RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
I read the first book of this series, Leviathan Wakes. I enjoyed it but never felt the urge to carry on.
I just don't seem to enjoy reading sci-fi as much as fantasy.
However, I know it's a highly regarded series.
Reading Challenge 2022
- Thread starter RobMCFC
- Start date
I just don't seem to enjoy reading sci-fi as much as fantasy.
However, I know it's a highly regarded series.
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
1. The Spirit Engineer - A.J.West - 7/10
2. The Lost Man - Jane Harper - 8/10
3. The Fall of Babel – Josiah Bancroft - 5/10
4. The Forest – Michaelbrent Collings – 3/10
5. Black River – Will Dean – 7/10
6. Winter is Coming – Garry Kasparov – 9/10
7. Archangel – Robert Harris – 8/10
8. The Justice of Kings – Richard Swan - 8/10
9. Priest of Bones – Peter McLean – 8/10
10. Watching Skies: Star Wars, Spielberg and us – Mark O’Connell – 7/10
11. Björn Borg and the Super-Swedes – Mats Holm and Ulf Roosvald – 8/10
12. We Men of Ash and Shadow – HL Tinsley 6/10
13. Paul Kelly: The man, the music and the life in between – Stuart Coupe – 7/10
Paul Kelly isn’t a household name in the UK, and although I’d heard of him, I’d never heard his music until introduced to him by an Australian colleague 14 years ago.
The author was Kelley’s manager for a while, and he does a good job of covering the singer-songwriter’s career from the 70s right up to the present. The problem is that Paul Kelly is so prolific, that some albums barely get a sentence as his life’s work has to be crammed in the page count.
The number of interviews that Stuart Coupe undertook for the book is impressive, covering his subject’s personal and professional life. I enjoyed the input from other musicians that I admire: Neil Finn and Steve Earle, and also renowned US music journalist David Fricke. The interviews with Kelly’s bandmates past and present are good, but they do get a bit samey after a while.
I was disturbed by the amount of heroin that Kelly and his band consumed in the 70s and 80s, although the book seems to show that in his entire career, he only ever missed one show due to being “unwell”.
Not a book to recommend if you don’t know Paul Kelly, but you should definitely check his music out: I’d recommend listening to the excellent compilation, Songs from the South.
2. The Lost Man - Jane Harper - 8/10
3. The Fall of Babel – Josiah Bancroft - 5/10
4. The Forest – Michaelbrent Collings – 3/10
5. Black River – Will Dean – 7/10
6. Winter is Coming – Garry Kasparov – 9/10
7. Archangel – Robert Harris – 8/10
8. The Justice of Kings – Richard Swan - 8/10
9. Priest of Bones – Peter McLean – 8/10
10. Watching Skies: Star Wars, Spielberg and us – Mark O’Connell – 7/10
11. Björn Borg and the Super-Swedes – Mats Holm and Ulf Roosvald – 8/10
12. We Men of Ash and Shadow – HL Tinsley 6/10
13. Paul Kelly: The man, the music and the life in between – Stuart Coupe – 7/10
Paul Kelly isn’t a household name in the UK, and although I’d heard of him, I’d never heard his music until introduced to him by an Australian colleague 14 years ago.
The author was Kelley’s manager for a while, and he does a good job of covering the singer-songwriter’s career from the 70s right up to the present. The problem is that Paul Kelly is so prolific, that some albums barely get a sentence as his life’s work has to be crammed in the page count.
The number of interviews that Stuart Coupe undertook for the book is impressive, covering his subject’s personal and professional life. I enjoyed the input from other musicians that I admire: Neil Finn and Steve Earle, and also renowned US music journalist David Fricke. The interviews with Kelly’s bandmates past and present are good, but they do get a bit samey after a while.
I was disturbed by the amount of heroin that Kelly and his band consumed in the 70s and 80s, although the book seems to show that in his entire career, he only ever missed one show due to being “unwell”.
