Recommended Reads.

[Zomboid]

I enjoyed most of the Murakami books I've read. "Dance Dance Dance", "Kafka on the Shore" and "The Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" are my favourites.

 

Phillip Pullman's Northern Lights etc Trilogy was fun too.

Edited January 14, 2019 by Zomboid

[Ray Von]

 

 

Don't even go there. It's like eating the cheapest supermarket white sliced loaf, after whatever bread you most enjoy from a traditional artisan baker.

Probably alright for toast though? :-)

 

With reference to Phil's post, I read Clive Cusslers "Raise the Titanic" for a bit of fun this summer, I found it great escapism - clearly we now know that the premise of the book is out of the question, ie raising the ship intact, but being written in the 1970s the breaking up of the wreck was unknown at that time. The story itself is a fantastic adventure, and definitely gripping - I would say that the era in which the novel was written heavily influences the characters and dialogue - Dirk Pitt (the hero) is almost comic by today's standards, a gun toting know-it-all who plays by his own rules and to hell with congress - that kind of thing. Almost insufferable. And if you're in any way a feminist, I'd give this book a miss or at least be prepared to be offended!

 

Having said all that, I found it a real "guilty pleasure", an interesting reminder of how attitudes have changed in the intervening years and there's no denying it's a very exciting story with lots of peril and danger - a great example of the genre.

 

I would suggest, buy a copy from a charity shop, read, enjoy and redonate. :-)

[dvdlcs]

In terms of fiction, a couple of authors I came across in the last year or so that I think are worthy of mention:

 

Stuart Pawson - has written a series of novels around a Yorkshire DI. Some of the books are branded as "Yorkshires answer to Inspector Morse" which is possibly what drew me in the first place. I'd disagree with that statement but those that I have read, approx half of those written, I've enjoyed.

 

Lawrence Block - written tons of books, but I'm going to highlight the few (3 or 4) he has written featuring a character called Keller. He is a contract killer, although the books rarely feature him doing the deed, more musing on where he is and what he is doing at that moment in time. A little whimsical perhaps, but I thought they made for an interesting character study. He is also a serious stamp collector, so when he is visiting a town / city for work, he invariably stops off for some philately.

 

The comment above re Clive Cussler piqued my interest. I started reading his books in the 1980s, when the early titles were relatively fresh and usually set in the near future (10-20 years hence, i.e. history now). First book of his that I read was Vixen 03, and found the maritime adventure/thriller suitably different from the usual medical / legal / crime subjects. The early books, written solely by himself and featuring Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino, are the best, IMO. In more recent times he has partnered with a number of other authors and written heaps of books in various series, which - IMO - have produced some rather mixed results.

[Damo666]

"Red for danger" by LTC Rolt. A book you can read (and learn from) over and over again - my favourite railway book.

 

 

Brit15

Crikey. I bought this back in the late 70s, (different cover if I remember). Got nicked from my school bag by someone who took a dislike to me and my nerdy reading material, but bought another copy as I hadn't finished reading it.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Probably alright for toast though? ...

 

 (Supermarket lowest price plastic bagged sliced white.)

 

Providing it is only the substrate for a tasty topping of the melted butter + marmite or Crank Foopers trad marmalade; or alternatively grilled grated appenzeller cheese augmented with a smear of harissa and squirt or two of L&P worcester sauce. (You can make cardboard edible with the latter combo.)

 

But having got the mouth watering, I am now going to prepare mine on trad. Roggebrood for a feast of healthy deliciousness. You get about a third of the adult recommended daily fibre intake in a slice, and it keeps you going, going, going...

[Ray Von]

Crikey. I bought this back in the late 70s, (different cover if I remember). Got nicked from my school bag by someone who took a dislike to me and my nerdy reading material, but bought another copy as I hadn't finished reading it.

Did you not write "this book belongs to..." inside? I purchased the 1971 edition yesterday off eBay, wouldn't that be a coincidence! :-D

[Torper]

Any of the Culture novels by Iain M Banks.  The man's soaring imagination knew no bounds.

