Books The BOOK thread

GBBQ said:
Paul Murray - The Bee Sting

It piqued my interest in the airport bookshop. Needed something to read while on holidays. Was really surprised how good it was. It’s at times hilarious, at times tragic. I did wonder if he would stick the ending but I was genuinely left floored by the time I finished it.

10/10
Click to expand...

I just finished this a couple of days ago
Absolutely loved it
Despite being 600+ pages I was engrossed throughout and couldn't put it down. Each character is fully formed and their intertwining narratives are perfectly composed. Some of PJ sections had me genuinely dry mouthed and anxious (having a son his age certainly influenced this tbf!)
Tragic is the perfect word for it and yet it was also life affirming at times
Highly recommended from me
 
From Russia With Blood

An excellent book detailing the Kremlin's trail of assassinations on British soil over the past two decades. Russian opponents of Putin's regime, who thought they'd be safe in the UK, were picked off one by one, often in very suspicious circumstances, while Scotland Yard displayed little interest in investigating their deaths.

The book does an excellent job of putting together a timeline of events (centred around Putin's sworn enemy, the oligarch, Boris Berezovsky), and the war of words between the critics in exile and the regime in Moscow. Regardless of whether they were oligarchs, their friends, or regime outcasts and turncoats, they all have one thing in common - they wind up dead.

I thought it was absolutely fascinating. Putin's ability to reach his opponents in the West is only matched by the lack of desire the British state displayed in holding him to account. And this is an excellent exposé of the methods he used.

9/10
 
Badunk said:
Cosa Nostra (by John Dickie)

An excellent book about the history of the Sicilian Mafia. The author discusses the ambiguous origins of Cosa Nostra (some think it goes back centuries), and settles on the middle/end of the 19th century as its starting point. From there, he traces its growth from a localised masonic-type of criminal gang, to the modern international powerhouse at the heart of the global drug trade.

Dickie dedicates chapters to significant moments in the Mafia's history (such as WW2 and the 'maxi trials' of the 1990s), detailing the challenges faced by the organisation and how it overcame them and thrived. From intimidating and extorting lemon plantation owners in the 1870s, to government corruption and political assistations in the modern era, the book is a must for anyone interested in how organised crime can corrupt absolutely everything and everyone it comes into contact with.

9/10
Click to expand...
His more recent Blood Brotherhoods is also excellent. In addition to Sicilian Cosa Nostra, it examines the origins and rise of the Camorra and ‘Ndragheta. In accounting for the three of them together, he tells much of the story of modern Italy along the way.
 
Badunk said:
From Russia With Blood

An excellent book detailing the Kremlin's trail of assassinations on British soil over the past two decades. Russian opponents of Putin's regime, who thought they'd be safe in the UK, were picked off one by one, often in very suspicious circumstances, while Scotland Yard displayed little interest in investigating their deaths.

The book does an excellent job of putting together a timeline of events (centred around Putin's sworn enemy, the oligarch, Boris Berezovsky), and the war of words between the critics in exile and the regime in Moscow. Regardless of whether they were oligarchs, their friends, or regime outcasts and turncoats, they all have one thing in common - they wind up dead.

I thought it was absolutely fascinating. Putin's ability to reach his opponents in the West is only matched by the lack of desire the British state displayed in holding him to account. And this is an excellent exposé of the methods he used.

9/10
Click to expand...

Might get this and i dont read that much tbh.
 
2cents said:
His more recent Blood Brotherhoods is also excellent. In addition to Sicilian Cosa Nostra, it examines the origins and rise of the Camorra and ‘Ndragheta. In accounting for the three of them together, he tells much of the story of modern Italy along the way.
Click to expand...
I've added it to the list. Cheers!
 
The search function on this forum is arse. For some reason this thread doesn't show on results when searching for 'book thread' titles only option enabled.

Is King's The Stand worth sticking with? 300 pages in and it's a bit meh. Normally I'd persevere but another 800 pages is a commitment. I've also got The Fisherman waiting for me.
 
redcucumber said:
The search function on this forum is arse. For some reason this thread doesn't show on results when searching for 'book thread' titles only option enabled.

