[SA Chris]

I got consider phlebas for christmas on the back of recomendations here and just finished. Proper good sci fi, so thanks for the recomendation!

Big fan of Iain M Banks! I'd definitely recommend pretty much all of the other Culture books if you enjoyed Consider Phlebas, particularly Player of Games & Excession. Also The Algebraist, while not Culture, is also good.

Player of Games is by favourite. I found Use of Weapons on the bookshelf the other day, can't remember if I've read it or not, there's some doubt so it's next on the list anyway!

[moose]

Player of Games is one of my favourites, and I've found that it's also a good book to recommend to people who don't normally like sci-fi (I guess the concept of a big all-immersive game is pretty universal).  Use of Weapons is another favourite, although it's pretty bleak. My top four is probably completed by Consider Phlebas and Excession (lots of "minds", with apposite names, plotting against one-another - what's not to like?).

[jwi]

Speaking about sci-fi, Amin Maalouf – author of several great historical novels (Leo the African, Samarkand, etc) and some great political essays — has written a somewhat optimistic very near future novel: Nos frères inattendus. In the novel a secret society founded during the twilight of the ancient Greek civilisation appears ex machina from nowhere to save the day.

The novel has a lot of cool ideas but suffers from some problems that other science fiction novels written by mainstream authors usually have when they write genre.

For example, writers of speculative fiction, fantasy or crime usually have a good understanding of which technologies/magics/deductions need to be explained and which can be left to the reader to puzzle out. Mainstream authors never seem to get this right. Another example is that genre writers usually understand that the universal perspective does not exist, and trying to write genre literature from this mythical perspective is counterproductive. Maalouf's book suffers from both under-explanation of pertinent technologies and from writing from a “universal perspective”.

The novel is however beautifully written. Much better than most sci-fi. You win some, lose some.

Iain (M) Banks is one of the rare writers who could walk between mainstream and genre and write well in both styles. He could write absolute dross mainstream and sci-fi as well, imho.


(I checked, Nos frères inattendus is not translated to English yet, but Amin Maalouf's previous book that I recommended on this thread is now available in English under the title Adrift: How Our World Lost Its Way)

[Falling Down]

Helen Mort and Mo Omar on M John Harrison’s “Climbers” from R4’s A Good Read today.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000rw3d

[andy popp]

I hope it was good. I used to be a regular listener but - and I'm not normally someone of such strong opinions - I just couldn't stand Harriett Gilbert as the presenter. I'm sure my reaction was thoroughly unjustified.

ps. presume Mort chose Harrison?

[SA Chris]

Just finished The Angel in the Stone.

Got it hoping it would be similar to Electric Brae, but the climbing element plays but a tiny part in this sad portrait of the family. I really enjoyed it, worth a read.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910985791/ref=rdr_ext_sb_ti_hist_2

[Falling Down]

That looks good Chris. I read Electric Brae on a boat in Indo and thoroughly enjoyed it after Adam’s reccomendation.

Andy - yes it’s good. A very short programme with Mort enthusing over Climbers.

I’ll add some recent reads when I get the chance.

[SA Chris]

i read Electric Brae on his recommendation too. Yet to go find the actual Electric Brae though!

[JamieG]

Oh yeah, Electric Brae is a good read. I enjoyed his second book 'The Return of John MacNab' too. If I remember correctly no climbing in it, but quite a lot of poaching.

On a different note, I am reading The Worst Hard Time (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Worst_Hard_Time) Tells the story of those that stayed behind in the American dust bowl of the thirties. Really nicely written and a timely reminder of how human hubris often leads to disaster. Some of the photos and stories in it are hard to believe.

[SA Chris]

Looks good, Grapes of Wrath is the classic from this era, a great read, although slightly strange ending.

[JamieG]

Yeah, I read Grapes of Wrath quite a few years ago. A classic and for good reason. Although a tough read a times. I love Steinbeck. This is supposed to be the untold story of the people that stayed behind. Definitely an interesting read.

[spidermonkey09]

Yeah, I read Grapes of Wrath quite a few years ago. A classic and for good reason. Although a tough read a times. I love Steinbeck. This is supposed to be the untold story of the people that stayed behind. Definitely an interesting read.

