What are you reading - Part II

[Paul H]

Recently finished Len Deighton's XPD, and just started on The Riddle of the Sands, by Erskine Childers.  Read it before, but especially enjoy the sailing aspects of it, and it paints a very telling picture of the author's perception of the Naval arms race prior to the Great War.

[Vince1159]

Berlin Games: How Hitler Stole the Olympic Dream - Guy Walters...

[Whofan]

I#ve been on a bit of a detective kick just lately, havingf read 2 Robert Goddard books and am about a third of the way through Berlin Exchange, by Joseph Kanon.

 

I have to say I am struggling with this book, it is awfully hard going and I can see me not actually finishing it.

 

This is most odd, because normally I devour his books in a couple of sittings, they have been that good. 

[dnl42]

Just finished Brothers in Arms: THE EPIC STORY OF THE 761ST TANK BATTALION, WWII'S FORGOTTEN HEROES, by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who learned of this unit from one of his father's colleagues, a veteran of the unit..

Yes, that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!

 

An excellent story of yet more African Americans who fought the Nazis, and their own countrymen. It wasn't until years and decades later that they received the honor they were so well due.

 

Thank you  @Kingsman for your build that introduced me to these brave men.

[stevehnz]

On the Road by Jack Kerouac. The sort of book that I felt I should read for the good of my soul, well the soul is less than impressed but I'm plugging through it & will know to have a good long talk to my soul next time I get the urge,

Steve.

[IanHx]

Just finished Low Level Hell...... again.....  now suffering from urge to investigate Loach kits.....

[Skodadriver]

On 10/9/2022 at 10:46 PM, stevehnz said:

On the Road by Jack Kerouac. The sort of book that I felt I should read for the good of my soul, well the soul is less than impressed but I'm plugging through it & will know to have a good long talk to my soul next time I get the urge,

Steve.

Reading something for the good of one's soul is seldom a great idea! A year or so ago I had that kind of feeling about Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, sometimes touted as a contender for the "Great American Novel" accolade. I found it ghastly, at times literally revolting  and overall a thoroughly nasty book. Never again will I read a book because I feel I "should"!

 

On 10/9/2022 at 5:56 PM, Whofan said:

I#ve been on a bit of a detective kick just lately, havingf read 2 Robert Goddard books and am about a third of the way through Berlin Exchange, by Joseph Kanon.

 

I have to say I am struggling with this book, it is awfully hard going and I can see me not actually finishing it.

 

This is most odd, because normally I devour his books in a couple of sittings, they have been that good. 

Which Goddards did you read? I recently finished Past Caring which I thought was a fraction too long for its material and not nearly as good as Caught in the Light which I read a while ago and really liked. 

 

In my experience Joseph Kanon can be hit or miss. Personally I prefer Alex Gerlis or Alan Furst.

 

My current read is April in Spain by John Banville which I'm enjoying. Mind you I find it hard to imagine not enjoying a Banville book!

 

[Graham Boak]

Seems an extreme reasction to rule out all advice on the grounds that you didn't like one example.  Perhaps the book (I haven't read nor read about it) has some merit you missed?  No matter.  These things can change with time and experience.  I recall a schoolfriend raving over Pride and prejudice - I looked at it and didn't want to know.  Maybe 15 years later I picked it up and was absorbed.  Whereas some of the works I loved as a teenager now seem vapid and shallow.  Not all.

[Skodadriver]

4 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Seems an extreme reasction to rule out all advice on the grounds that you didn't like one example.  Perhaps the book (I haven't read nor read about it) has some merit you missed?  No matter.  These things can change with time and experience.  I recall a schoolfriend raving over Pride and prejudice - I looked at it and didn't want to know.  Maybe 15 years later I picked it up and was absorbed.  Whereas some of the works I loved as a teenager now seem vapid and shallow.  Not all.

If that is directed to me, I will concede that Blood Meridian is superbly written but that doesn’t change my opinion of it. If you enjoy reading about deeply unpleasant people doing deeply unpleasant things to other people for no very obvious reason, not forgetting the caged imbecile who eats his own faeces, you might find it very rewarding, who knows? 

