Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy | 
John le Carre is a comfort read for me and Dreamscape Audio has been releasing new recordings over the last year or two. I thought Simon Vance narrated them all, but apparently he‘s just doing the Smileys. My brain is not braining right now, so I‘m opting to ignore publication order for now (and therefore other narrators) in favor of George and Simon. 💖
Trying to read…..and sleep….but my brain keeps asking these important questions 😂😜
pickIt was time to mix it up, and jump into Smiley‘s world for a while. I think I‘ll try to finish up this series. I‘d forgotten how good Le Carré is.
pickThis is part of the #bigjubileereadingchallenge as well as #bookspin. Despite the fact this is part of a series and I hadn‘t read the first few books, I still found this to be a solid story that got my attention right from the start. @TheAromaofBooks
pickJust released our Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy episode. It's a very complex and subtle book and le Carre kind of just pushes the reader into the deep end, and you do have to do your share of the work, figuring out what's going. Still, it's very enjoyable for all that. Tune in to hear us discuss both the book and movie versions!
https://anchor.fm/peter-murphy8
pickControl is sure there‘s a Russian mole in the Circus, and he runs a secret op to find his identity. It goes horribly wrong and years later, the mole hunt falls to Smiley. TTSS is the 5th Smiley novel and the 1st of the Karla Trilogy. I‘ve read this one more times than I can count because I love it. It‘s a slow burn with complex characters. While it takes a long time to set up the chessboard, the way le Carré moves the pieces is brilliant.
pick3.5 ⭐️s … I think?
I don‘t think I can properly judge this novel. Le Carre‘s writing was an absolute treat to read, he was fantastically talented. I think espionage just isn‘t my cup of tea…
I had mixed feelings about the ending. (FUCK YOU ANN! 🤬) But I enjoyed it enough and especially found Smiley interesting enough to possibly delve into more of the series…someday…maybe… 😅 Either way, I now know why the late author has such a devout following.
pickTime to cheer myself up with an annual reading of one of my favorite books of all time. The single best work of espionage fiction ever written.
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl
The truth is, if old Major Dover hadn't dropped dead at Taunton races Jim would never have come to Thursgood's at all.
https://crimereads.com/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-and-the-greatest-office-christm...
@vivastory I thought you might enjoy this, if you haven‘t already seen the article.
RIP 😢 https://apple.news/A0NT8yX1CRt2UaghsqYz7Ag or other places for news,this from Washington Post.
#20series20days @Andrew65 day13
One of my favourite characters, writers, and series of books about George smiley, which began with call for the dead in 1961 and ended with the very good final legacy of spies. The central trilogy is so good and evokes memories of watching alec Guinness although i enjoyed gary Oldman's different portrayal as well. George even had a bit part in spy who came in from the cold. Yes i am a fan.
bailedI listened this half way as an audio book but couldn't really get into it so I decided to give up. It might be a good book but it's not for me at the moment. I've noticed that lately the books I read have to fit my life in some way and this just didn't work for me now.
An absolutely perfect afternoon with the family at Walden Pond. #johnlecarre
One of my favourite things to do after a night shift sleep is to take a walk around our farm, especially now that the weather is milder. Today I took John Le Carre and Smiley with me on an #audiowalk along our driveway and through the Macadamia and Pecan orchard. Autumn is just such a great time of year.
“...in the hands of politicians grand designs achieve nothing but new forms of the old misery...”
I can‘t figure out what it is about my current read that I‘m not feeling, but I‘m apparently doing everything to avoid it. I haven‘t read a single page since Friday. Tonight, I‘m watching a film version of one of my all-time favorite spy novels. Le Carre is an absolute master of the genre. 😎💖 (Personally, I think Alec Guinness is a better Smiley, but I don‘t have enough time tonight to watch his version)
pickI completely forgot that I listened to this audiobook a few weeks ago, as I wanted to watch the movie. George Smiley, recently retired from British intelligence, is brought back to search for a suspected Russian spy within the top ranks of the agency. The book is really interesting, although I found myself getting lost in parts, but I think that wouldn‘t be an issue if I had read it!
pickI watched the movie last weekend when I was sick and it made me want to know more. I‘ve never read a spy novel before and I think this was pretty decent. A little confusing in parts: the jargon used and some timelines/situations, plus this book is right in the middle of the Smiley series. But I liked it enough that I might read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold next.
Reading in front of the fire... you know, like you do in the middle of April 🙄❄️💧😖
"I know that Moscow has planted a mole, and I know it is one of five men"
#riotgrams day 17: an unreturned book. I told a friend of mine how much I enjoyed the night manager series, and all of a sudden I get more Le Carré than I can handle. I read the night manager last year, maybe I‘ll get to these sometime.
Finally the eve of the #fallbookexchange has arrived. I can't wait to open my box. In the meantime I busy myself with a photo challenge #spooky
There's plenty of spooks in these books.
