[mumofstig]

Next book just arrived - The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (the latest in the Strike series)
 

[Growster...]

Next book just arrived - The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (the latest in the Strike series)
 

That was quick!

I'm afraid that I gave up on 'The Ink Black Heart', as I found the constant 'messaging' pages a bit confusing!

By coincidence, one of our neighbours is David Crabtree, who is assistant director of several Strike films, and I mentioned this to him and he told me that several of his friends in 'the business', thought the same...

Perhaps I should give it another go!

The other books are superb though!

I'm reading 'Young Prince Philip' by Philip Eade at the moment, and that really is an eye-opener! A certain prince in the US could do well to understand what it was really like to become a Royal back then!

[mumofstig]

Growster: I'm reading 'Young Prince Philip' by Philip Eade at the moment, and that really is an eye-opener! A certain prince in the US could do well to understand what it was really like to become a Royal back then!

That looks like another one to put on the list...

[hamstergbert]

Next book just arrived - The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (the latest in the Strike series)
 

That was quick!

I'm afraid that I gave up on 'The Ink Black Heart', as I found the constant 'messaging' pages a bit confusing!

By coincidence, one of our neighbours is David Crabtree, who is assistant director of several Strike films, and I mentioned this to him and he told me that several of his friends in 'the business', thought the same...

Perhaps I should give it another go!

The other books are superb though!

I'm reading 'Young Prince Philip' by Philip Eade at the moment, and that really is an eye-opener! A certain prince in the US could do well to understand what it was really like to become a Royal back then!

Oh my, I thought it was just me!  Love all the books up until the Ink Black Heart - broke the habits of a lifetime and actually pre-ordered it (in hardback) but found it not a patch on the others and really hard going (I almost said 'tedious'.... oh what the heck - tedious!)   Shame, so I have decided to view it as an aberration and will be getting the Running Grave before too long.   Lets be honest, she has produced some smashing reads, whether the young adult wizarding stuff, the Casual Vacancy and then these Strike books so I feel we should accept that even someone as talented as she clearly is has an occasional 'off day'.

Actually bought a couple of books published by Amazon - 'Sergeant Pilot'  (like the author's father, my own father was a (Flight) Sergeant Pilot once old enough (1941 onwards)  and the other book was 'On Her Majesty's Nuclear Service' which was a bit of an incestuous read given that I served at least once with the author including the patrol which features largely in the first half of the book.

Reading keeps me sane.  Sane-ish.   Think I shoudl have my own mug at World of Books I hit their site so often!

[Growster...]

Hamsters, it's a shame about 'The Ink Black Heart', because up to then, I found the Strike novels to be some of the best reads I'd had in years!

I mentioned earlier, that I was reading 'On the beach', which is about as depressing as anything you can get, but totally absorbing - rather like waking from a bad dream, but getting worse...!

However, the rest of his books have now been 'Growstered', and read avidly, and as you mention flying in your family, try some of his stories, if you haven't already! 'Trustee from the toolroom' is possibly one of the best stories I've ever read, and as you're a qaulifieded WOBist, and probably a Serial MusicMagpieist as well, if you haven't read any of his books recently, it's well worth Wiki-ing the story lines, as there are several stories with flight, sailing, engineering and navigation and these subjects just make me close down from the outer world and join in the story!

Happy Christmas to you and yours!

[hamstergbert]

Hamsters, it's a shame about 'The Ink Black Heart', because up to then, I found the Strike novels to be some of the best reads I'd had in years!

I mentioned earlier, that I was reading 'On the beach', which is about as depressing as anything you can get, but totally absorbing - rather like waking from a bad dream, but getting worse...!

However, the rest of his books have now been 'Growstered', and read avidly, and as you mention flying in your family, try some of his stories, if you haven't already! 'Trustee from the toolroom' is possibly one of the best stories I've ever read, and as you're a qaulifieded WOBist, and probably a Serial MusicMagpieist as well, if you haven't read any of his books recently, it's well worth Wiki-ing the story lines, as there are several stories with flight, sailing, engineering and navigation and these subjects just make me close down from the outer world and join in the story!

Happy Christmas to you and yours!

Thanks, Growster, and a Merry Christmas to you also, same goes for everyone on the site.

Read pretty well all of his books over the years - one random observation is that they contained more than most modern books given that the number of lines per page etc seems to have been rather denser than is the norm these days.

His books used to be fairly popular patrol reading material.  One that I still enjoy is 'Round the bend', likewise 'The Far Country' .  I often re-read books I have had for years, especially when up and alert (ahem) in the wee small hours and many authors of the period repay a (selective) revisit.

[mrs bouquet]

Next book just arrived - The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (the latest in the Strike series)
 

I just started reading a Strike book last night, couldn't put it down and dropped off with book and glasses at about 5.am     They are written by JK Rowling AKA Robert Galbraith   Excellent reading.   I must look for the new one.   

[Aidy]

Spend quite a bit of time at the punk festivals at the literary stage.
A lot of poets I like to listen to, one of my favourite is Attila The Stockbroker.
Have a couple of his books and love the poems.
I was gutted to hear of the death Benjamin the other week, loved watching the Life and Rhymes program and listening to a lot of his work.

[mrs bouquet]

I have just finished a Strike novel - Troubled Blood.  It is 1076 pages long, so it has taken a little while.  I feel like I have lost some friends now.  But I do have the new one to carry on.    Mrs Bouquet

[Growster...]

Troubled blood is a superb story Mrs B!

Having demolished all the Nevil Shute stories, I thought I'd try another writer from a few years later - Hammond Innes.

I bought five in an omnibus, (WOB), and started to read the first one, which just didn't seem to grab me well, then the second was about whaling, which is an abhorrence as far as I'm converned, so sadly, that ain't a good start!

So it's back to a re-read of 'The Fox', by Frederick Forsyth, and as is the norm with his stories, they start to get exciting from the first page! I read it years ago, and luckily can't remember the plot - so far...!

[Candide]

Read Trustee from the Toolroom several times and must be due a reread soon.  Shute's autobiography is a good read as well;  might be there he wrote "An engineer is somebody who can do for ten bob what any fool can do for a pound".
Eric Ambler is good value as well.
I chat to a neighbour who is a Jungian Psychotherapist which led me onto a sort of Jung for Dummies book.  OK if taken in small bites

[Growster...]

Many thanks, Candide, that's the one book I haven't read, so just ordered!

'Trustee from the toolroom' is a riveting story - and I might just break my rule and read it again very soon...

I haven't ever tried Eric Ambler for some reason, so will certainly check him out now! Thanks for the tip!

Just ordered 'The art of Coarse Cricket' by Spike Hughes... I must have read the Michael Green books a zillion times over the years, and they always make me laugh, but for some odd reason, through some sort of misguided loyalty to the great man, I've never read this one!

[mrs bouquet]

I love Strike novel, and read them more than once.  I am struggling at the moment with "The Silkworm" about a missing author.   Is this a spooky book ?   If so not good for reading at 3 am maybe.  Any readers advice please.  Mrs Bouquet

[Growster...]

'The Silkworm' is a superb story Mrs B!

3.00am may be a bit late/early to be reading it, but 'spooky' (e.g.ghostly) stuff isn't really what Strike and Robin go in for and it's not their style! The story is logical, sometimes complicated but well worth getting to the end!

I didn't actually buy it, but Hawkhurst Library complied as they always do!

[mrs bouquet]

Thanks Growster,  I have read a good bit now, and ignored the bit about Owen's book and what has happened to him - gruesome.    I am intrigued by the outcome, so will carry on to the end.  Mrs B