Books & Reading Thread 2025

Paladin said:
Conclave - Robert Harris - 8/10

I don't often read the same author consecutively, especially after a disappointing reading experience. I made an exception here, having just finished Munich.

Conclave tells the story of the death of a pope, and follows the journey of one of 118 cardinals whose job it is to elect his successor.

All of the cardinals are eligible to succeed the departed pope. Some have papal ambitions, some don't, and some think they don't. Cardinal Lomeli needs to weed out some of the unsuitable candidates, which increases his own chances of succession, despite his protestations that he isn't interested in the top job.

There is much intrigue and mystery woven into the plot, and a nice twist at the end.

I'm a religious man, though not a Catholic, and this well researched book provided some detailed insight into the Catholic faith, and the process for selecting a new pope. I suppose for me, it will bring to life the next papal election, whenever that might be. I'll try and take in the film at some point as well.

My faith in the author is restored.
14951df6ccd33b418bc4959a9ba4fc08.jpg
Click to expand...
Watched the film the other day - well most of it, I fell asleep. That’s not a slight on the film, was just knackered. Will pick the book up
 
The name put off reading it! The reviews the accolades eventually I succumbed!

Red Risng by Pierce Brown

It's a 10/10

Halfway through book 2 and it as good the pace story keeps up and surprises me..

There are 6 books to read and rating don't seem to drop.. am looking forward to the "end game"

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pierce Brown’s relentlessly entertaining debut channels the excitement of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

‘Red Rising ascends above a crowded dystopian field.’—USA Today

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, Shelf Awareness

‘I live for the dream that my children will be born free,’ she says. ‘That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.’
‘I live for you,’ I say sadly.
Eo kisses my cheek. ‘Then you must live for more.’

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he toils willingly, trusting that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Praise for Red Rising

‘[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender’s Game. . . . [Red Rising] has everything it needs to become meteoric.’—Entertainment Weekly
 
So far this year:
Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan
Fake Heroes - Otto English
Blue Lightning - Anne Cleeves
Die with Zero - Bill Perkins
Snow - John Blanville
Death of the Author - Nnedi Okorafor (I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and I'm still unsure as to how I feel about it).

Currently reading The Kingdom - Jo Nesbo.
I've only read one of his books before and this one coming in at 550 pages is so far an enthralling slog.
 
Deep Cover - Shay Doyle - 9/10

This is the true story of a Manchester lad, with a difficult upbringing, who decides to join the police rather than the much easier choice of a life of crime.

Because of his relative youth, authentic street knowledge and credibility, experience in gang culture and drug crime, he soon finds himself as an undercover agent, infiltrating dangerous criminal gangs, bringing justice.

Because of the nature of the work, he relocates often to go again deep under cover for another assignment, taking down drugs gangs and seizing illegal firearms.

He helps to bring City's Guvnors to justice, although we don't learn much of this operation. He goes undercover in Moss Side, Cambridge, Huddersfield, and other areas. He is heavily involved in the Dale Cregan case. Because of his unorthodox style of policing, he doesn't often see eye to eye with his managers, and readily admits he is difficult to manage.

This is a gritty account of the difficulties of deep under cover police work, and the dangers that comes with it. The job takes a heavy toll on Doyle, and he leaves GMP in a fragile mental state, rebuilding what he can of his life.

Compelling and easy to read (listen to). Highly recommended for its insight into the criminal underworld.

88c7d1d27fbbb2fb09261125202defb1.jpg
 
Just finished Keep on Running (the highs and lows of a marathon addict) by Phil Hewitt. It's not about Snickers. Basically almost like a diary/blog of him running and training for marathons. As someone who runs a little (did a few half marathons and no intention in running a full one) thought would be worth the £2 in charity shop. Really really enjoyed it and could relate to loads of the highs and lows as the title suggests. Highly recommended especially to those who run or those who don't. 4 out of 5
 
The sun does shine.

The true story of Antony Ray Linton, he spent many years on death row for a murder he simply couldn't have committed. It's his legal fight and how he managed to make purpose of his life while in Gaol, characters he met, his legal battle against the system . Bryan Stevenson, was the famed Human rights lawyer who took up his case.
It's a book I've lent to people quite a few times and it always gets the thumbs up and opens a debate on the death sentence, I highly recommend it.
 
Just finished reading & can thoroughly recommend The Siege by Ben Macintyre.

