Maureen Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 Sounds interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 Doing OK with Koko, although some things are a bit to far 'out there', and I don't know much about the Vietnam war . . . Interestingly, the writer (mentioned in the back of the book blurb) is actually Tim Underhill who appears in the former reading circle book "In The Night Room" and "lost boy lost girl" and another boo with a name that escapes me! Straub's doing that interlinking thing that Stephen King does so often in his books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted April 12, 2006 Author Share Posted April 12, 2006 Very quick update as I need to get up in 6 hours and could probably do with some sleep before then! I am now reading Grantchester Grind by Tom Sharpe, which means that I have read all the Kelly Armstrongs (very good, my favourite is probably Stolen), KOKO (very confusing, but overall was worth a read) and Dumping Hilary? (which I also enjoyed). On Grantchester Grind - I'm having a bit of trouble following it so no need to feel bad Mau - language is pretty archaic. Have you read Porterhouse Blue? This book seems to be its sequel, so if you haven't I'm not surprised you struggled! Anyway, must get sleep or eye bags will match funeral attire. Jo xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 OOh, I'm SO glad you enjoyed the Kelley Armstrong books! My faves are the ones featuring The Pack more prominently, so I'll be glad to see their return in Broken! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted April 12, 2006 Author Share Posted April 12, 2006 Same here - gotta love those werewolves! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 On Grantchester Grind - I'm having a bit of trouble following it so no need to feel bad Mau - language is pretty archaic. Have you read Porterhouse Blue? This book seems to be its sequel, so if you haven't I'm not surprised you struggled! No - did not read Porterhouse Blue, but I do not know anything at all about English School traditions - so that was anther setback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted April 12, 2006 Author Share Posted April 12, 2006 Poterhouse Blue sets the scene better and explains some of the traditions - schooling in England is VERY different than set out in that book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted May 16, 2006 Author Share Posted May 16, 2006 Ok, don't have mcuh time again, but I've borrowed a few Christopher Brookmyre books because I enjoyed 'All Fun And Games Until Someone Loses An Eye'. I'm currently working my way (at some pace!) through 'One Fine Day In The Middle Of The Night', then 'I have Be My Enemy', 'Not The End Of The World', 'Boiling A Frog' and 'The Sacred Art Of Stealing'. I am aware that I have a wee problem - I've been told that some of Brookmyre's books are a series and should be read in a certain order, and I'm missing one! I don't know which on, and I don't know the correct order either, so if anyone's able to help me out, I'd be most grateful! More on this and all the other books I've read when I have more time or broadband! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted May 16, 2006 Share Posted May 16, 2006 If you're reading the Jack parlabane ones, you should go for this order: Quite Ugly One Morning Country of the Blind Boiling a Frog Be My Enemy Non-Parlabane books are: Not the End of the World One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night A big Boy Did It & Ran Away The Sacred Art of Stealing All Fun & Games Till Somebody Loses an Eye His latest novel, A Tale Etched in Blood & Hard Black Pencil, is due out this very month & I will be getting it asap. Can you tell I'm a fan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Right. I have a huge amount of catching up to do here - I've read lots of books and not got around to posting my feeling about them. I'm going to post a new message for each book and add comments in my own time (so I don't forget any) so this might look a little odd for a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 KOKO - Peter Straub I’m probably going to find it a bit difficult to write anything too expansive about some of the earlier books on this list, as it’s been such a long time since I read them. However, KOKO is going to be the hardest as it’s rather a confusing book! 'KOKO . . . ' Only four men know what it meant. Vietnam vets. One was a doctor. One was a lawyer. One was a working stiff. One was a writer. All were as different as men can be - yet all were bound eternally together by a single shattering curse. And now they are joined together again on a quest that could take them from the graveyards and fleshpots of the Far East to the human jungle of New York, hunting an inhuman ghost of the past risen from nightmare darkness to kill and kill and kill . . . The confusion, for me, occurred mainly when reading the parts ‘through the eyes’ of KOKO, a very disturbed individual. This is a tactic Straub likes to adopt in his novels (this is also evident in Mr X), and one that he does well, so well that it’s very difficult to follow! I’ve often found that, in books where he has adopted this technique, they are better on a second read, where you know which parts are important to the plot. However, Straub does manage to capture the atmosphere of each setting excellently. This a book travels the world, from the Far East and to the USA, and the crowded and vibrant markets of Singapore to the city streets of New York, and both areas are so beautifully depicted you almost feel like you’re there. The characters are believable and their actions are plausible. My only criticism here is that there were far too many characters; many I felt were unnecessary, which also added to the disorientation. I was disappointed to find that the blurb spoiled part of the book for me, so I’ll hide this for anyone who wants to read the book! I knew that the initial suspect for the murders was innocent, and that one of the main characters in the beginning was going to die – something that didn’t happen until way past half way through the book. Overall I did enjoy this book, it just takes a lot of concentration to follow without missing anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Dumping Hilary? - Paul Reizen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Stolen - Kelley Armstrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Dime Store Magic - Kelley Armstrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Industrial Magic - Kelley Armstrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Haunted - Kelley Armstrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Grantchester Grind - Tom Sharpe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Douglas Adams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night - Christopher Brookmyre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 The Sacred Art of Stealing - Christopher Brookmyre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 It's Not the End of the World - Christopher Brookmyre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Quite Ugly One Morning - Christopher Brookmyre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Country of the Blind - Christopher Brookmyre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesare* Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Boiling a Frog - Christopher Brookmyre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Glad to see you're enjoying those Brokmyres! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.