The B&B Book Review
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Oh for Christ’s sake.Get schwifty. -
Raiziel wrote:Oh for Christ’s sake.
Sorry. I've got a habit of automatically googling YTers that I haven't heard of (from policing my kids YT activity) but this guy seems particularly dodgy. Open court case, won't submit himself for interview, can't be found, banned from his own sub-Reddit for altering any posts that mention the allegations.
Shame, because that book sounded good.Gamertag: gremill -
Well the guy might well be an arse, but I’m enjoying the book. And as long as I’m enjoying the book I’m going to keep reading it.Get schwifty.
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Struggling to get much reading done at the moment for some reason, but nearing the end of The Plotters by Un-Su Kim which I've kinda enjoyed. His Bloody Project up next I think... -
Made a start on The Three Body Problem
Intriguing.....it seems to be jumping about in time. The Chinese names make it hard for my old head to keep track though. I know it shouldn't but can't help it. Will perservere though - think it will be worth it.Holding the wrong end of the stick since 2009. -
I finished The Fifth Science by Exurb1a. The author may well be a complete shit, be he sure can write a good sci-fi anthology about the rise and fall of mankind in the universe.
Wanted to get around to some classic sci-fi so have also finished The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It’s about a man drafted into the army to fight a war against an alien race, and because of time dilation during the vast distances covered getting to and from campaigns, he begins to finds himself a relic of a society that has all but vanished. I imagine James Cameron must have been inspired by this when he made Aliens (and by extension Avatar *spit*) and even The Abyss. It’s military sci fi, which isn’t really my thing, but I enjoyed it all the same.
Now in the middle of Dune.Get schwifty. -
davyK wrote:Made a start on The Three Body Problem
Intriguing.....it seems to be jumping about in time. The Chinese names make it hard for my old head to keep track though. I know it shouldn't but can't help it. Will perservere though - think it will be worth it.
It definitely is. The whole trilogy is mind blowing, one of the best series I've read in a very long time.Gamertag: gremill -
Was gonna come in here asking for my next book, I'm just coming to the end of the First Law trilogy. The Three Body Problem seems a good shout.iosGameCentre:T3hDaddy;
XBL: MistaTeaTime -
Just finished Platform 7 by Louise Doughty. Not my usual bag but I've quite enjoyed it.
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I often don't finish books. Wouldn't say they were shit though, just that I wasn't feeling them at the time.
Tend to only read stuff I know will be 'good'. -
Lord_Griff wrote:Does anyone finish a shit book?
I used to finish every book I started.
Then I learned to let the bad ones go.
I've given up on 3 lately.
The Three Body Problem.... Interesting idea, but not great books imo.Live= sgt pantyfire PSN= pantyfire -
Read a lovely book the other day called The Deepest Breath. It's written from the perspective of a young girl who has a crush on another girl in her class but hasn't yet figured out that's what it is.
Really good. Entirely written in verse as well. -
I'm reading Flights at the mo which is wot wun the last nobel lit prize jointly. I'm finding it keeps my attention tidally but the peregrination of it (thanks new word) means it's a release from dryer history books I'm reading.
I also keep meaning to read a work from the other prize winner, Handke, just because the huge outcry of him being selected has made me curious what's considered so special about his craft that the Nobel committee wanted to commit public opinion suicide. I think that'll be a library borrow. -
Lots of Ngaio Marsh murderbooks. -
poprock wrote:
Well, Agency nails it. Or rather Gibson does, again. Two completely believable futures, one only obliquely referenced, and an equally believable alternate present. All folded into a fast-paced thriller with a central protagonist who isn’t really a protagonist – for a book about agency (not ‘an agency’ but the concept of having personal agency – ability to act) the star here has very little. She’s taken on a wild ride with almost no influence of her own on where she goes or why. It’s dazzling, inventive, and balances the familiar and the alien beautifully. If Agency has a flaw, it’s in wrapping things up a bit too neatly at the end. The closure comes too fast and too cleanly, for me. But that’s a common problem with sci-fi.poprock wrote:I’m about halfway through this book and planning to use my day off sick to finish it. So far it’s a pleasure. Far less disorientating than The Peripheral, with just as much to offer.
