What book are you reading...

Just finished The Wooden Star, by William Tenn- Scifi short stories.

Outstandingly good!

My favourite was a story about the most average man in America (height, weight, age, income etc). The stupidity of the public meant they thought he was therefore the ideal American. He was elected president, where he made no decisions, and everything was boringly predictable. Over time, everything just drifted away...
 
Meridian said:
I have a signed copy. Sorry, had to put that our there. But yes, it's a great book, with one of the most disturbing scenes in literature. And a truly evil sense of humour.

Currently I'm reading Hilary Mantell's "A Place of Greater Safety" about the French Revolution from the standpoint (mainly) of Robespierre, Danton and Desmoulins, with walk-ons from other real people. Much more fun than it sounds.
Click to expand...

Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel is a really good book- I'd recommend that one.
 
Red Sister - Mark Lawrence. It's so boring I'm struggling to finish.


Vern1961 said:
Carrying on with Bernard Cromwell books.
Read two of his Grail series - Thomas Of Hookton is a much more likeable character than dreary Uhtred, and his obsession with Bamburgh Castle/Begganburg.
Also started reading the Sharpe novels, though not in any particular order (thanks library), starting with Sharpe's Eagle. Quite good and manages to convey the horrors of the early 19th Century battlefield quite well. You either get shot/sliced by the enemy or flogged/shot by your own side if you quail in the face of the opposition.
Click to expand...

I think the Grail series is my favourite of Cornwell's books. Azincourt is worth reading too.
 
monkentage said:
Red Sister - Mark Lawrence. It's so boring I'm struggling to finish.
Click to expand...

Not just me then.

I finished this last week and lets just say, i'm not going to continue reading the rest, and I've been meaning to read this series for years. Ah well.

Currently reading Going Postal by T Pratchett.
 
Started Very Bad People on holiday last week and it's one of those that's going to lead me down rabbit holes into other things easily, finding out more about the Khmer Rouge at the moment.

Arms trafficking, offshore accounts and luxury property deals. Super-yachts, private jets and super-car collections. Blood diamonds, suspect oil deals, deforestation and murder. This is the world of Global Witness, the award-winning organisation dedicated to rooting out worldwide corruption. And this is co-founder Patrick Alley's revealing inside track on a breath-taking catalogue of modern super-crimes - and the 'shadow network' that enables them.
Click to expand...
 
I finished Time In Advance (4 sf short-ish stories) by William Tenn last night. Excellent!

The title story is about a society where you can elect to serve half your prison sentence in advance of committing a crime, and can then commit it on release without further punishment. A "pre-murderer" has just served his term, and everyone he knew is now seriously worried...

William Tenn is a brilliant writer, and I highly recommend him.
 
Something different and more a secondary read than a main read - the Collected Peanuts series. It‘s damn good! I’ve also been taken aback at how relevant cartoons from 60 years ago still are proving how little changes!
 
potatolord said:
I finished Time In Advance (4 sf short-ish stories) by William Tenn last night. Excellent!

The title story is about a society where you can elect to serve half your prison sentence in advance of committing a crime, and can then commit it on release without further punishment. A "pre-murderer" has just served his term, and everyone he knew is now seriously worried...

William Tenn is a brilliant writer, and I highly recommend him.
Click to expand...
This sounds fascinating, going to pick it up
 
SixTwoSix said:
This sounds fascinating, going to pick it up
Click to expand...

I've read 3 of his books (all short stories) in the last month.
Time in advance
The wooden star
Of all possible worlds

They were all very good - The wooden star is particularly good.

I think I reviewed them all in this thread in the last month.

If you are looking for something serious, it's probably the wrong place- they are all pretty lighthearted 1950s sf.
 
Having put off making my way through Stephen Kings back catalogue all my life I'm now deep into it with Pet Sematary.

I never thought I'd struggle to get through a book as much as this. Not that it's bad by any means, but the subject matter and that palpable feeling of dread throughout the story is almost too much at times. I actually had to take a walk last night just to clear my head a bit.

Getting close to the conclusion now. Amazed I'd managed to make it to 31 years without having the plot spoilt for me, but even so you can see where it's going and I think that's very much intentional on Kings part. It's very preemptively written, everything is monstrously foreshadowed and all the more terrifying as a result.
 
Last edited:
ArcticHeron said:
Having put off making my way through Stephen Kings back catalogue all my life I'm now deep into it with Pet Sematary.

I never thought I'd struggle to get through a book as much as this. Not that it's bad by any means, but the subject matter and that palpable feeling of dread throughout the story is almost too much at times. I actually had to take a walk last night just to clear my head a bit.

Getting close to the conclusion now. Amazed I'd managed to make it to 31 years without having the plot spoilt for me, but even so you can see where it's going and I think that's very much intentional on Kings part. It's very preemptively written, everything is monstrously foreshadowed and all the more terrifying as a result.
Click to expand...
I love King's work. Currently have The Dead Zone has my next one (reading in publication order).
 
Revolt Against the Modern World - Julius Evola, based on a recommendation.

Dense but thought provoking, well worth a read. Don't see why so many find it offensive.
 
I just finished the Children of Time Series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

The first book is exceptional. 9/10

The second loses focus a little. 6/10

But the third I am sorry to say was just rubbish. I still cannot tell you what its about. It has no continuation from the second book at all and I couldn't wait to finish it.

One of the worst I have read. 2/10
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom