What Book Are You Currently Reading ?

Well now that I've decided to sack Red Dead Redemption off for a bit I've got back into my reading, I'll update the last few books I've read later.

I saw my mate yesterday though and he got me this to say thanks for being best man at his wedding the other month

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The Fall of the House of Usher (1839)
Edgar Allan Poe

The Yellow Wallpaper (1892)
Charlotte Perkins

Gilman Count Magnus (1904)
M. R. James

The White People (1904)
Arthur Machen

Ancient Lights (1912)
Algernon Blackwood

The Music of Erich Zann (1922)
H. P. Lovecraft

Smoke Ghost (1941)
Fritz Leiber

Brenda (1954)
Margaret St Clair

The Bus (1965)
Shirley Jackson

Again (1981)
Ramsey Campbell

Vastarien (1987)
Thomas Ligotti

Call Home (1991)
Dennis Etchison

1408 (2002)
Stephen King

Flowers of the Sea (2011)
Reggie Oliver

Hippocampus (2015)
Adam Nevill

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Some of my favourite authors are in there, Thomas Ligotti, Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Poe, Lovecraft, M.R. James, all brilliant so I'm looking to getting stuck into a few of these.

The book itself is proper nice as well, I might have to take a look at these Folio books and see what else they do.

As I said I've been off the boil for a while so I haven't read all that much in the last month or so

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Something Evil is Inside Cassie Stevens.

For fans of The Exorcist and Stephen King comes a terrifying new tale of supernatural horror.

Cassie Stevens was 16 years old the night she died. When she’s revived 20 minutes later, unsettling changes begin to occur. They’re in the shadow she sees from the corner of her eye, and the face in reflections, and the whispers in her mind… and awaking at night to the cold unseen presence of something in her room…

But the changes aren’t just around her – they’re inside her.

Something ominous followed Cassie back from beyond death. Something infinite in hatred and horror. And it won’t stop till she’s dead.

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Well that bit in bold is certainly is a pretty bold statement, and it is definitely an ambitious book it doesn't live up to that tag line though.

I’ll be honest I came into it expecting/wanting a straight up old fashioned exorcism, this manages to stay away from the well-trodden path of generic exorcism and possession, It did run into a few problems though, it was almost as if it didn’t know what it wanted to be, it kind of morphed into a weird rampant demon possession come ghost story, by the end I wasn’t sure which one was going to take centre stage (well the title of the book kind of gave that away but you get what I mean)

Some of the writing grated on me a little, ending almost every chapter with ‘everything was fine again…for now’ or ‘for the first time in months, the nightmares had stopped….or had they’ how’s about ‘Cassie is going to have toast for breakfast….or will she’

It got a bit tiresome having things telegraphed like that constantly.

Having said that it was an enjoyable read, it was nice and quick to get through, whilst there weren’t any genuine scares for me I think I’ve been desensitised to this sort of thing now.

I would have liked to have seen more of the demon and had it explained a little more, I quite enjoy reading dialogue including the actual demon but that was lacking here, it also seemed to lack any specific sort of identity, we don’t know who the demon was, how powerful is it, what is its name, what is its origin etc, other books tend to cover this side of things off (albeit it briefly in some instances)

I’d say this was either a high 3/5 or a low 4/5

An ambitious book that could have been improved on.

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Everything you need to know about modern physics, the universe and our place in the world in seven enlightening lessons

'Here, on the edge of what we know, in contact with the ocean of the unknown, shines the mystery and the beauty of the world. And it's breathtaking'

These seven short lessons guide us, with simplicity and clarity, through the scientific revolution that shook physics in the twentieth century and still continues to shake us today. In this mind-bending introduction to modern physics, Carlo Rovelli explains Einstein's theory of general relativity, quantum mechanics, black holes, the complex architecture of the universe, elementary particles, gravity, and the nature of the mind. Not since Richard Feynman's celebrated Six Easy Pieces has physics been so vividly, intelligently and entertainingly revealed.

