually perform. 
Verb. In the 19th century, the verb *sandbag* began to be used to describe the act of bludgeoning *someone* with a small, sand-filled bag - a tactic employed by ruffians, usually as a prelude to robbing their victims. The verb went on to develop metaphorical extensions, such as "to coerce by crude *means*."

And even more here...
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sandbag


----------



## odyssey06

Origins: How the Earth Made Us by Lewis Dartnell.

A broad sweeping book, in the style of "Guns, Germs & Steel" on the interaction between human evolution, history and the planet's geological forces.

Some random tidbits of information:
Had the King of Portugal sponsored Christopher Columbus rather than Spain, the voyage would have been doomed as it would have set forth from the Azores - where the wind blew towards Europe. He set sail from Spanish Canaries, where the wind blew towards the America.
How the silver mined in Spanish South America was shipped back to Europe, and then traded to China and India for spices and silk, and funded the building of the Taj Mahal.
There was no grass during the time of the dinosaurs, it hadn't evolved yet.
There was no fire until 600 million years ago as not enough available oxygen in the atmosphere - also a necessary component for animal life.


----------



## cremeegg

I often wonder about these books, while they contain lots of interesting info. sometimes the authors ability to interpret it does not keep up, or they just fall to the temptation of making a neat point which the info. does not support.

Jared Diamond for example makes a point about the potato not providing as much nutrition as wheat per kilo. Which is perfectly true. He misses the point that potatoes produce more nutrition per acre and so are a much more valuable food crop. Growing space being a constraining resource which weight is not.

The discovery of the new world might have been delayed a few years, but the improvements in shipbuilding and especially in navigation would have brought some other explorer there soon enough.

That South American silver indirectly funded the Taj Mahal, I can see might be true. However that didn't provide any extra resources to the Mughals, and as they weren't importing either the materials or the labour I cannot see how the silver made any difference to their building projects.


----------



## Purple

I'm reading The Lost Enlightenment; Central Asia's golden age. Fascinating book and reinforces my view that the history we teach our children is ridiculously Eurocentric. 
I never heard of the city of Myra which, in the 12th century was the biggest city in the world. At the time London had a population of 18,000. Myra had a population on a half a million.


----------



## odyssey06

Purple said:


> I'm reading The Lost Enlightenment; Central Asia's golden age. Fascinating book and reinforces my view that the history we teach our children is ridiculously Eurocentric.
> I never heard of the city of Myra which, in the 12th century was the biggest city in the world. At the time London had a population of 18,000. Myra had a population on a half a million.



Interesting list...
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/dec/06/world-largest-cities-mapped-through-history-data-viz

I have never heard of Myra (or is it *Merv*?) but I have recently been reading about the 'Great Silk Road', for what it's worth... it has a chapter in Origins.


----------



## Purple

It is Merv, my mistake


----------



## Purple

No a book but an excellent series of podcasts; Museum of lost Objects from BBC Radio 4.


----------



## Firefly

So, I'm going on my holibobs soon. 

So far I have:

The new Tiger Woods book
Michelle Obama "Becoming" 
The Spy and the Traitor
Bad Blood

I usually get through 5 books so looking for a recommendation!

I also bought The Second World War by A. Beevor. I've started reading this and it's very good but it's a bit big to be lugging around..


----------



## TarfHead

I'm tempted to read the James O'Brien book "How to be right .." but I think I need more escape from the toilet flush of Trumpism and Brexitism.


----------



## odyssey06

BBC podcast series, Noise a Human History.








						BBC Radio 4 Extra - Noise: A Human History
					

Prof David Hendy on the role of sound and listening in 100,000 years of human history.




					www.bbc.co.uk
				




Ventures all over the place, but 'ear opening' in that it really does get you thinking about sound and noise and the things we take for granted in our 'soundscape'.


----------



## Betsy Og

Purple said:


> The Sandbaggers sounds like some weird porn reference.


I think you're thinking of tea bagging.


----------



## Betsy Og

Ceist Beag said:


> I managed to finish Tinker, Tailor.... and agree Leper that I really didn't enjoy the writing of le Carré. I found it complex for the sake of complexity and really did not enjoy it, it was a real struggle to complete it in the hope that it might improve ... it didn't.


A godawful film as well....I happened to see it in Leicester Square (where cinema is more expensive), so not impressed a'tall a'tall.


----------



## Jazz01

Betsy Og said:


> I think you're thinking of tea bagging



With your knowledge of such and Purple's on going reference to "toilet porn" - I'm wondering if there should be another forum under the "The Depths" which could be set up (with exclusive access only of course!!)


----------



## Firefly

Jazz01 said:


> With your knowledge of such and Purple's on going reference to "toilet porn" - I'm wondering if there should be another forum under the "The Depths" which could be set up (with exclusive access only of course!!)



There is, but you need to be invited first


----------



## Betsy Og

Knowledge if not experience  Ah well, I think I'm happy enough to "die wondering" re that one....


----------



## cremeegg

When I was a kid in a rowing club, tea bagging was tying a rope under someones arms and dunking him in the river.


----------



## Purple

cremeegg said:


> When I was a kid in a rowing club, tea bagging was tying a rope under someones arms and dunking him in the river.


Innocent times...


----------



## Marion

Just started reading “Normal People” by Sally Rooney.

Loving it so far and can’t wait to dive into “Conversations with Friends”

Marion


----------



## Leper

I have just completed The 3rd Brigade (History of the Volunteers/IRA in South Tipperary 1913-1921 written by Denis G Marnane with Mary Guinan Darmody).

