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Post by gazz on Jun 19, 2018 4:41:04 GMT
Jack Reacher number 18: 'Never Go Back' now complete,the similarities with the movie are minimal - barely recognisable, in fact.
Number 19: 'Personal' is on its way.
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Post by jimboslovechild on Jun 19, 2018 12:25:43 GMT
I'm currently reading Really the Blues, by Mezz Mezzrow and Bernard Wolfe. It's been sitting on my shelf for a while because I thought it was probably just another history of blues, jazz and rock n roll music. Turns out I was dead wrong. Mezzrow was on the forefront of the blues movement in Chicago when the music first arrived in the city from New Orleans. He learned how to play the blues while in a juvenile detention centre, and started playing in the brothels and illegal bars of the prohibition, at one point almost asking Al Capone's preferred prostitute out on a date. He later became the drug dealer of choice in Harlem. A lot of the story is about race relations: Mezzrow put together one of the first mixed bands, at a time when mixing could get you in serious trouble.
He tells the story with a lot of humour, using the language of the music scene of the time. Really vivid and funny, I'd recommend it to anyone, even if you're not interested in this kind of music.
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Post by another_ruined_saturday on Jun 19, 2018 18:18:29 GMT
you are one cool cat jlc i like the sound of that. i have just read seven books consecutively from the harry dresden series and am on the eighth. it's slightly silly urban fantasy; sometimes i like piling through stuff that isn't at all taxing but just enjoyable.
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Post by hatter_in_macc on Jun 19, 2018 18:53:38 GMT
Gonna get me a copy of that, too, jimbos. Cheers for the recommendation and review!
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Post by gazz on Jun 19, 2018 19:57:07 GMT
you are one cool cat jlc i like the sound of that. i have just read seven books consecutively from the harry dresden series and am on the eighth. it's slightly silly urban fantasy; sometimes i like piling through stuff that isn't at all taxing but just enjoyable. The TV series was decent and was cancelled ridiculously early, especially considering it was exec. Produced by Nicholas Cage.
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Post by jimboslovechild on Jun 20, 2018 6:37:03 GMT
Hope you enjoy it!
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Post by another_ruined_saturday on Jun 20, 2018 18:59:40 GMT
The TV series was decent and was cancelled ridiculously early, especially considering it was exec. Produced by Nicholas Cage. crikey. i've got a -probably unfair- irrational dislike of nicholas cage.
i've already got the series in my amazon basket. according to the author they're very separate things. sounds like a few of the tv episodes were based on the stories, but obviously you can't shoehorn a 400 page book into a 42 minute tv episode very easily. the book series is decent enough for me to have a go at the series regardless. cheers for the heads up, but i'd spotted this one.
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Post by gazz on Jul 3, 2018 5:35:47 GMT
I finally got around to starting Jack Reacher number 19: 'Personal' and have just finished it. The Army tracks Reacher down after someone takes a long-range shot at the French president. Only one man could have done it and Reacher is the one man who can find him.
This was another excellent read with a decent twist. I've now only got three more books to catch up on before number 23 comes out in November, with number 20: 'Make Me' already on its way - I can't wait!
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Post by gazz on Jul 31, 2018 16:20:15 GMT
Jack Reacher Number 20: 'Make me' and number 21: 'Night School' both now finished, with number 22: 'Midnight Line' already here since I received it for Christmas in hard cover format.
Might give it a break for now, I think I'm getting a little 'series fatigue', as although 'Night School' is a very good book, it was hard going getting to the end.
'Make Me' is a fantastic read about the disappearance of a private investigator whose business partner Reacher teams up with to search for him. I really can't give too much away, but its conclusion is a chilling one - highly recommended.
'Night School' is set during Reacher's time in the army and is set in Germany, where he is brought in as part of a team investigating a mysterious multi-million dollar business deal, involving a group from the Middle East and a mysterious American. It is also a highly recommended read.
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Post by another_ruined_saturday on Jul 31, 2018 19:08:29 GMT
crikey, that's a marathon gazz. did you read it in an old skool diving suit as well like something from 'bioshock'? i only managed a half-marathon - made myself stop the dresden files after 13 of them. already have the remainder but he seems to be turning them out very slowly now. was still really enjoying it, but am still having a breather due to a fear of whipping through it all and then finding myself disconsolate.
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Post by gazz on Jul 31, 2018 23:35:15 GMT
crikey, that's a marathon gazz. did you read it in an old skool diving suit as well like something from 'bioshock'? i only managed a half-marathon - made myself stop the dresden files after 13 of them. already have the remainder but he seems to be turning them out very slowly now. was still really enjoying it, but am still having a breather due to a fear of whipping through it all and then finding myself disconsolate. Are the Dresden books worth a read then, mate? If so, I'll definitely try one.
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Post by another_ruined_saturday on Aug 1, 2018 19:35:49 GMT
given that we both like 'supernatural', you liked the 'dresden' tv series, and i like these...probably...
that said, the first couple are mostly smaller time, maybe the author feeling out the world a bit for himself. but i like how the world gets bigger and more complex; and from certainly the fourth one, you're hit by various factions, each with their own rules and agendas, again a little bit like 'supernatural', how it went from 'monster of the week' into something with more of an arc and more nuance, with significant characters who could disappear for a series or a couple of books, but then return with a brilliant payoff. i've really enjoyed them as well written action adventures with plenty of occult bang and pop.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2018 20:32:22 GMT
Agent of the State by Roger Pearce who before he became an author was head of the Special Branch which lends an air of authenticity to it. Gritty is the word that best describes it. Couldn't put it down so read it one sitting.
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Post by gazz on Aug 1, 2018 21:44:02 GMT
Both good recommendations, gents, which I'll definitely add to my 'to do' list - cheers!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2018 19:46:27 GMT
Blood road by Stuart MacBride. A crime thriller written with a degree of cynicism and sense of humour by someone with some familiarity with the kind of gallows humour familiar to ex police/forces who've had to deal with unpleasant situations. His description of an exhumation is very funny.
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