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

Read Dubliners in preparation for Culture Cup v3. Didn't do me f*ck all good. Worthwhile though, by far the most readable of Joyce's works and impressive that he wrote it in his early twenties.

Most readable James Joyce is like most pleasant form of crucifixion though

ChequeredJersey wrote:Most readable James Joyce is like most pleasant form of crucifixion though

Well at least it gets you out in the open air.

Th1rt3en by Steve Cavanagh.

Can't really give you a synopsis. As it would give away the book. But it's a court room thriller. Which i really enjoyed. The characters are engaging, it's well thought out. A bit of a page turner with how it's written, with a couple of good twists .
I'd recommend it.
But do be warned, there are 3 books before this about the main character Eddie Flynn (which I didn't know about). Not reading them won't interfere in the book, but some of his back story won't make much sense I guess.

The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz.

I am currently reading, and it's hard work, as in my opinion the books to easy to put down.
It's about a rogue FBI agent, going after a secret cabal who use mind control to incite suicide (which is really murder). Meanwhile a sheriff is looking into the latest of these
It just not that interesting as it sounds. I don't care about the main characters.
And the only reason I'm still reading it is stubbornness.
Just don't bother (unless you like Dean Koontz).

Munich - Robert Harris.

I like Harris and his books are very atmospheric, and he builds up the tension well. The ends tend to be a bit week, as he deals with things that we know the outcome up. And this doesn't disappoint. Interesting, good read, atmospheric .
Worth a read.

Origin by Dan Brown.

The latest Robert Langdon Book. Set in Spain about the assignation of former student Edward Kirsch before an important a scientific breakthrough about were we are from and we're we going during his presentation. And the race to still broadcast it, etc.

It's poor. There's less about symbols and what made the books good to start with. There are about 3 stories in this book, none of which are that interesting. It's not as engaging as his earlier books of the same character. And to be honest it's fairly boring. And not as interesting with the main stuff you learn (I always learn more from his books). It's fairly easy from 3/4 of the book to work everything out. If you like Dan Brown I think you'll find this very disappointing.

Currently on Black Order, a book in the Sigma force series by James Rollins.

These books are like the Dan Brown books with less symbols/art and a lot more action. They still contain that central ancient mystery that is slowly unravelled over the course of the book. Not the best in the series, but a decent enough read.

Also, a few months back I read Children of Time (not sure if I reviewed it before). One of the best books I have read in a long time. Any sci fi fan will love it. Basically follows 2 parallel stories of human beings escaping a ruined earth and the super quick evolution of spiders on a terra-formed world that earth had been shaping prior to its downfall. Sounds a bit weird, but it was honestly a great read. Couldn't recommend it highly enough.

Luke wrote:Origin by Dan Brown.

The latest Robert Langdon Book. Set in Spain about the assignation  of former student Edward Kirsch before an important  a scientific breakthrough about were we are from and we're we going during his presentation. And the race to still broadcast it, etc.

It's poor. There's less about symbols and what made the books good to start with. There are about 3 stories in this book, none of which are that interesting.  It's not as engaging as his earlier books of the same character. And to be honest it's fairly boring. And not as interesting with the main stuff you learn (I always learn more from his books). It's fairly easy from 3/4 of the book to work everything out. If you like Dan Brown I think you'll find this very disappointing.

Agreed, I wasn't a fan of Inferno but this is worse, the last third is particularly poorly written.

The Beast wrote:

Luke wrote:Origin by Dan Brown.

The latest Robert Langdon Book. Set in Spain about the assignation  of former student Edward Kirsch before an important  a scientific breakthrough about were we are from and we're we going during his presentation. And the race to still broadcast it, etc.

It's poor. There's less about symbols and what made the books good to start with. There are about 3 stories in this book, none of which are that interesting.  It's not as engaging as his earlier books of the same character. And to be honest it's fairly boring. And not as interesting with the main stuff you learn (I always learn more from his books). It's fairly easy from 3/4 of the book to work everything out. If you like Dan Brown I think you'll find this very disappointing.

Agreed, I wasn't a fan of Inferno but this is worse, the last third is particularly poorly written.

This is one of 3 books I had brought to Mexico to read, which I am now not overly excited about thanks to this thread....

Sorry lfc.

BONFIRE - KRYSTEN RITTER

A girl now a lawyer, goes back to her old town to investigate an organisation. While looking into her past.

The story lines are actually fairly interesting. The problem is that it's not brilliantly written, to keep you fully engaged. The ending is obvious, and the chapters that are interesting. Tend to be followed by chapters that aren't.
But it's a fairly solid 1st book (I think), and I'm sure sure she'll get better.

A Book of Bones by John Connelly.

The latest in his Charlie Parker series. Following pretty much straight on from the last one. Now I love these books, but this wasn't that good. To many different storylines convoluted the main story (or Charlie's battles with evil), the ending felt rushed. And there wasn't enough about Sam (his daughter), and what she is.
The early books were brilliant, and even the later stuff I really liked/enjoyed. This was poor though.