Terrific read and a page turner if ever there was one. Sections beg re-reading and to be honest, some of it is pretty intense and you are glad to re-read when required. The structure of the book is excellent and you get a detailed account of the towns and villages of counties Tipperary, Limerick and Cork and what the RIC, Black & Tans and Auxiliaries were. The true experiences of Dan Hogan, Sean Treacy, Dan Breen etc are covered and fact is separated from fiction where necessary. 

The factual accounts of the Soloheadbeg Ambush, the rescue of Dan Hogan at Knocklong railway station, raids on several RIC stations plus other military engagements are reported in detail. Nothing is left to chance, occupations of those involved, peoples' mindset, geographical conditions, public thinking etc are covered in detail. 

Myths (or lies) created by some IRA fighters are challenged. The book is concerned with facts and these are hammered home from the detailed Introduction to the final page.

I got the book as a present; it cost €30.00 and if it cost three times that, it would be still great value.


----------



## dodo

Newbie! said:


> I've just run out of books to read and I cant find the old thread with book recommendations so I'm just looking for some thoughts from other posters.
> 
> I don't like chick-lit and in this case I don't want non fiction. Previous books that I've loved for A thousand Splendid Suns or the Bookseller of Kabul and although they're not particularly good books, I love the pageturner quality of crime or suspense like Dan Brown. Any thoughts?


The Kite Runner


----------



## odyssey06

A Splendid Exchange - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




One of those sweeping grand histories of a topic, this time of how "Trade Shaped the World" by William Bernstein.

A great overview, touching upon such diverse topics as the carrying capacity of camels, the spread of Muslim traders around the trade routes of the late Middle Ages, the exotic appeal of spices to Renaissance Europe, why different sections of society favour free trade v protectionism.


----------



## odyssey06

Also Empire of Booze by Henry Jeffreys. An episodic book on how the British empire influenced the development of sherry port rum wine and whiskey. I like that you could dip in and out and read a chapter every now and then.


----------



## Leper

Newbie! said:


> I've just run out of books to read and I cant find the old thread with book recommendations so I'm just looking for some thoughts from other posters.
> 
> I don't like chick-lit and in this case I don't want non fiction. Previous books that I've loved for A thousand Splendid Suns or the Bookseller of Kabul and although they're not particularly good books, I love the pageturner quality of crime or suspense like Dan Brown. Any thoughts?



The Whitest Flower - Brendan Graham
The Day of the Jakal - Frederick Forsyth


----------



## Ceist Beag

The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer. Am currently on book 3 in the series, very enjoyable reads to date.


----------



## Firefly

Tiger Woods
Well researched & written and provides a good insight into the man himself, but nothing much new
8/10

Bad Blood
Interesting but it could have been written in 50 pages
6/10

The Traitor and the Spy
Excellent book. A real eye opener to Cold War espionage. Russia was pretty messed up thanks to communism.
10/10

I also bought Operation Mincemeat and am nearly finished- also by Ben Macintyre. Fascinating story of trying to deceive the Germans in WW11. A bit slower than The Traitor and the Spy but fantastic all the same.
10/10

Ben Macintyre has a great way with words and I'll probably read more from him soon.


----------



## Duke of Marmalade

Firefly said:


> So, I'm going on my holibobs soon.
> 
> So far I have:
> 
> The new Tiger Woods book
> Michelle Obama "Becoming"
> The Spy and the Traitor
> Bad Blood
> 
> I usually get through 5 books so looking for a recommendation!
> 
> I also bought The Second World War by A. Beevor. I've started reading this and it's very good but it's a bit big to be lugging around..


Just finished Bad Blood by John Carreyrou.  Wow!  What a book!  It is captioned Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.  That put me off but the duchess insisted I read it.  Okay I am always a bit sceptical about a non fiction book with clear good guys and bad guys.  The bad guys are launching a Unicorn set-up which claims to have a machine to do blood tests fast and using pin pricks with a view to ultimately being as ubiquitous as the iPhone.  The good guys are ex employees who say the claims are mostly bogus.  I get sceptical when we are told the good guys were motivated by concern for patients. 
Nonetheless the exposee by the journalist is a fascinating insight.  For those who want to know the facts of the story beforehand Google Elizabeth Holmes but you might prefer to do what I did and read the book as a page turner.


----------



## odyssey06

The End is Nigh (British Politics, Power, and the Road to the Second World War*)* by Robert Crowcroft, about how British domestic politics influenced their response to Germany, Italy and Japan.
I've read a lot of books about World War Two and the 1930s, usually if they are discussion say, the British response to Italy's invasion of Abyssinia, it is framed from the perspective of what would come next. 
This book does a great job of staying 'in the moment', almost more like opinion journalism, explaining politicians actions and policy decisions from their perspective.
It is only in the conclusion that he switches into 'hindsight' mode.

Financial Times review here: https://www.ft.com/content/40781cfe-6a72-11e9-9ff9-8c855179f1c4

There's some copies in the Irish library system, mine is just about to be returned


----------



## Leper

Judge & Jury by James Patterson is a god-awful written book readable in a day. It's full of Americanisms and everything that turns me off continuing. Effectively, it is a comic without pictures and reminds me of the Zane Grey books of the 1960's which promoted my reading from comics Victor, Hotspur, Commando-64-page to real reading. 

However Judge & Jury has a terrific story which is fast moving, entertaining and ideal on a warm beach under a parasol where you can shut out the real world while simultaneously improving your sun-tan. The hero always gets his man and of course the girl. I'll be reading more of James Patterson until mid September. 

If you don't read  a James Patterson book might be a good place to start. Exclude reality and embrace escapism.