Not a book to recommend if you don’t know Paul Kelly, but you should definitely check his music out: I’d recommend listening to the excellent compilation, Songs from the South.
stoneblue
Well-Known Member
Two Nights in Lisbon - Chris Pavone
A recently married woman wakes up to find her husband missing from their Lisbon hotel room - no warning, no note and not answering his phone. She has accompanied him there on a business trip.
She starts making enquiries first with hotel security, then the police, then the American Embassy.
The tale then proceeds in two narrative arcs; the first is the story of the investigation into her husbands disappearance, the other the woman’s back story.
Overall a decent thriller, an ideal holiday read - still available at 99p for the kindle!
A recently married woman wakes up to find her husband missing from their Lisbon hotel room - no warning, no note and not answering his phone. She has accompanied him there on a business trip.
She starts making enquiries first with hotel security, then the police, then the American Embassy.
The tale then proceeds in two narrative arcs; the first is the story of the investigation into her husbands disappearance, the other the woman’s back story.
Overall a decent thriller, an ideal holiday read - still available at 99p for the kindle!
stoneblue
Well-Known Member
And Away - Bob Mortimer
Not sure if this counts towards the reading challenge because I listened to the audiobook. I rarely read autobiographies - not a great fan of the genre. If you’re a fan of Reeves & Mortimer, Gone Fishing and Would I lie to You, you will enjoy this. Mortimer comes across as an ordinary bloke who managed to make a career out of acting daft.
Not sure if this counts towards the reading challenge because I listened to the audiobook. I rarely read autobiographies - not a great fan of the genre. If you’re a fan of Reeves & Mortimer, Gone Fishing and Would I lie to You, you will enjoy this. Mortimer comes across as an ordinary bloke who managed to make a career out of acting daft.
I think you can definitely count audiobooks, or else I would have to remove over half my reads this year and last year. I run a lot, and I listen to audiobooks whilst I'm running - probably an average of seven hours each week.
We were driving up to Watendlath in the Lake District last month and we saw Bob Mortimer walking back in the direction of Keswick. When we got back to our holiday cottage, we watched loads of his Would I Lie To You clips on YouTube. Very funny guy, and my daughter-in-law's favourite comedian.
JRockBlues
Well-Known Member
The Pirates of Perilous by John DeChancie
Book 9 of the Castle Perilous humorous fantasy series which I missed on its release several years ago after a gap of over 20 years since the last one. The castle is of the magical variety and has portals to other worlds. Guests come and go from these worlds but if they stay long enough usually pick up some magical ability. Gene is one-such guest who has yet to manifest any of that but makes up for it by being a more than proficient fighter. He’s got ants in his pants though and is desperate to try his hand at being a pirate. He’s been unable to find a world which would accommodate his desires though so exhorts one of the more capable sorceresses amongst the regular guests to try and invoke one from a picture. The spell is a success but things don’t quite go as planned when mayhem erupts at the castle leaving Gene and Linda trapped in the pirate world.
Going back to an old series can either be risky or can breathe a new life into it. Unfortunately this is the former variety. The first couple of books in the series seemed to give a fresh take on portal fantasy with a few laughs and a sense of adventure along the way. This just seems to be an author returning to a semi-popular title and churning out the same material once again. It’s not a terrible book as it’s at least on a par with the later books in the series but just offers nothing new. All the old regular characters resurface so if you have a hankering to spend more time with them but don’t want to pick up the old stuff then by all means give this a go. Just don’t expect any added bells or whistles. 3★'s
Book 9 of the Castle Perilous humorous fantasy series which I missed on its release several years ago after a gap of over 20 years since the last one. The castle is of the magical variety and has portals to other worlds. Guests come and go from these worlds but if they stay long enough usually pick up some magical ability. Gene is one-such guest who has yet to manifest any of that but makes up for it by being a more than proficient fighter. He’s got ants in his pants though and is desperate to try his hand at being a pirate. He’s been unable to find a world which would accommodate his desires though so exhorts one of the more capable sorceresses amongst the regular guests to try and invoke one from a picture. The spell is a success but things don’t quite go as planned when mayhem erupts at the castle leaving Gene and Linda trapped in the pirate world.
