Someone asked today if there is a book club, so I thought I'd try starting one. Not the usual type of club where everyone reads the same book - I thought we could write a synopsis of a book we've recently read, to give each other ideas for new books to read.
I have a Kindle subscription, so all of mine will be available on there for people who also subscribe.
I recently read a book called 'The Great Alone' by Kristin Hannah. It's about a family in America who move to Alaska in the 1970's after the Vietnam war.
I found the characters really interesting, and they were written very well. The mother-daughter relationship is central to the book. I also liked the story which included lots of passages about the family getting used to the harsh and wild Alaskan landscape and way of life.
However, there are some gruesome and extremely tense parts in the book that I found difficult to read. But, I am not usually into gruesome stories so that's my preference.
It is a very interesting and unique story, and I would recommend to anyone who likes to read.
I just read a book on the History of the North, or northern England rather, it was terrible, events on a string with no analysis or discussion, little about the things that make people, people. A lot of the events talked about weren't even particularly northern, Richard III had a big power base in the North, but that dosen't make him a Norherner or his usurpation of the throne in anyway part of the north south divide. He was so intent on pushing his poor north-rich south narrative that he ignored place in the north that are wealthy and ignored place in the south that are poor. There's as much an East West divide in England as there is a North South one and this wasn't explored either. Very disapointing, more like an A level essay, than a serious piece of research worthy of publication.
I'm afraid I've had to give up on the Jack Logan series. I started reading the second one, but when the pathologist described the torture the murder victim had experienced I couldn't read any more. I'm not usually put off by killing in books, but that was horrific.
I've now started reading Special Delivery by Rex Burke. It starts off a bit like Starship Troopers or New Model Army, then the main character disobeys an order and gets sent to a military prison, where he's offered a place on a secret mission to deliver a weapon to a far flung planet to help free it's people from the Axis - the rival Empire of the Federation. I think it's going to be a bit like some of Iain M Banks' Culture series - I'll post a proper review when I finish it.
im quite new to the book so I dont know all the ins and outs but I watch some of the history YouTube Chanels that discus the rise of Rome , its very interesting, I think with your question , the rise is always meteoric, the ones who conquer new land and create empires are always remembered like Julia Cesar, even Alexander the Great even though he wasnt roman, but to maintain a empire that is already built is a lot easier, its just at this point every parasite and noble man get their teeth into the state, to us it to its own end, and bribery and corruption sky rockets and empires collapse, its sad as were seeing it in real time today with the collapse of the American empire.
I love the humour too, the characters just get better and better too. i'm not sure about Stephen King, I'm not a horror fan at all and I've not got on with other stuff of his I've tried to read. But thanks
I find te collapse of Rome more interesting that its formation, the Visigoths and Vandals did far more than trash cities.
And the Visigoths and the Vandals
Thanks for this post - I hadn't heard of this series but I was looking for my next book so I downloaded the first one "A litter of Bones". I've only read 20% of it so far, but it's drawn me in. I like the dry humour, such as when DCI Logan says to a young officer "How did you get into the polis, son? Was there a raffle?”
I didn't know that you liked this type of book. Similar ones that I can recommend are the Mr Mercedes trilogy by Stephen King (includes an autistic character) and Murder Crime On Gallymay by RR Haywood.
I've read quite a bit of Roman history, what I find interesting is what happened after the 12 caesars when Rome started its long decline, it can be a bit difficult to find information about it, but it is there if you look for it. I often wonder why theres so little published on it? I wonder if it's because the rise of empire and it's "glories" make a much better story than how it unravels? It's unravelling was complicated and in no way neat, there seem to be few goodies and a lot of badies and a handful of incompetants.
I read it a long time ago. From what I remember, if tension or conflict arises in a situation between two people, it can be deflected by agreeing the person is quite right to feel as they do and saying you understand exactly why given x,y,x etc. This can make the other person feel guilty about the issue and make them agree to what you need.
My account is limited and simplistic but it is just the bit that has stayed with me. I have used this technique, but not always, as in some situations I would have to lie. Politicians take this to the extreme and have no qualms about two faced flattery and lying.
Has anyone ever read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie?
Its a famous self help book that aims to teach how humans interact with one another and how you can use the basic understanding of individual human needs to get them to do what you want and want to do it. Its a really good book to get into if you struggle with finding out if people like you and such.
ive just stared a new book called the 12 cesars , its really interesting so far it talks about the 12 main emperors of Rome and their lives, all I can say is after learning about Julia Cesar I totally understand why 20 somthing guys all stabbed him in the back the guy was a pest, to put it lightly.
Oooo ok I understand what you mean now…
I've been enjoying the DCI Jack Logan series by JD Kirk. They're set in Scotland and have a cast of misfits some of whom I'm fairly sure are autistic, but all the characters are likeable, apart from the gangsters and murderers. Some may find them repetitive because they're a series of over 20 books, but I like to follow the lives of these fictional people in a setting I can understand, they're often very funny too.
I've just finished reading "The one before the One" by Emma Cooper. It's a romance with a time travel twist - I wasn't sure I would like it, but it kept my interest.
The book starts as Olivia (Liv) is preparing to marry James. He wasn't her first love - she was actually in love with his brother Kit first, but Kit disappeared seven years ago and was pronounced dead. James helped her search for Kit, and supported her, and 3 years later they realised they were in love.
On her wedding day, Liv steps through a door and is transported back in time - to 7 days before Kit disappeared. She has 7 days to be with him again and try to find out if he planned to leave her, and if so why. She also has to decide whether she wants to be with him or James - if Kit reappears in the future when she goes back.
There are a couple of plot twists, and also her mother is agoraphobic which brings challenges to Liv. I thought it was a fairly well written story.
Yes this is what I meant!
I too was a bit confused at first about the naming, as I didn't know 'The book of dust' was going to be the name of a second trilogy.
Expecto_Patronum explains it well here with the names of all the books in both trilogies. I particularly enjoyed La Belle Savage, the one with the boat too!
Oh I hope you haven't and never do, it was that disappointing. (They didn't even do the end of the book, it just ended).
I was a bit worried when the BBC announced the TV adaptation, though I thought they would do a better job and they did! I really enjoyed the TV show!
I'm not sure I ever watched the movie. I'm always nervous when they adapt a book I like into a film or series but I did think they did well with the series.
