Books The BOOK thread

The Black House by Peter May. I really enjoyed this thriller. Admittedly I'm pretty late to the party.

Dark but gripping. There's 2 more as well I believe.

The Outsider by Stephen King. Odd one, very enjoyable but the story almost switches half way through. I can't say a great deal more without spoiling anything though.
 
I finished Shuggie Bain last week. I loved it, but it was emotionally heavy to get through. I've picked up Ultimatum by Frank Gardner, a nice little action thriller. It’s a nice chance of pace.
 
Sooley (John Grisham) 2021

Fantastic story from one of my favourite authors ever. Few can cross so easily from one genre to another and still come up with the goods but this one is far removed from Grisham's usual lawyer/courtroom setting. Along with Sheldon Siegel and John Lescroart he's at the top of the tree (and his new book out in October returns to the legal side).

In a nutshell this book is about a basketball player from South Sudan, Samuel Sooleyman (nicknamed Sooley) who wins the chance to visit America and try to make it big.

This side of the story is intertwined with horrific events back home in South Sudan (which I won't go in to because spoilers) which make it even more important for him to succeed.

Told in typical Grisham style, never letting one side of the story get too far ahead of the other and pacing them perfectly.

Definitely one of his best books and would recommend to all.
 
Daniel Woodrell is so underrated. Really a brilliant author on par with the best wordsmiths of his generation.
 
Vidyoyo said:
What's it about?
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It's a book that follows a Korean family from 1911 to 1989, so it really spans over 3 generations. It centers around this Korean family who settled in Japan in 1911and the trials and tribulations that comes with being a Korean living in Japan in that era. Korea was under the colony rule of Japan at the start of the book through the end of WW2.

I enjoyed reading this because it was kind a story rooted in historical context, so I got to learn a bit about the real-life Korean/Japan relationship during that time period whilst also enjoying the story itself.
 
Vidyoyo said:
What's it about?
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WeePat gave a good summary. I'll add that I liked it, despite not really being into multigenerational family sagas because it really balances each character's narrative. When the focus shifts to the next generation, the previous generation's main character smoothly shifts into a supporting character role. It has a lot of insightful information about living in Japan, especially as a Korean, without focusing too much on identity issues. It balances an honest look at identity without sacrificing a good story or poignant plot points.
 
WeePat said:
It's a book that follows a Korean family from 1911 to 1989, so it really spans over 3 generations. It centers around this Korean family who settled in Japan in 1911and the trials and tribulations that comes with being a Korean living in Japan in that era. Korea was under the colony rule of Japan at the start of the book through the end of WW2.

I enjoyed reading this because it was kind a story rooted in historical context, so I got to learn a bit about the real-life Korean/Japan relationship during that time period whilst also enjoying the story itself.
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oneniltothearsenal said:
WeePat gave a good summary. I'll add that I liked it, despite not really being into multigenerational family sagas because it really balances each character's narrative. When the focus shifts to the next generation, the previous generation's main character smoothly shifts into a supporting character role. It has a lot of insightful information about living in Japan, especially as a Korean, without focusing too much on identity issues. It balances an honest look at identity without sacrificing a good story or poignant plot points.
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Thanks both. I asked mostly because it's been on my watchlist for a while and I didn't know much about it except it has a good reputation. Certainly sounds like an interesting novel :)
 
The Crossing is taking me longer to get into than any other Cormac Mccarthy I've read.
 
Jippy said:
The Crossing is taking me longer to get into than any other Cormac Mccarthy I've read.
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It's definitely a bit slower-paced than his other novels but the ending is a good payoff. I still need to read the 3rd Border Trilogy (the only McCarthy novel I haven't read yet so I'm saving it).
 
oneniltothearsenal said:
It's definitely a bit slower-paced than his other novels but the ending is a good payoff. I still need to read the 3rd Border Trilogy (the only McCarthy novel I haven't read yet so I'm saving it).
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You're right it was good, I just found the wolf hunting part quite long. It is rather similar to All the Pretty Horses and surprises me these lifestyles continued as long as the interwar years, albeit by then they were jarring against the encroachment of modernity.

I still have four McCarthy books left to read:)

Reading William Gibson's Neuromancer right now. It's pretty hard to visualise what the hell is going on a good chunk of the time.
 
oneniltothearsenal said:
It's definitely a bit slower-paced than his other novels but the ending is a good payoff. I still need to read the 3rd Border Trilogy (the only McCarthy novel I haven't read yet so I'm saving it).
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Oh man I wish there was a McCarthy novel I still had left :(
 
Nickosaur said:
Anyone read/reading the Your Face Tomorrow trilogy by Javier Marias?
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Yes! I absolutely love that trilogy. It's a very different style to McCarthy as there is so much interiority but the intensity and philosophical issues that Marias illustrates are remarkable. Probably one of my favorite trilogies of all time.
 
I have been a big fan of Gerald Seymour. Loads of brilliant story lines and always gripping.
Anyone else enjoy his books?
 
Reading Kafka on the Shore now. Was a bit slow to get into it, but I'm loving it now. Not too sure what's going on beyond the two main story threads - as in, what is the overall plot and how do these two stories relate to the supernatural incident described in the initial chapters (other than Nakata being that kid). But, enjoying it a lot overall.
 
Vidyoyo said:
How did you get on with it? I had a really hard time getting into it (and then dropped it).
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Yeah I can see why. I actually quite liked all the interaction of the characters, the different places they go to and many of the scenes, but the parts in the matrix were a struggle. They were certainly nothing like the film and pretty abstract. Interesting concepts and ideas, but too much of it was unengaging because it's so hard to grasp what exactly is going on.
 
oneniltothearsenal said:
Yes! I absolutely love that trilogy. It's a very different style to McCarthy as there is so much interiority but the intensity and philosophical issues that Marias illustrates are remarkable. Probably one of my favorite trilogies of all time.
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Sorry missed your comment... yeah Marias does an incredible job of making the protagonist's inner thoughts so compelling, his way of analysing people and their motives and morals is wonderful.

