The books and reading thread

Discussion, recommendations and reviews for music, movies, books and games. Creative arts, crafts and photography welcome.
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sateeb
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by sateeb »

:cheers: got it from https://b-ok.cc/book/5686865/220a38

Tall Tales and Wee Stories
Connolly, Billy
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

― George Carlin
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” -George Orwell.
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dtaai-maai
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by dtaai-maai »

For fantasy fans, I've just read the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie.
The First Law is a fantasy series written by British author Joe Abercrombie. The First Law is not only the title of the original trilogy in the series, but is also used to refer to the series as a whole.[1] The full series consists of a trilogy, three stand-alone novels, a number of short stories, and a second trilogy, titled The Age of Madness, of which the third book was published in September 2021.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Law

Excellent stuff, right up my street. I'm starting on the rest of the series now. All downloaded free from https://b-ok.cc/
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pharvey
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by pharvey »

sateeb wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 7:30 am :cheers: got it from https://b-ok.cc/book/5686865/220a38

Tall Tales and Wee Stories
Connolly, Billy
Added to the above: -

"Windswept & Interesting: My Autobiography"



Also, on the (Italian) cookery/humour front - "TASTE - My Life Through Food" by Stanley Tucci



:cheers: :cheers:
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RIP Wilbur Smith

Post by lindosfan1 »

Wilbur Smith passed away today. He was an excellent author of books mainly based in Africa. Although they were fiction they were based on his own experiences and history.
Woke up this morning breathing that's a good start to the day.
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by lomuamart »

Meant to mention a little while ago, but for le Carre fans, he recently had a book published posthumously by his son - "Silverview".

It's back to the spy stuff and rooting out moles. A good read.
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buksida
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Re: The books and reading thread

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Working through Cixin Liu's Three Body Problem, it's the first Chinese translated book I've tackled. Part of a wider trilogy called Remembrance of Earth's Past.

Sci-fi fans, SETI followers, and those that have studied fields such as astrophysics or orbital mechanics will love this - I'm certainly enjoying it.

3bp.jpg
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by dtaai-maai »

The Ashes of London series by Andrew Taylor.

Historical crime fiction set during and after the Fire of London.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Taylor_(author)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/261 ... -of-london
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by lomuamart »

Andrew Taylor is definitely a good read.

I've got masses to add but just can't seem to find the time inbetween covid tests.
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by pharvey »

buksida wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:25 am Working through Cixin Liu's Three Body Problem, it's the first Chinese translated book I've tackled. Part of a wider trilogy called Remembrance of Earth's Past.

Sci-fi fans, SETI followers, and those that have studied fields such as astrophysics or orbital mechanics will love this - I'm certainly enjoying it.
Cheers buks - and as luck would have it (also thanking Sateeb for the link to the main site)....

https://b-ok.cc/book/4217049/ade026

In the immortal words of Pop Larkin - "Perfick"! :thumb:

:cheers: :cheers:
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by sateeb »

A couple of books I've really enjoyed recently.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I think that there's a little bit of Ove in most of the posters on here :laugh:

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.
...Goodreads
https://u1lib.org/book/2491442/568701 for download.

Now, I've always enjoyed Gerald Seymour's books ever since Harry's Game and The Glory Boys and his latest offering does not disappoint.

The Crocodile Hunter 2021

Jonas Merrick. At MI5 they call him 'the eternal flame', because he never goes out. Never goes undercover, or on surveillance, or kicking down doors. If he's studying a map, he's probably planning his caravan holiday.

But what the hot-shots fail to notice in Jonas is a steely concentration, a ruthless ability to find the enemy who hides in plain sight like a submerged crocodile, waiting for prey.

Cameron Jilkes. A young man from a broken background, trained as a Jihadi in the harshest theatre of war. Coming ashore near Dover, he plans to live unnoticed, before unleashing a terrifying strike.

And this time, Jonas Merrick must go out - to hunt the crocodile himself.

download @ https://u1lib.org/book/12012337/1417ec
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

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“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” -George Orwell.
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dtaai-maai
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by dtaai-maai »

What a pleasant surprise to see that Gerald Seymour is still going strong. I've downloaded a few of his more recent books from z-library, and another I stumbled across that looks quite interesting in a Jack Reacher sort of way: The Drifter by Nick Ritchie https://b-ok.cc/book/4770688/bfcee6

They'll have to wait until I finish ploughing my way through Wilbur Smith's Egypt novels: River God, The Seventh Scroll and Warlock.
:cheers: :cheers:
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dtaai-maai
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by dtaai-maai »

Incidentally, this is quite a helpful website for background info, lists of books by an author, book series in order, etc.

https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/gerald-seymour/
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sateeb
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by sateeb »

dtaai-maai wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:35 pm What a pleasant surprise to see that Gerald Seymour is still going strong. I've downloaded a few of his more recent books from z-library, and another I stumbled across that looks quite interesting in a Jack Reacher sort of way: The Drifter by Nick Ritchie https://b-ok.cc/book/4770688/bfcee6

They'll have to wait until I finish ploughing my way through Wilbur Smith's Egypt novels: River God, The Seventh Scroll and Warlock.
:cheers: :cheers:
All good books, a good blast from the past.

Robert Harris' Roman trilogy, is also a great historical journey...

Imperium (2006) (Vol 1 of the Cicero Trilogy)
Lustrum (2009) (Vol 2 of the Cicero Trilogy
Dictator (2015) (Vol 3 of the Cicero Trilogy
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

― George Carlin
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” -George Orwell.
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Lost
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by Lost »

Stephen King's new dark fantasy Fairy Tale is making headlines.

Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher - for their world or ours.

'The hailed King of masterful writing has pierced the page with mighty words once again, releasing a whopping fantasy novel, reminiscent of the haunting magnificence of those Brothers Grimms . . . Fairy Tale soars, allowing you to bask happily ever after in its unforgettable spell ― Buzz Magazine'

I'll be giving it a whirl in a couple days when I've finished what I'm on. Looking forward to it. Only came out a few days ago but your friendly dodgy book site has a nice mobi download already. :D

https://b-ok.asia/book/22838750/2e7fdc
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Re: The books and reading thread

Post by handdrummer »

"parallel world where good and evil are at war"

Not exactly a "parallel" world. That is the world as we know it. I think it began in Genesis 1.
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