'What are we all reading?'. Book recommendations thread.

Costero Poderoso said:
im a big Karl hiaasen fan as well.

if you want a similar vein but english / scottish / irish try Christopher Fowler; his horror books are very good, as is his detective series Bryant and May,

Christopher Brookmyre has a Hiaason vibe but set in scotland, and Colin Bateman for Northern Ireland set mysteries.

If you have a slightly twisted sense of humour try AA Gill's Sap rising.

my brother in law bought me the series of books from Liy Cixin (three body problem) - cant get into them at all. had them for nearly 18 months and am barely half way through the second, i can quite often get through a book in a couple of days.
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Thanks man, will get googling on those.

I read very slowly for some reason so it takes me months to finish a book
 
mr_milo said:
How To Win The Premier League by Ian Graham is a good read on the rise of data analysis in football, with lots of anecdotes from his time as director of research at Liverpool and elsewhere.
Especially recommended for all the South Stand experts who yell "Shooooot" every time a Pool player gets within 40 yards of goal. You know who you are.
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I’m reading that at the minute too, certainly gives himself enough credit. Moneyball is a must-read if you haven’t already
 
Apart from my Bible . . .

10 Dead Guys You Should Know by Ian Maddock
The Theology of John Wesley, Holy Love and The Shape Of Grace by Kenneth Collins
Hallmarks of Design by Stuart Burgess
Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig
Cold Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace
How To Make Coffee, The Science Behind The Bean by Lanny Kingston The
 
'My Father's House' by Joseph O'Connor.
The story about priest Hugh O'Flaherty, who helped the Jews from the Vatican during WW2. The inspiration for the films 'The Scarlet and the Black' and 'The Assisi Underground'.
Topical, with the Pope's passing yesterday.
 
Just finished 'Say Nothing'....

An inciteful account of the troubles in Northern Ireland since the 60's, focusing primarily on the abduction and murder of Jean McConville (a widowed mother or ten) by the IRA.

Provides great depth to several senior IRA characters of that era, including Gerry Adams, the Price sister's, Brendan Hughes etc.
 
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"Say Nothing" has been made into a TV series (available on dodgy stick) and is very, very good.....but it does fall heavily on the side of the IRA and Mr. Adams doesn't come out of it very well. Quite an amazing story, especially the Jean McConville abduction, which starts and finishes the series.....well worth a watch.

Currently, I'm reading the "I SPY - MY FIRST BOOK ABOUT FOOTBALL".....
Just so I know more about the game than about 80% of the P/T football managers on AVFTT
And because this closed season is going to be pure hell having to read their mad ideas
 
The book certainly paints Adams as a self serving survivor, who by going down the political path via the GFA, alienated himself from his former hardline colleagues....

Assuming of course you believe he ever was a key member of the IRA! 😂

If you believe the book, he sacrificed the lives of all ten hunger strikers for political gain, when there had been a deal on the table where the UK Government had basically agreed to the vast majority of their demands.
 
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Eternaloptimist said:
We’ve had Gone With The Wind in our house for years, my wife kept it after her mum died because her mum told her to read it.
Anyway, a few weeks back I decided to give it a go. It’s over 800 pages and in small text so there is a lot to read and, probably like a lot of people, I thought it was a romance between Scarlet O’Hara and Rhett Butler.
Nothing of the sort, and although there is a tempestuous relationship between the 2 of them, Rhett is certainly not a main character.
It’s all about the American Civil war and it took Margaret Mitchell 7 years to write it and at the time was the best selling book after the Bible..
I’ve just passed the halfway stage so maybe Rhett will make another appearance.
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Remember finding an old copy at Waterloo book market years ago. Definitely a good read, but those long chunks of non-stop text were hard going.

Currently reading two books; one is called A Fan for All Seasons, a nice little non-fiction piece about how a guy works through the grief of losing his big brother through attending sports events that always connected them.

Also got 'This Storm' by James Ellroy on the go.
 
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"The Satsuma Complex" by Bob Mortimer is excellent. Just starting the sequel "The Hotel Avocado".

His autobiography is also a great read.
 
Eternaloptimist said:
We’ve had Gone With The Wind in our house for years, my wife kept it after her mum died because her mum told her to read it.
Anyway, a few weeks back I decided to give it a go. It’s over 800 pages and in small text so there is a lot to read and, probably like a lot of people, I thought it was a romance between Scarlet O’Hara and Rhett Butler.
Nothing of the sort, and although there is a tempestuous relationship between the 2 of them, Rhett is certainly not a main character.
It’s all about the American Civil war and it took Margaret Mitchell 7 years to write it and at the time was the best selling book after the Bible..
I’ve just passed the halfway stage so maybe Rhett will make another appearance.
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Frankly, I don't give a damn...
 
Currently reading a 'In Too Deep' by Lee Child.
A 'Jack Reacher' novel who the author writes a lot about.
I've read most of them over the years and they are very good crime novels.
Although they stem from his early days when Reacher was in the Army and before that as well.
However, I don't find this as good as the earlier ones.
Might be because he has his son as the 'joint writer'.
 
hertfordseasider said:
Seriously, if you like the reacher books but are getting a bit bored then read the John Milton books by Mark Dawson, I think they are much better (and I like the Reacher books)
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Just read the latest Milton book (Vultures) as i mentionedin post 17.. Another excellent read, i would also highly recommended it.

