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A jolly good read?

Just finished John Ahern's 'On the Road...with Kids' about an Australian couple who quit jobs, rented out their house, bought a campervan and spent a year travelling around Europe with their 4 yo & 2 yo children. It is a bit of a dream of mine to do exactly that so it was great to read how rewarding they found the experience. Very funny book too. Now, I just need to work out how to fund a year in Europe in a campervan...
 
I've now finished the Star Wars Aftermath Trilogy - the new series of novels that tie together Episodes VI and VII.

Very decent overall, although the first part is incredibly slow and tedious at times. Parts 2 (Life Debt) and 3 (Empire's End) are vastly superior though so your patience is rewarded.

I really thought I had worked out the origins of a certain character from The Force Awakens* but the end of the series made me doubt that a bit. I guess any major unveiling will be done on screen in Episodes VIII and/or IX.

But the series was entertaining and dramatic with some good new characters introduced. I enjoyed it - got a few more New Canon books to read when I go on holiday, but I'm having a bit of a break from Star Wars books for a while. I bought Saroo Brierley's Lion and Peter Hook's Factory Records - How Not To Run a Club from HMV yesterday (2 books for £5 - bargain) which are next on my list after my current book.

*Spoilery spoiler, Star Wars geeks:

 
Snoke. Not 100% dismissing it but the ending is deliberately ambiguous, the teasing swine
 
Tyrannosaurus Dan said:
I finally got round to reading it a couple of months ago. I enjoyed it so cheers for the recommendation. I haven't got a copy of Broken Angels yet though.
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Great and glad you liked. Looks like I gave the next 2 in the series 3/5 so didn't find them as good, but horses for courses. I think they were still enjoyable, but they don't have the impact of AC.

did you read the shitey book I warned you about?
 
Tyrannosaurus Dan said:
Not yet, you put me off! It's been relegated to the bottom of the pile now.
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lol, and congratulations. my recommendation would be for a new pile - for books to get rid of without reading! or a present for a relative you don't like maybe?
 
Found a copy of Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi at a charity shop. Bargain. Been wanting to read this for ages - just in time for my holiday! #cheerfulreading
 
nimrod said:
lol, and congratulations. my recommendation would be for a new pile - for books to get rid of without reading! or a present for a relative you don't like maybe?
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:icon_lol: Is it really that bad? If I ever get around to reading it now, I won't admit it if I like it!
 
Tyrannosaurus Dan said:
:icon_lol: Is it really that bad? If I ever get around to reading it now, I won't admit it if I like it!
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in comparison to the reviews the fanboys give it, then yes. i'll send you a reasoned review, not by me, but from someone experienced in the genre.
 
My 2£ coin jar is about to cough. I was having a look at my books list to see if there was anything I was especially keen on purchasing. Not a lot out there that's cheap. I will be purchasing Tom Wescotts Ripper Confidential, and hopefully Iain Banks The Bridge, as 3 or 4 people have all recommended it (including nimrod!)
 
The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson. A good read, funny in places, helpful in others.
 
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

What a fucking GREAT book. An in depth account of the Manson murders written by the prosecutor of the case. Yes, its gory as fuck in places but its never sensationalist. I found the in depth analysis of the whole case fascinating - the forensic evidence, the motives, just how wide the prosecution had to cast the net, the incredibly bizarre and shocking behaviour of the defendants, everything.

Its a pretty hefty book and took me all week on holiday to read it (alongside child sitting and drinking beer) but I was very glad I chose it.
 
I'm reading The Truth by Phil Scraton at the moment.

For those unaware Scraton is a professor of criminology at Queens University Belfast and the principle researcher in the Hillsborough Independent Panel. The book mirroring The S*n headline details the events of 15/04/89 and I cannot recommend it enough. At times it's soul crushingly sad, at others infuriating as you read about the finer nuances of the disaster, the conduct of the main players and how many had complained about Hillsborough well before it was reselected as a SF venue. The start of the book is particularly clever, it explicitly describes the crush of a crowd and people collapsing before blindsiding the reader that he's talking about Burnden Park in 1946 in which 33 died and then Ibrox in '71. Among descriptions of near misses he briefly talks about Wolves vs Liverpool in 1976 at Molineux too, done I think to provide a historical context but also highlight that these instances weren't club specific and had been happening for decades and it was dumb luck that there weren't more disasters.
 
finally read the David Mitchell "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet". decent read. think i prefer the others of his i've read though they seemed more a collection of shorter mildly connected stories and this was a more traditional novel.
 
nimrod said:
finally read the David Mitchell "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet". decent read. think i prefer the others of his i've read though they seemed more a collection of shorter mildly connected stories and this was a more traditional novel.
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Yeah, that's about right, I think. I'd recommend Bone Clocks - that's a good fun sci-fi read. Might not satisfy a hardcore sci-fi fan like yourself though.
 
SLA said:
Yeah, that's about right, I think. I'd recommend Bone Clocks - that's a good fun sci-fi read. Might not satisfy a hardcore sci-fi fan like yourself though.
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I saw the blurb for that at the back of the de zoet e-book and thought it sounded good. so yes, i'll prob have a go at that. he's a great writer regardless.
 
nimrod said:
I saw the blurb for that at the back of the de zoet e-book and thought it sounded good. so yes, i'll prob have a go at that. he's a great writer regardless.
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He is. Always depresses me that he's the same age as i am.
 
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