----------



## Firefly

For anyone with even a passing interest in Cyber-Security, WIRED writer/author Andy Greenberg has a new book coming out next month called _Sandworm _about the Russian hacking group of the same name. It promises to be a great book and there's a fascinating excerpt online at wired.com:









						Inside Olympic Destroyer, the Most Deceptive Hack in History
					

The untold story of how digital detectives unraveled the mystery of Olympic Destroyer—and why the next big cyberattack will be even harder to crack.




					www.wired.com


----------



## Leo

Firefly said:


> For anyone with even a passing interest in Cyber-Security



Japan are trying to step up preparations ahead of the next Olympics, including rolling out a program to hack citizen's IoT devices to expose security flaws.


----------



## joer

There are two more books following  from on the Stieg Larrson trilogy , by  David Lagercrantz, called The girl who took an eye for an eye and the latest one called The girl who lived twice, which I am just about to read. James Patterson has many books which I would also recommend. All great reading.


----------



## Jazz01

joer said:


> two more books following from on the Stieg Larrson trilogy



I enjoyed the trilogy - but, for me, the two additional books were not up to the same level.


----------



## joer

I thought that the Girl who took an eye for an eye, was good but , not quite as good as the trilogy. I have not started the other one just yet. 
It could be the change in writer.


----------



## joer

I have just finished he Girl who lived twice and enjoyed it as much as all the other four. I hope that there will be a sixth..


----------



## michaelm

For anyone unaware of it BorrowBox is a useful app allowing you to borrow/download e-books from your local library.


----------



## cremeegg

National book tokens brilliant Hidden Books quiz is back








						Play the Hidden Books Game from National Book Tokens!
					

Guess all 20 book titles hidden in the picture.



					caboodle.nationalbooktokens.com


----------



## Leper

Ulysses - James Joyce. It took me 9 weeks to read (all of September, October and sometime into November) including reading a 450 page segment which I read three times. To be honest, I was just as wise at the end of the reading as I was at the start. I don't know what Joyce was on or was it his fear that World War 1 would catch up with him? Or was it something to do with Nora Barnacle? Was it his love for Dublin from afar? My mind is still in confusion of the original Bloom's Day in 1904. I think a dozen languages are represented in the book including some Richie Kavanagh Irish. Leopold Bloom steals the show although I'm still trying to figure out and for what reasons. My own favourite was Stephen Dedalus who was a kind of me nearly 50 years before I was born.

I consulted google for notes. I even reverted to non personal advice from David Norris to read Ulysses as a humorous book. I even took part in a walking tour of the famous day hoping to pick up some information from the tour guide. At the end of all my sought after information I was as wise as ever. Somebody said "Lep, that's it you've cracked it!" I don't know what I cracked; I'm still confused.

I think I'll read it again as now  I have the spare time and on a sunny terrace overlooking the Mediterranean to the south and Sierra Cabrera to the north. For anybody in the same confusion as I, I reckon read the first 200 pages, skip about 700 pages and read Molly Bloom's dream/daydream in the last 60 pages. Don't tell David Norris I said that.


----------



## Purple

Leper said:


> Ulysses - James Joyce. It took me 9 weeks to read (all of September, October and sometime into November) including reading a 450 page segment which I read three times. To be honest, I was just as wise at the end of the reading as I was at the start. I don't know what Joyce was on or was it his fear that World War 1 would catch up with him? Or was it something to do with Nora Barnacle? Was it his love for Dublin from afar? My mind is still in confusion of the original Bloom's Day in 1904. I think a dozen languages are represented in the book including some Richie Kavanagh Irish. Leopold Bloom steals the show although I'm still trying to figure out and for what reasons. My own favourite was Stephen Dedalus who was a kind of me nearly 50 years before I was born.
> 
> I consulted google for notes. I even reverted to non personal advice from David Norris to read Ulysses as a humorous book. I even took part in a walking tour of the famous day hoping to pick up some information from the tour guide. At the end of all my sought after information I was as wise as ever. Somebody said "Lep, that's it you've cracked it!" I don't know what I cracked; I'm still confused.
> 
> I think I'll read it again as now  I have the spare time and on a sunny terrace overlooking the Mediterranean to the south and Sierra Cabrera to the north. For anybody in the same confusion as I, I reckon read the first 200 pages, skip about 700 pages and read Molly Bloom's dream/daydream in the last 60 pages. Don't tell David Norris I said that.


Brilliant!


----------



## Leper

Trick of the Dark – Val McDermid. After reading Ulysses a trek into this serial murder yarn was like taking up an old Daily Mirror while waiting for a haircut in a €10.00 per cut barber’s shop. It is well written and a structured plot that gets a little out of hand thirty pages from the end. Charlie Flint takes you through the behind the scenes of her old Oxford college. 

The groom of a College wedding gets murdered on his wedding day. There were several other murders in the lead up and so you get an insight into several peoples’ memory of what happened. It’s a good book over a wet and cold weekend in Ireland. But, if the weather is good put the read on hold. The book will do more good later, if you present it to a Charity Shop. Not a bad read though.


----------



## cremeegg

cremeegg said:


> National book tokens brilliant Hidden Books quiz is back
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Play the Hidden Books Game from National Book Tokens!
> 
> 
> Guess all 20 book titles hidden in the picture.
> 
> 
> 
> caboodle.nationalbooktokens.com



Help   Why would a bee be on a railway crossing


----------



## notabene

cremeegg said:


> Help   Why would a bee be on a railway crossing



A very prominent biography


----------



## odyssey06

This would make a great stocking filler at Christmas for a football fan of a certain age i.e. old enough to remember football before the Premier League era... the world where shirt numbers dictated your position, where cup ties could go to three replays, and where the 'football pinks' newspaper hit the presses as soon as the final whistles blew on Saturday afternoons.

