The GOT Book Club

[johnnydawg68]

I've been into Audible recently. Listening to books to and from work. Just finished this one. Fantastic if you like history.

 

[johnnydawg68]

I've read a load of John Le Car books over a while. If you like thriller, espionage then give them a read. The quality of his writing and characterisation is outstanding.
Also 'Bird Song' by Sebastian Faulkes is an excellent book. Set in WWI, a young englishman who falls in love with a married french woman and has an affair with her, then returns to the same area of France to fight in the war as an officer. Missed opportunities, lost love, friends slain, gut wrenching but wonderful.
The best book I've ever read is Les Miserable. I can't recommend it enough. It's about 1400 pages and takes a good while to get through but it's worth it, a masterpiece. When I finished it I felt like I'd lost a friend, there was a huge gap in my life for a little while.
Pappion is also a really good read. A true story written by the main protaganist. A wrongfully convicted young rogue who escapes a touterous prision sentence on a french collonised carribean island around 1930. Proper swashbuckling adventure about friendship and redemption.

Read it when it first came out. Highly recommended as well. Might be due to go back and re-read it.

 

[COYBL25]

Looks interesting. Does it delve into the collaboration with the Germans of a surprisingly high number of Frenchmen/women ?

It covers the reprisals, the thirst for vengeance and score settling afterwards, including women who took Germans as boyfriends.

They don't go into any real depth, as the book is really looking at the scramble for power amongst the various political parties, particularly the Communist Party.

 

[summerisle]

It covers the reprisals, the thirst for vengeance and score settling afterwards, including women who took Germans as boyfriends.

They don't go into any real depth, as the book is really looking at the scramble for power amongst the various political parties, particularly the Communist Party.

Thanks, a period in time that I know little about, or for that matter much of post-war French history. It's amazing how ignorant you feel sometimes.

 

[gonetomorrow]

Richard Ford is a famous American Pulitzer prize winner who normally writes a series about a sports journalist. It's a bit like Updike's Rabbit series examining what it takes to be a middle class husband and father in late 20th century USA.

Ford's recent book Canada, however, is a departure from his norm and should be read. It's tragic and funny in turn but written by a class author.

 

[COYBL25]

Thanks, a period in time that I know little about, or for that matter much of post-war French history. It's amazing how ignorant you feel sometime.

I'm the same. I only read it as I really like Antony Beevor's books and his style of writing.

He has a gift in that he can almost make dry facts read like a novel.

His level of research and the way he knits it all together is superb.

 

[Philw]

I'm the same. I only read it as I really like Antony Beevor's books and his style of writing.

He has a gift in that he can almost make dry facts read like a novel.

His level of research and the way he knits it all together is superb.

Sounds a lot like some of Bryson's books, especially A Short History of Nearly Everything.

 

[chango]

Just started No Hunger in Paradise by Michael Calvin. Pretty sad insight into the football coaching/academy system of this country

 

[COYBL25]

Just started No Hunger in Paradise by Michael Calvin. Pretty sad insight into the football coaching/academy system of this country

Has that just come out ?

If it's the same book, I've heard it's pretty shocking

 

[chango]

Has that just come out ?

If it's the same book, I've heard it's pretty shocking

Yeah came out last week. Its shocking but sadly not surprising. Calvins book the nowhere men about football scouts is worth a read too

 

[COYBL25]

Yeah came out last week. Its shocking but sadly not surprising. Calvins book the nowhere men about football scouts is worth a read too

Ta, on my list x

 

[Gwladysstreetlad]

Finished reading Thrawn eailer this week and Timothy Zahn proves once again that he's the greatest ever writer of Star Wars novels. Absolutely brilliant, I couldn't put it down. He captures all the brilliance of his eailer work and combines it with elements of the new extended universe. 10/10 and i really hope Zahn has more work coming soon of the same quality as this.

 

[mceverton]

Has anybody read any local crime fiction? Recently read 'a tapping at my door' by David Jackson which I really enjoyed, something about books based locally as I can picture them more clearly having been there

 

[summerisle]

Has anybody read any local crime fiction? Recently read 'a tapping at my door' by David Jackson which I really enjoyed, something about books based locally as I can picture them more clearly having been there

Try these ; I've only read the first one, pretty good.

http://www.martinedwardsbooks.com/liverpool.htm

And a review of the first book.

https://classicmystery.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/all-the-lonely-people-by-martin-edwards/

 

[COYBL25]

Just finished this on the recommendation of @Old Blue 2, who has personal knowledge of the author !

Fascinating factual read, about a test squadron of German fighter bombers, during the fighting in the Summer of 1940.

Amazing collection of photographs too.

Thanks for the recommendation mate x