I made the mistake of waiting too long between Vol 1 and Vol 2 (about 3 years!), so i was a little lost, but also I find it takes a while to get into Marias' groove. So I'm going to pick up Vol 3 next week!
 
Nickosaur said:
Sorry missed your comment... yeah Marias does an incredible job of making the protagonist's inner thoughts so compelling, his way of analysing people and their motives and morals is wonderful.

I made the mistake of waiting too long between Vol 1 and Vol 2 (about 3 years!), so i was a little lost, but also I find it takes a while to get into Marias' groove. So I'm going to pick up Vol 3 next week!
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Yes indeed. "Jacques" Deza is such a fascinating creation the way he reads the other characters so well makes for lovely reading. I need to get into another of his books. Have you read any of his other novels?
 
Buster15 said:
I have been a big fan of Gerald Seymour. Loads of brilliant story lines and always gripping.
Anyone else enjoy his books?
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I've not read his books for many years. Are the recent ones as compelling as "Harry's Game" (which was an amazing TV series too)?
 
Loon said:
I've not read his books for many years. Are the recent ones as compelling as "Harry's Game" (which was an amazing TV series too)?
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Yes indeed they are. And while the storylines are varied, they are topical nonetheless.
Most definitely worth looking at again.
 
oneniltothearsenal said:
Yes indeed. "Jacques" Deza is such a fascinating creation the way he reads the other characters so well makes for lovely reading. I need to get into another of his books. Have you read any of his other novels?
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Not yet, but definitely interested in reading more after this trilogy. Let me know what you manage to find!
 
Recently finished Range by David Epstein after finishing The Sports Gene a few years ago , I really like his work. He's in the same genre as Malcom Gladwell but far better researched and scientifically grounded in his work.

I'm looking forward to The Code Breaker by Walter Isacsson. I ordered it in hardcover knowing I'll probably cherish the book for a long time. Jennifer Doudna is one of my science heros.
 
Sky1981 said:
I recently Read Mario Puzo's Godfather

Was much better than the movie, not that the movie is bad.

But alot of back stories being omitted from the book
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Such a shame the movie omitted the story of Lucy Mancini’s massive fanny.
 
WeePat said:
It's a book that follows a Korean family from 1911 to 1989, so it really spans over 3 generations. It centers around this Korean family who settled in Japan in 1911and the trials and tribulations that comes with being a Korean living in Japan in that era. Korea was under the colony rule of Japan at the start of the book through the end of WW2.

I enjoyed reading this because it was kind a story rooted in historical context, so I got to learn a bit about the real-life Korean/Japan relationship during that time period whilst also enjoying the story itself.
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Popped randomly into this thread(I'm not a big reader). I think I need to give this book a go.

My wife is a third generation Korean-Japanese so it might be a tough read. Her mother experienced so much discrimination that she didn't tell my wife about her Korean ancestry until she was 16 years old(for her own protection).
 
OleBoiii said:
Popped randomly into this thread(I'm not a big reader). I think I need to give this book a go.

My wife is a third generation Korean-Japanese so it might be a tough read. Her mother experienced so much discrimination that she didn't tell my wife about her Korean ancestry until she was 16 years old(for her own protection).
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You should definitely give it a go. I read it over a year ago, and it led me down path of wanting to discover/learn about Korean history, acted as a kind of a gateway to a whole world of Korean art, cinema, literature etc I hadn't been exposed to before. I even attempted to learn the language.

It's a book that tries to tell a story first and foremost. The author subtly ties in the historical context with the story itself, so you're never left feeling overloaded with facts and information.

It's definitely tough to read in parts, even for someone like me without a personal connection to that geographical region, but I'm certain you'll be really pleased that you did.
 
Salt Bailly said:
Finally reading DUNE before the film comes out.
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How is it so far? I'm not a massive sci-fi fan but isn't the book rated, but the original film was really boring?
 
Jippy said:
How is it so far? I'm not a massive sci-fi fan but isn't the book rated, but the original film was really boring?
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Just picked it up from the library, so I'll start on it tonight. And yeah, that seems to be the general consensus.
 
Jippy said:
How is it so far? I'm not a massive sci-fi fan but isn't the book rated, but the original film was really boring?
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You might enjoy Dune a lot more than actual sci-fi fans then. It's so good that it's ideas have been copied time and time again, but you could be coming to it fresher than others. Much of the first Star Wars was based on Dune of course, I suppose you won't have avoided that!

Don't bother with the sequels though.
 
Salt Bailly said:
Just picked it up from the library, so I'll start on it tonight. And yeah, that seems to be the general consensus.
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Let us know what you think when you're done.
 
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Salt Bailly said:
Just picked it up from the library, so I'll start on it tonight. And yeah, that seems to be the general consensus.
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As WeePat said, let us know how you find it.

711 said:
You might enjoy Dune a lot more than actual sci-fi fans then. It's so good that it's ideas have been copied time and time again, but you could be coming to it fresher than others. Much of the first Star Wars was based on Dune of course, I suppose you won't have avoided that!

Don't bother with the sequels though.
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I should give it a whirl. Of the top of my head the only sci-fi I've read is a few Philip K. Dick novels. They were a very mixed bag.

I've avoided the film Dune and never been a massive sci-fi film fan- really struggled with the recent Star Wars films.
 
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