There's 50 short chapters on different themes:




__





						Black Boots and Football Pinks: 50 Lost Wonders of the Beautiful Game: Amazon.co.uk: Gray, Daniel: 9781472958860: Books
					

Buy Black Boots and Football Pinks: 50 Lost Wonders of the Beautiful Game by Gray, Daniel (ISBN: 9781472958860) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.



					www.amazon.co.uk


----------



## Leper

Slumdog Millionaire - Vikas Swarup. I don't know why, but unexpectedly this turned out to be my read of the year so far. Perhaps it's the long warm Spanish days or even the view of the mountains behind or the Mediterranean in front. But, I flew through the book in a day. Not only did each chapter lead to the next but every paragraph led to the next. A poor Indian boy wins the equivalent of Who-Wants-to-be-a-Millionaire? The television people think he's cheating, the police think he is cheating and he goes through how he arrived at his answers with his experience of poverty, destitution, etc. OK! It's a holiday read, but as exciting as the Zane Grays all those years ago but more believable. 

If you are reading this and haven't read a book in years, then Slumdog Millionaire will have you addicted to reading again. If you have a secondary going offspring and he is reading just the notes of novels give him Slumdog Millionaire for Christmas and he'll be reading full length novels instead of the notes.


----------



## Leper

The Island - Victoria Hislop. The setting is Crete and in a fishing port near the Leper island of Spinalonga (known to many Irish holidaymakers who take the day trip there). Spinalonga ceased to be a Leper Colony in the late 1950's. From the 1920's the Greek government housed its lepers on Spinalonga where they opened shops, processed their own electricity and had running water when most of Greece and its islands had to go to the wells. The lepers married had children which were taken from them and given to childless couples elsewhere. Spinalonga had its own hospital, its own doctor and even its own printed newspaper. 

The blurb suggest The Island is a holiday read. It's more. There are some love stories of two sisters, a playboy, their father, two doctors and village life in Crete with specific mentions of life on Spinalonga. OK! It's a book mainly for women, but us males can enjoy it too. The book is well written and extremely readable and perhaps an introduction to Crete for future Irish holidaymakers.


----------



## Leper

This One's On Me - Jimmy Greaves. It was first published in 1979 and part of a cache that I bought at a Spanish charity fair for €2.00 in a bundle that had 500 Spanish Verbs, Antony Beevor's Spanish Civil War among others. Jimmy Greaves was one of my all time sporting heroes and we used to go to the Saturday matinee just to see Movietone News showing all of 20 seconds of Greavsie scoring cup-tie goals. Years later Movietone showed colour snippets of more of Jimmy's goals. Jimmy Greaves had it all, football talent, money, fame. When I looked at the cover my first thought was to consign it to the bin. These were the days before mass television coverage (1960's and 1970's).

Then I read the first line "My name is Jimmy G. I am a professional footballer and I am an alcoholic." Before I had finished the first page the author admitted that he was writing the book to help clear his revenue debts in the UK. Delay in paying his due was caused by his abuse of alcohol. This is not a misery memoir. However, it shows how anybody can succumb to alcohol addiction.. Jimmy Greaves was born Roman Catholic, had a normal upbringing and suddenly was transferred from Chelsea to Tottenham Hotspur where he became a member of the original Dream Team who played attractive attacking football. He did not become addicted to alcohol overnight; it took some years and he pulls no punches describing his nadir and his need to overcome his demons. His wife found several bottles of vodka hidden in the house and in a temper emptied the lot down the sink. Jimmy literally went through his trash bin to drain what was left of the vodka to ease his dreadful need. Instantly, he admitted that he needed help and went to Alcoholics Anonymous. His cure was not instant and Jimmy takes up through his need to go from a dreadful descent to an inspiring ascent.

He recounted his drinking sessions, how he felt and named names of other famous footballers who joined his drinking circle, not that any of them would be happy with the naming. Alcohol was not the cause of him being omitted from the 1966 World Cup Final; he was injured. However, his friendship with Alf Ramsey was not a buddy-buddy one. In fact, Greaves walked away from international football as he did not wish to be training with England and not part of the set-up. The book although only 160 pages gives extensive accounts of his training, management meetings, tactics, goal scoring records, friendships and his football moments in Italy.

I don't think the book was ghost written. But, anybody who likes football would find the read to be a good one and written from the heart. I'm glad I couldn't find the bin in which I was about to consign it. Thank you Jimmy Greaves!


----------



## Purple

Leper, You are the retiree we should all aspire to be; living the dream.


----------



## Leper

Hi Purple and all, It's no big deal being in the south of Spain for several weeks of winter. I swam in the Med two days ago. The Spaniards with jackets buttoned up to the neck look on me as being some kind of alien. They don't know that the Med is warmer now than the Atlantic back in Ireland in July. There are several Irish here but we're easily outnumbered by retired Brits. The "B" (Brexit) word is banned in conversation. But, life is good and as can be seen on the above book reviews I'm reading my brains out sitting on a south facing sun terrace. Like I already said it's no big deal; anybody can easily do it. A front-line 2 bedroom low rise apartment rental costs €675 per 4 weeks off season (utilities included). I don't have the car with us but the local transport is cheap @ €1.20 per trip to nearby villages. I'll be back in Ireland for Christmas, but don't be surprised if we take off again (I'm thinking Italy for a while). I had coffee out earlier (1 cup coffee (con leche), 1 glass water, 1 glass orange-juice, two small doughnuts, 1 bowl nuts) and all for €1.50. A pint of lager for Mrs Lep cost €2.00. I don't miss the Irish rain and cold. There's plenty to do and I can take as much exercise as I wish. Time is flying by of which I am often reminded by some friends who failed to make it this far.

On the minus side we've started rationing Barry's Tea (didn't bring enough). Yorkshire (Red Label) is not a bad substitute though, but next time we'll bring more Barry's. I know Purple's heart goes out to me!


