HC wrote:

Thought I'd re-start Forrest's thread.

Interestingly, I said I was on a Peter May phase and I'm currently reading Extraordinary People by the man himself. It's part of the Enzo series (the first possibly ?) and I'm enjoying it so far. (only 60 pages in).

The book I read before that is linked below. Absolutely stunning.

The whole Iolaire tragedy still runs strong in the islands. Whole villages and generations wiped out.

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/debut-novel-inspired-hebridean-iolaire-disaster-wins-major-literary-prize-2888991

​I've just read The Lewis Man (paper copy) and the Chess Men (e-book) and thought about you when I was reading them - need to go back and read the first in the trilogy, but working through a backlog of physical books first.  Currently on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. 
 

Last edited by Forrest (8/05/2020 7:09 am)

Forrest wrote:

HC wrote:

Thought I'd re-start Forrest's thread.

Interestingly, I said I was on a Peter May phase and I'm currently reading Extraordinary People by the man himself. It's part of the Enzo series (the first possibly ?) and I'm enjoying it so far. (only 60 pages in).

The book I read before that is linked below. Absolutely stunning.

The whole Iolaire tragedy still runs strong in the islands. Whole villages and generations wiped out.

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/debut-novel-inspired-hebridean-iolaire-disaster-wins-major-literary-prize-2888991

​I've just read The Lewis Man (paper copy) and the Chess Men (e-book) and thought about you when I was reading them - need to go back and read the first in the trilogy, but working through a backlog of physical books first.  Currently on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. 
 

Did you not have a copy of Black House before you started?  I'm pretty anal about reading things in order. 
 
Di you enjoy them ?

Alan Warner got a mention on Front Row last night. Prompted me to go & check which ones I'd read and found there's one more I fancy.
I tend to be in a dilemma in that I want bookshops to exist and survive but I nearly always buy second hand. Without the original bookshop selling new books there won't be a used book to buy yet faced with paying full price or £3......

PS with both Mina & McDermid I find I don't engage with all their main characters. If I'd started on the 'wrong' ones I prob wouldn't have read any more so I stick to the ones based around the chars I like.

Last edited by anders (8/05/2020 12:07 pm)

Forrest wrote:

HC wrote:

Did you not have a copy of Black House before you started? I'm pretty anal about reading things in order.
 
Di you enjoy them ?

​Usually I do too.  The Lewis Man was my mother-in-law's, which I saw and thought looked good, so she gave it to me after she'd read it; I didn't realise at that point that it was part of a trilogy!  Went straight onto the Chess Men e-book afterwards.

​I thought the books were a little slow, but good enough to read and keep my interest.  He describes the island well, and his writing style, flipping from third-person to first-person to depict the dementia, is very good I think.

​Talking about interesting writing styles, have you read His Bloody Project (set in Applecross)?  It's so realistic that apparently lots of people go there looking to find out more about the case and are disappointed when they find out it's been made up.

 

  Didn't the precis on the back of the book tell you it was part of a trilogy ? 

My brother-in-law absolutely hated the book!  Always find it a bit disappointing when someone hates a book you recommend. 

You mentioned you found it a bit slow - I wonder if that's because he describes the landscape in such detail.

No, I haven't read His Bloody Project, but having just googled it, I'll definitely add it to my list of books to read. Thanks.