What Are You Currently Reading?

First topic message reminder :

As the title suggests; this is just a post to find out what people are currently reading (I don't want any sarcastic comments stating "This thread" )

I'm currently reading What The Night Knows by Dean Koontz. I'm only about 19 chapters in, but it's really good so far.

I finished Shattered Bones by Stuart MacBride at the weekend. That was okay, but the editing was poor so it detracted from my enjoyment a little.

Actually that is another question for this thread. Is it just me, or does sloppy editing bother you? I'm talking in terms of spelling mistakes, double words etc. I find it really off putting and I can't really explain why. I guess it could be because it interupts the flow of the story.

It really grinds my gears

Dicey Reilly wrote:I have just started Abraham Lincoln : Vampire Hunter, I have been looking for this book for awhile so hopefully I wont be let down but it is written by Seth Grahame Smith who also wrote "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and that was excellent (even my wife thought so)

It's coming out as a film later this year too

I know in June I cant wait, the book is brilliant, im up to the Civil War years in it and it still has me by the balls

William the Conqueror The B@st@rd of Normandy, a biography written by Peter Rex. It describes William as being brutal and very cruel but at the same time a loving husband and father.
He was a competent rather than an inspired general his reputation rests on the victory at Hastings.

I'm reading 1984, because I've never actually read it.

And that makes me feel ashamed knowing that even Joey Barton has.

I am reading some David Gemmill stuff. The man is a legend in fantasy writing. I did read a book on the history of insomnia and that was an eye opener to say the least on how it was frowned upon in the medieval times.

Roberto Mankini wrote:I am reading some David Gemmill stuff. The man is a legend in fantasy writing. I did read a book on the history of insomnia and that was an eye opener to say the least on how it was frowned upon in the medieval times.

Please say that was intentional

David Gemmill is one of my favourite writers, nobody can write Hero fantasy like him and without him we would never have Druss

Dicey Reilly wrote:

Roberto Mankini wrote:I am reading some David Gemmill stuff. The man is a legend in fantasy writing. I did read a book on the history of insomnia and that was an eye opener to say the least on how it was frowned upon in the medieval times.

Please say that was intentional

David Gemmill is one of my favourite writers, nobody can write Hero fantasy like him and without him we would never have Druss

The Demon Blade is just legend!

I loved the Rigante series well the first 2 book were great but I lost interest when reading the 3rd one when it was set a 100 or so years later, Bane was a brilliant character

Just started Greame Swann's autobiography, so far a really good and entertaining read.

I have just finished "Age of Odin" by James Lovegrove and it was brilliant, the main character, an ex-squaddie called Gid Coxall is hillariously cocky, the bookis a great mix of Mythology and up-to-date weaponry and I would highly recommend it to all

I have started to read "The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart" and lets just say the first 3 Chapters are not for the screamish at all

Just finnished THE LAST FOUR THINGS by Paul Hoffman, which is the follow up to the brilliant LEFT HAND OF GOD. It was okay, and carried the story forward, but in my opinion lacked the charm of the 1st book, though during its final chapters it set up the next book brilliantly.

Now reading THE PAINTED MAN by Peter V Brett, which at that moment is setting up the characters okay.

Just started Empress by Karen Millar, have read her previous fantasy books and really enjoyed them so I am hoping this one is up to the same standard

Started re-reading the Necroscope series, brilliant books

James Siegel -derailed, read it in one sitting. not bad at all.
Usually read three to four books a weekend if theres not fight or cricket on, have nothing else to do at work. I assure you, sloppy editing pisses me off but you might want to look at this to meet a kindred spirit

https://www.606v2.com/t27036-primo-carnera#1107562

Tony Benn - Letters to my grandchildren

He speaks an awful lot of common sense in the book.

Isabel Allende - The House of the Spirits

A book I first read many years ago and now return to intermittently. Takes a while to get into and you'll either love it or hate it. I love it, when I'm in the right frame of mind.

tigerrobins wrote:

Mad for Chelsea wrote:

tigerrobins wrote:Next starting The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. Hopeful about this one.

Excellent. I have thought about buying this since I saw it in a bookshop as I thought it looked good. let me know how it goes?

Right, 1st of, if you like you're fantasy books to be action packed, or with lots of magic, dragons, sword fighting etc then this is not the book for you.

It's Kvothe telling his story to someone else, it is quite slow and by the end he was still at the university, meaning that there is going to be at least 1 sequal following it. There are alot of bits that you wonder why they are in, and at times it is dull, but as a book building up the early years and back ground to a character then it is good, though it does perhaps go in to too much detail. I think that the following book(s) are where the action will happen. It's not bad, but not as good as i had hoped, and also means i'm now going to have to buy the following books.

Working my way through book 2 (with more to follow I believe). This one is even longer than the first one. I agree a bit slow at times and was not sure I'd finish reading book 1 at times. Overall glad I did.

(My first serious reading was every HP Lovecraft book I could find in my local library. He builds an interesting world around the Cthulhu Mythology. A different but fascinating set of horror stories for anyone enjoying that genre).

