What book are you reading...

[checjb]

"Titanic 2012: Curse of RMS Titanic" by Robert Walker. The premise is a little like 'The Thing' mixed with 'Titanic' and perhaps a bit of 'The Abyss'. Sounds good, huh? Well it’s not. This book is incredibly badly written. For example, not too far into the book he mentions that two people are in a ship’s corridor having a conversation. A little later they then leave the cabin they’re in and walk up the corridor. You see the problem? Once is a proof-reading error. Multiple times is inexcusable. For example, getting the characters names confused again and again? Really!

However, what has made me do something I very rarely do (give up on a book) is that the plot is sketched out almost in its entirety before it really starts. The story is set in two time periods, 1912 and 2012. Just as things are slowly getting started in 1912, a conversation in 2012 literally lays out everything that will happen in 1912 and completely shatters any hope of tension. It’d be like watching a trailer for ‘The Sixth Sense’ and seeing the great reveal. You can read the book to see how the details happen but it’s pretty unfulfilling and strangely pointless. Oh, and if you get the audiobook then there are a lot of Irish characters in the 1912 section. The narrator does a terrible job of differentiating characters and everyone - utterly regardless of age - sounds like a 60 year old. Dreadful.

Oh well, off to read something worth my time.

 

[neoboy]

To be fair it sounds awful just from that title alone

 

[StevieP]

I'm currently about half way through "The Confession" by John Grisham - quite enjoying it although while it's certainly legally driven, there isn't any courtroom action to speak of! (well not yet anyway!)

Once I've done I think I've then been through pretty much every Grisham book except for the newest one - is there another author out there that does similar legal themed books?

 

[D1craig]

im actually reading the dark tower. great series but it is so hard to read. i am halfway through one of them, think its the 3rd and i just cant bring myself to pick it up again as it is so hard to follow.

 

[dannyjo22]

Just finished two by Damien Lewis.

Nazi Hunters was a great story of the SAS going into Musée to cause as much havok as possible while the locals hid them. Amazing story of the germans rounding the town up and killing them to try to get them to give up the location of the SAS soldiers. Then the story develops into what the SAS actually did after being officially disbanded post war tracking down Nazi war criminals.

It also told of some of the things the SAS did that would be war crimes had the war had a different winner.

Really good read.

That led me onto this book which is mostly about Anders Lassen, a Dane and the only member of the SAS to win a VC. His exploits during the war from almost day one to almost VE. There's talk of it being made into a film, quite honestly don't know why it hasn't been already. Probably because he wasn't American or British. Details some the great raids they pulled off and some epic bravery.

So now a few chapters into this..

Thoroughly enjoying it and it looks like I found what I wanted. A huge read on the order of the war from all sides with the political aspect as well as the military. Unbiased and the Brits get a flogging at times in areas of the war I had never heard of before. How we had no real intention of helping the Poles and sold the Fins down the river with no paddle. Another view on why we got out at Dunkirk and so on. So far panning out to be a interesting read. I will try a few of his others after.

 

[Lupis]

Just finished my reread of Shadows of Self, on to Bands of Mourning now.

 

[Glaucus]

Most of the way through Green Mars -Kim Stanley
Really enjoying it, better than the first book.

 

[noj]

finished "Ready Player One" last night, a good read, really enjoyed it.

Some childhood nostalgia and a good setting and plot.

 

[Lt_Red]

I have read Max Hastings All Hell Let Loose. Took me the best part of 8 months reading it primarily on the train to-and-from work. Fantastic book, but wears you down after a while when the stats variously come along. Would recommend it entirely and have been considering Catastrophe, his similar epic on WW1.

Right now I am reading the Star Wars Force Awakens novelisation. Its awful. Poorly paced, long words for long words sake and I feel completely misses the character arcs of the film. I mean, Kylo Ren is a totally different character and Rey seems more like a jumped up angsty teenager than the feminine hero of the film. Considering putting it down, not enjoying the writing style at all, but that may be subjective. Would not recommend for £9.99 kindle version.

I would strongly recommend RR Haywoods the Undead Series. Get to the end of book 2 and it will have you gripped. You roll with both the books and watch the author develop throughout. By Day 19 his storytelling and frantic style is utterly compelling.

 

[Lupis]

Finished Bands of Mourning, probably not as good as the other books but lots of cosmere information and foreshadowing of things to come, so all good. No idea what to read next though.

 

[No1newts]

Reading Control Point by Myke Cole. Hardly high brow reading but pretty enjoyable stuff.

 

[No1newts]

Finished the above, quite a decent read if you like magic/sci fi cross over with some interesting ideas and realistic from a military point of view being written by an ex forces bloke.

That being said the main character was a horrific bit of writing, I would put him up alongside my two other most loathed character creations (Robin Hobbs Fitz and Donaldsond Thomas Covenant) the main character was just so pathetically indecisive and change his opinions like the wind, it was infuriating to the extent I was willing him dead from the midway point

Picked up the second though as it's easy reading (I'm really not in the mood to read anything deep with how much I have on at work at the moment) and the book introduces a new POV character and after a single chapter I already like him more than the first books POV.

Got a few other books on the back burner but mainly waiting for this years Malazan releases.

 

[Glaucus]

Just finished
The Right Kind of Crazy: A True Story of Teamwork, Leadership, and High-Stakes Innovation

Few organizations solve as many impossible problems as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and nobody knows more about leading rocket scientists to unlikely breakthroughs than Adam Steltzner. As the phase lead and development manager for EDL (entry, descent, and landing) of the Curiosity rover to Mars, Steltzner spearheaded the creation of one of engineering's wackiest kluges - the sky crane, which allowed the heaviest rover in the history of space exploration to land on Mars unscathed.

Not what I was expecting, part EDL storey, part how to manage and grow professionally.
Still very interesting.

Next up is book 2 of The Fear Saga, alien invasion trilogy.

The Earth lies shaken in the aftermath of a conspiracy. Some of the smartest minds on the planet have striven for and died in an effort to scour the skies of four vast alien satellites, but their success has brought a terrible vengeance down upon us. While alien agents stalk the Earth, a team of exhausted scientists and military outcasts struggle to fight them among a planet on the brink - the brink of plague, the brink of war, and the brink of an invasion larger than they can possibly imagine. But they have allies.

 

[No1newts]

Next up is book 2 of The Fear Saga, alien invasion trilogy.

What was the first book like?

That sounds quite interesting.

 

[Punt]

Next up is book 2 of The Fear Saga, alien invasion trilogy.

I quite enjoyed the first book! Eager to hear what the next one is like. Not much time to read at the mo, new house etc !

 

[Glaucus]

yeah I really like the first one, however as I have left it so long(april 2015 according to this thread ), i'm struggling to remember the characters. I'll let you know how it goes. haven't made the same mistake this time, got the final one lined up already.

 

[Rids]

Didn't realise that there was another Wax and Wayne novel released so soon, I'll be picking that up now.

 

[Tiny Clanger]

In an effort to pick up some tips and tricks for playing Naval Action I have picked up Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian

 

[Lupis]

Didn't realise that there was another Wax and Wayne novel released so soon, I'll be picking that up now.

Yeah, and if you read Steelheart the last one in that series, Calamity, comes out in a couple of weeks as well. Brandon has been a busy boy.

Edit
There's also a Mistborn novella, Secret History, but best to avoid it until you have finished Bands of Mourning.

 

[DagsJT]

I finished "The Rithmatist" last night. Quite enjoyable, but felt it took too long to get going really.