[chris05]

Now racing towards the end of The Broken Road, the last in the series describing Patrick Leigh Fermor's walk across Europe in 1933

How is it? I have been saving that one after really enjoying the others. I believe it was unfinished and was pieced together after his death?

I have recently enjoyed Stoner by John Williams. Thought it was fantastic and much better than his other novels. Butchers Crossing was good but for me a poor man's Cormac McCarthy (Border trilogy - which is amazing). Augustus seemed really well researched but not that engrossing, probably because of the format (letters).

[andy popp]

Now racing towards the end of The Broken Road, the last in the series describing Patrick Leigh Fermor's walk across Europe in 1933

How is it? I have been saving that one after really enjoying the others. I believe it was unfinished and was pieced together after his death?

I have recently enjoyed Stoner by John Williams. Thought it was fantastic and much better than his other novels. Butchers Crossing was good but for me a poor man's Cormac McCarthy (Border trilogy - which is amazing). Augustus seemed really well researched but not that engrossing, probably because of the format (letters).

I haven't quite finished yet but its well worth reading in my opinion. I've perhaps noticed one or two slight glitches but it doesn't feel stitched together. More importantly there are passages of writing as good as anything in the other two and the tone and arc are consistent. I'm enjoying it very much. A good introduction by the editors helps explain how the text was arrived at.

I enjoyed Stoner too but haven't read Butcher's Crossing and hadn't heard of Augustus - I like epistolary novels. One amazing example of the form I read a few years ago was David Grossman's Be My Knife; now that is totally engrossing

[DaveC]

And any recommendations for books on the French resistance....

I know this was a while ago but a quality translation of Rene Char's "Hypnos' is well worth chasing up if you're interested in the French resistance. Regarded by some as the finest work ever on the subject it has never been properly translated until now. Published by Seagull and distributed by the Univ. of Chicago Press, I have put it on my Christmas wishlist for the mrs!

[fried]

I ended up getting 'The resistance: French fight against the nazis' by Mathew Cobb, just because it was available on Kindle. I don't know how it stacks up against the other titles you suggested, but it was a very good read.

[DaveC]

I've just realised that I have finished over 20 books since I last posted any of my own reading on here. As always, the quality has been a bit variable but fortunately none were really crap and the top half-dozen are well worth mentioning here:

The Norman Conquest - Marc Morris. A fine narrative history of a seminal event / period. Published only last year and takes into account much of the very latest research. 

Seasons in the Sun: The Battle for Britain, 1974-79 - Dominic Sandbrook. Who would have thought that a detailed political and social history of a five-year period crammed into near-900 pages could be this engrossing. I had no idea to what degree Harold Wilson personally fell apart during his final spell in office until I read this.

The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt - Toby Wilkinson. A superb single-volume history from the First Dynasty up to the death of Cleopatra and the final conquest by Rome. It's a bit of a doorstop but I'd thoroughly recommend this as an introduction to the subject.

The Sea Inside - Philip Hoare. A front-runner for my read of the year. A highly personal look at man's (and one man's) relationship with the sea. Full of interesting characters and both beautiful and terrible stories.

On Glasgow and Edinburgh - Robert Crawford. An interesting side-by-side telling of the histories of Scotland's two main cities and the sometimes prickly relationship between them.

Liberalism: The History of an Idea - Edmund Fawcett. Does pretty much what it says on the tin. Long-time Economist contributor Fawcett is an engaging writer and pulls his narrative together well with some really fine character portraits of key individuals.

[andy popp]

I've just realised that I have finished over 20 books since I last posted any of my own reading on here.

Slacker.

Just read an interesting popular history. The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber, Power and the Seeds of Empire by Joe Jackson tells the story of Heny Wickham's 'theft' of 70,000 seeds for rubber trees from Brazil, laying the foundations for the rubber plantation industry of Asia. Its a rip-roaring adventure (Wickham was one of the most hapless, ridiculous characters ever) but also a fascinating portrait of the creation of a global commodity, mixing in economics, ecology and politics.

[SA Chris]

Bit of a change from his 80s radio friendly pop!

[fried]

I've just realised that I have finished over 20 books since I last posted any of my own reading on here.

Slacker.

