The books thread

[Malvolio]

I thought I'd start this up as there was some talk about books in the movies / TV thread.

Rick2468 asked about Iain Banks.  I'll make three recommendations:

1. Raw spirit - his only non-fiction book in which he does a travelogue around Scottish distilleries.  If you want to get a flavour of what the man was like, this is an excellent book to read as he goes off on plenty of tangents.
2. Whit - set in a cult in a remote part of Scotland - very well-written with a good ending
3. Consider Phlebas - he wrote a lot of science fiction as Iain M. Banks.  400 page novels about space monsters aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but if SF is your thing then this is the first in the Culture series and you're likely to get hooked.

[WDFORTE]

A brilliant brilliant book by Mark Morris (no not the singer); TOADY - WELCOME TO THE HORROR CLUB.  Richard, Robin and Nigel are ordinary boys who share a taste for the macabre in films, videos, books and comics. Then they admit a fourth member to their club - Toady, who is not at all an ordinary boy.

I bought this way back in 1990 from an advert in Viz comic of all places.  The book is the best horror fiction I've ever read.  Kindle on prime is £3.





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[Rick2468]

I thought I'd start this up as there was some talk about books in the movies / TV thread.

Rick2468 asked about Iain Banks.  I'll make three recommendations:

1. Raw spirit - his only non-fiction book in which he does a travelogue around Scottish distilleries.  If you want to get a flavour of what the man was like, this is an excellent book to read as he goes off on plenty of tangents.
2. Whit - set in a cult in a remote part of Scotland - very well-written with a good ending
3. Consider Phlebas - he wrote a lot of science fiction as Iain M. Banks.  400 page novels about space monsters aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but if SF is your thing then this is the first in the Culture series and you're likely to get hooked.

Thank you for starting this. I love talking about books so yep probably was leaning on the Movies/TVs thread too much.

Thank you for the Iain Banks recommendations.

I have read 39 books so far in 2021 and rate them on my Kindle. These are the books I have rated at 7 out of 10 or more this year:
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
Meet Me In The Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman (non-fiction about the upcoming New York rock scene in the early 2000s including The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem etc. I loved that scene so this book appealed to me)
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Iziguro
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Dune by Frank Herbert (reread ahead of the film release)
The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft (love this series, this was book 3 of 4. The 4th and final book is out in November)
Billy Summers by Stephen King
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (recently finished this, might downrate to a 6 as now a bit of time has passed it was a bit corny in my opinion....read too much like a file script).

[Ghost89]

The one that got away by Chris Ryan. The failed SAS mission to locate and destroy Iraqi missile launchers and the longest escape and evasion in SAS history by the author after separating from his team. An excellent read.

[stampjones]

I thought I'd start this up as there was some talk about books in the movies / TV thread.

Rick2468 asked about Iain Banks.  I'll make three recommendations:

1. Raw spirit - his only non-fiction book in which he does a travelogue around Scottish distilleries.  If you want to get a flavour of what the man was like, this is an excellent book to read as he goes off on plenty of tangents.
2. Whit - set in a cult in a remote part of Scotland - very well-written with a good ending
3. Consider Phlebas - he wrote a lot of science fiction as Iain M. Banks.  400 page novels about space monsters aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but if SF is your thing then this is the first in the Culture series and you're likely to get hooked.

Nice idea and Ian Banks books is a great way to start!!

For Ian Banks I think his best normal life one to start with is probably The Crow Road (or maybe The Wasp Factory if you like things dark and twisted).

For SciFi (Culture books) I recommend Surface Detail. It is crazy levels of imagination and the best spaceship ever! Although the culture books are a series there’s no real connection between them so you can read in any order. I guess you might want to read Use of Weapons before Surface Detail but it really makes no difference imo. To me Consider Phlebas isnt the best place to start, even though it was first, as its not really a culture book in the same way the rest of the series is.

Raw Spirit was largely responsible for me starting to drink whisky. Make of that what you will

[Marmalade]

Consider Phlebas - he wrote a lot of science fiction as Iain M. Banks.  400 page novels about space monsters aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but if SF is your thing then this is the first in the Culture series and you're likely to get hooked.

