OT: Holiday reading

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sb_73

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2012
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Warwickshire
A couple of recommendations:

Non fiction - Bill Bryson's Summer - America 1927 is brilliant, I raced through its 600 pages of immensely well written and researched stuff about which I knew very little - Charles Lindbergh and the race to be the first flyer to cross the Atlantic, Babe Ruth's record breaking season, the US obsession with domestic murders, American anarchists, Mount Rushmore, the origins of the Wall Street Crash, Al Capone and dozens of other fascinating and seemingly disparate things expertly woven together.

Fiction - Robert Harris' An Officer and a Spy - his account of the Dreyfus affair - I'm only 50 pages in, but already a welcome return to form for Harris, who's last couple of efforts have been off the pace by some distance, which I know will please Roller and Nines.

Any recommendations?
 
That's good news Stan. I have 'An Officer and a Spy' on my holiday reading list. I'm currently reading 'I Am Pilgrim' by Terry Hayes. He is a new author but has had a career in TV and film. So far it's a cracking read for a début novel. The Times reviewed it as follows.......

"I Am Pilgrim is a 21st century thriller: a high concept plot, but with finely drawn protagonists. The plot twists and turns like a python in a sack. The style is visceral, gritty and cinematic...A satisfying and ambitious book, written with skill and verve" (Adam LeBor The Times)
 
Birdsong by Sebastian Foulkes, Diary of a Nobody (very funny) and The illustrated diaries of Samuel Pepys (believe me, he was 17th Century version of a playboy).
 
Just got back from my hols and I read Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano: non-fiction, it's an in depth expose of the Camorra in Campania/Naples. An interesting read
 
I'm packing some old faithful's for Qatar - Heart of Darkness, The Shipping News and Last Orders at the Liars Bar. I was going to take a couple of Dalrymple's - The Last Mughal and The Return of the King but they are simply too big and heavy to pack and I refuse on principle to get an E-Reader thing
 
I'm packing some old faithful's for Qatar - Heart of Darkness, The Shipping News and Last Orders at the Liars Bar. I was going to take a couple of Dalrymple's - The Last Mughal and The Return of the King but they are simply too big and heavy to pack and I refuse on principle to get an E-Reader thing

I'm 50/50 on the e-reader. Prefer real books when I'm on holiday, but when working the kindle is handy, or even just the kindle app on the iPad - especially for those gargantuan books which really are a lump to carry round. Seem to remember Stainsey debating whether to get one some time back.

Plus I ran out of physical book space in my house some time ago

The Last Mughal is a cracker, highly recommended.
 
Been reading a few this summer
Lee Child - Jack Reacher books
Daniel Silva - Gabriel Allon series, a different type of hero a Israeli assassin greatbooks
oh and 'An officer and Spy' is a cracking read.
 
I have already read 3 new books today:

Mark Hughes Endearing Qualities
Neil Warnock - My Wrong Decisions
Adel Taarabt's Guide to the English Championship
 
Instances of the Fingerpost.
An Oxford murder mystery that doesn't involve Morse...cause it is set just after the English civil war..told from 4 points of view. Brilliant