Going back to an old series can either be risky or can breathe a new life into it. Unfortunately this is the former variety. The first couple of books in the series seemed to give a fresh take on portal fantasy with a few laughs and a sense of adventure along the way. This just seems to be an author returning to a semi-popular title and churning out the same material once again. It’s not a terrible book as it’s at least on a par with the later books in the series but just offers nothing new. All the old regular characters resurface so if you have a hankering to spend more time with them but don’t want to pick up the old stuff then by all means give this a go. Just don’t expect any added bells or whistles. 3★'s
1. Winter - Len Deighton - 7/10
2. The Last Great Mountain - Mick Conefrey - 6/10
3. Pegasus Bridge - Stephen E. Ambrose - 6/10
4. The Dead of Jericho - Colin Dexter - 7/10
5. Agent Sonya - Ben MacIntyre - 7/10
6. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - 9/10
7. Macbeth - A. J. Hartley and David Hewson - 9/10
8. The Ashes of London - Andrew Taylor - 7/10
9. Ashendon - W. Somerset Maugham - 5/10
10. With a Mind to Kill - Anthony Horowitz - 8/10
11. SAS: Sea King Down - Mark Aston and Stuart Tootal - 7/10
12. SS-GB - Len Deighton - 6/10
13. Nomad - Alan Partridge - 5/10
14. Jungle Soldier - Brian Moynahan - 9/10
15. The Ticket Collector from Belarus - Mike Anderson and Neil Hanson - 8/10
16. Soldier 'I' - Pete Winner and Michael Paul Kennedy - 6/10
17. Seashaken Houses - Tom Nancollas - 8/10
18. The Good Germans - Catrine Clay - 5/10
19. The Bookseller of Inverness - S. G. Maclean - 5/10
I hope I'm not doing this book a disservice in scoring it so low, but I just failed to engage with it in any meaningful level.
It is a historical novel set in 1748 in the north of Scotland, a few years after the battle of Culloden. The eponymous bookseller with his father, try to warn potential murder victims that they are being targeted, but they are always one step behind the revenge killer.
The names of the victims are encoded in a book, of which there is only the original, and a single copy. The bookseller and his father have the damaged replica, but who has the original?
The plot twists and turns are not that exciting, and in many cases predictable. The ending was rather tame too, and I finished the book feeling pretty uninspired, but looking forward to moving on to something more interesting.
2. The Last Great Mountain - Mick Conefrey - 6/10
3. Pegasus Bridge - Stephen E. Ambrose - 6/10
4. The Dead of Jericho - Colin Dexter - 7/10
5. Agent Sonya - Ben MacIntyre - 7/10
6. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - 9/10
7. Macbeth - A. J. Hartley and David Hewson - 9/10
8. The Ashes of London - Andrew Taylor - 7/10
9. Ashendon - W. Somerset Maugham - 5/10
10. With a Mind to Kill - Anthony Horowitz - 8/10
11. SAS: Sea King Down - Mark Aston and Stuart Tootal - 7/10
12. SS-GB - Len Deighton - 6/10
13. Nomad - Alan Partridge - 5/10
14. Jungle Soldier - Brian Moynahan - 9/10
15. The Ticket Collector from Belarus - Mike Anderson and Neil Hanson - 8/10
16. Soldier 'I' - Pete Winner and Michael Paul Kennedy - 6/10
17. Seashaken Houses - Tom Nancollas - 8/10
18. The Good Germans - Catrine Clay - 5/10
19. The Bookseller of Inverness - S. G. Maclean - 5/10
I hope I'm not doing this book a disservice in scoring it so low, but I just failed to engage with it in any meaningful level.
