Reading Challenge 2022

[Paladin]

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
21. The Heretics of De'Ath - Howard of Warwick - 7/10
22. Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle - Ben MacIntyre - 9/10

Another great book just released by MacIntyre - my favourite WW2 history writer.

As ever, this is very well researched by the author. I grew up watching Colditz on BBC1 in the seventies, and this was so reminiscent of that fantastic series, elaborating on many of the escape attempts and telling us about the characters from both sides of the conflict.

Understandably, there is much more detail here than we saw back in the day, and many new tales. There is the Polish pilot who repeatedly damaged his teeth so that he could carry out an affair with a German dental assistant, who was also a spy for the allies. The Jewish dentist who later became the camp dentist, putting an end to the affair. He was also an important MI5 agent, passing secrets back to London.

We hear about all the escape attempts, both successful and unsuccessful. The tunnel attempts and the unused glider. Escape gadgets and accessories. Betrayal leading to discovery of the secret radio, but not the second undiscovered secret radio.

The book touches on some themes not seen on the TV series, such as racism from the British officers towards the Indian officers fighting on behalf of the allies. Homosexuality increased as the war went on. It discusses a group of British prisoners nicknamed 'The Prominente'. These were 21 soldiers with a link to prominent enemies of the Germans such as a distant relative of Churchill, the son of Field Marshall Haig, and the son of an American diplomat. Hitler and Himmler wanted to keep this group safe and apart from the regular prisoners, with a view to possibly using them as hostages or bargaining tools. Hitler ordered their execution at the end of the war, but this was not carried out. The book also talks about the British class system that was evident even within the castle, and it describes the rather unsavoury personality traits of Douglas Bader.

The book finishes with the liberation of the castle at the end of the war, and what happened to the main protagonists after the conflict ended. A really good book, recommended to anyone with an interest in this genre.

 

[uncle fester]

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
21. The Heretics of De'Ath - Howard of Warwick - 7/10
22. Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle - Ben MacIntyre - 9/10

Another great book just released by MacIntyre - my favourite WW2 history writer.

As ever, this is very well researched by the author. I grew up watching Colditz on BBC1 in the seventies, and this was so reminiscent of that fantastic series, elaborating on many of the escape attempts and telling us about the characters from both sides of the conflict.

Understandably, there is much more detail here than we saw back in the day, and many new tales. There is the Polish pilot who repeatedly damaged his teeth so that he could carry out an affair with a German dental assistant, who was also a spy for the allies. The Jewish dentist who later became the camp dentist, putting an end to the affair. He was also an important MI5 agent, passing secrets back to London.

We hear about all the escape attempts, both successful and unsuccessful. The tunnel attempts and the unused glider. Escape gadgets and accessories. Betrayal leading to discovery of the secret radio, but not the second undiscovered secret radio.

The book touches on some themes not seen on the TV series, such as racism from the British officers towards the Indian officers fighting on behalf of the allies. Homosexuality increased as the war went on. It discusses a group of British prisoners nicknamed 'The Prominente'. These were 21 soldiers with a link to prominent enemies of the Germans such as a distant relative of Churchill, the son of Field Marshall Haig, and the son of an American diplomat. Hitler and Himmler wanted to keep this group safe and apart from the regular prisoners, with a view to possibly using them as hostages or bargaining tools. Hitler ordered their execution at the end of the war, but this was not carried out. The book also talks about the British class system that was evident even within the castle, and it describes the rather unsavoury personality traits of Douglas Bader.

The book finishes with the liberation of the castle at the end of the war, and what happened to the main protagonists after the conflict ended. A really good book, recommended to anyone with an interest in this genre.

that Colditz one looks really good

if you're looking for something slightly off the subject picked up this one recently in a charity shop and enjoyed it no end

 

[ob]

Finished A minute to midnight by David Baldacci. Couldn't get into it at all until near the end and also didn't realise it was 2nd in a series. I bought it in charity shop for £1. Started Billy Summers on my Kindle app and have bought Seashaken houses

 

[RobMCFC]

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
14. Steven Spielberg: A Biography - Joseph McBride – 8/10
15. Scrublands – Chris Hammer – 8/10



@stoneblue recommended this way back in January so I added it to my list. Now I’ve finally got around to reading it.