 

More recently, and entirely diferently, I've binged on David Fiddimore's Charlie Basset series - six books starting with "Tuesday' War" taking us from Charlie's experiences as a reluctant radio operator in a Lancaster bomber right through to his even more reluctant experiences in Cyprus in the 1950s via a crushed Berlin, the Cold War, Suez, and other hotspots (including quite a lot of women).  Took me a few pages to get into his style, but as one Amazon reviewer remarked, "A stonking good read"

 

And then there's Terry Darlington and "Narrow Dog to Carcassonne".  If you like narrow boats, whippets, pubs and France, and like the idea of two septuagarians and their whippet JIm sailing a narrow boat across the English Channel and then down through the Franch canal system to Carcassonne, this book may well be for you.  However, Mr Darlington has a unique writing style which has made this something of a Marmite book - you'll love it or hate it.  I loved it.  The two Narrow Dog sequels are also good, but not as good as this one.

 

And just to show that I'm into railways, I also recently finished Niall Ferguson's "The Dundee and Newtyle Railway Including the Alyth and Blairgowrie Branches".  I read every one of its 230 pages of closely printed text (and lots of pictures) - I can't say it's un-put-downable and it took me a long time as I was also reading other books in an attempt to get a little bit of light relief, but it's very informative and has left me with a lingering desire to build one of the stations on the line which opened only six months after the Liverpool & Manchester Railway.  I've also been reading Mr Ferguson's "The Arbroath & Forfar Railway The Dundee Direct Line and the Kirriemuir Branch", but that's very much on a dipping in and out basis.

 

DT

Edited January 14, 2019 by Torper

[Classsix T]

"Hedge Trimming for the Naturist Gardener"...

 

 

...Sorry, you were serious weren't you? I'll not darken your door again...C6T.

[New Haven Neil]

No one mentioned 'I Tried to Run a Railway' by Gerrard Fiennes - tremendous reading in the hobby.

 

I'm with Jenny for 'Rendezvous with Rama', and 2001, 2010, 2061 but NOT 3001 which was a crushing disappointment!

[Ray Von]

I have read the 2001 series, but it was twenty or so years ago - so most of it's a fuzzy memory now, I should revisit them. I recall enjoying one book (2010 I think) so much that I read it right through on the same day I bought it! Haven't done that with a novel before or since. I don't recall being disappointed by 3001, but it was a long time ago (if that makes sense!?)

Edited January 14, 2019 by Ray Von

[New Haven Neil]

I only read 3001 recently - left me pretty 'meh'.  I really enjoyed the other three though.

 

For a non fiction railway read, John Bate's 'Chronicles of Pendre Sidings' is the story of the man in charge of engineering at the Talyllyn for many years, with all the political and racist (Welsh v English) shenanigans for icing on the cake.  Some strong opinions, and trains too! quite a book. 

[Jeff Smith]

"Hedge Trimming for the Naturist Gardener"...

...Sorry, you were serious weren't you? I'll not darken your door again...C6T.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3629421/Saucy-gardeners-offer-Trim-Bush-services-BUFF-inundated-work-posting-cheeky-advert.html

[Devo63]

A couple of railway related books that I've always liked are "The Railway-Lover's Companion" (1963, edited by Bryan Morgan) and "The History of the Great Western Railway" (1895 by G A Sekon; real name George Augustus Nokes). I've lost count of how many hundreds of railway books I have in my collection but I never get rid of anything which may be useful in the future.

 

For light reading I have always enjoyed the late Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. I just spent the last couple of months re-reading the whole series and thoroughly enjoyed them once again. Clive Cussler was mentioned above and I've always liked his Dirk Pitt stories but I have never really been able to get into his other "NUMA Adventures" co-written with other authors.

 

I have a liking for various sci-fi/fantasy and "alternate history" type stories and found Harry Turtledove's "Southern Victory" series engrossing. Another favourite stand alone novel is "Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede" by Bradley Denton. There were plans to make a movie of that one about ten years ago but I believe that the funding ultimately fell through.

 

Dave R. 

[Jeff Smith]

Christopher Nuttall is a very prolific British science fiction and fantasy writer who is readily available on Kindle. He has/is writing a number of long series, The Empire's Corps and Angel in the Whirlwind are very readable. If you like the The Man in the High Castle tv production you would also enjoy his Twilight of the Gods trilogy which supposes that Hitler and Churchill arranged a truce which left mainland Europe in Nazi control and the US did not enter WW2. It is set in 1985 - fascinating!

Edited January 15, 2019 by Jeff Smith

[Ray Von]

Christopher Nuttall is a very prolific British science fiction and fantasy writer who is readily available on Kindle. He has/is writing a number of long series, The Empires Corps and Angel in the Whirlwind are very readable. If you like the The Man in the High Castle tv production you would also enjoy his Twilight of the Gods trilogy which supposes that Hitler and Churchill arranged a truce which left mainland Europe in Nazi control and the US did not enter WW2. It is set in 1985 - fascinating!

That does sound very interesting, I will bear it in mind. I think the only alternate history novel I have read is Robert Harris' "Fatherland" - bleak, oppressive and incredibly atmospheric, an amazing "what if" story. It was also made into a radio play for BBC radio four to great effect and is available on CD. Recommended, but not cheap unfortunately.

[jonny777]

I'm currently reading 'A Brief History Of Time' by Stephen Hawking; and while I cannot admit to understanding certain parts of the theories, the writing style is very readable and not anything like the stuffy tome that I was expecting to encounter.  

[Dick Turpin]

I just want to endorse the OP's choice of Flowers for Algernon. I heard it as a dramatisation on Radio 4, and enjoyed it so much I bought the book and read that. It's one of those obliquely phrased commentaries on the human condition that makes you reconsider a lot of what you thought you knew. An amazing work of literature in that respect. I can't think of anything that tops it in terms of a thought provoking concept that just has you weeping by the end.

 

A thumbs up from me Ray Von! 

[Ray Von]

Cheers Jim, you've said it all really. I've never before read a book that has left me so unsure of how I feel. It's hard to describe without colouring any future reader's view.

Suffice to say - there is no right or wrong, except for in the readers own mind. I think that that is the brilliance of the story, it is not dictated to the reader - more presented, and I will always be grateful to have experienced that.

[Guest CLARENCE]

I'd recommend anything by Terry Pratchett -- absolutely ANYTHING he's written!

[45156]

Bringing Home The Stars and Twinkle Little Star by Jennifer Kirk are interesting, and deserve a wider audience.

 

She is, of course, our own Jenny Emily.

[Ray Von]

Bringing Home The Stars and Twinkle Little Star by Jennifer Kirk are interesting, and deserve a wider audience.

 

She is, of course, our own Jenny Emily.

I'll give it a whirl - do you feel that either of those two books would be a good "introduction" to her writing?

[Catkins]

Bringing Home The Stars and Twinkle Little Star by Jennifer Kirk are interesting, and deserve a wider audience.

 

She is, of course, our own Jenny Emily.

I'm going to ask - what "age range" are the books aimed at?

I ask because the titles look like they are childrens books.

 

Not that it is a major issue - I've got a collection of Biggles books that I still enjoy reading.

[Ray Von]

I don't think that would be a problem, I have a Tove Jansson Collection, Beezer, Whizzer and Chips, Topper annuals etc - rubbing shoulders with Yuval Noah Harari and HG Wells! Would just like to start on a good footing with a new author.

[Ray Von]

In other News:

 

Just arrived! "Well thumbed" I would call it, but could certainly be used in an emergency....

[dvdlcs]

In response to the Lee Child / Jack Reacher series recommendation, I can add that I have read all of the Reacher books, including short stories, up to the most recent title at the time of writing. Like a lot of series, the initial books are very good: the proverbial page turner, just read one more chapter before going to sleep etc, but I've found some of the more recent stories a little less good than those that went before. There are elements of "same situation, different location" creeping in. But all credit to the guy for coming up with the concept and developing it the way that he has thus far. First book of the series I read was "One Shot", long before the film - that I haven't seen - appeared and I was 'in' at that point - Lee Childs name immediately went on my list of authors to look for.

 

There are a couple of spin-offs to Reacher by other authors (apparently approved by Lee Child).

 

Son of Reacher series by Scott Blade. Essentially one of Jack Reachers intimate encounters produced a child. Brought up by his mother, when she dies he sets off in search of the father that he has never known. I've only read the first couple of books in that series and I'm not too sure about them. Seems similar to his fathers adventures except he is 19 and inevitably less mature about things.

 

Search for Reacher series by Diane Capri. About two FBI agents, one male and one female, who are trying to track Reacher down. Not sure if their motives are benign or not. Again, read the first two or three books in the series but not sure about them.

 

Not ringing endorsements but anybody who has liked the Reacher books, and somehow doesn't know about these, might be interested to know of their existence.