Just read an interesting popular history. The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber, Power and the Seeds of Empire by Joe Jackson tells the story of Heny Wickham's 'theft' of 70,000 seeds for rubber trees from Brazil, laying the foundations for the rubber plantation industry of Asia. Its a rip-roaring adventure (Wickham was one of the most hapless, ridiculous characters ever) but also a fascinating portrait of the creation of a global commodity, mixing in economics, ecology and politics.

I liked the sound of this and got it on Kindle. Perfect commuting reading, easy to read boys-own-stuff, never dull and continually illuminating about a period of history I knew absolutely nothing (and should know more). Thanks for the heads up.

[Rocksteady]

Just finished one of my Christmas books, The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton. I really liked it - it was sort of a playful yet serious look at what value architecture adds to life, what is 'good' and 'bad' architecture and what an ideal home might be like. A summary might be that we prefer buildings that fulfil a psychological need in us to be more like the person we think we should be. So if we are very privileged but don't like to feel pampered we might like spartan modernist architecture - if we have little we might like architecture that feels luxurious. I don't know how convinced I was by this and his obvious like for modernist architecture which tends to leave me cold compared to classical or gothic masterpieces. But I liked his pointing out of features that render buildings pleasing or displeasing, and I buy into the idea that on the whole we're very unsuccessful at recapturing the styles of bygone ages with modern buildings, and that this on the whole is affectation.

Thinking back - best books I've read this year:

In Search of Lost Time Vols 1-3 - Marcel Proust. Swirlingly magnificent poetic prose, a beautiful meander through French high society at the turn of the century, wonderful insights into the workings of the mind. Will read the rest...but a bit at a time.

The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (discussed further up the thread)

The Patrick O'Brian Aubrey-Maturin books 5-19. I can scarcely stop reading these. Once I finish the series I know I'll want to re-read it from the start.

The Republic - Plato. I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. I love how modern the thinking is in this 2000 year old book.

[andy popp]

I've just realised that I have finished over 20 books since I last posted any of my own reading on here.

Slacker.

Just read an interesting popular history. The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber, Power and the Seeds of Empire by Joe Jackson tells the story of Heny Wickham's 'theft' of 70,000 seeds for rubber trees from Brazil, laying the foundations for the rubber plantation industry of Asia. Its a rip-roaring adventure (Wickham was one of the most hapless, ridiculous characters ever) but also a fascinating portrait of the creation of a global commodity, mixing in economics, ecology and politics.

I liked the sound of this and got it on Kindle. Perfect commuting reading, easy to read boys-own-stuff, never dull and continually illuminating about a period of history I knew absolutely nothing (and should know more). Thanks for the heads up.

Glad you enjoyed it!

[Falling Down]

Just read a great little novel.  Beastings by Benjamin Myers.  A grim little tale set in The Lakes of a mute girl fresh out of a convent who rescues/abducts the baby she's looking after and sets out into the fells to escape, pursued by a poacher and priest.  Devoured it in one sitting, finishing it in the small hours.  Highly recommended and it's published on a small press in Hebden.

William Gibson The Peripheral his best yet.  Chock full of satire and some really smart ideas.  A bit more sci-fi than the Blue Ant series and better for it.

Just getting stuck into a massive history of the English by Robert Tombs that's got five stars across the board.  Wish me luck.

[the_dom]

I've undertaken to read more 'serious' books this year, to balance out the inevitable "I'm too tired to read anything other than crime / sci-fi novels" periods and have been thoroughly enjoying The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I don't know why I haven't gotten around to it, because I read Freedom last year and enjoyed it massively. (Admittedly, 'enjoy' feels a bit odd to describe how I feel about Franzen's stories, but I do find them incredibly compelling and brilliantly written)

For the surfers, I've also been reading The Wave by Susan Casey. It's an interesting read about 'freak' waves and big wave surfing, but, like most books about surfing not written by a surfer, can get a little frustrating in the simplistic explanations.

As a guilty secret, I've also been working my way through Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series. Thoroughly enjoyable detective novels set in the Yorkshire dales, a place that I've spent some time in and that is very close to my heart.

[Fiend]

You guys might like this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Annihilation-Southern-Reach-Trilogy-VanderMeer/dp/0007550715/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421170310&sr=8-3&keywords=southern+reach

Jeff Vander Meer - Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy)

It's pretty much as if the ghost of Iain Banks came back to haunt Adam Roberts, beat him with a large stick until he stopped putting such annoying characters in his novels, and they teamed up to write a subtle, dislocated, psychological thriller inspired by the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game...