 

[Quiet Mike]

On 9/17/2022 at 8:06 PM, Pete in Lincs said:

War Report. The BBC organised a team of reporters and tech assistants to go in with the troops on D Day.

The idea was for them to record onto disc their observations of the day. These would then be flown out or transmitted back to the BBC via support vehicles.

Teams of people there would censor, edit and transcribe the recordings, They would then be broadcast around 21:15 each night.

Translated into several languages, they would also be broadcast around the globe. Up to date news complete with background battle sounds!

It was a huge success. It cost the BBC 100,000 pounds in 1945 money! The War Report programme was transmitted from D Day until the Armistice. Millions listened in.

How do I know all this? For the princely sum of 50p I bought the book from a car boot sale the other week. Fascinating stuff. 

Published around 1947 I think. These are the transcriptions of the original recordings.

Reporters went in by glider, parachute, LCT, etc etc. At least two died when flying in Bombers. One of the reporters was Richard Dimbleby.

Allied losses are hardly mentioned, yet German losses are brought to the fore. Propaganda of sorts I assume.

If anyone would like this after me, please get in touch.

 

I have this very same book, bought in similar circumstances! Yet to read it, but your review may bump it up the pile ...

[Quiet Mike]

No Parachute, by Arthur Gould Lee, can't put it down! Riviting account of a young pilot in 46 Sqn on the Western Front in 1917, flying Pup, and then converting to Camels for ground attack air warfare during the battle of Cambrai. Highly recommended account. Another book I recommended on here was Winged Victory by Yeates. Yeates joined 46 just after Lee left at the beginning of '18. I'm prefering No Parachute, as it's more matter of fact then Yeates novel.

[Graham Boak]

43 minutes ago, Skodadriver said:

If that is directed to me, I will concede that Blood Meridian is superbly written but that doesn’t change my opinion of it. If you enjoy reading about deeply unpleasant people doing deeply unpleasant things to other people for no very obvious reason, not forgetting the caged imbecile who eats his own faeces, you might find it very rewarding, who knows? 

 

OK, you didn't like it, fair enough, I'm not defending it.  My point was merely that one bad apple shouldn't stop you eating fruit.

[Skodadriver]

1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

OK, you didn't like it, fair enough, I'm not defending it.  My point was merely that one bad apple shouldn't stop you eating fruit.

Absolutely, and there isn't much danger of that in my case! I have been a voracious reader for well over sixty years and I've probably sampled most major novelists although there are still some on my "will get round to" list. 

 

For me "Great American Novels" are by writers like Steinbeck, Wilder, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Irving, Jackson and so on. I was curious to know why Blood Meridian was so highly regarded and felt I should read it to see for myself. Having done so I am utterly mystified. It's probably the only book I actually wish I hadn't read as opposed to just not liking it.

 

 

 

 

[Whofan]

21 hours ago, Skodadriver said:

Which Goddards did you read? I recently finished Past Caring which I thought was a fraction too long for its material and not nearly as good as Caught in the Light which I read a while ago and really liked. 

@Skodadriver

 

the two Goddards are The Fine art of invisible detection, which was a nice read, plot twists, endearing characters, and maybe the set up for a series of books featuring the main character, and Tjis is the night they come for you, set in Algeria, again a read that made me want to keep reading, and again, a main character you could see in a series of books. The other crime books I;ve read over the last couple of months are these:

 

 

In addition to the other books I;ve read!

 

I know the Ipcress file isn't strictly a crime book; the Jeffrey Archer books featuring Det,, Inspector Warwick are a pleasant, easy read.

 

If you like obscure jazz and blues, then you might find  find the Vinyl Detective books a decent read, focussing on murders, etc., but every now and again delving into the world of vinyl hunting, 

 

Falling is a book about a pilot whose ordered to crash his (passenger plane) or his family get killed - and how that is resolved.

