Reading Update #3

 

Well, we're over half way through the year so it must be time for another list of books I've been reading.  As always a fairly mixed bunch... 

The Return by Harry Sidebottom

One of those authors whose name crops up a lot when historical fiction is mentioned...I was a bit concerned this was going to be a Roman version of Sharpe... oh wait, that's Simon Scarrow. (I've read quite a few of Scarrow's books before realising that  he only has about 3 plots).  This was much better: a Roman soldier retiring back home but being drawn into a murder mystery and allusions to PTSD.  Nicely done.

Reality is Not What it Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity by Carlo Rovelli

I read Rovelli's Seven Brief Lessons on Physics a couple of years ago... a really lovely introduction to those kind of physics concepts that make your brain hurt.  He has a very literary almost poetic style which I liked and made things like quantum mechanics almost understandable.  This is more of the same but again very readable.  Did I understand it all?,... of course not but that's not always the point.

The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of Northumbria by Max Adams

I picked this up when I was doing a bit of research for my Arthurian/Dark Ages project...it wasn't  quite the right period but a really interesting read and reminded me that there's a lot of British history that is a complete blank to me.  I do also have his Arthurian book although the more I read about this period, the more it's obvious that we know very, very little.

I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke

Brilliant autobiography by everyone's favourite poet!  The first half of the book suffers a bit by focusing on the 'we were poor but we were happy', post war reminiscing that you often find  in biographies of people of a certain age.  But it takes off when his career starts and I now know more than I need to about how to manage a heroin habit!

The Nightmare Stacks by Charles Stross

One of my favourite authors, the Laundry files are a sort of Le Carre/Deighton/Fleming meets Lovecraft pastiche with British intelligence dealing with everything from cultists to vampires always with the threat of the imminent arrival of the Elder Gods to deal with.  As the series progresses they move away from direct pastiche into a life of their own and are an excellent read.  This involves vampires and an incursion by the Fae as well as Civil Service bureaucracy.

Dragonfly Falling by Adrian Tchaikovsky

In my last book round-up I included  Empire in Red and Gold by Tchaikovsky a fantasy series set in a world where people have 'aspects' of different insects, ranging from techy engineering Beetle people to Wasps who are essentially Nazis (just like real wasps I suspect... nasty little things!).  I really enjoyed the first book, much more than I'd expected to but was a bit put off by the fact that it was #1 of at least 10 books.  This is book #2 and sadly was really quite dull... very little seemed to happen and what did happen was very repetitive so I don't think I'll make it any further in the series.

False Value by Ben Aaronovitch

The latest by the author of Rivers of London a police procedural with magic and river goddesses.  If you haven't read any of these start with Rivers, but they're all definitely worth checking out.  By comparison with the Tchaikovsky books, this and the Charles Stross books are good examples of how to keep a long running series fresh and interesting.

Venice by Jan Morris

It's hard to sum this book up...part history, part memoir, part travelogue but a great description of an intriguing city by a fascinating author who has led an amazing life.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

A Pratchett book I hadn't read, this is possibly one of the best in the series.  Brilliant as always.

Shuggie Bain by Stuart Douglas

This is the latest Booker Prize winner and is set in Glasgow and Lanarkshire in the 70s and 80s.  Bleak and quite harrowing in places, it's also funny and uplifting.  It tells the story of Shuggie (a Glaswegian version of the name Hugh) and his relationship with his alcoholic mother, 80s poverty and his emerging sexuality.  Yep... not the cheeriest of reads but we'll worth it.

Dune by Frank Herbert

I Iast read this over 30 years ago but was keen to see if it still held up to my memories of it being a classic...especially with a new film version  due out later this year.

Incidentally I've never seen the 80s film which I'm told is either terrible or genius.  My nerdy friends were shocked I hadn't seen this or Highlander.  I remedied the Highlander issue recently when it was on TV... it was... erm.. very 80s...

It's always a bit risky revisiting something good from the past but this held up really well.  You can see the influence it has had on lots of books and films.

The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien

And much the same thing goes for this one.  I've read the Lord of the Rings several times but probably not for over 30 years.  ThankfulIy I found it surprisingly readable and lighter than I was expecting.  I always especially enjoyed the parts of the story set in the Shire as the sense of menace grows and the hobbies are still relatively unaware of the dsngers they're being drawn into... I even have a soft spot for Tom Bombadil.  I'm now part way through the Two Towers.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

I'd never read this although I have good memories of the BBC TV adaptation and the Radio 4 version. A really good read set in a strange version of London.

Queen of Storms by Raymond Feist

The 2nd in Feist's latest series of fantasy novels this is everything  you'd expect... long lost heirs to a throne, hidden magic powers, mysterious assassins and pirates.  It ought to be terrible but somehow its a good, entertaining read.