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What book(s) is everyone reading at the minute?

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  • Nearly finished 99 Red Balloons by Elisabeth Carpenter.

    Dark story of a missing child. I seemed to go missing halfway through. Lost myself among characters who seemed to have been derived from stem cell research. Shame, because it had the making s of a good story.
  • edited November 2017
    1) Currently reading the first draft of a friend's (published writer) novel and giving her feedback and thoughts.

    2) "Hiddensee" by Gregory Maguire (He wrote "Wicked", a story of the witches set before "The Wizard of Oz"). I am struggling a little with this as it is a tale about the Nutcracker and, as I do not know that tale, I cannot imagine where and how Maguire's tale adds to the original. So I think I am missing out on a lot as a result.

    https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062684387/hiddensee
  • Finished 'Dead Woman Walking' by Sharon Bolton - a little disappointed really, not as strong as 'Sacrifice'.

    Currently reading Mark Gatiss' 'The Vesuvius Club' - it's a very easy and funny read.
  • Finished Do No Harm by Henry Marsh.
    Gave it 3 and a half stars.
    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2164758642?book_show_action=false
  • I am reading Days Without End by Sebastian Barry. It is emotionally quite tough and the prose can be a little hard to follow at times but I am enjoying it so far.
  • Reading 'Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea' by Michael Morpurgo.

    Believable story written in the first person by a child taken from an orhpanage and sent to Australia.
  • Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
  • Publisher: Harper Collins
    Author: Townshend, P.
    Title: Who I Am
  • I'm currently reading Quiet by Susan Cain and the Wexford Omnibus by Ruth Rendell. I have The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham lined up next!
  • Reread The Humans by Matt Haig (SO wonderful!) and now rereading The Secret History by Donna Tartt, for book club. Also very enjoyable.

  • Finished Michael Morpurgo book just as his medal was announced! Now reading Rough Music by Robin Driscoll. It's his first novel after writing scripts for Mr Bean.
  • And Mr Bean doesn't even say anything! Germans LOVE Mr Bean.

    Finished Secret History, brilliant, and now reading Mrs Hemingway by Naomi Wood.
  • I've just finished "The Good People" by Hannah Kent. I enjoyed it even though it's one of those books where not a huge amount actually happens, but I found I kept picking it up. And my sister bought me the Game of Thrones "Fire and Ice" boxset for Christmas last year, so I've been plugging away at those. I'm constantly astounded at the very scope of the them.
  • Mrs Hemingway brilliant and fascinating. Now my son wants to read it, Hemingway is his favourite author.
  • Umbra - what a coincidence! I bought The Day of the Triffids at a charity shop a while back and have just started reading it. The opening line is a stunner!
    'When a day that you happen to know is a Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.'
  • John Wyndham was a genius. Absolutely effortless and succinct - huge stories in slim volumes. Weirdly - I am also reading a John Wyndham, one I found in a charity shop, which I didn't have, thought I'd read them all. I may have it in a bigger volume - it's called Stowaway to Mars. The Chrysalids is one of my favourite of all time books.
  • edited January 2018
    Not read that one, Liz. The golden-eyed children one sticks in my mind but can't remember the name?
  • The Midwich Cuckoos, Lizy. Great, but not as good as The Chrysalids.
  • I shall have to track that one down.
  • I finished the Paul Theroux - Sunrise with Seamonsters. I'm dipping into Writing Magazine at the moment and haven't decided which book I shall dive into next.
  • I have just begun to read "Fire and Fury" - the Trump book that is currently in the headlines.
    Most recently finished read was "The Wolves of Winter" by Tyrell Robinson.
  • Loved Eleanor Oliphant. Highly recommended.

    Just started Saturdays by Ian McEwan.
  • Finally started Tom Hanks' Common Type WOW!
  • I've finally decided to bite the bullet and read Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. I bought it shortly after publication and have been hesitating ever since because To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all time favourite books.
  • The Eye of the World (first book of The Wheel of Time series) by Robert Jordan.
  • Almost halfway through Go Set a Watchman. I'm not comfortable reading it but I will finish it before I form a firm opinion.
  • Just finished 'The Remains of the Day' and about to start 'Birdcage Walk'.
  • I've finally decided to bite the bullet and read Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. I bought it shortly after publication and have been hesitating ever since because To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all time favourite books.
    Oh, Claudia, ditto. I have the book, but will not read it. Just can't bear to. I read TKaMB when I was 12 and when I came to hand it back in my teacher said I could keep it. She knew how much I loved it. I still have that copy. My son is called Jem. Stopped short of lumbering Emmelie with Scout... and didn't like Jean-Louise, which I think is Scout's real name in the book.

    finished A secret History and loved it as much as last time - Pete's just finished it, too. Read Mr Dalloway after that and it was also excellent. Son now reading that. Now I'm about to start, funnily enough, Scout, Atticus and Boo, at the same time as reading Helen Dunmore's Birdcage Walk which is interesting as it is set in Bristol.