There’s no question that this is in the same Aussie noir genre as Jane Harper’s books and like her novel, The Dry, Scrublands is a well-put together murder thriller set against the backdrop of a fierce drought. Local priest Byron Swift shoots five people dead on the steps of his church in the rural Australian town of Riversend and is quickly taken out by a local policeman: case closed. One year later, troubled journalist Martin Scarsden turns up in Riversend to do a piece on how the town is coping one year on from the murders. Yes, you’ve guessed it, Martin starts to uncover a trail of clues that suggests everything is not as it seems.

Whilst this book wasn’t without a few minor flaws, I really enjoyed it. The descriptions of the sun-baked Aussie locales are evocative without being over-the-top, the characters are interesting, and it kept me guessing what was going on until pretty much near the end of the story. There’s enough local characters to flesh out the story and it isn’t always obvious whether they are good or bad from the outset.

The first minor flaw is Martin Scarsden’s troubled past – not a flaw as such in that I like the idea of his backstory, but although it was mentioned several times, it felt like it was just there for the sake of it, and it didn’t really affect his day-to-day thoughts and actions. Secondly, there was just a bit too much going on in the plot. I appreciated that the solution wasn’t just a typical cold-blooded murder, but the number of criminal connections between character A, B and C with characters D, E and F and a few extra visiting crooks did stretch the credibility a little.

However, it was still a good read that I’d recommend. I was never bored, and I notice that Chris Hammer has several more books in this series which I’ll probably pick up at some point.

Thanks to @stoneblue for the heads-up.

Random fact: We went to Prague a few weeks ago and there was a battered copy of this on the bookshelf in the reception of our hotel!

 

[stoneblue]

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
14. Steven Spielberg: A Biography - Joseph McBride – 8/10
15. Scrublands – Chris Hammer – 8/10

View attachment 58369

@stoneblue recommended this way back in January so I added it to my list. Now I’ve finally got around to reading it.

There’s no question that this is in the same Aussie noir genre as Jane Harper’s books and like her novel, The Dry, Scrublands is a well-put together murder thriller set against the backdrop of a fierce drought. Local priest Byron Swift shoots five people dead on the steps of his church in the rural Australian town of Riversend and is quickly taken out by a local policeman: case closed. One year later, troubled journalist Martin Scarsden turns up in Riversend to do a piece on how the town is coping one year on from the murders. Yes, you’ve guessed it, Martin starts to uncover a trail of clues that suggests everything is not as it seems.

Whilst this book wasn’t without a few minor flaws, I really enjoyed it. The descriptions of the sun-baked Aussie locales are evocative without being over-the-top, the characters are interesting, and it kept me guessing what was going on until pretty much near the end of the story. There’s enough local characters to flesh out the story and it isn’t always obvious whether they are good or bad from the outset.

The first minor flaw is Martin Scarsden’s troubled past – not a flaw as such in that I like the idea of his backstory, but although it was mentioned several times, it felt like it was just there for the sake of it, and it didn’t really affect his day-to-day thoughts and actions. Secondly, there was just a bit too much going on in the plot. I appreciated that the solution wasn’t just a typical cold-blooded murder, but the number of criminal connections between character A, B and C with characters D, E and F and a few extra visiting crooks did stretch the credibility a little.

However, it was still a good read that I’d recommend. I was never bored, and I notice that Chris Hammer has several more books in this series which I’ll probably pick up at some point.

Thanks to @stoneblue for the heads-up.

Random fact: We went to Prague a few weeks ago and there was a battered copy of this on the bookshelf in the reception of our hotel!

I’m pleased you enjoyed the book. I have read two more of his.... “Silver” and “Opal Country” with mixed results.

Silver features the main character from Scrublands, Martin Scarsden and you learn a little more about his past. This book was a major disappointment for me…your comment about too much going on in the plot rings true here and I didn’t engage with the plot or characters as much as in Scrublands. I’d be inclined to give this a wide berth, there are better books in this genre out there.

Opal Country is a standalone outback noir. Although not as good as Scrublands this was a decent read and I would recommend it.

If Aussie noir is your thing I would recommend The Stoning by Peter Papathanasiou.

 

[RobMCFC]

I’m pleased you enjoyed the book. I have read two more of his.... “Silver” and “Opal Country” with mixed results.