[psychomansam]

Recently finished Quantum Thief

It's pretty dense sci-fi at times. The story is broken up such that you have to tie the threads together for the first half.
Once it all comes together, what you get is..... well.... entertainment really. It's pretty good fun.

Which wasn't what I was expecting. I was hoping for some more mind-matter, something to chew on. It didn't have quite enough of that to me, perhaps because some of the ideas weren't new to me.

Not a bad read though. And if you want to think about the links between identity, memory and freedom, then it's got something to go at.

[Fiend]

Yup.

Absolutely full of jargon, over-advanced concepts and a lot of gobbledegook you have to take for granted....but just manages to stay on the right side of entertainment rather than annoyance. TBH given the jargon I'm quite glad it went for the fun option rather than something very deep and complex.

The sequels are more of the same, I enjoyed them equally.

[the_dom]

Andy - I started Knausgaard yesterday.  Been reading reviews and praise for the last few years so decided to take the plunge.  Was gripped from the first few pages.  Extraordinary.

I started this over the weekend based on recommendations here - utterly fantastic, if slightly existentially bleak, although that may just be a reflection of where I am in life while reading this.

[Rocksteady]

Enjoyed The Martian by Andy Weir. Was given this to read and initially slightly turned my nose up at it - it's endorsed by the 'Richard and Judy Book Club'. Once I got into it I really liked it. It's basically hard sci-fi written like a thriller, with lots of profanity and randomness. Like many thrillers, I did get a bit tired of all the plot twists, but they are all based on the author's interpretation of how life might be for an astronaut stranded in the harsh Martian environment. He's a proper space-geek and it all seemed pretty plausible to me.

The Enchantress by James Maxwell is very high up the Amazon sci-fi and fantasy bestsellers list so I gave it a try. I didn't hate it but didn't rate it either. Writing is OK, plot is OK but quite fantasy standard fare, characters are quite standard with the twist pretty predictable. Lots of battle action, but felt pretty tame compared to The Wheel of Time, Song of Ice and Fire or the Malazan Book of the Fallen.

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer was a really enjoyable non-fiction account of the author's journey from journalist covering the World Memory Championships to becoming US Memory Champion. A lot of it is about the history of memory, the purpose of memorising, and techniques one can use to train the memory. I liked it a lot.

Also reading The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy. Good and dark as his other stuff. I do find I have to have breaks from this though as it's so bleak and disillusioning. Feels like I'm wading through the filthy detritus of someone else's mind. Scares me beyond telling that it's all based on a real murder. Sometimes I think I like to keep my illusions.

Have just bought the History of the English mentioned above by Falling Down. Looks fantastic.

[DaveC]

Despite a troubled end to the year I polished off something over 50 books last year so perhaps a top 5 (-ish) might be in order. These are in no particular order of preference:

Einstein: His Life and Universe - Walter Isaacson. A bit of a hagiography but very well-written with excellent sources very close to the subject.

A World at Arms - Gerhard Weinberg. A monumental single volume history of World War 2 concentrating on the political and higher strategic view. At times a bit dry and academic but the authors passion for the subject frequently shines through. Requires some patience but brings rewards to the persistent reader.

The Sea Inside - Philip Hoare. I mentioned this one a while ago when I read it and I stand by what I wrote then, a wonderful read.

Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival - David Pilling. The former FT correspondent to Japan returned after the great tsunami of 2011 and then wrote this fabulous book about what has been happening to Japan since the economic miracle died in the early 90s and now the ongoing effects of the 2011 disaster and the fallout (sorry) from the subsequent problems at Fukushima. This is probably my most interesting read of the year.

The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 - Christopher Clark. The best of a large crop of books about the lead up to WW1 published in the last couple of years and a worthy companion to Barbara Tuchmann's classic "The Guns of August."

Machiavelli: A Biography - Miles Unger. A very readable bio that attempts (quite successfully) to puncture a few myths about the man.

Honourable mentions should go to:
Facing the Other Way - Martin Ashton. A history of seminal indie label 4AD.
Island on Fire - Alexandra Witze. The story of the great Laki eruption of 1783 in Iceland and both it's local and wider effects.
The First World War - Martin Gilbert. A fine, flowing narrative history of the Great War.
The Norman Conquest - Marc Morris. The title says it all and it is an excellent account.
On Glasgow and Edinburgh - Robert Crawford. As above.