Tony Iommi Iron Man.
Black Sabbaths lead guitarist's story which so far is enjoyable. 90 chapters in 369 pages some chapters just a page long, some very amusing stories. Typical rock band activities lots of drugs and ruining hotels etc.

Just started re-reading the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series by Tad Williams. Book 1 is The Dragonbone Chair.

I'm really enjoying it, not read them for about 7 years now so have forgotten a lot, or have half memories of things but am loving re-discovering it. Williams is brilliant with some of his descriptions and with the character development.

Just bought The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullinton, great read so far alot like his other brillinat book, the sad tale of the Brothers Grossbart

teassoc wrote:

tigerrobins wrote:

Mad for Chelsea wrote:

tigerrobins wrote:Next starting The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. Hopeful about this one.

Excellent. I have thought about buying this since I saw it in a bookshop as I thought it looked good. let me know how it goes?

Right, 1st of, if you like you're fantasy books to be action packed, or with lots of magic, dragons, sword fighting etc then this is not the book for you.

It's Kvothe telling his story to someone else, it is quite slow and by the end he was still at the university, meaning that there is going to be at least 1 sequal following it. There are alot of bits that you wonder why they are in, and at times it is dull, but as a book building up the early years and back ground to a character then it is good, though it does perhaps go in to too much detail. I think that the following book(s) are where the action will happen. It's not bad, but not as good as i had hoped, and also means i'm now going to have to buy the following books.

Working my way through book 2 (with more to follow I believe). This one is even longer than the first one. I agree a bit slow at times and was not sure I'd finish reading book 1 at times. Overall glad I did.

(My first serious reading was every HP Lovecraft book I could find in my local library. He builds an interesting world around the Cthulhu Mythology. A different but fascinating set of horror stories for anyone enjoying that genre).

I'm now nearly half way through Book 2. I'm enjoying every page. Full of inventiveness.

Book 3 (day 3) is supposedly due for release February 2013. I suspect there will be more to follow after that, given the pace at which things are happening.

I'm currently reading "The Last Hundred Days" by Patrick McGuiness. Which is about an English Lecturer in a Romanian University in the build up to the fall of the Communist dictatorship of the early 90's, and how he unknowingly came to be involved in the underground uprising.

It's a great read, I'm really enjoying it. And quite enlightening, because I knew nothing about Romanian politics beforehand.

rugbydreamer wrote:Just started re-reading the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series by Tad Williams. Book 1 is The Dragonbone Chair.

I'm really enjoying it, not read them for about 7 years now so have forgotten a lot, or have half memories of things but am loving re-discovering it. Williams is brilliant with some of his descriptions and with the character development.

I read Book 1 years ago and loved it. I've still got it somewhere. I remember thinking why isn't this more popular and where are the TV/film adaptations? Some great ideas in there and pretty epic.

I have just finished the hunger games trilogy, I have read all 3 of them since last Monday. I thought they were excellent and really couldnt put them down. I didnt realise they have been made into a film but am unsure whether to see it as I dont know if it will live up to the book!

Anyone else read them?

In the last two weeks, I've read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Into The Wild. I enjoyed them both.

I'm now about a quarter of the way into The Day of the Jackal and it is great so far.

It's a really old copy - from the '70's I think. The RRP on the back is 50p!

I'm currently reading THE MIDNIGHT PALACE by CARLOS RUIZ ZAFRON. Which was going along okay, but has just taken a very strange twist.

Teassoc,
i've got book 2 as well, but keep putting off starting it, but seeing as you're enjoying it, might give it a go soon.

David1061,
I've read them, thought 1 was a good book, 2 followed up well with some good ideas to keep the story going. Wasn't overly keen on 3 though the ending had something.

"Laundered" by James Williams.

Got it from Waterstones in Cardiff, on special offer. Ex rugby player gets involved in laundering cash through a corrupt bank.

Bit of a thriller, some quality sex and violence etc. Thought it was okay and it has a big chunk of the plot set in Wales, which is rare. Worth a read.

Currently trying to read the first of Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings.

Not having much success though, it's too bloody hot!

as1079 wrote:Currently trying to read the first of Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings.

Not having much success though, it's too bloody hot!

I found it a real slog to get through, still not sure if I enjoyed it but feel better for having done it.

I'm currently reading Guy Gavriel Kay's The Last Light of the Sun and it's an impressive take on Viking Saga's.

Just in the middle of the Thursday Next series by Jasper Ffrode, am on 'The Well of Lost Plots'.

I read them when I was younger but I missed out on a lot of the jokes in the text. I'm much more well read now though and I'm giggling almost every other page at some of the stuff Fforde's coming out with. His scope of imagination, play on word etc is just brilliant. Am really enjoying them this time around.

I'm currently reading some non-fiction about the work of criminal psychologist Paul Britton. He covered a lot of high profile cases in the UK in the 1980s/1990s. The book I'm reading was published in 1997. It's quite interesting given the developments in some cases he once dealt with and what we know about them now.

