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I enjoyed Victoria Hislop's The Return, though I didn't think I would. Thought it would be a bit romancified for me, but it was great.
I'm reading Bad Blood by Lorna Sage.
It's nowt special, so I have a few others on the go too !
well just finished The Keeper's Daughter. Good read but I'm sticking to my previous comment. Could have done with another edit. Good action though and the characters were well written. I would have preferred the characters to have some other motivation other than running from the bad guy through the middle part of the book... it might have given it a little more urgency. But well worth the time taken out of my uni work to read... and good to finish a long day of filming and walking around Bristol with a good book :D
Next on the list is Simon Scarrow's Young Bloods, historical fiction about Wellington and Napoleon. Hopefully it's good.
Just finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer last night. Best book I have read in ages (Jane Eyre aside), absolutely loved it. About to start a non fiction book called 'Lady Worsley's Whim' by Hallie Rubenhold. Apparently it was read on Radio 4 but I didn't catch that. The tag on the front says 'An 18th Century tale of sex, scandal and divorce'...!
[quote=Jenny]Since I've been writing I've become quite picky[/quote]
Me too, Jenny! Not just how they construct their sentences though - the whole book!
Mind you, when they're good at their job, I appreciate the book more now, so it's swings and roundabouts.
If I need escapism with an underlying slant on the real world,Terry Pratchett never ceases to amaze me - have you read "Nation"?
I'm still struggling with 'Cien anos en soledad' but I've taken a break to read My Sister's Keeper by Jodie Picault. Wow, what a punch she packs. I'm sleep deprived this morning. I read more of it this morning and had to tear myself away from it to do some urgent admin. I shall search out more of her books.
...and still struggling with you-know-what but have taken a break to read The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. Goodness that is one WEIRD concept, but I suppose it's along the lines of Catcher In the Rye. I admire him for carrying an inner monologue for a whole book. Anyway, I'll plough on with it and see where it goes.
The Simon Scarrow book is good although again he could have edited one more time to get rid of the repetition- the only thing that is annoying me. He's very good and making you feel sympathy for the characters, even Napoleon as a young boy! And it's also a bit funny... especially the scene when Arthur Wesley and Napoleon meet when they're both about 14 or 15... He said in his author's note that they were in the same place at the same time so why not have theme meet? It's plausible and adds an extra dimension to the story.
If anyone is interested in the Napoleonic wars and 1700-1800s Europe, it's a good book to read :) but long, I'm not halfway through it yet!
[quote=paperbackwriter]I'm still struggling with 'Cien anos en soledad' [/quote]
Cien anos? That sounds a bit severe, whatever the crime!
And isn't it a pity one can't insert a symbol here? Anos! Heehee.
Recently finished Behind the Scenes at the Museum, by Kate Atkinson. One of those books that's so good you wonder why you bother yourself.
Now reading 'Racing through the Dark, the fall and rise of David Miller'. Miller is a pro cyclist, rehabilitated drugs 'artiste', former T.de.F 'maillot jeune' and World Pro Time Trial Champ. Tells the story of how he raced 'clean' for a couple of years, but was eventually drawn in to the drug culture in order to compete on equal terms with the other top riders. A pretty horrific expose of the murky world of pro cycling ten years ago.
Currently reading The Illuminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite. To be honest I don't really know what I feel about it, it is well written I just find it a bit dreary which is probably just the subject matter.
I'm also listening to Eat, Pray, Love on audio disc after meaning to read it for ages. Really enjoying it and cannot believe how much I can relate to her. I am hoping this can be some kind of literary therapy for me :-)
Finally finished Young Bloods by Simon Scarrow. Started well but the account of Arthur Wesley petered out after a while and through those chapters I wanted to know more about the young Napoleon and what he was doing. I don't think he's good at keeping the audience during battle scenes, at least not in this story, but the inner turmoil of his characters and their lives beyond the battlefield were written much better than the battles.
Going to pick up the first book in his Roman series now and see if it's any good.
I've just reviewed an enjoyable and informative book on the Titanic - Silent Voices Learning from the Titanic (History Today series), Authors: Clive Anderson and Ann Sloane. About to be Published by Day One. It gives all sorts of fascinating information such as price of tickets for each class, profiles of some of the passengers, what food was in the kitchens, a chart showing how many people survived and how many perished from each class. The authors must have spent hours in research. The book is enhanced by old photographs and diagrams.
That sounds fascinating, Stan2. I've always had an interest in the Titanic. When we were living in the States, we visited the exhibition/museum in Orlando, before it was closed and moved and it is the social history side of it all that is the most interesting. Great book to be given the chance to read for free :)
Help! The Book People are killing me! I'm having a hard time resisting their multibook deals. I recently finished the 2011 Booker shortlist, and now I'm reading through an eight-volume set of the Gollancz 50th anniversary editions (currently on Dan Simmons' Hyperion), and have 16 volumes of Dickens occupying over half a metre of bookshelf, just waiting to be read. I've had to stop visiting the library as a result. So many books, so little time ...
Struggling through James Patterson's "The Lake House". Had forgotten how disjointed "Where the wind blows" was, and this is just as bitty.
He seems to be trying to talk like a teenager when he's with Max and it's not working for me.
And there are italics everywhere.
[quote=kado]A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini [/quote] I must read that. I've had it on my list for ages.
I've just finished Tarantula by the late Thierry Jonquet, now made into a film 'The Skin I Live In' by Pedro Almodovar. It's 'French noir' and it's not for the faint-hearted.
