What are you reading at the moment, part2

I'm now reading 'My Father's Notebook' by Khader Abdullah. He's an Iranian exile who lives in Holland and writes in Dutch, so his work is translated. I enjoyed an earlier novel, 'The House of the Mosque', which is a family saga, going back to the days of the Shah through to the present day.

Thanks Terri and Anno, I will let you know in due course, should be starting it shortly. I do like Rose Tremain. One of my favourite books is "The Road Home," which she wrote about Lev, an east European immigrant and how he tries to make a life in England. A great read.

Better Off Dead turned out to be really quite good. Am now reading Time Passes Time, by Mary Wood, but not really enjoying it yet.

I stuck to reading The Luminaries, a marvellously well written book, but yes, confusing at times and very wordy.I enjoy most of the books by Phil Rickman but have now read all of them so am re-reading a few.I have just read The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell which I thought was great, must get more of his books. ditto The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, a good read from a reliable author.am just about to start When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr.

Some very interesting authors there * rosesarered* I will definitely be trying some of them, however, further to my previous post, I have given up on The Luminaries, I stuck it out for 200 pages but quite honestly, for me it was not an enjoyable read. I can't fault the writing, reminded me of Dickens and Sarah Walters, but a very wordy and complicated plot., and I just wasn't interested enough to continue.
One of my favourite books, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, is being serialised in 3 parts on Radio 4 Sunday afternoons, last part this week.

As I'm still in a Richard III frame of mind, I have started the White Princess by Philippa Gregory the story of Elizabeth of York who married Henry VII. The book opens post Battle of Bosworth where Richard was killed, but much of the first hundred pages Elizabeth reminisces about Richard, her lost love. I have previously read The White Queen and The Kingmakers Daughter in the Cousins War. I didn't do the Wars of the Roses when I was at school, just endless Tudors, but not a lot on Henry VII, I find this period quite interesting.

I've just embarked on The Narrow Road to the Deep North, which won the Booker last year. Got it for Christmas from a friend and have put off starting it because it looked (and is) quite heavy. But so far it's intriguing. I recently finished Phil Rickman's The Magus of Hay. I've somehow got 'hooked' on his books - really like the sense of place and the characters.

Just finished Colin Thubrons A Mountain in Tibet and Jerusalems daughters by Charlotte Mendelson. Very different but enjoyed both of them. Death and the penguin is a very funny book and enjoyed it so much I have now read most of Kurkovs books. What a pleasant thread this is

anno I had The Narrow Road to the Deep North for my birthday, just before Christmas. Once I got into it I found it very gripping. Good read, in my opinion. Enjoy!

I`ve just finished Cross My Heart, by James Patterson, I love the Alex Cross stories, and Alex`s family, but very frustrated at the end to find that the story isn`t over, it Continues in the next book, which I must now look out for!
I`ve just started I`ve Got You Under My Skin, by Mary Higgins Clark, haven`t read much yet, but it seems OK.

Like a lot of people I order a lot of books for my Kindle, however what sometimes happens(as opposed to buying a book in a bookshop)is that now and then I order a book that is really for young adults/kids by mistake, because it doesn't say so on the Amazon site.You then only find out when you have bought it and are reading it. Also, you may well be buying a self published book(if you haven't heard of the author, there is no way of telling)now, you may get a terrific book, but I have had a couple of duds.Another thing is that I have bought what I thought were novels, and they turn out to be'shorts' called Kindle Singles, not worth the money really.Apart from these niggles, I do love browsing the bookstore on Kindle.

Enjoyable recent reads:
The Laying On Of Hands by Alan Bennet. (So funny.)
the Detective's Daughter by Lesley Thomson
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
The Cold Calling by Phil Rickman

ooops just joined put some comments on last what you reading then noticed dec date!!!!

Have just finished the Miniaturist which I enjoyed. Read more than one book at a time, an 'upstairs book' and a 'downstairs book'!!
Am reading 'The underground girls of Kabul' a true account of girls being raised and presented to the world as boys. Mainly to uphold the reputation of a family who has no sons. Very interesting.

Just starting The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling, her second book under this guise. I loved The Cuckoo's Calling and I do hope he/she continues the series.

I`ve just finished my first ever Joanna Trollope book, The Other Family, and to be honest, it bored me rigid! Don`t think I`ll bother with any more. I really do like thrillers the best, but read the occasional human interest story, Annie Murray being one of my favourites there, but really did not like the Joanna Trollope one.

Joanna Trollope's writing has really gone off in my opinion numberplease. I thought some of her earlier books, A Spanish Lover, The Men and The Girls and Other People's Children were very readable, but of late some of her books have been mediocre, particularly Friday Nights, which was bordering on dire. I have noticed it with other authors they start off well, I feel the same about Peter James the crime writer of the Roy Grace detective series and also remember really liking Patricia Cornwall quite a few years back, but it seemed to me the more acronyms she used, the duller her books got. I guess some writers just don't improve with each successive novel.

"The Devil's Brood" by Sharon Penman. A hefty novel about the various rifts and rebellions between Henry the Second, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their four sons. It is very long, all the characters apart from Henry and Eleanor are becoming quite trying. To add insult to injury, this is a library book and some noodle who had it out on some previous occasion has taken it up him or herself to correct various bits of grammar and make notes in the margins! I want to scream! Fortunately, I am coming to the end (in more ways than one!).

I agree with Terri about Joanna Trollope. The Spanish lover was really good. Now she's just turnng them out. The one about army wives was just sentence after sentence dialogue and empty dialogue. I threw it away and her early novels I read twice or gave them to a friend
I am reading Annie Murray for the first time and will read another of hers- a good holiday read or something for Kindle.

I don`t have any complaints about Peter James TerriBull, I love his Roy Grace books, but I agree regarding Patricia Cornwell, she went off the boil a few years ago, her books are very tame now, merely boring descriptions of hers and Benton`s life (or lack of) together.

Really loved some beautiful suggestions in this thread. I'm currently reading The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara and It's really worth reading.

I`ve just finished a lovely book called A Yorkshire Lass, by Dee Yates, the story of a young girl`s life in service in the 1800s. Apparently there was one before this about the same family, I`m on the lookout for it, it`s called A Railway Man`s Daughter.
I`m now reading my GN prize, The House of Hidden Mothers, by Meera Syal. When it first started, I wasn`t keen, but am loving it now I`m further into it.

I've just started "A God in Ruins" by Kate Atkinson, this is a sequel to "Life After Life" which seemed to divide opinions, I loved it, which is why I bought this book in hardback, couldn't wait for the paperback. I'm hoping I will like it as much.

Since the very sad death of Terry Pratchett's I am enjoying re-reading Interesting Times, and have just finished Feet of Clay. Although his novels are set in a fantasy land, and are populated by witches, trolls, all kinds of un-dead, Feet of Clay is a thumping good detective story. I also must get on with The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith, one of the series about Precious Ramotswe the Lady Detective. I have been trying to read it for months now,cane can't seem to get into it.

And not cane (where did that come from).

As soon as I find an author I like, I have to read everything he or she has ever written. At the moment, I am working my way through the 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander Mc Call Smith and also The Coroner series by M.R. Hall.