The OFFICIAL NPR Book Thread

[Hugo]

I'm halfway through Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. It is insanely good.

Its so far been centred around the disappearance of Jean McConville but it covers tons of other stuff to do with The Troubles.

The book is incredibly well written but its also about a fascinating subject - I intend to grab a few more books on The Troubles over X-mas. I'm interested in:

a) an overall history of Irish republicanism, the historical players, ideologies and
b) anything on the paramilitary operations of the IRA in its various incarnations from its earliest times to the present day.

Any recommendations will be gladly received.

The Killing Rage by Eamonn Collins is a phenomenal book by an ex IRA intelligence officer who changes his mind on the armed struggle. Couldn’t put it down.
Bandit Country very good on South Armagh from both sides, balls of steel from the author who was a Telegraph journalist.
Big Boys Rules about the British Army operations also pretty good.

Thanks for the recommendations and also same to Uncle Fester. I will check those books out.

I'm currently reading the book on Princess Di by her former protection officer Ken Wharfe. Its pretty meh but it does show you (at least to me) just how ridiculous the concept of royalty is in the 20th century. There's first world problems and there's royalty problems.

[Margin__Walker]

I'm halfway through Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. It is insanely good.

Its so far been centred around the disappearance of Jean McConville but it covers tons of other stuff to do with The Troubles.

The book is incredibly well written but its also about a fascinating subject - I intend to grab a few more books on The Troubles over X-mas. I'm interested in:

a) an overall history of Irish republicanism, the historical players, ideologies and
b) anything on the paramilitary operations of the IRA in its various incarnations from its earliest times to the present day.

Any recommendations will be gladly received.

The Killing Rage by Eamonn Collins is a phenomenal book by an ex IRA intelligence officer who changes his mind on the armed struggle. Couldn’t put it down.
Bandit Country very good on South Armagh from both sides, balls of steel from the author who was a Telegraph journalist.
Big Boys Rules about the British Army operations also pretty good.

Killing Rage is very good. Read it a long time ago, but it made an impression.

[Hugo]

Just ordered Killing Rage, thanks for the recommendation lads.

[Dan54]

I’ve been rattling through the John Grisham audiobooks again while doing cardio over lockdown. From the ones I’ve listened to I’d rank them:
-A Time To Kill
-The Firm
-The Brethern
-The Runaway Jury
-The Testament (great start and middle of the book, but weak finish)
-The King of Torts (similar good start and middle, but average end)

From the other thread.

Funny with Grisham, I keep saying I read enough of his books, but when struggling will get another and end up enjoying it. Think I read most of his.
Relly enjoy anything by Ken Follett, haven't picked up a cook of his I haven't enjoyed. Just finidhed hos lastest a few weeks ago while in lockdown on return to NZ called 'The Evening and the Morning', good book. Thought the best of his was the Century series about the 1900's, probably the most enjoyable series I ever read, and particularly the final book as probably I could realte to it with it coveing my era ie; American Civil rights protests, and Berlin wall etc. Will definitely be hunting out a few books recommended on this thread, I do enjoy a good fictional historical book among others and as I now retired on the lookout for any good books. I find I like to mix books up a bit as can't just read one style too many times in a row.
I have just read 'The Baltimore Boys' by Joel Dicker and ended up really enjoying that.

[Fangle]

A lot of John Grisham’s recent books have been weak in my opinion. But in his latest, A Time for Mercy, he goes back to the hero lawyer, Jack Brigance, who we met in A Time to Kill. In my mind the best after half a dozen thoroughly forgettable books.

[Dan54]

A lot of John Grisham’s recent books have been weak in my opinion. But in his latest, A Time for Mercy, he goes back to the hero lawyer, Jack Brigance, who we met in A Time to Kill. In my mind the best after half a dozen thoroughly forgettable books.

Might get that thanks for the heads up Fangle. Have seen it in shops and was wondering. I actually picked up a coupe of Wilbur Smith books in a charity shop yesterday, after saying I didn't ever need to read another one of his books,both set in 1600s I think so will give them a peek one day. as I said with retirement I loosening up a bit on what I may read.

