In a similar vein to the TV thread, what's everyone reading?

As mentioned in the TV thread I'm a fan of the Rebus books written by Ian Rankin.

I'm also a big Stephen King fan having read a good lot of his stuff, apart from The Dark Tower series which never appealed to me but I may venture into at some stage.

I also like autobiographies, just finished Brian Johnson's from AC/DC recently which was a good read.

The only magazine that I buy occasionally is Classic American, usually when I'm bored at an airport, an old American car is something I would like to get at some point but I'll probably never be at a point where I can get one.

Good thread, wish I'd have thought of it LOL

I bought a book off Ebay just last week and have started reading. It's heavy going and does have a very limited market. It's written by a guy called, Bjorn Lomborg who I heard recently on a radio interview.

He's a former member of Greenpeace, and is now an 'environmentalist' who explains with authority why, 'net zero' is the wrong way to tackle a cyclical climate change. He writes with authority, and oodles of referenced sources, not emotion.

Like I said, it's not a 'beach read', but I have a huge interest in this topic which underlies every government decision now made, impacting on the public purse for important stuff, like, health, education & defense...

Oh, I like a bit of John Grisham too LOL

Yes, great idea Kevin.

I remember one of my school reports describing me as a "voracious reader" (as well as other things) and not much has changed (reading wise!).

I like a good crime novel, so Rebus obviously, but being a bit of a history nut am frequently reading something along those lines, often military or political history.

Into most forms of transport also, so combining various interests am enjoying "Mosquito Men" by David Price at the moment.

Enjoy a good biography also, and recently read "Thanks a lot Mr Kibblewhite" by Roger Daltrey, and a couple about Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee, the Publisher and Editor respectively of the Washington Post  in the Pentagon Papers and Watergate era.

@StephenFord I'm surprised that no-one else started a book thread before as well 😀

The book you're reading just now seems a bit heavy for me but I've often wondered about John Gresham books 🤔

@Eric Bloodaxe thanks for reminding me of the Roger Daltrey biography, will hunt it out on eBay or charity shops.

I've got a few books waiting to be read beside the bed but at the speed I read I don't know if I'll ever finish them! 😀

I'm reading Fairy Tale by Stephen King just now which is taking ages to get through.

I've got a Paul Merton autobiography, a Richard Osman 'Thursday Murder Club' and The Tattooist of Auschwitz to read before I start buying more books.

22 minutes ago, Turvey said:

... and The Tattooist of Auschwitz to read before I start buying more books.

I just recently watched the TV adaptation of that book. Very traumatic... would imagine it's quite an emotional read.

@Turvey seeing @Ian Lanc's model.of the Harrier on another thread, leads me to recommend "Sea Harrier over the Falklands" by Commander Sharkey Ward and "Harrier 809" by Rowland White. Both very good reads.

Finally finished Fairy Tale by Stephen King! 😃 Not my favourite type of King novel, I much prefer his 'could be a true story....... nearly' novels. However it kept me quiet for a few months!

 

Think I'm going to try The Tattooist Of Auschwitz next.

2 hours ago, Turvey said:

Think I'm going to try The Tattooist Of Auschwitz next.

I haven't the patience any more for book reading, but I did watch that TV series - haunting in a way that 'King' couldn't imagine...

Finished Tattooist of Auschwitz. Not nearly as harrowing as thought it would be but it did have it's moment. Really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to anyone. 

 

On to The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman, the third in The Thursday Murder Club series. 

i'm re-reading the lord of the rings (one hefty volume). 

i've always wanted to re-read it and it's taken me about 30years to do it. i'm not a great reader, i normally find other things like TV to distract me 😆

recently i've had a couple of books on the go (one while commuting and the other before bed) and just finished 'Into Thin Air' about Everest. that's a quick read and a good non-fiction yarn if anyone is interested. 

2 hours ago, NorthernSky said:

i'm re-reading the lord of the rings (one hefty volume). 

I enjoyed that many years ago. Not had a re-read (yet) but find myself dipping in now and again when one of the films is on TV.

In similar vein, currently watching "The Winter King" (the first of Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles) on tv. I'm a bit "meh" about that but I much enjoyed the novels so may have a re-read of those some time.

Recently completed non-fiction reads are "Russia - Revolution and Civil War" by Anthony Beevor and "Barbarossa" by Jonathan Dimbleby. 

