What are you reading now

[dahamsta]

I definitely think it's a result of the internet / social media / etc rather than just middle-age. My mid-life crisis is already being dealt with via cars and exercise / dieting.

There was an old copy of Dr. No in my parent's house, with this cover so probably not that long after it was written. It was awful, just terrible dross altogether, and not just because it was dated. But probably still not as bad as reading a Famous Five book now...

[tetsujin1979]

Happy Bloomsday to all who celebrate. Mentioned it on a team call earlier. Had to explain what it was to the Americans. One asked me if it had anything to do with flowers.

[Eminence Grise]

Ten years last month since Iain Banks died, and The Guardian did an article on where to start with his work, so I thought it was as good a time as any to start Dead Air, one of three of his novels I haven't read (The Steep Approach to Garbadale and Stonemouth the others). Very tempted to re-read The Crow Road, but something new stood out. Very typical Banks, witty, fast-paced and anchored at a point in time but also - considering his range of styles and themes - satisfyingly different at the same time.

Any one else a fan?

[John83]

I've read all of his sci-fi, and maybe half of his other novels including the whiskey travelogue. I haven't found another author like him.

[Eminence Grise]

I tried Banks' Feersum Endjinn years ago and just couldn't get into it, so I never went back to his Iain M Banks work. But I'm not much of a sci-fi fan truth be told. Apart from Doctor Who novels as a kid, and some Ray Bradbury short stories last year out of curiosity, I can't recall ever reading much sci-fi. Maybe I should give The Culture another go.

[John83]

Feersum Endjinn is pretty hard to get into. A quarter of it is written phonetically, for a start. A lot of people suggest The Player of Games as the place to start. If you're not much for sci-fi, Inversions is only obliquely a Culture novel. I can't recall what gets revealed where, so I'm wary of spoiling something, but let's just say it takes place inside a late medieval civilisation that's being meddled with.

[dahamsta]

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I'm crawling through this but liking it. Also forgot I was reading Dracula until this morning.

[passinginterest]

I got Kala by Colin Walsh as a Christmas present. I hadn’t heard anything about it really. The name of the author was familiar but that was about it.

It’s one of the few books I can remember, since I was a child really, that I didn’t want to put down from the first few pages to the very end. I thought it captured something about teenage emotion and friendship that I’ve rarely seen done so well. Added to that was the impact of trauma on their adult lives and having to eventually confront it.

The story absolutely rattles along. With three distinct voices and two timelines beautifully sown together. I suppose it’s a thriller in most ways, but there’s some beautiful prose that wouldn’t normally be associated with the genre.

It tackles some deep rooted Irish societal issues from an interesting angle. It’s visceral and confrontational. Maybe growing up in the arse of nowhere, rural Ireland, the secrets, the cover ups and the whispers rang very true. Fiona Sinnott disappeared from very close to home. People know exactly what happened but the ones that can produce the evidence will seemingly never tell. There’s echoes of that all throughout Irish history and I though Kala captured that cruel web especially well.

Anyway, I’d recommend it as gripping story. I rattled through it in a few days. I thought the ending was a little bit weak, after all that had come before, but it didn’t ruin the overall experience. I’ll definitely be picking up Colin Walsh’s next book.

[tetsujin1979]

I was given Finnegans Wake for my birthday, and I've been reading two pages a day since new years.
I don't know what language is anymore.

[seanfhear]

I was given Finnegans Wake for my birthday, and I've been reading two pages a day since new years.
I don't know what language is anymore.

Does he die /

[tetsujin1979]

Does he die /

Mate, I don't know if he's at a museum or mass

[seanfhear]

Mate, I don't know if he's at a museum or mass

Enjoy the maze !

[SkStu]

The Little Liar (Mitch Abom)

I usually only post here when i finish a book i really like and this was one. Really excellent story set in WWII, follows the fate of 3 individuals/kids from a family/group of Jews after they got separated during the Nazi invasion of Greece. Their paths diverge, they survive the holocaust but are brought back together as adults. Really enjoyed this. Easy but engaging story and well written.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112975105-the-little-liar