What are you reading

[Drago]

Currently on book 4 of the Rama quadrilogy, Rama Revealed.

 

[Dan Lotus]

Just finished the 6th Shardlake book called Lamentation, out of 7 in total.
I was visiting my beautiful home city of Norwich a couple of years ago, and we visited Ketts heights, where there are some chapel ruins, and apparently this is where Robert Kett and his followers made plans for the rebellion.
Whilst there I got chatting to a volunteer gardener, who put me onto this series.
The one I was interested in was the final one in the series, and is called Tombland, and is set in Norwich and I believe is about Kett's rebellion.

However there were 6 other books first, and they are all beefy tomes, I think all are over 600 pages, and some may breach 700.

I've enjoyed them all, much more than I thought I would do, as I don't tend to read historical based fiction.

They did make a TV series out of Dissolution, which I thought was rather good, but it seems it was not a big success and has not been recommissioned.
I'm not sure if Tombland was meant to be the final book in the series, but sadly C.J Sansom died last year I think it was so there will be no more penned by him at any rate.

 

[Big John]

Just finished The Escape written by Pippa York and David Walsh. Couldn't put the thing down and finished it in a few days. The transition from Robert Millar to Pippa York is a fascinating read. Great stories too from an ex member of the professional peleton. An honest book that pulls no punches. Got it from the library when I was passing last week and I'm glad I did.

 

[raleighnut]

Just finished the 6th Shardlake book called Lamentation, out of 7 in total.
I was visiting my beautiful home city of Norwich a couple of years ago, and we visited Ketts heights, where there are some chapel ruins, and apparently this is where Robert Kett and his followers made plan for the rebellion.
Whilst there I got chatting to a volunteer gardener, who put me onto this series.
The one I was interested in was the final one in the series, and is called Tombland, and is set in Norwich and I believe is about Kett's rebellion.

However there were 6 other books first, and they are all beefy tomes, I think all are over 600 pages, and some may breach 700.

View attachment 795562

I've enjoyed them all, much more than I thought I would do, as I don't tend to read historical based fiction.

They did make a TV series out of Dissolution, which I thought was rather good, but it seems it was not a big success and has not been recommissioned.
I'm not sure if Tombland was meant to be the final book in the series, but sadly C.J Sansom died last year I think it was so there will be no more penned by him at any rate.

I'm quite into historical type fiction,

Having watched ’Sharpes Company’ last night, & he was one of the actors in it
I was reminded of Terry Pratchett stating that he always envisaged a younger Pete Postlethwaite as Sam Vines

Now l’ve seen the above TV ‘film’ for the first time in years, l can imagine Sean Bean in that role

The 'Sharpe' books are written by Bernard Cornwell and the TV films loosely based on them, he also went on to write 'The Last Kingdom' amongst many other books, some 'historical and some about the other love of his life ............sailing.

 

[Punkawallah]

The Science of Discworld 2 - the Globe. Should really say ‘re-reading’. Looking forward in trepidation to the next Jim Butcher ‘Dresden Files’ instalment- as in ‘please don’t cock it up’.

 

[Pross]

Just finished the 6th Shardlake book called Lamentation, out of 7 in total.
I was visiting my beautiful home city of Norwich a couple of years ago, and we visited Ketts heights, where there are some chapel ruins, and apparently this is where Robert Kett and his followers made plan for the rebellion.
Whilst there I got chatting to a volunteer gardener, who put me onto this series.
The one I was interested in was the final one in the series, and is called Tombland, and is set in Norwich and I believe is about Kett's rebellion.

However there were 6 other books first, and they are all beefy tomes, I think all are over 600 pages, and some may breach 700.

View attachment 795562

I've enjoyed them all, much more than I thought I would do, as I don't tend to read historical based fiction.

They did make a TV series out of Dissolution, which I thought was rather good, but it seems it was not a big success and has not been recommissioned.
I'm not sure if Tombland was meant to be the final book in the series, but sadly C.J Sansom died last year I think it was so there will be no more penned by him at any rate.

Read them all back to back and learned a lot from the history of the time in the process. I was waiting for the next one and only discovered CJ Sansom died when we were discussing it on Cake Stop last year. I was a bit disappointed with the TV adaptation but my wife, who hasn't read the books. enjoyed it. I find it is generally the case that TV adaptations don't meet my expectations. It's the same with the Peter James Roy Grace books (I've just finished the latest one 'The Hawk Is Dead' which is based around Buckingham Palace and a bit more far fetched than usual I felt but Camilla is apparently a fan and suggested he write something based in London). The recent Thursday Murder Club adaptation was quite good other than the strange choice to change how things ended for Bogdan that is going to make future adaptations a bit odd.

