A Good Read

"A Good Read" - Sparky's version of the Richard and Judy Book Club.................

Add to this thread if you have discovered a favourite book which you wish to recommend to other readers.

A good starting point would appear to be J.R.R.Tolkein's  Lord of the Rings, which was recently the subject of some cryptic dialogue between certain of our members.

We also had a quiz on this topic early last year, which it could be interesting to look back on:
barbilliards.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=deadquizheaven&thread=7581&page=1

[Dave Anscombe]

Interesting read I'm sure Tommo, bit not up my street really.

My liking is for Si-Fi, the spacey type, if that's the term. I read a lot of these books (and to those who are thinking it, yes I can read ;)). One series of books that I keep reading, about once or twice a year is 'The Classic Lensman' series by E.E (Doc) Smith.

The series is set against a background of two civilizations who are poles apart in their outlook on how the Universe should be, one good and one dad. The whole series builds up to a finale in the second to last book, book 6 of 7.

The books went out of mainstream print many years ago but a search on eBay brings up a lot and only for a few pounds for the set.

For all you Si-Fi fanatics out there I thoroughly recommend you add this series to your library.

Well, yes, Science Fantasy has some good offerings - there's the Terry Pratchett Discworld series, and Philip Pullman' s Amber Spyglass etc - both of which I plan to catch up with sometime.

How about Horror SciFi ?  :o :o :o  A mate at work recommended me Imajica by Clive Barker, which is set in a different plane (like Discworld) and it's quite an epic. I then went on to read Weaveworld (about a tiny civilization living in the weave of a carpet!) by the same author, and found it one of the most beautifully written books I've read.

Just watched The Da Vinci Code on TV - saw it at the cinema when it first came round.  It has more talk and less action than the other Dan Brown blockbuster Angels and Demons which I thought better all round (film and book).  Still good though.

[specialone]

Have just finished Amber spyglass. All 3 books will appeal on different levels, daughter and old git. Do not think subtle Knife and Amber spyglass can be made into films,.
Shaun

I have the Philip Pulman trilogy still to read.

At the moment I'm indulging an obsession I have with the life and times of William Beckford (1760-1844) whose life-story is good enough to be made into a film: Inheriting a million pound fortune at the age of 10 from his father's sugar plantations (worth 100 million in today's money) he was sent away to the continent to receive a classical education (he was even taught the piano by Mozart himself !)   He became an MP, but was ostracised by society over a scandal (never proved, though it was obvious that he was as queer as a deer !) He then set about building the most enormous private house ever built in Britain, of cathedralic proportion, and filled it with a vast collection of valuable art and antiques, mostly from the continent - and became a recluse.

www.hoffstrizz.com/2010/05/great-momens-in-megalomania-william-beckford-builds-himself-a-cathedral.html

The book I am reading is "Letters from Fonthill" which provides a chronicle of his changing fortunes during the construction of this vast edifice - of which next to nothing remains today! Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, which virtually cut England off from continental travel for 11 years, it describes his continuing frustrations with the architect James Wyatt, who he bullied into finishing work ahead of schedule only to find that he had used materials giving it inadequate strength, and parts kept falling down so that work was forever in progress ! The letters are written in witty style (he was fond of giving nicknames to people) and give a fascinating insight into the mind of a compulsive art collector who could afford anything that money could buy.  

The sun came out yesterday afternoon and the lawn didn't need mowing, so rare opportunity to sit out in the garden and have a read........Have started Wilkie Collins's biography by Peter Ackroyd.  (Recent first edition which Margo bought me for our anniversary.)

Wilkie is a fascinating subject: he lived in Victorian times, yet had no sense of respectability (kept two mistresses!)
I have read most of his books, starting with his two most famous - The Moonstone and The Woman In White - before moving on to the excellent No Name, the rather short Basil and the lengthy Armadale.

Many people struggle with Armadale, but the best way I can describe it is as a 'book of two halves' - in the second half you find yourself having sympathy with the very person you hated as the villain in the first half, and you build up a contempt for the very person you used to see as a hero ! Even though the villain is a murderess ! :o :o :o

Having finished the Wilkie Collins biography some weeks ago, I purchased his 4th novel The Dead Secret.

This is a really compelling read, with a gothic atmosphere and some really vivid characters. Hilarious in parts, very moving in others. Set in Cornwall of all places. :o

Wilkie has such a clear style of narrative and the novel bowls along so well that it only took me a week to read it. Recommended.

tommo

Currently reading Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins. As usual brilliant characterization, good descriptions of landscapes which 'take you there'. Just finished an amazing (and amusing) chapter written purely from the point of view of two barn owls !

Lined up next is Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth which is historical fiction set in the 12th century at the time of the conflict between Matilda and King Stephen following the tragedy of the White Ship.

