The SMB Book thread

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.
Just like my present book "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel. Find myself reading the same page/paragraph over and over again and then falling asleep.
Normally love this period of history (Thomas Cromwell and Henry viii) and i devour books by CJ Sansom and Conn Iggulden but just can not get on with her style. Might have to give up and find something else:(
 


The Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry

Second in the series in which Christopher Brookmyre and his wife, Marisa Haetzman collaborate under a pseudonym. Victorian Edinburgh, medically based crime etc. It's an enjoyable and easy read which mixes historically accurate characters with fictional characters. 8/10
 
The Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry

Second in the series in which Christopher Brookmyre and his wife, Marisa Haetzman collaborate under a pseudonym. Victorian Edinburgh, medically based crime etc. It's an enjoyable and easy read which mixes historically accurate characters with fictional characters. 8/10
@janiep this is your kind of thing, maybe?

@Arkle is it black comedy like Brookmyre, or a different style?
 
@janiep this is your kind of thing, maybe?

@Arkle is it black comedy like Brookmyre, or a different style?

I wouldn't say it was black comedy. Basically you get three things:

1) an exploration of early Victorian society and morals (books are set in 1847 or thereabouts). Class structure, the attitude to women, and restrictions placed on women etc.

2) some medical history. Edinburgh was at the forefront of a lot of medical developments at the time.

3) an interesting detective story.

Probably worth reading the first book, The Way Of All Flesh, before this as it introduces the central characters.
 
I wouldn't say it was black comedy. Basically you get three things:

1) an exploration of early Victorian society and morals (books are set in 1847 or thereabouts). Class structure, the attitude to women, and restrictions placed on women etc.

2) some medical history. Edinburgh was at the forefront of a lot of medical developments at the time.

3) an interesting detective story.

Probably worth reading the first book, The Way Of All Flesh, before this as it introduces the central characters.
IIRC, it's intended that the Ambrose Parry novels form a trilogy.
 
Just like my present book "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel. Find myself reading the same page/paragraph over and over again and then falling asleep.
Normally love this period of history (Thomas Cromwell and Henry viii) and i devour books by CJ Sansom and Conn Iggulden but just can not get on with her style. Might have to give up and find something else:(
Took me ages to get into Wolf Hall but glad I stuck it out. She's got a fantastic dry wit to her writing style. Looking forward to her final book of the trilogy.

Also, not read this, but saw and noted it. Sansom has a recommendation on the front.


And if you like Shardlake, try Clement's Shakespeare series and Parris' Bruno books. My dad loves them.
 
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Just like my present book "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel. Find myself reading the same page/paragraph over and over again and then falling asleep.
Normally love this period of history (Thomas Cromwell and Henry viii) and i devour books by CJ Sansom and Conn Iggulden but just can not get on with her style. Might have to give up and find something else:(

I perservered and ended up loving it. So much so I've bought 'Bring Up the Bodies'.

Currently reading Eddie Jones' autobiography. Don't normally do autobiography but had to read Eddie's.
Took me ages to get into Wolf Hall but glad I stuck it out. She's got a fantastic dry wit to her writing style. Looking forward to her final book of the trilogy.

Also, not read this, but saw and noted it. Sansom has a recommendation on the front.


And if you like Shardlake, try Clement's Shakespeare series and Parris' Bruno books. My dad loves them.

Took the words out of my mouth :lol:
 
Took me ages to get into Wolf Hall but glad I stuck it out. She's got a fantastic dry wit to her writing style. Looking forward to her final book of the trilogy.

Also, not read this, but saw and noted it. Sansom has a recommendation on the front.


And if you like Shardlake, try Clement's Shakespeare series and Parris' Bruno books. My dad loves them.
Re read about 50 pages again and enjoyed it a lot more than the first time. Hopefully has given me the momentum to get into it properly.
I perservered and ended up loving it.

Well still going atm - fingers crossed.
 
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Rosewater by tade Thompson. Award winning Sci fi set in a future Nigeria. A different feel, being set in Nigeria and had some really great chapters. Also at times slightly confusing and felt muddled towards the end. 7.5 out of 10
 
Just read, Paul Morley - the age of Bowie, not bad, not great, once you get over Morley's re invention of history.

and "I talk too much" - Francis Rossi, loaned from a friend, never got into Quo, but this book is pretty good.

And I'm half way through reading "The ragged trousered philanthropist" for the umpteenth time
and it gets better every time I read it, a masterpiece.
 

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