Books & Reading Thread 2026

  1. Ice Town – Will Dean - 7/10
  2. A Long Petal of the Sea - Isabel Allende – 8/10
  3. A Spy Alone – Charles Beaumont – 8/10
A Spy Alone.jpg

Former spy Simon Sharman is asked to look into links between a Russian oligarch and Sharman’s former Oxford college. His investigation throws up the possibility of an undetected Russian spy ring based at Oxford University, with several of his former classmates, who now occupy key roles close to the government, under suspicion. This is a very up-to-date novel, with Brexit and the war in Ukraine both playing a part in the plot, and the author paints a grim picture of how Britain’s political system has become entangled in a web of Russian money.

Whilst there are a few chases, most of the book deals with the protagonist’s search for answers, and it’s all done in a downbeat, realistic way. The down-to-earth locations help to underline the nature of the book. Whilst Sharman travels to Crans-Montana and Prague, Cumbria, Northumberland and, of course, Oxford all feature. The plot feels realistic, and it’s no surprise to find out that it was written by a former MI-6 operative.

The end of the story tees up the next book nicely, and A Spy at War is definitely a book I will read at some point.
 
RobMCFC said:
  1. Ice Town – Will Dean - 7/10
  2. A Long Petal of the Sea - Isabel Allende – 8/10
  3. A Spy Alone – Charles Beaumont – 8/10
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Former spy Simon Sharman is asked to look into links between a Russian oligarch and Sharman’s former Oxford college. His investigation throws up the possibility of an undetected Russian spy ring based at Oxford University, with several of his former classmates, who now occupy key roles close to the government, under suspicion. This is a very up-to-date novel, with Brexit and the war in Ukraine both playing a part in the plot, and the author paints a grim picture of how Britain’s political system has become entangled in a web of Russian money.

Whilst there are a few chases, most of the book deals with the protagonist’s search for answers, and it’s all done in a downbeat, realistic way. The down-to-earth locations help to underline the nature of the book. Whilst Sharman travels to Crans-Montana and Prague, Cumbria, Northumberland and, of course, Oxford all feature. The plot feels realistic, and it’s no surprise to find out that it was written by a former MI-6 operative.

The end of the story tees up the next book nicely, and A Spy at War is definitely a book I will read at some point.
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This is my kind of book, for sure. I've added it to my list.

I'm currently half way through Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens. My reading is much reduced this year, largely because I'm not running at the moment due to injury.
 
8. Prophet - Sin Blanche & Helen Mcdonald.
Started off really well but really struggled with it after 100 pages. Fantasy with a bit of gay romance thrown in. Just very boring in the end. 1/5
 
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Really enjoyed Stephen Kings Dark Tower books.
Anyone any recommendations for anything similar ?
 
9. I See You - Claire Mackintosh. A lot better than I was expecting if a bir far fetched. Also the final twist at the end I didn't see coming. 3/5
 
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BrianW said:
I have read Hamnet - book club choice.

Absolutely hated it and don't get the hype.
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Just got this from the library have read one of her other books and really enjoyed it . Will report back on Hamnet .
 
10. The Waiting - Michael Connelly
26th in the Bosch series and 6th in the Ballard series. You know what your getting with this author, excellence. I usually get bored mid teens with most crime series but his just keep getting better.
 
Finished Steph Houghton's autobiography last night, Leading from the Back. My goodness, she was done dirty by England at the end in missing that Euro's squad. A good read if you have any interest in Women's football which shows the development of the game over the last 20 years or so. From paying subs to play for Sunderland right through to her retirement from the game.
 
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Finally finished Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Started it ages ago but been having to swot up for some exams for work. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope the CDF is around when I get my FOC stripes.
 
11. The Great When - Alan Moore

I love all of his graphic novels but dear me this was probably one of the poorest books I've ever read. Lots of rambling dialogue that doesn't add anything to the story. It's the 1st in a 5 part series and I will bin this off early. 1/5
 
richardtheref said:
11. The Great When - Alan Moore

I love all of his graphic novels but dear me this was probably one of the poorest books I've ever read. Lots of rambling dialogue that doesn't add anything to the story. It's the 1st in a 5 part series and I will bin this off early. 1/5
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Oh dear, I picked that one up (along with Illuminations) to give his novels a try. As you say, his GN's are top notch.
 