I have read several books by Ben Macintyre & thought them all to be excellent.
This is a quite brilliant account of the Iranian Embassy siege in London.
To be honest, it was not quite what I was expecting & thought it was going to be more focused on the SAS rescue. However, what it told was the complete story of why the siege even happened & the individual stories of who was involved from the hijackers, the hostages, the police, the government, the media & the SAS.
It’s an incredible account & honestly left me feeling a little shaken on several occasions, which is not something I would have remotely expected prior to reading.

A 10/10 rating from me & I recommend to anyone who is interested in historical non fiction.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4637.jpeg
    IMG_4637.jpeg
    316.7 KB · Views: 5
Manc baggie said:
Just finished reading & can thoroughly recommend The Siege by Ben Macintyre.

I have read several books by Ben Macintyre & thought them all to be excellent.
This is a quite brilliant account of the Iranian Embassy siege in London.
To be honest, it was not quite what I was expecting & thought it was going to be more focused on the SAS rescue. However, what it told was the complete story of why the siege even happened & the individual stories of who was involved from the hijackers, the hostages, the police, the government, the media & the SAS.
It’s an incredible account & honestly left me feeling a little shaken on several occasions, which is not something I would have remotely expected prior to reading.

A 10/10 rating from me & I recommend to anyone who is interested in historical non fiction.
Click to expand...
I'll put that on my TBR list- The Spy and the Traitor by the same author was brilliant.
 
Manc baggie said:
Just finished reading & can thoroughly recommend The Siege by Ben Macintyre.

I have read several books by Ben Macintyre & thought them all to be excellent.
This is a quite brilliant account of the Iranian Embassy siege in London.
To be honest, it was not quite what I was expecting & thought it was going to be more focused on the SAS rescue. However, what it told was the complete story of why the siege even happened & the individual stories of who was involved from the hijackers, the hostages, the police, the government, the media & the SAS.
It’s an incredible account & honestly left me feeling a little shaken on several occasions, which is not something I would have remotely expected prior to reading.

A 10/10 rating from me & I recommend to anyone who is interested in historical non fiction.
Click to expand...
I've got this, made a start, but then got sidetracked by other books. I've read most of MacIntyre's books, and enjoyed them all. Will pick up on this again soon.
 
RobMCFC said:
I'll put that on my TBR list- The Spy and the Traitor by the same author was brilliant.
Click to expand...
Totally agree, it’s another brilliant read.
I can also recommend-
SAS.
Agent Zig Zag.
Operation Mincemeat- Don’t let the truly awful film put you off, the book is superb.
Double Cross.
Agent Sonja.
Colditz. (I particularly enjoyed this book & without wishing to spoil the read will only comment that Douglas Bader, was a complete c#nt of a human being)

The research and storytelling within each book will entertain & absorb anyone who has an interest in wartime/ espionage/historical non-fiction.

All of these are truly amazing reads.
 
Manc baggie said:
Totally agree, it’s another brilliant read.
I can also recommend-
SAS.
Agent Zig Zag.
Operation Mincemeat- Don’t let the truly awful film put you off, the book is superb.
Double Cross.
Agent Sonja.
Colditz. (I particularly enjoyed this book & without wishing to spoil the read will only comment that Douglas Bader, was a complete c#nt of a human being)

The research and storytelling within each book will entertain & absorb anyone who has an interest in wartime/ espionage/historical non-fiction.

All of these are truly amazing reads.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I've read all these, and each one is excellent. My favourite is Operation Mincemeat. Thanks for the heads up about the film, which l had intended to watch, but might now avoid.

Bader didn't gain much credit did he? Must have been a rag!
 
Paladin said:
Agreed. I've read all these, and each one is excellent. My favourite is Operation Mincemeat. Thanks for the heads up about the film, which l had intended to watch, but might now avoid.

Bader didn't gain much credit did he? Must have been a rag!
Click to expand...
I don’t know what they were thinking when they took the amazing true story of Operation Mincemeat & decided to focus the film more on a romance, that was barely mentioned in the book & then only to speculate that there might have been more to the working relationship of the two people involved. Somewhat missing the point of it all really.

I didn’t see the Bader thing coming at all. He really was quite a piece of work & someone with an ego that had no limit.
Actually, just like old baconface!
 
10. Olivie Blake - The Atlas Six. 2/5 . Thought this would be right up my street, magicians getting recruited to a mysterious organisation. Not everything as it seems. However, this book just dragged on.
As my friend, who is manager of a local Waterstones, got me the 3 books in the series for nowt I will persevere with the series
 
Last edited:
I dont read that much,m not enough. Recently finished the Rama series which has been brilliant most of the way through. Absolutely cracking ending to the series too with Rama Revealed.

I am doing Animal Farm next having done 1984 and Brave New World.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top