What are you reading tonight?

[TANGODANCER]

Been reading some the James Patterson books recently (the Alex Cross ones). Not exactly thought provoking or literary masterpieces, but they're entertaining enough. They sort of play like a film (unless that's just the way I read - visualising everything).

Decent enough if you're after a page turning Crime 'thriller'.

On a similar theme... my daughter bought me a P D James thriller for christmas... Am reading it now (I started really so she could see I was reading it!) - but, actually, it is very good (for what it is - page-turning escapism) - and I might read some more!

I chased down P.D. James's Death Comes to Pemberley, at the library, a sort of sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice using all the same characters, six years on. Twas nothing special and, I felt, a book the didn't really need writing. When I applied for it it had awaiting list of 29 and when I took it back,a further thirty. I fear they'll all be somewhat disappointed.

[The Axman]

Yeh. Mightily, not somewhat. Didn't even finish it. I kind of gave up halfway through and then skip read up to three quarters through, then took a chunk out of the plaster when hurling it. [no need to report me to Society for the Protection of Library Books, I'd bought it. You can find it now in the cheapo section of Scarthin Book's second hand department with a large section of my house stuck to its cover]

[The Axman]

oh no grocer's apostrophe

[TANGODANCER]

oh no grocer's apostrophe

[The Axman]

Starting two books tonight. (I know Friday night, but we've got a charity do on down my local tonight; I'd prefer to cut my throat).
1st and none of you will have a clue, but starting Beha-uhren by Wilhelm Schneider [in German ffs, and I don't speak German. Never mind]
2nd, and more to the point: 11.22.63
even the title pisses me off, should be 22.11.63, and all reviews say it's total nawk [tribute to Countdown there], but I like some of his stuff (and hate some).

[TANGODANCER]

Quintin Jardine, Autographs in the Rain. In waiting: Kirk Douglas, Last Tango in Brooklyn.

[Il Pirate]

Inside the peleton, by Nicholas Roche, top pro cyclist and son of the great Stephen.

[TANGODANCER]

Really enjoying Edward Marston's The Railway Detective Omnibus. Shades of Sherlock Holmes. If you like Conan Doyle this is for you.

[William the White]

I persevere with Montefiore's Jerusalem. Over halfway. In sort of 'I've started so I'll finish' mode. It has now developed into a kind of survey, dropping pretty much any pretence of being history, more a chronicle - whole centuries disposed of in ten pages or so. I note the 20th century has a mighty long section, though. Understandably.

Next up is a biography of Trotsky by Robert Service who, it is fair to say, is not exactly a fan of Bolshevism. Then, for the most part, neither am I.

[bobo the clown]

"Heartstone", the 5th of CJ Samsom's Shardlake novels.

Everyone to their own & all that but, for me, so far a real page turner and the reason I've not slept till almost 2am the past 2 nights.


I actually got NO books at Christmas so I could work through my shelf-of-shame & doing OK. Finished Bryson's "The House" last week which was, as ever by him, a good read.

[thebish]

"Heartstone", the 5th of CJ Samsom's Shardlake novels.

what kind of fiction is that? not heard of it... always game for summat new..

[The Axman]

Just finished re-re-re-re-re-reading Daniel Keyes "Flowers for Algernon". Used to have it many moons ago in paperback but it dropped apart through use. Not read it in decades, but saw it'd come out in the Gollancz 50 collection (the yellow SF hardbacks) so bought it. Brilliant.

[bobo the clown]

"Heartstone", the 5th of CJ Samsom's Shardlake novels.

what kind of fiction is that? not heard of it... always game for summat new..

A bit of a Tudor period "who's done it". Full of historical detail about the politics of the time mixed with the social history of the era. As I say it's horses for courses, but I very much enjoy it.

This is a brief review ...

C.J. Sansom’s excellent Tudor mystery series featuring the hunchback lawyer, Matthew Shardlake. Sansom blends rich historical detail with brilliant characterization and compelling storylines.

I adore the complex character of Shardlake. He starts the series as a staunch supporter of the Reformation but gradually becomes disillusioned with the politics and greed behind it. In spite of his disability, Shardlake has enjoyed success as a lawyer, mainly through forming political alliances which he sometimes lives to regret. Nonetheless, the prejudice and disdain which he has to endure on a daily basis are painful to read about.

C.J. Sansom doesn’t paint a rosy picture of conditions in Tudor England, and pulls no punches in his depiction of historical figures.

[Gary the Enfield]

"Heartstone", the 5th of CJ Samsom's Shardlake novels.

what kind of fiction is that? not heard of it... always game for summat new..

A bit of a Tudor period "who's done it". Full of historical detail about the politics of the time mixed with the social history of the era. As I say it's horses for courses, but I very much enjoy it.

This is a brief review ...

C.J. Sansom’s excellent Tudor mystery series featuring the hunchback lawyer, Matthew Shardlake. Sansom blends rich historical detail with brilliant characterization and compelling storylines.

I adore the complex character of Shardlake. He starts the series as a staunch supporter of the Reformation but gradually becomes disillusioned with the politics and greed behind it. In spite of his disability, Shardlake has enjoyed success as a lawyer, mainly through forming political alliances which he sometimes lives to regret. Nonetheless, the prejudice and disdain which he has to endure on a daily basis are painful to read about.

C.J. Sansom doesn’t paint a rosy picture of conditions in Tudor England, and pulls no punches in his depiction of historical figures.

Recommended by me too, Bish.

Start with the first though. Although each tells a story in it's own right there is a theme running parallel with Henry VIII, the dissolution and the political machinations of the time.

1. Dissolution
2. Dark Fire
3. Sovereign
4. Revelation
5. Heartstone

[Bruce Rioja]

McCarthy's Bar.

Started to read it yonks ago and left it somewhere - only just got round to buying it again.

Brilliant stuff.

Tango - big heads up for you on this one if you haven't already!

[TANGODANCER]

McCarthy's Bar.

Started to read it yonks ago and left it somewhere - only just got round to buying it again.

Brilliant stuff.

Tango - big heads up for you on this one if you haven't already!

Cheers Bruce. I'll look out for it.

[Raven]

This is where my memory fails, just started reading about Kratsniers Train (spelling is wrong) about a Jewish lawyer who its seems did deals with the Nazis to get Jews out of Hungary, seems he is either viewed as a hero or villian (for dealing with the Nazis) from what I read so far I would not even call him a villain after all it could of easily back fired on him and he did rescues lots of people.

[Raven]

It was Rudolf Kastner

[Verbal]

Gramsci's 'Prison Notebooks'

[William the White]

Gramsci's 'Prison Notebooks'

Lost in admiration...

Gramsci's Marxism offered so many humane insights that orthodox Bolshevism lacked and the Stalinist version thereof transformed into simple murderous thuggery...

I'm now up to the year 1517 in Montefiore's history of Jerusalem... It's going slowly but engagingly...