Should see me through the summer, if not I have dropped a hint about the new Dan Brown as I have a birthday coming up ! :D

[dipper]

Its been around a long time I know,but I have just come across Knight of the Whistle, all about the life of Ralf Tarratt (of Tarratt Tables), and what an interesting life he had, some Bar Billiards with some wrong names mentioned in there,but mostly about his time as a professional football referee. A good read if you knew him as I did and probably most of Sussex.  

Jun 2, 2013 16:52:23 GMT dipper said:

Its been around a long time I know,but I have just come across Knight of the Whistle, all about the life of Ralf Tarratt (of Tarratt Tables), and what an interesting life he had, some Bar Billiards with some wrong names mentioned in there,but mostly about his time as a professional football referee. A good read if you knew him as I did and probably most of Sussex.  

Yes I have a copy and from memory acquired mine through John Slee whose wife runs a charity shop.
The book is very  instructive regarding Ralph's early involvement in the game and how he struck a deal with SAMs Brothers to supply him with tables. In the book he quotes the Wheatsheaf at Cuckfield as the first pub he put a table into.

Must have been quite a lucrative business operating with hundreds of tables in those early days, and I agree his memoirs on the football refereeing side are well worth a read.

May 30, 2013 22:34:14 GMT tommo III said:

Currently reading Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins. As usual brilliant characterization, good descriptions of landscapes which 'take you there'. Just finished an amazing (and amusing) chapter written purely from the point of view of two barn owls !

Lined up next is Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth which is historical fiction set in the 12th century at the time of the conflict between Matilda and King Stephen following the tragedy of the White Ship.

Should see me through the summer, if not I have dropped a hint about the new Dan Brown as I have a birthday coming up ! :D

The Wilkie Collins didn't dissappoint - some good action leading up to a thwarted attempted murder. One of the characters is an absolute bounder !

Have just finished reading, in little over a week, Inferno by Dan Brown. Really compelling reading (long sessions in the garden !) Better than The Da Vinci Code, and on a par with Angels and Demons. Action switches from Florence, to Venice, and finally to Istanbul.

Can't wait for the blockbuster film to be made of this !

[edit - yes, already underway, film due for release December 2015]:
www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/tom-hanks-ron-howard-adapt-dan-brown-inferno-article-1.1401456

[davejones]

Jun 2, 2013 17:08:41 GMT tommo III said:

Jun 2, 2013 16:52:23 GMT dipper said:

Its been around a long time I know,but I have just come across Knight of the Whistle, all about the life of Ralf Tarratt (of Tarratt Tables), and what an interesting life he had, some Bar Billiards with some wrong names mentioned in there,but mostly about his time as a professional football referee. A good read if you knew him as I did and probably most of Sussex.  

Yes I have a copy and from memory acquired mine through John Slee whose wife runs a charity shop.
The book is very  instructive regarding Ralph's early involvement in the game and how he struck a deal with SAMs Brothers to supply him with tables. In the book he quotes the Wheatsheaf at Cuckfield as the first pub he put a table into.

Must have been quite a lucrative business operating with hundreds of tables in those early days, and I agree his memoirs on the football refereeing side are well worth a read.

I got my copy at St Katherines Hospice in Crawley I think that was the name of the charity

Jul 17, 2013 16:57:01 GMT tommo III said:

Have just finished reading, in little over a week, Inferno by Dan Brown. Really compelling reading (long sessions in the garden !) Better than The Da Vinci Code, and on a par with Angels and Demons. Action switches from Florence, to Venice, and finally to Istanbul. Can't wait for the blockbuster film to be made of this !

I see your face.
You are gazing up at me from the shadows. Your eyes are mournful, and yet in them I sense a veneration for what I have accomplished. You understand I have no choice. For the love of Mankind, I must protect my masterpiece.
It grows even now  . . . waiting  . . . simmering beneath the blood-red waters of the lagoon that reflects no stars.
And so, I lift my eyes from yours and I contemplate the horizon. High above this burdened world, I make my final supplication.
Dearest God, I pray the world remembers my name not as a monstrous sinner, but as the glorious saviour you know I truly am. I pray Mankind will understand the gift I leave behind.
My gift is the future.
My gift is salvation.
My gift is Inferno.
With that, I whisper my amen  . . . and take my final step, into the abyss.

Could have been scripted for the Chubbster !

May 30, 2013 22:34:14 GMT tommo III said:

Lined up next is Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth which is historical fiction set in the 12th century at the time of the conflict between Matilda and King Stephen following the tragedy of the White Ship.

Follett has had to remain on the back burner probably until some sunny days in the garden in June........

Autumnal reading was the trilogy of books by Philippa Gregory about Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort.

