Reading Challenge 2021
- Thread starter I'm With Stupid
- Start date
I had all the books once but I think only one remains here now. They were great entertainment and gave an insight into war from the German perspective. I think only Sven survived the war
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
The Stand - Stephen King - 10/10
2. Red Snow - Will Dean - 7/10
3. The Seventh Perfection – Daniel Polansky - 6/10
4. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig - 6/10
5. Crowfall - Ed McDonald - 7/10
6. Force of Nature - Jane Harper - 8/10
7. The Wolf's Call: Book One of Raven's Blade - 7/10
8. The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman - 6/10
9. Tornado Down - John Peters and John Nichol - 9/10
10. The Black Song: Book Two of Raven's Blade - 6/10
11. Later - Stephen King - 8/10
Another fine book by Stephen King. The theme and direction of the book is nicely laid out in the opening chapters. It’s about a boy who can see the ghosts of dead people for a short period after they die. The characters are well defined and the main character’s voice uses the first person which suits the story nicely. When you finish the book and analyse everything that has happened, you realise that there’s nothing spectacular or groundbreaking, but King is such a skilled author that he draws you into the characters’ world and it makes for an entertaining read whilst you are there.
2. Red Snow - Will Dean - 7/10
3. The Seventh Perfection – Daniel Polansky - 6/10
4. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig - 6/10
5. Crowfall - Ed McDonald - 7/10
6. Force of Nature - Jane Harper - 8/10
7. The Wolf's Call: Book One of Raven's Blade - 7/10
8. The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman - 6/10
9. Tornado Down - John Peters and John Nichol - 9/10
10. The Black Song: Book Two of Raven's Blade - 6/10
11. Later - Stephen King - 8/10
Another fine book by Stephen King. The theme and direction of the book is nicely laid out in the opening chapters. It’s about a boy who can see the ghosts of dead people for a short period after they die. The characters are well defined and the main character’s voice uses the first person which suits the story nicely. When you finish the book and analyse everything that has happened, you realise that there’s nothing spectacular or groundbreaking, but King is such a skilled author that he draws you into the characters’ world and it makes for an entertaining read whilst you are there.
richardtheref
Well-Known Member
Just finished Sirens by Joseph Knox. Solid 4/5
1. The Willows in Winter - William Horwood.
2. The Willows and Beyond - William Horwood.
3. A Brief History of the Cold War - John Hughes-Wilson.
4. Prophecy* - S. J. Parris.
5. The Long Night* - Ernst Israel Bornstein.
6. Around the World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne.
7. SAS Great Escapes - Damien Lewis.
8. Dominion** - C. J. Sansom.
9. The Lies of Locke Lamora** - Scott Lynch.
10. The Remains of the Day* - Kazuo Ishiguro.
11. SAS: Rogue Heroes - Ben MacIntyre.
12. The Colditz Story - P. R. Reid.
*These are the ones I have enjoyed the most, and would recommend.
**My favourite reads so far this year.
If you can remember the old TV series in the seventies, then there is not much in this book to add to that.
Harold managed to get a cast of the key, and we fashioned a replica. We made a tunnel out under the perimeter, but a little girl spotted us and ran off to her mum. We were caught after two days and put in solitary for a fortnight. Luckily we already had a cache of food and equipment there, so we opened the window and crawled along the 4 inch ledge to the latrines, where we opened the manhole etc. Rupert and Jonny disguised themselves as washerwomen and daringly walked straight out of the front gate. Jonny had forgotten to shave his beard though, and was caught before he had even left the Schloss. They were put in solitary for a month. Etc.
Having seen a few people here and in other book threads recommend The Stand by Stephen King, I'm about to start on my first book by this author.
2. The Willows and Beyond - William Horwood.
3. A Brief History of the Cold War - John Hughes-Wilson.
4. Prophecy* - S. J. Parris.
5. The Long Night* - Ernst Israel Bornstein.
6. Around the World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne.
7. SAS Great Escapes - Damien Lewis.
8. Dominion** - C. J. Sansom.
9. The Lies of Locke Lamora** - Scott Lynch.
10. The Remains of the Day* - Kazuo Ishiguro.
11. SAS: Rogue Heroes - Ben MacIntyre.
12. The Colditz Story - P. R. Reid.
*These are the ones I have enjoyed the most, and would recommend.
**My favourite reads so far this year.
If you can remember the old TV series in the seventies, then there is not much in this book to add to that.
Harold managed to get a cast of the key, and we fashioned a replica. We made a tunnel out under the perimeter, but a little girl spotted us and ran off to her mum. We were caught after two days and put in solitary for a fortnight. Luckily we already had a cache of food and equipment there, so we opened the window and crawled along the 4 inch ledge to the latrines, where we opened the manhole etc. Rupert and Jonny disguised themselves as washerwomen and daringly walked straight out of the front gate. Jonny had forgotten to shave his beard though, and was caught before he had even left the Schloss. They were put in solitary for a month. Etc.