I have an admiration for the Culture series. Not bothered about the monsters, but the distantly futuristic ideas that could become reality and the implications for how we view the way our brains work – "glanding" being an example. I haven't caught up with Culture novels for a few years. I lost track of which ones I've read -- the bain of almost any 'series'. Should look up a list and try to place them but Consider Phlebas sticks in my mind. Probably its unusual title.

Dune

-- I wasn't crazy about the first film version and I hope the new one is an improvement. Dune is probably his most well-known and lots of great ideas but it went on a bit and I felt it didn't maybe hold together as well as it could. His shorter novels like Whipping Star were in some ways more fun to read. But I've bought a second-hand copy of Heretics which I've heard is rather good.

Best contemporary SF novel I've read in the past year is The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood. I felt it was an utter 'page-turner' from start to finish!

[Bikerman]

I read a book recently called ..seveneves.. a 900 page saga over 5000 years as moon breaks up and destroys earth andc we all try live in space stations....lots of techy stuff but ends up as civil war in space and seveneves are 7 women who are left and carry on human race by modifying us to live in space and explore an earth that is coming back to life after 5000 years of being barren...or so they think it is

[bossanova]

I read a book recently called ..seveneves.. a 900 page saga over 5000 years as moon breaks up and destroys earth andc we all try live in space stations....lots of techy stuff but ends up as civil war in space and seveneves are 7 women who are left and carry on human race by modifying us to live in space and explore an earth that is coming back to life after 5000 years of being barren...or so they think it is

Seveneves is great
I really liked Reamde by Neil Stephenson too – haven't read any others by him though

[ulstersubbie]

The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier. Garnier wrote some of the darkest and oddest noir fiction I have ever read.

Flicker by Theodore Roszak. Best described as a warped thriller for film buffs and moviegoers in general. Overly theoretical at times but a great read nonetheless.

[Aldebaran]

Two books I recommend:-

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby, beats me how anyone in his situation could write a book with so much humour in it. Just to write anything when you have locked in syndrome is almost impossible.

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.  Weird, funny, entertaining and with a totally likeable main character.

[Marmalade]

Flicker by Theodore Roszak. Best described as a warped thriller for film buffs and moviegoers in general. Overly theoretical at times but a great read nonetheless.

Liked the sound of it. Checked out the synopsis on Wikipedia. The film theory part (even if it includes yet another Orson Welles rewind) had me hooked. Heart of Darkness sounds a great thread. But the stuff about Armageddon less so. Revolutionary subliminal mind-influencing techniques could be promising. But Roman Catholics as the good guys?? I rather suspect T.R. knows more about film theory than he does about Gnostic dualism. Sidestepping through Lacan to the Illuminati would have made a better plot. At least one where I would have bought the book.

Thanks for mentioning it. 

[Marmalade]

Nice idea and Ian Banks books is a great way to start!!

For Ian Banks I think his best normal life one to start with is probably The Crow Road (or maybe The Wasp Factory if you like things dark and twisted).

For SciFi (Culture books) I recommend Surface Detail. It is crazy levels of imagination and the best spaceship ever! Although the culture books are a series there’s no real connection between them so you can read in any order. I guess you might want to read Use of Weapons before Surface Detail but it really makes no difference imo. To me Consider Phlebas isnt the best place to start, even though it was first, as its not really a culture book in the same way the rest of the series is.

Raw Spirit was largely responsible for me starting to drink whisky. Make of that what you will

I do think Banks is so much better at sci-fi than his non sci-fi stuff; even Wasp Factory, which was a pretty good read. I remember Use of Weapons. Respect: if you’ve read then all in order. Having attacked them in a random fashion I didn’t feel I lost anything. It’s the crazy originality of great ideas that kept me transfixed rather than specific plots. They are simply a joy to read and imagine oneself in that world.

For the Culture series I’d easily rank him as one of the best science fiction writers of all time. — together with Asimov, Philip K Dick, Heinlein, Stapledon. (I know I ‘should’ include Arthur C Clarke but I do find him utterly ‘worthy’ rather than exciting.)

[Ghost89]

I’ve also enjoyed the Jack Reacher novels.

[ulstersubbie]

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.  Weird, funny, entertaining and with a totally likeable main character.

Great choice, I really enjoyed it.

[Aldebaran]

I’ve also enjoyed the Jack Reacher novels.

Me too, though they can get a bit samey. Interesting main character though, the more of them you read the more you realise that Reacher probably has psychological issues that are very complex.