The Greg Hurwitz "Orphan X" series is similar, but also a good read.

Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme books are very good if you like Detective/Forensic thrillers with a bit of a difference.
 
Dave62 said:
Just read the latest Milton book (Vultures) as i mentionedin post 17.. Another excellent read, i would also highly recommended it.

The Greg Hurwitz "Orphan X" series is similar, but also a good read.

Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme books are very good if you like Detective/Forensic thrillers with a bit of a difference.
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Yeah I've read the Lincoln Rhyme books, they're great, I will check out Greg Hurwitz.
 
I took the advice and read the first of the Orphan X books by Gregg Hurwitz, really enjoyed it so another series to get stuck into.

Just started the 17th book in the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly, always a really good read.
 
fcblackpool said:
Just about a quarter the way into the last Slow Horses book, then it's Milton books 1-3. Carrying that around will save any thought of the gym. Actually more chance of Rosie & Jim.
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Love the Slow Horses books, you will fly through the Milton books they are a real fast paced fish bash bosh of a read. If you liked Slow Horses read the Stranger Times books by C K McDonnell, you'd think Jackson Lambe had become a newspaper owner!!
 
hertfordseasider said:
I took the advice and read the first of the Orphan X books by Gregg Hurwitz, really enjoyed it so another series to get stuck into.

Just started the 17th book in the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly, always a really good read.
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Glad you like Orphan X, that's 2 out of my 3 recommended book series you've enjoyed (you and FCB couldn't get into the Bernie Gunther series iirc). I prefer the John Milton series because he's a slightly flawed character who doesn't win every confrontation. That said, I've enjoyed the Orphan X books a lot.

Just started Simon Scarrow Berlin detective book series, seems good but only just started it.
 
Dave62 said:
Glad you like Orphan X, that's 2 out of my 3 recommended book series you've enjoyed (you and FCB couldn't get into the Bernie Gunther series iirc). I prefer the John Milton series because he's a slightly flawed character who doesn't win every confrontation. That said, I've enjoyed the Orphan X books a lot.

Just started Simon Scarrow Berlin detective book series, seems good but only just started it.
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Have you read the John Connolly books? Charlie Parker is a great character and I would say Connolly is a much more lyrical writer than the others you have mentioned, but they are a real good read with some great characters, a slight supernatural edge and some horribly scary bad guys, and girls for that matter. They need to be read in order.
 
hertfordseasider said:
Have you read the John Connolly books? Charlie Parker is a great character and I would say Connolly is a much more lyrical writer than the others you have mentioned, but they are a real good read with some great characters, a slight supernatural edge and some horribly scary bad guys, and girls for that matter. They need to be read in order.
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Just retired, so I will have a look. At first glance, the Caimh McDonnell books look very good. Thanks for the advice, I was wondering what author to read next and here's 2
 
Dave62 said:
Just retired, so I will have a look. At first glance, the Caimh McDonnell books look very good. Thanks for the advice, I was wondering what author to read next and here's 2
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The first Charlie Parker book will hook you straight in, it has the most horrific crime scene at the start though.
 
DonCorleone said:
I love this forum's 'What we all watching' thread and use it regularly for TV and films recommendations.

I'm also a keen reader so thought a similar thread for books would be equally useful? I'll start with the book I've just this week finished.

Robert Harris's 'Conclave'. It's also a hollywood blockbuster though I've yet to see it.

Gave a fascinating insight into conclaves and the papal electoral system combined with a good story. It was a real page turner with a great ending so would highly recommend. Fans of Robert Harris will know exactly what to expect.

Feel free (or not) to drop in your recent reading recs below.
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I’m reading his latest novel Precipice and I’m loving it.
Gives an insight into Britain at the start of the Great War .
 
Dave62 said:
Glad you took my advice and that you're enjoying the Milton series.

Vultures is my next book.

I like Michael Connolly's books (Mickey Haller or Harry Bosch), currently trying a Greg Hurwitz "Orphan X" book and enjoying it.

I also previously recommended the Bernie Gunther books by Philip Kerr. He's a German detective during WW2 who hates Nazis, but can't avoid getting involved in cases with them. Excellent series of books, with dark humour which can be LOL at times.
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Hard to find Kerr in 2nd hand book shops.
Read the one where he ends up in Argentina post war, can’t remember the title.
 
daveysue said:
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. A great story of injustice and love and how these two remarkable people overcame tremendous adversity to reclaim their lives and more. Inspirational for any of us who've felt we've lost everything and have nothing to live for. Remarkable!
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daveysue said:
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. A great story of injustice and love and how these two remarkable people overcame tremendous adversity to reclaim their lives and more. Inspirational for any of us who've felt we've lost everything and have nothing to live for. Remarkable!
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And the wil
daveysue said:
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. A great story of injustice and love and how these two remarkable people overcame tremendous adversity to reclaim their lives and more. Inspirational for any of us who've felt we've lost everything and have nothing to live for. Remarkable!
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And The wild silence.
 
Dave62 said:
Just read the latest Milton book (Vultures) as i mentionedin post 17.. Another excellent read, i would also highly recommended it.

The Greg Hurwitz "Orphan X" series is similar, but also a good read.

Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme books are very good if you like Detective/Forensic thrillers with a bit of a difference.
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