Good Books

A slanting of the sun

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I’d hate to ruin the Xmas :smile:

Brooklyn comes before it chronologically in the story so might be better option…I read them long island first and Brooklyn 2nd tho didn’t make much difference

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Long Island won’t ruin their Christmas. It’s a fine book.

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Thanks all for the recommendations. I read The Bodhran Maker myself recently for the first time after seeing it recommended on here, an outstanding bit of work. Goes alongside East of Eden at the top of what iv read.

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You won’t go wrong with Donal Ryan

Or the hardbacks of the Claire Keegan novellas are a lovely gift

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As @backinatracksuit says Clare Keegan sounds about right. Small Things like these is one of the best books i ever read and Foster is not too far behind. Not a word wasted in either.

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At Swim Two Birds is a totally different kettle of fish to a novel.

Apart from the (very good) suggestions here, I would add The Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor.

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That’s a great book too. Slightly more challenging read than some of the recommends above but well worth the read.

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Just finishing “You like it darker”. Stephen Kings latest. A collection of short stories and novellas. His best book in years imo. A couple of classics in there that will probably be made into movies.

King has some longevity and back catalogue. I was 12 years old when i read Salems Lot and it scared the bollocks out of me (the movie came along a year later and doubled the dose). Over 40 years on and he is still on his game. I think he is better than Abba or Oasis.

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Superb writer, you’d want his books to go on forever, partly because he hasn’t had a satisfactory ending in over 40 years :smile:

Just finished this.

An absolutely monumental book. Beautifully presented (I love American editions) and impeccably written. Also I might say scrupulously fair to the subject.

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Exactly that. I’m a fan but he builds and builds and at the end just gives up and says aliens did it. It, under the dome, etc.


The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Author of Demon Copperhead.

Pros. Fantastic depiction of life of a missionary’s family in the Congo around the time of its independence (1959 -1960)

As with Demon Copperhead, Kingsolver writes children’s parts really well and in a very funny manner.

Great suspense.

Cons. As with Demon Copperhead, it’s way too long. The last 150-200 pages feel like they are tacked on and come across as a po faced critique of US policy in the third world (in much they same way as the last 200 pages of Demon Copperhead serve as a po faced critique of the Opoid Industry).

The key character of Rachel doesn’t ring true at all and merely serves as a caricature of all that is wrong with America.

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I’m listening to (and really loving) In Cold Blood at the moment.
Has anybody for a recommendation for something similar to move onto next? Have podcasts taken over the true crime genre?

The Truman Capote book?

Yes
Have you read it? It’s extraordinary

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I listened to this which is related to the story but from a different angle. I enjoyed it but probably better if you had read In Cold Blood I would say

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Very long time ago

Thus spoke zarathustra.

Highly recommend reading.

Have you seen this movie. Saw it years ago remember it being good.