Is King's The Stand worth sticking with? 300 pages in and it's a bit meh. Normally I'd persevere but another 800 pages is a commitment. I've also got The Fisherman waiting for me.
Click to expand...
The search can be a pain. If you go in advanced search and select forum it narrows it down and works better.

If you're 300 in and not liking it, maybe spare yourself the remaining 800 I'd say.
 
In Search of Moby Dick: Quest for the White Whale

This is a really excellent book by Tim Severin, who made a career out of retracing the steps of famous explorers or legendary journeys and writing about them. Here, as the title suggests, he's trying to find out if Moby Dick could have been a real white sperm whale, and was the book's author, Herman Melville, writing from actual experience or had he plagiarised others who had?

It's a fascinating story, with Severin going to the hunting grounds of whales, living with the indigenous populations of isolated archipelagos who eke out an existence catching the giant creatures. He joins them on boats that would be turned to matchwood if they were struck by an angry whale, and describes the various hunting techniques used by the different peoples. The book does an excellent job of describing the struggle between modern, industrial scale fishing and the almost Stone Age ways of the Filipinos and French Polynesians, who still row out to sea and hunt whales with primitive equipment.

I can't recommend it highly enough. It's a joy to read.

10/10
 
redcucumber said:
Is King's The Stand worth sticking with? 300 pages in and it's a bit meh. Normally I'd persevere but another 800 pages is a commitment. I've also got The Fisherman waiting for me.
Click to expand...
I think people usually prefer the beginning of The Stand to the end so if you're not liking that you're probably not going to like the book.
 

Agents of Influence: Britain’s Secret Intelligence War Against the IRA​


Really good read. Probably doesn't reveal anything new to people who lived through the Troubles, but is put together in a way which is easy to read but also compelling. The book examines the methods used by the various arms of the security forces and intelligence services to infiltrate the IRA.

If I was to criticise the book, I'd say it places a bit too much emphasis on the role of agents in bringing the Troubles to an end. No doubt the turning of IRA men into informants did much to undermine the effectiveness of the organisation militarily, but it was clear that the people at the top, such as Adams and McGuinness, believed that the endgame had to involve political solutions.

That being said, I'd recommend this book.
 
Man's Search for Meaning:
I read the first chapter. A solid account of the grim realities facing Jews in concentration camps. I started reading the second chapter on Logotherapy and got very frustrated with all the technicalities of the psychology and also the philosophical meanings he tries to impart so I stopped reading it.

Between the world and me:
Still reading this one - about 30 pages in. Some of the analogies are really very good indeed
The author claims that this is a letter to his son about the realities of being black in America. But I do think the author goes over the top with a lot of words - it feels like he had a thesaurus right next to him as he wrote this. It doesn't feel like a letter someone would write to their son - instead it feels like someone is writing an essay on their own experiences of the matter. That aside, I am still enjoying it and will continue to read it.
 
Tartan Gangs And Paramilitaries: The Loyalist Backlash

A relatively short book, at just over 200 pages long, focusing on the transition that many young working-class protestants made at the beginning of the Troubles, from street gang members to full-blown paramilitaries. The Tartans in question were an off-shoot of similar gangs in Glasgow. They identified themselves with different types of tartan cloth, wearing it as scarves, patches, and so on. They mostly fought among themselves, but did have running battles with some gangs in nationalist areas.

The author interviewed many Tartans who went on to become prominent loyalists, such as Billy Hutchinson and Jim Wilson, and they explain their raison d'etre for joining the likes of the UVF and Red Hand Commando. Nothing is revelatory: it's the usual siege mentality stuff, believing that killing innocent catholics would make people turn on the IRA, etc, etc.

It's an easy read, and I suppose it finds a niche that hasn't previously been tapped, but it's not really going to appeal to anyone other than those with a 'completionist' personality who have read absolutely everything else to do with the Troubles.
 
Just started reading this series. Finished it in a few days. I am on a waitlist of a few hundred for book2. I might just buy it since it's so good.

