[Falling Down]

Moose, I loved Something Happened too.  It's a long time since I read the Rabbit novels.  I'm sure you can start with the second one..


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[Schnell]

The best Peter Carey of read, of approx five total, is Oscar and Lucinda. It's got all the panache/swagger of, for example, Theft but is the most complete and well rounded of his that I've read.

Good stuff, thanks. May plump for that over Kelly Gang for my next Carey read then.

Falling Down - just took delivery of The Sportwriter so looking forward to it.

Moose - appreciate the write up on Heller. Have re-read Catch 22 often and found it very moving, but always worried that I'd 'break the spell' by reading his other stuff. May have to branch out! I read Rabbit, Run a few years ago and found it a bit forced, but I wonder now if it might be better to tough it out and try the whole quartet as a single large novel. Rabbit, Run is easy enough reading for the sake of completeness.

Interested to know what you think when you get around to it. Also forgot to mention Illywhacker, took a while to get into but I really enjoyed it, though perhaps less epic than Oscar and Lucinda. Oddly enough I read it when on a trip to tarn, where I am again now. Overall I'm a big Carey fan.i think he's got substance to back up his style, unlike a lot of others.

[Rocksteady]

Recent reads:

Byzantium Endures - the first of the Pyat Quartet as recommended above by Falling Down. I can't believe I'd never read any Michael Moorcock. He's the kind of writer I really admire, having turned his hand successfully to multiple genres. I was impressed by this book - well-written, staggeringly rich in detail. And one of the most genuinely despicable protagonists I've ever encountered. I often can't read books where I really dislike the main character, as I can't see why I should care about them, but this maintained a thread of humour throughout and was extremely interesting. Quite literary in style and character. I shall read the others.

I followed up with Stormbringer!, also by Michael Moorcock, which is a novelised version of a series of Elric of Melnibone short stories, published in 1965. Given its age, and the fact that it has an exclamation mark in the title, I didn't have high expectations of this. However, I enjoyed it quite a lot. It's clearly an influence on a lot of other fantasy novels I've read (as a fan of the genre) over the years. Particularly thought that Raymond E. Feist's Valheru were influenced by this. Anyway, pretty light reading but a decent story and didn't quite play out as I expected.

Obviously I'm feeling in need of escapism at the moment because I re-read Dune by Frank Herbert. I think this is an absolutely stonking novel and I'd say definitely my favourite of the sci-fi genre. Swirlingly complex and many layered, it's a pretty classic story arc with a very unusual treatment. I love it. But having previously read one of the sequels, I'm not inclined to read any of the rest of the series. I feel it will let me down, and rather would rest with this apogee of Herbert's work.

[andy popp]

Just finished Sugar Street, the final volume of Naguib Mahfouz's Cairo Trilogy - a marvellous set of books following one Egyptian family across the tumultuous first half of the C20th. A must for anyone who enjoys multi-volume novels.

[chris05]

Just finished Sugar Street, the final volume of Naguib Mahfouz's Cairo Trilogy - a marvellous set of books following one Egyptian family across the tumultuous first half of the C20th. A must for anyone who enjoys multi-volume novels.

That looks great Andy, just ordered it. Thanks for posting

[andy popp]

I hope you enjoy them. Let me know what you think.

[kelvin]

Obviously I'm feeling in need of escapism at the moment because I re-read Dune by Frank Herbert. I think this is an absolutely stonking novel and I'd say definitely my favourite of the sci-fi genre. Swirlingly complex and many layered, it's a pretty classic story arc with a very unusual treatment. I love it. But having previously read one of the sequels, I'm not inclined to read any of the rest of the series. I feel it will let me down, and rather would rest with this apogee of Herbert's work.

I can understand that. I didn't read any of the others for many years but eventually, I succumbed. The next book was the worst in the series for me and the last one, all about the Bene Gesserit, I thought was fantastic and incredibly well written. Read most of his son's interpretations of his notes, which are poor in comparison but okay in their own right and they do get better as time goes by.

Dune certainly left it's mark and I'm far more a fan of space opera than hard nosed scifi. Just a brilliant book.

[Falling Down]

Rocksteady - Glad you enjoyed the Pyatt book.  I've not re-read the Elric books since my teens but keep meaning to as they are one part of a series based upon The Eternal Champion with Elric, Corum & Jerry Cornelius as the central character in different 'pulp' formats (I didn't realise this reading Elric at fourteen or so).  Jerry being the son of Mrs Cornelius in The Pyatt quartet and in various other forms in other books. Mother London is brilliant too. 

He was at the nexus of the New Worlds movement in the late 60's/early 70's with J G Ballard, Brian Aldiss a young M John Harrison & others pushing the envelope of experimental fiction and publishing stuff from the US (William Burrroughs, Brion Gysin & John Giorno) that led onto the Manchester based avant-garde Savoy imprint by Mike Butterworth and Dave Britton and the Lord Horror series (first book to be banned under the obscene publications act since last Exit to Brooklyn after parodying Gods Cop James Anderton and being crushed by the GMP leading to a prison sentence for Britton in Strangeways just before the riots) and the likes of Iain Sinclair, Will Self and dozens of other talented writers and novelists.  Hugely influential..

