The Redeemer - Jo Nesbo. The sixth Harry Hole thriller, and right back on form after the slight dip in the last one. Centered around the Salvation Army in Oslo (not a phrase you hear every day) it's a great story, with the usual sub-plot of Harry's background and love life bubbling away below the surface, he has a new boss and his old boss is not in a good place. The book ties up a few loose ends left hanging in previous stories, and of course unravels a few more for the future...
One of the things about reading these well constructed fiction books is the element of truth that comes through.
I've subsequently googled a few of the Mafia names mentioned; the mob's CIA/political/showbiz connections; the CIA/Mafia joint venture on the Castro plot; the murky world of Ronald Reagan and his connection to the Mafia and MCA and the CIA's tolerance and activities of various drug cartels. The list goes on and on tbh and I suppose we'll never know for sure about these things. However, there is enough out there to suggest that it's rotten to the core - it makes my head spin.
Great story lines and thought provoking at the same time - I recommend.
Sunshine & Laughter, the story of Morecambe and Wise. A well written biography of the great comedy duo by Louis Barfe. If you are a fan (as I am) lots of stuff you know, but equally, lots of stuff you don't. Some great original quotes from contemporaries and colleagues. It is as well researched as any book I have read, and done with affection, without becoming mawkish or avoiding the occasional not so flattering stories. A real must for any fan.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, set in the world of 90s video game making but also about life, love and friendship. Almost finished it after starting it just last week - really enjoying it.
I am near to finishing the fifth in the series of Shardlake novels by C J Sanson set in Tudor times. Have really enjoyed them. Shardlake is a lawyer who becomes involved in solving murders with a lot of political/royal intrigue surrounding them. The eighth book in the series is apparently being published at the end of this month and apparently the author plans more. All of them are around 600-700 pages long and, for a period of history I didn't know a great deal about, they really give you a flavour of the times.
Just doing into the latest Robert Galbraith... Ill be a while it's a goddam brick
Ink Black Heart, or have you been lucky enough to get an advance copy of The Running Grave?
I always get them on Kindle or Audible (Robert Glenister is really good on them) so I don't have to weight train carrying them around!!
Ink black heart... waited for paperback so there's a chance my bookshelf won't snap. There's another coming... excellent. I've only just seen that they made a TV version of Troubled blood, so I'll be watching that tonight.
Just doing into the latest Robert Galbraith... Ill be a while it's a goddam brick
Ink Black Heart, or have you been lucky enough to get an advance copy of The Running Grave?
I always get them on Kindle or Audible (Robert Glenister is really good on them) so I don't have to weight train carrying them around!!
Ink black heart... waited for paperback so there's a chance my bookshelf won't snap. There's another coming... excellent. I've only just seen that they made a TV version of Troubled blood, so I'll be watching that tonight.
Haha dont blame you on the paperback!
Hope you enjoy both.
I wasn't a massive fan of Ink Black Heart, but Troubled Blood was my favourite in both book and TV series!
Just finished Strong Female Character by Fern Brady.
Brutally honest and open account of her struggles growing up with undiagnosed autism.
I've got an autistic child and it brought out a lot of different emotions - relied we've got a diagnosis and understand a bit more, fear that's not going to help, for a start.
It was funny too, she's got a very good sense of dark humour.
The Bullet that Missed - Richard Osman. Another great story about the Thursday Murder club, I so enjoy his stories. Not at all taxing, just a great read that keeps you guessing with fine characters and a clever plot, tinged with a bit of sadness as a story where the main protagonists are all getting on in years might do. I enjoy imagining who will play the main cast in the TV show, which will inevitably follow.
The Bullet that Missed - Richard Osman. Another great story about the Thursday Murder club, I so enjoy his stories. Not at all taxing, just a great read that keeps you guessing with fine characters and a clever plot, tinged with a bit of sadness as a story where the main protagonists are all getting on in years. I enjoy imagining who will play the main cast in the TV show, which will inevitably follow.
Next one out in two weeks!
Looking forward to that and the next Strike book this month.
Been reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, really good so far, it's sort of about computer games but it's more about a couple of game developers, very gentle and character driven.
Having seen the film, I decided to buy, American Prometheus. Oppenheimers biography by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwood.
