Goodreads Ireland discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
What Are You Reading
@Jamielynn. You should read it. It's very good.
@Cathleen. It's one of those little coincidences that put a smile on my face.
@Cathleen. It's one of those little coincidences that put a smile on my face.
Very funny all of you. Jamie, I love CJ Sansom and I think you would like Dissolution. I learned about this author from the Craig Ferguson show believe it or not.Craig is now onto Foyle's War now and dresses like the character often.
Do you guys think my review was mean? I'm having second thoughts. Not really. I've written meaner.
Susan, the Ian Sansom book review was completely fair-the book was awful, and it was only after you'd bought it that we realised you'd bought the last instead of the first-it was the last for a reason! I wouldn't say that to his face though, given that he's about 6'5" and looks like one of the older Sons of Anarchy members, beard and all!
I looked up his picture and you're right but I don't think he's SOA material. Maybe a member of that notorious IRA gun dealing group that is a SOA supplier.
That would be an interesting twist, considering he's an English transplant into NI, like his character Israel!Actually, that'd probably make him perfect for the gang you mention-their accents were so authentically NI in the season filmed here that was so perfect in its portrayal of local life-I remember thinking it was actually a documentary I was watching, they'd captured life here so well! :-D !!
That's what I expected. I thought it was so true that Americans would need to buy guns from Ireland as there is so few here. I mean it's so far to find a gun in America it's ridiculous. :)
Susan - I just picked up The Rising by Brian McGilloway at the library on MOnday. I had requested it at least 2 months ago. Guess there are only a few copies in the system. I've read two of his and what I like most is the setting in western Ulster on the border of Donegal.I was lost in all this C.J. Sanson talk thinking Dissolution was a dystopian novel. And wondering who is Matthew Sharklake? A quick search on Amazon answered all my questions. I TBR pile is huge and this morning I counted just the books piled on top of my bookcases and there's more than 60. OMG - between sorting books and my yarn room, it'd take me 10 years or more to get through all the reading and knitting.
As this thread is 'what are you reading?' I will comment on that:) I just finished The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (all 642 pages) and will post a review today. I just started The Outcast Dead and am continuing to read Fear and Loathing in La Liga: Barcelona, Real Madrid, and the World's Greatest Sports Rivalry which excellent, but not a quick read.
I've seen a lot of posts about the Harry Quebert novel. I really.should check it out.
Barbara, as a fellow mystery lover I can assure you that when you have the time you will love the CJ Sansom series.
@Jamielynn. I think it'll be worth it.
Wow. You would think a prolific author wouldn't have time to teach.
Gerry wrote: "@Barbara Brian McGilloway is from my hometown and teaches at my old school. Small world!"Wow Gerry - you have something in common with Allan in this group whose family lives in the same neighborhood the writer Adrian McKinty writes about in his Troubles trilogy and who grew up in Carrickfergus. Then again, Northern Ireland is a small (I'd like to say 'wee' but worry it would seem an affectation) place.
Gerry - I was just in Bellaghy in April for a visit to Heaney's grave. I believe he also went to primary school there. Lovely part of the world.I've spent a lot of time in Barcelona and am fascinated with the history in Fear and Loathing. I just read the part where Lowe dismantles the myth that Real Madrid were Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War and Barca, Nationalists. History is almost always more complex than we are led to believe. I admire Lowe for the depth of his research.
Gerry, did you ever see the documentary featuring some famous old boys of your old school? If I remember, they included John Hume, Seamus Heaney and a bishop of some description among others. I remember it being very interesting.
Gerry, they probably just didn't want to blow their whole budget on your appearance fee!Seriously though, it was really interesting to see how the introduction of free secondary education in 1947 allowed so many great men to reach their potential in one school-it just makes you wonder how many didn't get the chance to reach that potential before the change.
I know I just read a book, perhaps a novel, that had the introduction of secondary education as part of it. Was that in this group? I know I am reading too much when I can't remember.Gerry- it's a good heads-up to know some Real Madrid fans go for the fascist image. This may get me into trouble but I immediately thought of the fight here over the name of the Washington DC football team, the Redskins.
Barbara, you're thinking of Unspoken and Donagh O'Malley's bill in the south in the 1960s, which pretty much had the same effect there as the bill in NI did. :)
Goodreads can be so bad with the recommendations. I've seen some very odd links come up in the past. Its all set up on keywords with little intelligence to it all. Much better on goodreads as Emma said is other readers opinions though. Can't get that on Amazon
Mod
Allan wrote: "Barbara, you're thinking of Unspoken and Donagh O'Malley's bill in the south in the 1960s, which pretty much had the same effect there as the bill in NI did. :)"That's it! I thought it was one of the Stembridge books but Unspoken was set in the 60's so I knew that was too late. I just learned a bit more history from this discussion - NI had public secondary education more than a decade before Ireland.
Theresa - recommendations based on a word in the title is really silly!
