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Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2025 3:47 pm
by Noggin
Slenver wrote: Fri Aug 15, 2025 3:46 pm
Well, you're now one of the select bunch who have read all my books now
Haven't finished the second horsey one yet - but I am enjoying it and have recommended them to some horsey friends !!!
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2025 3:51 pm
by Slenver
Noggin wrote: Fri Aug 15, 2025 3:47 pm
Slenver wrote: Fri Aug 15, 2025 3:46 pm
Well, you're now one of the select bunch who have read all my books now
Haven't finished the second horsey one yet - but I am enjoying it and have recommended them to some horsey friends !!!
They all die in the end.
Not really... thank you very much
The horse ones were quite popular and I sometimes get lulled into a weird impression that everyone that would've wanted to read them already has, but there are horse people everywhere!
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2025 4:53 pm
by Count Steer
'Sleeping Giants' by Sylvain Neuvel
One for the sci-fi buffs, probably.
The presence of a form of argon triggers the awakening of part of a hooooge humanoid (a hand) that appears to be of alien origin. The argon is associated with nuclear capability. So far so 2001 A Space Odyssey. The search across the planet for the other bits results in a very hooge humanoid - shades of Pacific Rim and the Jaegers (only bigger).
Whole thing written as a series of interviews with a v powerful, v erudite, v mysterious chap and personal logs. Works really well.
Liked it enough to promptly buy the next 2 in the trilogy.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2025 9:15 pm
by ZRX61
That would be me, reading early Pratchett on the Tube.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2025 9:18 pm
by ZRX61
Slenver wrote: Fri Aug 15, 2025 3:51 pm
The horse ones were quite popular and I sometimes get lulled into a weird impression that everyone that would've wanted to read them already has, but there are horse people everywhere!
Gal I used to fool around with in the UK visited SoCal last year. Family has a farm in Suffolk & her sis has a "horse place" near Bury St Ed. She mentioned that she couldn't believe how many horses there were here & she didn't even stay in any of the horsey areas.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2025 10:35 am
by Slenver
ZRX61 wrote: Mon Aug 18, 2025 9:18 pm
Slenver wrote: Fri Aug 15, 2025 3:51 pm
The horse ones were quite popular and I sometimes get lulled into a weird impression that everyone that would've wanted to read them already has, but there are horse people everywhere!
Gal I used to fool around with in the UK visited SoCal last year. Family has a farm in Suffolk & her sis has a "horse place" near Bury St Ed. She mentioned that she couldn't believe how many horses there were here & she didn't even stay in any of the horsey areas.
Funnily enough, that's where I live
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2025 3:30 pm
by ZRX61
Slenver wrote: Tue Aug 19, 2025 10:35 am
Funnily enough, that's where I live
I lived in Rougham for a couple of years.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2025 3:31 pm
by Slenver
ZRX61 wrote: Tue Aug 19, 2025 3:30 pm
Slenver wrote: Tue Aug 19, 2025 10:35 am
Funnily enough, that's where I live
I lived in Rougham for a couple of years.
Huh! I did my PPL at the airfield there. Now sadly gone.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2025 4:38 pm
by ZRX61
Slenver wrote: Tue Aug 19, 2025 3:31 pm
Huh! I did my PPL at the airfield there. Now sadly gone.
Is the B17 pub still there? My locals were the Fox in Thurston & the Bennett Arms.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2025 9:26 pm
by Slenver
ZRX61 wrote: Tue Aug 19, 2025 4:38 pm
Slenver wrote: Tue Aug 19, 2025 3:31 pm
Huh! I did my PPL at the airfield there. Now sadly gone.
Is the B17 pub still there? My locals were the Fox in Thurston & the Bennett Arms.
Don’t know tbh. Very rarely been through the village itself.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2025 9:41 am
by Count Steer
Started on 'Under the Skin' by Michel Faber.
Loved the film so wasn't expecting any surprises but it has a rather different feel to it and more insight into what's actually going on.
Glad I did it this way round although the book sets out to mislead about the motives of the main character...which doesn't work too well if you've seen the film.
Nicely written too, so will have a look at other books by the author.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2025 10:12 am
by McNab
Apprentice to the Villain - by somebody.
I was led to believe it was a funny fantasy crime novel. Turns out it's romantic fantasy. It's shit, and not funny. 50 pages in and it's going to be binned off.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2025 7:48 am
by Count Steer
Homework - A memoir by Geoff Dyer
It's his story about being a boy growing up in the 60s and 70s in a changing England. It's a trip down memory lane.
Conker battles, Airfix kits, Brooke Bond tea cards that you stuck in a book (still got mine
), trading bubble gum cards like Man from Uncle. The one that got me all Proust and his 'madeleine moment' was...
....Sekiden guns! Japanese plastic pistols that fired light silver balls. (Or frozen peas apparently! - we didn't have a freezer). Just googled and found Dame Joan Vickers tried to get them banned in the UK in 1966 but Roy Jenkins said not on your nelly.
The growing up continues and takes in among other things, a Hawkwind concert.
