What are you reading - Part II

[Mr T]

I often have an audiobook in the car from a selection of stuff I was given ages ago. Currently listening to 'The Mote in God's Eye' by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. As I tend not to drive much these days, they last me for ages. 

On my last longish trip (Leeds to Nottingham and back with a nap in the middle). I listened to 'The Playboy of the Western World' by JM Synge. I had recorded it from the radio when it was on Radio Three a while back. A lot of memories as I was one of the major characters in my last school play in 1972. 

[Johnny Tip]

On 15/04/2021 at 18:49, 593jones said:

... and has an interesting history, referred to in the book, including winning the DFC in the Battle of Britain, serving with the LRDG/SAS in the Western Desert, Stalingrad (with the German army (!)) and the Burma campaign.  How he managed all this was presumably to be explained in further books, but he must have been a very busy chap.

I know it has been some time now, but maybe Coward has served alongside a chap called Jonathan Quayle Higgins III ?  

[Head in the clouds.]

Just started 'Normandy 44' by James Holland.

 

I have been listening to his WWII podcast with Al Murrey too and have learned much that has been hidden to me, very funny too at times.

[Whofan]

I've just finished Trinity, the story of Klaus Fuchs and his spying.

 

Very readable book, I’m not sure I learnt anything more from it other than these things; Fuchs went to Harwell after Los Alamos and effectively became the lead scientist on the British A bomb project, and also the H Bomb project;

 

his security vetting by the authorities was very poor;

 

but most astonishing of all, when he was unmasked as a spy, MI5 didn't have him arrested immediately, he was allowed to continue working at Harwell on the highest secrecy projects, and his interviewer basically made appointments with him to see him either at Fuchs' home or in London trusting Fuchs to turn up for the interviews! To be honest, I found myself thinking what were  MI5 thinking??

 

I may get MacIntyre's new book on Sonya, who for a time was Fuchs' handler.

 

But first I have started reading 1966, by Jon Savage, his examination of how the music of 1966 affected societies around the world.

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by Whofan

[Mr T]

Just started reading 'Vital Spark, the complete stories of Para Handy. I remember the BBC TV series from the sixties, but I did not realise that the stories were written from 1900 to about the mid 1920's. They are quite a gentle read and not my usual fare. 

[593jones]

18 hours ago, Mr T said:

Just started reading 'Vital Spark, the complete stories of Para Handy. I remember the BBC TV series from the sixties, but I did not realise that the stories were written from 1900 to about the mid 1920's. They are quite a gentle read and not my usual fare. 

 

I remember the TV series very well, I really enjoyed it.   They did update the stories, though, as I remember one episode where Para Handy berated the engineer, Dan MacPhail, for singing 'The Red Flag' when they steamed past the US base at Holy Loch.  'Do you want a Polaris down the funnel?'

[Head in the clouds.]

20 hours ago, Mr T said:

Para Handy

Did they not do a series in the 80's or 90's with Rab C Nesbitt or have I just made myself look a fool?

[Vince1159]

Lost Voices of the Royal Air Force - Max Arthur....

[Mr T]

2 hours ago, Head in the clouds. said:

Did they not do a series in the 80's or 90's with Rab C Nesbitt or have I just made myself look a fool?

There was a series made in 90's, but not sure who was in it. I remember the one from the 60's and it had been updated as there was one episode where the lad had missed the weather forecast on the radio and the boat ended up being stranded by a storm. Funny what you remember. 

[Norseman 3:16]

2 hours ago, Head in the clouds. said:

Did they not do a series in the 80's or 90's with Rab C Nesbitt or have I just made myself look a fool?

You are correct!  Gregor Fisher was Para Handy in 1994.

[Head in the clouds.]

12 minutes ago, Norseman 3:16 said:

Gregor Fisher

Of coarse, Rab C was a character he played....oh my poor brain...

[Nigel Bunker]

I'm currently re-reading the Karla trilogy by John le Carre. I've finished Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and am into The Honorable Schoolboy with Smiley's People to follow. They are probably some of the best spy novels ever written and I thoroughly recommend them.

Edited June 9, 2021 by Nigel Bunker
Speling doh!

[Head in the clouds.]

3 hours ago, Beermonster1958 said:

I don't think it was nearly as good as the 70s  series with Roddy McMillan.

Cannot ever recall watching any, to be fair I was only a kid so probably could not compete with Jackanory....😄

[Billy54]

Just picked up James Ellroy's latest book - "Widespread Panic"

 

https://www.amazon.com/Widespread-Panic-novel-James-Ellroy/dp/0593319346/ref=asc_df_0593319346/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=465161142177&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2255956871842110356&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031151&hvtargid=pla-971581327173&psc=1

 

I am both happy and disappointed with this release because I was hoping for the next installment of Ellroy's "Second LA Quartet"  however this seems to be a one off/stand alone story which concerns the exploits of Fred Otash. I'm not sure but I would imagine that Ellroy has expanded and glorified most of the capers that Otash got up to.

