Reading Challenge 2024

  1. Cunning Folk – Adam L.G. Nevill - 8/10
  2. Bad Apples – Will Dean – 7/10
  3. The Winter Road – Adrian Selby – 6/10
  4. The Dark Place – Damian Vargas – 9/10
  5. Act of Oblivion – Robert Harris – 7/10
  6. The Tyranny of Faith – Richard Swan – 7/10
  7. The Game – Micah Richards – 8/10
  8. The Ticket Collector from Belarus – Mike Anderson and Neil Hanson – 8/10
  9. The Satsuma Complex – Bob Mortimer – 6/10
  10. Notes on an Execution – Danya Kukafka – 9/10
  11. And Away … – Bob Mortimer – 7/10
  12. Dead Man's Blues - Ray Celestin – 8/10
  13. On Wings of Eagles – Ken Follett – 8/10
  14. Priest of Gallows – Peter McLean – 8/10
  15. Quantum Radio – A.G.Riddle – 3/10
  16. The Maleficent Seven – Cameron Johnston – 6/10
  17. The Second Sleep – Robert Harris – 8/10
  18. Flowers for Algernon – Daniel Keyes – 7/10
  19. My Effin’ Life – Geddy Lee – 9/10
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If you don’t know him, Geddy Lee is the singer/bass player with Canadian rock band, Rush. Ever since this autobiography was announced I’d been looking forward to getting stuck into this and it didn’t disappoint.

Just to set the context – I am a Rush fan, but not a devotee. I bought a couple of their albums in the 80s/90s, but it wasn’t until the release of Snakes & Arrows in 2007 that I really started to listen to their deep back catalogue. Sadly, I never got to see them live.

The first thing to say is that this is not a warts-and-all behind the scenes expose, and that’s because Mr Lee has a far more interesting tale to tell. A shadow hangs over both the start and end of this book. After the usual stories of when the subject of the book was born and their experiences in their formative years, he devotes a long chapter to the story of his parents. They were originally from Poland and suffered four years in various concentration camps including Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. Lee has dutifully pieced together their story based on what his mother told him, what his surviving relatives had to say and cross referenced it with the work of Holocaust experts. As you’d expect, it’s a harrowing tale but a fitting testament to his parents and how it has shaped his life.

As Rush fans will undoubtedly know, the shadow at the end of the book is the family tragedies suffered by drummer/lyricist, Neal Peart, and his eventual death from a brain tumour in 2020. Geddy Lee manages to convey the emotions that he and guitarist, Alex Lifeson, went through in the last three years of Peart’s life, including their regular visits to his home in Los Angeles.

In between, he manages to relate the story of Rush and interleaves it with his feeling about his work and personal life at each stage of his career. He’s not afraid to pick at the issues that his choice in career have had on himself and his family, noting that “it’s an unpleasant fact that few musicians, myself included, are prepared to give up their gig to raise a family”. Later on, he notes that being in a band “demands precedence over everything, silently running (and occasionally ruining) your life.

He also tackles the potentially prickly subject of how critics react to his voice, taking it mostly in good humour.

Occasionally, there’s a little nugget about what it takes to put on and run a show that isn’t immediately obvious to the audience. For example, Lee states that sometimes the crew will tell you in your earphone that there’s trouble in the audience and ask you to stall before the next song. Throughout the book, he’s also incredibly thankful for the amazing job done by the Rush road crew over the years. The fact that some of them were there from the start and were still there at the end speaks volumes of the close-knit bond forged between the band and their touring team.

In addition to the tragic nature of the closing chapters, Lee also tackles the dreaded “R” word and how he felt about it. “R” in this case is retirement. With Neal Peart wanting more time at home and Alex Lifeson suffering medical issues, he is honest enough to admit that events left him frustrated because he didn’t want the show to stop. But with the benefit of hindsight, he has the good grace to admit that Neal Peart was right. He explains that in addition to medical issues and homesickness, Peart had identified, even as early as the demo sessions, that Rush’s final album, Clockwork Angels, was their strongest work. As a relatively latter-day fan, whilst I love their classic material from the mid-70s to early 80s, I have to agree that Clockwork Angels is an immense album and perhaps a fitting way to end a glorious recording career.

The book closes with Geddy Lee’s life now as a contented husband, father and grandfather, and it’s good to see that he now makes his decisions on what fits in for both he and his wife, Nancy. I was also interested to read that they regularly visit the UK for walks in places such as the Lake District. You never know, one of us may bump into them at some point.

On one of the music threads, @threespires asked if this book might be suitable for the general music fan who is not necessarily into Rush. My initial thought was “no” because Rush is such a cult band. But after I finished the book and began to put this review together, I’ve changed my mind. Whilst Rush recorded a lot of albums, and most are covered, Geddy Lee doesn’t spend pages and pages dissecting each one. In fact, for a couple of albums, it was “next we recorded album X and when the tour finished ….” Whilst this may frustrate hardcore fans, I think it helps the flow of the book with not getting bogged down on why they recorded a certain track in a certain way.

