The SMB Book thread

Old Prestonian said:
I wouldn't describe it as the second in a series but more a book which featured some characters from an earlier book.
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Hmm I’d still recommend reading the first beforehand. There’s a lot of character development there that you’d miss out on going straight to the second.
I can never dive into the middles of a series.

I think read a few synopses of different books and pick one that sounds good. He has a style you’ll either like from the start or not.
Pandemonium that I just finished was mental but very enjoyable.
 


Old Prestonian said:
The thing about QUOM is that it is very different to the current writing of Brookmyre but if you wish to read the Parlabane series that is where you should start.

I'm currently about half way through The Chain by Adrian McKinty which is equal parts gripping and disturbing.
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Not read the co-writes or the "sci-fi" ? one.

Not tried McKinty so will investigate.

250 pages into Anna Karenina - will be a wee while yet. It's marvellous.
 
Exapno Mapcase said:
Not read the co-writes or the "sci-fi" ? one.

Not tried McKinty so will investigate.

250 pages into Anna Karenina - will be a wee while yet. It's marvellous.
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I've read the first Ambrose Parry and it didn't really appeal to me. The Adrian McKinty Sean Duffy series is excellent and IIRC it started this thread.
jacko100 said:
Haven’t heard of these. Must give them a go.
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Bateman's Dan Starkey and Mystery Man series are both excellent.
 
Old Prestonian said:
I've read the first Ambrose Parry and it didn't really appeal to me. The Adrian McKinty Sean Duffy series is excellent and IIRC it started this thread.
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The Parry book didn't appeal, sort of thing I will get in a charity shop and read eventually.

I am new to the books thread, mainly look at PF, but like the enthusiasm, diverse reading matter and absence of unpleasantness unless I have missed some Stone Age row over Catherine Cookson
 
I haven't posted here recently, so just a couple recent reads that I liked. There have been a few not-so-liked ones as well, of course. I've been using books as a way of traveling when I can't physically do so. Therefore, a range of settings:

Vanda Symon, Overkill: First in a series set in the Southland of New Zealand. Starts out with a vibe almost like a psych thriller smashed together with a procedural, and then morphs into more of a pastoral conspiracy vibe. Nice twist of a solution, and the protagonist is easy to connect with. Pretty quick read, very Kiwi in a lot of respects, and mid-range on the violence - not a cozy, not Scandi levels of brutality.

Craig Robertson, The Last Refuge: Hard-boiled view through the eyes of a man who has fled mysterious circumstances in Glasgow and gone to the Faroe Islands, where - predictably - trouble finds him again. Absolutely loved the opening third of this book; the rest is merely good and gets a bit bogged down in the backstory. Still, the writing is excellent.
 
Old Prestonian said:
The thing about QUOM is that it is very different to the current writing of Brookmyre but if you wish to read the Parlabane series that is where you should start.

I'm currently about half way through The Chain by Adrian McKinty which is equal parts gripping and disturbing.
Click to expand...

Edgar Wright has just announced he will be directing the film adaptation of The Chain which is great news
 
I’m reading Oliver Twist.

Ive not read it since school in the 1970s.

It was originally published as a serial rather than a novel, and works best if you read it like that. Dickens was a fine story teller.
 
Finished the Stokoe, Sunderland and '73 book.

The last chapter made it so hard to read and to continue. Just how badly things went after that day in May of 1973. The fact Bob chose to prioritize Europe over promotion to Division One. The arguments that ensued (particularly between Dave Watson and Stokoe) that led to his sale to Man City, the lack of ability to strengthen on the cup win, the terrible form the team had for about 2 seasons before finally getting promotion, the slow dissolution of the greatest team to pull on a Sunderland shirt, the resignation of Bob, the governments freeze over pay and then in later years the Jimmy Hill incident and then finally relegation to Division Three. What hit home though is it mentions the passing of figures like Revie, Clough, Porterfield, Brown, Billy Elliott and Bob himself.

So very emotional. I would recommend the book 1000% to any young fan who wasn't born in the early 70's.
 
This was an absolute belter of a rollercoaster crime fiction novel. The twists and turns were a little reminiscent of 'Girl On A Train' for me but a better book overall. Thoroughly enjoyable and a 9/10 which is a mark that I don't give lightly. It will be interesting to see how the impending film compares.

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Puckoon by Spike Milligan 6/10

Some troubling language by today's standards but some beautiful prose in amongst the humour. As silly as you would expect from Milligan but at times shoehorning in the humour got in the way of the story. More a series of comical set pieces than a coherent story but an enjoyable easy read.
 
Old Prestonian said:
This was an absolute belter of a rollercoaster crime fiction novel. The twists and turns were a little reminiscent of 'Girl On A Train' for me but a better book overall. Thoroughly enjoyable and a 9/10 which is a mark that I don't give lightly. It will be interesting to see how the impending film compares.

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A book by Adrian was the very first post of this thread (sadly, not one of his best).

I've known him for years. He was on the verge of giving up writing altogether, then came up with a killer idea and executed it to perfection. The film rights have sold for seven figures. Within a matter of months he's gone from failing author working as an Uber driver to make ends meet, to millionaire. He thoroughly deserves it.
 
Lexingtongue said:
Recommend me a Brookmyre to begin with? I enjoyed the Edinburgh murder mystery he wrote with his wife under the Ambrose Parry pseudonym.
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A tale etched in blood and hard pencil is mint, and the jack parlabane ones. Black widow kept me guessing til the very last page, brilliant
 
Old Prestonian said:
This was an absolute belter of a rollercoaster crime fiction novel. The twists and turns were a little reminiscent of 'Girl On A Train' for me but a better book overall. Thoroughly enjoyable and a 9/10 which is a mark that I don't give lightly. It will be interesting to see how the impending film compares.

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I thought it was excellent (I like his other books) but slightly marred by one of the big twists being pretty obvious to me at least. Brilliant idea for a book though
 
Heads up for anyone interested: The International Anthony Burgess Foundation is doing an Earthly Powers reading group starting in July.

www.anthonyburgess.org

Join the Earthly Powers Reading Group - The International Anthony Burgess Foundation

You are invited to join the Earthly Powers Reading Group Earthly Powers is Anthony Burgess’s longest and most ambitious novel. This epic saga, which takes in two world wars and some of the darkest moments in twentieth-century history, is regarded by many as Burgess’s masterpiece. Throughout...
www.anthonyburgess.org

One of my favourite books of all time. Any excuse to read it again.

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