I have just finished The Traitor's Wife by Kathleen Kent. A brilliant book rich in historical detail and graphic description set in the reign of Charles II
I've just finished Harlan Coben's 'Caught' now. I found this one quite slow to get going, which isn't something I've found before with him. Definitely not as good as some of his earlier ones. But then he's a big star now. It seems some go off the boil a bit once they've 'made it' (see the James Patterson comment above). Of course, some are just as good however long they've been writing, and however successful. It has put me off a bit though now. I had to read this one as it's been on the shelf for a while.
Just started one I've been waiting for from the library, PD James' 'Death Comes To Pemberley'. Only ready the prologue so far, so not much to comment on.
Just finished "The Lake House" by James Patterson.
Wish I hadn't bothered.
Italics everywhere and little unnecessary oddments dropped in like flies in soup.
An escape/rescue that he only referred to after it had happened - presumably because he couldn't work out how it could be achieved, and an epilogue which read as if he'd lost interest in the story.
And the characters kept referring to the Lake House but never went there, so why use that title.
No - I didn't like it!
[quote=Anna]Alan Bennett's 'Smut'. Am a bit confused as he changes tenses mid-paragraph (eg X was saying now / X said) and it's largely tell don't show.[/quote]
Wonder if that's due to his monologue tendancy.
Just started The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov, reputed to be one of his best and I am enjoying it hugely. It's about robots, and it contains lines like this:
'The robot bulked dimly in the night, its eyes a dull red glow.'
I'm reading a various amount of things at the moment, because I can't quite settle onto something yet. Ultimately, I'm reading The Great Gatsby for English Lit as my teacher wants us to have read a whole novel before the exam.
But I'm going to be reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and then probably The Secret Garden.
Currently reading Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver, and the complete collection of Kafka's short fiction. Got a whole pile of short story books to get thru, it'll take me ages
I'm reading The Hunger Games, part 1. Very good; Suzanne Collins is adept at suspense, cliff hangers, etc. And I've nearly finished it, so Nyeeeuuugh, Lexia (Feb 17th above!). Only joking. Perhaps you're right, and with a good book to fill my sails, I'm off like an A Class catamaran.
Comments
is
in
the
slow
readers
class !
:) Sorry, couldn't resist !
I enjoyed Victoria Hislop's The Return, though I didn't think I would. Thought it would be a bit romancified for me, but it was great.
I'm reading Bad Blood by Lorna Sage.
It's nowt special, so I have a few others on the go too !
Next on the list is Simon Scarrow's Young Bloods, historical fiction about Wellington and Napoleon. Hopefully it's good.
Me too, Jenny! Not just how they construct their sentences though - the whole book!
Mind you, when they're good at their job, I appreciate the book more now, so it's swings and roundabouts.
If I need escapism with an underlying slant on the real world,Terry Pratchett never ceases to amaze me - have you read "Nation"?
If anyone is interested in the Napoleonic wars and 1700-1800s Europe, it's a good book to read :) but long, I'm not halfway through it yet!
Cien anos? That sounds a bit severe, whatever the crime!
And isn't it a pity one can't insert a symbol here? Anos! Heehee.
You're in for a treat Chippy, hell of a good book. Hilarious aswell
Now reading 'Racing through the Dark, the fall and rise of David Miller'. Miller is a pro cyclist, rehabilitated drugs 'artiste', former T.de.F 'maillot jeune' and World Pro Time Trial Champ. Tells the story of how he raced 'clean' for a couple of years, but was eventually drawn in to the drug culture in order to compete on equal terms with the other top riders. A pretty horrific expose of the murky world of pro cycling ten years ago.
I'm also listening to Eat, Pray, Love on audio disc after meaning to read it for ages. Really enjoying it and cannot believe how much I can relate to her. I am hoping this can be some kind of literary therapy for me :-)
Going to pick up the first book in his Roman series now and see if it's any good.
I know I sound churlish, but......
I read that a few years ago and loved it to death.
Am currently reading a collection of disturbing short stories in the crime/psychopath genre by Ian Ayris 'Uncle Mildred and Other Stories'.
He seems to be trying to talk like a teenager when he's with Max and it's not working for me.
And there are italics everywhere.
It's a fascinating story. I've written the review.
I've just finished Tarantula by the late Thierry Jonquet, now made into a film 'The Skin I Live In' by Pedro Almodovar. It's 'French noir' and it's not for the faint-hearted.
I've just finished Harlan Coben's 'Caught' now. I found this one quite slow to get going, which isn't something I've found before with him. Definitely not as good as some of his earlier ones. But then he's a big star now. It seems some go off the boil a bit once they've 'made it' (see the James Patterson comment above). Of course, some are just as good however long they've been writing, and however successful. It has put me off a bit though now. I had to read this one as it's been on the shelf for a while.
Just started one I've been waiting for from the library, PD James' 'Death Comes To Pemberley'. Only ready the prologue so far, so not much to comment on.
Wish I hadn't bothered.
Italics everywhere and little unnecessary oddments dropped in like flies in soup.
An escape/rescue that he only referred to after it had happened - presumably because he couldn't work out how it could be achieved, and an epilogue which read as if he'd lost interest in the story.
And the characters kept referring to the Lake House but never went there, so why use that title.
No - I didn't like it!
Wonder if that's due to his monologue tendancy.
'The robot bulked dimly in the night, its eyes a dull red glow.'
Sensational.
It's great. Better than The Kite Runner I think
I'm reading 'The Enchantress of Florence' by Salman Rushdie. Love his books
But I'm going to be reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and then probably The Secret Garden.