What are you reading

[DCBassman]

I now have four Iain M. Banks books to re-read: Against A Dark Background (1993), Feesum Endjinn (1994), Inversions (1998), and The Algebraist (2004).

Have menaged two of those, some light Kindle crap, and currently enjoying Maggs's Railway Curiosities. After that, All Out War by Tim Shipman. Then back to Banks.

 

[matticus]

Currently reading this

View attachment 751063

Interesting dip into the minds of the mile eater racers

I hope they checked with the lawyers before using that ZZ-Top picture :-/

 

[DCBassman]

Have finished the railway one, currently on the humanist one. Then politics, then future. Somewhere, there's a Tom Clancy spin-off, too.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Just finished 4 books on holiday:

• Thunder City - Phillip Reeve
  • Remember the rather woeful Mortal Engines film? This is the next book released in that world and its much better than the film. Alledgedly a childrens/YA book its much more sophisticated than that and if you have an interest in steam punk/post apocalyptic themes its worth exploring
• Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
  • The book that inspired the film, has a lot more detail that I understand why the film simplified (or Hollywood-fied) but whilst the film is seemingly set over a few days (and has a puzzle no decent video gamer would have failed to solve for 5 years!) the book is much expanded and all the better for it
• Titandeath - Guy Haley
  • If your not into Games Workshop Warhammer 40k then skip over this, but this is fine book of marvellous giant walking titan fighting and has one of the grimmest fates for a character in 40k even by its own grimdank standards
• The Top Gear Story
  • Unauthorised behind the scenes book. Unauthorised just means it collects variosu bits of public domain information, its a nice trip down memory lane but "And On That Bombshell" by Richard Porter is much better.

 

[Reynard]

Picked up some lovely books on the history of art from the community bookshelf in Tesco last night. One is a volume that accompanied the Sister Wendy series on the BBC, so shall enjoy poking through that.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I put a pound coin in a local charity's collection bucket for this today. As you can see it's quite old, but it's in very good condition.

 

[oldwheels]

The local library gave me a book they thought I would like about cycle touring.
Slow Road to Tehran by Rebecca Lowe who is a freelance journalist not I think the same one who worked for the BBC.
Does have a bit of cycling in it but a lot is about the history both recent and ancient of the Middle East. A lot about human rights [or rather lack of] and is very critical of British imperial behaviour.
I do know a bit about the area as my son has worked in most ME countries and spent 6 months in Iran. The only country where he had problems was Libya where they were followed everywhere by police and eventually abandoned the contract. The university he was working for refused to pay the unofficial release fee to the customs who refused to allow them access to any equipment in sealed containers unless paid.

 

[Reynard]

I've started reading this epic-length AU Harry Potter fanfiction titled "No Thing Not Earned"

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14358234/1/No-Thing-Not-Earned

Eight chapters in, and I'm really rather enjoying it. I think anyone who appreciates fantasy and magic lore would like it. However, it remains to be seen whether the quality of the writing and the plot stay consistent throughout. And it hasn't been beta'd as there are some typos / inconsistencies / rogue punctuation marks, but don't let that detract you from the story.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I am reading Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore. It is different to what I expected. It is more an adventure book for boys. True it has a strong romantic element. It is also historical fiction because it was written in the 19th Century but set in the 17th Century. It is not bad actually.

 

[Reynard]

Still enjoying the HP fanfic. It *is* a bit Mary-Sue in places, and the spelling could do with being corrected, but the plot is very well thought out. The basic events are true the books but it gives elements from the story to different characters e.g. Tom Riddle's diary ends up with Draco Malfoy instead of Ginny Weasley, and brings forward some stuff from later in the story arc.

Very inventive.

 

[All uphill]

I've just finished "The Rainbow and the Rose" by Nevil Shute. His books are very dated with some awful attitudes from our viewpoint. For me, no one can communicate loss so well - I find them very moving.

This is a book of his that I hadn't previously read and was all the more powerful for that.

 

[DCBassman]

Just been to Brentor Village Hall for a talk, the first and possibly only one, by the author. He's an acquaintance from coffee mornings, but this book about his Dad looks great. A man of many firsts, including many aircraft types and even a first type of crash. The subject never talked about most of this until three years before his death in 1993, so a lot of it was news even to close family. Looking forward to a cracking yarn! Except it's true.

 

[postman]

Robert Enright and his hero,Sam Pope.twelve books,all action mayhem,killings gore and more.

 

[All uphill]

I liked this a lot.

Subtle and thought-provoking.

 

[Oldhippy]

Potholes and pavements by Laura Laker. Thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring. Highly recommend if you are in your cycling in any format.