[the_dom]

I've been reading Seveneves, Neal Stephenson's new novel. In my typical fashion, I started it, read about 100 pages, got a little bored, read something else, then came back to it and am in the process of devouring it. It's safe to say that if you have enjoyed his recent books (Anathem, Reamde), you'll probably enjoy this one. It's much more punchy than the phenomenal but occasionally rambling Baroque Cycle trilogy, which I know put some people off his writing.

[Rocksteady]

The Baroque Cycle on the contrary made me a massive fan of Stephenson, which was confirmed when I read Cryptonomicon. Absolute belter of a novel. Psyched to check out more of his work.

[the_dom]

The Baroque Cycle on the contrary made me a massive fan of Stephenson, which was confirmed when I read Cryptonomicon. Absolute belter of a novel. Psyched to check out more of his work.

Likewise - they were the first of his books that I read and I still regard them as some of my favourites, but his later books are slightly more rollicking throughout (Baroque Cycle especially can get a little .. slow moving in parts). That said, I've thoroughly enjoyed every novel he's written.

[SA Chris]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poisonwood-Bible-Barbara-Kingsolver-ebook/dp/B002RI91MG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434449138&sr=1-1&keywords=%27the+poisonwood+bible%27

Has anyone reads this? I've had it recommended to me by a few people, but I'm struggling to persevere after a few chapters, and thinking of bailing before I commit and have to stick it out to reach the chains.

[andy popp]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poisonwood-Bible-Barbara-Kingsolver-ebook/dp/B002RI91MG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434449138&sr=1-1&keywords=%27the+poisonwood+bible%27

Has anyone reads this? I've had it recommended to me by a few people, but I'm struggling to persevere after a few chapters, and thinking of bailing before I commit and have to stick it out to reach the chains.

Yes, I really liked it and have recommended it to others. The first Kingsolver I read ('Pigs in Heaven' I think) was reluctantly picked up in a hotel lobby when I'd run out of holiday reading. I was probably a bit sceptical, but she's a good, thoughtful writer. I thought 'The Poisonwood Bible' had quite a strong, compelling narrative ... I'd say it gets quite gripping really, I wanted to know what would happen to the characters.

[SA Chris]

OK, I'll persevere, it will make a change from my last cheesefest! (one I started when I ran out of reading recently!)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Avalanche-Jack-Drummond/dp/075153904X

[Falling Down]

I appreciated this one

[andy popp]

I appreciated this one

Quality comments.

[jwi]

I've been reading Seveneves, Neal Stephenson's new novel. In my typical fashion, I started it, read about 100 pages, got a little bored, read something else, then came back to it and am in the process of devouring it. It's safe to say that if you have enjoyed his recent books (Anathem, Reamde), you'll probably enjoy this one. It's much more punchy than the phenomenal but occasionally rambling Baroque Cycle trilogy, which I know put some people off his writing.

Didn't know there was a new Stephenson out. Thanks for the head ups. Really liked Anathem. (Found Reamde to be thousand of pages of drivel though. Wouldn't have gotten through it if it wasn't the only thing I brought to the mountains. I suspect the main problem is that the “international thriller” genre is inherently rasist.)

[SA Chris]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poisonwood-Bible-Barbara-Kingsolver-ebook/dp/B002RI91MG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434449138&sr=1-1&keywords=%27the+poisonwood+bible%27

Has anyone reads this? I've had it recommended to me by a few people, but I'm struggling to persevere after a few chapters, and thinking of bailing before I commit and have to stick it out to reach the chains.

Yes, I really liked it and have recommended it to others. The first Kingsolver I read ('Pigs in Heaven' I think) was reluctantly picked up in a hotel lobby when I'd run out of holiday reading. I was probably a bit sceptical, but she's a good, thoughtful writer. I thought 'The Poisonwood Bible' had quite a strong, compelling narrative ... I'd say it gets quite gripping really, I wanted to know what would happen to the characters.

I'm persevering and enjoying, but at the rate I read the library won't be happy with the return date.

[DaveC]

I've been very distracted this year and neglecting this thread but I have been getting through some books (although not as many as last year) and below are ten I have read and enjoyed so far if anybody is interested:

Curiosity – Alberto Manguel
Not an easy book to describe, the author uses Dante’s Divine Comedy to highlight the role of curiosity in human history and also takes some autobiographical detours to examine his own curiosity and how it has shaped his life. Overall, a delightful read.

'Caesar, Life of a Colossus' and 'Augustus, From Revolutionary to Emperor' Adrian Goldsworthy
Goldsworthy, a highly regarded military historian at Oxford, wrote his biography of Caesar over a decade ago while that of Augustus is his most recent work. I read them in succession and thoroughly enjoyed them both. I learnt much about both of these legendary figures that I did not know before and Goldsworthy is an excellent writer. Both books are well worth reading if you are interested in Roman history. I still have the same writer’s “How Rome Fell” on the shelf awaiting my attention.