51FgxGdVh5L._SY445_SX342_.jpg
 
Scarlett Dracarys said:
Just started reading this series. Finished it in a few days. I am on a waitlist of a few hundred for book2. I might just buy it since it's so good.

51FgxGdVh5L._SY445_SX342_.jpg
Click to expand...
i love this series. Have you read any of her other series? Or the fourth wing series?
 
Finished Project Hail Mary last week. I enjoyed it. Very much in the Dan Brown mould when it comes to pacing: short chapters, lots of cliffhangers, always feel the urge to read on.

Saw some reviews which said Weir's books are very nerdy, and it was a struggle to keep up with all the highbrow scientific terms and theories he talks about. I didn't feel the same. I think he tends to dumb everything down. It's almost as if the reader is saying: "Explain it to me like I'm 5," and he obliges.

That being said, it's a good read and I think it'll be a fantastic blockbuster of a movie when it comes out.
 
Badunk said:
Finished Project Hail Mary last week. I enjoyed it. Very much in the Dan Brown mould when it comes to pacing: short chapters, lots of cliffhangers, always feel the urge to read on.

Saw some reviews which said Weir's books are very nerdy, and it was a struggle to keep up with all the highbrow scientific terms and theories he talks about. I didn't feel the same. I think he tends to dumb everything down. It's almost as if the reader is saying: "Explain it to me like I'm 5," and he obliges.

That being said, it's a good read and I think it'll be a fantastic blockbuster of a movie when it comes out.
Click to expand...

This has a cult like following on the Audible Reddit. I thoroughly enjoyed it to be fair and agree it should make a great film.

Will be very interested to see how they visualise Rocky though. “Fist my bump.”

*jazz hands*
 
The Mexican Mafia

It's difficult to write about a secretive organisation, whose members are not allowed to admit that they belong to it under pain of death, and which has no discernible hierarchy. So, our author decides to follow the trials of Mexican Mafia members (known as "carnales' or 'brothers') who killed a fellow gang member.

Los Angeles is famous for its gang activity, with Hispanic gangs now far outweighing every other ethnic grouping. Hispanic gangsters, like everyone else, rep their neighbourhoods. Once inside the prison, street beefs are forgotten, and prisoners divide along racial lines. Which means that Bloods and Crips, for example, are on the same side. When the gang members hit the streets again, old rivalries are reignited, and generational feuds continue.

The Mexican Mafia (known as 'Eme' for short) exists beyond the prison walls, though. Based on the premise that many gangsters will end up in prison, and be subject to Eme sanctions, their reach has spread to the outside. The Eme controls many of the Hispanic gangs in LA, ordering murders, extorting drug dealers, and generally causing mayhem.

Therefore, it's not unusual for members of Hispanic street gangs to also be made members and associates of the Eme. However, even if they aren't, most gang members will follow Eme orders. The Eme comes first.

The book charts the events leading up to the murder of a gangster by his fellow gang members, at the behest of a 'carnale' who believed he was a rat. We then see the police investigation in action, followed by the various trials of those who carried out the murder.

It's an interesting book. I read a similar one about MS-13, which also focused on the events leading up to, and including, a murder trial. I don't really know how else a writer can go about writing a book about the Mexican Mafia until there's a bunch of informants who blow the whole thing wide open, like what happened with Cosa Nostra. Anyway, it's worth a look.

8/10
 
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man

In this intimate exposé, Donald Trump's niece, Mary, describes growing up in the Trump family. She is a clinical psychologist by trade, so the book is full of psychoanalysis, focusing mainly on the patriarch of the family, Fred Trump, and his treatment of his children and extended family. She paints a picture of a family bereft of emotional attachment, describing Fred as incapable of love, which leads to his children growing up lacking empathy towards others.

The first part of the book is seen through the lens of Mary's dad, Freddy, who was Fred's oldest son. Freddy was groomed to inherit Fred's property empire, but he's constantly sidelined by Fred, who is apparently loathe to give him any real responsibility, leading to Freddy's disillusionment. Freddy leaves Fred's company, Trump Management, to become a pilot. This doesn't go down well with Fred, and they have a pretty fractured relationship from then on. Freddy becomes an alcoholic, his life collapses around him, and he dies in his 40s.

