Reading Challenge 2021

[RobMCFC]

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
13. Accordion Crimes - Annie Proulx - 4/10
14. Night Train to Lisbon - Pascal Mercier - 8/10
15. Marina - Carlos Ruiz Zafon - 8/10
16. The Blacktongue Thief - Christopher Buehlman - 7/10



Christopher Buehlman is an established author in multiple genres, but I believe that this is his first fantasy book. We follow the adventures of Kinch Na Shannack, a highly skilled thief who has been trained by the Takers Guild but because of this, he owes them a lot of money. I suppose it’s like a student debt. So when the guild suggests that it is in Kinch’s best interests that he accompany a female knight on a quest, he is forced to embark on a journey where plenty of danger awaits.

I’m undecided about this book. It’s a first-person account that is delivered with some panache – some of Kinch’s turns of phrase are enjoyable to read and he is an engaging protagonist throughout. One of the standout characters is a cat (about which I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil the surprise for would-be readers). This all sounds good, right? Well, a couple of things bothered me. First of all, there’s just way too much powerful magic at play here - when something really bad happens to one of the supporting cast and it's reversed like it’s nothing, it loses points in my book. Secondly, given that our hero is such a highly trained thief, you’d expect that he’d use his skills a bit more often than he does. There are no elaborate cons and only the occasional bout of lock-picking and pickpocketing.

This book has been compared to The Lies of Locke Lamora, and whilst it’s true to say that in both books, the protagonist has a sharp tongue, and like Scott Lynch’s book, the writing is very good, I feel that The Blacktongue Thief falls short of that masterpiece in several areas. With Locke Lamora you get to see incredible cons being set up and carried out and the plot mechanics surrounding this are nothing short of incredible. Maybe it’s my high expectations, but although I did enjoy this book, I felt it fell short of all the hype.

 

[Paladin]

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.
13. The Stand* - Stephen King.
14. Thatcher's Spy - Willie Carlin.
15. Masters of War - Chris Ryan.
16. The Cthulhu Casebooks - Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows - James Lovegrove.

I've read all of the Conan Doyle stories about Sherlock Holmes, and I frequently put on a short story to listen to whilst out running, when I'm between books. A series popped up recently in my Audible recommendations, written by James Lovegrove. Reviews likened the series in style similar to the original Conan Doyle books, so I bought the whole series. What a mistake that was!

It started off in promising fashion, with Holmes making numerous observations that were seen by everyone, but not interpreted correctly. But the crux of the story involved hypnotism, hallucinations, lizard men, snake men, control of humans by thought process, and a whole range of other unexplainable, supernatural occurrences. It was more Lovecraft than Lovegrove.

I expected the author to explain everything into context right at the end, but that didn't happen. I was left wondering just how those snake men could suck the life out of healthy humans, or how the villain manipulated these strange beings by wearing some magical headgear. Most unsatisfactory.

Luckily, Audible / Kindle refunded the cost of all these returned titles. For any other Sherlock Holmes fans, there are many far superior pastiches out there, including ones I would personally recommend by Bonnie MacBird and Anthony Horowitz.

 

[RobMCFC]

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.
13. The Stand* - Stephen King.
14. Thatcher's Spy - Willie Carlin.
15. Masters of War - Chris Ryan.
16. The Cthulhu Casebooks - Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows - James Lovegrove.

I've read all of the Conan Doyle stories about Sherlock Holmes, and I frequently put on a short story to listen to whilst out running, when I'm between books. A series popped up recently in my Audible recommendations, written by James Lovegrove. Reviews likened the series in style similar to the original Conan Doyle books, so I bought the whole series. What a mistake that was!

It started off in promising fashion, with Holmes making numerous observations that were seen by everyone, but not interpreted correctly. But the crux of the story involved hypnotism, hallucinations, lizard men, snake men, control of humans by thought process, and a whole range of other unexplainable, supernatural occurrences. It was more Lovecraft than Lovegrove.