[mr.bluesky]

Me too, though they can get a bit samey. Interesting main character though, the more of them you read the more you realise that Reacher probably has psychological issues that are very complex.

I have read a couple of Jack Reacher books and like you say they are all a bit samey and the author has made a lot of cash from writing a whole series of books about him which is basically the same story throughout.  Tom Cruise is totally the wrong person to play him in the films. I believe in the books Reacher is described as about 6,5" tall. Cruise must be all of 5,8" but I believe Cruise owns the film rights so was obviously going to cast himself in the title roll.

[Ghost89]

I have read a couple of Jack Reacher books and like you say they are all a bit samey and the author has made a lot of cash from writing a whole series of books about him which is basically the same story throughout.  Tom Cruise is totally the wrong person to play him in the films. I believe in the books Reacher is described as about 6,5" tall. Cruise must be all of 5,8" but I believe Cruise owns the film rights so was obviously going to cast himself in the title roll.

I did enjoy the movies but as you say physical wise it doesn’t match. I did read a while ago a tv show with one of the streaming services was in the pipeline. Given the budgets the services give to their shows nowadays this could be a good thing and hopefully a more physically imposing actor could be chosen.

[Marmalade]

I haven’t read the books but think Cruise is brilliant and iconic in the role. I feel we have to move past the idea that films need to be carbon copies of their books. Really enjoy most of his films.

[mr.bluesky]

I did enjoy the movies but as you say physical wise it doesn’t match. I did read a while ago a tv show with one of the streaming services was in the pipeline. Given the budgets the services give to their shows nowadays this could be a good thing and hopefully a more physically imposing actor could be chosen.

I think it would make a good tv series as there have been plenty of books they could take the story's from. Apart from the fact he's not American I thought somebody like Jason Statham would be better suited to the film role. Don't know if there is anymore Jack Reacher films in the pipeline as Tom Cruise seems to be concentrating more on the Mission Impossible franchise.

[Ghost89]

I haven’t read the books but think Cruise is brilliant and iconic in the role. I feel we have to move past the idea that films need to be carbon copies of their books. Really enjoy most of his films.

Well I hadn’t read the books prior but was aware of the character but still enjoyed the movies. I think if you can get over the physical issue then they’re enjoyable. Cruise was good as the role and I think his size adds an element being that cos he’s not huge he’s underestimated and doesn’t appear to be a bone breaking loner you shouldn’t mess with.

[Ghost89]

I think it would make a good tv series as there have been plenty of books they could take the story's from. Apart from the fact he's not American I thought somebody like Jason Statham would be better suited to the film role. Don't know if there is anymore Jack Reacher films in the pipeline as Tom Cruise seems to be concentrating more on the Mission Impossible franchise.

I think it would work better as a series now. Plenty of source material. And with the level of violence in tv shows now they can make it more adult orientated. The books were so much more violent than the movies. I personally think someone like Jason Momoa or Dave Bautista would be a good fit for the role.

[Marmalade]

I understand Tom Cruise still likes to do as many stunts as he can himself. Audiences know that and so his persona adds something and M.I. movies allow a lot of scope.

Several years since I’ve seen it but I found the opening scene from Never Go Back unforgettable.
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The impact is partly the surprise but mostly it’s carried by Cruise’s steely coolness. It reminds us he’s a great actor, as well as an action man. I’d love to see him playing against Cameron Diaz again though, rather than the wimpy women the studios often pick. Women starring opposite him need to be able to give as good as they get.

[Malvolio]

I also like the Jack Reacher series - they put me in mind of Raymond Chandler with a sparse narrative style and the plot constantly driving the narrative.

[HighlyMotivated]

I recently enjoyed Ablutions by Patrick DeWitt. Funny, dark and depressing. And short.

[radioman33]

You’ll never see daylight again = The girls who smuggled drugs into Peru.They don’t speak to each other since.

[Colston36]

I have an admiration for the Culture series. Not bothered about the monsters, but the distantly futuristic ideas that could become reality and the implications for how we view the way our brains work – "glanding" being an example. I haven't caught up with Culture novels for a few years. I lost track of which ones I've read -- the bain of almost any 'series'. Should look up a list and try to place them but Consider Phlebas sticks in my mind. Probably its unusual title.
 -- I wasn't crazy about the first film version and I hope the new one is an improvement. Dune is probably his most well-known and lots of great ideas but it went on a bit and I felt it didn't maybe hold together as well as it could. His shorter novels like Whipping Star were in some ways more fun to read. But I've bought a second-hand copy of Heretics which I've heard is rather good.

