The SMB Book thread



I'm a one for Charity bookshops. I get my spending fix now that I don't buy music and clothes very rarely.

Also, you can take a punt on stuff that you wouldn't pay full price on.

50p for Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy will be the most value ever. I've read it (on and off) for over two years and still haven't got past early Middle Ages.


I must go back to that. I started it and lost interest very early. Have you read Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy? A fantastic read.

I haven't. Sounds long.
 
Surprised someone hasn't made it into TV. It's family rivalry in space ie got esque. Very dramatic but decent writing
its on the way

"
Luna: New Moon
By Ian McDonald

Luna: New Moon


Set 50 years after the colonization of the moon, Luna: New Moon chronicles the machinations and intrigue of the moon’s five ruling families as they battle for control. Known as “The Five Dragons,” the five dynasties sabotage, poison, marry, and backstab each other in a constant struggle to increase their influence over the feudal society that has developed on the lunar surface.
Ian McDonald’s novel has frequently been described as “Game of Thrones on the moon,” so it’s no surprise it was the subject of an intense bidding war for the adaptation rights. CBS Television won that war in 2015 and tasked writer-producer Shane Brennan (NCIS) with developing it for television.
~
 
If there's one book you must read on Creation Records and its history, then this is the book - My Magpie Eyes Have Seen The Prize: The Creation Records Story by David Cavanagh.

The weight of 3 bricks - but a brilliant book.

Was reading some of his magazine articles the other day, including his scathing review of Monster (he was a huge fan prior to that)
Some really good reading.
Then had a quick look to see who he was writing for these days.
Never knew he’d passed away so tragically last December.
 
Operation Mincmeat by Ben Macintyre

I finally got round to reading this (something half of the SMB probably has done already). A fascinating true story about one of the key deceptions of WWII. Full of eccentric characters and interesting insights into the war and the secret services on both sides. There's a film seemingly coming next year (additional to the 1956 film based around one of the key protagonist's books). 9/10
 
Operation Mincmeat by Ben Macintyre

I finally got round to reading this (something half of the SMB probably has done already). A fascinating true story about one of the key deceptions of WWII. Full of eccentric characters and interesting insights into the war and the secret services on both sides. There's a film seemingly coming next year (additional to the 1956 film based around one of the key protagonist's books). 9/10
Macintyres got himself a good gig. Essentially just regurgitating old tales for a new audience.
 
Second Sleep - Robert Harris

A bit shit really after a promising start and premise, never really went anywhere which is unfortunate. Usually like his books but wouldnt be recommending this to anyone.

5/10
 
Ulysses by James Joyce 10/10
Finally read it, having put it off all my adult life. It's hard work at times, but endlessly inventive (if you don't like a particular section, the next one will be completely different) and also much funnier than I expected. Other books seem a bit tame afterwards.

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A few I've read lately:

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Thought I was going to love this but ended up being disappointed. Basically the story falls into two parts and he's spent far too much time on one part and not enough on the other. Possibly his weakest book, although there were still things I enjoyed in it.
just finished this. Had high hopes for it but it was a bit meh tbh. Theres a great book in there somewhere but the endless scientific descriptions became a bit tiresome. The second part of the book on new earth wasn’t given enough time either, felt kinda tacked on at the end.
 
Ulysses by James Joyce 10/10
Finally read it, having put it off all my adult life. It's hard work at times, but endlessly inventive (if you don't like a particular section, the next one will be completely different) and also much funnier than I expected. Other books seem a bit tame afterwards.

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i bought it a few years ago and its sat my shelf ever since, never had the gumption to start it. how long did it take you?
 
Second Sleep - Robert Harris

A bit shit really after a promising start and premise, never really went anywhere which is unfortunate. Usually like his books but wouldnt be recommending this to anyone.

5/10
An awful writer. He has good ideas for plots but can’t carry them through.
 
Not quite a book but on the back of the TV series I read the original watchmen comic collection. Really enjoyable, although I think having seen the end of the TV show took away from the shock of the final events
 
i bought it a few years ago and its sat my shelf ever since, never had the gumption to start it. how long did it take you?

About three weeks. I did some of it by audiobook while out walking. I highly recommend the RTE multi-cast audiobook. It's easy to get bogged down in some of the trickier sections, but listening to them brings them to life. On the other hand, some sections need to be seen on the page: formatting and italics are sometimes important to the meaning.

But go for it. It's much funnier and much more fun than you'd expect, and undoubtedly one of the greatest novels ever written.
 
Had a go at Middlemarch a few weeks back. Too much for me. Was sending me to sleep. I got about 80 pages in and gave up.
Tried " Nineteen eighty four". Not impressed. 5 out of 10.
On my third reading of "Pride and prejudice". Still enjoying it as much as the first time.
Need to try the last one or two " Charlie parker" crime with a touch of supernatural, that i haven't read yet, by John Connolly.
And still have to find the last ( not counting the latest one) Bosch book by Michael Connelly.
Made more difficult because i've read both out of order and don't recall the names of the books.
 

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