Not a sequel, but includes some of the characters from Mr Mercedes. Enjoyed this a lot, excellent thriller. Stephen King fans (eg. Lincsaddick/Fanny) will like this.
And the way it ends makes it look like he may use some of the characters again, quite unusual for his books.
Not a sequel, but includes some of the characters from Mr Mercedes. Enjoyed this a lot, excellent thriller. Stephen King fans (eg. Lincsaddick/Fanny) will like this.
And the way it ends makes it look like he may use some of the characters again, quite unusual for his books.
'Peripheral' .. William Gibson .. I really like Gibson's work .. this one is so VERY complicated and imaginative .. probably saved by his pacey and very hip prose.
'Buried Prey' .. John Sandford .. all you heroes, villains and whodunnit lovers who have not discovered the 'Prey' series .. you don't know what you're missing ... THE best U S police & crime novels ever, even better than the great Michael Connelly.
Murder under the microscope - the story of Scotland yard's forensic science laboratory by Philip Paul. Right up my street
off topic: Are you watching the 3 part BBC4 series on the history/development of crime scene forensic science ? .. well worth a look on iplayer
No I was completely unaware of that... Thanks for the heads up! Gotta be better than mark ronson. I love all that kind of stuff... I did a forensic medicine course at university. Fascinating, if a little gory at times. Saw an actual autopsy! The text book was really good - Simpson's forensic medicine. Very interesting, but don't leave it on the coffee table
'Do No Harm; Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery' - Henry Marsh
The author, a brain surgeon at St George's Hospital in Tooting, discusses the triumphs, failures and the intensely difficult dilemmas that neurosurgeons have to face on a daily basis. It is a very candid and forthright book; as Henry Marsh observes, there can sometimes be so much disability after unsuccessful brain surgery that death can be a good outcome compared to the quality of life that some unfortunate patients can be left with. It is a very human and insightful account and also an amusing one in parts, particularly when relating how Marsh responds to NHS bureaucracy and misguided management initiatives. If you fancy something a little different, I'd recommend this one.
'The Ballard of Peckham Rye' - Muriel Spark
Written in 1960 and set in the 50s, this is a short and quirky novel about a young Scottish guy who who moves down to Peckham and sets about creating havoc and mayhem in the lives of everyone he meets. It contains a lot of snappy, amusing dialogue and is really a black comedy. Certainly a good holiday read.
'Amsterdam' - Ian McEwan
I bought this book for my wife years ago but never got around to reading it. It's engaging in parts because of the quality of the writing but, overall, I didn't enjoy this novel half as much as the others I've read by McEwan. That said, I see it won the Booker Prize, so what do I know.
'Deliverance' - James Dickey
I've been meaning to read this one for a long while and was eventually prompted to do so by McBobbin's earlier post. I agree with him - a very good read.
'East of Eden' - John Steinbeck
Starting in the second half of the 19th century, this tells the story of the intertwined fates of two families over three generations in the Salinas Valley, northern California. An important part of the framework is sibling rivalry and biblical allegory, in particular, the story of Cain and Abel. Steinbeck paints some vivid and disturbing characters and it is certainly a very interesting read (as well as a long one at 720 pages !). Steinbeck apparently regarded this novel as his crowning achievement, although on a purely personal level, I preferred 'Grapes of Wrath'.
Historical novels of the War of the Roses and Tudor times, Philippa Gregory's The White Queen and The Red Queen etc. Also The search for Richard Third- the Kings Grave by Philippa Langley. Gruesome but interesting times. Also interesting is the 'spin' the Tudor historians made against Richard Third.
So did King Richard have the Prince's in the Tower murdered? I' am undecided, it happened on 'his watch', but could have been on Margaret Beaufort's orders - ( Henry seventh's mother ) the strategist of the Tudor take over. Hers was another interesting life.
Edge by Jeffrey Deaver. Good mystery adventure yarn. Took me a while to get into it - the main character isn't very sympathetic - but it has became more of a page turner as it's gone on.
I checked this book out after the recommendation of my son. The Amazon kindle price was 0.00 - can’t get any cheaper than that!
The book tells the tale of a group of painter decorators around 1900 - 1910 and their struggle against abject poverty, destitution and ultimately the workhouse. It is drawn from the real life experience of the author Robert Tressell.
There are graphic descriptions of what it means to be employed at this time for the paltry wages of between five and seven pence ha’penny an hour. It describes the misspent loyalty of the majority of the workers to the system that keeps them oppressed, and their wealthy pay masters who they only serve to enrich still further. It soon becomes apparent why Tressell chose to title the book so.
One has to remember that the Labour party was in its infancy during this period and Tressell describes how the ‘new socialists’ were despised by not only the masters of the oppressed, but by the majority of the working class themselves. Tressell makes the point that working class were so poorly educated that they couldn’t think for themselves. Their sheep like willingness to uphold the virtues of the Conservatives and Liberals whilst their children starved was sheer lunacy.
This book is lengthy and sometimes difficult, but ultimately I found it extremely rewarding. It serves as a stark reminder why the Labour movement started and its importance in uplifting the poor and bringing about a fairer system. It would be a good read for some of the contributors to the political thread currently running on this site - whether they be to the right, left or centre of the spectrum.
I checked this book out after the recommendation of my son. The Amazon kindle price was 0.00 - can’t get any cheaper than that!
The book tells the tale of a group of painter decorators around 1900 - 1910 and their struggle against abject poverty, destitution and ultimately the workhouse. It is drawn from the real life experience of the author Robert Tressell.
