What are we all reading right now?

The Ten Equations that Rule the World: And How You Can Use Them by David Sumpter. Fascinating, if you don't mind a bit of maths. He also wrote "Soccermatics: Mathematical Adventures in the Beautiful Game", which, in theory, should be a bit more FMTTM, although, in practice, I'm not so sure!
 
Definitely will check these out cheers. Ive been reading a lot of fantasy recently but feel like I've probably read the best of that genre now (and I've given up waiting for Martin and Rothfuss to stop faffing about) so need a good new series to get stuck into.

I used to read a lot of fantasy and my son is a big fantasy reader. I managed to introduce him to Raymond Feist and Robert Jordan which he devoured and he also loved the Julian May Saga of the Exiles. He has quite a few others that he thinks are as good. Any you would recommend he read (or me)?
 
I tend to read history. I've just finished The History of Southeast Asia, which was very illuminating as I knew hardly anything about the pre-1940 history of the area (just a bit about Indonesia from living there for 7 years).

I'm now reading More by Philip Coggan: the history of the World Economy over the past 10,000 years. Lots of surprising info like a quarter of arable land up to 19th century was used to grow food for horses; and oil was initially exploited to produce kerosene for oil lamps.
 
I used to read a lot of fantasy and my son is a big fantasy reader. I managed to introduce him to Raymond Feist and Robert Jordan which he devoured and he also loved the Julian May Saga of the Exiles. He has quite a few others that he thinks are as good. Any you would recommend he read (or me)?
I got into fantasy quite late on and my favourite writer in that genre is Guy Gavriel Kay, whose books are based loosely upon real historical times/events. The greatest single fantasy I've read however, is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I wouldn't actually recommend starting this series though because after releasing the first two books of a trilogy, the second book coming out in 2011, the author seems in no rush to deliver the third.
 
I used to read a lot of fantasy and my son is a big fantasy reader. I managed to introduce him to Raymond Feist and Robert Jordan which he devoured and he also loved the Julian May Saga of the Exiles. He has quite a few others that he thinks are as good. Any you would recommend he read (or me)?

Im assuming Patrick Rothfuss and the Name of the Wind is too obvious, but just in case....one of the best books I've ever read of any genre.

I like anything by Brandon Sanderson and he's absolutely prolific so you don't have to wait long for the next. You're probably familiar as he finished the Wheel of Time series. If you want epic the Stormlight archive is his flagship series, but all his series are, inventive, good and loosely connected. Really liked his recent sci fi books too, Skyward I think the first one.

Mark Lawrence is good value. Most recent from him is a trilogy starting with Red Sister. Really enjoyed that.

Brent weeks two series are really good Night Angel and Lightbringer.

Joe Abercrombie's The First Law is a bit grittier and bit more Game of Thrones in that the use of magic is minimal. Logan Nine fingers is a cracking character.

And Conn Iggulden's dabble with fantasy isn't bad actually. Empire of Salt I think?
 
The Crowe film was an amalgam of a few books, then tweaked a bit. Master and Commander is the first book in the series, Far Side Of The World is the 10th, which the plot is mainly derived from, but then changed from the War of 1812 between Britain and America to a few years earlier against the French in case US audiences didn't like being the enemy. It is a fine film based on a truly magnificent series of books.

While the likes of Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow produce rollicking good yarns yet pay attention to historic detail as much as they can, Patrick O'Brian is in a different class all together. The quality of his writing is outstanding, far superior even to most of the writers of classic all time novels. Dickens wrote pulp fiction compared to this.

The novels are not just tales of Napoleonic era naval conflicts, which are superbly brought to life and are realistic since are often taken from real incidents of the time, but they are deep dives into espionage, politics, discovery, wildlife, medical techniques, belief's and advances, philosophical meditations on love, power, relationships, religion, class, gender and, er philosophy even. Frankly it touches on just about everything. That could be tedious, were they not so well written. O'Brian is able to fill a chapter where nothing but the monotony of naval routine takes place for weeks and no event of any real note occurs and yet you are devoured by it. The action, when it comes, is outstanding, but these are not books where it is one buccaneering exploit after another. Rather, they usually build slowly. These are masterpieces like The Godfather I and II, not episodes of Miami Vice. It is the difference between a necking spiced Rum and Coke and sipping a Diplomatico Ambassador over ice.

