Another Val McDermid - The Grave Tattoo. A standalone tale of a London based academic going back to her Lake District roots in search of a missing Wordsworth poem and a link to Fletcher Christian... But it is so much more than that. Involving a powerful London gang leader, a gaggle of fellow academics, a treasure hunter and, of course, murder.
Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton, all about a school shooting/hostage situation in Somerset, set over, as the name would suggest, three hours.
I'd call it the best book I've read this year but that might be damming it with faint praise and it deserves more. Its a good book, tense and thought provoking, and the last couple of chapters are very gripping.
The Last Days of John Lennon by James Patterson with Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge.
Based on fact of course with commentary on how the Beatles came together, looking into the mind and thoughts of Mark David Chapman and his fixation on the killing of John Lennon, and a very readable story dramatised by James Patterson and friends.
The Vanished Man - Jeffrey Deaver. A Lincoln Rhyme story, based around a psychopathic murderous magician/escapologist. Great plot and well written. Another where you really grow to hate the villain, though you admire his skill. Of course there are some preposterous bits, there always are, but it's a novel not true crime. Worth a read.
I did manage to read all the way through the Count of Monte Cristo and didn't think it was all that great, given its high place in the pantheon of classic literature. War and Peace is brilliant. I even like the long history essay at the beginning.
I was quite enthralled by Count of Monte Cristo. But then again, I read it when I was living in a box room in Cambodia with no TV and a brick phone and it was my only source of entertainment.
I did manage to read all the way through the Count of Monte Cristo and didn't think it was all that great, given its high place in the pantheon of classic literature. War and Peace is brilliant. I even like the long history essay at the beginning.
I really enjoyed it until (erm, spoiler alert I guess):
Until he got out of the prison, and got the money. It's been a bit of a slog since with him just basically travelling around integrating himself into high society for pages and pages to get close to the 3 baddies.
I'm hoping it picks up again as all the strands of the revenge plan weave themselves together.
and the fact I love a walking/cycling/road trip type book generally. I really didn't like it - awful woman, dull book.
She and her husband lose their farm and home through their own poor investment (despite apparently having the evidence to prove their case during a 3 year long court case), and never in that 3 years do they apparently make a back up plan for just in case they lose.
Her husband is then diagnosed with a terminal rare type of dementia (which, if true, is very sad), and as they "only have a week" (after the 3 years), they get very snooty about having to live in a council house and get a job that she considers beneath her, decide to go on a benefit funded walking and sulking holiday on the South West Coast Path instead, sleeping in a tent on the way.
She then spends 200 pages whinging about this despite it being their fault and their choice, and pages on end of 'woe is me' stuff gets really tiring.
They steal stuff, pitch up on campsites (and use the showers etc too) without paying, shit everywhere without burying it as a small trowel would apparently make all the difference in weight in their bags, get shirty if cafes don't provide a pot of boiling water and a seat so they can make their own tea and pay the cafe nothing, and are rude to basically everyone they meet.
She even gets sarcastic about a friend who kindly puts them up for the winter period in a barn, gets Raynor some temporary work and then dares to ask them to do a bit of decorating to the barn in lieu of month's worth of rent.
She also fails to describe much of the amazing scenery etc which is basically what I want in a travel book (along with a bit of wit, again lacking).
I mean, good call to do this in a way, she got a holiday and then a book out of it.
and the fact I love a walking/cycling/road trip type book generally. I really didn't like it - awful woman, dull book.
She and her husband lose their farm and home through their own poor investment (despite apparently having the evidence to prove their case during a 3 year long court case), and never in that 3 years do they apparently make a back up plan for just in case they lose.
Her husband is then diagnosed with a terminal rare type of dementia (which, if true, is very sad), and as they "only have a week" (after the 3 years), they get very snooty about having to live in a council house and get a job that she considers beneath her, decide to go on a benefit funded walking and sulking holiday on the South West Coast Path instead sleeping in a tent on the way.
She then spends 200 pages whinging about this despite it being their fault and their choice, and pages on end of 'woe is me' stuff gets really tiring.
