Just finished/Just started (what book are you reading now?) 2015

[Michael]

I've just finished re-reading Neil Gaiman's wonderful dark fantasy Neverwhere:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

I'm now onto Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon and it's off to a good start.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

OK, that's enough serious stuff for a bit. Currently devouring The Castlemaine Murders and wondering if the Castlemaine in the folksong refers to Oz, or as in The Quiet Man, a town in Ireland. They sang it "he was born and bred in Ireland, in a town called Castlemaine." I know that many Irish folk were "transported" to "Van Dieman's Land" for such paltry offenses as stealing a single handkerchief.

[Nabse]

Well seeing as the football is on tomorrow I guess I should update everyone this evening! Mrbooks & Linda you probably won't be interested in this one but I have just finished Anfield of Dreams: A Kopite's Odyssey from the Second Division to Sublime Istanbul. Having said that, if you think of it more like a social history than a history of a football club, you might like it better! Ori, not sure if DH supports Spanish or British clubs - if British he might be interested - my review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I've also just finished We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves which I have just discovered has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. I loved it. Review to follow soon.

I'm still reading Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter and have just started The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born.

Hope you all have good weekends (and the right teams win!!)

Nabse B

[Turhan]

I'm 60% through The Eyes of The Sun (which is wicked good) then I'm going to read the prequel Dissonant Did someone just say why the prequel after the 1st book? Well, yeah, why would I be like everyone else, ya know?

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Nabse, DH is Spanish so he does tend to root for his side. Though lately he is disgusted with them all. He says they got too big for their studded boots. Or at least admin did, and sold off all the best players!

For some reason, in the mid-seventies, the educational network of US television broadcast a show called Soccer Made in Germany. I used to watch it, and a German friend told me "you can't support Both Munchen Gladbach and Bayer Munich--it's not possible!" I was 13, I just liked watching fit guys in shorts run around and get sweaty, I guess. LOL I remember when Shuster (sp?) broke his foot by kicking a goal post instead of the ball!!

[Jonathan]

Currently reading Before I Go To Sleep - jolly good so far!

[Linda]

I have started reading . Bad Games: A Novel. Really good so far. I am finding myself wising the family in the story would just follow their gut instincts and abandon their weekend vacation. My nerves are wrecked lol.

[Elaine]

Jonathan wrote: "Currently reading Before I Go To Sleep - jolly good so far!"

I really enjoyed that! I think I must have gone from liking it, to hating it, to loving it through the read LOL

[Michael]

I've just finished reading Olaf Stapledon's stunning masterpiece Star Maker. Find out why I enjoyed it so much here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

I'm now onto Whisper by Michael Bray.

[Jonathan]

Elaine wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Currently reading Before I Go To Sleep - jolly good so far!"

I really enjoyed that! I think I must have gone from liking it, to hating it, to loving it through the ..."

It's an intriguing premise. It's holding my attention. I just hope the ending lives up to the rest.

[Elaine]

Jonathan wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Currently reading Before I Go To Sleep - jolly good so far!"

I really enjoyed that! I think I must have gone from liking it, to hating it, to loving ..."

I was just glad I hadnt read any reviews first. Looking on some of the reviews afterwards, I saw a few spoilers, which I am glad I didnt know about! I am reading Room at the moment which is absolutely mindboggling.

[Jonathan]

Elaine wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Currently reading Before I Go To Sleep - jolly good so far!"

I really enjoyed that! I think I must have gone from liking it, to hati..."

I loved Room! Such a memorable book.

[Elaine]

The Secret Place is really really good!

[Michael]

I've just finished reading Whisper by Michael Bray and it's a decent, if somewhat familiar horror read:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

I've just started Dark Space by Jasper T Scott.

[Turhan]

Currently reading Demonica I'm so jealous that I didn't come up with that title first!

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Just finished I Am Half-Sick of Shadows. OK for a sleepless night, which it was, but the dude is writing about a culture he's obviously never lived in, so it tends to descend into pastiche. He obviously has no clue how much 625 quid actually was worth in 1950, and that's just one of his little huge mistakes.

[Linda]

Finished Bad Games: A Novel
Vengeful Games: A Novel

Bad Games: Hellbent - A Dark Psychological Thriller
I really enjoyed them.

Started reading . A Dark Winter Nightmare: Amy's abduction is just the beginning. Very good so far.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Had to shelve Asher Lev for a bit as that book is well written but a real downer. I can't find any of the characters likeable. So I grabbed The Merry Misogynist and read most of it in a day or two. Got to the shivery denouement at about 11 PM and decided to leave it or I wouldn't get any sleep!

[Linda]

Finished . It kept me on edge but was quite repetitive at times.

Started reading Caught. Can't really go wrong with Harlan Coben.

[T4bsF (Call me Flo)]

That Caught looks good Linda - I've put it on my wish list to see if the price comes down.

[Andrew]

I'm still ploughing through Jonathan Green's Unnatural History. I was enjoying it, but it's starting to drag a bit.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

That's a bummer, when a book starts out good and turns into a trudge.

[Michael]

I've just finished reading Jasper T Scott's sci-fi adventure Dark Space and while it has its flaws it did end up being a fun read:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

I'm now onto The Jigsaw Man by Gord Rollo and its off to an excellent start.

[mrbooks]

Just finished prince of fools.

Ok here is me being a sad sac, lol. I have now started Hunger I know it's a kids book, but Gone was good so went out on a limb and got the rest of the series.

[T4bsF (Call me Flo)]

I didn't read The Secret Garden until last year and I really enjoyed that, so I don't think the intended audience matters - just that whoever reads them gets enjoyment from them.