Uncommon Carriers – John McPhee
John McPhee is one of my favourite writers about America and this is a fine example of his work. Made up of a series of long essays about different aspects of the freight transport industry in the U.S. He writes about experiences travelling by road, river and rail but throws in a chapter on the college in France where captains go to learn how to really control the huge tankers and container ships they are in charge of and another on his re-enacting Thoreau’s wanderings on the waterways of his native Massachussetts in the 19th century. It is a fabulous book and close to being my favourite read of the year so far.

The Middle Ages – Johannes Fried
A major work in German now available in English, this is one of the most interesting books on the “Middle Ages” I have come across with a very different perspective from most books written in the Anglosphere. The translation is on the whole very good, the prose is generally very readable with only the odd awkward spot where the translator has struggled to grasp the nuances of the original text. Not really one for the layman unless you already have a pretty good grasp of the period he is writing about.

Cowardice, A Brief History – Chris Walsh
Not just a history of Cowardice but a look at what Cowardice actually is and how perspectives have changed over the course of the last century.

Red Nile, A Biography of the World’s Greatest River – Robert Twigger
Not just a history of the Nile but a wonderful collection of anecdotes and stories about the river and its people by a British writer and poet who has been living in Cairo for quite some time. Beautifully written and probably just ahead of McPhee’s book as my best read so far in 2015.

Manhunts, A Philosophical History – Gregoire Chamayou
A French philosopher takes us on a tour of man’s history of hunting other men. A book that goes to some dark places but it is not a long book and is very interesting if not always easy to read. I have been reading a lot of translated works from French and German of late and enjoy learning the very different perspectives developed in those cultures.

Paradoxical Undressing – Kristin Hersh
Definitely number three in my best of the year so far. Throwing Muses singer/guitarist/songwriter reveals how her music was driven by voices in her head that could only be controlled by turning what they said into the extraordinary songs that made her band one of the most interesting and innovative of its time. Surely one of the most original and inspiring memoirs around.

The Copernicus Complex: The Quest for our Cosmic (in)Significance – Caleb Scharf
Physicist Caleb Scharf writes of how man has progressively removed himself and his world from a dominant place at the centre of the universe to a small, seemingly insignificant lump of rock orbiting a small, insignificant star at the fringes of just another galaxy in a vast universe teeming with millions of them. Then suggests the way we view this state of affairs might be entirely wrong. Another fine book, not to long and elegantly written.

[the_dom]

I'm currently in the middle of Martin Amis's Money, which I'm hugely enjoying for the almost stream of conscious descriptions and the quality of the text. I think I read it years (decades) ago, but decided to revisit it after reading Hitch 22 by Christopher Hitchens, which I can also recommend.

I've also just finished Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason - Icelandic noir. Not convinced, to be honest, but might try the second book of the series when in the mood for something quick.
 

[andy popp]

Cowardice, A Brief History – Chris Walsh
Not just a history of Cowardice but a look at what Cowardice actually is and how perspectives have changed over the course of the last century.

Might be interesting to read this against 'Fear: A Cultural History' by Joanna Bourke, though fear and cowardice are not the same thing. Bourke has also written histories of pain, rape and killing (I'm sure she's an absolute hoot at parties). I haven't read any of her books but her papers can be very good.

[Wood FT]

Cowardice, A Brief History – Chris Walsh
Not just a history of Cowardice but a look at what Cowardice actually is and how perspectives have changed over the course of the last century.

Might be interesting to read this against 'Fear: A Cultural History' by Joanna Bourke, though fear and cowardice are not the same thing. Bourke has also written histories of pain, rape and killing (I'm sure she's an absolute hoot at parties). I haven't read any of her books but her papers can be very good.

Thanks for the heads up, I read her book on the history of killing and found it very interesting.

[DaveC]

As a collector of what you might call specialised history books I will look Joanna Bourke up. My latest arrivals are a history of Dust and a history of Surfaces. Both by an American academic called Joseph Amato whose writing I rather like.

[andy popp]

Uncommon Carriers – John McPhee
John McPhee is one of my favourite writers about America and this is a fine example of his work. Made up of a series of long essays about different aspects of the freight transport industry in the U.S. He writes about experiences travelling by road, river and rail but throws in a chapter on the college in France where captains go to learn how to really control the huge tankers and container ships they are in charge of and another on his re-enacting Thoreau’s wanderings on the waterways of his native Massachussetts in the 19th century. It is a fabulous book and close to being my favourite read of the year so far.

This looks particularly interesting.

My own reading has been slow this year as well. However, just raced by The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles - strange novel that left me somehow exhausted by the end ; not because it's hard work, maybe its a kind of sympathetic response as the characters are gradually taken apart by the world around them.

[Duma]

Uncommon Carriers – John McPhee
John McPhee is one of my favourite writers about America and this is a fine example of his work. Made up of a series of long essays about different aspects of the freight transport industry in the U.S. He writes about experiences travelling by road, river and rail but throws in a chapter on the college in France where captains go to learn how to really control the huge tankers and container ships they are in charge of and another on his re-enacting Thoreau’s wanderings on the waterways of his native Massachussetts in the 19th century. It is a fabulous book and close to being my favourite read of the year so far.

This looks particularly interesting.

Oooh this sounds great, just ordered, thanks for the tip.