It was actually 20 years after NI that free secondary education was brought in by O'Malley's announcement. NI copied the 1944 Education Act in England and Wales with their 1947 Act, which included funding for third level education.http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/educ/ei...
@Sara. Glad you had fun. I hope you picked up some good Sci-fi on your travels?
@Emma. We're trying to be a little more ingenuitive now. We brought in the smoking ban and carrier bag levy first. Not exactly as momentous as free education but it's a start.
@Emma. We're trying to be a little more ingenuitive now. We brought in the smoking ban and carrier bag levy first. Not exactly as momentous as free education but it's a start.
I've had a pretty profitable start to July, having finished three books so far-Cal, by NI author Bernard McLaverty, The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck and Hope: A Tragedy by US author Shalom Auslander. The Steinbeck was as enjoyable as all his others that I have read have been, while Cal, while very well written, was pretty depressing, dealing with the darker elements of life during the Troubles. I decided to read Hope to cleanse my palate with a bit of humour, but to be honest, it was pretty disappointing and more than a little ludicrous. Thankfully it was an easy read-if it had've been a slower paced novel, I'd probably have given up.
Next up for me is a book that I've wanted to read for a while, and one of the books that Barbara kindly brought as a gift on her visit to Belfast in April. I've kept it until now due to its 650 page length-Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon. The ratings it's received on Goodreads suggest that it's a book that I'm going to enjoy anyway!
Jamie Lynn wrote: "I think that's my problem Fiona. My son depends on a wheelchair. Thank God he's in much better shape than the guy in the book,(Will?) He's not paralyzed. He has CP.I've worked with severely disab..."
I'm reading The Last Letter from Your Lover .I'm about half way done and really enjoying it. It's nothing like Me Before You except for the beautiful writing.
Emma wrote: "The ending really makes Me Before You stand out. Overall as a book it's a well written easy read but the ending lifts it up a level. Few writers writing the kind of books Moyes writes would have ha..."As I was dusting some bookshelves, I saw that I have one of JoJo Moyes' books. I bought it for 1.00 at a used bookstore. It's The Last Letter from Your Lover. So it sounds like I got a bargain from the discussion here.
I just realized today that I only have 6 weeks of my summer vacation "left". The problem with being in academia, work never really ends. I got 4 mysteries from the library this week - books on my 'to read' list. I was just thinking I have to tackle some of the longer books and non-fiction in my pile. I am turning off the tv a lot and reading instead.I'm just starting Peter Robinson's Children of the Revolution and listening to Stuart Neville's Stolen Souls.
Turning off your TV? How can you live without the summer gems, Big Brother, Keeping up with the Kardashians, etc.? I have to admit that I am now addicted to House Hunters International. Since I watched the Maynooth one I am thinking maybe I should move somewhere. A girl can dream.
Susan, I'll help you unload your furniture from the removal van.
Gerry, it's good to hear that you enjoyed the Simon book so much as well. I haven't read The Corner yet, but will have by the end of the summer, as it was another of the books that Barbara brought over for me in April, keeping with the theme of Baltimore / DC settings, both she and Sara living in the area between the two cities. I've already read the DC based books, but wanted to devote sustained reading time to these ones, knowing that they are longer reads. Both are right up my street though! Were you a Wire fan then, Gerry? I see that my edition of Homicide has a foreword by Richard Price, who I know did a bit of writing for The Wire, and was one of my favourite authors, when he was actually writing novels!
Barbara / Susan, I'd rarely have my tv on at all if I'm in the house by myself, although this week it's been on in the background at times with the likes of Wimbledon on etc. Six weeks holiday is an age to anyone not in education, Barbara, but I know exactly what you mean about wanting to use your reading time for the longer reads / non fiction. I'm looking at the Dairmuid Ferriter book that just arrived and feeling quite intimidated, but there'll be no better time to read it...
Susan wrote: "Turning off your TV? How can you live without the summer gems, Big Brother, Keeping up with the Kardashians, etc.? I have to admit that I am now addicted to House Hunters International. Since I wat..."Susan - I assume you're joking. Even the police drama put on for the summer The Rookies is bad and for some irrational program I don't like shows filmed in Canada that try to pretend they aren't in Canada.
Gerry - for years I have been deprived of The Wire as I never subscribed to HBO and Netflix doesn't have it. But Amazon Prime now has it so I'll probably watch it this summer. I am getting to the end of the French police drama Spiral (Engrenage) on Netflix - 40 episodes - which I watch while on my treadmill.
Allan - I have been on a 'school schedule' my entire life so I am spoiled. Though I tend to think of others as overworked. Having said that, I have plenty of work to do during my 'vacation' time. Again, I am amazed how much audiobook listening I get done while doing household tasks. Now that I am not driving in and out to work, I am looking for other listening time.
