What are you currently reading..

Steep said:
I'm reading The Martian now and I reckon it's one of the best reads I've ever come across, funny, technical, interesting... The main character Mark Watney has some great lines that make me laugh out loud.

I saw an interview on Youtube Andy Weir did with Adam Savage and he came across really well, explained a lot of his thinking and research into the details of the story.

I bought the ebook from amazon but apparently you can download it for free from the authors web site, whether you pay for it or get the free copy I really recommend reading it.
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I loved The Martian too and I hear that it's being made into a movie now.

When I finished the book though I couldn't help wondering what his next book would be about....
 
Mark Wahlberg is supposedly playing the Mark Watney character, I'm looking forward to it though usually once I've read a book I hate to see other peoples interpretation of it.
 
Steep said:
Mark Wahlberg is supposedly playing the Mark Watney character, I'm looking forward to it though usually once I've read a book I hate to see other peoples interpretation of it.
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Comes out next month, Matt Damon plays the lead.
 
I usually share my taste in books with my Dad and I bought him "I am Pilgrim" a few months back, knowing he would pass it on to me when he was done with it. He did - but I've never read it as he wasn't impressed with it at all. Having read the various positive comments about it here I think I'll give it a go after all.
 
Me, Cheeta - the autobiography of Tarzan's hairy pal. Very funny and self deprecating so far.
 
BUMP..... In the hope that someone will recommend something worth reading as I've read so much complete dross recently!
 
Fall Of Giants, the first of Ken Follet's trilogy, an excellent read. The book follows five families, from miners to aristocrats, through the build-up to WW1, through the war, to women getting the vote.

It's not something that I would usually read but I was really gripped by it and I will definitely be reading the next two in his trilogy.

Chris
 
MartynK said:
What sort of thing do you like reading?
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Not really fussed as long as it's not too formulaic and contrived... I suppose anything from the SF/Fantasy/Horror genre... through Crime and thrillers, Historical, even 'Chick Lit' if it's well written!

Find me another Joe Abercrombie or Stephen King and I'll be happy!


Foxbat Flyer said:
Fall Of Giants, the first of Ken Follet's trilogy, an excellent read. The book follows five families, from miners to aristocrats, through the build-up to WW1, through the war, to women getting the vote.

It's not something that I would usually read but I was really gripped by it and I will definitely be reading the next two in his trilogy.

Chris
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Sounds worth a try... sample downloaded ! :)
 
Flashman said:
Not really fussed as long as it's not too formulaic and contrived... I suppose anything from the SF/Fantasy/Horror genre... through Crime and thrillers, Historical, even 'Chick Lit' if it's well written!

Find me another Joe Abercrombie or Stephen King and I'll be happy!
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OK, I don't read a lot of fiction, and I haven't a clue about SF/Fantasy/Horror, but let's try.
  1. Historical fiction: Bernard Cornwell. He's very prolific and has written several series. Have a look here, to save me writing it all out! http://www.bernardcornwell.net/books/. You could also try Simon Scarrow's 'Under the Eagles' series. Covers the adventures of two career Roman soldiers in the C1st. Not great literature, but good fun and reasonably well researched. Any number of others, I like Robyn Young's 'Robert the Bruce' trilogy, better balanced than most novels on the subject, and Conn Iggulden.
  2. Crime: Ian Rankin (Rebus series). Scottish crime fiction set in Edinburgh. I'd skip the first few, then pick any of the others up to and including Exit Music which ended the series, until he decided to resurrect it. I think that was a mistake, but they're not bad. Also Stuart MacBride (Logan McRae series). Aberdeen police, some crazy characters, and storylines that aren't very believable; but great fun and good reading.
  3. Intelligence/espionage/terrorism: Gerald Seymour.
Most libraries have, at least, some of these.
 
Enjoying the Scarrow Eagles when I can find them second hand. Almost time to buy a load of charity shop books and hiding them for holiday reading.
 
Angels of Destruction - Keith Donahue. If it's half as good as Stolen Child it'll be an epic.
 