  1. Ice Town – Will Dean - 7/10
  2. A Long Petal of the Sea - Isabel Allende – 8/10
  3. A Spy Alone – Charles Beaumont – 8/10
  4. Brian Clough: Nobody Ever Says Thank You: The Biography - Jonathan Wilson - 9
Clough.jpg



Whilst we all think that Pep is the greatest manager ever to grace the game, and those lot across town think that Alex Ferguson is, I have to admit that I don’t think Brian Clough’s record can be bettered. Twice he took provincial sides to the title and when people tell you that Leicester City’s Premier league win was the finest achievement, don’t believe them. In consecutive seasons between 1977 and 1980, Clough guided Nottingham Forest to promotion from Division 2, the league title and then the European Cup two years in succession.

Beat that.

Oh, and then there are the best quotes in the history of football, and outside of his most famous quotes, there are plenty of corkers and anecdotes that I’d not heard before in this superb book.

Clough got to know Peter Taylor when the latter was a goalkeeper at Middlesbrough and his relationship with Taylor runs through this book. Clough’s early goalscoring form made him an England possible, despite the fact he was playing in the second division. Much like the 70s, he was regularly snubbed when the England squad was announced but he did eventually play.

I was interested to read that he was outspoken even as a young player, regularly telling the press and his manager what should be done about tactics and certain players. It seems that his brilliant manipulation of the press began in these early years.

After the famous European Cup semi-final first leg against Juventus, Clough told Italian journalists that “I’ll not talk to cheating bastards”. There were unproved rumours of the ref being bribed, and after Peter Taylor following a player down the tunnel and saw him go into the refs room at half-time, security guards pinned Taylor to the wall to prevent him getting any further. The book makes the point that this scandalous defeat, along with Clough failing his 11-plus, were two of the main drivers behind Clough’s success.

During his short spell in charge of Brighton, in Clough’s words he spent most of his time on the M1 (he still lived in Derby). His lack of commitment was demonstrated by the fact that on one match day he flew to New York to see the Ali-Frazier fight and missed another match because he flew to Iran to talk to the Shah about taking over as manager of the Iranian national team!

His infamous 44-day stint at Leeds is covered and the details of the interview with Austin Mitchell, alongside nemesis Don Revie, is covered in full. It’s plain that Clough only joined Leeds to have an instant crack at the European Cup again.

There are some superb stories of his early time at Forest.

When he first saw Garry Birtles play, Clough stated that “the Bovril was better than he was”.

At half-time in one match, centre-back Kenny Burns returned to the dressing room to find an official letter from the club addressed to him: it was a fine for playing a square pass across his own box in the first half!

In the process of signing Peter Shilton, Clough waited behind the door when meeting with the goalkeeper’s agents, tripping them up with a squash racquet as they arrived.

After securing his second European Cup in 1980, it was all downhill for Clough, although there were back-to-back league cups in 1989 and 1990. The book tells how Clough battled dwindling finances at Forest but admirably kept his team in the top half of the table. As his relationship with Peter Taylor disintegrated, he reliance on the booze increased and his behaviour become more erratic, such that he became a parody of his once-great former self. But the nicer side of Clough is also portrayed, how he regularly helped local people such as paying for the weekly shopping for older couples ahead of him in the supermarket queue.

I think the last couple of paragraphs sums up Clough’s life nicely: a great goalscorer cut down in his prime by injury, who was resurrected to become a legendary football manager, only to fall again. His is story is a tragedy.

This is an exhaustive book that covers Clough’s life in detail, and whilst I was familiar with his greatest achievements, it was good to read about his life as a player and his early years in management with Hartlepool and Derby. It’s fascinating to learn that many players pay testament to the fact that Clough never spent any time covering tactics, his main skill being simply to know how to motivate each individual player, even though some of his motivation included bullying and bordered on physical violence. This is well worth a read for any serious football fan.
 