[the_dom]

Enjoyed The Martian by Andy Weir. Was given this to read and initially slightly turned my nose up at it - it's endorsed by the 'Richard and Judy Book Club'. Once I got into it I really liked it. It's basically hard sci-fi written like a thriller, with lots of profanity and randomness. Like many thrillers, I did get a bit tired of all the plot twists, but they are all based on the author's interpretation of how life might be for an astronaut stranded in the harsh Martian environment. He's a proper space-geek and it all seemed pretty plausible to me.

I started this on an flight a while ago - it didn't grab me and I forgot about it after the flight. After all the good reviews (here and elsewhere), I may need to revisit it. 

Also reading The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy. Good and dark as his other stuff. I do find I have to have breaks from this though as it's so bleak and disillusioning. Feels like I'm wading through the filthy detritus of someone else's mind. Scares me beyond telling that it's all based on a real murder. Sometimes I think I like to keep my illusions.

Funnily enough, I find this one of his weakest books - there's all the bleakness and harshness with none of the grand sense of context and history that his best writing (i.e. The American Underground Trilogy) incorporates brilliantly. The first time I read this, I had flu and had nightmares so vivid that they almost put me off the book.

[andy popp]

Glad you're enjoying the Knausgaard the_dom. The first is probably (no, definitely) the bleakest of the first three.

As ever, huge respect to Dave C for services rendered. I might try and think of a top 5. I've started on something I've meant to do for years: rereading Proust.

[the_dom]

Glad you're enjoying the Knausgaard the_dom. The first is probably (no, definitely) the bleakest of the first three.

A hat-tip to Falling_Down and yourself (and anyone else who may have recommended it) for the recommendation. I'm finding it less bleak at the moment - most of the perceived bleakness is probably as much to do with my slightly turbulent life at the moment..

[DaveC]

Thanks Andy, nice to be appreciated. I keep thinking I should have a go at reading Proust but I never seem to get there. Suggest a good starter and I'll get a copy and stick it in my "waiting to be read" pile.

[Falling Down]

Yeah, tip o' that hat to Dave C for adding to the ever increasing list.  I absolutely loved both the Philip Hoare books (I've since found out he was heavily involved with Coil, Psychic TV and Crass - a proper free thinker).  I just bought The Cultural Life of Whales and Dolphins on the back of his marvellous review but have yet to crack the spine. 

The_Dom, don't thank me for Knausgaard, that's all Andy's doing. 

I'm currently reading Richard Ford's The Sportswriter after hearing so many good things over the years.  It's really similar to Updike's Rabbit books. Jung's essays are getting some attention being two months engaged in psychotherapy - very illuminating.

[andy popp]

I realise now that I've seen Philip Hoare speak, about the whale book, in a glade in a wood at a music festival. Very good it was too. I should read.

Updike; somehow I can't get over a totally unreasoning antipathy. Should I bother trying?

I've come up with a 2014 best of. I can't believe some of the books/authors I've had to leave out of this list. I might write a totally different one tomorrow:

Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers Another vote for this masterclass in narrative history writing
Patrick Leigh-Fermor, A Time of Gifts. A small jewel; glittering language, incredible learning, hell of an adventure
Karl Ove Knausgaard, Boyhood Island. I want this series to go on forever
Ronald Blythe, Akenfield. Powerful, moving oral history of a village in Suffolk across the C20th. Likely to have a significant impact on my own work.
Naguib Mahfouz, Palace Walk. Vol. I of the Cairo Trilogy (I've read Vol.II now as well). Opens with a deliberate nod to the first page of Proust; what a way to set out your stall. Completely delivers.

Dave, on Proust, there is only one place to start, Swann's Way. This time I'm reading the new translation by Lydia Davis and enjoying it very much.

[Rocksteady]

Funnily enough, I find this one of his weakest books - there's all the bleakness and harshness with none of the grand sense of context and history that his best writing (i.e. The American Underground Trilogy) incorporates brilliantly. The first time I read this, I had flu and had nightmares so vivid that they almost put me off the book.

I think I agree re: The Black Dahlia vs American Tabloid, for example. With that I enjoyed the sense that there were bigger things going on. I finished the Black Dahlia last night and feel a bit like I'd rather I hadn't read it.

On a brighter note, anyone contemplating reading Proust should go for it with Swann's Way. So well written, so acutely observed - fiction at its best.