spongebob59
Journeyman Pro
Just finished the John Milton series so looking for something else/similar.
Have read all the Jack Reacher/ Mitch Rapp series.
Cheers
Have read all the Jack Reacher/ Mitch Rapp series.
Cheers
Books - what are you reading just now?
- Thread starter KhalJimbo
- Start date
larmen
Head Pro
Milton & Reacher are the only do good drifters I know.
Will Robie is nearest similar but it’s just 5 books.
When you like Rapp CIA stuff I could recommend Scott Harwarth, Pike Logan/ Taskforce, Court Gentry/Gray Man. Started the last Gray Man just now. He kind of started as a standalone, like the Jackal but with a moral compass.
If you like to keep it British then Dan Spider Shepherd switches between undercover police/MI 5&6 as well as SAS stuff.
Just looking through my Kindle and I have read the series if
- Ryan Kealy, can’t remember a thing
- Dewey Andreas, ex Delta and dating the female President while doing black ops stuff
- Ben Hope, ex SAS with a DaVinci code like overlay.
- Agent Zero, also O recollection about anything here
And there is always Nick Stone from Andy McNabb. It’s like Coldplay, no one likes it but sells more than any others.
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
Working my way through the Wilbur Smith [Courtney series]. Up to Rage at the moment.
Easy reading and I also learn quite a bit about South African history.
Easy reading and I also learn quite a bit about South African history.
tdy1958
New member
3rd book in the Black Autumn Series.
rudebhoy
Q-School Graduate
Currently reading England Is Mine by Nicolas Padamsee.
Ever wondered what you’d do if your musical hero got cancelled? This crushing scenario is brought to life in an impressive first novel by Nicolas Padamsee (one of the Observer’s best 2024 debut novelists). A nuanced and remarkably assured exploration of Britishness, toxic masculinity and the pernicious pull of the far right, England Is Mine charts a rapid descent into extremism fuelled by fandom and disillusionment.
Padamsee tempers his depiction of radicalisation taking hold in a novel that is meticulously and sensitively paced.
David, one of two main characters, is a teenager of Iranian heritage living in east London. A social outcast who struggles with his image (bullies at sixth form call him “Makeup Boy”), he finds refuge in the music of Karl Williams, an outspoken solo artist who, during a show in Leeds, makes an Islamophobic comment about Muslim children being withdrawn from a local primary school because of LGBTQ teaching. “Could it be that maybe, maybe, Islam isn’t 100% compatible with western values?” he goads the crowd. “You tell me.” While initially reticent, David feels that the public backlash against Williams is excessive. This position becomes more entrenched after David is assaulted by two young Muslims – one of whom he knows from college – setting him on a dark path that spirals towards catastrophe.
Padamsee tempers his depiction of radicalisation taking hold in a novel that is meticulously and sensitively paced. David’s story is interwoven with that of Hassan, a longtime member of a Muslim youth centre who is determined to get into his first-choice university. As David moves from playing Call of Duty online to frequenting neo-Nazi chatrooms, Hassan begins volunteering at his local mosque: “He remembers his career adviser saying that volunteering experience would help his Ucas application stand out.” The parallel lives of these two young men hang in the balance, converging in an act of racial hatred that is unthinkable but inevitable.
England Is Mine offers a searing indictment of the factionalism and marginalisation that grip 21st-century Britain.
Really good read, very relatable to what's going on at the moment, and nowhere near as dry or worthy as the blurb makes it sound. Highly recommended.
Ever wondered what you’d do if your musical hero got cancelled? This crushing scenario is brought to life in an impressive first novel by Nicolas Padamsee (one of the Observer’s best 2024 debut novelists). A nuanced and remarkably assured exploration of Britishness, toxic masculinity and the pernicious pull of the far right, England Is Mine charts a rapid descent into extremism fuelled by fandom and disillusionment.
Padamsee tempers his depiction of radicalisation taking hold in a novel that is meticulously and sensitively paced.
David, one of two main characters, is a teenager of Iranian heritage living in east London. A social outcast who struggles with his image (bullies at sixth form call him “Makeup Boy”), he finds refuge in the music of Karl Williams, an outspoken solo artist who, during a show in Leeds, makes an Islamophobic comment about Muslim children being withdrawn from a local primary school because of LGBTQ teaching. “Could it be that maybe, maybe, Islam isn’t 100% compatible with western values?” he goads the crowd. “You tell me.” While initially reticent, David feels that the public backlash against Williams is excessive. This position becomes more entrenched after David is assaulted by two young Muslims – one of whom he knows from college – setting him on a dark path that spirals towards catastrophe.