Over Christmas I broke off my Wars of the Roses obsession to read Vinnie Jones' autobiography "It's Been Emotional" - heart on sleeve stuff. Talk about bad boy made good !

Have now started reading Conn Iggulden's epic story of the Wars of the Roses "Stormbird" which transports the reader back in time to become a fly on the wall. Not sure about the invention of the character Derihew Brewer, though, reputedly 'spymaster' to King Henry VI, although he cuts a fine and strangely sympathetic figure.

Mar 19, 2014 23:40:48 GMT tommo III said:

Have now started reading Conn Iggulden's epic story of the Wars of the Roses "Stormbird" which transports the reader back in time to become a fly on the wall. Not sure about the invention of the character Derihew Brewer, though, reputedly 'spymaster' to King Henry VI, although he cuts a fine and strangely sympathetic figure.

What a fantastic read this turned out to be !
The novel comprises several 'threads' - the reader sees things from the point of view of Margaret of Anjou; King Henry's mover and shaker 'Derry'; the Earl of Suffolk William de la Pole; dispossessed farmers in Maine and Normandy; the English archer Thomas Woodchurch and his son; the sickly and pious Henry VI; and finally Jack Cade who stirred up Kent farmers to march on London. All the threads get interwoven as they get shorter in between and it moves to a fine climax.

The violence described in the fighting in France and in the sacking and looting of London is amazing.

This book, written in 2013, is the first part of a series, so still to come must be Henry's usurpation and restoration to the throne, both engineered by the Earl of Warwick, plus the Duke of York and his three sons (two of whom became king); some fine Lancastrians v Yorkists battles on English soil (St Albans, Wakefield, Towton, Barnet, Tewkesbury) - and of course Bosworth Field which brought an end to Plantagenet rule.

And lots more heads to be chopped off along the way !

[davejones]

Apr 7, 2014 13:26:29 GMT tommo III said:

Mar 19, 2014 23:40:48 GMT tommo III said:

Have now started reading Conn Iggulden's epic story of the Wars of the Roses "Stormbird" which transports the reader back in time to become a fly on the wall. Not sure about the invention of the character Derihew Brewer, though, reputedly 'spymaster' to King Henry VI, although he cuts a fine and strangely sympathetic figure.

What a fantastic read this turned out to be !
The novel comprises several 'threads' - the reader sees things from the point of view of Margaret of Anjou; King Henry's mover and shaker 'Derry'; the Earl of Suffolk William de la Pole; dispossessed farmers in Maine and Normandy; the English archer Thomas Woodchurch and his son; the sickly and pious Henry VI; and finally Jack Cade who stirred up Kent farmers to march on London. All the threads get interwoven as they get shorter in between and it moves to a fine climax.

The violence described in the fighting in France and in the sacking and looting of London is amazing.

This book, written in 2013, is the first part of a series, so still to come must be Henry's usurpation and restoration to the throne, both engineered by the Earl of Warwick, plus the Duke of York and his three sons (two of whom became king); some fine Lancastrians v Yorkists battles on English soil (St Albans, Wakefield, Towton, Barnet, Tewkesbury) - and of course Bosworth Field which brought an end to Plantagenet rule.

And lots more heads to be chopped off along the way !

And there was me thinking it was about chocolate!

[davejones]

Jun 2, 2013 17:08:41 GMT tommo III said:

Jun 2, 2013 16:52:23 GMT dipper said:

Its been around a long time I know,but I have just come across Knight of the Whistle, all about the life of Ralf Tarratt (of Tarratt Tables), and what an interesting life he had, some Bar Billiards with some wrong names mentioned in there,but mostly about his time as a professional football referee. A good read if you knew him as I did and probably most of Sussex.  

Yes I have a copy and from memory acquired mine through John Slee whose wife runs a charity shop.
The book is very  instructive regarding Ralph's early involvement in the game and how he struck a deal with SAMs Brothers to supply him with tables. In the book he quotes the Wheatsheaf at Cuckfield as the first pub he put a table into.

Must have been quite a lucrative business operating with hundreds of tables in those early days, and I agree his memoirs on the football refereeing side are well worth a read.

I got my copy from St Catherine's Hospice in Crawley

Fiddling about with Apps for the tablet Margo bought me for my official retirement present, and downloaded Kindle. Why not ? (although it won't stop me buying books).

So I got a free version of the classic Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome........what a well-written and witty novel, it's had me laughing out loud and at one stage the tears were rolling down my cheeks !

Tommo's obsession with the Wars Of The Roses era continues.........

The most authoritative works I have found to satisfy this thirst for knowledge are the following:



The former has a Chinese publisher and the odd proof error but the author shows terrific insight.
The latter is a widely-acclaimed history book of the year by Chris Skidmore who is MP for Kingswood (Bristol) who has put an amazing amount of research into his subject.