What you have is a very well put together and considered piece of writing by a top-class musician who has seen it all from the 1970s to the present day. The book doesn’t lack drama or emotion, and I suspect a lot of what it has to say will resonate with music fans in general.

Got the book today as it came with the ticket to hear him talk about the book in person, including reading a couple of sections. I’ve posted a bit more on the subject in the Classic Rock thread but I’ll mention here that Alex Lifeson joined Geddy for the second half tonight.

Looking forward to reading the book and crossing everything that Lee & Lifeson will tour again.
 
30/23 A Prince and a Spy - Rory Clements

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In August 1942 the Duke of Kent was killed when the RAF S.25 Short Sunderland Mark III flying boat he was travelling in, crashed into a hillside near Dunbeath, Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. Reportedly heading to Iceland on a morale-boosting trip to see RAF airmen, he was one of 15 fatalities; only the rear gunner, Andrew Jack, survived. Conspiracy theorists have buzzed around this tragic mystery since.
One unsubstantiated claim was that the plane was on a secret mission to Sweden to open misleading and fraudulent peace talks with the Germans - Clements takes this claim as the starting point for this, the 5th book in the Professor Wilde series.

Wilde is now working for The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in London (this was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War 2) and is ordered to try and find the true story behind the crash as the Americans feel that the British are hiding something. In his investigations he meets Harriet Hartwell, an aide to the Prince, who is in contact with a would-be German defector. This defector has some information about Germany’s conduct of the war which he is keen to pass on to the Allies. The Germans for their part wish to stop him.

The story has all the elements that you would expect in a top notch spy thriller.

For me this is the best in the series to date and Clements skilfully weaves a fictional narrative around the events described above. For WW2 history buffs, there is an interesting historical note at the end of the novel around the inspiration behind one of the characters in the book.

Hoping to finish 2023 off with Flowers for Algernon and A Christmas Carol.
 
30/23 A Prince and a Spy - Rory Clements

View attachment 101946

In August 1942 the Duke of Kent was killed when the RAF S.25 Short Sunderland Mark III flying boat he was travelling in, crashed into a hillside near Dunbeath, Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. Reportedly heading to Iceland on a morale-boosting trip to see RAF airmen, he was one of 15 fatalities; only the rear gunner, Andrew Jack, survived. Conspiracy theorists have buzzed around this tragic mystery since.
One unsubstantiated claim was that the plane was on a secret mission to Sweden to open misleading and fraudulent peace talks with the Germans - Clements takes this claim as the starting point for this, the 5th book in the Professor Wilde series.

Wilde is now working for The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in London (this was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War 2) and is ordered to try and find the true story behind the crash as the Americans feel that the British are hiding something. In his investigations he meets Harriet Hartwell, an aide to the Prince, who is in contact with a would-be German defector. This defector has some information about Germany’s conduct of the war which he is keen to pass on to the Allies. The Germans for their part wish to stop him.

The story has all the elements that you would expect in a top notch spy thriller.

For me this is the best in the series to date and Clements skilfully weaves a fictional narrative around the events described above. For WW2 history buffs, there is an interesting historical note at the end of the novel around the inspiration behind one of the characters in the book.

Hoping to finish 2023 off with Flowers for Algernon and A Christmas Carol.

Thanks for the write up. I'll put this on my reading list for 2024, with hopefully a new thread, traditionally started by @RobMCFC. WWII and espionage are up there with my favourite genres.

Also hoping to finish Flowers for Algernon in the next few days, and I'll also try and listen to A Christmas Carol, which has become a seasonal tradition for me.
 
Thanks for the write up. I'll put this on my reading list for 2024, with hopefully a new thread, traditionally started by @RobMCFC. WWII and espionage are up there with my favourite genres.

Also hoping to finish Flowers for Algernon in the next few days, and I'll also try and listen to A Christmas Carol, which has become a seasonal tradition for me.
I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, but I’ll probably just rename this thread and keep it rolling on into 2024.
 
1. Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch. 7/10.
2. The Racketeer - John Grisham. 5/10.
3. Orphan X - Gregg Hurwitz. 9/10.
4. The Longest Kill - Craig Harrison. 8/10.
5. Notes on an Execution - Danya Kukafka. 8/10.
6. The Satsuma Complex - Bob Mortimer. 7/10.
7. The Garderobe of Death - Howard of Warwick - 6/10.
8. A Village in the Third Reich - Julia Boyd, Angelina Patel - 9/10.
9. Three Days in June - James O'Connell - 9/10.
10. The Guv'nor - Lenny McLean - 10/10.
11. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen - 7/10.
12. The Rescue - Andy McNab - 7/10.
13. Hunting the Hangman - Howard Linskey - 8/10.
14. The Easy Day was Yesterday: The extreme life of an SAS soldier - Paul Jordan - 4/10.
15. The Visitor - Lee Child - 7/10.
16. Jamaica Inn - Daphne Du Maurier - 8/10.
17. The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Charles Dickens - 6/10.
18. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes - 7/10.