They steal stuff, pitch up on campsites (and use the showers etc too) without paying, shit everywhere without burying it as a small trowel would apparently make all the difference in weight in their bags, get shirty if cafes don't provide a pot of boiling water and a seat so they can make their own tea and pay the cafe nothing, and are rude to basically everyone they meet.
She even gets sarcastic about a friend who kindly puts them up for the winter period in a barn, gets Raynor some temporary work and then dares to ask them to do a bit of decorating to the barn in lieu of month's worth of rent.
She also fails to describe much of the amazing scenery etc which is basically what I want in a travel book (along with a bit of wit, again lacking).
I mean, good call to do this in a way, she got a holiday and then a book out of it.
Rant over.
Cover is really nice though, eh?
Best review ever. 👍🏻 I shall avoid like the plague.
I disliked it too. Didn't warm to the writer at all and throught the writing was workmanlike at best. Nevertheless, it's become a massive best seller so it's worked out well for them. Personally I'll stick to Newby and Chatwin for my travel writing in the future (must get round to trying Theroux).
I've been reading War & Peace again....the first hundred pages are turgid, but then you get pulled in...
I've been dipping in and out of The Count of Monte Cristo for about a year and I'm still just under halfway through.
War and Peace is a good 20-25% longer I think, would take me about a decade!!
Yeh you do have to be prepared to sit and read for an hour or so at a time or it just drags. If you can do 25-30 pages a day minimum with occasional longer sessions it has a nice momentum.
The internet and media streaming is the enemy of reading. Like Chunes I read W&P when I was in India for a few months before the days of mobile wifi.
I've been reading War & Peace again....the first hundred pages are turgid, but then you get pulled in...
I've been dipping in and out of The Count of Monte Cristo for about a year and I'm still just under halfway through.
War and Peace is a good 20-25% longer I think, would take me about a decade!!
Yeh you do have to be prepared to sit and read for an hour or so at a time or it just drags. If you can do 25-30 pages a day minimum with occasional longer sessions it has a nice momentum.
The internet and media streaming is the enemy of reading. Like Chunes I read W&P when I was in India for a few months before the days of mobile wifi.
Just finished Count of Monte Cristo on Audible. Struggled to keep up with the many characters relationships with each other but that's my feeble brain. Agree there is a lot of padding that doesn't progress the plot very far, but its so well written and really enjoyed it overall.
and the fact I love a walking/cycling/road trip type book generally. I really didn't like it - awful woman, dull book.
She and her husband lose their farm and home through their own poor investment (despite apparently having the evidence to prove their case during a 3 year long court case), and never in that 3 years do they apparently make a back up plan for just in case they lose.
Her husband is then diagnosed with a terminal rare type of dementia (which, if true, is very sad), and as they "only have a week" (after the 3 years), they get very snooty about having to live in a council house and get a job that she considers beneath her, decide to go on a benefit funded walking and sulking holiday on the South West Coast Path instead, sleeping in a tent on the way.
She then spends 200 pages whinging about this despite it being their fault and their choice, and pages on end of 'woe is me' stuff gets really tiring.
They steal stuff, pitch up on campsites (and use the showers etc too) without paying, shit everywhere without burying it as a small trowel would apparently make all the difference in weight in their bags, get shirty if cafes don't provide a pot of boiling water and a seat so they can make their own tea and pay the cafe nothing, and are rude to basically everyone they meet.
She even gets sarcastic about a friend who kindly puts them up for the winter period in a barn, gets Raynor some temporary work and then dares to ask them to do a bit of decorating to the barn in lieu of month's worth of rent.
She also fails to describe much of the amazing scenery etc which is basically what I want in a travel book (along with a bit of wit, again lacking).
I mean, good call to do this in a way, she got a holiday and then a book out of it.
Rant over.
Cover is really nice though, eh?
Am currently half way through this as my wife and I are walkers, so thought it might be a read. Wife has already read it and warned me about the whinging!
and the fact I love a walking/cycling/road trip type book generally. I really didn't like it - awful woman, dull book.
She and her husband lose their farm and home through their own poor investment (despite apparently having the evidence to prove their case during a 3 year long court case), and never in that 3 years do they apparently make a back up plan for just in case they lose.