There are graphic descriptions of what it means to be employed at this time for the paltry wages of between five and seven pence ha’penny an hour. It describes the misspent loyalty of the majority of the workers to the system that keeps them oppressed, and their wealthy pay masters who they only serve to enrich still further. It soon becomes apparent why Tressell chose to title the book so.
One has to remember that the Labour party was in its infancy during this period and Tressell describes how the ‘new socialists’ were despised by not only the masters of the oppressed, but by the majority of the working class themselves. Tressell makes the point that working class were so poorly educated that they couldn’t think for themselves. Their sheep like willingness to uphold the virtues of the Conservatives and Liberals whilst their children starved was sheer lunacy.
This book is lengthy and sometimes difficult, but ultimately I found it extremely rewarding. It serves as a stark reminder why the Labour movement started and its importance in uplifting the poor and bringing about a fairer system. It would be a good read for some of the contributors to the political thread currently running on this site - whether they be to the right, left or centre of the spectrum.
I think your summing up of the book would be a good read for some of the contributors to the political thread whether they be the right, left or centre of the spectrum...
Only When I Laugh - Paul Merton's autobiography. Interesting and amusing in parts. I didn't realise he suffered from mental health problems in the past.
Only When I Laugh - Paul Merton's autobiography. Interesting and amusing in parts. I didn't realise he suffered from mental health problems in the past.
That's a coincidence - the very book I recently started after the Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, as in need of light hearted relief.
After about twenty years I guess, left foot forward , is having an outing, in the intervening years illness affected my ability to read, so I'm enjoying this book all over again.
Comments
Look forward to the paperback.
'Buried Prey' .. John Sandford .. all you heroes, villains and whodunnit lovers who have not discovered the 'Prey' series .. you don't know what you're missing ... THE best U S police & crime novels ever, even better than the great Michael Connelly.
Picked it up for a paaahnd in a charity shop, fort I'd try and ejucate myself.
Terrific book. The valley gets a mention for the Who gig, and there is an entire chapter on Chelsea away at Charlton.
He has a thing about us, we also featured in his last book.
I'll summarise it when I've finished.
Im about half way at the moment,has a very different writing style,but so far so good.
The author, a brain surgeon at St George's Hospital in Tooting, discusses the triumphs, failures and the intensely difficult dilemmas that neurosurgeons have to face on a daily basis. It is a very candid and forthright book; as Henry Marsh observes, there can sometimes be so much disability after unsuccessful brain surgery that death can be a good outcome compared to the quality of life that some unfortunate patients can be left with. It is a very human and insightful account and also an amusing one in parts, particularly when relating how Marsh responds to NHS bureaucracy and misguided management initiatives. If you fancy something a little different, I'd recommend this one.
'The Ballard of Peckham Rye' - Muriel Spark
Written in 1960 and set in the 50s, this is a short and quirky novel about a young Scottish guy who who moves down to Peckham and sets about creating havoc and mayhem in the lives of everyone he meets. It contains a lot of snappy, amusing dialogue and is really a black comedy. Certainly a good holiday read.
'Amsterdam' - Ian McEwan
I bought this book for my wife years ago but never got around to reading it. It's engaging in parts because of the quality of the writing but, overall, I didn't enjoy this novel half as much as the others I've read by McEwan. That said, I see it won the Booker Prize, so what do I know.
'Deliverance' - James Dickey
I've been meaning to read this one for a long while and was eventually prompted to do so by McBobbin's earlier post. I agree with him - a very good read.
'East of Eden' - John Steinbeck
Starting in the second half of the 19th century, this tells the story of the intertwined fates of two families over three generations in the Salinas Valley, northern California. An important part of the framework is sibling rivalry and biblical allegory, in particular, the story of Cain and Abel. Steinbeck paints some vivid and disturbing characters and it is certainly a very interesting read (as well as a long one at 720 pages !). Steinbeck apparently regarded this novel as his crowning achievement, although on a purely personal level, I preferred 'Grapes of Wrath'.
I just love how noble, wise and biblical he always sounds, I really enjoy it when he goes a bit abstract and extra descriptive.
I need to continue reading thorough his bibliography, I've read all of the major ones so maybe I'll go for 'To a God Unknown' next.
About a third of the way through. Amusing and will be interesting to see where it goes
So did King Richard have the Prince's in the Tower murdered? I' am undecided, it happened on 'his watch', but could have been on Margaret Beaufort's orders -
( Henry seventh's mother ) the strategist of the Tudor take over. Hers was another interesting life.
I checked this book out after the recommendation of my son. The Amazon kindle price was 0.00 - can’t get any cheaper than that!
The book tells the tale of a group of painter decorators around 1900 - 1910 and their struggle against abject poverty, destitution and ultimately the workhouse. It is drawn from the real life experience of the author Robert Tressell.
There are graphic descriptions of what it means to be employed at this time for the paltry wages of between five and seven pence ha’penny an hour. It describes the misspent loyalty of the majority of the workers to the system that keeps them oppressed, and their wealthy pay masters who they only serve to enrich still further. It soon becomes apparent why Tressell chose to title the book so.
One has to remember that the Labour party was in its infancy during this period and Tressell describes how the ‘new socialists’ were despised by not only the masters of the oppressed, but by the majority of the working class themselves. Tressell makes the point that working class were so poorly educated that they couldn’t think for themselves. Their sheep like willingness to uphold the virtues of the Conservatives and Liberals whilst their children starved was sheer lunacy.
This book is lengthy and sometimes difficult, but ultimately I found it extremely rewarding. It serves as a stark reminder why the Labour movement started and its importance in uplifting the poor and bringing about a fairer system. It would be a good read for some of the contributors to the political thread currently running on this site - whether they be to the right, left or centre of the spectrum.
left or centreof the spectrum...