Throughout the book, Donald is mentioned only briefly at times (usually in comparison to Freddy - Mary thinks her dad wasn't given a chance by Fred, whereas Donald had everything handed to him on a plate). He's not really a central character in Mary's life and, when they see each other at family gatherings, he could be seen as a kind of vacuous, and a bit of a knob, but essentially harmless.

The last 20-ish pages deal with Trump as president. She describes the person the whole world saw at the Covid briefings - a narcissistic idiot who blamed everyone else for his own failures - but it's almost retrospective. During the book, she regularly claims that he wasn't a great businessman, nor was he self-made, but her stories of her childhood don't tally with her opinion of Donald as president. I expected lots of examples of Donald being an absolute cnut to people, but he actually does the odd favour, and comes across as quite benign. Certainly not the monster that she describes at the very end.

Anyway, it's an interesting insight into the family dynamics that lead to the oompah loompah sitting in the Oval Office, but I don't think it's the home run it could have been.

6.5/10
 
Badunk said:
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man

In this intimate exposé, Donald Trump's niece, Mary, describes growing up in the Trump family. She is a clinical psychologist by trade, so the book is full of psychoanalysis, focusing mainly on the patriarch of the family, Fred Trump, and his treatment of his children and extended family. She paints a picture of a family bereft of emotional attachment, describing Fred as incapable of love, which leads to his children growing up lacking empathy towards others.

The first part of the book is seen through the lens of Mary's dad, Freddy, who was Fred's oldest son. Freddy was groomed to inherit Fred's property empire, but he's constantly sidelined by Fred, who is apparently loathe to give him any real responsibility, leading to Freddy's disillusionment. Freddy leaves Fred's company, Trump Management, to become a pilot. This doesn't go down well with Fred, and they have a pretty fractured relationship from then on. Freddy becomes an alcoholic, his life collapses around him, and he dies in his 40s.

Throughout the book, Donald is mentioned only briefly at times (usually in comparison to Freddy - Mary thinks her dad wasn't given a chance by Fred, whereas Donald had everything handed to him on a plate). He's not really a central character in Mary's life and, when they see each other at family gatherings, he could be seen as a kind of vacuous, and a bit of a knob, but essentially harmless.

The last 20-ish pages deal with Trump as president. She describes the person the whole world saw at the Covid briefings - a narcissistic idiot who blamed everyone else for his own failures - but it's almost retrospective. During the book, she regularly claims that he wasn't a great businessman, nor was he self-made, but her stories of her childhood don't tally with her opinion of Donald as president. I expected lots of examples of Donald being an absolute cnut to people, but he actually does the odd favour, and comes across as quite benign. Certainly not the monster that she describes at the very end.

Anyway, it's an interesting insight into the family dynamics that lead to the oompah loompah sitting in the Oval Office, but I don't think it's the home run it could have been.

6.5/10
Click to expand...
Sounds like it certainly doesn't live up to the sensationalist title and psychoanalysis at the end is a pretty well-worn path.

Orbital, Samantha Harvey

Interesting premise, the mini-dramas and the relaionships of the International Space Station's crew.
There's the contrast of eight people confined in this claustrophobic vessel hurtling through the vast emptiness of space in orbit. It's part paen to the earth's beauty and part a minimally plotted story about the crew's feelings and single-minded routes to becoming astronauts.

There's a sprinkling of interesting insights into life on the ISS. A blend of grinding repetitiveness broken up by the spectacle of morning breaking over the Himalayas from above and so on. The constant descriptions of the planet below do become grating though. 'The ochre majesty of the Mekong...the topaz sheen of Lake Victoria twinkling in the breaking daylight...' type stuff.

6/10
 
I've always got a PG Wodehouse on the go - just finished The Girl in Blue and moved onto Ice in the Bedroom.

