December 2021 Reading Thread

[AE35Unit]

Susan Cooper

Hmm not heard of her, I'll check her out on FF

 

[AE35Unit]

Susan Cooper

According to FF its the second book in a series

 

[HareBrain]

According to FF its the second book in a series

Technically, but the second book has (almost) nothing to do with the first, and can easily be read without it.

 

[soulsinging]

Just finished a book (told in two different books) by Andrew Mayne the book(s) are Station Breaker and Orbital... The writing in both of the books reminds me a lot of an Indiana Jones movie crossed with a MacGyver episode.

To an 80s child like me, that's basically the best thing ever. Those 2 were my heroes growing up.

 

[AE35Unit]

Technically, but the second book has (almost) nothing to do with the first, and can easily be read without it.

I take it its set at Christmas time?

 

[tobl]

I take it its set at Christmas time?

you can check the movie but i heard is terrible.

 

[HareBrain]

The movie is terrible; the book is not. It's a very good evocation of a rural family Christmas in the 70s.

 

[AE35Unit]

The movie is terrible; the book is not. It's a very good evocation of a rural family Christmas in the 70s.

Hmm looks like YA stuff.

 

[The Big Peat]

Trying a sample of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and um..
So
Well written.
Clever
Atmospheric
Imaginative
Very narrated
Witty in the depiction of the characters, their motivations and their misunderstanding of others
Victorian feel (or is it Georgian I've lost track)
Has a slightly Trollope quality etc.
And I'm getting bored as I just don't gel with Victorian/Georgian tributes of this type and none of the characters are people I can warm to. Honestly, they all have a broad streak of plonker, to put it politely.

How did others do with this?

Nail on head for my feelings. Too dense too; I ended up DNFing it.

Piranesi is a very different thing, I'd happily recommend giving it a go.



As for myself I'm proceeding with a re-read of Lindsey Davis' The Iron Hand of Mars and loving it. Not sure what after that.

 

[Montero]

Hmm looks like YA stuff.

Yes. I re-read in the last couple of years and was fine with it. It is not tweety, modern YA. Does atmospheric, and tension, very well.
I do enjoy some YA, The Abhorsen Series for example.

 

[hitmouse]

Yes. I re-read in the last couple of years and was fine with it. It is not tweety, modern YA. Does atmospheric, and tension, very well.
I do enjoy some YA, The Abhorsen Series for example.

One of the great Christmas novels.

 

[Danny McG]

Stephen King novella The Colorado Kid, it's been a while since I've read this gripping mystery yarn, good stuff (despite an unresolved finish)

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I am thinking of following your example, HB, since it's been several years now since I last read TDiR, and it is an excellent seasonal book. Will also be rereading The Box of Delights sometime between now and Christmas.

 

[HareBrain]

Will also be rereading The Box of Delights sometime between now and Christmas.

I bought the Folio Society (top quality hardback illustrated) edition of that for a friend for Christmas several years ago, and "made sure it worked" first. Loved it. I also have fond memories of the 1984 BBC TV series, with Patrick Troughton and Robert Stevens (known from elsewhere in the BBC as Doctor Who and Aragorn, of course!)

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

It's a very good evocation of a rural family Christmas in the 70s.

Not to mention a beautiful evocation of ancient magic.

I also bought a hardback edition of The Box of Delights as a gift for someone a few years ago, and an ebook for me and my aging eyes. (I already had it in paperback but the font was too small.)

 

[hitmouse]

I am thinking of following your example, HB, since it's been several years now since I last read TDiR, and it is an excellent seasonal book. Will also be rereading The Box of Delights sometime between now and Christmas.

Love BOD. Up there with TDIR for seasonal menace.

 

[Danny McG]

Galaxias by Stephen Baxter

 

[Av Demeisen]

I'm going to pick up my copy of Ken MacLeod's Beyond the Hallowed Sky at the local bookstore this afternoon.

 

[DeathFusion]

Just started reading Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash.

 

[elvet]

@Vertigo I read the Silo trilogy back in 2014. I quite liked it, giving each book a 5 star rating on Goodreads.
The first book made a particulary lasting impression, and while bleak may be a good word for it, I was compelled to read to the end by my investment in characters.
I've started The Dragon Reborn. It's only book 3 and we're well on are way to widespread upheaval as loyalties shift. These books are the perfect companions for my 2 days of train travel (Montreal and back).