Last Book Read...

darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
Seeing as how we have a 'last movie seen' thread, I thought it would be nice to have a similiar post for books, as I personally am always interested in new reading materials.

I just finished reading 'Ramage and the Drumbeat' by Dudley Pope.
It's the second novel in Pope's Lord Ramage novels...the unofficial successor to C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series. The writing is sharp and clean, and Nicholas Ramage is proving to be enjoyable character if not as interesting as HH himself.
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Comments

  • Sir Hillary BraySir Hillary Bray College of ArmsPosts: 2,174MI6 Agent
    Tourist Season by Carl Hiaassen. His first novel, written in 1986 and containing his usual assortment of Florida eco-terrorists and loner protagonists. Fun and funny, with an angry message under the surface.
    Hilly...you old devil!
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,052Chief of Staff
    Re-reading Len Deighton's "Game, Set & Match" series, but am thinking about pausing after book 5 (only 100 pages to go) to read "Silverfin". Haven't decided whether to break the continuity or not.
  • MAHOMAHO Posts: 95MI6 Agent
    edited March 2005
    Sadly, I haven't read a fiction book in a couple of years. Two or three summers ago I marathon-read *all* Agatha Christie novels, and a few of the short story collections. Being an avid fan of hers, I can't but recommend them... er, not Passenger to Frankfurt, however, and maybe some others.

    The last book I read, which wasn't something technical necessary for my job, was Philip Gourevitch's "We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families" -- about the Rwanda Genocide 1994. Highly recommendable reading for anyone interested in current affairs. It's based on a series of interviews done in Rwanda during 1995.

    Gourevitch's book whould be coupled with another book on the same subject, "The Rwanda crisis" by Gerard Prunier, which is more scholarly/academically oriented.

    Prunier's book provides a thorough run-through of the historical processes leading up to 1994. Gourevitch's book gives a more journalistic account of the aftermath, survivors' recollections as well as UN's disappointing role/non-role.

    ---
    jfm
  • HardyboyHardyboy Posts: 5,882Chief of Staff
    I'm always reading something. The last book I read was actually a novella, Henry James's The Turn of the Screw; and the last full-length book was Crichton's State of Fear, which is just plain awful. I'm currently reading Andrew Burstein's The Passions of Andrew Jackson. My reading list is nothing if not diverse!
    Vox clamantis in deserto
  • Secret Agent ManSecret Agent Man Posts: 39MI6 Agent
    Lemony Snicket's Series Of Unfortunate Events-Book One: The Bad Beginning. Good book! :)
  • Sir MilesSir Miles The Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 26,414Chief of Staff
    I've just re-read Scorpius and Brokenclaw and I've nearly finished Silverfin. Before those it was The Sixth Column by Peter Fleming.
    YNWA 97
  • Moore Not LessMoore Not Less Posts: 1,095MI6 Agent
    I recently finished reading 'Careless Love - The Unmaking of Elvis Presley' by Peter Guralnick. It's a comprehensive account of the second half of Presley's life beginning with his army service in 1958 and ending with his death in 1977.

    Overall, I found it a very engrossing read, yet rather sad. The decline and fall of one of the greatest entertainers (if not the greatest) of the 20th century was truly tragic. I thoroughly recommend it to all Elvis Presley fans. And also to anyone who is interested in reading about fame, celebrity and it's consequences.
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,052Chief of Staff
    Quoting Moore Not Less:
    I recently finished reading 'Careless Love - The Unmaking of Elvis Presley' by Peter Guralnick. It's a comprehensive account of the second half of Presley's life beginning with his army service in 1958 and ending with his death in 1977.

    Overall, I found it a very engrossing read, yet rather sad. The decline and fall of one of the greatest entertainers (if not the greatest) of the 20th century was truly tragic. I thoroughly recommend it to all Elvis Presley fans. And also to anyone who is interested in reading about fame, celebrity and it's consequences.

