What book are you reading at the moment Pt2

The book I've enjoyed the most this year is "Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight;

In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the boot of his Plymouth, Knight grossed $8000 in his first year. Today, Nike's annual sales top $30 billion. In an age of start-ups, Nike is the ne plus ultra of all start-ups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognisable symbols in the world today. But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. Now, for the first time, he tells his story. Candid, humble, wry and gutsy, he begins with his crossroads moment when at 24 he decided to start his own business. He details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream - along with his early triumphs. Above all, he recalls how his first band of partners and employees soon became a tight-knit band of brothers. Together, harnessing the transcendent power of a shared mission, and a deep belief in the spirit of sport, they built a brand that changed everything. A memoir rich with insight, humour and hard-won wisdom, this book is also studded with lessons - about building something from scratch, overcoming adversity, and ultimately leaving your mark on the world
 
Starting on Book 8 of Stephen Leather's Jack Nightingale series - I loved the first 4 books and have just stuck with it since then. I guess that's why authors do series; they suck you in and then keep pumping them out to make money.

One series that has consistently been good, albeit with a few ups and downs, is the Rizzolli & Isles by Tess Gerritsen. Much better than the glossy TV show spin-off.
 
Just near the end of Nomad by James Swallow, recommended to me as I loved I Am Pilgrim, its not bad but not as good imo
next up is the latest Jack Reacher installment Blue Moon
 
Just near the end of Nomad by James Swallow, recommended to me as I loved I Am Pilgrim, its not bad but not as good imo
next up is the latest Jack Reacher installment Blue Moon

Really enjoyed Blue Moon
Felt quality of Reacher novels has been a little
Up and down but that’s possibly down to the rinse and repeat nature but thought Blue Moon was return to form
 
I’m halfway through the final of the The Testing trilogy. Pretty decent read if you like the Hunger Games etc. Was a bit rinse and repeat at first but is worth a read if you like that genre.
 
Latest loan from the library:

(I always thought that "Thug life" was a phrase or a meme? Had no idea it was an acronym). Anyone else read this?

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The Hate U Give (aka THUG) is Angie Thomas’ debut novel, written on the back of the Black Lives Matter movement. It is aimed squarely at young adults and has faced scrutiny in the States, being banned in some schools due to drug use and bad language; which seems odd given that several required readings in American ELA classes contain drug use and bad language. Evidently, some readers have criticised the novel as being biased in its viewpoints of police violence against ethnic minorities.

I strongly disagree. Despite THUG’s protagonist being a black teenager living in a black community, Thomas does not paint the characters as being either good or bad (something the media is quick to do in the fallout of real-life fatal shootings). Seeing the story unfold through the eyes of a lead character struggling with dual-identity offers a unique, balanced perspective on the struggles and hardships faced by both the police and those living in impoverished communities. I loved it.
 
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim.
 
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Tried The Diamond Age about a decade ago and couldn't get into it for some reason or another. Vague impression that I was bored by the minutiae and technobabble.

About 30 pages in after starting it today. So far so good. The names of his characters are pretty wild though! Fun concept.
 
A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie. Enjoying it so far but it is loosely connected to previous characters that I am struggling to remember.
 
Just started the second in the Wool trilogy called Shift. Both shit names but enjoying the books so far.
 
A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie. Enjoying it so far but it is loosely connected to previous characters that I am struggling to remember.

I just finished The Blade Itself yesterday and was really not enamoured with it.
The only character I wanted to spend any time with was Glokta. It was just so...anticlimactic. All this build up just to get these disparate people in the same building and have a big reveal for The Bloody Nine.
I never once felt any sense of threat about the Northmen and just couldn't bring myself to give a toss about Jazal.

I read the whole thing over about 2 weeks and have absolutely no sense of what the overarching plot was. I get that it's part of a series and was always intended to be but it just felt like it needed an internal arc stronger than 'some Northmen threaten the kingdom - nothing comes of it yet (Some inconsequential scuffles take place.)'.

Am I being a bit harsh on it? Maybe.
But seriously? just give me a three hundred page book about Glokta.
 
The Labyrinth Index, (Book #9 Laundry Files) by Charles Stross. He is very similar to Neil Gaiman. Stross has replaced Terry Pratchett (RIP) as my go-to author for light reading.
 
I've been reading The Brothers Karamazov since around November. It's alright, but kind of slow, lost interest and now I'm procrastinating on it, thinking of dropping it and switching to something else
 
Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Sequel to his absolutely incredible Children of Time novel. Picks up from exactly where the first one ends and is also brilliant. Half-way through.

On offer at £4.99 on Kindle at the moment, which is above my price point for any digital book.
 
Currently reading Unnatural Causes: The Life and Many Deaths of Britain’s Top Forensic Pathologist. Fascinating read.
 
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

Really good read and successfully mirrors (and lampoons!) certain elements of society today. Between him and George Orwell they really did a good job of predicting what society might be like in 80 years time (although obviously extreme versions of it)
 
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Really enjoying this

I started reading the Spider Shepherd novels after a recommendation on here. The first one I hated. It pretty much put me off but I preserved and a year or so later went onto the second book and have now read and enjoyed them all

as with all authors who persist so long with same character they have varied in quality but I do enjoy them. This is a “shared world” book so it features in the same world as the spider shepherd novels and features characters that have been featured before but with a new central character. I do hazard a guess that spider is very likely to pop up at some point

well worth a read for anyone who is invested in the spider shepherd novels but also worth a go for anyone that likes a good U.K. thriller

it’s nothing that’s not been done before but it’s done well
 
Just finished the Rain Wild Chronicles - Robin Hobb, I'm gutted its over, absolutely fantastic.
Now going to start the final trilogy - Fitz and the Fool
 
Just finished Embassytown By China Mieville last night and, OH BOY, that book is great! The culture and people and location of the story reminded me of how blown away I was by Ursula LeGuin's fully realised civilisations in The Dispossessed.
I thought The City and the City was good, but this was incredible.
 
Just finished the Rain Wild Chronicles - Robin Hobb, I'm gutted its over, absolutely fantastic.
Now going to start the final trilogy - Fitz and the Fool

I really liked the Rain Wild Chronicles but not so much the Fitz and The Fool. I won't spoil anything but interested in what you think.
 

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