[Dan54]

I’m reading C.J.Sansom’s latest outing of Matthew Shardlake in “Tombland”. Unusually it’s set in Norwich a couple of years after Henry VIIIs death, so England is sliding into chaos. A particular attraction for me since Narge is a city I know quite well.

If you like historical fiction and fancy giving the Shardlake series a try, I would start at the beginning with Dissolution, the first in the series. That was excellent.

Thanks Un Pilier, will get Dissolution and have a look. Sounds the type of book I may enjoy.

[Un Pilier]

I’m reading C.J.Sansom’s latest outing of Matthew Shardlake in “Tombland”. Unusually it’s set in Norwich a couple of years after Henry VIIIs death, so England is sliding into chaos. A particular attraction for me since Narge is a city I know quite well.

If you like historical fiction and fancy giving the Shardlake series a try, I would start at the beginning with Dissolution, the first in the series. That was excellent.

Thanks Un Pilier, will get Dissolution and have a look. Sounds the type of book I may enjoy.

Hope you do - it’s certainly a novel I might re-read. The bonus is that if you like it you have a shedload of good reads to follow up with. There was one I didn’t like. Something —- fire, I think.

[Fangle]

I tried Dissolution, but couldn’t get into it and didn’t even get a quarter of the way in.

[Niegs]

Finished this audiobook a few weeks ago. Might be of interest to people now...

[mat the expat]

Started on Nemesis by Max Hastings

[GogLais]

Saw John le Carre in an interview with Mark Lawson (?) from a few years ago. Came over as an honest, decent English gentleman.
I've just given up on The Honourable Schoolboy though, far too wordy and convoluted. I don't often give up on books, probably because I'm very selective/too fussy about what I read.

[Slick]

Just finished I Don't Expect You to Believe Me by Juan Pablo Villalobos - translated from Spanish, really enjoyed it.

It's about a Mexican student who through no fault of his own gets involved in a gangster plot as he travels to Barcelona to study. Running alongside is a piss take of literary snobs. Some great characters with a few twists. He has won quite a few international awards for his previous books and this one was good enough that I'll search them out.

[Hugo]

I'm reading three days in Moscow about Reagan's contribution to the end of the Cold War.

Its not especially good and its written by an American conservative so of course it is gushing but you recognise what Reagan brought to the table. I'm not a fan tbh but you can't deny that his message was aspirational and optimistic. He was hopeful and believed in America and in the goodness of the American people.

Contrast to today where people are constantly told how inherently awful they are and how bad the world is, the unrelenting pessimism is degrading and makes people cynical and hopeless.

[Caley_Red]

Currently reading Tom Holland's 'Dominion' which tells the story of how Western culture and mindset came about- starting with the Romans, Greeks, Christianity and moving through to the Reformation and the Enlightenment (excellent so far).

Just finished reading 'Prisoners of Geography', a great book on how the physical geography of a nation dictates a countries' destiny. A great book with some really interesting insights, can't recommend it enough.

[Fangle]

As I also really liked Prisoners of Geography, I’ll give Dominion a go.

[clydecloggie]

Currently reading Tom Holland's 'Dominion' which tells the story of how Western culture and mindset came about- starting with the Romans, Greeks, Christianity and moving through to the Reformation and the Enlightenment (excellent so far).

Just finished reading 'Prisoners of Geography', a great book on how the physical geography of a nation dictates a countries' destiny. A great book with some really interesting insights, can't recommend it enough.

Prisoners of Geography was a great read. Thoroughly recommended. Some things seem so obvious once you've read it.

[Paddington Bear]

Just read The White War by Mark Thompson - a very rare English language account of the Italian Front of the First World War. The futility and butchery narrative of Haig and the Western Front is massively overdone, but sweet Jesus General Cadorna was a bastard. Incredibly engaging stuff.