It is a historical novel set in 1748 in the north of Scotland, a few years after the battle of Culloden. The eponymous bookseller with his father, try to warn potential murder victims that they are being targeted, but they are always one step behind the revenge killer.
The names of the victims are encoded in a book, of which there is only the original, and a single copy. The bookseller and his father have the damaged replica, but who has the original?
The plot twists and turns are not that exciting, and in many cases predictable. The ending was rather tame too, and I finished the book feeling pretty uninspired, but looking forward to moving on to something more interesting.
1. Winter - Len Deighton - 7/10
2. The Last Great Mountain - Mick Conefrey - 6/10
3. Pegasus Bridge - Stephen E. Ambrose - 6/10
4. The Dead of Jericho - Colin Dexter - 7/10
5. Agent Sonya - Ben MacIntyre - 7/10
6. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - 9/10
7. Macbeth - A. J. Hartley and David Hewson - 9/10
8. The Ashes of London - Andrew Taylor - 7/10
9. Ashendon - W. Somerset Maugham - 5/10
10. With a Mind to Kill - Anthony Horowitz - 8/10
11. SAS: Sea King Down - Mark Aston and Stuart Tootal - 7/10
12. SS-GB - Len Deighton - 6/10
13. Nomad - Alan Partridge - 5/10
14. Jungle Soldier - Brian Moynahan - 9/10
15. The Ticket Collector from Belarus - Mike Anderson and Neil Hanson - 8/10
16. Soldier 'I' - Pete Winner and Michael Paul Kennedy - 6/10
17. Seashaken Houses - Tom Nancollas - 8/10
18. The Good Germans - Catrine Clay - 5/10
19. The Bookseller of Inverness - S. G. Maclean - 5/10
20. The Carpet People - Terry Pratchett - 6/10
This is only my second Pratchett book. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't really a page-turner for me. It was full of imaginative scenarios and people / beings, and funny in parts, but it didn't really deliver as other fantasy novels have done for me. Maybe it wasn't epic enough. Maybe I wasn't properly ready for it, I don't know.
The other Pratchett book I have read was Dodger, which I really enjoyed.
After recent events, I'm going to look for a good book about British history next.
2. The Last Great Mountain - Mick Conefrey - 6/10
3. Pegasus Bridge - Stephen E. Ambrose - 6/10
4. The Dead of Jericho - Colin Dexter - 7/10
5. Agent Sonya - Ben MacIntyre - 7/10
6. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - 9/10
7. Macbeth - A. J. Hartley and David Hewson - 9/10
8. The Ashes of London - Andrew Taylor - 7/10
9. Ashendon - W. Somerset Maugham - 5/10
10. With a Mind to Kill - Anthony Horowitz - 8/10
11. SAS: Sea King Down - Mark Aston and Stuart Tootal - 7/10
12. SS-GB - Len Deighton - 6/10
13. Nomad - Alan Partridge - 5/10
14. Jungle Soldier - Brian Moynahan - 9/10
15. The Ticket Collector from Belarus - Mike Anderson and Neil Hanson - 8/10
16. Soldier 'I' - Pete Winner and Michael Paul Kennedy - 6/10
17. Seashaken Houses - Tom Nancollas - 8/10
18. The Good Germans - Catrine Clay - 5/10
19. The Bookseller of Inverness - S. G. Maclean - 5/10
20. The Carpet People - Terry Pratchett - 6/10
This is only my second Pratchett book. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't really a page-turner for me. It was full of imaginative scenarios and people / beings, and funny in parts, but it didn't really deliver as other fantasy novels have done for me. Maybe it wasn't epic enough. Maybe I wasn't properly ready for it, I don't know.
The other Pratchett book I have read was Dodger, which I really enjoyed.
After recent events, I'm going to look for a good book about British history next.
