What are you reading at the moment

*Ariadne, I LOVE those Rosemary Sutcliffe books. You know there are two others in the series? The Silver Branch and The Lantern Bearers.

Now that I've remembered Mary Stewart I have looked on Amazon and found her latest "Stormy Petrel" not long published. I've downloaded it to my Kindle ready to read.

Not reading, but listening again to Jeremy Irons reading 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' by John Fowles - love it!

Ariadne I somehow think those Hislop books would never have been published I'd she wasn't married to You Know Who. Have just bought 50 Years of Private Eye for DH for Christmas. Are there any up to date editions of those marvellous Mary Renault books? My much loved copies have such yellowed pages and tiny print I think today's teenagers would quail. The film was called The Eagle, and was not very good. BBC tv version much better, but at
Least got everyone reading it again. The Book People did the three in paperback dead cheap, and Folio Soc have done first two,gorgeous, but pricey.

Mary Renault on Amazon.
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/ref=sr_tc_2_0?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3AMary+Renault&keywords=Mary+Renault&ie=UTF8&qid=1318928794&sr=8-2-ent&field-contributor_id=B000AP5EFQ

Thank you Annobel!

Hi all,

This is my very first posting and as I love reading it seems appropriate to write it in here.

The book I found really hard to get into, and took me 3 attempts to get started, was Wild Swans, Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. Its about a family history, which spans a centuary telling the life story of three generations, from Grandmother, Mother and Grandaughter, who is telling the history. As I said, I found it heavy reading at the beginning and didn't think I would continue, but I eventually got over the beginning and could'nt put it down.

I prefer biographies to fiction personally, thats not to say I haven't read fiction. Coming from the North East, Catherine Cookson was one of my favourite fiction writers, and having just started to research my family tree, I can relate to a lot of the 18 and early 1900's.

OOOOPS,

The book I'm reading at the moment is Shame, by Jasvinder Saghera. Its about a South Asian woman who was being forced into an arranged marriage, but ran away. She was disowned by her family, but she came a long way into helping a lot of other women who were being forced into marriage, some at a very young age.

Firstly - welcome Madge - I'm sure you'll enjoy belonging to the GN community.
Secondly - I admire you tenacity, if I can't get into a book in the first 20 or so pages I'm afraid to admit that I give up and don't even bother to try again. To my thinking there are so many good books waiting to be read that I needn't waste my time on ones that are hard to start.

Annobel

Just heard that Julian Barnes won the Booker prize for Sense of an Ending. Suppose I'd better read it. Its been on my kindle for weeks!

Watched Diana Athill last night and do intend to read "somewhere toward the end" What a colourful life she has had

Hattie64 Well, that wasn't very exciting was it, just a quick mention on the 10 o'clock news. I suppose it never is when the favourite wins. I went to the Man Booker event at the Chelt Lit Fest, but Julian Barnes was obviously too grand to come, so I shall read his book last. I liked the sound of Pigeon English the most, and a friend years ago lent me Westerns (JT Edson??) which Ireally enjoyed so I'll go for The Sisters Brothers next. Nearly typed the Scissors Sisters! Frankly, roll on the Orange Prize. I find I almost always love them far more.

Just seen JB on Newsnight and remembered that I did love Flaubert's Parrot, and the History of the World in 10% Chapters (half on theiPad anyone?)

Madge; as a northern girl have you been to Ashington? We went there this summer...felt very moved at a time when there have been several mining disasters recently. I read Germinal when I was in my teens and get rather emotional about mining communities.

Thank you for your welcome yogagran.

I have to confess it took 3 attempts over a period of 2 years to read Wild Swan. I was recommended it by a dear departed friend who had a personal interest in the history of the book, so I would hear snippets from her at every opportunity. Knowing the background of the book already should have made it easy to read, but whether or not it was a mental block or it being associated with my friend, I just found it difficult to get over the first few pages. I guess you could call me tenacious, but it was well worth the wait for me.

Crimson,

Ashington is about 30 minutes drive up the coast from me, but I have'nt heard of Germinal? Ive tried to google it but nothing familiar is coming up.

Ganja try Arthur and George about Arthur Conan Doyle, it is brilliant, and I enjoyed it more than Flaubert's Parrot. Am going to download the Sisters Brothers on my Kindle.

Thanks for the recommendation GoldenGran. I'm not mad keen on Conan Doyle, but I'll give it a try. When it first came out I kept reading it as Gilbert and George, which did not recommend it to me!

Germinal is by Emile Zola. I read a lot of his books when I was young but think they'd be too heavy for me now.

Today I picked up 'The Fear Index' from the library (ordered it) by Robert Harris.It is about an investment banker who manages a Hedge Fund. Somebody breaks into his house whilst asleep. So begins a waking nightmare of paranoia and violence as he attempts to find out who is trying to destroy him. (about half the worlds population I would think)!!! I have never read a Robert Harris book, so will let you know how I get on with it.

Help! Someone said they had found The Help free to download. Does anyone remember who or where? I really want to read it.

Hattie 64 I really enjoyed The Ghost by Robert Harris. Mind you, I had to read it twice, and I'm still not sure I got all the twists and turns at the end.

I've just finished '1222' by Anne Holt, which someone here recommended, and thanks for that. It was a good read with interesting characters and an intriguing plot. Now I am on Sheila Hancock's 'Just Me' - about coming to terms with being on her own and learning how to be just herself. I do think - and are you listening, Geraldine et al - that she would be a wonderful subject for a web chat and I recommend GNetters to read the book.

I like thrillers and crime novels, especially by American female authors. I am reading Mary Higgins Clark at the moment. Great stuff

'The Fear Index' which I am reading, is so engrossing, I can't put it down. I am now getting slightly worried that something dreadful is about to happen, I now have the fear factor. Anyway a great read.

I`ve just finished Breakneck, by Erica Spindler, great stuff, now reading Grave Sight, by Charlaine Harris. I`m not really sure what I think of this one, about a girl who was struck by lightening aged 15, and ever since has been able to sense where dead bodies are, and can say what the cause of death was, but I`ll finish it before I make any firm judgement.