But, more fittingly, today is the 50th anniversary of his death. :(

He died February 14th, 1975, aged 93. While midway through writing an unfinished Blandings novel - posthumously and poignantly entitled 'Sunset at Blandings'.

I wasn't born until three years after his death, but his books have given me so much pleasure for so many years.
 
Bertie Wooster said:
I've always got a PG Wodehouse on the go - just finished The Girl in Blue and moved onto Ice in the Bedroom.

But, more fittingly, today is the 50th anniversary of his death. :(

He died February 14th, 1975, aged 93. While midway through writing an unfinished Blandings novel - posthumously and poignantly entitled 'Sunset at Blandings'.

I wasn't born until three years after his death, but his books have given me so much pleasure for so many years.
Click to expand...
I'm like that but with Billy Bunter. I have all the books and I dip into them every now and again. Loved them since primary school.
 
Badunk said:
I'm like that but with Billy Bunter. I have all the books and I dip into them every now and again. Loved them since primary school.
Click to expand...
I've read some of those and quite enjoyed them.

I'm not generally as fond of school books - even the early PG Wodehouse ones (he started off writing those), I don't read anywhere near as much as the likes of his Jeeves and Wooster, Blandings, Uncle Fred series of books.

But you've made me fancy reading some Billy Bunter again at some point. :)
 
I'm trying to be better with reading more frequently as I often forget how much I enjoy it. We really don't have the space in our house for books, especially as we're having to rethink our storage options as we've now got a baby on the way - due in June! For the past year, I've resorted to using Google Books and reading that way. It's enabled me to read when we're travelling somewhere, or when I've got a bit of spare time in the evening. It's getting me reading again, so it'll do for now.

I've decided to try and read some of the 'classics' and have opted for some Sherlock Holmes stories. I've finished The Hound of the Baskervilles and just finished A Study in Scarlet last night. I've got to say that I love the mystique that is build up with Hound, but there's something about Scarlet which I really took to. For those unaware, Scarlet is written in 2 parts, which I didn't quite realise at the time. I got to the end of part 1 where it appears that the 'mystery' is solved and it just ended on a big what? moment for me. I had to re-read the chapter and the one before it as I was sure that I missed something. :lol:

Then comes part 2 where there is a huge narrative shift and the ending of part 1 is explained. I have to say that I found part 2 to be a wonderfully told story and I was supremely invested in that. I was glued to it and couldn't put it down. From reading opinions online, it seems that part 2 is viewed very divisively, with many claiming not to like it as it's "boring" or "there's not enough Holmes in it". I have to say that I had to strongly disagree with that. I thought it did an excellent job of explaining the character's motives and provided a great backstory for why things turned out the way they did. It also made me feel very sympathetic for one of the characters and less so for the actual victims themselves. I'm a huge fan of the Jefferson Hope character and only wish that we had an on-screen portrayal that would do the character justice.

Hound is a great story and it does a great job of keeping you on your toes and guessing what will happen next. There's a fantastic collection of characters within the story and it paints a brilliant picture of the setting and the time period. It's a great piece of work. But, at its core, there's a great story of love and revenge in Scarlet that just spoke to me more.
 
Glad you're enjoying the Sherlock Holmes books.

I'm a fan of them as well. Though, unusually, as I normally prefer full length novels to short stories, I actually much prefer the Holmes short stories to the 4 full length novels.

I tend to think the same as those other people you referenced, who feel that the second half of A Study in Scarlet drags on too long - especially with no Holmes involved.

I think the short stories work best in this series. They're not too short so still tell a very good mystery, with enough room for some backstory and intrigue. Whereas I find the four longer novels all drag and could be much shorter without worsening the mystery aspect. I still enjoy reading the longer novels as well - but tend to skim read some of the backstory on my re-reads.
 
Bertie Wooster said:
Glad you're enjoying the Sherlock Holmes books.

I'm a fan of them as well. Though, unusually, as I normally prefer full length novels to short stories, I actually much prefer the Holmes short stories to the 4 full length novels.

I tend to think the same as those other people you referenced, who feel that the second half of A Study in Scarlet drags on too long - especially with no Holmes involved.

