Topic: What was the last book you read?

[jillcwhomever]

just sort of a locational hazard, I suppose...

Yeah, that's right. 

[jillcwhomever]

I finished the Secret Commonwealth and have to say it was a brilliant read, a really good successor to HDM and now I am really intrigued as to how he is going to end the trilogy with the last book. There are so many connections back to the original trilogy as well, that I wouldn't discount anything or some certain "old" characters returning. Just write the damn thing Mr Pullman. 

[So… Howard Philips]

His fictional war memoirs - The Complete McAuslan is good as well.

'Mr American' by GMF is a good read as well. The story of an American silver prospector/Hole in the Wall gang member and his dealings with the English aristocracy.

[TepidT2O]

Artemis by Andy Weir.

It’s about a city built on the moon.  The main protagonist is a female Saudi girl called Jazz.

And that’s the problem.  Weir hasn’t written a remotely convincing female character.  Given that her voice is the voice of the book, it is far far too male in its tone.

If he’d made the protagonist male it would have been a decent story, but the oddness of the narrative is troubling

[jillcwhomever]

Artemis by Andy Weir.

It’s about a city built on the moon.  The main protagonist is a female Saudi girl called Jazz.

And that’s the problem.  Weir hasn’t written a remotely convincing female character.  Given that her voice is the voice of the book, it is far far too male in its tone.

If he’d made the protagonist male it would have been a decent story, but the oddness of the narrative is troubling

It is true that some authors can't write opposite sex characters with conviction or accuracy. It just completely throws the story off beam no matter how good the ideas surrounding it is.

[KillieRed]

It is true that some authors can't write opposite sex characters with conviction or accuracy. It just completely throws the story off beam no matter how good the ideas surrounding it is.

That`s kinda what i was hinting at with The Queen`s Gambit. I loved the book, but a middle-aged man writing the part of a young girl didnt ring true to me, because he`d never had the same life experiences as she would have.

[Corkboy]

Deacon King Kong, James McBride

Fictional account of 1969 Brooklyn with a broad cast of off kilter and engrossing characters, starting with an inexplicable shooting and careering madly on from there. Gorgeously written and artfully plotted.

[jillcwhomever]

That`s kinda what i was hinting at with The Queen`s Gambit. I loved the book, but a middle-aged man writing the part of a young girl didnt ring true to me, because he`d never had the same life experiences as she would have.

I haven't read that I must admit. It is weird though, some male writers can write young girls really well. I have just finished Philip Pullman's The Secret Commonwealth and that was brilliantly written and it completely takes me back to what I felt like at the age of twenty. I'm not too sure, why some can do it but others make a real mess of it. Maybe some male writers can empathize a lot better than others. It would be interesting to know if people feel that way about female writers writing about male characters as well.

[Ray K]

Artemis by Andy Weir.

It’s about a city built on the moon.  The main protagonist is a female Saudi girl called Jazz.

And that’s the problem.  Weir hasn’t written a remotely convincing female character.  Given that her voice is the voice of the book, it is far far too male in its tone.

If he’d made the protagonist male it would have been a decent story, but the oddness of the narrative is troubling

I agree with all that, but I think the basic problem is that Weir isn't a good writer.  He got away with it on The Martian, as it was basically a series of engineering problems in novel form - Watney's motivation was simple and easily understood, and the book fairly raced it's way through the plot, such as it was.  Whereas Artemis is a total mess, with unbelievable characters who I stopped caring for halfway through.

[TepidT2O]

I agree with all that, but I think the basic problem is that Weir isn't a good writer.  He got away with it on The Martian, as it was basically a series of engineering problems in novel form - Watney's motivation was simple and easily understood, and the book fairly raced it's way through the plot, such as it was.  Whereas Artemis is a total mess, with unbelievable characters who I stopped caring for halfway through.

I’m now reading Project Hail Mary. (It was on Obama’s reading list.)

And it’s superb…. Puts the science into science fiction.

Maybe Artemis was the difficult second album?

[Ray K]

I’m now reading Project Hail Mary. (It was on Obama’s reading list.)

And it’s superb…. Puts the science into science fiction.

Maybe Artemis was the difficult second album?

Oh really? Didn't even know he had a new book out. I'm willing to give him another go then.

Deacon King Kong, James McBride

Fictional account of 1969 Brooklyn with a broad cast of off kilter and engrossing characters, starting with an inexplicable shooting and careering madly on from there. Gorgeously written and artfully plotted.

