Books & Reading

usetobunkin · October 9

A shout out for Thomas Hardy.
Far from the Maddening Crowd
Tess of the D’urbervilles
Jude the Obscure.

A brilliant English teacher introduced me to them when I was a pain in the arse kid.

Stig · October 9

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5000498/uploads/editor/ma/g00swsp6hfr9.png

Rufus is a dogs name · October 9

Great ongoing thread here on Lifer's current reading and book recommendations...

https://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/comment/5645991#Comment_5645991?utm_source=community-search&utm_medium=organic-search&utm_term=reading

stonemuse · October 9

stoneroses19 said:

Favourite novel either The Drifters by James A Michener or Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Both powerful reads.

While I've read a lot of novels over the years, I mostly read non-fiction, travelogues, history books.

One of the best authors who writes fiction and non-fiction books is Geoff Dyer. A very funny writer.

Another vote here for The Drifters

EveshamAddick · October 10

Favourite writers:

Samuel Beckett
Virginia Woolf
Anne Tyler
Elizabeth Strout
Claire Keegan
Jonathan Coe
Kurt Vonnegut
Charles Bukowski
Henry Green
Jean Rhys

Algarveaddick · October 10

CAFCBourne said:

Just finished Mark Billingham's Detective Miller 2 parter that I enjoyed so I may venture onto DCI Tom Thorne books.

Currently reading the Sunrise by Victoria Hislop which I'm enjoying.

The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer by Joel Dicker was a good read too.

Only started getting into reading in the last couple of years and now one of my favourite pass times.

I have read all the Thorne books, thoroughly enjoyable.

Greenhithe · October 10

CafcWest said:

Greenhithe said:

Favourite book Skinny Legs n All by Tom Robins.

Favourite author John Niven by a mile. I’ve got every book and love every one of them. Especially The Second Coming.

Honourable mentions to
the outsider by Camus
jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
slaughterhouse five by Vonnegut.

Excellent book. Have read everything Tom Robbins (RIP) wrote. Jitterbug Perfume I think my favourite.

I love it. Given loads of copies away. A very apt book to read right now I’d say. And funny.

I also love Jitterbug Perfume. Even started having hot baths and trying breathing exercises it affected me that much 😂. I gave up on Still life and even cowgirls get the blues for some reason. I may revisit them. Great author.

Mametz · October 13

Frankie_de_Toro said:

My favourite author is John Wyndham. My favourite novel is Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis. Still makes me laugh out loud 45 years after I first read it.

Agree about Lucky Jim. I re-read it every few years and it still makes me laugh.

In terms of non fiction reading “ The first day on the Somme” by Martin Middlebrook which I first read in 1971 and led to my obsession with WW1 including well over 100 visits to the Western Front.

The other stand out book is “ A savage war of peace “ by Alistair Horne about the Algerian war of independence from France in the 50’s and early 60’s. Fascinating and terrifying. It makes one grateful that none of the independence conflicts that the British were involved in came anywhere near the horror involved there.

gringo · October 13

If you like spy stories, and can handle a 9 book series, Game, Set and Match by Len Deighton is one I keep returning to.

My all time favourite is PG Woodhouse and Thank You Jeeves.

thickandthin63 · October 13

I read a lot ,but my 2 favourite books are,,As the crow flies,Jeffrey Archer,and Pillars of the Earth(and subsequent follow ups) KenFollet.
I use my local library ,always finding authors I have not read before,Recently,Helen Fields and Ruth Ware,great reads.

CL_Phantom · October 13

I've set myself the task of (trying) to read through most of 2 series, the SF Masterworks collections and the Penguin clothbound series for the more classic literature purely for the covers that are stunning.

But I'm a big sci-fi man so favourites to date have to be:

Hyperion (series) by Dan Simmons - admittedly only read the first two which I believe are a closed story in the Hyperion/ Endymion series.
I'm surprised it hasn't been turned into a TV show yet.

The forever war by Joe Hadleman is a close second.

Philip K Dick as favourite author though (Ubik, Do Androids dream of electric sheep)

Raith_C_Chattonell · October 13

I love a great story and Robert Goddard writes great stories.