 

8 Detectives and a fatal crossing each have a very good plot twist right at the end. A fatal crossing is set aboard a liner sailing from England to New York in 1924, when a body is found  ....  and a Scotland Yard detective is by happenstance on board, who tries to solve the crime with the help of a ship's oofficer.

 

8 detectives is about the attempt by a publisher's representative to work with the author of a book who claims to have discovered the 8 rules of writing a detective novel, and the short stories he wrote to illustrate those rules.

 

Currently on the bedside cabinet; Rubicon by Tom Holland.

[John Laidlaw]

Currently:

 

Voyager, by Carl Rackman (AKA Alan P on this forum)

I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay, by Harlan Ellison

Not Dead Yet, by Phil Collins

 

Just finished:

The Living Years, by Mike Rutherford

 

Mike Rutherford's writing is actually good, and he can tell a story with wit and compassion. I also now know how to replicate the drum machine intro to 'Mama", which would be great if I could afford it.

 

Phil Collins is hilarious and insightful.

 

Harlan Ellison used all of the same words the rest of us English speakers use, but somehow made them mean so much more.

 

Carl Rackman keeps surprising with twists I couldn't expect. I like that.

[BlueNosers352nd]

Recently been taking short breaks from my American Revolution reads (dang us yanks) to read other history type stuff.  In September I read Devotion about the Korean War Corsair pilots because I saw the trailer for the movie soon to come.   A good quick read.........and a quick read is saying something for me.  Then I read "The Whites of their eyes" and I just started A Higher Call by Adam Makos.   The way it is reading I should be done within a week.

 

What is happening to me?  I use to hate reading, but A Higher Call will be my 7th finish for the year ( granted one was a roller over from last year) and Jan-Mar were slow months.   A Higher Call should be 3 in 2 months.  The question becomes what is next?  Quick access choices (others packed away for a remodel) are Day of Infamy by Walter Lord, Unbroken or The Swamp Fox (another American Revolution book 😬).

[Whofan]

THese are some more of the fiction books I have read over the last 3 months.

 

 

The only one to disappoint me was the new Joseph Kanon, The Berlin Exchange. I have read all his previous books starting with the magnificent debut, Los Alamos. Berlin Exchange is actually one of the very few books I have started to read and given up after a short while - 2 others I remember were Lisey's story by Stephen King and Gone Girl.

 

I suspect that most BritModellers will recognise all the authors, or the books; Peter Robinson never writes a poor book; Andy Weir's Hail Mary Project was a very good read, despite some slight dodginess (I thought) in the science; The Rory Clements book - The man in the bunker - was a welcome return to form for him, as I found his last book a little disappointing 

 

The David Baldacci, Dream Town, is a very good evocation of 1950's America - it's the second book he's written about Aloysious Archer, an ex GI who becomes a PI. 

 

The "Tom Clancy" is as I'm sure everyone would expect, the Chris Carter competent, and the Charles Cummings okay, but not up to his previous books.

 

Listen to me, criticising well known authors with dozens of great books between them, and me not able to write a book!

 

Anyway, all opinions are mine only, I don't recommend books, but tell you what I thought. 

 

Currently on the bedside cabinet are Rubicon by Tom Holland (A history of the Roman Empire), and How soon is now, by Richard King, a very interesting account of the indie record labels, their founders, and many of the bands that appeared on those labels from 1975 to 2005.

Edited October 25, 2022 by Whofan

[stevehnz]

Finished the Kerouac book & my soul & I have reached an understanding not to do that again without some extensive research first. If that book defines the beat generation & I confess to having had no real understanding of it before reading this, I can only conclude the beat generation consisted mainly of self indulgent irresponsible drop kicks. IMHO of course. No doubt I'm failing to take it in the context of the times in which it is set etc etc. So be it.

Now I'm going to settle into something altogether more reasonable. The Rolls Royce heritage trust publication of Rolls Royce and the Mustang, by David Birch. Far more up my street.

Steve.