Got some holidays coming up next month. This sounds like it's up my street so I'll give these both a go while lounging in the sun / staring at the rain.

[Damo58]

Has anyone read The Miracle of Castel di Sangro? I'm about three quarters of the way through it.

It's about an amateur team in Italy reaching Serie B. I assumed the story would be mainly about their struggle to stay up but there's way more to it than that (so far).

[KillieRed]

John Connolly`s "The Dirty South". Last years Charlie Parker book.

I love this series. I can`t believe no one has snapped it up for a movie franchise.

[afc tukrish]

Has anyone read The Miracle of Castel di Sangro? I'm about three quarters of the way through it.

It's about an amateur team in Italy reaching Serie B. I assumed the story would be mainly about their struggle to stay up but there's way more to it than that (so far).

Loved that book. McGuiness unfortunately had a few issues with veracity in some of his other works, so I sort of took all the conversations as sort of "best remembered, make me look good" sorts of things.

But the more sinister and serious stories in Miracle I have no trouble believing.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Audiobook i didn't read it but just finished Scott Sigler's Novel based on the Alien universe, Aliens: Phalanx.

Amazing novel, a world populated by Humans and Xenomorphs, and the Human population only have weapons of Swords, Spears and Crossbows

I have another audiobook based on the Alien Universe called Aliens: Isolation by Keith R. A. DeCandido, be starting that next.

I've read Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 (Alan Dean Foster), Alien: Out of the Shadows (Tim Lebbon) and Alien: Sea of Sorrows (James A. Moore)

-- All set in the Alien Universe

[Damo58]

Loved that book. McGuiness unfortunately had a few issues with veracity in some of his other works, so I sort of took all the conversations as sort of "best remembered, make me look good" sorts of things.

But the more sinister and serious stories in Miracle I have no trouble believing.

I very much get that impression with regards to his conversations and spin on certain stories.

[TepidT2O]

I’m now reading Project Hail Mary. (It was on Obama’s reading list.)

And it’s superb…. Puts the science into science fiction.

Maybe Artemis was the difficult second album?

Just finished this. Not classic literature, but really enjoyable

Sci fi to some extent, but most of all it’s a book about friendship.

[Stevie-A]

Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter. Sequel to Welles's War of the Worlds. A bit 'meh'. I like Baxter's work a lot but this was a tad tedious.

[afc tukrish]

Coronado, short stories by Dennis Lehane.

If you like Lehane, you'll enjoy these, especially Until Gwen, in my opinion the best of the four which Lehane converted into a play for his brother to act in and is included in the book

[So… Howard Philips]

John Connolly`s "The Dirty South". Last years Charlie Parker book.

I love this series. I can`t believe no one has snapped it up for a movie franchise.

Just got it from the library and looking forward to reading it.

And John Connolly is a Red!

https://twitter.com/jconnollybooks/status/1276263710416416770

[So… Howard Philips]

Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter. Sequel to Welles's War of the Worlds. A bit 'meh'. I like Baxter's work a lot but this was a tad tedious.

Mirrors my memory of the book. Read it a couple of years ago and was underwhelmed.

[KillieRed]

Just got it from the library and looking forward to reading it.

And John Connolly is a Red!

https://twitter.com/jconnollybooks/status/1276263710416416770

Yeah, I think I knew this, and forgot. It`s rubbish getting old.

This one "The Dirty South" is a flashback novel set after the original couple of books in the series. I liked it. Less spooky goings on, more police procedural. With just a smidgeon of Angel and Louis.

Book 19, "The Nameless Ones" should also be available in Hardback: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/john-connolly/nameless-ones.htm

Unfortunately it`s not appearing on my library system just yet. I might have to order it for my branch 

[gerrardsarmy]

Has anyone read The Miracle of Castel di Sangro? I'm about three quarters of the way through it.

It's about an amateur team in Italy reaching Serie B. I assumed the story would be mainly about their struggle to stay up but there's way more to it than that (so far).

A terrific book. Another of similar ilk is A Season With Verona by Tim Parks.

[So… Howard Philips]

Yeah, I think I knew this, and forgot. It`s rubbish getting old.

This one "The Dirty South" is a flashback novel set after the original couple of books in the series. I liked it. Less spooky goings on, more police procedural. With just a smidgeon of Angel and Louis.

Book 19, "The Nameless Ones" should also be available in Hardback: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/john-connolly/nameless-ones.htm

Unfortunately it`s not appearing on my library system just yet. I might have to order it for my branch 

Just read "The nameless ones". Louis and Angel take on Serbian gangsters with a soupçon of supernatural.