I expected the author to explain everything into context right at the end, but that didn't happen. I was left wondering just how those snake men could suck the life out of healthy humans, or how the villain manipulated these strange beings by wearing some magical headgear. Most unsatisfactory.

Luckily, Audible / Kindle refunded the cost of all these returned titles. For any other Sherlock Holmes fans, there are many far superior pastiches out there, including ones I would personally recommend by Bonnie MacBird and Anthony Horowitz.

I think that Arthur Conan-Doyle lost the plot in the end, and maybe these stories were written during this period.

I read a superb book over a decade ago: The Secret Life of Houdini by William Kalush and Larry Sloman - this comes with my highest recommendation because there are some incredible stories in there - and one of the sections that I found interesting was the bit where he befriended ACD. However, they ended up falling out because Houdini spent a great deal of time debunking spiritualists, a group to which ACD belonged. I do have some sympathy for ACD - IIRC, his son had died young and this is what led him to believe in the afterlife.

 

[Paladin]

I think that Arthur Conan-Doyle lost the plot in the end, and maybe these stories were written during this period.

I read a superb book over a decade ago: The Secret Life of Houdini by William Kalush and Larry Sloman - this comes with my highest recommendation because there are some incredible stories in there - and one of the sections that I found interesting was the bit where he befriended ACD. However, they ended up falling out because Houdini spent a great deal of time debunking spiritualists, a group to which ACD belonged. I do have some sympathy for ACD - IIRC, his son had died young and this is what led him to believe in the afterlife.

These aren't by ACD, but are pastiches written recently by an American author. They just don't deliver in my view, although there are some good reviews, so some people clearly like the stories.

I'm not too familiar with the history of Conan Doyle, but I was aware of his interest in spiritualism. One of my favorite Holmes short stories is His Last Bow, published in 1917, in which Holmes goes up against a German spy, just before the outbreak of war.

 

[RobMCFC]

These aren't by ACD, but are pastiches written recently by an American author. They just don't deliver in my view, although there are some good reviews, so some people clearly like the stories.

I'm not too familiar with the history of Conan Doyle, but I was aware of his interest in spiritualism. One of my favorite Holmes short stories is His Last Bow, published in 1917, in which Holmes goes up against a German spy, just before the outbreak of war.

Sorry, my mistake, I misread it.

 

[RobMCFC]

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
13. Accordion Crimes - Annie Proulx - 4/10
14. Night Train to Lisbon - Pascal Mercier - 8/10
15. Marina - Carlos Ruiz Zafon - 8/10
16. The Blacktongue Thief - Christopher Buehlman - 7/10
17. Winter in Madrid - C.J.Sansom - 8/10



This story is set in Madrid, just after the conclusion of the Civil War, but with Spain still in a desperate state. The main character is Harry Brett, an Englishman who suffered shellshock at Dunkirk and who is drafted in by British intelligence to spy on an old school friend who the government believe is working with Franco’s regime. The British are doing everything they can to keep Franco siding with Hitler and entering the war. But the story is not quite so simple. A prologue set during the Civil War leaves the plight of another of Harry’s school friends – Bernie Piper, who went to fight the fascist regime with the communists – uncertain. Bernie’s girlfriend, Barbara, who up until this point believed that he had been killed in action, has received news that he may be being illegally held in a labour camp. The various strands of the plot are skilfully woven together, and the author paints a grim picture of life in Spain at the time. It’s a long novel (650+ pages) and whilst the writing is good, it is never flashy, but I never felt bored at any point and the novel wraps the story up nicely by the end. I like the way that Harry becomes more jaded as the story wears on. He is put in a position where he is initially glad to help his country, but the more he sees of the politics of both the British embassy and the fascist regime, the more disillusioned he becomes.