I thought East of Eden knocked Grapes into touch. Absolutely brilliant, probably in my top 5 books ever.

[JamieG]

Interesting. I really didn't like East of Eden. Its the only Steinbeck I ever stopped reading. I found it unrelentingly bleak and wasn't convinced by many of the characters' motivations. I've had this discussion with my wife before regarding books. I always need someone to root for, even if they are massively flawed. If I can't find that little bit of hope or can't sympathise with an of the characters motivations I struggle to read the book. Rabbit, Run was similar, if not worse.

[Falling Down]

Some recent reads.

The Music of Time (Poetry in the Twentieth Century) : John Burnside.  I fell in love with Burnside through his “I Put a Spell on You” and have been a fan since.  The Music of Time is a deeply personal account of how the last century shaped poetry. It’s beautiful.

Courting the wild twin : Martin Shaw. This is an odd and lovely little book.  Storyteller and mythologist unpacks two old tales as an invitation to discover and re-engage with our own wild twin and in turn, the world around us.

Appendix N : Peter Berbegal.  Older AD&D players might remember the appendices from the Dungeon Masters Guide. In ‘N’, Gary Gygax listed the fictional and literary influences behind the RPG.  Berbegal has tracked down and nicely packaged up this collection of short stories from the fantasy and horror writers that laid the foundations for many fun weekends in my teenage years.  This was a lovely read in front of the fire on dark afternoons over the Christmas holidays.

Ted Hughes, the Unauthorised Biography : Jonathan Bateman. A brilliant, entertaining and lively biography of Hughes.  Originally authorised, Bateman was given the push by Olwyn, Hughes’ sister after getting a bit too deep into the archives so some sections are carefully lawyered up.  It's a great piece of work which really brings Hughes to life and shows how deeply affected he was by Plath’s death.

The Towers the Fields the Transmitters : David Keenan. A short prequel to Xstabeth that I've yet to read.  I think Keenan is one of the best writers of the present day. So good.

[cowboyhat]

Part way through Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman. Has anyone else come across it?

I don't usually go in for recently nominated type stuff but I know the publisher so got one just because.

Its kind of an astounding achievement, just to flick through and realise what she's done. Fortunately it is also very easy to read, witty and just kind of really endearing. I'm enjoying it a lot though will be a while before i'm done. If anyone reads quick or likes long books, here it is.

Also small indy publisher who has become a home for other things that would also struggle to get published. Very worthy but has an excellent track record.

[dunnyg]

I got about half way through and took a break. Sounds like I am missing something though! I genuinely find it hard to read because of the size of the book!

Editing as that sounds quite negative. I am enjoying it too, but read some more traditional books inbetween.
I have never read anything like it. I tried ulyses once but didnt really enjoy it, which I guess is similar? I found this way more interesting and relatable, probably due to the language and era, but not sure.

[cowboyhat]

Yeah i tend to read it lying down in bed; if we're mentioning that then you'd imagine it stretching the hand strength limits of your average literary fiction reader.

For others not wanting to be put off IMHO it is way way more accessible and easier to read than Ulysses, on this I had considered:

I wonder how Ducks, Newburyport will age as a lot of the references seem perfect if you're GenX. Maybe thats an issue with everything though and it simply won't matter if you don't get every single inference.

Anyway i'm glad someone else is reading it.

Ive read a few other books from galley begger and theyre always interesting, not the main path.

[TobyD]

Just started reading The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis. I'm sure many will have already read it, but if you haven't, I'd already highly recommend it. It's a still very relevant investigation into how Trump caused massive damage to the US civil service, and why that really, really matters.
It shows that organisations that sound mundane and boring are intimately involved in incredibly important things that stop millions of people dying; and hence why defunding them is / was incredibly stupid.

Read Travels with Herodotus before that, by a Polish foreign correspondent who travels the world in the post WWII period, learning English from Herodotus. It's pretty unique, perhaps not exactly a page turner, but it's certainly interesting and worth a read.

[andy popp]

Interested in reading the positive reports on Ducks, Newburyport - which I was already considering.

I just started Patrick White's The Vivisector. Despite being a Nobel laureate I know next to nothing about White, but have been immediately drawn into his world.