One of the first Aubrey-Maturin novels I read was Desolation Island. In it there is a gripping chase through heavy South Atlantic seas against a Dutch Man O War. It was so gripping and powerful I had it fixed in my memory that it took up half the book. When I got back round to re-reading it - if you like the series, you will finish it then go back - I was amazed to find the chase itself was actually only a handful of pages.

Each book is also very different, in different parts of the world, against different enemies. Some are even predominantly on land. Maturin is an incredible character, not only what he brings to each situation as a protagonist, being Irish/Catalan assisting the British Navy, Physician rather than simple naval surgeon, Natural Philosopher and member of The Royal Society and Secret Agent, but also as a vessel to see the society of that age of the world through.

The Simon Scarrow historical fiction books featuring Wellington and Napoleon are fantastic reads, 4 in total.

Harry Sidebottom‘s Warrior of Rome series is superb for the first 4 books, tails off a bit afterwards however really gets into the detial and immerses you in the period. History Fellow at Oxford and an expert in the field.
 
Now browsing through my Middlesbrough complete record, while watching 'The Showman' a family film
 
The Railwayman.
Eric Lomax

Starting to get frightening now as the Japs are invading Singapore; don’t know if I can stick with the foreboding violence
 
3rd book in Hilary Mantels trilogy, the Mirror and the Light.
I read Wolf Hall after watching the television version, which includes the second book, Bring Up the Bodies.
I like historical fiction based on factual events.
 
Currently reading "The Chronicles of Barnania" the second and final book in the final Brentford trilogy.

Really enjoy Robert Rankins "far fetched fiction " writing style. Have read all 8 of the original Brentford trilogy and both books in the witches of Chiswick trilogy.

I do think someone needs to explain to him what the word trilogy means mind.
 
I went into my local Waterstones recently and asked if they stocked the book 'Caring Tories and their love of the working man'. They said they'd check their database and I browsed whilst I waited. They got back to me and said that such a book doesn't exist...
 
I still love the Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser, completely un-PC but well researched and rollocking good fun.
I've read all the Flashman chronicles, my favourite books of all time.
Not only brilliant fiction, but set in historically accurate times. The footnotes on the actual events are as good as any history books and actually show you the darker side of British history.
 
Currently reading "The Chronicles of Barnania" the second and final book in the final Brentford trilogy.

Really enjoy Robert Rankins "far fetched fiction " writing style. Have read all 8 of the original Brentford trilogy and both books in the witches of Chiswick trilogy.

I do think someone needs to explain to him what the word trilogy means mind.


I read the early ones (the original trilogy) years ago along with the addendums - some of the best laugh out loud lines I can recall which caused me to get some very puzzled / cross looks on the 263 back to Eston. John Vincent Omally, Jim Pooley and their local The Flying Swan are legendary in my head. The characters are so well written and well named (Soap Distant, Archeroy, Marchant - the bike) the situations are masterfully crafted and the stories are pure joy.

I'm so glad you've reminded me of these because I'm going to re-read them from the start and hopefully enjoy them as much as I did back then- along with the newer ones that I must admit I have not read anything of 'The Final Brentford Trilogy' series.
 
Im assuming Patrick Rothfuss and the Name of the Wind is too obvious, but just in case....one of the best books I've ever read of any genre.

I like anything by Brandon Sanderson and he's absolutely prolific so you don't have to wait long for the next. You're probably familiar as he finished the Wheel of Time series. If you want epic the Stormlight archive is his flagship series, but all his series are, inventive, good and loosely connected. Really liked his recent sci fi books too, Skyward I think the first one.

Mark Lawrence is good value. Most recent from him is a trilogy starting with Red Sister. Really enjoyed that.

Brent weeks two series are really good Night Angel and Lightbringer.

Joe Abercrombie's The First Law is a bit grittier and bit more Game of Thrones in that the use of magic is minimal. Logan Nine fingers is a cracking character.

And Conn Iggulden's dabble with fantasy isn't bad actually. Empire of Salt I think?

Nice one. I’m seeing him tomorrow for the first time since he went off to Durham Uni and went straight into lockdown as the girl giving out the gowns at the matriculation ceremony had, unbeknownst to her, contracted Covid, which then spread to nigh on all 300 at the college.
 
Just finished the Conn Iggledon wars of the Rose's series as a prelude to reading the C J Sansom Shardlake series, yet again.
Love them and can read them time and again.
 
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