Any recommendations on histories of either the First World War or the Napoleonic Wars? All ears.

[tcc_dc]

Another thumbs up for Prisoners of Geography.

Just finished reading the Moth and the Mountain, which if you like adventure and a look at a different time. It was a good quick read about a WW1 veteran and his dream to climb Everest.

Because of you all I am starting Say Nothing. After that I am going to read the The White King by Leanda De Lisle and most likely after The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL by Sean McIndoe

[Jock42]

Just read The White War by Mark Thompson - a very rare English language account of the Italian Front of the First World War. The futility and butchery narrative of Haig and the Western Front is massively overdone, but sweet Jesus General Cadorna was a bastard. Incredibly engaging stuff.

Any recommendations on histories of either the First World War or the Napoleonic Wars? All ears.

John Keegan's "The First World War" was a good read for an overview of the whole war. Breaks it down into periods/campaigns.

[Niegs]

Just read The White War by Mark Thompson - a very rare English language account of the Italian Front of the First World War. The futility and butchery narrative of Haig and the Western Front is massively overdone, but sweet Jesus General Cadorna was a bastard. Incredibly engaging stuff.

Any recommendations on histories of either the First World War or the Napoleonic Wars? All ears.

On what scale for WW1?

It might be hard to find because it’s older, but I really like Guns in Paradise, the saga of the cruiser Emden by Frank McClement. One ‘wee’ German cruiser causing havoc in the Indian.

Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger gives a brutal account of Western Front fighting from the German side.

... I tend not to read books from a larger perspective than this.

[Paddington Bear]

Just read The White War by Mark Thompson - a very rare English language account of the Italian Front of the First World War. The futility and butchery narrative of Haig and the Western Front is massively overdone, but sweet Jesus General Cadorna was a bastard. Incredibly engaging stuff.

Any recommendations on histories of either the First World War or the Napoleonic Wars? All ears.

On what scale for WW1?

It might be hard to find because it’s older, but I really like Guns in Paradise, the saga of the cruiser Emden by Frank McClement. One ‘wee’ German cruiser causing havoc in the Indian.

Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger gives a brutal account of Western Front fighting from the German side.

... I tend not to read books from a larger perspective than this.

Ernst Junger was part of the defence of Guillemont, my Great Uncle died in the assault on the village in September 1916. Horribly desolate place. Have been meaning to have a read of Storm of Steel for a while.

[FujiKiwi]

Just read The White War by Mark Thompson - a very rare English language account of the Italian Front of the First World War. The futility and butchery narrative of Haig and the Western Front is massively overdone, but sweet Jesus General Cadorna was a bastard. Incredibly engaging stuff.

Any recommendations on histories of either the First World War or the Napoleonic Wars? All ears.

On what scale for WW1?

It might be hard to find because it’s older, but I really like Guns in Paradise, the saga of the cruiser Emden by Frank McClement. One ‘wee’ German cruiser causing havoc in the Indian.

Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger gives a brutal account of Western Front fighting from the German side.

... I tend not to read books from a larger perspective than this.

Ernst Junger was part of the defence of Guillemont, my Great Uncle died in the assault on the village in September 1916. Horribly desolate place. Have been meaning to have a read of Storm of Steel for a while.

He lived to a ripe old age. Died in 1998! I find that fact incredible.

[GogLais]

Started on Nemesis by Max Hastings

His Bomber Command was the only book I've read that kept me awake at night after reading it.

[mat the expat]

Started on Nemesis by Max Hastings

His Bomber Command was the only book I've read that kept me awake at night after reading it.

I haven't read that one yet

[Hugo]

Lads, quick question - how strategic/deliberate are you in your reading? Do you have big plans when you read or do you just randomly pick books?

This is the first year that I have set myself a reading goal in terms of the number of book but also the first year I am going to keep tabs on what I have read via a reading log.

I've never been intentional in my reading before and I'm going to try and be more strategic about it.