12. The White Road - Sarah Lotz.
This is the 3rd book I have read recently that comes under the sub genre, mountain horror. None of them have been particularly good. Also the 3rd book i have read by this author. The 1st two, Three & Day 4, I really enjoyed but this wasn't really any good.
3/5
 
  1. Ice Town – Will Dean - 7/10
  2. A Long Petal of the Sea - Isabel Allende – 8/10
  3. A Spy Alone – Charles Beaumont – 8/10
  4. Brian Clough: Nobody Ever Says Thank You: The Biography - Jonathan Wilson – 9
  5. Antoni Gaudí: The Life and Legacy of the Architect of Catalan Modernism - Charles River Editors - 6
Gaudi.jpg
I’ve been to Barcelona a few times, visited the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, but when we visited last Christmas, we decided to see quite a few other Gaudi sites.

Even better, we visited Leon and Astorga in March and were able to see two of only three of Gaudi’s works outside of Catalonia.

With this year being the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death, we decided that we are going to do a Gaudi special on our YouTube travel channel later this year. This is the long way of saying that I wanted to buy a book to help me write the script for the video. This book was all that was available. It’s short at 66 pages, but gives an OK account of Gaudi’s life and work. Given what I’ve said above about the instances of his work outside of Catalonia, I was surprised to see that none of them get a mention!

If you want the bare bones of his life, you can read this. But for a bit more info with visuals, you can watch our video when it’s out in June!
 
Dombey and Son - Charles Dickens - 10/10.

My favourite author, and my first read of this book. This is Dickens' longest work, and a masterpiece in which the author demonstrates the full repertoire of his descriptive powers.

We are introduced to a vast array of characters ranging from the comic to the wicked; honest and upright to pompous and proud. We see society at it's best and worst, its richest and its most destitute. Scheming and innocence. Love and indifference. Rejection and redemption. Success and ruin. Avarice and it's futility. Hopes, expectations confounded by loss, and the deep sorrow that ensues.

Dickens weaves a narrative that encapsulates so many contrasts, with the underlying theme being the rejection of a beautiful, virtuous, pure-hearted daughter whose only motive is to win the love and affection of her father, but is rejected at every step.

Of all of Dickens' heroines, Florence Dombey has become my favourite, and this book has become one of my favourites by the author. It has resolved me to complete the set, with around four I've yet to enjoy.
 

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The Player of Games - Iain M Banks

Never read any of the Culture series by this chap before. I gave 'Excession' a go initially, but gave up after 10 pages as I didn't have a clue what the hell was going on. Reddit users suggested this book would be a good intro to the 'Culture', and I'm glad I took their advice. Took a couple of 30 minute sessions or so to get used to the style and the setting. Once I was in, I was locked in. Felt like I was with Gurgeh on his journey. And, as with all decent sci-fi, I'm left with more questions about society, benevolence, what is agency, and so on.

Looking forward to some more of the series.
 
Paladin said:
Dombey and Son - Charles Dickens - 10/10.

My favourite author, and my first read of this book. This is Dickens' longest work, and a masterpiece in which the author demonstrates the full repertoire of his descriptive powers.

We are introduced to a vast array of characters ranging from the comic to the wicked; honest and upright to pompous and proud. We see society at it's best and worst, its richest and its most destitute. Scheming and innocence. Love and indifference. Rejection and redemption. Success and ruin. Avarice and it's futility. Hopes, expectations confounded by loss, and the deep sorrow that ensues.

Dickens weaves a narrative that encapsulates so many contrasts, with the underlying theme being the rejection of a beautiful, virtuous, pure-hearted daughter whose only motive is to win the love and affection of her father, but is rejected at every step.

Of all of Dickens' heroines, Florence Dombey has become my favourite, and this book has become one of my favourites by the author. It has resolved me to complete the set, with around four I've yet to enjoy.
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Which four have you not read ? I've read the complete works several times except Barnaby Rudge which left me with the impression of being his weakest work. I'll revisit it when I have the time to see if that's a fair assessment.

In March, whilst in the area, I visited St Gallgo's church in Moelfre, Anglesey, where the victims of the Royal Charter shipwreck are buried. The event was the subject of a very moving report by Dickens in his "The Uncommercial Traveller" collection.

My favourite is Bleak House although people underestimate how funny "The Pickwick Papers" is.
 
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