Best contemporary SF novel I've read in the past year is The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood. I felt it was an utter 'page-turner' from start to finish!

Margaret Atwood really is extraordinary.
I read about three books a week - and the older I get the less I remember. I love many of the Scandinavian detective novels - Jo Nesbo, Steig Larsson, Camilla Lackberg, Hakan Nesser,  Henning Mankell - they seem to churn them out like nobody's business up there.
Mind you, the man who out-performed everyone in every way was Simenon whose best-known are the Maigret series . Besides being astoundingly prolific - nearly 500 books- he used to bang a whore or two practically every day and new books astoundingly fast.
Once another writer's publisher ran an ad announcing their man's first new book. Simenon then ran one announcing the first new Simenon in two weeks. And they are all good - being reissued now.

[mr.bluesky]

I understand Tom Cruise still likes to do as many stunts as he can himself. Audiences know that and so his persona adds something and M.I. movies allow a lot of scope.

Several years since I’ve seen it but I found the opening scene from Never Go Back unforgettable.
External Link/Members Only
The impact is partly the surprise but mostly it’s carried by Cruise’s steely coolness. It reminds us he’s a great actor, as well as an action man. I’d love to see him playing against Cameron Diaz again though, rather than the wimpy women the studios often pick. Women starring opposite him need to be able to give as good as they get.

  film was on Film4 last night. Never go back was far better than the first Jack Reacher film imo.

[ulstersubbie]

Mind you, the man who out-performed everyone in every way was Simenon whose best-known are the Maigret series . Besides being astoundingly prolific - nearly 500 books- he used to bang a whore or two practically every day and new books astoundingly fast.
Once another writer's publisher ran an ad announcing their man's first new book. Simenon then ran one announcing the first new Simenon in two weeks. And they are all good - being reissued now.

I agree Colston, the Maigret novels are very readable. I didn't realise he was that prolific, John Creasey wrote well over six hundred books I believe.

[Rick2468]

Read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I am far more miss than hit when it comes to the classics but I try and read one every three months. A friend of mine said Little Women was her favourite book and I have a thing that if someone says a particular book is their favourite I try and read it, I don't know why but maybe it makes me feel I know them better. I wouldn't usually pick to read Little Women. It was an easy read and I found it quite charming. I sometimes struggle with the prose with old books (I find HG Wells borderline unreadable!) but Little Women was good.

Next up I bought The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu. It is the sequel to the Three Body Problem which I really enjoyed so going to complete the series.

On the graphic novel front I want to read Fables which is a comic about characters from fairy tales all living in everyday New York. I played the game The Wolf Among Us which is based on the comics and I thought it was excellent so thought I'd try the comics (the story is really dark which is to my tastes!).

On the video game front I am playing the original Final Fantasy VII as it was released on the Playstation Now service. I played the original when it was first out, it was the first game I bought with my own money so I played it to death in order to get value from it. I also played the remake earlier this year and thought it was great. I was excited to play Final Fantasy VII but was not prepared for just how much fun I would have with it. It's amazing! I find I load it up whenever I have a spare 30 minutes. The nostalgia hit was insane, and without being cheesy I actually felt like a 15 year old boy again and wasn't that far away from tears. Ahhhh what a great time that was.

[ulstersubbie]

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald. A widow opens a bookshop in a small seaside town, the hostile locals and events conspire against her. Compelling storytelling.

Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler. A schoolteacher forced into retirement comes to terms with his new situation. A bittersweet meditation on aeging and its effects.

[Londonpunter30]

I also like the Jack Reacher series - they put me in mind of Raymond Chandler with a sparse narrative style and the plot constantly driving the narrative.

Can’t see it myself.  Wouldn’t call Chandler sparse, he raise the detective novel out of the gutter into mainstream literature.  You can see his written style is a cut above Hammett, McDonald, Thompson and the other greats of that era.  Marlowe constantly comes up with quips and sarcastic comments, and Chandler didn’t have to resort to every chapter finishing on a cliffhanger.