Lots of his books contain a historical time line where secrets hidden in the past come back to haunt the present. I've recently finished his Inspector Taleb duo and they didn't disappoint.

MrOneLung · October 13

Two of my favourite books are Memoirs of a geisha by Arthur Golden and The Charm School by Nelson de Mille

Jints · October 13

CL_Phantom said:

I've set myself the task of (trying) to read through most of 2 series, the SF Masterworks collections and the Penguin clothbound series for the more classic literature purely for the covers that are stunning.

But I'm a big sci-fi man so favourites to date have to be:

Hyperion (series) by Dan Simmons - admittedly only read the first two which I believe are a closed story in the Hyperion/ Endymion series.
I'm surprised it hasn't been turned into a TV show yet.

The forever war by Joe Hadleman is a close second.

Philip K Dick as favourite author though (Ubik, Do Androids dream of electric sheep)

The Hyperion series is brilliant. Definitely worth reading the other two.

Rob · October 13

ForeverAddickted said:

Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell; if I had to pick one it would be Sharpe's Eagle, ironically the one that began the series

Simon Scarrow and Conn Iggulden are honourable mentions for the Historical Fiction genre

I 2nd this. Cornwall is the master.

Rob · October 13

ForeverAddickted said:

Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell; if I had to pick one it would be Sharpe's Eagle, ironically the one that began the series

Simon Scarrow and Conn Iggulden are honourable mentions for the Historical Fiction genre

Began the series as the 1st book written but not chronologically. That was Sharpe's Tiger that was written after but is chronologically earlier. That's my favourite I think.

Making_all_the_noise · October 14

Bonfire of the Vanities may be my favorite novel.

Fave writer is undoubtedly Philip Roth. He could write paragraphs more interesting than entire books.

Gisappointed · October 14

CJ Box
MW Craven (Poe series)
Michael Connelly (Bosch)
John Irving (esp Prayer for Owen Meaney)
Mick Herron (Slow Horses)
Tom Sharpe
Alexander Dumas
Thomas Hardy (but not Jude)
Patrick Ness
Nick Harkaway

Killarahales · October 14

A shout out for A Prayer For Owen Meany, both very funny and moving. I fancied a Spanish author for my recent holiday and can highly recommend The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo, which is a crime story on the surface but with supernatural elements.

I’ve also just discovered World Of Books. Second-hand online book store; doubt I’ll ever buy a brand new book again.

Gisappointed · October 14

Killarahales said:

A shout out for A Prayer For Owen Meany, both very funny and moving. I fancied a Spanish author for my recent holiday and can highly recommend The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo, which is a crime story on the surface but with supernatural elements.

I’ve also just discovered World Of Books. Second-hand online book store; doubt I’ll ever buy a brand new book again.

Spanish author, Arturo Perez Reverte is top notch. Also Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Jean-Christophe Grangé

Spenser novels by Robert B Parker/Ace Atkins combine crime with an element of supernatural.

jimmymelrose · October 15

captainbob said:

EveshamAddick said:

CaptainRobbo said:

captainbob said:

Favourite author: Charles Dickens
Favourite novel: David Copperfield

Only read Tale of Two Cities by Dickens when I was a kid, absolutely loved it.

Great Expectations is a good Dickens entry point - great story, great characters, not quite as long as the doorstops!

I agree with that. Incidentally, the graveyard which features in the opening pages can be found in Cooling in North Kent where you can see the lozenge-shaped small headstones (infant deaths) which in the book mark where Pip's siblings lie.

'David Copperfield' was Dickens' favourite novel and is largely based on his own childhood and youth. I would recommend this as the second novel to read by him.

After that, I think most readers would pick out 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'Bleak House' as top of the league.

One mentioned less often is his first novel, 'Pickwick Papers', which is set principally in Kent and is Dickens at his most light-hearted.

If you want to time travel back to Victorian England, the closest you can get to this is to read Dickens and wallow in his detailed, evocative descriptive language.

I have several of his novels but can never seem to get into them. Although I liked Great Expectations, I never finished it - shame on me.