MartynK said:
OK, I don't read a lot of fiction, and I haven't a clue about SF/Fantasy/Horror, but let's try.
  1. Historical fiction: Bernard Cornwell. He's very prolific and has written several series. Have a look here, to save me writing it all out! http://www.bernardcornwell.net/books/. You could also try Simon Scarrow's 'Under the Eagles' series. Covers the adventures of two career Roman soldiers in the C1st. Not great literature, but good fun and reasonably well researched. Any number of others, I like Robyn Young's 'Robert the Bruce' trilogy, better balanced than most novels on the subject, and Conn Iggulden.
  2. Crime: Ian Rankin (Rebus series). Scottish crime fiction set in Edinburgh. I'd skip the first few, then pick any of the others up to and including Exit Music which ended the series, until he decided to resurrect it. I think that was a mistake, but they're not bad. Also Stuart MacBride (Logan McRae series). Aberdeen police, some crazy characters, and storylines that aren't very believable; but great fun and good reading.
  3. Intelligence/espionage/terrorism: Gerald Seymour.
Most libraries have, at least, some of these.
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Yeah, I must have read dozens of Cornwell's books (all of the Sharpe series and a few others too)... good rollicking yarns!
Not read any of the other authors though so I'll put them on the list to give them a try... thanks! :)
 
Flashman said:
I suppose anything from the SF/Fantasy/Horror genre...
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Tried Jim Butcher, Harry Dresden series? I read them for a change from crime/detective stuff.

Back to crime/thriller stuff:
Lee Child?
And most recommended : Robert Crais, Elvis Cole series.
 
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DorsetDude said:
Tried Jim Butcher, Harry Dresden series? I read them for a change from crime/detective stuff.

Back to crime/thriller stuff:
Lee Child?
And most recommended : Robert Crais, Elvis Cole series.
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Read a few Lee Child.... none of the Harry Dresden though, I'll give it a try, ta!
 
Been reading Eusebius' An Ecclesiastical History To The Twentieth Year Of The Reign Of Constantine (available free on Kobo) basically a history of the early church for the first 300 odd years. Took a strong stomach at times (the Romans make ISIL look like a bunch of boy scouts on a picnic) but I've a much better understanding of why the church in east and west is the way it is and some of the things that shaped society then and for the next 1500 years. Almost finished now, having read in dribs and drabs, but very worth the effort.
 
Flashman said:
Read a few Lee Child.... none of the Harry Dresden though, I'll give it a try, ta!
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I read 2 1/2 Harry Dresden books and thought I'm reading the same story for the third time here, formula crime novels.

Oddly I've read most of the Lee Child books and they're pretty much the same.
 
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Just signed up to the Amazon Kindle Unlimited so lots of options now. Just finished "Jaguar! The Black Angel" by Ian Barnett.

Not bad for his first fiction.
 
JasUK said:
Just signed up to the Amazon Kindle Unlimited so lots of options now. Just finished "Jaguar! The Black Angel" by Ian Barnett.

Not bad for his first fiction.
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My perception is that Kindle Unlimited is where they put all the books that are too rubbish to charge money for!

Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong though....
 
Just coming to the end of 'A Man Called Ove'... would probably appeal to readers who liked the '100 year old man...' , excellent translation from Swedish and highly recommended.
 
Wilbur smith - The sound of thunder. Read it years ago as a boy but re reading some of his. This ones quite engaging I have to say, big thick books normally put me off but im getting through it at a fair old lick.
 
Rereading The Collected Broadcasts of Idi Amin. Not exactly PC but still funny as flip!
 
Flashman said:
Just coming to the end of 'A Man Called Ove'... would probably appeal to readers who liked the '100 year old man...' , excellent translation from Swedish and highly recommended.
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Thanks for the recommendation - I enjoyed the 100 Year Old Man and now bought this one.

Chris
 
Johnny Reb and Billy Yank by Alexander Hunter. It is a fascinating first hand account of the American Civil War by a chap who spent two years in the infantry and two years in the cavalry. It is a long read at over 700 pages, but well worth the effort. This is my second time of reading it.
 
Just started Maestra by L.S. Hilton, the reviews say it's The Talented Mr. Ripley meets Gone Girl, two books I enjoyed,
many twists to the story, so hopefully it will live up to expectations
 
Currently slogging my way through Broken Angels by Richard Morgan (sci-fi) which is hard going for me compared to his first in the series (Altered Carbon) which I flew through and really enjoyed.

And with Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid #8 (Staked) on the shelf, I might not actually finish it! I do enjoy his tales (modern day druid meddling with classic roman/norse/greek/irish/christian pantheons alongside his telepathic dog) breathing new life into old myths (quoting wiki).

Not heard of Jim Butcher. May give one a try at some point - but having read the Child books, and being in agreement with @Steep about them, it'll have to be good.
 
Raising Steam, by Terry Pratchett. My last chance to read a new Discworld book :( , so was saving it.
Still got Iain M Banks' The Hydrogen Sonata in reserve!
 
I've just finished the 'Jet' series by Russell Blake.

Very fast paced with lots of action, Mossad, Cia, Russian oligarchs... :)
The first one is free, ten in the series with two prequels of how Jet became an assassin.

A good fun read for the hols.
 
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