  • I am reading The Power by Naomi Alderman
  • Publisher: YALE
    Author: Lubbock, J.
    Title: Story Telling in Christian Art from Giotto to Donatello
    Jules Lubbock now a professor supervised my thesis on Duccio's Maesta. I emailed him with a query regarding an Italian Renaissance artist about whom I'm writing a short hist. fic. He replied with lots of leads including the title of his latest publication. The book contains two chapters about my artist character.
  • I'm restarting this thread after 6 months!! 

    I'm supposed to be writing, but I've just picked up Conn Iggulden's first book from the Empire of Salt series; Darien. It is so amazing I'm having to leave it at home or I will wind up reading it at work. 

    The last book I read was The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, which is humbling in its integrity, his descriptive ability is just astounding, and his execution flawless. 

    I need to stop going to the library...I'm never going to get any work done!
  • Oh, I loved The Book Thief so much I don't want to see the film version.

    I've just finished The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell. Although this book is over 100 years old, it's still relevant today and really resonated with me in how ordinary people are politically, and in many cases mindlessly, influenced in today's horrible Leave/Remain climate.

    I'm now going back to Bitter Fruit by Achmat Dangor set in South Africa which I'd set aside temporarily. The writing is beautiful.
  • Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.

    What a great writer.
  • I loved that TN.

    Currently on a Penelope Lively.

  • Almost finished The Talented Mr Ripley. Good story but the quality of writing (in parts) has disappointed me.
  • Passengers by John Marrs 
    Interesting...
  • Just finished Poet  X. Having read other books from other disadvantaged/minority communities in America, and one in Mexico where they become refugees in America, it was very interesting. It's written in verse. Rather well.
  • Dipping daily into Baggy's book, also reading The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett. Sadly not up to his usual standard because his rough draft was finished by his daughter. She doesn't have his talent.
  • The Lost Man by Jane Harper. Also have The Dry lined up by the same author.
  • Loved The Dry.


    I'm reading The House at Riverton by Kate Morton.

    Currently working my way through two piles -  flash fiction/short story collections picked up at the Flash Festival alternated with books I bought for my mum that mostly she didn't get round to reading (it was a long time before she told me that the print in a lot of them was too small!). Soon there will be a third pile to add to the rota as husband was given a long book list for birthday!

  • I'm reading Deep South by Paul Theroux and a book of short stories by Charles Beaumont (he wrote some episodes of the original Twilight Zone).
  • I have three on the go. Baggy's book to dip into, 'Ballroom' by a local author Anna Hope, and a book of poetry - I must find a romantic poem for my poetry appreciation group.
  • I've bought an e-book called IQ by Joe Ide. It's about a young chap called Isiah Quintabe (the titular IQ) and he's purported to be the Sherlock Holmes of the 21st Century by media reviews. It's OK, the writing is good, but heavily flavoured for the American market, much like John D McDonald was when he wrote the Travis McGee series. I'm not saying Joe Ide is as good as John D, but it's an entertaining book.  
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press
    Author:     Frank Stenton
    Title:        Anglo-Saxon England


  • City and Guilds qualifications manual in prep for courses starting in September
  • Norfolk Magazine

  • I have just started "The Silk Merchant's Daughter" by Dinah Jefferies.  I really enjoyed reading her book "The Tea Planter's Wife."
  • dora said:
    City and Guilds qualifications manual in prep for courses starting in September
    My heeed is hurting
  • I had forgotten to sort out a new book to read from my bookshelves the other night. My kindle was to hand, so I had a browse and found a book I have absolutely no memory of downloading. I was intrigued and wondered if it was tber's book.
    Anyway I started reading it and was quickly absorbed. It's called The Penal Colony by Richard Herley.
    I now don't believe it was written by a tber, but I still don't know what it's doing on my kindle because it's not the sort of book I would normally choose. However, I'm still happily reading it!
  • Rereading Less by Sean Andrew Greer because i recommended it for book club. i've lent it to two people and couldn't find it so someone still has it so had to buy it again which is irritating. but I love it so want a copy.
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