What are you currently reading?

[SimonNZ]

Like "Hello" and "I surrender" in French.

And you call me a bigot.

[AlberichUndHagen]

Recently read the combray half of Swann's way from Proust's In search of lost time. Very impressive. Still a long way to go, though.

[André]

[vandermolen]

I took this to Italy with me. It's an enjoyable romp, like an early James Bond story. Despite the anti-semitism (and yet paradoxically Buchan was later considered as a friend of the Jews) I still enjoyed it.

[Jo498]

It's supposedly one of the "founding" books both of the espionage genre and the trope of an "ordinary guy" getting involved in such stuff (although the latter is older if one casts a somewhat wider net, The prisoner of Zelda would already be an earlier example). As you are probably aware, it also served as an inspiration for quite a bit of the Tintin adventure "The black island".

[aligreto]

I took this to Italy with me. It's an enjoyable romp, like an early James Bond story. Despite the anti-semitism (and yet paradoxically Buchan was later considered as a friend of the Jews) I still enjoyed it.

Nostalgia trip; I remember reading that one as a young man.

[Ken B]

Nostalgia trip; I remember reading that one as a young man.

I read it as a middle aged one. I liked it, it was hammy fun, and fast. Another one I liked was King Solomon's Mines by Haggard, but again you have to turn a blind eye to a few things. And not mind that the plot is ridiculous!

[aligreto]

.... Another one I liked was King Solomon's Mines by Haggard, but again you have to turn a blind eye to a few things. And not mind that the plot is ridiculous!

  Very true and quite amusing comments.

[Biffo]

Each year at school we were given a book to read; we weren't examined on it, I think the intention was to prompt us to read further. In the first year we got A Christmas Carol; I did read it but found it heavy going and it was many years before I read any more Dickens. The next year we got King Solomon's Mines followed by Salute to Adventurers by John Buchan.

I read a couple more Rider Haggard novels including She and one whose title I have forgotten but it was about an aged Odysseus embarking on one last adventure to find Helen of Troy, believed to be in Egypt.

I read more Buchan including The Thirty-nine Steps and its sequel Greenmantle. I can't remember much about the latter but the former has been made into a movie at least twice and more recently a television series, suitably sanitized for modern audiences.

[AlberichUndHagen]

Dumb question perhaps but is that book perhaps the same The 39 Steps that Hitchcock's famous film was based on (and which, to this date, I still haven't seen)?

[Ken B]

Dumb question perhaps but is that book perhaps the same The 39 Steps that Hitchcock's famous film was based on (and which, to this date, I still haven't seen)?

It is, but you wouldn't know it from their respective plots.

[aligreto]

Each year at school we were given a book to read; we weren't examined on it, I think the intention was to prompt us to read further. In the first year we got A Christmas Carol; I did read it but found it heavy going and it was many years before I read any more Dickens. The next year we got King Solomon's Mines followed by Salute to Adventurers by John Buchan.

I read a couple more Rider Haggard novels including She and one whose title I have forgotten but it was about an aged Odysseus embarking on one last adventure to find Helen of Troy, believed to be in Egypt.

I read more Buchan including The Thirty-nine Steps and its sequel Greenmantle. I can't remember much about the latter but the former has been made into a movie at least twice and more recently a television series, suitably sanitized for modern audiences.

Interesting as Greenmantle and She were two that I too read soon after reading their prequels. I was quite young, could not afford to buy books and borrowed them from my local library. Happy days 

[listener]

Catching up on current history with Brexit Boris

[Ken B]

Life and Fate
V Grossman

[Florestan]

Life and Fate
V Grossman

What do you make of it?

[Ken B]

What do you make of it?

I am only at 1/4 through. Not much of a connected narrative, more a collage of scenes from a bad time and place to be alive. I am liking it so far.

[Artem]

It's a great book, I think. I'd like it to be more widely known.

I had recently finished Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin that I've been meaning to get to for a long time, but had difficulty with locating a copy. Finally, got one in Helsinki. I had very high expectations for it, probably, but overall it was a great novel. Some really strong imagery.

[vandermolen]

It's supposedly one of the "founding" books both of the espionage genre and the trope of an "ordinary guy" getting involved in such stuff (although the latter is older if one casts a somewhat wider net, The prisoner of Zelda would already be an earlier example). As you are probably aware, it also served as an inspiration for quite a bit of the Tintin adventure "The black island".

No I didn't know! As a Tintin fanatic I find that very interesting. Thank you.

[vandermolen]

Nostalgia trip; I remember reading that one as a young man.

Well, I'm glad Fergus to be responsible for you having a nostalgia trip rather than the other way round!


The 39 Steps has an absurd number of coincidences but the plot device of a completely innocent man being pursued by the bad guys and the police is very entertaining. It reminded me of 'North by Northwest' which is itself like a forerunner of a James Bond film.

I bought a collection of Buchan's other books for £2.00. Are they worth reading?

[Ken B]

Well, I'm glad Fergus to be responsible for you having a nostalgia trip rather than the other way round!


The 39 Steps has an absurd number of coincidences but the plot device of a completely innocent man being pursued by the bad guys and the police is very entertaining. It reminded me of 'North by Northwest' which is itself like a forerunner of a James Bond film.

I bought a collection of Buchan's other books for £2.00. Are they worth reading?

Unasked: are they worth buying.
I never knew you were an MP!