[GogLais]

Lads, quick question - how strategic/deliberate are you in your reading? Do you have big plans when you read or do you just randomly pick books?

This is the first year that I have set myself a reading goal in terms of the number of book but also the first year I am going to keep tabs on what I have read via a reading log.

I've never been intentional in my reading before and I'm going to try and be more strategic about it.

I’m fussy about what I read, probably too fussy. Mostly 20th century history and espionagey type thrillers by likes of Robert Harris and Charles Cumming, I’ve also decided to try and work through most of the Le Carre’s that I haven’t yet read. I’ve kept a list of what I’ve read over the last four years and I’m up to 250. There are plenty that I don’t remember much about but I guess I enjoyed them at the time.

[Jock42]

Semi random I suppose.

Have genres I enjoy or want to research more on and pick something I think is interesting. In terms of a series of books I'll read a few and then move onto something else before going back to that series.

[GogLais]

Anyone else read the couple of books that Henry Marsh has written? He’s a now semi-retired neurosurgeon. Being so good he got all the hard cases, some of his patients suffered catastrophic damage after operations that had to be attempted and it doesn’t sound as though many were restored to full health. A fascinating but grim read.

[Slick]

I try and alternate between fiction and non-fiction. I’m also trying to read more modern and current authors as I’ve tended to lean more towards classics.

The local bookshop also has a good range of foreign book translations that I’ve been getting into.

[I like neeps]

Lads, quick question - how strategic/deliberate are you in your reading? Do you have big plans when you read or do you just randomly pick books?

This is the first year that I have set myself a reading goal in terms of the number of book but also the first year I am going to keep tabs on what I have read via a reading log.

I've never been intentional in my reading before and I'm going to try and be more strategic about it.

I'm part of a non fiction book club which is really good but doesn't allow much strategy.

I also try and achieve a 50/50 split of female and male authors. It used to be heavily slanted as the sports, history, & business books were mostly male authors so was about 1 in 10 books I read was a female author.

[Slick]

Lads, quick question - how strategic/deliberate are you in your reading? Do you have big plans when you read or do you just randomly pick books?

This is the first year that I have set myself a reading goal in terms of the number of book but also the first year I am going to keep tabs on what I have read via a reading log.

I've never been intentional in my reading before and I'm going to try and be more strategic about it.

I'm part of a non fiction book club which is really good but doesn't allow much strategy.

I also try and achieve a 50/50 split of female and male authors. It used to be heavily slanted as the sports, history, & business books were mostly male authors so was about 1 in 10 books I read was a female author.

That's a good point actually. I noticed a year or so ago that my reading was heavily slanted towards male authors so have made a bit of an effort to read more female.

[Lobby]

Just read The White War by Mark Thompson - a very rare English language account of the Italian Front of the First World War. The futility and butchery narrative of Haig and the Western Front is massively overdone, but sweet Jesus General Cadorna was a bastard. Incredibly engaging stuff.

Any recommendations on histories of either the First World War or the Napoleonic Wars? All ears.

Have you read the History of the First World War by Basil Liddell Hart? Liddell Hart fought in the first World War, and is generally recognised as one of the pre-eminent military historians and strategists of his generation. Indeed, his views on military strategy were known to be influential on German strategies in the second world war, and he continued to by highly influential up until his death in 1970 (JFK was a fan, and called him "the Captain who teaches Generals").

Its many years since I read it, but it is very well written.

[Hugo]

Thanks neeps, Slick, Gog & Jock, I appreciate the feedback. Based on your advice I know my reading tends to be heavily weighted toward non fiction and male authors so I will try and balance that out where possible.

I just started "Rogue Heroes" about the formation/history of the SAS and have not been able to put it down. Fascinating reading that one of the SAS originals was an Ulsterman by the name of Paddy Mayne who won caps for Ireland and who played in all three tests on the Lions tour to South Africa in 1938. Honestly I'm surprised that rugby does not make more of a fuss about him, he was nails and a bona fide legend of WW2: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Mayne

[Margin__Walker]

There have been plenty of threads on PR over the years about Paddy Mayne from memory (or at least I remember him being discussed on plenty of occasions). Was a pretty legendary figure.