Although the title is Bosworth and the battle is indeed covered, the main subject matter is the events leading up to the conflict, and the reader is left in no doubt as to what a conniving, vengeful, manipulative and brutal git the murderous Richard III was ! How his newly-discovered remains came to be reburied recently with such pageantry is beyond me !

For anyone sharing an interest in this topic, the August edition of History Revealed (4.50) gives some good insight into how the Battle of Bosworth was won and lost and also contains a free BBC booklet Richard III normally retailing at 9.99 !

This summer I have been mainly reading:
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Trinity covers battles of St Albans I, Blore Heath, Ludford Bridge, Northampton, Wakefield, Mortimers Cross;
Bloodline covers battles of St Albans II, Ferrybridge, Towton, Hedgeley Moor, Hexham, Edgecote and Losecote Field;
Ravenspur covers battles of Barnet, Tewkesbury and Bosworth.

Battle tactics, changing fortunes, treachery, bad decisions, changing of allegiances, being in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time, revenge and retribution, warrior heroes and dastardly villains - the era 1455 to 1485 had the lot.

.....and it doesn't end there:

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15th century England was like an enormous soap opera, but it's now beginning to have an effect on me, having nightmares, will have to stop !

May 30, 2013 22:34:14 GMT tommo III said:

Lined up next is Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth which is historical fiction set in the 12th century at the time of the conflict between Matilda and King Stephen following the tragedy of the White Ship.

Well it kept getting shoved to the back of the queue but four years later surfaced.
And what a great book it is, several heroes and some good villains too. The main characters' paths keep intertwining.
I have just sent off for the DVD of the 2010 TV series which starred Ian McShane.

This series of books have occupied any hours of leisure I have had in the last six months.....

Attachment Deleted

.....and for me their quality surpasses anything else I have read.

Set during the Wars of the Roses, they track the lives of two fictional characters (an escapee monk and an escapee nun) who get caught up in the conflicts and turn up all over the place (in Lincolnshire, Calais, Middleham (Yorks), Wales, Northampton, Towton, Northumberland and back eventually to Lincs. The nun is adept at performing surgical operations and is called upon to remove arrows and at one stage delivers a baby at the same time as performing an amputation on a character called Jack Stumps. And they're constantly trying to escape from baddies.

A familiarity with the non-fictional background helps, so that the reader can guess what is coming. I'm always uncertain with whom my own sympathies lie - King Edward IV or Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. What a shame they became enemies.
Anyway, there is this fourth book, only published recently and not yet in paperback, which I'm about a third of the way through:

Jul 17, 2013 16:57:01 GMT tommo III said:

Have just finished reading, in little over a week, Inferno by Dan Brown. Really compelling reading (long sessions in the garden !) Better than The Da Vinci Code, and on a par with Angels and Demons. Action switches from Florence, to Venice, and finally to Istanbul.

Just finished reading the latest Dan Brown blockbuster "ORIGIN".
A fourth film starring Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon is due for release shortly.

This one is set in Spain, the action switches from the Guggenheim museum of modern art in Bilbao, to La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Usual conflict between Christian doctrines, a really good out-and-out baddy and suspense regarding which side certain protagonists giving pursuit are on.

Throw in questions on the future of mankind (vs machines) and you have the recipe for another ripping yarn !

Still hooked on the massive soap opera that was the Wars of the Roses.

This trilogy written by Livi Michael with a slight Lancastrian stance, and covering the lives, aspirations and adventures of two Margos (!) - Anjou and Beaufort - rivals that penned by Toby Clements:

Yorkist King Edward IV remains my 'big hero' - nothing changed there.

Spring and early summer garden reading:

..........and for late summer:

The I,Richard is a fantastic read, two novels in one. Written from Richard III's point of view in the first person singular, in Part One you think "what a nice person, constantly loyal to his elder brother the king (unlike their brother George)". And Part Two also deals with him with a degree of sympathy, although his personality changed completely the nearer he got to the throne and with Bosworth you are left thinking, "good he got what was coming".

As for Amy Licence, her books are so well written, my favourite contemporary author.

Aug 30, 2011 20:49:12 GMT tommo III said:

I have the Philip Pulman trilogy still to read.

Eight years further down the line and no nearer changing my opinion that Pulman beats Jane Austen into first place as the worst author I've read (or tried to read). Gave up after just one page (something about a daemon monkey). Total crap.

And I usually get on well with fantasy stuff (Tolkein, Harry Potter, H.P.Lovegrove etc) - horror fantasy even (Steven King, James Herbert, Clive Barker) - but those novels contain a degree of originality, which in Pulman is lacking.