The Jack Reacher books, while enjoyable and well done, are just action books you can read on holiday

[ulstersubbie]

Can’t see it myself.  Wouldn’t call Chandler sparse, he raise the detective novel out of the gutter into mainstream literature.  You can see his written style is a cut above Hammett, McDonald, Thompson and the other greats of that era.  Marlowe constantly comes up with quips and sarcastic comments, and Chandler didn’t have to resort to every chapter finishing on a cliffhanger.

The Marlowe novels (apart from the final one) are modern classics.They are private eye thrillers but so much more, a social critique of California at that time. The Long Goodbye is as good as any other literary work and possibly my favourite Chandler novel.

[Marmalade]

A step up from easy-read and simple-detective are the Perry Mason series. Brilliantly written with short-paragraph style they produce fascinating mysteries that are solved by backbone and integrity. Written by an ex-lawyer, they have inspired people to take up law for the right reasons. Mason, his secretary Della Street, and faithful detective Paul someone-or-other are accessible and entertaining but also role models in their attitudes to themselves and their work. Read most of ‘em, gave them away to a collector’s bookshop where they’ll find good homes. The early TV adaptations are on DVD. Later ones probably lost the original spirit.

[Londonpunter30]

The Marlowe novels (apart from the final one) are modern classics.They are private eye thrillers but so much more, a social critique of California at that time. The Long Goodbye is as good as any other literary work and possibly my favourite Chandler novel.

That’s exactly the point I was making, they are even published by Penguin Classics.  The post I quoted stated Lee Child was on a par, which I didn’t agree with

[willie loman]

Margaret Atwood really is extraordinary.
I read about three books a week - and the older I get the less I remember. I love many of the Scandinavian detective novels - Jo Nesbo, Steig Larsson, Camilla Lackberg, Hakan Nesser,  Henning Mankell - they seem to churn them out like nobody's business up there.
Mind you, the man who out-performed everyone in every way was Simenon whose best-known are the Maigret series . Besides being astoundingly prolific - nearly 500 books- he used to bang a whore or two practically every day and new books astoundingly fast.
Once another writer's publisher ran an ad announcing their man's first new book. Simenon then ran one announcing the first new Simenon in two weeks. And they are all good - being reissued now.

while simenon was prolific, his output of novels was more around the 200 mark,around 100 of which were novels, he also banged out around 75 maigret novels, the rest of his oeuvre is short strories etc, i have read all of his romans durs,in french, and i am a veritable simenon buff. he did indeed frequent hookers, and claimed to have shagged 5000 women, his wife said he was exaggerating, and reckoned it was only 1500 , its unfortunate that most people only know him as the creator of maigret, as these works give no indication of his real merit as a writer

[ulstersubbie]

That’s exactly the point I was making, they are even published by Penguin Classics.  The post I quoted stated Lee Child was on a par, which I didn’t agree with

I wasn't disagreeing with your earlier post, just adding to it. We are clearly both admirers of Raymond Chandler.   

[Londonpunter30]

I wasn't disagreeing with your earlier post, just adding to it. We are clearly both admirers of Raymond Chandler.   

Apologies, misunderstood your post.

[Rick2468]

Read The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy this week and thought it was excellent. I struggled with the prose early on and wasn't properly following what the hell was going on for the first 100 pages so actually looked up a study guide online to help me! Did get easier though.

Then moved on graphic novels. Reading Fables by Bill Willingham which is a story about the characters from fairy tales such as a the big bad wolf, red riding hood, snow white etc all living in New York. It sounds like a rip off from the TV show Once Upon a Time but the comics actually came first and are much darker. It's good so far. I promised myself I would drop it if I wasn't enjoying it but so far so good. My local library has them all which saves me money. I managed to get the whole of the walking dead out of the library which saved me about £400!

[ulstersubbie]

The Cutting Room by Louise Welsh. Dark secrets and uncomfortable truths collide in a dark and twisted thriller. Her debut novel and a memorable one too.

[Malvolio]

Currently reading A Passage To India by EM Forster - not as hard going as I was expecting with some well-observed characters.  I'm enjoying the perspective of India nearly 100 years ago.

[ulstersubbie]

The Gravedigger's Bread by Frederic Dard. A stranger becomes involved with a funeral director and his wife, leading to tragic consequences. The type of dark thriller the French seem to excel at, this is no exception.