Conversely, I love Thomas Hardy. The first novel of his I read was Far From The Madding Crowd and I had to constantly re-read passages, so spellbound was I by his writing.

My other favourite authors:

John Wyndham
Isaac Asimov
Ben Elton
Stephen Fry
Stephen King
HG Wells
Dean Koontz

Bit shout out also to The Pillars of The Earth by Ken Follett (as the OP also likes - possibly thanks to his mother in law, who recommendeded it to me anyway). I read that book in February 1998 when I had the worst flu ever. I was bedridden for a week and then knackered for weeks after. That book was a great help. I read an hour, sleep a few hours, then read a bit, and so on. Ken Follett also wrote The Third Twin, a bit of science fiction, which I also liked, and I think is unlike all his other books.

Chunes · October 15

captainbob said:

EveshamAddick said:

CaptainRobbo said:

captainbob said:

Favourite author: Charles Dickens
Favourite novel: David Copperfield

Only read Tale of Two Cities by Dickens when I was a kid, absolutely loved it.

Great Expectations is a good Dickens entry point - great story, great characters, not quite as long as the doorstops!

I agree with that. Incidentally, the graveyard which features in the opening pages can be found in Cooling in North Kent where you can see the lozenge-shaped small headstones (infant deaths) which in the book mark where Pip's siblings lie.

'David Copperfield' was Dickens' favourite novel and is largely based on his own childhood and youth. I would recommend this as the second novel to read by him.

After that, I think most readers would pick out 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'Bleak House' as top of the league.

One mentioned less often is his first novel, 'Pickwick Papers', which is set principally in Kent and is Dickens at his most light-hearted.

If you want to time travel back to Victorian England, the closest you can get to this is to read Dickens and wallow in his detailed, evocative descriptive language.

I loved David Copperfield, so I tried A Tale of Two Cities. I was surprised to find it was written in a different style, and nowhere near as readable and fluent as DC.

captainbob · October 15

Chunes said:

captainbob said:

EveshamAddick said:

CaptainRobbo said:

captainbob said:

Favourite author: Charles Dickens
Favourite novel: David Copperfield

Only read Tale of Two Cities by Dickens when I was a kid, absolutely loved it.

Great Expectations is a good Dickens entry point - great story, great characters, not quite as long as the doorstops!

I agree with that. Incidentally, the graveyard which features in the opening pages can be found in Cooling in North Kent where you can see the lozenge-shaped small headstones (infant deaths) which in the book mark where Pip's siblings lie.

'David Copperfield' was Dickens' favourite novel and is largely based on his own childhood and youth. I would recommend this as the second novel to read by him.

After that, I think most readers would pick out 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'Bleak House' as top of the league.

One mentioned less often is his first novel, 'Pickwick Papers', which is set principally in Kent and is Dickens at his most light-hearted.

If you want to time travel back to Victorian England, the closest you can get to this is to read Dickens and wallow in his detailed, evocative descriptive language.

I loved David Copperfield, so I tried A Tale of Two Cities. I was surprised to find it was written in a different style, and nowhere near as readable and fluent as DC.

I agree. I struggled too with A Tale of Two Cities but pushed through to the end on my third attempt; it was worth it though. That's why I advise starting with the likes of David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickelby...or Pickwick Papers which is light on plot but an easy, fun read.

captainbob · October 15

jimmymelrose said:

captainbob said:

EveshamAddick said:

CaptainRobbo said:

captainbob said:

Favourite author: Charles Dickens
Favourite novel: David Copperfield

Only read Tale of Two Cities by Dickens when I was a kid, absolutely loved it.

Great Expectations is a good Dickens entry point - great story, great characters, not quite as long as the doorstops!

I agree with that. Incidentally, the graveyard which features in the opening pages can be found in Cooling in North Kent where you can see the lozenge-shaped small headstones (infant deaths) which in the book mark where Pip's siblings lie.

'David Copperfield' was Dickens' favourite novel and is largely based on his own childhood and youth. I would recommend this as the second novel to read by him.

After that, I think most readers would pick out 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'Bleak House' as top of the league.

One mentioned less often is his first novel, 'Pickwick Papers', which is set principally in Kent and is Dickens at his most light-hearted.