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Not much to say on this one, the title says it all, seven brief lessons on physics, I've read a few books on this stuff before but this was a nice little refresher

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Brother and sister Roderick and Pamela Fitzgerald flee their busy London lives for the beautiful but stormy Devon coastline. They are drawn to the suspiciously inexpensive Cliff End, feared amongst locals as a place of disturbance and ill omen.

Gradually, the Fitzgeralds learn of the mysterious deaths of Mary Meredith and another strange young woman. Together, they must unravel the mystery of Cliff End’s uncanny past – and keep the troubled young Stella, who was raised in the house as a baby, from returning to the nursery where something waits to tuck her in at night ...

The second in Tramp's Recovered Voices series, this strange, bone-chilling story was first published in 1942, and was adapted for the screen as one of Hollywood’s most successful ghost stories, The Uninvited, in 1944.

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I was pretty gutted about this book, I'd reached the point of the year where I'd hit the wall with my reading and needed a bit of a break from it, unfortunately I was about half way through this when that happened.

I'd been waiting absolutely ages to get hold of it but for some reason it was always about £40 on Amazon, then I had a look and it was there for a tenner, right from the get go though I was struggling with it, the writing just seemed confused and befuddled, I tried to get back into it after a little break but couldn't, I reckon if I re-read it again in the future I'll really enjoy it but for now it is one of the few books that I quit before the end.

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An investigative criminologist, Christopher Berry-Dee is a man who talks to serial killers. In this book, their pursuit of horror and violence is described in their own words, transcribed from audio and videotape interviews conducted deep inside some of the toughest prisons in the world. Berry-Dee describes the circumstances of his meetings with some of the world's most evil men, and reproduces their very words as they describe their crimes and discuss their remorse—or lack of it. This work offers a penetrating insight into the workings of the criminal mind.

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Talking with Serial Killers? I take issue with the title after reading the book, it is more like a chronological breakdown of their crimes rather than actual interviews, now don't get me wrong you can tell that an awful lot of work went into the book but it certainly isn't 'talking' with the serial killers.

Some of the cases were really interesting, being a horror buff I really enjoyed the Ronny DeFeo Jr chapter, I didn't realise just how messed up that case was, not just the murders but the whole investigation, the corruption that was involved etc, again whilst it wasn't an interview it was a compelling read and it has gave me a good few cases to look into in more detail.

One thing that I will praise is that the author certainly didn't pull any punches when describing the crimes, it was pretty damn gruesome in fact, I like that, I read these books because I want to set it down and just think 'Jesus Christ, what did I just read' and he certainly managed to get me to do that once or twice.

The cons are pretty huge though, again I will say it (for the third or fourth time) this isn't talking with serial killers, it is just a breakdown of their cases, a lot of that info may have come from the killers themselves but it doesn't come across like that when reading the book.

The spelling and grammar mistakes were horrendous as well, I can normally overlook them but in this instance they were jarring and it was hard to just skip over them without grinding my teeth slightly.

I often find with books like these that the authors quite enjoy self praise 'this murder would still be unsolved had it not been for me' is a sentence that crops up several times throughout the book, it didn't overly bother me but it was still worth a mention.

Stephen king sucks. I just finished reading Our man in Havana, which is terrific. Considering it was written so soon before the Cuban missle crisis, it’s quite prophetic to boot.

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Originally Posted by p4pking

Stephen king sucks.

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He's not perfect by any stretch, I've often found that he just doesn't know how to finish a book.

IT is the perfect example of that, The Stand, The Shining, Carrie, Pet Sematary, Salems Lot and many others are really good though.

I've not read all of his books but a fair few of the main ones, like I say he's not perfect but he has done some good stuff.

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Originally Posted by Batman

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Originally Posted by p4pking

Stephen king sucks.

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He's not perfect by any stretch, I've often found that he just doesn't know how to finish a book.

IT is the perfect example of that, The Stand, The Shining, Carrie, Pet Sematary, Salems Lot and many others are really good though.

I've not read all of his books but a fair few of the main ones, like I say he's not perfect but he has done some good stuff.

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Needful things is probably my favourite of his. He has cool ideas for sure, which is why so many of his books became films, but it’s telling that they also became more fun for it.