----------



## Deiseblue

Great to see you enjoying the good life in Spain - a no brainer really as the costs , as you point out , are not prohibitive.
Recently back from Portugal and Spain myself after enjoying good food and brilliant sunshine whilst taking in a myriad of football games including Champions League and Europa league fixtures.
Jimmy Greaves was also a hero of mine who did nothing else on the pitch except score goals - the original fox in the box .
He actually signed from A C Milan and unfortunately for him was not part of the Spurs dream team who won the double in 1960-61 as he didn’t sign until the following season.
I can recommend any of the football books by David Goldblatt, I’m reading futebol nation a history of Brazilian football


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## Purple

Leper said:


> On the minus side we've started rationing Barry's Tea (didn't bring enough). Yorkshire (Red Label) is not a bad substitute though, but next time we'll bring more Barry's. I know Purple's heart goes out to me!


Is that why you have the Missus drinking beer for breakfast?


----------



## Leper

Purple said:


> Is that why you have the Missus drinking beer for breakfast?


Our breakfast time is 12.00pm and that's an hour later than in Ireland. Mrs Lep usually takes her siesta immediately after 9.00am, however the Spaniards wait until 2.00pm.

If Barry's see this they could have us on their next television ad. missing you all while we drink a cup of Barry's in the sun of November.


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## Firefly

Leper said:


> Our breakfast time is 12.00pm and that's an hour later than in Ireland. Mrs Lep usually takes her siesta immediately after 9.00am, however the Spaniards wait until 2.00pm.
> 
> If Barry's see this they could have us on their next television ad. missing you all while we drink a cup of Barry's in the sun of November.



To really complete the picture, you should send a photo to _De Paper_ holding a copy of the _Holly Bough_


----------



## Firefly

Great deals on Kindle books at the moment

Red Notice 1.99
The Boys in the Boat 0.99
Elon Musk 1.99

And loads more

amazon.co.uk


----------



## Firefly

Shoe Dog (Kindle edition) by Phil Knight on amazon.co.uk for 99p

Fantastic read


----------



## The_Banker

Leper said:


> This One's On Me - Jimmy Greaves. It was first published in 1979 and part of a cache that I bought at a Spanish charity fair for €2.00 in a bundle that had 500 Spanish Verbs, Antony Beevor's Spanish Civil War among others. Jimmy Greaves was one of my all time sporting heroes and we used to go to the Saturday matinee just to see Movietone News showing all of 20 seconds of Greavsie scoring cup-tie goals. Years later Movietone showed colour snippets of more of Jimmy's goals. Jimmy Greaves had it all, football talent, money, fame. When I looked at the cover my first thought was to consign it to the bin. These were the days before mass television coverage (1960's and 1970's).
> 
> Then I read the first line "My name is Jimmy G. I am a professional footballer and I am an alcoholic." Before I had finished the first page the author admitted that he was writing the book to help clear his revenue debts in the UK. Delay in paying his due was caused by his abuse of alcohol. This is not a misery memoir. However, it shows how anybody can succumb to alcohol addiction.. Jimmy Greaves was born Roman Catholic, had a normal upbringing and suddenly was transferred from Chelsea to Tottenham Hotspur where he became a member of the original Dream Team who played attractive attacking football. He did not become addicted to alcohol overnight; it took some years and he pulls no punches describing his nadir and his need to overcome his demons. His wife found several bottles of vodka hidden in the house and in a temper emptied the lot down the sink. Jimmy literally went through his trash bin to drain what was left of the vodka to ease his dreadful need. Instantly, he admitted that he needed help and went to Alcoholics Anonymous. His cure was not instant and Jimmy takes up through his need to go from a dreadful descent to an inspiring ascent.
> 
> He recounted his drinking sessions, how he felt and named names of other famous footballers who joined his drinking circle, not that any of them would be happy with the naming. Alcohol was not the cause of him being omitted from the 1966 World Cup Final; he was injured. However, his friendship with Alf Ramsey was not a buddy-buddy one. In fact, Greaves walked away from international football as he did not wish to be training with England and not part of the set-up. The book although only 160 pages gives extensive accounts of his training, management meetings, tactics, goal scoring records, friendships and his football moments in Italy.
> 
> I don't think the book was ghost written. But, anybody who likes football would find the read to be a good one and written from the heart. I'm glad I couldn't find the bin in which I was about to consign it. Thank you Jimmy Greaves!



just finished reading Geoff Hursts autobiography and Jimmy and Alf Ramsey are mentioned a lot. 
thebook is pretty pedestrian but I like reading books from footballers of that generation. 
or listening to Johnny Giles on Off The Ball talking about football in the 60s/70s. 
based on the synopsis above just bought Jimmy Greaves book on eBay and awaiting delivery.


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## odyssey06

The_Banker said:


> just finished reading Geoff Hursts autobiography and Jimmy and Alf Ramsey are mentioned a lot.
> thebook is pretty pedestrian but I like reading books from footballers of that generation.
> or listening to Johnny Giles on Off The Ball talking about football in the 60s/70s.
> based on the synopsis above just bought Jimmy Greaves book on eBay and awaiting delivery.



If you can track down the Denis Law autobiography, that is a great read, especially his time in Italy.


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## Brendan Burgess

How about the Decameron written just after the Black Death hit Florence?









						The Decameron – the 14th-century Italian book that shows us how to survive coronavirus
					

Giovanni Boccaccio’s work taught citizens how to maintain mental wellbeing in times of epidemics and isolation.




					www.newstatesman.com
				




Other than the introduction, it's not really about the pandemic.  It's 100 stories about medieval life in all its lusty glory which were meant to take the readers' and listeners' mind off the plague. 