I've only "Book of bones" to read and I've read the complete collection.

[Bcnsean]

I’m now reading Project Hail Mary. (It was on Obama’s reading list.)

And it’s superb…. Puts the science into science fiction.

Maybe Artemis was the difficult second album?

Thanks for this recommendation, I thought it was brilliant.

[Hedley Lamarr]

Just finished A Handmaid’s Tale which I first read over twenty years ago.  It’s still extremely prescient and powerful.  One of the great living authors, that said, Ill give it a few weeks before starting The Testaments.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Reading "Artic Snow to the Dust of Normandy"

By Patrick Dazel-Job

His boss was Ian Fleming and it was always rumoured that he based his Bond character on this fella.

Details what he was doing before, during and after World War II.

[ToneLa]

Billy Summers, the Stephen King new book

Pretty good. Better than most stuff he's done since 11.whateverdate.itwas.jfkgotshot

not the rave RETURN TO FORM stuff reviews said but an enjoyable read. And I like the realistic feel of it being crime.

So basically expect a film

[KillieRed]

Billy Summers, the Stephen King new book

Pretty good. Better than most stuff he's done since 11.whateverdate.itwas.jfkgotshot

not the rave RETURN TO FORM stuff reviews said but an enjoyable read. And I like the realistic feel of it being crime.

So basically expect a film

Weird, I think most of his books going back to 2011 have been pretty good. There are some clunkers after Dolores Claiborne in 1992 up until then, but also some great stuff like "The Green Mile"and "From a Buick 8". I think he`s accident `99 (not surprisingly) really affected him.

I`m a big fan of "Joyland" from his crime series, but haven`t read "The Colorado Kid" or "Later", both of which are on my TBR(soon) list.

[ToneLa]

Weird, I think most of his books going back to 2011 have been pretty good. There are some clunkers after Dolores Claiborne in 1992 up until then, but also some great stuff like "The Green Mile"and "From a Buick 8". I think he`s accident `99 (not surprisingly) really affected him.

I`m a big fan of "Joyland" from his crime series, but haven`t read "The Colorado Kid" or "Later", both of which are on my TBR(soon) list.

Oh the last ten years have definitely been better than the post accident stuff.

I've read Later. And The Institute. I'd recommend both, decent, just obviously it's hard to compare to novels as classic as Salems Lot or the Shining.

Later is one you might like as it's another crime one!

He's still got that Horror tag but considering his age the fact he's trying other genres still is superb. (Later is a tiny bit horror, Institute is a tiny bit Sci fi)

[afc tukrish]

Weird, I think most of his books going back to 2011 have been pretty good. There are some clunkers after Dolores Claiborne in 1992 up until then, but also some great stuff like "The Green Mile"and "From a Buick 8". I think he`s accident `99 (not surprisingly) really affected him.

I`m a big fan of "Joyland" from his crime series, but haven`t read "The Colorado Kid" or "Later", both of which are on my TBR(soon) list.

Just read Later; if you liked Joyland, Later will be a good read. A touch more of a supernatural element than Joyland, but still a good Hard Case crime effort...

[KillieRed]

Sounds good, thanks guys.

[Only Me]

Just read "The nameless ones". Louis and Angel take on Serbian gangsters with a soupçon of supernatural.

I've only "Book of bones" to read and I've read the complete collection.

They're fantastic books aren't they?

I remember reading one in the series [can't remember which one] which ended in the Ossuary at Sedlec in the Czech Republic. I'd only been to the actual place about a week before. It was really chilling reading it - glad I never went afterwards, rather than before!

[JayNY]

Just started the Charlie Parker series - read the first 2 and loved them.

There are 20 or so in the series, are they as good as the series goes on?

[JayNY]

Just started the Charlie Parker series - read the first 2 and loved them.

There are 20 or so in the series, are they as good as the series goes on?

Yeah, it's great you should stick with it

[JayNY]

Yeah, it's great you should stick with it

Will do, thanks

[Pistolero]

Steve Jones's Lonely Boy was a lot of fun..remarkably candid...warts and all...and then some more warts...looking forward to Danny Boyle's TV interpretation...

[KillieRed]

Yeah, it's great you should stick with it

I concur with all the Jays.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Re-reading the Cosmic Kalevala series by Emil Petaja

- Science ficiton that is 'right out there' but a great read.

Cosmic Kalevela;

1 The Saga of Lost Earths
2 The Star Mill
3 The Stolen Sun

[Crimson_Tank]

Wolf Hall