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Originally Posted by p4pking

Stephen king sucks. I just finished reading Our man in Havana, which is terrific. Considering it was written so soon before the Cuban missile crisis, it’s quite prophetic to boot.

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There's a very good movie based on the book.

Some of Stephen King's work isn't so good, for example I hated Pet Sematary, The Dead Zone and Night Shift.

But there are some very good ones like The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption. I also liked The Langoliers which is more sci-fi than horror.

http://www.saddoboxing.com/boxingfor...tid=4563&stc=1

Researching this at the moment. The sacred theory of the earth. This is mind blowing:

https://archive.org/stream/sacredthe...ge/n4/mode/1up

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Originally Posted by Alpha

Researching this at the moment. The sacred theory of the earth. This is mind blowing:

https://archive.org/stream/sacredthe...ge/n4/mode/1up

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Give me a synopsis please?

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by Alpha

Researching this at the moment. The sacred theory of the earth. This is mind blowing:

https://archive.org/stream/sacredthe...ge/n4/mode/1up

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Give me a synopsis please?

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Google it you lazy bastard, that's what I did

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Originally Posted by Batman

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by Alpha

Researching this at the moment. The sacred theory of the earth. This is mind blowing:

https://archive.org/stream/sacredthe...ge/n4/mode/1up

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Give me a synopsis please?

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Google it you lazy bastard, that's what I did

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That is interesting now that you mentioned it. Keep up that new year's resolution mate. :)

After seeing he hype about netflixs Birdbox I read the book.Really good read, a lot better than the movie

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Originally Posted by Aaughan

After seeing he hype about netflixs Birdbox I read the book.Really good read, a lot better than the movie

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@Aaughan I read Birdbox a few years back when it first came out, I enjoyed it, felt like a good old fashioned horror very much in the vein as James Herberts stuff like The Dark and The Fog.

At the time when you are reading it the fact that no one in the book knew what the creatures were was really good because it was entirely over to your own imagination.

I think I appreciated the ending a little more than the movie as well, I remember it only took me a day to fly through it.

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by Alpha

Researching this at the moment. The sacred theory of the earth. This is mind blowing:

https://archive.org/stream/sacredthe...ge/n4/mode/1up

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Give me a synopsis please?

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Ok it's a theory about how the humanity has been reset (possibly several times), and each time it's reset our history from the previous civilization is lost. They are trying to figure out when the world will end, but because they are aware that history has been changed, they are at the conclusion that they have no knowledge of our actual past, so are unable to predict when the end could occur.

When put alongside the history we are aware of, it is quite chilling. I've talked about ghost cities on here previously, and when you think of the foundlings and orphans from the 1800s, the numbers are actually astounding, it seems highly possible that these kids were moved around, with no ties or memories of their parents and taught/ given false histories.

I just finished reading this, obviously this is the audio-book version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgpCDOI5Elg

David Hockney By David Hockney - My early years

Brilliant, really enjoyed it. i Think min (from a charity shop) was the unupdated version

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Absolute Titan of British Art and a big fuck you to most fake intellectuals who know less about the history and techniques used by the old masters now as old farts than he did as a teenager. Amazing to see how the relationship between Britain and the states have changed, how technology has shrunk the world and quite how full of shite many so called experts always were.

My stepson bought me 'The Secret Barrister: Stories of the law and how it is broken' for Christmas. In the mistaken belief, I think, that i would having worked in the sector find it fascinating. Incredibly dull and very nearly unreadable. It's pretty accurate but a real uphill struggle to maintain the enthusiasm needed to suffer yet another page of witless, humdrum blandness. There are much better ways to remove your will to live.


Love Henning Mankell's Wallander thrillers, after the original Swedish language TV show ( not the Brannagh shite) and just finished 'Sidetracked' which i really enjoyed. Love the character and every time I read it, want to go to Sweden to feel the amazing landscape in which they are set.

Have Carl Jung's 'Man and his symbols' and Steven Pinker's 'The language Instinct' on the go too. Pinker is full of crap like most psychologists, but I like to try and understand why people like him think the way they do.