I watched the TV series 'The Night Manager' last year. Kept me in an agony of suspense till the last moment. So intense and down right scary. Brilliant.
#uncannyoctober @RealLifeReading
The husband last night: "What still fascinates you in life?"
Me: "Spies. Double agents. People leading double lives. That sort of thing."
The husband: "Really?? I've never seen you read a spy novel."
Me: "OMG - I haven't! Ever!"
The husband: "Not even that Tinker Tinker book? Just watch the movie - your Mr. Darcy is in it."
Our conversations are progressively getting dumber the longer we're married.
1. @DeweysReadathon facebook page
2. Goodreads. I keep a written journal for books completed/currently reading.
3. Either
4. Yes. Especially if I've read it.
5. Never, which surprises most. B/c I love to talk books, to anyone.
6. Columbine
7. The Princess Diarist
8. The Story of Old Jack
9. Depends on person/genre. HP, Little Women, Dark Matter are some recents.
10. Mother, Teacher, Reader, Wife. (get it?)
@christyco125 #tbrboost
pickI feel like I didn't quite give this book the attention it deserved --I listened to it but not really attentively enough so there were some connections I missed and some plot points I couldn't quite understand. With that being said though, it was a solid classic spy novel which kept me entertained through the end!
@bookriot #Riotgrams Day 3: #HowYouRead
I crack spines. Some people say it's a terrible thing to do to books, but to me it just means they're well loved. A few of my favorite paperbacks are only kept together with scotch tape. I'd much rather they be covered with cracks and wrinkles than collect dust.
First day of the #Riotgrams photo challenge for June. Here's a #shelfie of my "fancy books."
While these novels have action in many cities, The Circus is in London, and when The Circus calls, Smiley comes running. 😉
#londoncalling #rockinmay
Making this post work for multiple challenges because I'm at work. I'm also #obsessed with LeCarre's Smiley novels. I own them all in print, but just have these three on my Kindle. Smiley also works for #illbeyourman
#maybookflowers #melodicmay
#dropeverythingandread #aprilbookshowers
I believe there is a new George smiley book cominh out in the autumn. That will definitely be an excuse to drop everything.
Over the last few days, I've been trying to get into this , and you can see by the bookmark that I haven't gotten very far (page 16, to be exact). But I just keep being confused even when reading the pages over and over. Maybe it's that spy novels aren't a genre I normally read. I picked it up for year 1974 for my #birthdaychallenge -- should I bail?
pickAppreciating this book more with every reread. It is quiet and meticulous and occasionally shocking.
(Image source: somewhere on Pinterest)
@writerlibrarian Is this the scene you were talking about with Benedict in front of the elevator? There's a freight elevator in my office complex that is very similar to this one, and I think of the movie every time I walk by.
pickRiveting and smart. Le Carré is a master of the spy genre. Smiley and his crew on the hunt for a mole inside the Circus could have been boring. Paper trails, reading through old files... Smiley is not Jason Bourne and that's a good thing. A really good thing. It's a fantastic chess game by proxy. The hunt for Karla's spy inside the organization takes the form of a long journey backwards, from the outside.
I first read this book at the age of 13 or 14. Liked it well enough but it felt a bit vague to me. Watched the miniseries. Read the book again. Then I watched the movie, and wow! Something about the movie clicked for me and made me read the book in a whole new light.
#feistyfeb day 4: book you changed your mind about
#riotgrams #day3 #favoritevillain So I must admit I thought long and hard about who to choose for my favourite villain, but when I remembered Karla I knew I had my pick. It's just so brilliantly set up because he pretty much never shows up during the whole trilogy ( or for like one flashback scene or so) and yet he is always there in the background, menacing and the perfect foil for George Smiley! Absolutely riveting spy novels!
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold + the return of Sherlock & a new Tom Hardy show ("Taboo", which debuted last week) have all conspired to get me to re-watch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Such a great movie, I like it more with each viewing. PS, The Circus is a super cool name for a spy agency.
I havent posted in a while. I had to give up on Grace of Kings. Then I jumped into TTSS. I gotta say its not one of my favorites in the George Smiley series. There's so much going on my notes have notes. Im determined to get through it. I liked the RL Kim Philby drama a lot. I feel like Le Carre bit off more than he could chew w this one.
I've read the book and seen the movie (the Gary Oldman one) a couple of times and I don't think I fully understand it! #PhotoADayNov16 #SpyNovels
bailedFiled under: This Book Should Have Been Right Up My Alley, But It Just Wasn't And So I Gave Up. I thought it'd be gripping and unputtdownable and it was very, very easy to put it down in favor of literally anything else. Apologies to Mr. Le Carre.
Happy #nationalreadabookday! I just started reading #tinkertailorsoldierspy by #johnlecarre. What are you #reading?
so-so