Silver features the main character from Scrublands, Martin Scarsden and you learn a little more about his past. This book was a major disappointment for me…your comment about too much going on in the plot rings true here and I didn’t engage with the plot or characters as much as in Scrublands. I’d be inclined to give this a wide berth, there are better books in this genre out there.

Opal Country is a standalone outback noir. Although not as good as Scrublands this was a decent read and I would recommend it.

If Aussie noir is your thing I would recommend The Stoning by Peter Papathanasiou.

OK thanks for the warning. Maybe I’ll keep this author on the possibles list!

 

[Scaley]

If you’re a Jack Reacher fan this is probably right up your street. As usual Tim Willocks doesn’t let up on the violence or gore.

 

[stoneblue]

Nucleus - Rory Clements



Nemesis - Rory Clements





These are books 2 and 3 in the Tom Wilde series of books by Rory Clements. Clements is an established writer of historical fiction, his John Shakespeare series set in Elizabethan England being particularly enjoyable.

The central character in these two books is Tom Wilde, an American history professor based in Cambridge. Both books are set in 1939, the first just before the start of WW2 and the second in the period shortly after the declaration of war.

Nucleus - this story is set in the months before the start of WW2. The Nazis have just produced a fission reaction and are now much closer to delivering an atomic bomb but want to know how far along the British and US are in their research. When one of Cambridge’s finest brains is murdered, Professor Tom Wilde is drawn into the investigation.

Nemesis - The story starts with Wilde on holiday in France and he is made aware that a former student, Marcus Marfield, who left Cambridge to join the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War is being held in a concentration camp close by. Feeling obliged to help, he secures Marfield’s release from the camp and helps him return to England.

As Wilde is returning from France, Germany invades Poland, and a U-boat sinks a passenger liner headed for America. Once again, Wilde finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy, working again with Phil Eaton, his erstwhile MI6 contact, who is recovering from the injuries he received in the previous book.

The clever part of these novels is how fact is merged into the stories for example the IRA bombing campaign of 1939 and the sinking of the Athenia at the start of WW2.

Both stories are well paced and researched and whilst the plots are not entirely plausible, the books are enjoyable nonetheless.

I have books 4 & 5 in the series and shall read these in due course.

 

[Paladin]

Nucleus - Rory Clements

View attachment 58487

Nemesis - Rory Clements


View attachment 58488


These are books 2 and 3 in the Tom Wilde series of books by Rory Clements. Clements is an established writer of historical fiction, his John Shakespeare series set in Elizabethan England being particularly enjoyable.

The central character in these two books is Tom Wilde, an American history professor based in Cambridge. Both books are set in 1939, the first just before the start of WW2 and the second in the period shortly after the declaration of war.

Nucleus - this story is set in the months before the start of WW2. The Nazis have just produced a fission reaction and are now much closer to delivering an atomic bomb but want to know how far along the British and US are in their research. When one of Cambridge’s finest brains is murdered, Professor Tom Wilde is drawn into the investigation.

Nemesis - The story starts with Wilde on holiday in France and he is made aware that a former student, Marcus Marfield, who left Cambridge to join the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War is being held in a concentration camp close by. Feeling obliged to help, he secures Marfield’s release from the camp and helps him return to England.

As Wilde is returning from France, Germany invades Poland, and a U-boat sinks a passenger liner headed for America. Once again, Wilde finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy, working again with Phil Eaton, his erstwhile MI6 contact, who is recovering from the injuries he received in the previous book.

The clever part of these novels is how fact is merged into the stories for example the IRA bombing campaign of 1939 and the sinking of the Athenia at the start of WW2.

Both stories are well paced and researched and whilst the plots are not entirely plausible, the books are enjoyable nonetheless.

I have books 4 & 5 in the series and shall read these in due course.

Thanks for these summaries. Two of my favourite books recently have been alternative WWII histories by C J Sansom and Len Deighton. This series sounds right up my street!

 

[ob]

Finished Billy Summers and loved it. Long time since I read a book so quickly as started it about 10 days ago. 2 reasons are I have COVID and stuck indoors but also because I really enjoyed the book. I have always been a big King fan from Carrie and Salem Lot days. Thanks for recommendation on here. Now to pick something from my list to download to my Kindle