Brian.

I've been banned from buying any more books until Christmas is over so that narrows down what I'm getting as gifts

My most recent reads. The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe (2/5) I was really looking forward to this one but for some reason I just couldn't settle with it. I think it's because I found it too "wordy" and I had a lot of on my mind so struggled to concentrate on it. It hasn't put me off reading more of his work I just think it was the wrong book at the wrong time for me. Scapa Ferry by Antony Bridges (3/5) I found this while poking around a charity bookshop. Being a shallow person when it comes to book covers I was immediately drawn to it as it looks like one of the old Airflx kit box cover illustrations. It is the true story of a recently qualified laywer and his wife who are very inexperienced when it comes to yachting. As the second war starts to escalate the English Channel becomes far too dangerous to operate in so boats are sent through the Scapa Flow. To keep operations going the military need large amounts of explosives to build the defences to keep the merchant navy safe. The problem is that no one will carry the explosives as it's seen as far too dangerous. This is where our intrepid duo step in and start to transport a potentially lethal cargo in terrible conditions. This is a remarkable story which really sums up the courage and bureaucracy faced by many during the war. Daisy Chain by Kirstie Malone (4/5) I won this in one of the BCF prize draws earlier this year and the copy is signed by the author. 5 adults reconnect at a university reunion having drifted apart over the course of 20 years. The group fell apart when a university lecturer was killed and they haven't really seen each other since. Things start to unravel rapidly when one of the group, Veronica is seen lingering outside the venue in a disheveled state, clearly living on the streets. How much has changed over the past 2 decades and what has caused Veronica to live on the streets? A really entertaining read with plenty of intrigue and I also really liked the ending. A Beer in the Loire by Tommy Barnes (4/5) My wife bought me this for my birthday as "you like beer and you like books". I have to admit it isn't the sort of thing I would have bought myself but I'm glad she did because it was a great read. Tommy and his girlfriend Rose are both made redundant and decide to move to the Loire valley in France. Unexpectedly, Tommy loves the prospect of redundancy as he is a self proclaimed average drifter. Some how he has survived in his career for over a decade by simply turning up and half-arsing everything. This dis-organised approach to life follows him to France where he decides to make beer in a region famous for it's wine. Along the way he explores the French way of life and mentality and slowly gets to grips with the practicalities of brewing beer. He also has a running battle with a mortal enemy who he is convinced is trying to kill him, Bert, his overweight dog. This book is full of humour and I found myself laughing at loud several times.

I'm finally about the start the first book I receieved and the next one arrives The second book is What We Owe by Golnaz Hashemzadeh Bonde. The blurb says the following: Nahid has six months left to live. Or so the doctors say. But Nahid is not the type to trust anyone. She resents the cancer diagnosis she has been given and the doctor who has given it to her. Bubbling inside her is also resentment toward life as it turned out, and the fact that it will go on without her. She feels alone, alone with her illness and alone with her thoughts. She yearns yet fails to connect with her only daughter, Aram. As the rawness of death draws near, Nahid should want to protect Aram from pain. She knows she should. Yet what is a daughter but one born to share in her mother’s pain? At fifty, Nahid is no stranger to death. As a Marxist revolutionary in eighties Iran, she saw loved ones killed in the street and was forced to flee to Sweden. She and her husband abandoned their roots to build a new life in a new country. They told themselves they did it for their newborn daughter, so she could live free. But now as she stands on the precipice facing death, Nahid understands that what you thought you escaped will never let you go. And without roots, can you ever truly be free? I assume it's been selected for me as I really loved the books by Khaled Hosseini and I look forward to getting to it soon.

I have just finished number 59 for the year so far.