I know someone (possibly Barbara) read The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair and was wondering what they thought of it. Eason has a buy one get one half price offer on at the mo and I was thinking of getting it. It's a biggish book though and sounds a little dark so I'd like to hear from someone who read it.
Barbara, of course I was joking. The drivel that runs in the summer is awful. I just caught a new show on PBS that I like though. It's Vicious with Ian McKellan and Derek Jacobi. Also, the Last Tango in Halifax just started again and I like that.
Gerry, I started watching The Wire with my other half a few years ago on DVD, but only got through the first two seasons. I know from reading this book, that I'll have to watch on, even if I do so by myself.Barbara, it is amazing how quickly you'll devour audiobooks when doing chores etc. I actually listen to some audiobooks at 1.5x speed, depending on the narrator-some can read at a snail's pace, as you know-but it's a great way to ensure there's no 'wasted' time' :)
Sure, you know how to do it yourself, now.
Another convert to the audiobook, Fiona-great stuff! You'll both need to get some Walter Scott classics onto the phones now before your trip to Edinburgh next week, to get into the shortbread tin mood. :)
Jamie Lynn wrote: "Emma, Colleen, Cathleen, I haven't given up on Moyes. I like her writing style so I'll try another on of her books.Susan, I'll look and see if Vicious is on in Iowa. I like Jacobi."
That's good, Jamie Lynn, since I have one of her books in a bookcase here. I always seem to forget (!!) books I've picked up at used bookshops along the ways.
I thought about that, Jamielynn, and I think Pratchett edges it.
Fiona, I bet that's a good way to start with a book narrated by Hugh Laurie. Are you guys telling me that you listen on your phones? I thought you got CD's and played them on your stereo. I am hopelessly behind the times.
I download audible e-books from the library thru an app called Overdrive onto my I-phone. It works great.
Gerry, did you watch the series, 'Homicide: Life on the Street' as well? I've never been a big tv fan, but vaguely remember it being on years ago. I see that there were 7 series and there are 33 DVDs in the box set-that's some mileage out of the one book! Some of the reviews on Amazon suggest that it was better than 'The Wire'...
Jamie Lynn wrote: "I like what little of seen. Pratchett seems to be hilarious."He is hilarious, Jamie Lynn. And creates some amazing characters. One of my favourites is the tout, 'Cut me Own Throat Dibbler'.
@Susan. If you use audible their phone app will do most of the hard work for you, connecting to your phone (or mp3 player) automatically. But you can "rip" an audiobook from a CD and then then add it to a device by accessing its music/audio folder, which is what I did.
(I might have made it sound more finicky than it is, but it isn't difficult at all.)
(I might have made it sound more finicky than it is, but it isn't difficult at all.)
Susan wrote: "Fiona, I bet that's a good way to start with a book narrated by Hugh Laurie. Are you guys telling me that you listen on your phones? I thought you got CD's and played them on your stereo. I am hope..."Yes Susan, I listen to my audiobooks on my iPhone. Either through earphones while I'm walking around or doing chores, or plug into my car which as a jack for iPods, iPhones. Some of these books would take up many, many CDs. I used to get books on CDs from the library for road trips but it's so awkward. It's all digital now. but I will confess to buying music CD's every once and a while in my local book store.
Diane - I have to try Overdrive again. The first time, I couldn't get the app to work. More recently, there was nothing I wanted. It seems that anything popular is never ever available.
Trelawn - I think that all the talk around Harry Quebert is hype. Comparing it to 'The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo' is totally ridiculous. The book is long, though I won't say it is too padded the way Donna Tartt and Tana French do. It has lots of twists and turns. For a dark story, it isn't really dark. The writing is nothing special at all, and characters aren't developed in depth at all. As I said in my review, what annoyed me was the book insisting these amazing novels were written in a couple of months. And when reading excerpts from the supposed novels, you're likely to think the writing is rather insipid. But apart from that, without the hype, it's a decent read. Here the paperback sells for $18 about E 13.25. With Buy One Get One Half price deal, is at best a 25% discount if both books are the same price. Having said that, I often load up with some of these deals at Dublin airport before flying home. That's how I bought 'The Spinning Heart' before it was even a big book.
My 62 year old mum recently bought an iPad (up until then she's been completely technophobic), but she's mainly using it to download both ebooks and audiobooks using OverDrive. Trust me, if she has the confidence to do this independently, anyone can!
@ Barbara thanks for that. I might give it a miss for now, my TBR is fairly full already
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Goodreads Ireland
Books mentioned in this topic
Band of Sisters (other topics)The Four Winds (other topics)
The Paris Library (other topics)
Lana's War (other topics)
Big Girl, Small Town (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lauren Willig (other topics)Kristin Hannah (other topics)
Janet Skeslien Charles (other topics)
Anita Abriel (other topics)
C.S. Harris (other topics)
More...
:) I think it's funny that the name Sansom appears to be one of Susan's favorite authors as well as one of her most disliked ones, too.