 

[shemnel]

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
13. Accordion Crimes - Annie Proulx - 4/10
14. Night Train to Lisbon - Pascal Mercier - 8/10
15. Marina - Carlos Ruiz Zafon - 8/10
16. The Blacktongue Thief - Christopher Buehlman - 7/10
17. Winter in Madrid - C.J.Sansom - 8/10

View attachment 28690

This story is set in Madrid, just after the conclusion of the Civil War, but with Spain still in a desperate state. The main character is Harry Brett, an Englishman who suffered shellshock at Dunkirk and who is drafted in by British intelligence to spy on an old school friend who the government believe is working with Franco’s regime. The British are doing everything they can to keep Franco siding with Hitler and entering the war. But the story is not quite so simple. A prologue set during the Civil War leaves the plight of another of Harry’s school friends – Bernie Piper, who went to fight the fascist regime with the communists – uncertain. Bernie’s girlfriend, Barbara, who up until this point believed that he had been killed in action, has received news that he may be being illegally held in a labour camp. The various strands of the plot are skilfully woven together, and the author paints a grim picture of life in Spain at the time. It’s a long novel (650+ pages) and whilst the writing is good, it is never flashy, but I never felt board at any point and the novel wraps the story up nicely by the end. I like the way that Harry becomes more jaded as the story wears on. He is put in a position where he is initially glad to help his country, but the more he sees of the politics of both the British embassy and the fascist regime, the more disillusioned he becomes.

this sounds quite good, thanks

 

[Paladin]

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
13. Accordion Crimes - Annie Proulx - 4/10
14. Night Train to Lisbon - Pascal Mercier - 8/10
15. Marina - Carlos Ruiz Zafon - 8/10
16. The Blacktongue Thief - Christopher Buehlman - 7/10
17. Winter in Madrid - C.J.Sansom - 8/10

View attachment 28690

This story is set in Madrid, just after the conclusion of the Civil War, but with Spain still in a desperate state. The main character is Harry Brett, an Englishman who suffered shellshock at Dunkirk and who is drafted in by British intelligence to spy on an old school friend who the government believe is working with Franco’s regime. The British are doing everything they can to keep Franco siding with Hitler and entering the war. But the story is not quite so simple. A prologue set during the Civil War leaves the plight of another of Harry’s school friends – Bernie Piper, who went to fight the fascist regime with the communists – uncertain. Bernie’s girlfriend, Barbara, who up until this point believed that he had been killed in action, has received news that he may be being illegally held in a labour camp. The various strands of the plot are skilfully woven together, and the author paints a grim picture of life in Spain at the time. It’s a long novel (650+ pages) and whilst the writing is good, it is never flashy, but I never felt bored at any point and the novel wraps the story up nicely by the end. I like the way that Harry becomes more jaded as the story wears on. He is put in a position where he is initially glad to help his country, but the more he sees of the politics of both the British embassy and the fascist regime, the more disillusioned he becomes.

I've enjoyed a few of Sansom's Shardlake books. I've got this, but not managed to get round to it yet. Hopefully soon.

 

[RobMCFC]

I've enjoyed a few of Sansom's Shardlake books. I've got this, but not managed to get round to it yet. Hopefully soon.

I read it because I like espionage and also have an interest in the Spanish Civil War. This is an author I'd read books by again at some point but probably not work my way through his (?) back catalogue.

 

[Paladin]

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.
13. The Stand* - Stephen King.
14. Thatcher's Spy - Willie Carlin.
15. Masters of War - Chris Ryan.
16. The Cthulhu Casebooks - Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows - James Lovegrove.
17. Killing Zone - Harry McCallion.

This is an autobiography of a soldier from being born into poverty in the 1950s in Glasgow, through a violent childhood, and straight into the army after school. It describes the author's experiences with the Paras, the South African special forces, into the SAS, and finally his time with the RUC in Northern Ireland. The author was discharged from the RUC on medical grounds, following a debilitating car accident.

Although the author didn't leave school with any formal qualifications, he does have the aptitude and desire to learn. This is evident from the number of courses he undertakes to advance his career, including within the special forces.

The book was written in 1995, and ends with the author in his forties, having left the military and police services. He has passed his law degree and wants to become a barrister.

It's an engaging book. It doesn't go into too much detail regarding the operations, but it gives a clear overview, and describes some of the key characters that have affected the author's life. And fair play to him for making something of his life after all the skirmishes and many brushes with death.