Her husband is then diagnosed with a terminal rare type of dementia (which, if true, is very sad), and as they "only have a week" (after the 3 years), they get very snooty about having to live in a council house and get a job that she considers beneath her, decide to go on a benefit funded walking and sulking holiday on the South West Coast Path instead, sleeping in a tent on the way.
She then spends 200 pages whinging about this despite it being their fault and their choice, and pages on end of 'woe is me' stuff gets really tiring.
They steal stuff, pitch up on campsites (and use the showers etc too) without paying, shit everywhere without burying it as a small trowel would apparently make all the difference in weight in their bags, get shirty if cafes don't provide a pot of boiling water and a seat so they can make their own tea and pay the cafe nothing, and are rude to basically everyone they meet.
She even gets sarcastic about a friend who kindly puts them up for the winter period in a barn, gets Raynor some temporary work and then dares to ask them to do a bit of decorating to the barn in lieu of month's worth of rent.
She also fails to describe much of the amazing scenery etc which is basically what I want in a travel book (along with a bit of wit, again lacking).
I mean, good call to do this in a way, she got a holiday and then a book out of it.
Rant over.
Cover is really nice though, eh?
Am currently half way through this as my wife and I are walkers, so thought it might be a read. Wife has already read it and warned me about the whinging!
I'd be interested to know what you thought once you finish it mate!
Seems a popular book I've got "is it just me?" type feelings on it!! .
Another Val McDermid - The Grave Tattoo. A standalone tale of a London based academic going back to her Lake District roots in search of a missing Wordsworth poem and a link to Fletcher Christian... But it is so much more than that. Involving a powerful London gang leader, a gaggle of fellow academics, a treasure hunter and, of course, murder.
Great read.
I am ashamed to say that I have never read any of her books (that I can remember), so is there a good place to start as there seems to be 4 different series!
Another Val McDermid - The Grave Tattoo. A standalone tale of a London based academic going back to her Lake District roots in search of a missing Wordsworth poem and a link to Fletcher Christian... But it is so much more than that. Involving a powerful London gang leader, a gaggle of fellow academics, a treasure hunter and, of course, murder.
Great read.
I am ashamed to say that I have never read any of her books (that I can remember), so is there a good place to start as there seems to be 4 different series!
I recommend the Tony Hill series, start with the first ‘The Mermaids Singing’.
But @Algarveaddick knows her work far better so he may have a better suggestion.
Plenty of 1 star reviews on Amazon make many of the same points about The Salt Path.
Wish I'd have seen that before!!
Bought it before seeing reviews (on a whim as a second book in a 2 for £8 deal when I'd seen one book I wanted!), but taking a look after I'd read it, it had a lot of positive reviews.
Another Val McDermid - The Grave Tattoo. A standalone tale of a London based academic going back to her Lake District roots in search of a missing Wordsworth poem and a link to Fletcher Christian... But it is so much more than that. Involving a powerful London gang leader, a gaggle of fellow academics, a treasure hunter and, of course, murder.
Great read.
I am ashamed to say that I have never read any of her books (that I can remember), so is there a good place to start as there seems to be 4 different series!
I recommend the Tony Hill series, start with the first ‘The Mermaids Singing’.
But @Algarveaddick knows her work far better so he may have a better suggestion.
Yes - great suggestion if you want to get straight into a series. Or if you just want to do a "one off" to see if you like her style, then the above mentioned Grave Tattoo or Trick of the Dark are both compelling.
and the fact I love a walking/cycling/road trip type book generally. I really didn't like it - awful woman, dull book.
She and her husband lose their farm and home through their own poor investment (despite apparently having the evidence to prove their case during a 3 year long court case), and never in that 3 years do they apparently make a back up plan for just in case they lose.
Her husband is then diagnosed with a terminal rare type of dementia (which, if true, is very sad), and as they "only have a week" (after the 3 years), they get very snooty about having to live in a council house and get a job that she considers beneath her, decide to go on a benefit funded walking and sulking holiday on the South West Coast Path instead, sleeping in a tent on the way.
She then spends 200 pages whinging about this despite it being their fault and their choice, and pages on end of 'woe is me' stuff gets really tiring.
They steal stuff, pitch up on campsites (and use the showers etc too) without paying, shit everywhere without burying it as a small trowel would apparently make all the difference in weight in their bags, get shirty if cafes don't provide a pot of boiling water and a seat so they can make their own tea and pay the cafe nothing, and are rude to basically everyone they meet.
She even gets sarcastic about a friend who kindly puts them up for the winter period in a barn, gets Raynor some temporary work and then dares to ask them to do a bit of decorating to the barn in lieu of month's worth of rent.
She also fails to describe much of the amazing scenery etc which is basically what I want in a travel book (along with a bit of wit, again lacking).
I mean, good call to do this in a way, she got a holiday and then a book out of it.
Rant over.
Cover is really nice though, eh?
Sounds almost like an admission of various crimes including benefit fraud and littering. Perhaps the DHSS would like to buy a copy.
Another Val McDermid - The Grave Tattoo. A standalone tale of a London based academic going back to her Lake District roots in search of a missing Wordsworth poem and a link to Fletcher Christian... But it is so much more than that. Involving a powerful London gang leader, a gaggle of fellow academics, a treasure hunter and, of course, murder.
Great read.
I am ashamed to say that I have never read any of her books (that I can remember), so is there a good place to start as there seems to be 4 different series!
I recommend the Tony Hill series, start with the first ‘The Mermaids Singing’.
But @Algarveaddick knows her work far better so he may have a better suggestion.
Yes - great suggestion if you want to get straight into a series. Or if you just want to do a "one off" to see if you like her style, then the above mentioned Grave Tattoo or Trick of the Dark are both compelling.
Comments
Great read.
I'd call it the best book I've read this year but that might be damming it with faint praise and it deserves more. Its a good book, tense and thought provoking, and the last couple of chapters are very gripping.
Incredibly powerful book.
have a guess what that’s about.
Based on fact of course with commentary on how the Beatles came together, looking into the mind and thoughts of Mark David Chapman and his fixation on the killing of John Lennon, and a very readable story dramatised by James Patterson and friends.
Very good book about her band Sleater-Kinney.
War and Peace is a good 20-25% longer I think, would take me about a decade!!
Until he got out of the prison, and got the money. It's been a bit of a slog since with him just basically travelling around integrating himself into high society for pages and pages to get close to the 3 baddies.
I'm hoping it picks up again as all the strands of the revenge plan weave themselves together.
Got sucked in by the beautiful cover:
and the fact I love a walking/cycling/road trip type book generally. I really didn't like it - awful woman, dull book.
She and her husband lose their farm and home through their own poor investment (despite apparently having the evidence to prove their case during a 3 year long court case), and never in that 3 years do they apparently make a back up plan for just in case they lose.
Her husband is then diagnosed with a terminal rare type of dementia (which, if true, is very sad), and as they "only have a week" (after the 3 years), they get very snooty about having to live in a council house and get a job that she considers beneath her, decide to go on a benefit funded walking and sulking holiday on the South West Coast Path instead, sleeping in a tent on the way.
She then spends 200 pages whinging about this despite it being their fault and their choice, and pages on end of 'woe is me' stuff gets really tiring.
They steal stuff, pitch up on campsites (and use the showers etc too) without paying, shit everywhere without burying it as a small trowel would apparently make all the difference in weight in their bags, get shirty if cafes don't provide a pot of boiling water and a seat so they can make their own tea and pay the cafe nothing, and are rude to basically everyone they meet.
She even gets sarcastic about a friend who kindly puts them up for the winter period in a barn, gets Raynor some temporary work and then dares to ask them to do a bit of decorating to the barn in lieu of month's worth of rent.
She also fails to describe much of the amazing scenery etc which is basically what I want in a travel book (along with a bit of wit, again lacking).
I mean, good call to do this in a way, she got a holiday and then a book out of it.
Rant over.
Cover is really nice though, eh?
But no, tedious and snobby, definitely avoid it.
The internet and media streaming is the enemy of reading. Like Chunes I read W&P when I was in India for a few months before the days of mobile wifi.
Seems a popular book I've got "is it just me?" type feelings on it!!
.
Bought it before seeing reviews (on a whim as a second book in a 2 for £8 deal when I'd seen one book I wanted!), but taking a look after I'd read it, it had a lot of positive reviews.