Randomley found myself starting The Algonquin Project. I've never been big on conspiracy theories and such but it is pretty interesting all that has been recently published about the death of Patton. In a car going 20 mph no less and initial reports by investigators disappearing.

Ken Bruen--anything by Ken Bruen

Picked it up and down a few times, but travelling I listened to the audio book all the way through.

Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign


Totally non-bias. No leaning, just a honest look at how the wheels were falling off from the getgo.

From her hiring an Asian midlevel IT guy to do security I.T. IMO wreaks of doing it on the cheap...guy was over his head...and the timing of the FBI looking to see if they were being hacked without letting anyone know...

Paranoia was understandable considering the timing of Mueller I think? reopening the email case , then closing it again made the suspicions legit. Leon Podesta, not sure it was all his fault for clicking on the click bait link...the fool who forgot to type do NOT click...is what made Leon the Peon....he gave the keys over.

Just so many errors. They campaigned in the wrong areas, had money to burn, and went cheap when they should have went long. It was real circus of bad clowns...and no adjective laced insults from the writers...they presented the facts allowing the reader to determine it to be what it was: shattered.


Listening to Roussian Roulette now.

'White' - Bret Easton Ellis

Bret Easton Ellis has enthralled before with 'Less Than Zero', 'Rules of Attraction', and 'American Psycho' but this book is quite different as it's set in reality and ponders how we've come to be at this place where there is authoritarian corporate control over emotions and you're supposed to express your approval or disdain over everything and anything in lockstep with the masses. Bret has ruffled a few feathers in the past, 'American Psycho' was banned for a while, although he's gay himself GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) banned him from attending their awards ceremony one year. He's a social commentator in this book and explains a lot of how millennials whom he calls "generation wuss" came to be as they are. He was seeing a millennial at the time of Trump's election, he has lived in the liberal elite bubbles of LA and New York and explains how Trump supporters out there are closeted due to how 'cancel culture' impacts EVERYTHING and just how high and mighty these coastal elites believe they are at one point an unnamed man at a dinner Bret is attending shouts that "Yes LA and New York should choose the President over some rural know nothing!".

It's been an interesting read.

Blueprints for Mind Control by James True

'Kitchen Confidential' - Anthony Bourdain


Bourdain was an interesting guy and I'm somewhat sad he's not around anymore. His book is what I figured it would be, it's debauched, erratic, loving, hating, glamorizing and shocking about the food service industry at the highest level. Some of what he writes are universal truths to the industry others are specific only to the highest levels of the craft. It is a fun read so far.

Reading one of Roy Kean’s autobiographies, I do not ordinarily read footballers books but have always admired him as a footballer, which was about the end of his career and management. He had a physical fight with Peter Schmeichel where he gave him a black eye. He was let go by Utd because he criticised the players for their 4-1 loss to Middleborough on their in-house channel.

He could have gone to Everton, Real Madrid but chose Celtic as his boyhood club. His management stories were boring but he got Sunderland promoted, messed up Ipswich and did some punditry which he does not enjoy.

Just finished up 'Ball of Collusion' by Andrew McCarthy. Ok book, not much new information for me

Just started 'Devil in The White City' by Erik Larson so far so good, intriguing from the get go!

I have just finished Hannibal Rising which was my first fiction in a while. Next is Douglas Murray's new one. Something about about crowds and how bonkers they are which is one reason I tend to avoid large groups of mentally ill people. One Hannibal is fine, but a crowd of Sociology majors in masks is best avoided.

Reading this again:

Green Book Book by Muammar al-Gaddafi. I would encourage people to read it.

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

Just started 'Devil in The White City' by Erik Larson so far so good, intriguing from the get go!

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So just to let people know the premise the book is about Chicago's 1893 World's Fair, the architects who built the White City namely Daniel Burnham and Francis Davis Millet ; mentally ill Patrick Eugene Prendergast who was to become the assassin of Chicago's Mayor Carter Harrison Sr. at his home right after the fair; and H.H. Holmes America's first notable serial killer, vicious that one.

Started this again: What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France.

I'm currently in the middle of David La Vere's 'The Tuscarora War: Indians, Settlers, and the fight for the Carolina colonies.