It's  a bit odd in that the introduction to each story actually summarises the story and the outcome. So you know in advance that there is going to be a happy or an unhappy ending. 

But even before that you know, as each day has a theme - e.g."How someone was in deep trouble but recovered by a stroke of amazing luck." 

Brendan


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## Firefly

Just finished _Prisoners of Geography_ - an absolutely fascinating read.


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## WolfeTone

Firefly said:


> Just finished _Prisoners of Geography_ - an absolutely fascinating read.



Indeed, it provides a lot of perspective on international affairs.


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## WolfeTone

Looking forward to reading _The Deficit Myth _by Stephanie Kelton. 
Modern monetary theorist challenging the conventional beliefs surrounding the use of taxes, budget deficits and national debts. 
The Covid19 outbreak may act as exemplar to how MMT can be applied.


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## Firefly

Just finished _Factfulness _and found it very interesting. 

Starting Sam Warburton's bio (which is 99p on amazon today)


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## cremeegg

Prisoners of geography.



WolfeTone said:


> Indeed, it provides a lot of perspective on international affairs.



I thought it was the worst example of stating the obvious I have seen in a while. A collection of schoolboy essays gathered into a book.


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## Purple

cremeegg said:


> Prisoners of geography.
> 
> I thought it was the worst example of stating the obvious I have seen in a while. A collection of schoolboy essays gathered into a book.


Geopolitics for the hard of understanding?


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## WolfeTone

Purple said:


> Geopolitics for the hard of understanding?



Indeed, there are plenty of them about.


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## WolfeTone

cremeegg said:


> A collection of schoolboy essays gathered into a book.



That is a reasonable observation I would agree. But I do think the book offers a concise and accessible introduction into geopolitical affairs around the globe. For instance, I only ever had a cursory knowledge of Chinese/India affairs and this book has shed more light on potential disputes that may arise in the future that I never knew could potentially arise.
On the other hand, I consider myself to have reasonable knowledge of East-West affairs between NATO, Russia etc. After 4 years of Russia-gate FB election paranoia in the US, its refreshing to pull back from that nonsense and be reminded of what is actually occurring in such matters.


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## WolfeTone

China-India stand off

There's an eery coincidence!


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## Firefly

WolfeTone said:


> China-India stand off
> 
> There's an eery coincidence!


Snap! I was only reading this this morning and felt all warm inside with my newly acquired knowledge


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## WolfeTone

WolfeTone said:


> Looking forward to reading _The Deficit Myth_



Interesting book, if not sufficiently convincing me of Modern Monetary Theory. 
Nevertheless, it demonstrably exposes the fake fear and lack of understanding politicians have with regard the national debt when resisting calls for increases in expenditure.


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## Purple

WolfeTone said:


> Interesting book, if not sufficiently convincing me of Modern Monetary Theory.
> Nevertheless, it demonstrably exposes the fake fear and lack of understanding politicians have with regard the national debt when resisting calls for increases in expenditure.


The mistake economists keep making is to assume that politicians will act like economists.


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## Peanuts20

Purple said:


> The mistake economists keep making is to assume that politicians will act like economists.



I can't help but recall the definition of an economist as someone who spends half their career developing a theory and then the other half explaining why it doesn't work.

I'm enjoying "Meetings with remarkable Manuscripts, 12 journeys into the Medieval World" by Christopher de Hammel. it could have done with a bit of an edit as some of it is a bit too much detail but it's still a facinating read.


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## joer

Has anyone read The girl who lived twice by David Lagercrantz. It’s the sixth book in the Stieg Larssson  , the girl with the Dragon Tattoo series ? I have read the other five which are very good .


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## Firefly

_Mindf*ck: inside Cambridge Analytica's plot to break the world_ 

Phenomenal & scary. Well worth a read


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## Jazz01

joer said:


> The girl who lived twice


I read that a while back - not as good as the Stieg Larsson's written books, but still worth your time...


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## joer

Thanks Jazz, I will get it in the next few days .


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## Leper

The Murder of Mr Moonlight by newspaper journalist Catherine Fegan. Nothing to read at home and while walking past Easons I noticed a table set up beyond which there was no entry due to Covid. I asked the  helpful Easons employee for something easy to read and she produced Catherine Fegan's book. Selling at half price it was great value. It told the story of  Bobby Ryan (Mr Moonlight, truck driver for a quarry in Co Tippearary and part time disc jockey and general nice guy) and Patrick Quirke (Fulltime Farmer, Investor, Agricultural Advisor and found guilty of the murder of Mr Moonlight), Imelda Quirke (wife of Patrick), Mary Lowry (sister in law of Imelda Quirke and intimate with Mr Quirke and Mr Ryan and of similar appearance to Imelda). Brilliantly written and with the pace of an express train and summaries of evidence  from the longest running murder trial in Ireland. There was little hard evidence against Patrick Quirke but an amount of circumstantial evidence which led to the guilty verdict. The book is an excellent read and you can draw your own conclusions from the story and its characters. There are some unanswered questions which I think should have been given more coverage.  Perhaps they are for another day?


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## Purple

Alas between work, kids and housework I hardly have time to say my beads, let alone read books.


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## odyssey06

I'm trying to keep up with magazines, when I have an hour I can sit down and read one - New Scientist, National Geographic, Decanter etc
I have a history book on world war 2 that I can pick up a chapter read it in an hour, and then it's ok if it is weeks before I read the next one.


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## cremeegg

Here it is again the national booksellers excellent Hidden book competition. Seems hard this year. 