[John_W]

Just started reading "The Right Stuff".

Why did no one tell me how brilliant this book was years ago?

[Whofan]

Having finished 1966 by Jon Savage, an interesting analysis of that year in music, I then read the Bio of Edward Heath by Philip Zeigler, which was quite interesting. 

 

I'm now starting Elvis Costello's sort of bio/memoir about his life, "Unfaithful music and disappearing ink. "

[Vince1159]

My Double Life: The Memoires of Sarah Bernhardt....Born in 1844 and died in 1923,every now and again you read about someone and you become fascinated with their story,i'm the same with Edith Piaf....

 

Edited June 28, 2021 by Vince1159

[Pete in Lincs]

I'm about halfway through 'Tail End Charlies', Bomber Command 1944/45. By John Nichol & Tony Rennell.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tail-End-Charlies-Battles-Bomber-1944-45/dp/0141015047/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2HFBD7DDPV1R0&dchild=1&keywords=tail+end+charlie&qid=1624904798&s=books&sprefix=tail+end+%2Caps%2C161&sr=1-1

 

What a read! The USAAF are also included in the narrative. The Commanders of the RAF and the USAAF are not spared from criticism here.

The horrendous loss rates are posted too, especially the Nuremberg raid and early USAAF missions, pre Mustang escort.

There's plenty of original stories from the crews, some funny, but mostly sad recollections regarding bad missions and losses.

These Boys didn't have a clue what they were letting themselves in for, even at this stage of the war. The loss rates in training were bad too.

All in all, an excellent read that I find hard to put down. It can certainly be found for less than the Amazon price, BTW.

 

[Mr T]

On 6/9/2021 at 7:29 AM, Nigel Bunker said:

I'm currently re-reading the Karla trilogy by John le Carre. I've finished Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and am into The Honorable Schoolboy with Smiley's People to follow. They are probably some of the best spy novels ever written and I thoroughly recommend them.. 

Very true I first read 'Tinker Tailor' in 1978 and it was difficult to stop reading it. I had an audio book of the series that I am struggling to find and the BBC dramatisations of the Smiley books with Simon Russell Beale. 

[psdavidson]

I suppose I should start somewhere; this seems to be a good place for it.

Book: The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

This is a bit slow and it's taking me some time to get through it

 

Audiobook: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

Edited June 28, 2021 by psdavidson
keyboard can't spell

[Tojo72]

Just picked up Goodbye Transylvania by Landau, an account by a German-Romanian SS volunteer

And got Killing Patton by O' Reilly for $2.00 at a consignment shop

[stevehnz]

The Complete MacAuslan by George MacDonald Fraser, after a recommendation by @iainpeden about 5 pages ago, close to half way through & loving it, full of hilarity & a bit of pathos too, superb writing. I ended up buying it as the couple of libraries listing it in New Zealand both reported them as being missing, maybe a recommendation in its own right. (Flogging is too good for people that nick books from libraries to my mind.  ) 

Steve.

[Whofan]

21 hours ago, Beermonster1958 said:

I usually have several books on the go! 😂.

Beer monster, 

 

glad and to see I’m not alone.

 

While I’ve started Elvis Costello’s memoir, on a whim I picked up John Birmingham’s Without Warning, the first part of a trilogy based on a wave of energy descending on America, wiping out all life except for Hawaii, Alaska and a small corner of Washington state.

 

Pretty standard sort of apocalypse plot, but written well, with decent sub plots (terrorists in Paris, dodgy shipowners taking refugees from Mexico to New Zealand, military adventures in the Middle East). 

 

And I’ve also started looking at a dangerous game of birds and wolves, a history of the Atlantic plotting room in Liverpool during WW2.

[fatfingers]

On 7/1/2021 at 8:53 AM, Whofan said:

 John Birmingham’s Without Warning

Read that and the 2nd in the series a few years ago. Quite an enjoyable read if i recall 👍

 

Currently half way through the 3rd book in Harvey Black's 'Effect' trilogy on Kindle. Red Effect, Black Effect and Blue Effect. Premise is the cold war turned hot in 1984 and the Soviets invade West Germany. Very enjoyable read and best of all it mainly deals with things from the British & Soviet perspectives with a smattering of West Germans, Danes and Americans. Lots of action involving Chieftains, T64's and such. Another great read on similar lines is Chieftains by Robert Forest-Webb.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

[Whofan]

1 hour ago, fatfingers said:

Currently half way through the 3rd book in Harvey Black's 'Effect' trilogy on Kindle. Red Effect, Black Effect and Blue Effect. Premise is the cold war turned hot in 1984 and the Soviets invade West Germany. Very enjoyable read and best of all it mainly deals with things from the British & Soviet perspectives with a smattering of West Germans, Danes and Americans. Lots of action involving Chieftains, T64's and such. Another great read on similar lines is Chieftains by Robert Forest-Webb.

Thanks for the heads up on those books. I confess I've quite a few of the what if/ alt history books on the kindle, but not those.