Having seen a few people here and in other book threads recommend The Stand by Stephen King, I'm about to start on my first book by this author.
Out on blue 6
Well-Known Member
Read his others after that. Same excellent standard. He's just released a brand new book last week
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So far this year.
American Dirt.....Jeanine Cummins.7/10
Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee.....Deep Brown.8/10
Deadwood....Pete Dexter.8/10
Year on the Killing Streets...David Simon.8/10
The Survivor....James Herbert.9/10
The Night Fire...Michael Connelly8/10
The Secret History.....Donna Tart.
Never finished not for me.
The Lost Painting...Jonathan Harr.9/10
About to start Desperadoes....Ron Hansen.
Big surprise for me.
www.waterstones.com
American Dirt.....Jeanine Cummins.7/10
Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee.....Deep Brown.8/10
Deadwood....Pete Dexter.8/10
Year on the Killing Streets...David Simon.8/10
The Survivor....James Herbert.9/10
The Night Fire...Michael Connelly8/10
The Secret History.....Donna Tart.
Never finished not for me.
The Lost Painting...Jonathan Harr.9/10
About to start Desperadoes....Ron Hansen.
Big surprise for me.
The Survivor by James Herbert | Waterstones
Buy The Survivor by James Herbert from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.
www.waterstones.com
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
1. The Stand - Stephen King - 10/10
2. Red Snow - Will Dean - 7/10
3. The Seventh Perfection – Daniel Polansky - 6/10
4. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig - 6/10
5. Crowfall - Ed McDonald - 7/10
6. Force of Nature - Jane Harper - 8/10
7. The Wolf's Call: Book One of Raven's Blade - 7/10
8. The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman - 6/10
9. Tornado Down - John Peters and John Nichol - 9/10
10. The Black Song: Book Two of Raven's Blade - 6/10
11. Later - Stephen King - 8/10
12. Easily Distracted - Steve Coogan - 9/10
I picked up Steve Coogan’s autobiography because, like him, I grew up in Middleton, and many reviews of the book pointed to the fact that a good chunk of it was devoted to this period of his life. Not only that, I was in the same primary school class as his younger brother so several of the names mentioned in the book mean something to me. The book has an interesting structure. Part One is a summary of his recent achievements: bearing in mind that it was released in 2015, this means his work on the film Philomena, and the success of The Trip series. Part Three covers his time at Manchester Polytechnic (a place I also attended) and his rise to fame in the world of comedy. But, for the reasons I’ve mentioned above, it’s Part Two that really resonates with me. He spends a lot of time talking about his family (he is one of six kids), his school days, his Mum and Dad, religion and holidays. It’s a gently amusing tale, rather than laugh-out-loud, but Steve comes across as a deep thinker, a more complex character than you might think. He’s also a very articulate writer (which makes sense, after all, he got an Oscar nomination for writing) and I found some of his thoughts quite profound. I also saw a bit of myself in there – not just the Middleton connection, but also his thoughts on nostalgia and the passage of time. If you are a fan, or grew up in the 1970s, or both, then I think you would enjoy this book.
2. Red Snow - Will Dean - 7/10
3. The Seventh Perfection – Daniel Polansky - 6/10
4. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig - 6/10
5. Crowfall - Ed McDonald - 7/10
6. Force of Nature - Jane Harper - 8/10
7. The Wolf's Call: Book One of Raven's Blade - 7/10
8. The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman - 6/10
9. Tornado Down - John Peters and John Nichol - 9/10
10. The Black Song: Book Two of Raven's Blade - 6/10
11. Later - Stephen King - 8/10
12. Easily Distracted - Steve Coogan - 9/10
I picked up Steve Coogan’s autobiography because, like him, I grew up in Middleton, and many reviews of the book pointed to the fact that a good chunk of it was devoted to this period of his life. Not only that, I was in the same primary school class as his younger brother so several of the names mentioned in the book mean something to me. The book has an interesting structure. Part One is a summary of his recent achievements: bearing in mind that it was released in 2015, this means his work on the film Philomena, and the success of The Trip series. Part Three covers his time at Manchester Polytechnic (a place I also attended) and his rise to fame in the world of comedy. But, for the reasons I’ve mentioned above, it’s Part Two that really resonates with me. He spends a lot of time talking about his family (he is one of six kids), his school days, his Mum and Dad, religion and holidays. It’s a gently amusing tale, rather than laugh-out-loud, but Steve comes across as a deep thinker, a more complex character than you might think. He’s also a very articulate writer (which makes sense, after all, he got an Oscar nomination for writing) and I found some of his thoughts quite profound. I also saw a bit of myself in there – not just the Middleton connection, but also his thoughts on nostalgia and the passage of time. If you are a fan, or grew up in the 1970s, or both, then I think you would enjoy this book.