If you want to time travel back to Victorian England, the closest you can get to this is to read Dickens and wallow in his detailed, evocative descriptive language.

I have several of his novels but can never seem to get into them. Although I liked Great Expectations, I never finished it - shame on me.

Conversely, I love Thomas Hardy. The first novel of his I read was Far From The Madding Crowd and I had to constantly re-read passages, so spellbound was I by his writing.

My other favourite authors:

John Wyndham
Isaac Asimov
Ben Elton
Stephen Fry
Stephen King
HG Wells
Dean Koontz

Bit shout out also to The Pillars of The Earth by Ken Follett (as the OP also likes - possibly thanks to his mother in law, who recommendeded it to me anyway). I read that book in February 1998 when I had the worst flu ever. I was bedridden for a week and then knackered for weeks after. That book was a great help. I read an hour, sleep a few hours, then read a bit, and so on. Ken Follett also wrote The Third Twin, a bit of science fiction, which I also liked, and I think is unlike all his other books.

I have read more novels by Dickens (11) and Hardy (7) than any other novelists. In general, I find Hardy more realistic, more tragic, more rural and more challenging to 'get into' in the early pages (style/vocabulary) whereas Dickens is generally more urban, has more humour, more memorable characters (often caricatures), more melodramatic.

Stuart_the_Red · October 15

I'm also just discovering Jules Verne after having downloaded his complete works to my Kindle app for free!
Brilliant writing!

Carter · October 15

I had never heard of Ken Follet, I'm reading Never at the moment and whilst sticking with it, its really heavy on dialogue that might or might not be moving the story on.

He is clearly a popular author so I'll stick with it hopefully its just a slow-ish start

thickandthin63 · October 16

Carter said:

I had never heard of Ken Follet, I'm reading Never at the moment and whilst sticking with it, its really heavy on dialogue that might or might not be moving the story on.

He is clearly a popular author so I'll stick with it hopefully its just a slow-ish start

ken is probably my favourite author,so many books very different themes,but not for everybody as some of his best works are in excess of 1000 pages.Pillars of the Earth gets lots of mentions and rightly so,a masterpiece,also there is a prequel and 2 follow ups equally good,but set aside a month of your life to read all 4.

thickandthin63 · October 16

Just read my first Stuart Macbride book,involving a lunatic female detective,Roberta Steel and her sidekick tufty,absolute entertainment from start to finish,there are several others in the series which I cant wait to read.

Rufus is a dogs name · October 16

Killarahales said:

A shout out for A Prayer For Owen Meany, both very funny and moving. I fancied a Spanish author for my recent holiday and can highly recommend The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo, which is a crime story on the surface but with supernatural elements.

I’ve also just discovered World Of Books. Second-hand online book store; doubt I’ll ever buy a brand new book again.

World of Books is great, can't remember the the last time I bought a brand new book.

Also, whilst I think WoB has free delivery over £5, they have a store on ebay which is free delivery on any amount, so I often get individual books from there for a couple of quid delivered.

Algarveaddick · October 16

Rufus is a dogs name said:

Killarahales said:

A shout out for A Prayer For Owen Meany, both very funny and moving. I fancied a Spanish author for my recent holiday and can highly recommend The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo, which is a crime story on the surface but with supernatural elements.

I’ve also just discovered World Of Books. Second-hand online book store; doubt I’ll ever buy a brand new book again.

World of Books is great, can't remember the the last time I bought a brand new book.

Also, whilst I think WoB has free delivery over £5, they have a store on ebay which is free delivery on any amount, so I often get individual books from there for a couple of quid delivered.

Please be assured I am not criticising anyone when I write this. I have been buying nearly all my books from charity shops for years. Now I have made a decision to buy at least four books a year from a bookseller, albeit when they are reduced (buy one, second book half price, that kind of thing).

I know it is drop in the ocean, and I will continue to patronise the charity shops (or online sites like WOB) for sure, but as I am dead against musicians getting almost nothing for their efforts, and my favourite authors give me so much pleasure, I can salve my conscience just a little by paying lip service to contributing a little directly to the publishing industry...

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