 

[Pross]

Having watched ’Sharpes Company’ last night, & he was one of the actors in it
I was reminded of Terry Pratchett stating that he always envisaged a younger Pete Postlethwaite as Sam Vines

Now l’ve seen the above TV ‘film’ for the first time in years, l can imagine Sean Bean in that role

The TV versions of Sharpe are probably the biggest example of adaptations being disappointing when you've read the books. I watched them back in the 90s before reading any of the books and enjoyed them but whenever I watch them now the battle scenes are just far too small. They need remaking with the sort of budget that Netflix etc. could bring. Reading the books is always quite amusing as you can see the ones written after Bean was given the role with the explanation of his new found Yorkshire background having originally been very much a Londoner.

 

[Pross]

I'm struggling to find stuff at the moment as I'm either up-to-date with my favourite authors or they have stopped writing. The series I've read my way through are:

Andy McNab's Nick Stone (and Tom Buckingham) books with no more apparently being made (and the last few not being great)
All the Reacher novels (that have gone downhill rapidly since Lee Child's brother started doing the writing)
Peter James's Roy Grace books (currently just started reading one of his others)
All the Michael Connelly stuff
All the Strike novels
All Richard Osman's stuff (Thursday Murder Club and the other one he did lately)
Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe and Starbuck books (I've tried some of the other stuff but couldn't get on with it).

I'm struggling to find replacements and I'm generally re-reading things so any suggestions are welcome. There's so much out there on Kindle or iBooks but with it being so easy these days to get stuff published I find myself wading through a load of terrible books with excellent ratings trying to find something new I get get into. Any suggestions based on the above welcome (I'm not a fan of sci-fi or fantasy stuff).

 

[Webbo2]

Currently riding this. Very good so far.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

The TV versions of Sharpe are probably the biggest example of adaptations being disappointing when you've read the books. I watched them back in the 90s before reading any of the books and enjoyed them but whenever I watch them now the battle scenes are just far too small. They need remaking with the sort of budget that Netflix etc. could bring. Reading the books is always quite amusing as you can see the ones written after Bean was given the role with the explanation of his new found Yorkshire background having originally been very much a Londoner.

I never read the books
Bean; yes, l have read somewhere (Wikipedia, probably?) that the characters back-story was changed, due to the writer being so impressed with Beans portrayal

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

I'm struggling to find stuff at the moment as I'm either up-to-date with my favourite authors or they have stopped writing. The series I've read my way through are:

Andy McNab's Nick Stone (and Tom Buckingham) books with no more apparently being made (and the last few not being great)
All the Reacher novels (that have gone downhill rapidly since Lee Child's brother started doing the writing)
Peter James's Roy Grace books (currently just started reading one of his others)
All the Michael Connelly stuff
All the Strike novels
All Richard Osman's stuff (Thursday Murder Club and the other one he did lately)
Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe and Starbuck books (I've tried some of the other stuff but couldn't get on with it).

I'm struggling to find replacements and I'm generally re-reading things so any suggestions are welcome. There's so much out there on Kindle or iBooks but with it being so easy these days to get stuff published I find myself wading through a load of terrible books with excellent ratings trying to find something new I get get into. Any suggestions based on the above welcome (I'm not a fan of sci-fi or fantasy stuff).

Philippa Gregory’s Tidelands series and Kate Mosse’s Joubert and Languedoc series are all excellent.

 

[Oldhippy]

I can highly recommend 'The Leader less Revolution' by Carne Ross. Interesting but requires a lot more social cohesion and currently so many are only out for themselves.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

My most recent read, I really enjoyed this. Set in the aftermath of the ‘45, by Shona Maclean, niece of Alistair Maclean.

 

[mistyoptic]

I'm struggling to find stuff at the moment as I'm either up-to-date with my favourite authors or they have stopped writing. The series I've read my way through are:

Andy McNab's Nick Stone (and Tom Buckingham) books with no more apparently being made (and the last few not being great)
All the Reacher novels (that have gone downhill rapidly since Lee Child's brother started doing the writing)
Peter James's Roy Grace books (currently just started reading one of his others)
All the Michael Connelly stuff
All the Strike novels
All Richard Osman's stuff (Thursday Murder Club and the other one he did lately)
Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe and Starbuck books (I've tried some of the other stuff but couldn't get on with it).

I'm struggling to find replacements and I'm generally re-reading things so any suggestions are welcome. There's so much out there on Kindle or iBooks but with it being so easy these days to get stuff published I find myself wading through a load of terrible books with excellent ratings trying to find something new I get get into. Any suggestions based on the above welcome (I'm not a fan of sci-fi or fantasy stuff).

Have you tried the Gabriel Wolfe series from Andy Maslen? A bit “reacher-like” but an English hero

 

[Pross]

Have you tried the Gabriel Wolfe series from Andy Maslen? A bit “reacher-like” but an English hero

Thanks, I'll take a look.