__





						Find the book titles with National Book Tokens' Hidden Books Game
					

Play the Hidden Books Game.



					caboodle.nationalbooktokens.com


----------



## Leper

Toby's Room - by Pat Barker. Takes place between 1912 and 1917 covering the life of individual artist-painters known to each other from college to military service in Ypres during WW1. The subject character is Missing Presumed Dead. The reader is transported through London and rural England during the course of the book. Taboo subjects are covered and if you have any animosity towards any taboo subject even in Ireland you could do worse than read Toby's Room. Description of life in the trenches and the horrific work of stretcher bearers is written as if it were first-hand experience. Preparation for war, enlisting and life as an officer and conscript/volunteer are described with no punches pulled. It is not an anti war book, but you would have to be a cold person devoid of emotions to fail to get to grips of what was written.

Pat Barker is up there with Graham Greene and our own Liam Clancy as a thumping good builder of stories. This is the first of her books I've read and I'll read more as soon as our bookshops reopen after Covid.


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## Firefly

_Sandworm_ by Andy Greenberg 
10/10 for me. I found it a fascinating read. Anyone with even a passing interest in all things Cyber hacking/war should enjoy it. Great & detailed insight into the more famous hackings by the US/Isreal (Stuxnet attack on Iran's nuclear enrichment program) and Russia's attacks on Georgia, Estonia, the Seoul Olympics and (repeated) attacks on Ukraine. WannaCry and nopetya covered in detail. I found it very difficult to put down.


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## Purple

I'm reading The Darkening Age by Catherine Nixey.
She's the daughter of a former Nun and former monk. The book is about the spread of Christianity through the Latin world and the resulting destruction of that world. So far it's an excellent read.


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## Wahaay

Burning Heresies - Kevin Myers.
Outstanding memoir from the cancelled controversialist.
In terms of his writing ability alone there are few hacks working in the Irish media who come close.


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## Deiseblue

Reading P G Wodehouse - the Blandings omnibus. 
A lift for these depressing times.


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## odyssey06

Deiseblue said:


> Reading P G Wodehouse - the Blandings omnibus.
> A lift for these depressing times.


I have some of the BBC radio versions of the stories downloaded for a rainy day.
But keep going to back of queue as I try to keep up with current BBC radio output.

Currently listening to the abridged version of Kazuo Ishuguro's new novel Klara and the Sun.


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## Leper

Sycamore Row - John Grisham.  Interesting read on the profession and carry-on of lawyers in the USA. In this case the Southern States where Seth Hubbard changed his will and almost immediately hanged himself from a tree in Sycamore Row. The original will looked after his son, daughter and grandchildren, but when he changed the will he awarded 90% of $24M to his black housekeeper/cook, the remaining 10% to be divided by the church and his long lost brother. 

Some witnesses were paid handsomely to give evidence. Lawyers kept as much information from their legal adversaries as they could get away with. The book was well crafted by JG who himself was a small town lawyer back in the day. It's an easy read through 600 pages but each paragraph leads to the next and the storyline was terrific. I found the book in Ceannt Railway Station where a bring-a-book, take-a-book shelf is nestled next to the station toilet.


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## geri

Alaska (novel) - Wikipedia
					






					en.m.wikipedia.org
				



I loved this book and was disappointed when I finished it. Highly recommended if you have an interest is Alaskas history from the first humans to cross over from Asia to modern day. The detail is incredible and his research must have taken years.


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## mathepac

"Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here's the Science" by Professor Luke O'Neill. 

What have Dolly Parton, the Kray Twins and Cesare Lombroso got in common? Read Luke's book to be enlightened. Whether it's all B#ll*cks, or all Science I'll leave you to decide.


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## dereko1969

Using Borrow Box quite a bit recently - free with your local library membership. Just finished listening to Kevin Barry's short story collection - 








						That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry review – wild, witty stories
					

The west of Ireland teems with canny characters and vivid language in the author’s third collection




					www.theguardian.com
				



He's a fantastic reader of his work - I loved Night Boat to Tangier - and all his other works.








						Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry review – darkly comic voyage into the abyss
					

Ageing Irish gangsters trade banter in a Spanish ferry terminal, in this beautifully written two-hander about crime’s toll on the soul




					www.theguardian.com


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## Firefly

_All we shall know_ by Donal Ryan. Fiction is not usually my bag, but I really enjoyed this. Superbly written - the guy has some way with words. Also, challenged my thoughts on a few things along the way. 

Currently reading _In the woods_ by Tana French and it's really good.


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## Firefly

Has anyone read the Mickey Haller series by Michael Connolly? The reviews on Amazon are very good and was thinking of reading them.


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## odyssey06

Firefly said:


> Has anyone read the Mickey Haller series by Michael Connolly? The reviews on Amazon are very good and was thinking of reading them.


Haven't *read *any Michael Connolly but I'm a big fan of the Bosch adaptation on TV.

It looks like there's a TV adaptation of Mickey Haller coming so I'm looking forward to that:





__





						The Lincoln Lawyer (TV series) - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## Jazz01

Alan Lee's books "_Mackenzie August Series_" are worth a read - there are some good offers via Amazon kindle at the moment.


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## Firefly

Firefly said:


> Currently reading _In the woods_ by Tana French and it's really good.


It could have been bit more exciting towards the end , but I enjoyed it. A 7/10 for me.


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## Leper

The Witness - ghostwritten by Nicola Tallant (Sunday World):- Written in the first person telling the story of Joey "The Lips" O'Callaghan Ireland's youngest person at 19 to use the Witness Protection Programme. It's a book that was well written and could be read at break-neck speed. It describes how easy it is for young teenagers to get involved in serious crime. Some major Dublin criminals get a mention and how they became revered in some areas. Joey gets his first paid job working on a milk float driven by Brian Kenny a low grade Dublin criminal on the rise to some dreadful criminal notoriety including murder. No punches are pulled with the involvement with criminals and life after in the UK within the Witness Protection Programme. It was published in 2021 and well worth a read.