[mrbooks]

true, true

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

My mother told me something when I was about nine that I have never forgotten. She said, if a children's book has nothing to interest an adult in it, it probably won't be very good for kids either. Whether it's the illustrations, the plot, the narrative voice, whatever. She was right.

Personally I love children's lit, particularly at night when I am tired and want to relax. The Secret Garden is one of my favourites, the kind of place I'd like to go for a week or so! ;)

What's sad is when you go back to a middle-school favourite and discover you've outgrown it. Yes I know some books are age-specific (like when young girls go through "the horse thing") but when it's just an adventure story or whatever, it's sad to realise it didn't hold. Other books (the well-written kind) remain a joy forever.

[Jonathan]

Just finished The Pharmacist, the tale of an unusual but intriguing relationship between two men, one young, one old.

My review is here: http://www.100wordreviews.com/blog/th...

[Jon]

Just started reading What Dreams May Come today. So far I'm about 75 pages in and I have to say it's really good so far. I haven't seen the movie, so I can't give you a comparison. However, as for the book, it's great so far.

[Rebecca]

I just finished84, Charing Cross Road. Love it!
Just startedThe Summer Man

[Linda]

Finished reading Caught and it was a great read.

I am now in the middle of The Memoirs Of A Prague Executioner. Very interesting book. Very cruel times. No such thing as innocent until proven guilty. More a case of you are guilty and will be tortured until you admit it.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Almost done with Unnatural Habits. Oh dear oh dear, I think I only have one left in the series. Can anyone suggest anything similar? Her "baking mysteries" have underwhelmed me...well OK I only read the first one, don't know if they get better.

[Michael]

I've just finished reading David Wailing's short story Hotspot and it's an excellent addition to his 'Auto' series:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...



I've also finished reading The Jigsaw Man by Gord Rollo and while it's a decent take on Frankenstein it lacked depth:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

I'm now onto Weaveworld by Clive Barker and this was my favourite of his books, so I'm looking forward to seeing if I still enjoy it as much!

[Nabse]

Sorry people been a bit busy (yes, some of it was football related I'm afraid!) so not been on here for a while.

Anyway, I have not been totally inactive - I've just finished reading Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter and have posted a review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

I've now moved on to The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born and The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York both of which are starting out well.

[T4bsF (Call me Flo)]

Nabse wrote: "Sorry people been a bit busy (yes, some of it was football related I'm afraid!) so not been on here for a while.

Anyway, I have not been totally inactive - I've just finished reading [book:Zenzel..."

I hope your wife/girlfriend/partner has also read the last book you mention!!!!! lol :0)

[Nabse]

Funnily enough she bought it for me..... hopefully not a sign of things to come!

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Just finished a non-Maigret Simenon novel called Monsieur Monde Vanishes. Goodreads is singularly unhelpful when it comes to foreign-language authors, even when they've been translated. Can't seem to review it. Odd little book, very short.

[Chantal]

Just finished cockroaches by Jo Nesbo, and started the curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

WHY do new editions of classic authors include Introductions that merrily tell you the whole darn plot?? I managed to stop reading before Mr Pompous Larry McMurtry spoiled all of the abovementioned Simenon for me. But WHY do they do that?

[Susan]

Started reading Kind of up and down about this book.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

I couldn't finish that one, Susan. It got old in a hurry. And guess what--it's another series. What ever happened to the stand-alone novel that was rounded and complete?

[T4bsF (Call me Flo)]

I couldn't agree more Ori. I've not long finished Game of Thrones, which wasn't bad, but just not my cup of tea. With the very frequent lopping off of arms, and entrails being spilled, I was finding long swathes that were quite boring, so I was skimming over them. While I was reading this book, I had no intention of reading book 2. However, there were one or two storylines and characters that I enjoyed, so wanted to find out more, just about them. So now I'm skim reading most of book 2 just so I can read more about these interesting characters. I feel most annoyed at myself for doing this - but more annoyed at the author!! In the "good old days" - even if books were part of a series, they were written so well that each one could stand on its own! Has this skill been lost?

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Apparently so. Maybe it's to do with the TV series thing...you know, series that run to 10-12 seasons until everyone involved (directors, actors, writers) is sick of them.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

I hate to admit it but I am having trouble reading the last Phyrne Fisher book. And am catching myself skimming the "hot" sex scenes. Ugh. If I wanted erotica I know where to find better than this.

[Susan]

I didn't know Miss Peregrine's was part of a series! I also like a book to be able to "stand on it's own". But I can understand the lure for an author to write a cliff hanging series. Such a scheme almost guarantees book sales. Miss Peregrine's has gotten kind of weird because the main character is kissing a young looking girl who is really 80 years old and was involved with his grandfather. What?!?

[Jonathan]

Just finished Holding the Man: : Popular Penguins

Wow! Review here: http://www.100wordreviews.com/blog/ho...

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

You can read my review of Phryne Fisher 20 if you like. The song about the hedgehog's protected status on shipboard is available online.

Thinking of having a Rex Stout fest pretty soon. Archie and Mr Wolfe detected for 45 years and never aged more than a year or two each, and yet managed to stay abreast of the times they lived in.

Currently reading Harry Lipkin, Private Eye. Can't be a series if the main character is already in his 80s (she kids herself). Fast read, style's a little choppy but I know people who talk/think like that.

[mrbooks]

I think it is time to re-read the Harry Potter series, yes my friends I'm a Potterhead.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Already finished the above book. Don't bother unless you want to amuse yourself on a train or bus journey, or some such. Dull. Harmless, but dull.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

And am dipping into Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention now and then. We read the Autobiography in university Humanities class, so a different perspective is interesting.