BigPhil wrote:Tony Benn - Letters to my grandchildren

He speaks an awful lot of common sense in the book.

He is one of the few politicians I've ever had respect for. Top man.

Just finnished THE BURNING SOUL by JOHN CONNOLLY.

It was okay, not brilliant. I feel that his latest books are missing something that the earlier books had that kept me enthralled, a certain Zest.

Thanks for that Tiger i'll wait a few weeks to buy it then, he might be getting a bit of a block and churning out standard stuff again, is that a charlie parker book?

ShahenshahG wrote:Thanks for that Tiger i'll wait a few weeks to buy it then, he might be getting a bit of a block and churning out standard stuff again, is that a charlie parker book?

Yeah, it is a Parker book. I reviewed it a few pages back, thought the same. His first four books were great, but since then, they've gradually gone downhill. Worth a read though.

He's releasing his new one at the end of the summer, "The Wrath of Angels" or something along those lines. I've read the blurb and it sounds good. Hoping it lives upto it's promise.

Got to agree 6oldenbhoy,
i think part of the problem is the main bad guys arn't as good as the ones in the first 4 (although i liked the lovers). Also Angel & Louis are being used more sparingly, which dilutes them as together they are good. but hopeful that they will improve.

Will keep getting them though, till the end of the Charlie Parker series.

tigerrobins wrote:Got to agree 6oldenbhoy,
i think part of the problem is the main bad guys arn't as good as the ones in the first 4 (although i liked the lovers). Also Angel & Louis are being used more sparingly, which dilutes them as together they are good. but hopeful that they will improve.

Will keep getting them though, till the end of the Charlie Parker series.

Agree the bad guys have gone downhill, Elias Pudd is the best antagonist I have read in fiction. I liked 'The Lovers' and 'The Unquiet' was a good read as well. I agree that Angel and Louis are underused, but I also feel that the minor characters don't have the same depth as before. Aside from the Fulcis and Jackie Garner, there isn't one minor character that has the personality of an Al Z or even a Wille Wyman, and he was only in 'The White Road' for a Chapter.

Just Finnished THE TEMPLAR CONSPRIACY by PAUL CHRISTOPHER.

It's fast paced (partly due to the story), has a bit of action in it. The story is fairly intresting and there are some beautiful descriptions (like when he decribes Aix-Les-Bains).
It's a cotinuence of one of his other books(this is his 3 book On this subject, the other 2 are Templar Cross & Tempelar Throne). And characters and one of the main themes are in those, so while its easy to follow, certain things are better explained in those. Though the main problem i have is i still don't care/feel for the main characters.

Richard Morgans scifi trilogy:

Altered Carben
Broken Angels
Woken Furies

Are literally the best modern scifi novels out there. Un-put-downable!

I feel stupid reading this thread. I'm reading Moneyball at the moment. Not a fan of baseball but a good read.

I was reading the latest Alex Cross book from James Patterson.

Saving the hunger games for the holiday in a weeks time

Fifty shades of grey.....


(only kidding! Its Frankie Boyles book and also one by Robert Harris called the Fear Index)

I just read Boyles book. Half funny and half weird.

The GF read 50 shades of grey...

Mine too...

Infact every girl in the office seems to be reading Holly Wilaboobie

Darkly dreaming dexter. Good to see how they translated it from book to screen.

Went through the Charlie parker series over the last few days - from the beginning, the difference in substance is startling

ShahenshahG wrote:Went through the Charlie parker series over the last few days - from the beginning, the difference in substance is startling

Shah, do you have Nocturnes? There is a Parker Novella in it, but I haven't read it. The Novella is set between 'The Black Angel' and 'The Unquiet' and introduces the Collector for the first time.

Just finished 1000 Years of Annoying the French some very amusing bits in it also some interesting items about the British royals, lots of things the French have taken credit for they have either twisted history or told lies.
I have just started Great Commanders of the Early Modern World (1583- 1865) to name a few Cromwell Marlborough Frederick the Great Napoleon Wellington Von Clauswitz Shaka Zulu and some of the American Civil war Generals it gives a brief description of their careers the good and not so good bits

I don't mate - I'm sorry - lost most of my stuff when my hard drive crashed, I might have a copy on my external - but I need to find it first! From memory, it was a half decent read which left me a little confused at the end - but dont take it as gospel because its been a while. Thanks for reminding me of it - hopefully I can find it and give you a more accurate analysis

ShahenshahG wrote:I don't mate - I'm sorry - lost most of my stuff when my hard drive crashed, I might have a copy on my external - but I need to find it first! From memory, it was a half decent read which left me a little confused at the end - but dont take it as gospel because its been a while. Thanks for reminding me of it - hopefully I can find it and give you a more accurate analysis

I've ordered it, should be arriving in the next few days. I always felt there was a bit of a jump between'The Black Angel' and 'The Unquiet' and now I know why. I've just got another Amazon voucher and was going to buy 'The Book of Lost Things' as well. Have you read that? If yees, any good?