What are you reading? 📚

[Comrade 86]

On 19/03/2024 at 14:13, sage said:

Read 2 books on holiday.

How they Broke Britain by James O'Brien, with chapters on various politicians and advisors who he sees as getting us to where we are now. Thought and anger provoking. If you interested in politics and centre or leftist especially.

The Satsuma Complex, Bob Mortimer's debut novel. Very Bob, very funny with a quirky cast of characters and a tense-ish plot.

 

Bought it yesterday by weird coincidence. I've always thought he talks a lot of sense without being overtly political, which is a tricky enough balance these days. 

On a general note, for anyone doing audiobooks (this is my first foray), Audible have two offers running currently - please see below. Not sure how much I'll like the audio thing, but I had to stop using a kindle as I'm an insomniac and it really wasn't helping! 

[DarkFruitsRam7]

On 19/03/2024 at 11:20, sage said:

Oooh sounds good. He is very good but also slightly irritating. His books is very good. I may go.

Bang on. I agree with the vast majority of his opinions, but his demeanour just rubs me up the wrong way. Puts me off following his stuff.

[Boycie]

[sage]

45 minutes ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

Bang on. I agree with the vast majority of his opinions, but his demeanour just rubs me up the wrong way. Puts me off following his stuff.

The book is better than his radio, you get the content without the 'personality'

[B4’s Sister]

I’ve just finished Coastliners by Joanne Harris. I didn’t enjoy Chocolat by the same author and I wasn’t a fan of this either.

While I’ve been doing DIY over the last week I have listened to The Colour of Our Sky by Amita Trasi. Loved it but I really felt for the female characters in it.
 

Need to pick a new book for reading and listening to. Think I’m going to read Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne. Maybe listen to Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver on Audible. 

[ketteringram]

On 08/03/2024 at 16:16, B4’s Sister said:

Report back when you’ve finished it @ketteringram 

Finished Queen of Dirt Island the other day. Unusual writing style, and I'm not keen on the way he does speech, but overall, I enjoyed it enough to try more. 

So have moved onto The Spinning Heart, which got delivered yesterday. Only a few pages in at this stage, but I think I'll enjoy this one more than Queen of Dirt Island. 

Did you get around to reading any of his other books?

[B4’s Sister]

1 hour ago, ketteringram said:

Finished Queen of Dirt Island the other day. Unusual writing style, and I'm not keen on the way he does speech, but overall, I enjoyed it enough to try more. 

So have moved onto The Spinning Heart, which got delivered yesterday. Only a few pages in at this stage, but I think I'll enjoy this one more than Queen of Dirt Island. 

Did you get around to reading any of his other books?

Not yet, but I will definitely read more. My book club are discussing Queen of Dirt Island in our April meeting. I loved how each chapter felt like a short story. It was a clever way of writing with the chapters being so short. 

[ketteringram]

One thing I find frustrating. I find a book I really like, so immediately search out other books by the same author. When that works , all good. 

When it doesn't, not so good. 

I really enjoyed The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Immediately tried another couple by him. Didn't get anywhere close to half way through them. Couldn't believe it was the same writer. 

Likewise, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Brilliant. So tried The Humans. Couldn't get on with it at all. Again, found it hard to believe it was the same writer. 

It's not the cost. I get a lot of books from charity shops. It's the disappointment of having enjoyed something so much, and then finding the next one so poor.

One of the most frustrating. One of my all time favourite books, is The Light Between the Oceans by E L Stedman. Now , that was written in 2012 I think. I read it about four years ago. Random charity shop purchase. Couldn't wait to read more by the same writer. Turns out, they never published anything before, or since, that book. 😞

[Crewton]

1 hour ago, ketteringram said:

One thing I find frustrating. I find a book I really like, so immediately search out other books by the same author. When that works , all good. 

When it doesn't, not so good. 

I really enjoyed The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Immediately tried another couple by him. Didn't get anywhere close to half way through them. Couldn't believe it was the same writer. 

Likewise, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Brilliant. So tried The Humans. Couldn't get on with it at all. Again, found it hard to believe it was the same writer. 

It's not the cost. I get a lot of books from charity shops. It's the disappointment of having enjoyed something so much, and then finding the next one so poor.

One of the most frustrating. One of my all time favourite books, is The Light Between the Oceans by E L Stedman. Now , that was written in 2012 I think. I read it about four years ago. Random charity shop purchase. Couldn't wait to read more by the same writer. Turns out, they never published anything before, or since, that book. 😞

That's a very interesting point. I often do likewise (though usually try to read at least one review of any book I read). Keen to try more fiction by female authors, I'd read that Helen Dunmore was highly regarded. She had a new book out in paperback called Birdcage Walk which was getting good reviews, so I bought it, but found it to be no more than OK. A few months later (I think after she'd died) I decided to give her another go and read another recent book of hers called The Siege, set during the siege of Leningrad in WW2. This proved to be everything that Birdcage Walk wasn't and made me glad that I'd not given up on her.