[Learstang]

2 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Finished the Kerouac book & my soul & I have reached an understanding not to do that again without some extensive research first. If that book defines the beat generation & I confess to having had no real understanding of it before reading this, I can only conclude the beat generation consisted mainly of self indulgent irresponsible drop kicks. IMHO of course. No doubt I'm failing to take it in the context of the times in which it is set etc etc. So be it.

Now I'm going to settle into something altogether more reasonable. The Rolls Royce heritage trust publication of Rolls Royce and the Mustang, by David Birch. Far more up my street.

Steve.

 

'On the Road', isn't it? Try reading 'Howl' by Allen Ginsberg!

 

Regards,

 

Jason

Edited October 26, 2022 by Learstang
Grrr! I had 'Allen' spelt right the first time, then I changed it to 'Alan'!

[stevehnz]

36 minutes ago, Learstang said:

'On the Road', isn't it? Try reading 'Howl' by Allen Ginsberg!

How is my soul going to get along with that?

I know Ginsberg is often mentioned in On the Road & the back ground reading on the whole thing I've done tells me he was one of the pivotal characters of the time. I stuck out OtR to the end hoping it was going to reveal why the Beats had the place in history they seem to have had, but all I got was more of the self indulgent irresponsible drop kick, unless the last couple of pages where Sal meets Laura & realises that Moriarty is what he is, not what Sal wanted him to be.( I think)

Neal Cassady aka Dean Moriarty, came across as a singularly uninspiring individual & surely not one I would pen a paean of praise about which is kind of what OtR  seems to me to be about. I would love to read a Psychologists appraisal of the Moriarty/Cassady character, I'm sure it would be sprinkled with terms like ADHD & spectrum etc, I'll do some careful research on Howl before I commit.

Steve.

[Procopius]

13 hours ago, stevehnz said:

How is my soul going to get along with that?

 

"I saw the best[*] minds of my generation destroyed by madness..."

 

* Results may vary.

[Navy Bird]

I just downloaded the Complete Works of Eunapius (circa late 4th century CE). As I'm sure everyone knows, he's the Greek author of Lives of Philosophers and Sophists which contains 23 biographies of neoplatonists and others of that ilk. This particular book is from Delphi Ancient Classics, which means it's a royalty-free compendium of British translators who have been dead for hundreds of years. Can't complain though - it was only $1.49. I made a quick perusal and couldn't find any Spitfires. Sorry.  

 

Cheers,

Bill

[stevehnz]

6 hours ago, Procopius said:

"I saw the best[*] minds of my generation destroyed by madness..."

 

* Results may vary.

Well, been there,  done that. At least having read "On the Road", enabled me to get it pretty much, I think. Part II of Howl, with Moloch representing the great corporate meat grinder as I saw it, I liked.

Steve.

[stevehnz]

20 hours ago, Learstang said:

'On the Road', isn't it? Try reading 'Howl' by Allen Ginsberg!

Sorry Jason, meant to include this in the above post. 

Steve.

[Ed Russell]

An Alien Sky is the story of Andre Weizman. The son of a Polish father and an American mother was born and grew up in Berlin, just as Hitler was coming to power. He fled to Poland and then to England, becoming Andrew Wiseman. After a crash course in English he enlisted in the RAF and ended up 466 Squadron as a Halifax bomb aimer. He was shot down in 1944 and kept as a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft III. Being fluent in Polish, German. Russian and English he became a translator until VE Day. The war ends before the halfway point of this book, but Andy's post-war career is just as interesting. He was one of the first television producers at the BBC and then an official translator for the Home Office. It’s a really well written book and blends authenticity and humour. He obviously wasn’t quite made out for military discipline – too witty and intelligent! I really liked his anecdote about Sholto Douglas, by then an AVM. He was ordered to interpret for a fuel convoy going to Prague. He explained to Douglas he had no Czech to which the AVM said his file said he was an interpreter. “Well I hope you don’t send me to China”. Douglas replied “If I order you to go the China to interpret, you will go to China and interpret.” The AVM had the last laugh as Wiseman found everyone in Prague spoke Russian or German!