I think the short stories work best in this series. They're not too short so still tell a very good mystery, with enough room for some backstory and intrigue. Whereas I find the four longer novels all drag and could be much shorter without worsening the mystery aspect. I still enjoy reading the longer novels as well - but tend to skim read some of the backstory on my re-reads.
Click to expand...

I've heard some great things about the short stories, so I'll be catching up on those. I think I'll get through the other 2 novels first and then will work my way through the others.

I guess I'm in the minority with the second half of Scarlet! The overwhelming consensus online is that part 1 is superior, and I can get the criticisms for why part 2 doesn't 'hit' for some people. I personally enjoyed it a lot. Surprised at just how unpopular that opinion is, though. :lol:
 
RAGE by Bob Woodward

This won't be an in-depth review, as this book deals with Trump's presidency, especially his handling of Covid, and we saw it unfolding in real time via his tweets and the daily briefings. I seem to recall the book was serialised by a newspaper here in the UK (the Guardian maybe), so I was familiar with a lot of it. Even so, his multitude of catastrophic faults are laid bare here, and we are truly, truly fukked.

I'm about to start the next one, PERIL. Wish me luck!
 
Red_Aaron said:
I just finished this a couple of days ago
Absolutely loved it
Despite being 600+ pages I was engrossed throughout and couldn't put it down. Each character is fully formed and their intertwining narratives are perfectly composed. Some of PJ sections had me genuinely dry mouthed and anxious (having a son his age certainly influenced this tbf!)
Tragic is the perfect word for it and yet it was also life affirming at times
Highly recommended from me
Click to expand...

I'd had The Bee Sting on my list for a long time and finally started it a few days ago.

While the story is intriguing, I'm a few hundred pages in now and the very long stretches of story that feature no punctuation are driving me crazy.
 
Peril

Another Bob Woodward book, this time covering the period between the latter stages of Trump's first presidency and the beginning of Biden's.

Again, it's a very popular book, with tons of reviews out there, so I'm not going to go into detail. Needless to say, Trump is absolutely bonkers, and we're in for a daily jawdrop for at least the next 4 years. It won't be boring.
 
Revolution & Terror in France 1789-1795 by D. G. Wright

Handy little study guide detailing the main events of the French Revolution. It's barely over 100 pages long, so doesn't go into too much detail on anything, but if you're new to the subject, or you just want a refresher before doing a deeper dive, it's a good read.

8/10
 
I've recently finished The Vegetarian by Han Kang, the latest Noble Prize winner, and it's among the very best novels published in the XXI century that I read. I've been recommending it to everyone, it's concise (something like 150 pages only), extremely unsettling, beautifully written and keeps you on your toes each and every page. Not sharing much of the plot because it kills the fun, but each of the three parts of the novel are quite different and leaving a lasting impression. World class contemporary literature.
 
Red Star One said:
I've recently finished The Vegetarian by Han Kang, the latest Noble Prize winner, and it's among the very best novels published in the XXI century that I read. I've been recommending it to everyone, it's concise (something like 150 pages only), extremely unsettling, beautifully written and keeps you on your toes each and every page. Not sharing much of the plot because it kills the fun, but each of the three parts of the novel are quite different and leaving a lasting impression. World class contemporary literature.
Click to expand...
Must admit I preferred the first part, but it is well worth reading.
 
Badunk said:
Revolution & Terror in France 1789-1795 by D. G. Wright

Handy little study guide detailing the main events of the French Revolution. It's barely over 100 pages long, so doesn't go into too much detail on anything, but if you're new to the subject, or you just want a refresher before doing a deeper dive, it's a good read.

8/10
Click to expand...
You’re on a bit of a tear lately @Badunk
 
Finished The Bee Sting yesterday; wow. Powerful stuff. Almost felt like a darker version of a Fredrik Backman novel.

4.5 out of 5 for me.
 
I'm not much of a reader but my wife bought me The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August a while ago and I finished it the other day, what a brilliant book, highly recommend it to everyone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.