    Got to back you up 100%. It's a great book, and with its predecessor "Last Train To Memphis" probably the best Elvis biography we're ever likely to get. Guralnick's genuine feeling and in-depth knowledge shine out from every line.
  • TracyTracy the VillagePosts: 369MI6 Agent
    Quoting MAHO:
    Sadly, I haven't read a fiction book in a couple of years. Two or three summers ago I marathon-read *all* Agatha Christie novels, and a few of the short story collections. Being an avid fan of hers, I can't but recommend them... er, not Passenger to Frankfurt, however, and maybe some others.

    Ah, another Christie fan! Personally I've found her short stories even more enjoyable in terms of focusing less on crime and more on her view of human nature. Have you ever read any of her novels under her nom de plume Mary Westmacott?

    I just finished reading Myself as Witness by James Goldman who is best known for his screenplay/play, the Lion in Winter. It's a fictionalized account of the reign of King John Lackland (think the Magna Carta) in a more sympathetic view from the perspective of a Welsh monk chronicler. Definitely worth reading if you're interested in medieval history and enjoyed Lion in Winter though with less of Lion's wit.
    Flattery will get you nowhere, but don't stop trying.
  • SPECTRENumber1SPECTRENumber1 L.O.Posts: 75MI6 Agent
    Quoting Sir Hillary Bray:
    Tourist Season by Carl Hiaassen. His first novel, written in 1986 and containing his usual assortment of Florida eco-terrorists and loner protagonists. Fun and funny, with an angry message under the surface.

    I am reading another Hiaasen book, Sick Puppy. Sick and twisted humor.
  • DominoDomino Posts: 31MI6 Agent
    I've been reading the Bond books. So far, I've read CR, LALD, MR, FRWL, DN, TB, YOLT, OP/TLD. Most recently I read DAF, my favorite book of the series (not film). The Spangled Mob was interesting (I live in America).
  • largo_7largo_7 PalmyraPosts: 24MI6 Agent
    I finished reading The Da Vinci Code last weekend. It was one of the most interesting and well thought out books I've ever seen. I'm getting ready to buy Angels and Demons, hoping it has the same kind of adventure in store. I can now say that The Da Vinci Code is now on my list of top five books.
  • MAHOMAHO Posts: 95MI6 Agent
    Quoting Tracy:

    Ah, another Christie fan! Personally I've found her short stories even more enjoyable in terms of focusing less on crime and more on her view of human nature. Have you ever read any of her novels under her nom de plume Mary Westmacott?

    Only one, "The rose and the yew tree", which I kind of enjoyed.

    I was expecting sleazy Harlequin-type of romance drivel. Instead it was very well-written emotional drama heavily focused on emotion/romance/character. I've always liked Christie's superior skills in writing natural dialogue that doesn't feel "written" or artificial. That really shines through in book like this.

    For some reason, I remember it also included some sort of mystery-cum-surprise ending -- but that was ten years ago I read it, so I might be confused about the contents.

    I have two of the others, "A daughter's a daughter" and "The burden", but havn't found time to read them yet.

    ---
    jfm
  • scaramanga1scaramanga1 The English RivieraPosts: 845Chief of Staff
    Recently Read Ludlum's The Bourne Supremacy, currently reading something called SilverFin;) and plan to move onto reading the novelisation of the Steve Mcqueen movie Bullitt after that. :)
  • AlexAlex The Eastern SeaboardPosts: 2,694MI6 Agent
    Picked up a used paperback of Richard Matheson's The Incredible Shrinking Man. Dick Matheson's imagination and talent is the one that's incredible. Good stuff.
  • one night standone night stand Posts: 127MI6 Agent
    My most recent two for school are The Devil in The White City. It is a split story between the architect Daniel Burnham quarrels and designs for the 1893 Worlds fair. I enjoyed that part of the story and the other half is about a serial killer H. H. Holmes during the time. It was pretty interesting. I also read All The President's Men which was a good read about uncovering the Watergate Scandal.
  • TracyTracy the VillagePosts: 369MI6 Agent
    Quoting MAHO:

    Only one, "The rose and the yew tree", which I kind of enjoyed.