It's really well done. It wastes no time on SJW lamentations looking at history through the prism of today. It's straightforward, it provides definite answers when able and plausible hypotheses otherwise. I'm finding that the culture clash between Indians and Settlers the most intriguing. Indians were very cagey and shrewd in their trade practices and they were very open to people of other cultures marrying their women and surprisingly some big wig colonizers were cool with this as well. Their idea being that it would be the only way to bring the Indians into a more European society, get them apprenticeships etc.

Another interesting aspect is the naivety on display by both Indians and Settlers. The Indians belief that they could raid villages and massacre people and that the Settlers would just come to the understanding that "Oh, well the Indians are in control. We better mind our p's and q's" instead of responding in kind. And the Settlers who would too often treat Indians very poorly and then when attacked get all "Well what the hell did we do to deserve this?" ....in the hindsight of some 300 years I'm sure this is much more amusing than when things were actually going down.

Reading the Jefferson files which was written by an author in my state who published his first book at 75. Takes place in 1806 with a secret society infiltrating the US government. It’s fiction but set around historical facts. Interesting book

The Garden of Forking Paths

by Jorge Luis Borges

Im hopeless I have five on at any one time depending on mood. Inside the Firm: The Untold Story of the Krays' Reign of Terror

By Tony Lambriuani. Just finished it: interesting honest read some things debunked some illuminated. EG : I never knew Den from East Enders was an ex crim and had done long stretch for murder and served alongside Tony once.

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Originally Posted by Fatboxingfan

The Garden of Forking Paths

by Jorge Luis Borges

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Sort of wish it was by a Chinese author. :p

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

I'm currently in the middle of David La Vere's 'The Tuscarora War: Indians, Settlers, and the fight for the Carolina colonies.

It's really well done. It wastes no time on SJW lamentations looking at history through the prism of today. It's straightforward, it provides definite answers when able and plausible hypotheses otherwise. I'm finding that the culture clash between Indians and Settlers the most intriguing. Indians were very cagey and shrewd in their trade practices and they were very open to people of other cultures marrying their women and surprisingly some big wig colonizers were cool with this as well. Their idea being that it would be the only way to bring the Indians into a more European society, get them apprenticeships etc.

Another interesting aspect is the naivety on display by both Indians and Settlers. The Indians belief that they could raid villages and massacre people and that the Settlers would just come to the understanding that "Oh, well the Indians are in control. We better mind our p's and q's" instead of responding in kind. And the Settlers who would too often treat Indians very poorly and then when attacked get all "Well what the hell did we do to deserve this?" ....in the hindsight of some 300 years I'm sure this is much more amusing than when things were actually going down.

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Might check it out. From my research it seems The Native Tribes were as were the Okinawan's, Plant Based, consuming less than 2% animal products. Only the Comanche are said to be as the Imported Christians, predominantly meat eaters.

They ate a fair bit of protein, lots of venison. I'd assume they'd eat more protein once the Settlers arrived though... Metal tipped arrows, rifles, etc easier to take a deer with those tools.

Being in New England are we had and have several tribes that were and are around prior to our arrival here. I’m always amazed how the lived around here. Brutal winters, occasional blizzards and then all that humidity. I’m sure they didn’t bitch about it like we do, they were a tough people. Now in my state they have two or three very nice nice casinos to keep them out of the weather

I'm going to start this next: Alta Vendita. And then read Animal Farm again.

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Originally Posted by walrus

Being in New England are we had and have several tribes that were and are around prior to our arrival here. I’m always amazed how the lived around here. Brutal winters, occasional blizzards and then all that humidity. I’m sure they didn’t bitch about it like we do, they were a tough people. Now in my state they have two or three very nice nice casinos to keep them out of the weather

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Despite all that has been done to roust them from our state North Carolina has the largest population of Indians east of the Mississippi.

Too bad the Cherokee won't allow federal recognition for anyone else. I'd be willing to bet if more tribes got federal recognition it would draw more attention to the troubles faced by Indians. Alcoholism, diabetes, heart health, crippling poverty etc. In this day and age, in this political climate....you'd assume they'd be doing everything they could to draw attention to these troubles.