Only 150 pages in, already an interesting peek into his life and not knowing a great deal about science myself, I thought it might be a difficult read but not so far.
About 100 pages in to Chris Frantz’s Remain In Love - excellent read so far and recommended for Talking Heads fans.
Recent reads - all really excellent - have been Will Sergeant’s Bunnyman; Jarvis Cocker’s Good Pop Bad Pop; and pick of the bunch, Johnny Marr’s Set The Boy Free.
I put it back in the book case as he seems very bitter and twisted. Ill revisit when ive read what im on now.
I Just finished the Donna Tart’s novel Goldfinch, I thought it was brilliant, really enjoyed the characters and the incredible storyline, I guess I need to watch the film now.
I Just finished the Donna Tart’s novel Goldfinch, I thought it was brilliant, really enjoyed the characters and the incredible storyline, I guess I need to watch the film now.
based on a real painting .. the artist was killed in a MAJOR warehouse explosion in Delft (shades of the book plot) akin to the recentish disaster in Beirut ..I read this a while back and it's on my 'read again list'
I Just finished the Donna Tart’s novel Goldfinch, I thought it was brilliant, really enjoyed the characters and the incredible storyline, I guess I need to watch the film now.
Good book, although I think her "Little Friend" is her best (and one of my all time favourite novels). Not seen the film - it ddn't get great reviews at the time.
The Boys of Winter ..:Lawrence Dallaglio/Owen Slot .. a where are they now account of the England R U World Cup winners of 2003 .. a great read for me, a proper R U fan .. well written by the ex England No 8 and the Times' main sports writer. himself a big R U addict
Next week 'Scattershot' is published, the Autobio from Bernie Taupin, one of my very favourite, versatile lyricists .. without Bernie, there would have been no Elton John
It's my birthday today and i got O Brother - John Nivens new one. I've got every book he has ever written and he's my favourite writer. cant wait to get stuck in tonight.
It's my birthday today and i got O Brother - John Nivens new one. I've got every book he has ever written and he's my favourite writer. cant wait to get stuck in tonight.
Just coming to the end of Ian McEwan’s Lessons. A bit all over the place at times but eventually really gets going and packing a powerful emotional punch towards the end.
The Night Fire - Michael Connelly. Featuring Harry Bosch, Renee Ballard and Mickey Haller, a corker of a book. A cold case and a contemporary murder to be solved alongside each other. Harry has also helped Haller get a seemingly guity man off the hook, and his former colleagues at the LAPD are not happy - convinced they had the right man all along. Harry is trying to find out if someone else actually did it, or if he has indeed assisted in letting a murderer go free. Up to Michael Connelly's usual high standards.
I was lucky enough to pick up this and the two following Bosch books on the same morning in charity shops yards apart in Bromley. Five quid the lot. Two of them had only just gone on the shelf - talk about good timing!
It's my birthday today and i got O Brother - John Nivens new one. I've got every book he has ever written and he's my favourite writer. cant wait to get stuck in tonight.
I'll challenge you as his biggest fan, his books and his general prose is amazing. The sunshine coach company in particular had me folded up laughing, tears running down my face laughing. I have a book to finish first then I'm going to take on O Brother but I feel its going to be a rollercoaster and whilst I'm sure there will be parts with his usual barbaric humour the subject matter is jet black.
It's my birthday today and i got O Brother - John Nivens new one. I've got every book he has ever written and he's my favourite writer. cant wait to get stuck in tonight.
I'll challenge you as his biggest fan, his books and his general prose is amazing. The sunshine coach company in particular had me folded up laughing, tears running down my face laughing. I have a book to finish first then I'm going to take on O Brother but I feel its going to be a rollercoaster and whilst I'm sure there will be parts with his usual barbaric humour the subject matter is jet black.
Happy birthday mate, beautiful day for it
You're not wrong on the Sunshine Coach - how it hasn't been made into a film at least for TV o dont know. Not read any Richard Osman but i'm sure this is where he got a seed of an idea maybe.
Anyway the humour in his books no matter how sick is brilliant. Second Coming and the Amateurs especially. Funny enough the last book i read of his was his first the music from Big Pink - what a read - i played the album as i read it the geek that i am.
I haven't started O Brother yet as i know ill do it in 2 days and am probably going to save it for the weekend - i am expecting some properly dark humour.
