Books to read

hunnymonster

hunnymonster

Joined
Friday July 10, 2009
Location
Little Feckwittering-on-the-Moor
A bit left-field I know but some people read books about things other than shaving :shock:

Since moving to sunny Scotland (and thanks to the Tartan Utopia Fund, it is sunnier this side of the Border than the other - I know I'm on the other side most days), I've become a bit of a Tartan Noir junkie - used to be exclusively Rankin/Rebus but recently I've read Serpentine by Tom Morton, most of Quintin Jardine's output, Out of a Clear Sky by Sally Hinchcliffe (not strictly Tartan Noir that one, but she is living in Scotland at present) and am moving on to Denise Mina now - the first Garnethill novel is in my hands now (well I just put it down to type this).

Other than that I'm a sucker for Michael Jecks' "Puttock & Baldwin Furnshill" series, Susannah Gregory's serieses (is that even a word? series plural I guess) & Bernard Knight's Crowner John series.... also the Mediaeval Murderers series (where the aforementioned and more appear in a connected series of short stories) oh and I've just re-read "Around Ireland with a fridge" by Tony Hawks too.

So what are you reading? What do you like to read?
 
Alex Brummer's 'The Credit Crunch'. It has been about for months now, but when I read in the weekend papers about the inevitability of huge bonuses in the banking sector this year I can't help but think that we will be bailing the banks out again within a year or two. And it is not just the bankers, I think a lot of CEO's were operating to strategies that were flawed (bump up the share price for next quarter and to hell with any other results indicators) and gave outrageous remuneration and benefits to high level incompetents whilst fundamentally weakening the long term future of their organisations.

So I am trying to get myself to read something more emotionally/spiritually fulfilling and am about to start 'Flight to Arras' by ANtoine de Sant-Exupery
 
currently reading

Bones Of The Hills by Conn Iggulden -

Genghis Kahn is the leader of a nation united from the tribes. He was victorious in the long war with the Chin, the Mongolians acient foe. Now trouble rises in the West. His embassies rebuffed and his ambassadors murdered.

basically he has to travel through Iran and Iraq to the edges of India to kick some ass!

so far well written and 3rd in a series (i haven't read the first 2 but it's easy to follow)

i think when i've finished this i'll re-read the Sven Hassel books my old man's got that i first read @ 20 yrs ago
 
Blimey, Sven Hassel - I read those years ago too. A mixed bag but I enjoyed them nonetheless - although the last one, 'The Commissar', was basically 'Kelly's Heroes'.
 
Magicpixie said:
Blimey, Sven Hassel - I read those years ago too. A mixed bag but I enjoyed them nonetheless - although the last one, 'The Commissar', was basically 'Kelly's Heroes'.
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I was more of a Leo Kessler fan :D
 
My favourite Leo Kessler series were

SS Stuka Squadron
Stormtroop Edelweiss
Otto Stahl

Now I warn you they contain foul language, and may not be politically correct :lol: :lol:

I don't know if they are in print any more. Mine all ended up in the War on Want shop when my parents had a house clearing.

After Leo Kessler I moved on to Tom Sharpe, very funny stuff. Never really enjoyed the couple of Sven Hassels I did read.
 
The last book I read was Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household (hence my signature) which is very enjoyable boys-own stuff.

Presently reading Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein. It's one of the earlier Science Fiction novels and is quite philosophical about war and citizenship, as well as having nasty big arachnid aliens in. Still prefer Iain M Banks!
 
hando said:
i think when i've finished this i'll re-read the Sven Hassel books my old man's got that i first read @ 20 yrs ago
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If this is your thing I recommend "Devil's Guard" by George Robert Elford.
It concern the story of men who had served in anti-partisan units of the German army who were then "recruited" into the French Foreign Legion in 1945/46 to carry out similar duties in French Indo-China. (latterly Vietnam)
Most of whom ended up in the Battalion Etranger Parachutistes and were subsequently wiped out at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 - a most extraordinary coincidence.
 
Just finished Inherent Vice, the new one by Thomas Pynchon. I wouldn't venture to describe it, but I did a lot of laughing out loud. Pig Cat: I was very impressed by Rogue Male. My dad is a Geoffrey Household fan and strongly recommends "Dance of the Dwarfs", but sadly it appears to be practically unobtainable for sensible money. Along similar boys' own lines (and suitable for nationalistic Scots ...) John Buchan has never failed me.
 
I dare say a quick search on eBay will turn something up. I thoroughly enjoyed Starship Troopers; if you like that you should have a look for 'The Forever War'; excellent stuff. One of the book publishers started re-issuing all of the Hugo or Nebula award winning books from years ago; some fantastic stuff there.

Edit: the series is S.F. Masterworks.
 
Arrowhead said:
Just finished Inherent Vice, the new one by Thomas Pynchon. I wouldn't venture to describe it, but I did a lot of laughing out loud. Pig Cat: I was very impressed by Rogue Male. My dad is a Geoffrey Household fan and strongly recommends "Dance of the Dwarfs", but sadly it appears to be practically unobtainable for sensible money. Along similar boys' own lines (and suitable for nationalistic Scots ...) John Buchan has never failed me.
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Thanks for the recommendation, I'll look out for it. The title makes it sound like a twee fantasy book! I think Rogue Male should be standard reading for all TSR members as the protagonist is all that we here aspire to be. I for one would have no problem surviving for months in a ditch, mainly from the experiences of SWMBO kicking me out the house now and again. :lol:
 
Geoff Nicholson's novels are brilliant -- he is seriously underrated.

Some are better than others but Hunter & Gatherers, The Food Chain, Bleeding London and Female Ruins are particularly good.

HTH

Ollie
 
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