[Marmalade]

Pleased to see the thread is still alive. I've had one or two good recommendations from it.

Here's a few I have found enjoyable and memorable.

Amitav Ghosh, The Glass Palace, great if you like historical novels in far-flung places, and quite a page turner.
2 completely different genres from Michel Faber, both of which I found hard to put down:
Under the Skin, the slightly sci-fi tale you maybe know from the movie with Scarlet Johansson but much better than the film, which  I thought was also good. And
The Crimson Petal and the White, gutsy Victorian novel, more substantial than U.the Skin.
Steven Saylor, Empire, brilliantly told (and researched) novel of the most bloody and eventful period of the Roman Empire, occasionally does pump a lot of historical facts at the reader but overall makes it worth it, a colossal read.

A couple of juicy ones:
Melissa P, One Hundred Strokes of the Brush Before Bed, not a long read and enjoyable throwaway stuff.
Catherine Miller, The Sexual Life of Catherine M, slightly more substantial and rather better written.

Enjoy.

[catweazle]

I'm an avid reader, always have been ( an ex once said I'd read the ingredient  list  on the cornflake box). At one point, books were taking over the living room,  so I went the kindle route.

I have all my favourite books on it now, the ones I'll reread annually.   I also discovered you can often find e-books by Googling (title)pdf as kindle happily takes pdf versions.

Then a friend pointed me to "The fussy librarian " . It's a free subscription  website and it emails you daily with a list of free (or very inexpensive) ebooks, broken down by subject type.  Some days there's nothing takes my fancy, other days there's plenty. Some of them are dross,  but I've read many enjoyable  engrossing books from  that site.

[Dickled]

I'm an avid reader, always have been ( an ex once said I'd read the ingredient  list  on the cornflake box). At one point, books were taking over the living room,  so I went the kindle route.

I have all my favourite books on it now, the ones I'll reread annually.   I also discovered you can often find e-books by Googling (title)pdf as kindle happily takes pdf versions.

Then a friend pointed me to "The fussy librarian " . It's a free subscription  website and it emails you daily with a list of free (or very inexpensive) ebooks, broken down by subject type.  Some days there's nothing takes my fancy, other days there's plenty. Some of them are dross,  but I've read many enjoyable  engrossing books from  that site.

Very useful website.
Cheers.
 

[Liverpool]

Just been re-reading 'The Company' by Robert Littell. An absolute belter of a book about The CIA from the early days of the Cold War until the end of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Partly based on fact (some of the situations and characters) it tells the story of a mole deep in the CIA and the various sub plots of world events (bay of Pigs, Berlin, Mujahideen in Afghanistan, Hungarian uprising etc). Engrossing, interesting characters and very well written. Highly recommended.

[stevedave]

Has anyone read any Salman Rushdie? His take on magic realism isn't for everyone I know, but Midnight's Children is one of the finest books I have ever read.

The Satanic Verses though... I've tried a few times to read it but just find it hard to get in to.

[Marmalade]

Has anyone read any Salman Rushdie? His take on magic realism isn't for everyone I know, but Midnight's Children is one of the finest books I have ever read.

The Satanic Verses though... I've tried a few times to read it but just find it hard to get in to.

Clever writer but I find him a bit annoying, as if he rather wants the reader to admire his technique more than just enjoy the story. I imagine a conversation with him might be interesting.

[catweazle]

One book which sticks in my memory, and which I neither have a physical or ebook copy of, is "Warriors for the working day" by Peter Elstob.

It's set in WW2, starting just before D-Day and follows a tank crew during and after the Normandy landings.  Raw and at times disturbing.   Although fiction,  Elstob served  in the war as tank crew, and many incidents are undoubtedly taken from his own experiences.

If you like war books, I'd seriously recommend this one.

[catweazle]

Clever writer but I find him a bit annoying, as if he rather wants the reader to admire his technique more than just enjoy the story. I imagine a conversation with him might be interesting.

.I rather suspect the conversation would also be a "look at me, aren't I clever" diatribe.

[Marmalade]

.I rather suspect the conversation would also be a "look at me, aren't I clever" diatribe.

Quite possibly — but you can chance your saber in a conversation. You can rarely change the ending of a book (or in Midnight’s Brats — the middle).