If you like Niven i can recommend David F Ross as well mate - another great scottish author
There are paragraphs in all of his books (besides cold hands, we can forget that one) that have nearly made me puke with laughter. I completely agree and I haven't read a Richard Osman book just the synopsis and what other people have told me, sounds like a PG version of our mand work.
I'd love Annette Crosbie to play Ethel, I had considered Miram Margolyes but I'm always expecting her to come out with filth
Kill Your Friends was a valiant stab at a film but apart from the scene where a comment about Paul Weller triggers our hero I thought it was too tame, which it probably had to be. Imagine the Jail scene of the second coming on the big screen, that cant be dine justice, nor the part from the amateurs where Gary goes into meltdown at the open. Its so visceral but if someone was given carte blanche and the producers didn't water anything down my word. I mean Irvine Welsh stuff is so dark and that had it on to screen ok, and was probably 30% as rough as the book especially fifth
Just ordered a copy of "sunshine cruise company" off the back of these reviews. Not read any John Niven but always good to try a new author! The funniest book I've read has to be "incompetance" by Rob Grant, if anyone wants a recommendation in return
Comments
One of the things about reading these well constructed fiction books is the element of truth that comes through.
I've subsequently googled a few of the Mafia names mentioned; the mob's CIA/political/showbiz connections; the CIA/Mafia joint venture on the Castro plot; the murky world of Ronald Reagan and his connection to the Mafia and MCA and the CIA's tolerance and activities of various drug cartels. The list goes on and on tbh and I suppose we'll never know for sure about these things. However, there is enough out there to suggest that it's rotten to the core - it makes my head spin.
Great story lines and thought provoking at the same time - I recommend.
I always get them on Kindle or Audible (Robert Glenister is really good on them) so I don't have to weight train carrying them around!!
Hope you enjoy both.
I wasn't a massive fan of Ink Black Heart, but Troubled Blood was my favourite in both book and TV series!
Brutally honest and open account of her struggles growing up with undiagnosed autism.
I've got an autistic child and it brought out a lot of different emotions - relied we've got a diagnosis and understand a bit more, fear that's not going to help, for a start.
It was funny too, she's got a very good sense of dark humour.
Looking forward to that and the next Strike book this month.
Been reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, really good so far, it's sort of about computer games but it's more about a couple of game developers, very gentle and character driven.
Made me simultaneously nostalgic and depressed.
Only 150 pages in, already an interesting peek into his life and not knowing a great deal about science myself, I thought it might be a difficult read but not so far.
Next week 'Scattershot' is published, the Autobio from Bernie Taupin, one of my very favourite, versatile lyricists .. without Bernie, there would have been no Elton John
I was lucky enough to pick up this and the two following Bosch books on the same morning in charity shops yards apart in Bromley. Five quid the lot. Two of them had only just gone on the shelf - talk about good timing!
I'll challenge you as his biggest fan, his books and his general prose is amazing. The sunshine coach company in particular had me folded up laughing, tears running down my face laughing. I have a book to finish first then I'm going to take on O Brother but I feel its going to be a rollercoaster and whilst I'm sure there will be parts with his usual barbaric humour the subject matter is jet black.
Happy birthday mate, beautiful day for it
Anyway the humour in his books no matter how sick is brilliant. Second Coming and the Amateurs especially. Funny enough the last book i read of his was his first the music from Big Pink - what a read - i played the album as i read it the geek that i am.
I haven't started O Brother yet as i know ill do it in 2 days and am probably going to save it for the weekend - i am expecting some properly dark humour.
If you like Niven i can recommend David F Ross as well mate - another great scottish author
I'd love Annette Crosbie to play Ethel, I had considered Miram Margolyes but I'm always expecting her to come out with filth
Kill Your Friends was a valiant stab at a film but apart from the scene where a comment about Paul Weller triggers our hero I thought it was too tame, which it probably had to be. Imagine the Jail scene of the second coming on the big screen, that cant be dine justice, nor the part from the amateurs where Gary goes into meltdown at the open. Its so visceral but if someone was given carte blanche and the producers didn't water anything down my word. I mean Irvine Welsh stuff is so dark and that had it on to screen ok, and was probably 30% as rough as the book especially fifth