I'd not heard of this before the recommendation on here, and it's not the sort of book I would have normally picked up. But I'm glad I did, so thanks for the recommendation, and thanks for the idea of group reads, because they have taken me into some unchartered waters this year.

Charlie's character had a certain poignancy for me, as my brother-in-law has learning difficulties, and the mental age of about 10. He's gone through periods of bullying (mainly as an adult), and is often disrespected and the victim of prejudice. But he is treated very favourably sometimes too, and his life is comfortable. Charlie gave me some interesting insight, and caused me to think of life as my brother-in-law might experience it.

Overall, for me, it was a sad story, but I like to think Charlie lived out a contented, full life. His mate lost his medically induced intelligence, but I didn't get the impression his life was shortened by the experiment.

The book flowed well. It held my attention throughout, such that I finished the last quarter of the book in just a day. I can see why it is considered a modern classic, but I think I prefer my classic reads to have something of the quintessential Victorian English flavour.
 
1. Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch. 7/10.
2. The Racketeer - John Grisham. 5/10.
3. Orphan X - Gregg Hurwitz. 9/10.
4. The Longest Kill - Craig Harrison. 8/10.
5. Notes on an Execution - Danya Kukafka. 8/10.
6. The Satsuma Complex - Bob Mortimer. 7/10.
7. The Garderobe of Death - Howard of Warwick - 6/10.
8. A Village in the Third Reich - Julia Boyd, Angelina Patel - 9/10.
9. Three Days in June - James O'Connell - 9/10.
10. The Guv'nor - Lenny McLean - 10/10.
11. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen - 7/10.
12. The Rescue - Andy McNab - 7/10.
13. Hunting the Hangman - Howard Linskey - 8/10.
14. The Easy Day was Yesterday: The extreme life of an SAS soldier - Paul Jordan - 4/10.
15. The Visitor - Lee Child - 7/10.
16. Jamaica Inn - Daphne Du Maurier - 8/10.
17. The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Charles Dickens - 6/10.
18. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes - 7/10.
19. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - 7/10.

My annual re-reading of this short classic to complete my list for 2023. Started on Christmas Eve, finished on Christmas Day.

Bah, humbug. Happy 2024 everyone.
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31/23 Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes


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I was unaware of this book until it was mentioned in this thread some time back, so thanks for the recommendation.

Like everyone else who has commented, I enjoyed this book. It is a simple story (see @RobMCFC's spoiler), well told.

Has anyone seen the film version, "Charly"?

Happy New Year, everyone!
 
Guess my reviewing attempts have fallen by the wayside again after all. To finish the year off here's one I mostly had written and I'll add a list and brief thoughts afterwards of the other books read since my last update.

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

Continuation of the Red Rising saga set 10 years later. Darrow/Reaper is in trouble. In an attempt to bring an end to the war against the Golds that are still holding out he has disobeyed an order from the senate and although it brought him a great victory it was at a high cost. Only the Ash Lord remains to stand against the new democratic order but will Darrow remain free to see the turmoil brought to a close?

Although this is not the best book in the series I do quite like some of the new characters. This is much more of an ensemble piece than the previous books and has several viewpoints, as we not only follow Darrow but also Lysander (the former emperor’s grandson), Lyra (a young Red who starts off languishing in a freedom camp) and Ephraim (a thief who may have got in over his head). While the original trilogy started out as YA I think this is aimed at a more adult reader. Still enjoyable enough to stick with the series and will pick up the next book(s) at some point. 3½★'s



Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
A very good account of what it meant to be a fan of the beautiful game (football (soccer)) through the trials and tribulations of supporting a team through the good times and the bad. 3½★'s

Bandits by Elmore Leonard
Not the author's best work but enjoyable enough. Where an ex-con joins the cause of an avenging angel. 3★'s

Tithe by Holly Black
My first work from the author will probably also be my last. I'm just not the intended audience and so will not give this book a rating.

Sergio Kun Aguero: Born to Rise: My Story by Sergio Aguero
Autobiography of a footballer that goes into prolific detail about his parents struggles and junior football in Argentina. Covers up to the 2012/13 season. 3½★'s

Love Will Tear Us Apart by C. K. McDonnell
Continuation of the Stranger Times urban fantasy series. Not my favourite of the 3 books so far but still very enjoyable. 4★'s

Silesian Station
Stettin Station
Potsdam Station
all by David Downing
It had been a while since I'd read the first book in this series but had no trouble in getting back in to it. It's not often that I'll binge read a series so that goes to show how much I enjoyed these books. While each book is a stand-alone read they follow on so closely that it almost felt like reading 1 book. Follows the life and adventures of an English born journalist living in Germany from just before the 2nd World War to it's conclusion with the protagonist becoming invollved with various intelligence services while trying to keep himself and his loved ones safe. 4★'s for each

I'll also add an update on a summary and stats post in the not too distant future.
 

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