The concept of agency (ability to act) of the protagonist in The Agency (Gibson book) reminds me of the Mieville novel The Scar. The main character is ultimately only a witness to events and almost never a participant, let alone a catalyst."Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness." ― Terry Pratchett -
The Daddy wrote:Was gonna come in here asking for my next book, I'm just coming to the end of the First Law trilogy. The Three Body Problem seems a good shout.
Its well worth it, and pretty quick to get through. I dont know how accurate the translation is because some of the source material is specifically Chinese, but the way it is written is very good for an English reader.
It reminds me a little bit of Asimov. Easy to read, some interesting concept at long play."Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness." ― Terry Pratchett -
Brooks wrote:Lots of Ngaio Marsh murderbooks.
Any you'd recommend in particular? -
This is now a Mirror & The Light hype thread cuz I remembered it's coming out imminently.
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Only Cremuel Saga posts from this point thanks.
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davyK wrote:There's a 12 hour BBC radio play too - found it on youtube. Might search around for discs though if they are cheap enough.
Got this after an aborted eBay transaction. Listened to the first disc (hour) last night. This is absolutely superb. The cast is impressive. Michael Hordern as Gandalf clearly affected Jackson picking McKellen who has a similar timbre. Ian Holm is Frodo and John Le Mesurier is Bilbo. Peter Woodthorpe is Gollum and he clearly inspired Serkis' performance.
Sam and Gaffer have similar regional accents to the films - this play's influence is all over the film versions.
BBC sound effects guys were having a ball with this.
Marvellous, marvellous stuff.Holding the wrong end of the stick since 2009. -
Bollockoff wrote:This is now a Mirror & The Light hype thread cuz I remembered it's coming out imminently.
Getting good reviews. -
I’ve never read any of those, but I did watch the BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall. Can I jump straight into Bring Up the Bodies or is it worth reading the first one first?iosGameCentre:T3hDaddy;
XBL: MistaTeaTime -
They're both excellent. I'd argue for reading the two of them.
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Muzzy does the official talking for me.
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Finished Dune last night. I’m sure Villeneuve is going to make something amazing from this book, but this just wasn’t for me. The fact I’ve seen the film several times (though it’s probably been twenty years since I last saw it) and even the television series probably didn’t help. There’s just that over familiarity with the plot. It’s also written in the third person omniscient style, where you jump from one character’s head to another from paragraph to paragraph, and I’m not a fan of that.
The day before I finished King’s penultimate Dark Tower book Song of Susannah. I liked this one quite a bit more than Wolves of the Calla, which I thought was far too bloated. I don’t think I’ve ever read a series of books where the feeling is so strong that the author is winging it, just really making it up as they go along without a clue where they’re actually going. It’s worked for him, of course, and here I am, having just finished the first six books for the second time just so I can do what I should’ve done fifteen or so years ago: finish the damn series. I pulled out my hardback copy of The Dark Tower this morning, which I bought all those years ago, and the little bookmark strip tells me I only made it to page twenty-two. Well not this time. The dark tower awaits!Get schwifty. -
Dark Tower.
Loved every word.
It peaked at Wizard and Glass but I'm glad it did because I was enjoying it so much my head would have exploded had it got any better.
I'm afraid to re-read because it's unlikely to stand up.
Wind through the keyhole was quite brilliant too - was published later on.
Carrying own with the LoTR radio play. Still quite brilliant.
I have Three Body Problem halted - need to get back. I'm just so distracted at the minute. I also have a Crusades history on the go and some poetry by Clive James (who is a revelation, who would have thought?) and deep stuff by T.S. Elliot (4 quartets) that makes my head hurt with its brilliance.
Need to focus.Holding the wrong end of the stick since 2009. -
Excellent books though he does get up his own arse a bit towards the end. Strangely, for a Stephen King book I thought he ended it perfectly.
I’ve had Wind Through The Keyhole for years and still haven’t read it. Feel I’d need to re-read the lot first.
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