Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Call for the Dead by John le Carré.

Oh, splendid. An excellent spy/mystery novel, set in the late 1950s.

Next up, a random pick from my TBR pile: The Russian Interpreter by Michael Frayn. A freebie I picked up from Kobo back in June 2012.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Just started reading Tracks: One Women's Journey Across 1,700 Miles of Australian Outback. So far, so good, except that I can tell that I'm going to have to have my Aussie neighbour on speed-dial for some of the vocabulary. It's full of Australian slang, some of which I haven't run across before.

A solid 4 stars. There's quite a comprehensive indictment of the Australian treatment of it's original population, and a recognition that the author, despite spending time with, and supporting the cause of, the Indigenous Peoples, can never really understand. Considering when it was published (1980), this is better than one might have expected. There's also a real appreciation and love for the beauty of the desert, something that I've never personally been able to see, but this made me want to try again.

And, all that aside, I started this before breakfast and spent the entire day with my head in my Kindle, finishing up before bed. I rarely do that any more, so definitely a good read.

[gmw]

Thanks for that review, CRussel. Definitely going on my list.

[Luffy]

My 2 star review of Revenge in Rubies (Harriet Gordon Mystery #2) by A.M. Stuart:-

Spoiler:

Don't understand the high ratings. What a rip-off. The writing is good, but it looks like marble was used to build a grain silo.

The book seems very well grounded in its time frame. As a historical fiction, it hits the target. But as a police procedural and as an adventure it falls flat.

My interest in this series killed right here. Instead of solely concentrating on who wore what fabric, efforts should have been made in giving life to the characters. The best books do that.

[SeaBookGuy]

The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo. Second of his mysteries to be translated into English; I prefer The Honjin Murders to this one.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by ReadingManiac

I'm so stealing that term!

Heh. You should see the post I made halfway through the book, in which I demonstrated how easy it is to spin a conspiracy theory out of nothing. (The book is about an actor who is hired to stand in for a politician commonly called “Uncle Joe” whose last name starts with B, who comes to power after some bizarre political machinations.)

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up, a random pick from my TBR pile: The Russian Interpreter by Michael Frayn. A freebie I picked up from Kobo back in June 2012.

Which was interesting. And an odd random choice right after Call for the Dead.

A slightly confusing novel, which I think is intentional, to reflect the confusing nature of events. Given the author, it's not unnatural that sometimes it felt a bit like a playscript instead of a novel. 4/5, even though not my usual thing.

Next up: A recent freebie, Lestrade and the Sawdust Ring by M. J. Trow.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: A recent freebie, Lestrade and the Sawdust Ring by M. J. Trow.

Quickly abandoned. Historical Fictional Mystery with Lestrade as the main character? Sounds great. But I never got to Lestrade. The 'humorous' byplay between Disraeli and Gladstone was enough to make me abandon this with extreme prejudice. If it had been physical, it would not have been tossed lightly aside, but thrown with great force.

Next up: The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith. A recent £0.99 purchase.

[Apache]

I just finished Foreigner by C J Cherryh. A very good read and I will continue the series. I remember reading one of the books in the '90s. It was not the first one and I remember not enjoying it much. I am glad I finally tried the series again.
Apache

[PurpleStar]

I finished All the Colors of Night by Jayne Ann Krentz. Good paranormal romance type of series!!!!! I now await the next book.

Now reading The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi.

[Padraic73]

I'm in the middle of reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's very good so far. I'll finish the series unless something drastic changes in the last half of the novel.

After that I'll probably move onto some more of the Dresden Files if overdrive has the next one I need in the series.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith. A recent £0.99 purchase.

Which I was delighted by. A splendid story, well told.

Next up: Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler. A recent purchase (Dec 2020)

[Luffy]

My 5 star review of Nightfall and Other Stories, by Isaac Asimov:-

Spoiler:

This series of gem like stories, each crafted, seemingly, with loving care, but was probably written for a magazine with a deadline, is the best that American SCI FI literature can offer us.

I do consider Nightfall the best short story collection I've ever read. The second is The Complete Short Stories of Hercule Poirot and the 3rd is the Jungle Books by Kipling.

Isaac Asimov never bettered this collection of short stories. Most of his books are unreadable. He was prolific but his work ethic and his upbringing in a nascent Cold War with Russia blunted his longevity in most cases. But not here. This is science fiction at its finest.

[cc_in_oh]

IIRC Nightfall was John W. Campbell's idea and he offered it to the relatively unknown Asimov to write, giving his writing career a major boost.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Apache

I just finished Foreigner by C J Cherryh. A very good read and I will continue the series. I remember reading one of the books in the '90s. It was not the first one and I remember not enjoying it much. I am glad I finally tried the series again.
Apache

One of my all time favourite series. And, if you enjoy audio books, the narrations by Daniel Thomas May are outstanding.