It should appeal to any 'boy' of a similar age.
PS I like the sound of one of his other books 'Yoga for people who can't be bothered to do it'.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2025 9:09 am
by Skub
Count Steer wrote: Wed Sep 03, 2025 7:48 am
Homework - A memoir by Geoff Dyer
It's his story about being a boy growing up in the 60s and 70s in a changing England. It's a trip down memory lane.
Conker battles, Airfix kits, Brooke Bond tea cards that you stuck in a book (still got mine
), trading bubble gum cards like Man from Uncle. The one that got me all Proust and his 'madeleine moment' was...
....Sekiden guns! Japanese plastic pistols that fired light silver balls. (Or frozen peas apparently! - we didn't have a freezer). Just googled and found Dame Joan Vickers tried to get them banned in the UK in 1966 but Roy Jenkins said not on your nelly.
The growing up continues and takes in among other things, a Hawkwind concert.
It should appeal to any 'boy' of a similar age.
PS I like the sound of one of his other books 'Yoga for people who can't be bothered to do it'.
I can clearly remember the sound those guns made when firing and I still have a box with sets of old bubblegum cards from my Da's house. I dunno why I kept them,but I can't quite chuck them out! Remember those pink tongues of bubblegum? More than anyone could chew because we just wanted the set of cards!
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2025 9:18 am
by Count Steer
Skub wrote: Wed Sep 03, 2025 9:09 am
I can clearly remember the sound those guns made when firing and I still have a box with sets of old bubblegum cards from my Da's house. I dunno why I kept them,but I can't quite chuck them out! Remember those pink tongues of bubblegum?
Don't just chuck them out! There are collectors out there, they have specialised collector's card fairs etc. I've got (inherited from somewhere) some wartime ones that include stuff on how to make a bomb shelter! Unfortunately not a complete set.
If I knew a suitable eBay wizard in the family I'd pass them on and let them try and monetise all of them. The Brooke Bond ones (Freshwater fish, Flags of the World, Space Exploration etc) don't seem rare though.
PS In the book he says the gum was an unwanted extra.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2025 10:45 am
by Skub
Count Steer wrote: Wed Sep 03, 2025 9:18 am
Skub wrote: Wed Sep 03, 2025 9:09 am
I can clearly remember the sound those guns made when firing and I still have a box with sets of old bubblegum cards from my Da's house. I dunno why I kept them,but I can't quite chuck them out! Remember those pink tongues of bubblegum?
Don't just chuck them out! There are collectors out there, they have specialised collector's card fairs etc. I've got (inherited from somewhere) some wartime ones that include stuff on how to make a bomb shelter! Unfortunately not a complete set.
If I knew a suitable eBay wizard in the family I'd pass them on and let them try and monetise all of them. The Brooke Bond ones (Freshwater fish, Flags of the World, Space Exploration etc) don't seem rare though.
PS In the book he says the gum was an unwanted extra.
I have some of my Da's cigarette cards that he put in albums,but I'm hell for hanging onto (certain) stuff.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2025 10:53 am
by Count Steer
Skub wrote: Wed Sep 03, 2025 10:45 am
Count Steer wrote: Wed Sep 03, 2025 9:18 am
Skub wrote: Wed Sep 03, 2025 9:09 am
I can clearly remember the sound those guns made when firing and I still have a box with sets of old bubblegum cards from my Da's house. I dunno why I kept them,but I can't quite chuck them out! Remember those pink tongues of bubblegum?
Don't just chuck them out! There are collectors out there, they have specialised collector's card fairs etc. I've got (inherited from somewhere) some wartime ones that include stuff on how to make a bomb shelter! Unfortunately not a complete set.
If I knew a suitable eBay wizard in the family I'd pass them on and let them try and monetise all of them. The Brooke Bond ones (Freshwater fish, Flags of the World, Space Exploration etc) don't seem rare though.
PS In the book he says the gum was an unwanted extra.
I have some of my Da's cigarette cards that he put in albums,but I'm hell for hanging onto (certain) stuff.
Me too.
I take the view that they don't take up much space and they're a bit of a 'time capsule' thing.
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2025 4:13 pm
by ZRX61
I've been adding more books to my NAVPERS collection. They're USN tech books & I collect the old ones from the 40's through '70's
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- IMG_20250902_154555901.jpg (2.84 MiB) Viewed 503 times
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2025 4:18 pm
by ZRX61
Re: Reading: The Book Thread
Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2025 7:03 pm
by KungFooBob
Dark Matter, Blake Crouch.
I think I bought this by accident expecting it to be space opera. It's not. The Sci-fi component is the ability to traverse the multiverse, in a metal box.
It actually started pretty well, but about halfway it all got a bit boring, the visiting different universes to try and get back to his own started to feel like a bad episode of quantum leap.
Mickey 7, Edward Ashton.
A good, fun, entertaining story. Until the end which seemed a bit deus ex machina and rushed.... like the author had a page limit and suddenly realised he only had 10 pages left to wrap it all up. I'll probably pick up the sequel though.