Having enjoyed Life after Life, I'm on the new Kate Atkinson
Printable View
Having enjoyed Life after Life, I'm on the new Kate Atkinson
"A Childhood in Hyperborea" is the story of one Jon Little and his formative years in Thurso.
Calling it "a good read" would be a gross understatement, and "a good romp" would be to trivialise this work.
Anyone who has ever lived in Caithness, anyone who has left Caithness, anyone who has ever moved away from a place they loved - any place - will love this book.
Congratulations John, and thank you.
An enlightening new look at the goings-on in Britain during the early WWI period, based in part (I'm guessing) on letters which may have recently become available through freedom of information legislation or some such *rule* applying to documents after 100 years.
It is a scholarly work with over 300 references listed in the Endnotes, but do not be put off by the term "scholarly" as it is endlessly fascinating -- and I'm no scholar!
I am currently reading, Tove Jansson Work and Love. By Tuula Karjalainen, very good so far. And really in depth too! :)
Halfway through Ian Bell's "Time Out of Mind: the Many Lives of Bob Dylan". It's the second volume of the series, from the mid-70s on, a really interesting read. Bell uses pretty much all the available sources to look at an artist who seems addicted to myth-making and constant change. I'm not usually a fan of rock-biographies but this is really good at setting the man in context.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuoni
" The sixth lamentation," by William Brodrick, more twists and turns than a switchback but poses some great moral questions.
I am reading the Chronicles of Narnia.
Tom Devine's "Independence or Union", published last year and already overtaken by events (a point he makes in his introduction : the situation changes so fast that any book can only be a snapshot). Waited for the paperback and now having trouble with the tiny print!
" A street cat named Bob," what a delightful story of the interactions between a man and a cat.
Want You Dead by Peter James "if he cant have her nobody can" gripped me from start to finish
by Lawrence Anthony. A beautiful tale about a herd of rogue elephants that were moved onto Lawrence's reserve in South Africa. Written by a truly inspiring man who sadly is no longer with us. Well worth a read.
I have just finished reading "Crash Land" by Scottish author Doug Johnstone which is an enjoyable thriller set in Orkney.
Is he any good? I keep meaning to read The Ossians (about the fictional band that plays Thurso) but never get around to it.
I find the books to be entertaining light reading (ideal for my long bus journey to and from work) and often feature places in Scotland (such as Thurso) which seldom feature in Scottish literature. A new book is published roughly once per year. More information about the author here:Quote:
Originally Posted by stumpy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Johnstone
For a fuller list of his books with reviews:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doug-Johnstone/e/B0034PCMZO
Thanks, ecb, pretty much bears out my first impressions. I've a copy of The Ossians lying about the house somewhere, will get round to reading it some time.
started reading Rage of angels by sidney sheldon
"Raven Songs," an anthology of poetry by local writer Meg MacLeod....ISBN 9780995752108.
That looks interesting. Is there anywhere in Thurso selling copies? I'm home next week and it'd be nice to support a local artist.
Got my copy through Amazon.
The Greatest Story Ever Told - So Far
by Lawrence Krauss
Understanding only a small fraction of what I was reading, it was still fascinating to try to follow the historical trail through the last couple of millennia of some scientific theories and experiments.
And, I still have a few days before it becomes due back at the library.