Padamsee tempers his depiction of radicalisation taking hold in a novel that is meticulously and sensitively paced. David’s story is interwoven with that of Hassan, a longtime member of a Muslim youth centre who is determined to get into his first-choice university. As David moves from playing Call of Duty online to frequenting neo-Nazi chatrooms, Hassan begins volunteering at his local mosque: “He remembers his career adviser saying that volunteering experience would help his Ucas application stand out.” The parallel lives of these two young men hang in the balance, converging in an act of racial hatred that is unthinkable but inevitable.
England Is Mine offers a searing indictment of the factionalism and marginalisation that grip 21st-century Britain.
Really good read, very relatable to what's going on at the moment, and nowhere near as dry or worthy as the blurb makes it sound. Highly recommended.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
Alan Sillitoe’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
That it’s set in a Nottingham of the year I was born doesn’t take away from its authentic grittiness. - its description of how life for many in a Nottingham of now distant memory back in the late 50s is beautifully written - utilising the Nottingham dialect to great effect. Loving it.
That it’s set in a Nottingham of the year I was born doesn’t take away from its authentic grittiness. - its description of how life for many in a Nottingham of now distant memory back in the late 50s is beautifully written - utilising the Nottingham dialect to great effect. Loving it.
Currently part way through a series of books by M.J. Lee. The central character is a detective inspector (Ridpath) seconded to the Coroner’s office but still working for a major CID team in Greater Manchester Police. The stories are fast paced, and the characters well put together.
The added bonus for me is the locations used in the book. It’s set in the northwest of England, predominantly southwest Manchester. Many of the streets and buildings I know really well, which adds to the pictures we create in our mind when we’re reading.
The added bonus for me is the locations used in the book. It’s set in the northwest of England, predominantly southwest Manchester. Many of the streets and buildings I know really well, which adds to the pictures we create in our mind when we’re reading.
I've read all of these, they are excellent. The standard doesn't drop off, you can happily look forward to reading the rest of the series
hors limite
Assistant Pro
Just ordered " The Romantic" by William Boyd. I have much enjoyed his other stuff.
rudebhoy
Q-School Graduate
Am currently reading (actually listening) to With A Little Help From Their Friends by Stuart Maconie. It's basically a series of potted biographies of 100 people who came into contact with, and had an influence on The Beatles over the years. Written in his usual sardonic style, it's very enjoyable, perfect for the bath!
Just an aside on the listening to… I got into audio books a few months back. What an absolute revelation! Having someone read a book to you with the emotion and excitement they see in the story has really shocked me. Definitely worth a punt if you’ve never experienced it before.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
I listen to audio books on BBC Sounds app. Brilliant variety from classics to new stuff - mostly serialised. A great resource for those who love listening to book readings.
I’m currently listening to Summer by Edith Wharton.
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chico
Club Champion
I'm also a recent convert to audio books. Spend a lot of time driving and they really make the time fly by.
I've done it through my local library it's so simple. It's two apps Borrow Box and Libby, if you get a chance check it out.
rudebhoy
Q-School Graduate
Just finished The Amateurs by John Niven.
Crap 18 handicapper gets knocked out by an errant drive, is in a coma, then wakes up to find he is miraculously a world class golfer but with a few unfortunate side issues.
Set in Ayrshire, it’s a cracking read if you are not easily offended.
Crap 18 handicapper gets knocked out by an errant drive, is in a coma, then wakes up to find he is miraculously a world class golfer but with a few unfortunate side issues.
Set in Ayrshire, it’s a cracking read if you are not easily offended.
The Body in the Dales, JR Ellis. First in a series of books set in Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales. Excellent first book, hopefully the next keeps up this level.
rulefan
Tour Winner
There are about a dozen in the series
Human Remains - Jo Callaghan, 3rd in a series. It follows a police officer / dept who use a hologram AI with their cases. It shows the potential and also problems with it. Interesting stuff
What The Dark Whispers, MJ Lee, the latest in the Ridpath series. Another solid outing, always a reliable read.
What The Dark Whispers, MJ Lee, the latest in the Ridpath series. Another solid outing, always a reliable read.
Gabriel's Moon by William Boyd. An old school spy book, good fun.
Lucifer MorningStar
Well-known member
Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown the latest novel in his Robert Langdon series.
I won’t put any spoilers in but it’s definitely the weakest of all the Langdon novels. Worth a read if you like Dan Brown but it doesn’t flow half as well as his other books in the series and doesn’t feel like it fits in the Langdon series.
I won’t put any spoilers in but it’s definitely the weakest of all the Langdon novels. Worth a read if you like Dan Brown but it doesn’t flow half as well as his other books in the series and doesn’t feel like it fits in the Langdon series.
rulefan
Tour Winner
Have read the first 6 of the Slough House series. Just 2 to go.
Absolutely brilliant.
Absolutely brilliant.