    I was expecting sleazy Harlequin-type of romance drivel. Instead it was very well-written emotional drama heavily focused on emotion/romance/character. I've always liked Christie's superior skills in writing natural dialogue that doesn't feel "written" or artificial. That really shines through in book like this.

    For some reason, I remember it also included some sort of mystery-cum-surprise ending -- but that was ten years ago I read it, so I might be confused about the contents.

    I have two of the others, "A daughter's a daughter" and "The burden", but havn't found time to read them yet.

    ---
    jfm

    I have read the Mary Westmacott omnibus of Absent in the Spring, Giant's Bread, and The Rose and the Yew Tree, and my favorite out of those three is Absent in the Spring. That one has a bit of a Mrs. Dalloway feel in terms of the subject matter and the nature of the protagonist. There are two passages in The Rose and the Yew Tree which I tend to reread the most often: the one about gingerbread and the other about Shakespeare's Iago.

    If you like Christie's natural dialogue and character driven storylines, you probably like her Mr. Satterthwaite and Harlequin short stories (the Mysterious Mr. Quin and the Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories are the two collections, though Mr. Satterthwaite reappears in Murder in Three Acts). I tend to reread those two collections the most often.

    largo_7, you might be disappointed by Dan Brown's Angels and Demons; there's far less emphasis on the secret society hunting plot, and a lot more on the battles between science and religion. The plot is extremely similar to the Da Vinci Code, so it won't be especially surprising.
    Flattery will get you nowhere, but don't stop trying.
  • FelixLeiter ♀FelixLeiter ♀ Staffordshire or a pubPosts: 1,286MI6 Agent
    edited March 2005
    quoting DFXX
    Just finished Moonraker for the first time. I'm working my way through them all, I started with CR, then LALD and am now up to DAF.

    I'm taking a Bond break for the mo though, and I've started Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

    quoting Domino
    I've been reading the Bond books. So far, I've read CR, LALD, MR, FRWL, DN, TB, YOLT, OP/TLD. Most recently I read DAF, my favorite book of the series (not film). The Spangled Mob was interesting (I live in America).

    I also have been reading the Bond books. Yesterday I finished Dr No. They're different to the films but I still enjoy them. Some of my mates even seem interested in them, even though they hate the films.
    LALD is my favourite, with DAF and FRWL coming up with a close joint second.
    I usually read thick books like Harry Potter, but altoghether I've read Harry Potter 26 times and it's become a bit of a bore. The Bond books aren't that long and it's nice to read shortish books for a change, that I can get through in a couple of weeks, instead of a couple of months.
    I liked the parts in LALD when they were in Florida. I liked a lot of things about DAF. I enjoyed the parts at the races and the parts in the Casino. FRWL was different. I didn't have a specific part I liked the most. But I always leave myself at a cliffhanger, like in FRWL, I ended where Grant had just fired at Bond.
    I'm taking a break from the Bond books now, and am going to read my signed addition of Jaqueline Wilson's Diamond Girls.
    Relax darling, I'm on top of the situation -{
  • jetsetwillyjetsetwilly Liverpool, UKPosts: 1,048MI6 Agent
    Just finished The Spell by Alan Hollinghurst, which was strangely moving, but with an underlying coldness to it. Just as you began to empathise with a character, he revealed some sort of flaw or minus that made you rethink. But it ended cleverly, with a redrawing of lines - there was a kind of comment on the fragility of relationships, and of the different kinds of relationships that survive. Oh, and it had some dirty bits in it too :D

    Currently halfway through The Folding Star by the same author, which seems similar in theme, but more pessimistic and louche.
    Founder of the Wint & Kidd Appreciation Society.

    @merseytart
  • Sir_Miles_MesservySir_Miles_Messervy MI6 CLASSIFIEDPosts: 113MI6 Agent
    I just finished The Forensic Casebook by N.E. Genge. It's non-fiction, but reads as well as any fiction book.