Having meant to for years, I recently finally got round to reading Orwell's Coming Up for Air. Truth be told, I started reading back in January, got about half way or so through, found myself a little perplexed by it, got distracted with other things and left it with a bookmark in it. Picked it up again last week and decided to start afresh and give it another go from the start. Glad I did.

Fair to say it's a bit of a slow burner (despite not being particularly long), but it really grew on me at the second time of reading. Though it's written in a radically different style to Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm or Down and Out in Paris and London, it's still a novel which pricks at the conscience, less in outright political allegory and more in terms of the increasingly acquisitive society, the smothering effect of big business and the folly of youthful enthusiasm (for war and revolution) as each generation believes it knows better than those which preceded it. Indeed, youthful exuberance slowly turning to middle-aged resentment and cynicism is a recurring theme.

Although the parabolic curve with regards to Orwell makes it cool to trash him these days (a response to those who say that simply reading Nineteen Eighty-Four will suddenly mean you can 'understand the world around you' and suchlike), I still yield to nobody in my love of his work and, as ever, one thing which really stands out in Coming up for Air, as in many of his other works, is his accustomed foresight. The book is proof again of his ability to put in to words concepts which others can only intuit, and which others weren't realising until years or even decades later. His references to the shifting sands of inter-War Britain and the changing nature of everyday relations may have seemed odd at the time, but ring so true today that you have to remind yourself this book was written and released eighty years ago.

In terms of plot, the book is nondescript compared to his other works. It's about personalised feelings. And it does require a bit of patience to stick with the protagonist George Bowling: middle-aged, mortgaged, unhappily married, tubby and often ungentlemanly. But he wins you over in the end - or at least he did me. Not Orwell's best book by any means, but an interesting departure from his conventional style and full of charm set against an admittedly dark backdrop. Worth a read for any of his fans.

I just finished Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust volume one: La Belle Sauvage.

It’s a prequel to His Dark Materials, one of the best trilogies of books ever written, and what I thought may be a tedious origin story became something wonderfully gripping, charming, powerful, full of light and a depth of darkness too. 

It’s almost completely not fantasy, until it suddenly is, but it’s rare and mystical enough to be grand and wonderful. 

The story is driven by how absolutely delightful the main character is, a lad who may be the most charmingly written child I can remember in print. He’s got a lovely quality to him, almost like a Hobbit as a chimney sweep.

The series takes a twist in the fact this is a prequel to His Dark Materials, but the rest are then sequels. Those books are underrated even as books that are vaunted, and Pullman is a writer of monstrous talent. 

Couldn’t recommend enough. It has a Young Adult feel, until it really doesn’t. 

Not only am I extremely excited to read The Secret Commonwealth, of which I have a proof copy in front of me, but also to reread His Dark Materials (and Lyra’s Oxford) first. Delays me getting to the new book, and I’m sure I’ve read His Dark Materials again in the last couple years, but it was so good as to reignite what I loved in that story whilst adding characters I fell for and a backstory that was also its own story. Almost the opposite to the Star Wars prequels in that extent: new characters to love, a new story to devour and more depth added to what you already loved.

People who don’t read books are unfortunate souls.

Three quarters of the way through myself Dolph so haven't got to the fantasy part yet. It's kept me interested by that very fact, with each passing page I've been expecting it to suddenly turn and see an armoured bear turn up or something equally fantastical, it's a slow burner thus far but Pullman does have an extraordinary ability to make the mundane seem exciting.

Very much looking forward to seeing the TV adaptation of His Dark Materials after the abysmal Golden Compass film, if a major part of the book is a bloody and violent fight between bears don't tone the freaking thing down to make it child friendly because it isn't.

He's always said he doesn't write for an age group, and I think that's clear to people who actually read them. Northern Lights is probably the closest to the Young Adult audience they wanted with that film, and they got it awfully wrong. I'd say they were right to give up, they'd never have done the story at all well with that tone and the books go off in a more adult direction, both content and style. La Belle Sauvage does too. I was thinking it would be great to show children for language and such, but there's just stuff that isn't child-friendly in there!

This proof I've got of the "next" one, The Secret Commonwealth, is near 700 pages long.

Secret Commonwealth was out here a week or two ago and does look like a chunky lump of book, damn shame that His Dark Materials is so overshadowed by Harry Potter despite being expertly written.

Nothing. I have got readers block and can't seem to get into a book at the moment or finish one. Need to find something asap or I'll stop reading altogether. I think a short book will do me for now

Steffan wrote:Nothing. I have got readers block and can't seem to get into a book at the moment or finish one. Need to find something asap or I'll stop reading altogether. I think a short book will do me for now

I feel very similar. Have 7 books that I've started, and also a fantasy series that I'm struggling to finish. I don't know if it's just me, or that I'm constantly picking bad/uninteresting books. But it's a real struggle to finish or get half way through a book at the moment.

LEE CHILD - BLUE MOON.

The latest Jack Reacher book. Where he steps in to do something good, that leads to trouble which he then clears up. This time against Albanian and Ukrainian gangs in an unnamed city. Whilst picking up a local girl.

It's okay, typical Jack Reacher book.
But I'm getting bored of them, I enjoyed bits of the last one more. Where it was more personal, and add some layers to the character. These formulaic books I can read, but don't interest me as much.

