Team-BHP - The Books Thread (Fiction)

Completed 'Cobra' by Frederick Forsyth.
Having grown up reading several books from the author, this was a major disappointment. You do get an inside view on the cocaine industry. It has come a long way since Narcos(Netflix).

Though the first half maintains Forsyth's signature style, later part takes a nose dive. The ending too is as bizarre.

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Originally Posted by shatananda.k (Post 5249607)

Thanks for this. I needed something to get back to reading after almost 5 years of not making time for it.
If you've enjoyed Narcos, and like a fast paced read, this is perfect. I am moving onto Follett's Pillars next. Did not anticipate the tome I would receive when I ordered it.:)

I'm not sure whether my answer comes under the Other option. (Mods, please edit as appropriate.)
I got a Kindle about 7-8 years ago and switched almost entirely to reading on the Kindle. However, more recently, I subscribed to a free trial of Audible. I am actually finding the audio format a better way to read/consume books. I walk for about an hour every day, so book reading happens without any special effort on my part. On the other hand, even my Kindle reading has fallen by the wayside as it's quite difficult to dedicate time only to reading. Does anyone use Audible as a way to read/consume books?

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Originally Posted by prasi55 (Post 5278633)

I'm not sure whether my answer comes under the Other option. (Mods, please edit as appropriate.)
Does anyone use Audible as a way to read/consume books?

I did try audible a few months back. While it did help multitask, i have the habit of re reading certain portions of the book as there are information between the lines. I also somehow feel that some of the readers do not have the right inflections in their words and therefore things get lost in translation

My fav author to date has been P.G.Wodehouse. For e.g. i started listening to the first book Carry On Jeeves. Somehow for me the character of Bertie was one who is fast to talk, hops around a lot and is extremely movement oriented was completely lost. However even a person like Stephen Fry could not capture the spirit of Bertie, while he did embody Jeeves to the spirit. Also, there are various characters and one has created a vision of each of them + their supposed voices in one's head. And Stephen Fry emulating Glossop or Florence doesnt pass muster.

In any case, i still prefer reading my own books and although i have a kindle and over 4000+ titles, i prefer my physical books with the crackle of paper and their wonderous smell

Just finished Fredrik Backman's 'Anxious people' (audiobook). Marvelous book: was a fan of Mr Backman's work ever since I read 'A man called Ove', but this is in a different scale altogether. Comedy, compassion and somewhat of a thriller- there's something for everyone, and more! Not spoiling the amazing ending- but it involves eight people being taken hostages by a robber ( who initially wanted to rob a cashless banklol:). As the plot thickens, it explores the interwoven back-stories of all the characters- highlighting complexity and nuances of human life.
Very few books get a good audiobook renditions ( 'Born a crime' by Trevor Noah is my most favourite till date) -this is definitely one of them. Something that one could definitely enjoy on a long car drive, making the latter even more enjoyable!

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Originally Posted by subraiyr (Post 5278679)

In any case, i still prefer reading my own books and although i have a kindle and over 4000+ titles, i prefer my physical books with the crackle of paper and their wonderous smell

Just refinished re-reading my 10-year-old collection of Amar Chitra Katha comics; physical, paper edition. Trigger was a youngster reading the Arjun Amar Chitra Katha on a tablet. Swiping left is no fun.
The aroma is gone soon but the fun of turning pages remains. I still have half a dozen books tied up with everything from rubber bands to handkerchiefs and one with an actual crepe bandage (I needed the crepe bandage once and it now helps keep a book {in over thirty parts} together).
Also, still trying to understand if listening to audiobooks sparks the imagination that a printed-on-paper book does. Does "... woke up to a brilliant dawn after an exhausting day all refreshed for another challenging day" evoke the same emotion in audio as it does when reading? Amigos, please enlighten me. I am ignorant.
Mods: please remove if not appropriate.
If a majority agrees, may I suggest we open an 'audio' section as well where those wishing to 'hear', get an artificial intelligence/machine voice narrating the written word?
Curious after coming across a few news websites that have a link between the headline and the report which states "Listen to the story".
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Off-topic maybe: Star Wars Episode VIII (I think) when, at the end, Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker: "I wish to see you with my own two eyes."

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Originally Posted by mayankk (Post 5278104)

8 months in, and hundreds of airports and flights later, I can say that this was a brilliant read. What amazing presentation, and depiction!
I would suggest to others go for the kindle edition if possible.

Took time off over Diwali and managed to read a bunch of books. Finally managed to complete 3 books of Ramachandra Series - Pretty much well written and provides a different take on Ramayana. I am sure most here would have read it already. So, I am not going to do a deep dive in this

Read a few non fiction and wanted to lapse into some mindless fun. Read the following

Oath of Loyalty - Vince Flynn estate written by Kyle Mills. Kyle Mills rose to popularity having looped in by the Robert Ludlum estate to write some of his books. Covert One series was started by the Ludlum estate based on some of his ideas and written by different authors. One of the key authors was Kyle Mills. Some of his Covert One series were pretty good. He was then roped to be part of Vince Flynn estate and wrote 6 books till date. The last of them was released in 2022 called Oath Of Loyalty. This can simply be avoided even if you are a Vince Flynn (Mitch Rapp) fan. Absolutely pathetic story line and challenges in grammar as well

Rising Tiger - Brad Thor - Another author who has been writing about the Secret Service, CIA, FBI and the multitude of acronyms that float around United States. For a change, the focus shifts from Middle East to Indian sub-continent with India, Pakistan, China. Quite well written and includes some critical incidents that happened in India - Galwan Valley attack, Bipin Rawat's helicopter crash. While it started off well, i felt somewhere the author relaxed a bit and wanted to end the book very quickly. Definitely a one-time read

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Originally Posted by mayankk (Post 5430641)

So did you finish just 'Pillars of the Earth' or the complete trilogy and the prequel of 'Pillars..' :). Agree, it is a fantastic read.

I liked the The 'Century Trilogy' even better as it is set in a more modern world.

His latest booked 'Never' is also a great read and actually a little scary considering the current geo-political situation(even though it is a fiction)

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Originally Posted by Rajeevraj (Post 5430734)

The Kingsbridge series. I will get back to the rest of the series later.
I will take a break right now, rereading man in the high castle to correlate to the series I just finished.

The Man from Earth

Rating: 4.5/5

Read this book a couple of weeks back and only just finished watching the equally well curated movie yesterday. I so wanted to this the other way around, but a bit of self-discipline helped me enjoy this book even more.

What I really liked about the book, which is basically just an antecedent to the movie's script, is how intellectually the secondary characters engage in dialogue with the protagonist. Hits on some very captivating but heavy ideas about religion(not everyone's cup of tea and certainly not mine, hence took it at face value), but ends in a beautiful little twilight zone.

A good short read, and definitely one of favorite works of Sci-Fi so far. Watch the 2007 adaptation if you are short on time, it does very well at encompassing the gist of the book.