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (3/5) It would seem that unlike the vast majority of people I was relatively unmoved by the recent suicide of Anthony Bourdain. I don't say this to be contrary or to some across as heartless, any suicide is a sad affair. I had this emotion simply because I had never encountered his work despite him being a celebrity of sorts. I knew he had a TV show but never watched it and I was also aware he had written this book which was widely regarded as a good look into what goes on behind the scenes in restaurants, especially in New York. I found the book to be an interesting and entertaining read with some revealing facts about the business which I did not know. I also learned that Bourdain was another one of these people who think that being good at his job makes it fine to be a bit of an asshole. This is really exposed towards the end of the book when he describes the working practices of a chef he really likes who is pretty much his polar opposite. He also leans towards justifying his substance abuse as a necessity of the industry instead of admitting that he ultimately had a problem. I don't think he was a bad person and this is a decent book but he is the exact sort of person I would not like to have to work with.

I've just finished Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I got a few books for my birthday so I've got plenty to choose from but I'm still undecided as to what to read next.

Same here, I really should be more organised.

2 reviews to catch up with. Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham (5/5) Like many people, I loved the recent HBO mini-series Chernobyl and also listened to the podcast that went along with it. In the podcast the producer and main writer were keen to point out where they changed history to make it work as a TV show and the reasons why they did this. I find everything nuclear fascinating and wanted to know more about the facts behind Chernobyl so bought Midnight in Chernobyl. This book is an exhaustive account of what happen before, during, and after the accident at Chernobyl. The author is a journalist and it really shows as the list of sources stretches across about 40 pages at the end of the book. It is very well written and despite the heft of the subject it is very readable and I managed to do extensive sessions without having to put it down.This is probably the best non-fiction book I have read this year. The Falcon of Sparta by Conn Iggulden (3/5) I've not read anything by Conn Iggulden prior to this and I thought a stand alone would be a good place to start instead of diving into one of the series he has written. The blurb on the back sounded quite promising and deal with a part of history I don't know well. I found the book pretty good and wasn't aware when I picked it up that it was based on actual events. My only major gripes with it are connected to each other. Firstly, a major plot point is revealed in the blurb and I don't think this should have been done as it spoiled what could have been a great end to the first act. Also an event at the end of act 2 is settled in a very unsatisfactory (in my opinion) way at the start of act 3. Given what we know about the characters up to this point I just don't believe they would have acted this way and I think this should have been handled differently. Apart from those points it was an enjoyable read and I will read some more of Iggulden's work.

Almost finished with The Falcon of Sparta by Conn Iggulden. I’ve enjoyed it a lot but with work being busy this week I’ve not managed to read it as fast as I would have liked.

Thanks for all the advice, I’ll start with LOTR when I get round to Tolkien.

I agree with the fireworks comment. We’ve had fireworks going off pretty much every night for the last 2 weeks. I have no problem with fireworks on Diwali or Bonfire night, or even a day or so either side but it’s getting very tiresome now.

I’m yet to read any Tolkien so perhaps one of the more popular books would be a better starting point. I’ve finished Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham, fantastic book which gets 5/5 from me. Something very different next, The Falcon of Sparta by Conn Iggulden.

I got my first book from the Willoughby Book Club today after signing up for the contemporary 3 month option. During the sign up process they ask you to tell them your favourite books and authors so they can do a better job of selecting books for you. The book came very well packaged and further wrapped in an attractive tissue paper with a bonus sticker which will probably live on laptop. When unwrapped this is the book I received. I have never heard of it before but the synopsis looks pretty interesting and I'm looking forward to reading it soon.