[G STAR RAM]

On 19/03/2024 at 14:13, sage said:

Read 2 books on holiday.

How they Broke Britain by James O'Brien, with chapters on various politicians and advisors who he sees as getting us to where we are now. Thought and anger provoking. If you interested in politics and centre or leftist especially.

I wouldn't even say you need to be centre or leftist to enjoy reading it.

I've spent years being called far right yet I still enjoyed the read.

I dont particularly like JOB and don't agree with everything he says, I think it is clear that he has vendettas against certain people that he doesn't really back up with anything substantive, but it's definitely a thought provoking book and one that I'd definitely recommend to people. 

[B4’s Sister]

On 08/04/2024 at 12:56, Crewton said:

That's a very interesting point. I often do likewise (though usually try to read at least one review of any book I read). Keen to try more fiction by female authors, I'd read that Helen Dunmore was highly regarded. She had a new book out in paperback called Birdcage Walk which was getting good reviews, so I bought it, but found it to be no more than OK. A few months later (I think after she'd died) I decided to give her another go and read another recent book of hers called The Siege, set during the siege of Leningrad in WW2. This proved to be everything that Birdcage Walk wasn't and made me glad that I'd not given up on her.

One of the few authors I’ve liked almost everything by is Sarah Waters. I’ve now read everything by her apart from The Night Watch. I’ve been saving it knowing, there is nothing else by her at the moment. 
 

@ketteringram I loved The Light Between Oceans too. Hated The Midnight Library. I’ve sworn to never to read another book by Matt Haig 😆

[ketteringram]

10 minutes ago, B4’s Sister said:

One of the few authors I’ve liked almost everything by is Sarah Waters. I’ve now read everything by her apart from The Night Watch. I’ve been saving it knowing, there is nothing else by her at the moment. 
 

@ketteringram I loved The Light Between Oceans too. Hated The Midnight Library. I’ve sworn to never to read another book by Matt Haig 😆

Not sure if you've read it, but The Lighthouse Sisters by Gill Thompson is excellent. Well, for me anyway. 

Set in Jersey during WW2. 

I've read all of her books, and though they can get a bit samey, I've enjoyed all of them, but if you're only going to read one, make it The Lighthouse Sisters. 

[Leeds Ram]

read two faces of liberalism by John Gray and This is Europe by Ben Judah which are both great books. Although Gray's critiques are a bit worn these days. About to start the novelist by Jordan Castro which has had strong recommendations too.

Edited April 9 by Leeds Ram

[B4’s Sister]

@ketteringram Just bought The Lighthouse Sisters. It was only 99p on kindle 

[jono]

On 01/03/2024 at 22:20, B4’s Sister said:

I don’t read many autobiographies. Which is surprising as I’m quite nosey 😂I’ve got Alan Rickman’s on my kindle though. 

I must look for that ! One of my all time favourite modern actors. Died too young. I’ll never forget “Christmas is cancelled” he would have been a great Rams fan 🤣

[B4’s Sister]

29 minutes ago, jono said:

I must look for that ! One of my all time favourite modern actors. Died too young. I’ll never forget “Christmas is cancelled” he would have been a great Rams fan 🤣

I’ve got visions of him as Snape chanting the spell at Quidditch but at Pride Park 😂

[Eddie]

Liu Cixin's second part of the "3 Body Problem", aptly called "The Dark Forest".

Surprisingly, no VAR yet.

[ariotofmyown]

On 08/04/2024 at 13:37, G STAR RAM said:

I've spent years being called far right yet I still enjoyed the read.

Without changing, you are now centre left, comrade!

[ariotofmyown]

On 08/04/2024 at 12:56, Crewton said:

That's a very interesting point. I often do likewise (though usually try to read at least one review of any book I read). Keen to try more fiction by female authors, I'd read that Helen Dunmore was highly regarded. She had a new book out in paperback called Birdcage Walk which was getting good reviews, so I bought it, but found it to be no more than OK. A few months later (I think after she'd died) I decided to give her another go and read another recent book of hers called The Siege, set during the siege of Leningrad in WW2. This proved to be everything that Birdcage Walk wasn't and made me glad that I'd not given up on her.

I read the Salt Lick by Lulu Allison last year and loved it. Got it as it was nomimated for a prize and had salt in the title. It's not about salt. It is set in the near future though, which I think is a good time for books to be set.

I don't tend to read reviews, want to know as little as possible for a new book. I find looking at the table displays in Waterstones enough to find a good one to read. They usually have plenty of well regarded recent novels on display, or modern classics I've not read.

I don't read that much though, if I was churning through a book a week, I might do a bit more research.

[TimRam]

A part of the Clough and Taylor story not really well known but interesting all the same. Clough and Taylor's Brighton & Hove Odyssey.