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## Cervelo

Firefly said:


> Has anyone read the Mickey Haller series by Michael Connolly? The reviews on Amazon are very good and was thinking of reading them.


I've read nearly all of Connolly's books, currently reading "The Law of Innocence" which is a Mickey Haller novel and would highly recommend any of his books Bosch or Haller as a good read. He's also done a few stand alone books like "The Poet" and "Blood Work" which you may remember was made into a film of the same name by Clint Eastwood 


odyssey06 said:


> It looks like there's a TV adaptation of Mickey Haller coming so I'm looking forward to that:


Delighted to hear this as I really enjoyed the Bosch series on Prime so hoping this is going to be just as enjoyable when it arrives

Another good series author is Lee Child and his character Jack Reacher which has also just got it's own series on Prime as well


----------



## Peanuts20

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, it's different but I thought it was wonderful


----------



## Jazz01

_A Man called Ove_, by Fredrik Backman. A very good read...


----------



## deanpark

*Two steps Forward, One Step Back: My Life in the Music Business* by Miles A. Copeland III 

Manager of the Police, Go Gos, Squeeze, Jools Holland and owner of the label (IRS) where REM began their rise in the 1980s - his Dad also co-founded the CIA. 

A surprisingly good read and insight into the music business in the 70s and 80s.


----------



## Ceist Beag

Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
A really well written and researched book on The Troubles, particularly focussing on the Jean McConville disappearance but going into great detail on a number of the players on the Republican side. Some of it is well known at this stage but there were some fascinating insights and the author does a really good job of relating different views without taking sides.


----------



## Firefly

Ceist Beag said:


> Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
> A really well written and researched book on The Troubles, particularly focussing on the Jean McConville disappearance but going into great detail on a number of the players on the Republican side. Some of it is well known at this stage but there were some fascinating insights and the author does a really good job of relating different views without taking sides.


Thanks for that!


----------



## peemac

For peels of laughter, AA Gill - Uncle Dysfunctional

"Uncompromising answers to life's most painful problems" 

Here's a short example

Q. what is the best revenge for a cheating fiancé?
A. Marry him.


----------



## Firefly

Ceist Beag said:


> Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
> A really well written and researched book on The Troubles, particularly focussing on the Jean McConville disappearance but going into great detail on a number of the players on the Republican side. Some of it is well known at this stage but there were some fascinating insights and the author does a really good job of relating different views without taking sides.


Thanks again for the recommendation, really enjoyed it.

Have also recently read the following and found them great reads

_Left For Dead: 30 Years On - The Race is Finally Over - Nick Ward, Sinead O'Brien_
First hand account of the fateful Fastnet race in 1979

_Before & Laughter - Jimmy Carr_
I really like Jimmy Carr's style of comedy where you laugh and about half a second later realise that you shouldn't have really. 
Great advice for life

_A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal_
Ben Macintyre


----------



## odyssey06

The BBC Book of the Week is 5 x 15 minute abridged readings from "An Immense World" by Ed Wong, a popular science book looking beyond human senses into the animal realm to explore how different sensory perceptions can alter our experience of the world. If you want to know more about for example how spiders use their webs as sensory extensions this is for you 

The excerpts are very good so consider this a recommendation for the book in either version.

_(BBC Sounds isn't geo-blocked, you might have to register but you can access almost all content from ROI)_









						BBC Sounds - An Immense World by Ed Yong - Available Episodes
					

Listen to the latest episodes of An Immense World by Ed Yong on BBC Sounds




					www.bbc.co.uk


----------



## Firefly

Picked up_ Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind_, Kindle edition today for 99c. Anyone read it?


----------



## michaelm

Everyone maybe.  You could have got it for free from Z-Library https://b-ok.xyz/


----------



## Purple

I just finished _Great Hatred: the Assassination of Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson MP_. It's a superb book. 

I really don't know enough about the Civil War and this book made me read more. History Ireland also have great lectures on Podcast about the assassination.  For example I didn't know that at the start of the Civil War there were three governments in the country or that Wilson's killing caused the shelling of the Four Courts.


----------



## Firefly

Currently reading _The Hitler Years, Volume 1: Triumph 1933-1939_
Finding it very good and insightful.
Currently on the supposed threat / persecution that "German" Czechoslovakian's were subjected to, that Hitler used as an excuse for taking over Sudetenland (The Munich Agreement). The parallels with Putin's argument for liberating Russians in Donbas are striking...


----------



## Peanuts20

Currently reading and loving "the Bronx is burning, 1977, baseball, politics and the battle for the soul of the city" by Jonathan Mahler

It's a social history of New York for the year, 1977 and focused on a feud between the Yankees manager and a new black superstar player and the Mayorial election that year. However it covers so much more including Son of Sam, the great blackout and a whole lot more and if anyone has a love for the Big Apple and what it is now, it's a fascinating reminder of the cess poll it was in the mid 70's.


----------



## dereko1969

Not a book but a great History Podcast








						Empire
					

Listen to Empire on Spotify.




					open.spotify.com
				



Have read Dalrymples' Return of a King which was great and will be reading The Anarchy his book on the East India Company and the outsourcing of British foreign policy to a private company.


----------



## Purple

dereko1969 said:


> Not a book but a great History Podcast
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Empire
> 
> 
> Listen to Empire on Spotify.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> open.spotify.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Have read Dalrymples' Return of a King which was great and will be reading The Anarchy his book on the East India Company and the outsourcing of British foreign policy to a private company.


The Last Mughal is a great book that shows the incredible power the East India Company had. It's also tragic and really sad.


----------