I have quite a few mini reviews to catch up with. Chickenhawk by Robert Mason (4/5) It's funny how we remember certain quite small and seemingly unimportant things from our childhood days. For me one of these is seeing a copy of this book on my parent's bookcase. Like many people on this forum I read a lot as a child but I never really ventured to read many books that belonged to my parents. Despite this, the cover of Chickenhawk has always remained a strong memory, a memory which was awakened while browsing for new books to buy online. This book is written by a Vietnam war veteran detailing his time spent as a Huey pilot both in training and in country. I don't know why I never read this when I was younger as I now know I would have really enjoyed it. As the book progresses Mason goes from being an ambitous young man to someone who is left broken by what we now know as PTSD. This is a really good account for the realities of war and the damage it does to everyone involved in some way or another. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (4/5) I grabbed my Kindle on the way out the door without checking what I had on it the other day. As I needed a new book to read I had a quick flick through the contents of my Kindle and decided that I would read this book. I knew nothing about the book although I was aware that a movie had been made and I also knew it was named after a painting. The story revolves around the life of a young women (16) called Griet in Delft in the 1660's. After an illness her father is unable to work and the family is struggling financially so she takes work as a maid for a local family including a painter, Johannes Vermeer. During the course of her years with the family her relationship with Vermeer develops and starts to cause issues, eventually coming to a head. This is quite a short book but one I really enjoyed reading. All of the intimacy is implied rather than direclty detailed and fits perfectly with the time when the book is set. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (2/5) I bought this completely on a whim because the cover caught my eye and it sounded a bit quirky. The book tells the story of Kieko, a convenience store worker who has always felt out of place. She finds an odd peace with the routine of working in the store and has no plans to change anything about her life. Others see the store as a stepping stone in her life and eventually she notices that everyone thinks its time she 'grew up' and moved on with her life. I thought that being quirky and based in Japan would be right down my street but the book never really did it for me. It seems to get really positive reviews online and although I found it a quick easy read I was left feeling disappointed by it. I guess I'm not the right reader for this book. 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson (2/5) I have been trying to read more audiobooks and this was my free trial download on Audible. I became aware of Jordan Peterson a few years ago because of his appearances on the Joe Rogan podcast. At the time he was rallying against what he saw as politicial correctness in universities and he raised a few points which I found interesting. Fast forward a bit and for many he has become a beacon for the far right and angry young men. When I have heard him talk in the past I have always thought he has argued his case well even if I haven't agreed with his points. I had hoped this book would be more of the same as I think it's important to explore ideas contary to my own. I wouldn't go as far to say I hated this book but if it had been a physical book I don't think I would have finished it. Far too often he brings up bible archetype stories as evidence of his claims and after a while it gets very tiresome. I think the book is meant to be for 'everyday normal people' but seems to be a way for Peterson to prove how clever he is. I found it tedious and doesn't warrant the praise it gets in my opinion.

Generally spread between 4 places. The majority of my reading is done at home on the sofa either with the TV on or off depending if my wife is watching anything. I also read in bed before going to sleep most nights and occasionally in the morning as long as I don't have to go to work. I've recently started reading in my local library as it means I am away from distraction at home such as the internet. Finally, I also read a fair bit at my desk at work. I am lucky in that I am effectively 'on-call' for large chunks of time at work and as long as I remain on site I can entertain myself in anyway that I like, and for me that means reading.

Yeah I finished 3 books, it was quite a productive readathon for me.

Finished another short book today, 160 pages, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. It didn’t really do it for me but it was good to get 3 days off good reading done.

Hi, welcome to the forum, it's always nice to see new members on here.

After saying I might read it I read what it was about online and that coupled with your comment now I'm not so sure I still haven't decided what I will pick up, I always decide at the last minute, usually as I'm heading out the door to work.

@Onion Budgie you should re-read Dracula, its one of my all time favourite books. I am about halfway through The Girl with the Pearl Earring and I expect to finish that up today. Not sure what I will pick up next but I'm leaning toward a non-fiction book about Chernobyl and for fiction maybe The Silmarillion.

@Athena I hope you feel better soon. I think I managed to get about 270 pages read yesterday. Even though it was really enjoyable, Chickenhawk was slow reading for some reason, I think it has more words per page than the average book. I'm hoping to finish The Girl with the Pearl Earring today and then I can pick my next book(s) to read. I think deciding what to read next is my favourite part of being an avid reader.

Thanks Hayley. I am enjoying both and I have just finished Chickenhawk which I thought was great.

I am aiming to finish both my current books, The Girl with the Pearl Earring and Chickenhawk. I've got a few bit to do today but I should be able to get some good reading time in so hopefully I will finished Chickenhawk by the time I got to bed tonight.

I've managed to get up to 70 now.

I have started 2 new books this morning. Chickenhawk by Robert Mason, and The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.