[remus]

Kevin Barry, "Night Boat to Tangier." Blimey, one of the best novels I've read in a long time. The book criss-crosses back and forth across the lives of two ageing Irish gangsters as they sit waiting at the port of Algeciras, hoping to spot Dilly, the daughter of one of them. So good, in my opinion, because of the great vividness with which Moss and Charlie come alive through Barry's sparse prose. These are not characters you like - they are, after all, pretty awful men - but they are ones with whom you empathise, in the sense of grasping their humanity. If one thing you want from a novel is to live awhile as or with another person, then this book delivered hugely for me. Barry is not a writer of great literary flourishes but the book is shot through with beauty. He's one of those writers who leaves you wondering how he achieves so much affect.

Good recommendation, I enjoyed this. It took some time for me to get in to it but it grew on me all the way through as I got to know the characters.

Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I enjoyed this, good clean sci-fi with interesting characters and a great setting with a smattering of underlying bleakness. I thought the setting was a bit weird (the sun is dying, so ~5 billion years in the future, but apparently the human race hasn't evolved. I thought it was kinda strange as some of his other work deals with evolution beautifully.) but you can ignore that without taking anything away from the story.

You're stepping on my cloak and dagger by Roger Hall. A very entertaining read about a chap who was recruited in to the CIA towards the end of the second world war. He's got a great sense of humour which is deployed against the military complex to great effect.

GCHQ by Richard Aldrich. A pretty geeky history of GCHQ and it's various precursors, surprisingly readable though. As you can imagine the early history is relatively well documented but it gets pretty sparse on detail about the more modern aspects of the agency. Before reading it I had a vague sense of distrust of the various spy agencies, having finished it I now have a strong sense of distrust for the various spy agencies! While the book makes a good argument for them being necessary it's definitely a necessary evil.

Slatehead by Peter Goulding. I really enjoyed this, it reads like a set of memoirs and reminiscing of one mans journey on the slate.

I read Hangdog Days by Jeff Smoot on duncan's recommendation. I enjoyed it, great to see another side to the early US sport climbing scene (as opposed to the Valley Uprising style stuff).

The Secret Barrister is a pretty harrowing look at the justice system in the UK. Made me sincerely hope I never have to go to court. Well worth a read.

[andy popp]

Kevin Barry, "Night Boat to Tangier." Blimey, one of the best novels I've read in a long time. The book criss-crosses back and forth across the lives of two ageing Irish gangsters as they sit waiting at the port of Algeciras, hoping to spot Dilly, the daughter of one of them. So good, in my opinion, because of the great vividness with which Moss and Charlie come alive through Barry's sparse prose. These are not characters you like - they are, after all, pretty awful men - but they are ones with whom you empathise, in the sense of grasping their humanity. If one thing you want from a novel is to live awhile as or with another person, then this book delivered hugely for me. Barry is not a writer of great literary flourishes but the book is shot through with beauty. He's one of those writers who leaves you wondering how he achieves so much affect.

Good recommendation, I enjoyed this. It took some time for me to get in to it but it grew on me all the way through as I got to know the characters.

Glad you enjoyed it.

[al]

Anyone into geoff dyer? Just read 'but beautiful'  & 'white sands', got 'out of sheer rage' next, loving his stuff

[seankenny]

Read Dyer’s novel “The Colour of Memory” many years ago, enjoyed it a lot.

[al]

Read Dyer’s novel “The Colour of Memory” many years ago, enjoyed it a lot.

I'll add it to the list

[Falling Down]

I’m a bit of a fan too. Stumbled across him with The Ongoing Moment, a long essay and musing on photography which completely blew me away. Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi is a really good novel. Another Great Day at Sea is a brilliant essay about life aboard a US naval aircraft carrier. Broadsword Calling Danny Boy about Where Eagles Dare is fab and (here I disappear well up my own arse) Zona is an absolutely flippin’ fantastic piece of work on Tarkovsky’s film Stalker. 

He had a mild stroke a few years back and wrote this not long afterwards. It finishes with the sentence “Life is so interesting I’d like to stick around for ever, just to see what happens, how it all turns out.” which kind of sums it all up really.