I jump in and out of the Jack Reacher series, in no particular order. Recently started 'Personal' which is shaping up to be one of my favorites.

Can understand the boredom. With so many books in the series it must be difficult to keep them fresh. Think the fact that I haven't just tried to sit down and read them in sequence one after the other has allowed me to avoid the boredom for the most part.

Agree.

But also think one of the problems is he is a very one dimensional character, so there's not enough things to keep you going or excited for the books, especially as in most of them he wins easily.

Luke wrote:Agree.

But also think one of the problems is he is a very one dimensional character, so there's not enough things to keep you going or excited for the books, especially as in most of them he wins easily.

At the minute I think i'm on my 5th book in the series (as mentioned not in order). Will report back on boredom levels once I hit double figures.

Think I quite like Reacher for that reason though. Quite a simple guy all things considered, who generally just applies his own straight forward moral compass to extraordinary situations.

Thoughts on Tom Cruises portrayal of the character?(Assuming you've seen the films that is)

Other than the obvious height issue. I thought he did okay, and got the nuances down very well.
I thought that more if an issue were the books they chose to do.

I had only read 1 book when I watched the first film, so wasn't quite as tied to the physicality of the character (although it is prominent in every book). Like you say, had the nuances down to a tee.

In hindsight though, after a few more books, I think it was the wrong choice. Apparently there is a TV series in the works where Lee Child is adamant the actor in the lead will better match the physical qualities. (Not sure how many world class 6'5, 250 pound actors are out there, but fingers crossed).

Not sure they're the type of books that would be of an interest for a TV show, given that most if the books follow a very similar path.

If it does get the go ahead, would imagine a former wrestler or the like. Otherwise your choices are very limited.

Unless they go down the route of just holding open casting, see if they can unearth any unknowns.

With all the streaming options available these days I could definitely see the series being picked up, 6-8 episodes a series with each series being based on a book.

Fingers crossed, would quite like to see the character on the screen again.

You could get a few series out of them. From the books when he's in the army, till when he first leaves. Then his adventures.

It would be interesting, and do think he could become a character audiences could grab on to. But sort of feel you'd have to add more to him.

Luke wrote:You could get a few series out of them. From the books when he's in the army, till when he first leaves. Then his adventures.

It would be interesting, and do think he could become a character audiences could grab on to. But sort of feel you'd have to add more to him.

Probably a silly question, but there are books when he is still in the army? All the books I have led are post-army where he is just wandering about USA. Assumed the entire series was based after the army.

I'm an avid Reacher fan. They are far more suited to TV than film as the films all missed so many plot points and character nuances. Cruise also wasn't Reacher, he didn't have the dryness.

The beauty of Reacher books are generally the story and the twists rather than the action. A TV series can actually play that. The only issue would be that the main character is rarely going to have much character development. He gets torn at in some ways by women, but generally he is the same and the world around him changes. They'd have to ensure they use the time periods correctly.

Otherwise, it can kinda work like Dexter did. A case per series.

lfc91 wrote:

Luke wrote:You could get a few series out of them. From the books when he's in the army, till when he first leaves. Then his adventures.

It would be interesting, and do think he could become a character audiences could grab on to. But sort of feel you'd have to add more to him.

Probably a silly question, but there are books when he is still in the army? All the books I have led are post-army where he is just wandering about USA. Assumed the entire series was based after the army.

There are a few, including the one where he leaves the army. And one where he's recalled back.into the army (that was one of the film's).

Agree Dolph, they are probably more suited to TV format.

Good stuff, will be sure to make the book where he leaves the army my next Reacher read. Tend to jump around alot though so next few books will probably be completely different genres.

So do I. Though I'm in a crime book fase at the moment.

THE SAVAGE ALTAR - ASA LARSSON.

Set in Sweden, A priest is found dead in a church, and his sister and chief suspect rings a tax lawyer who used to be from the town to help her. We then get her story of why she left as well as the solving the crime.

Wasn't a fan, to many different themes running through the book. The murder was fairly easy to see, and his accomplishes as well. And why, and it just didn't hold my attention that much.

THE SEEKER - S.G.MACLEAN

Set 5 years in Cromwell's region. A popular captain is murdered, an outspoken critic of Cromwell, and royalist found standing over him, by Cromwell's best agent Damian Seeker. Who then looks into the murder.

Really enjoyed it, whilst looking into the murder Seeker also finds spies, plots against Cromwell. The main characters all have enough to make you think they're guilty, and there's enough intrigue and mystery to keep you interested. The twists are well timed, and genuinely surprising. And all the reasons make sense.
It's a bit hard at times, just because if the time it's set in to me. But in my opinion it is a good,decent read. And I'm know interested not just in the character, but other books by the author. And you can't ask for more from a book that's the first time I've heard of her.

HOLD YOUR TONGUE - DEBORAH MASSON.

A serial killer is killing women in Aberdeen, a female detective with demons races to catch him.

It's okay, the killer is a suprise that I didn't see. But very much like alot of other crime books. And I'm getting a bit tired of the head/head detective battling his own demons while solving the case themes that most of the crime books follow nowadays.