Books - What are you reading?

"Breaking Vegas" is in my 'have read' pile but I have no recollection of it. Bought it in 2017. Can't find mention of it on here so assume someone in the office told me about it. #csb

What should be the first novel Colm Toibin novel I should read?

I'm off away for Christmas holiday abroad on Saturday, I need 5 or 6 books I can get quick and cheap in paperback used copies - if you each had to recommend say the best single book you've read over the past 5 years, what would it be?! Thanks in advance... :)

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Suzanna Clark, or Deep by James Nestor are my two most favourite of books.

Started reading the 1st book. Really enjoying it so far

Love this thank you, anyone else any other suggestions gratefully received, would love a good stash to take - thanks 😊

Anything from Terry Pratchett

Quite variable in quality but they all have the advantage of not taking long. I used to work at a charity with a dozen regional offices, each of which I had to visit at least once a year for tech support, and I would often take the latest (or an old one) on the train with me, knowing I had a decent chance - at the more remote offices - of reading half of it on the way out and the other half on the way back.

All true, though I don't read at your speed!

Anyone else getting more and more annoyed by how long paperbacks come out after hardbacks?

I was looking to get 'Absolution' by JV because against the grain, i relatively enjoyed the Area X books, but the hardback I can buy now, the paperback? October 2025... that's ridiculous! The Devils coming in May from Abercrombie, one of my fave authors, the paperback hasn't even been announced!

I don't really like hardbacks. They're more cumbersome to travel with, take up more space etc and don't match existing books from a series on the shelf.

Kindle. You'll never go back

Station Eleven - Emily St John Mandel
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
Venomous Lumpsucker - Ned Beauman

Kindle. You'll never go back

There's at least one problem: you can't throw an ebook at the wall.

Great shouts, thank you - I went waterstonea crazy and bought a stash of 5 new books to take with me so all set now 😁

I still buy real books sometimes but going on holiday is the absolute perfect use case for a Kindle

A year is pretty standard for popular authors now. 6 months for less popular ones. Not many trade paperbacks around for holidays any more though.

I've read Nora Webster, Brooklyn, Long Island and The Magician.

I think as long as you read Brooklyn before Long Island it probably doesn't matter too much, but I think from what I remember Nora Webster may be chronologically between the other two.

I think he's a hell of a writer.

But you can email as an attachment with angry subject line like: Grrrrr! I’m so peeved!!!

Nearly finished the first Le Carre book. Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next one.

I've got a copy of the hardback that I'm happy to pass on when I'm finished with it! If a free hardback trumps a paid for paperback, drop me a DM and I'll hand it over once I've read it.

I'm reading a collection of James Cain books at the moment. I enjoyed The Postman Knocks Twice quite a bit. My first experience of that pulp-y early 20th century crime stuff.
I'm currently on Mildred Pierce which I'm not as in to. I'd rather read Richard Yates, John Updike etc for melancholic, slice of life stuff.
Double Indemnity up next.

Anyone fancy any of these? Free to collect from SE20, E20 or anywhere along my commute. Can post if the cost is covered.

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I read Conclave so that you don't have to. Starts well, keeps it up for a while, abruptly descends into sloppily constructed melodrama and never recovers. Plot twists are clumsily telegraphed early on; if you're the kind of person who worked out what was happening in The Sixth Sense when Bruce Willis appeared on a park bench, the only susprises here are how cheesily it's done. Serious issues are reduced to MacGuffins. There was definitely a moment where I'd have thrown this at a wall if I had a physical copy. Disappointing.

Ice, Anna Kavan. Reminded me a bit of Ballard, but more dreamlike and hallucinatory. Which sounds fucking amazing when you put it that way, but it was a solid 7 out of 10. Good concept, occasionally strayed too far into confusing and weird.

Just had a chat with a friend about Iain Banks, and it occurred to me that I haven’t read Consider Phlebas since I was a teenager (so approx 4000000 years ago), so I’m gonna reread that now. if I can find it on the bookshelves,