    Before that it was Broken Music by Sting.
  • TracyTracy the VillagePosts: 369MI6 Agent
    I finished rereading Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita for the fourth time a few days ago. There is far more than the sexual relationship between Humbert Humbert and Dolores Haze; neither party is completely innocent or completely guilty as each manipulates the other. The beauty of the language is absolutely spellbinding; there is no crudity in the sex or violence. Definitely this is a classic worth reading.
    Flattery will get you nowhere, but don't stop trying.
  • Stromberg1Stromberg1 Posts: 32MI6 Agent
    The Funhouse by Dean Koontz. It wasn't one of his better books, but it was still better than most of the other books out there.
  • Sir MilesSir Miles The Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 26,414Chief of Staff
    Doubleshot by Raymond Benson - by far his best original Bond novel.
    YNWA 97
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    Mostly Harmless, Douglas Adams' final entry to his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 'trilogy'.

    You can tell Adams changed quite a bit as he wrote later on in his life. While his unique brand of humor remained the same, it seems as if his writing was laced with a bit more sincere and serious observations of the world around him.
  • Tilly Masterson 007Tilly Masterson 007 UKPosts: 1,473MI6 Agent
    I last read Michael Palin's biography Sahara, it's very well written and there is some good humour in the book too!

    I bought this book after having watched the BBC series. His encounters are documented in a vibrant, chatty style, which made me laugh out loud in places. There are some superb colour photographs too which make the book even better to read!

    Overall, a good read.
  • FelixLeiter ♀FelixLeiter ♀ Staffordshire or a pubPosts: 1,286MI6 Agent
    I finished The Diamond Girls in a car ride. OK, it was a pretty long car ride. I had to go to work with my mom from about 9-3. And I had read about 20 pages previously.
    So now I'm back to the Bond books and have read the first chapter and part of the second of Goldfinger. It hasn't been all that interesting so far. Apart from the fact that Bond decided that he was going to get drunk that night!
    Relax darling, I'm on top of the situation -{
  • TracyTracy the VillagePosts: 369MI6 Agent
    Quoting darenhat:
    Mostly Harmless, Douglas Adams' final entry to his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 'trilogy'.

    You can tell Adams changed quite a bit as he wrote later on in his life. While his unique brand of humor remained the same, it seems as if his writing was laced with a bit more sincere and serious observations of the world around him.

    I have to confess that Mostly Harmless is my least favorite in the series. I remember reading in some interview that Adams was never very sure about the character of Trillian and who she really was, so her involvement in MH seemed very out of place and unbelievable to me. Still, the whole bit about Arthur as the sandwich maker demi-God never fails to bring a smile to my face. The ending completely boggled me at first, but I don't mind it so much now.
    Flattery will get you nowhere, but don't stop trying.
  • Sir MilesSir Miles The Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 26,414Chief of Staff
    Just finished Ken Follett's The Key To Rebecca, as recommended to me by Willie Garvin a couple of years ago ! You see WG, it may take me a while but I do get round to them eventually ;)

    I really enjoyed the novel and could see Ken writing a good Bond book.
    YNWA 97
  • darenhatdarenhat The Old PuebloPosts: 2,029Quartermasters
    edited June 2005
    Recently finished a book entitled "In Search of the Mountains of Noah" by Bob Cornuke and David Halbrook. It chronicles the many different adventures the author had while searching for Noah's Ark. I heard the author Cornuke speak at a breakfast gathering and he had some incredible tales to tell. From a secular point-of-view the book is certainly intriguing, but the ending packs some real emotional punch for earnest Christian readers.
  • TracyTracy the VillagePosts: 369MI6 Agent
    the Italian Boy: A Tale of Murder and Bodysnatching in 1830's London, is quite an interesting read and is nowhere as lurid as the title might suggest. I don't really consider myself to be particularly morbid and/or bloodthirsty, but this book really draws your attention in to the poverty and social conditions of early industrial age England and examines the effects of the "resurrection men's" finding of fresh corpses, or Things, for medical schools. I highly recommended it.
    Flattery will get you nowhere, but don't stop trying.
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