[sockwithaticket]

Lads, quick question - how strategic/deliberate are you in your reading? Do you have big plans when you read or do you just randomly pick books?

This is the first year that I have set myself a reading goal in terms of the number of book but also the first year I am going to keep tabs on what I have read via a reading log.

I've never been intentional in my reading before and I'm going to try and be more strategic about it.

I'm part of a non fiction book club which is really good but doesn't allow much strategy.

I also try and achieve a 50/50 split of female and male authors. It used to be heavily slanted as the sports, history, & business books were mostly male authors so was about 1 in 10 books I read was a female author.

I started trying to read a few more female authors after realising I primarily read male ones. It has been a struggle to find stuff with a female name attached that I actually want to read based on the synopsis. I largely read horror/horror adjacent stuff or sci-fi; if humour, irreverence or real weirdness is present so much the better. Thus far I'm coming to the broad conclusion that women are a lot more earnest than than their male counterparts and tend to go for much 'straighter' stories (not in a sexual sense). In the horror sphere they also tend to produce a lot more ghost and haunting stories, which isn't an area I'm particularly interested in. That said two of the best sci-fi's I've read in recent years have been authored by women and I probably wouldn't have picked their books up without deliberately looking for female authors, so there has been some merit to deliberately changing tack.


More generally to Hugo's question, I always set myself a minimum target of 20 books a year. Some friends and I have been on Goodreads for years which, among other things, allows you to set a target and update progress on what you're currently reading really easily.

I'm quite picky these days, I know what I enjoy and I spend a fair amount of time online looking for books that will fit those parameters. I generally have a backlog of unread books, so will happily pluck anything from the pile unless I know I'm specifically not in the mood for a harrowing survival horror or something.

[Hugo]

There have been plenty of threads on PR over the years about Paddy Mayne from memory (or at least I remember him being discussed on plenty of occasions). Was a pretty legendary figure.

Fair enough, I'm just surprised that in the mainstream rugby press he is not more of a touchstone, a Lion who was one of the most formidable SAS soldiers during WW2! I truthfully had never heard of him until yesterday and I've followed eight Lions tours.

He practically epitomises what the Lions are about and his legend puts even the likes of Willie John and Martin Johnson into the shade somewhat.

[Plim]

For serious WWI readers I’d recommend (Professor) Gary Sheffield’s Forgotten Victory.

It’s a counter to the ‘General Melchett’ popular narrative of British strategy in the war.

Sheffield was a lecturer at Sandhurst and specialises in WWI. The book would be thought revisionist by most and is academic, though not overly so. As an expert history it’s interesting as an essentially establishment response to mainstream, received wisdom.

Other than history I’ve been reading the Slough House books. Very good. And anything by Rory Clements.

[Jock42]

There have been plenty of threads on PR over the years about Paddy Mayne from memory (or at least I remember him being discussed on plenty of occasions). Was a pretty legendary figure.

Fair enough, I'm just surprised that in the mainstream rugby press he is not more of a touchstone, a Lion who was one of the most formidable SAS soldiers during WW2! I truthfully had never heard of him until yesterday and I've followed eight Lions tours.

He practically epitomises what the Lions are about and his legend puts even the likes of Willie John and Martin Johnson into the shade somewhat.

Cant remember who its by, and haven't read it yet, but theres a book about him and the SRS in Italy (I think). 1 SAS are split into the SRS and SBS for the campaign, might be worth a read.

[Hal Jordan]

Saw John le Carre in an interview with Mark Lawson (?) from a few years ago. Came over as an honest, decent English gentleman.
I've just given up on The Honourable Schoolboy though, far too wordy and convoluted. I don't often give up on books, probably because I'm very selective/too fussy about what I read.

The BBC dramatisations with Simon Russell Beale as Smiley are well worth hunting down.