On 12/18/2024 at 7:00 PM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

I enjoyed that many years ago. Not had a re-read (yet) but find myself dipping in now and again when one of the films is on TV.

In similar vein, currently watching "The Winter King" (the first of Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles) on tv. I'm a bit "meh" about that but I much enjoyed the novels so may have a re-read of those some time.

Recently completed non-fiction reads are "Russia - Revolution and Civil War" by Anthony Beevor and "Barbarossa" by Jonathan Dimbleby. 

a friend gave me the Winter King to read years ago but i never got round to it (the books still sitting on the shelf, presumably now mine 🤫)

i watched the whole series of The Last Kingdom recently so kind of had my fill of that era for now

27 minutes ago, NorthernSky said:

i watched the whole series of The Last Kingdom recently so kind of had my fill of that era for now

Winter King is kind of a prequel I suppose, set about 400 years earlier than Last Kingdom. Didn't really think either of the tv series did the novels justice but entertaining in their way. I was amused to see Craig Parkinson appear in the Winter King as a Saxon king - a promotion from his role as "The Caddy" in Line of Duty, I guess!😀

Finished The Bullet That Missed last week, another easy to read, not too many complex characters to worry about, plot not too complicated kinda book. Perfect for bedtime reading.

On to The Last Passenger by Will Dean now, not sure I'm really enjoying it but I'll persevere. I think however, that I have noticed a glaring mistake in it! Unless it's a deliberate mistake 🤔

I won't go into the plot but one of the characters has suggested sounding SOS on the ship's foghorn quoting it as "dash, dash, dash-dot, dot, dot- dash, dash, dash" as opposed to what it should be " dot, dot, dot, dash, dash, dash, dot, dot, dot"  a very simple thing to check and I don't believe that all the proofreaders missed it.

I'm reading Merlin by Graham Hoyland at the mo. That's the aero engine, not King Arthur's wizard, btw!

Despite the title, it's not just about the famous Rolls-Royce engine, more a history of powered flight in the pre-jet era - some fascinating snippets in there.

 

Just finished reading "The Good Shepherd" by C S Forester. Not to be confused with the film of the same name starting Matt Damon about the birth of the CIA, this one is about WW2 Atlantic convoys.

This book was the basis of the film "Greyhound" starting Tom Hanks which never got full release due to Covid but is available to stream or on DVD.

Anyway, I found it a good read - polished it off over a few nights with bedtime cuppa. Interesting comparison with one of my favourite books - "The Cruel Sea" by Nicholas Monsarrat. While that deals with the duration of the war, the "Good Shepherd" concentrates on just the 48 hours it takes to negotiate the mid-Atlantic "air gap" in 1942, where no air cover was available at that point in the war.

I thought I'd read all Forester's stuff - the "Hornblower" series, etc - but somehow had missed this one until it was publicised because of the film.

Just finished Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin. The latest, I think, in the long running series featuring John Rebus. Love the books, Rebus is now in his 70s and in prison but still solving murders! 😀

A Stephen King next I think.

 

13 hours ago, Turvey said:

Just finished Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin. 

Big Rebus fan myself, that's on my "to read" pile!

13 hours ago, Turvey said:

 

Post duplicated!

This book will have a very narrow appeal, my favourte TV drama of all time is The WestWng. This book was released just last year, giving much knowledge of what went on behind the scenes. I'm half way through and I love it, though I'm a huge fan already so maybe not an unbiased opinion! Jed Bartlet was no doubt the best president USA never had!

On 8/22/2025 at 7:27 PM, Turvey said:

Just finished Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin.

I've just started on the one before - A Heart Full of Headstones. 

It's a while since I read my last Rebus, but it's like catching up with an old friend. Got through the first 75 pages over my bedtime cuppa last night.

Fortunately I didn't have any nightmares about Big Ger and the darker corners of Auld Reekie!

75 pages in one sitting?

 

Some nights I'm lucky to get 75 words! 🤣

2 minutes ago, Turvey said:

75 pages in one sitting?

My tea mug is quite large!😀

5 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

My tea mug is quite large!😀

Very occasionally, I'll wake up at silly o'clock and get up, make a cuppa and read for an hour or so, but when I go to bed at a normal time I can only manage a couple of pages before I start nodding off! 🙄😀

Currently half way through this one but it's a hardback and it's not mine....

 So I'm going to take this one away on holiday! 

Not sure I'll be able to read it without putting on his accent though! 🤣