Summer reads

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Thanks lesleysmallbiz for your recommendation to The Sunne in Splendour. I felt more and more sorry for Richard 111 the more I read. What a raw deal, and then the Tudors slagged him off after he was dead.
I will certainly try other books by this author. I had previously red the Phillipa Gregory - The White Queen , about Elizabeth Woodville and that was a much more sympathetic view of her character - but I did not enjoy Gregory's supernatural bit, ancestor was a river goddess etc etc
I have just downloaded a sample of PGs book about R3's wife Anne Neville, who was a central character in The Sunne. And I will certainly read more of Penman's work.
It was extremely long, but never boring, and I was glad I was reading it on Kindle as it must be about 2.5 inches thick in paper form. Hard to hold in sleepy hands.
Reminds me of when my mother, who was reading A Suitable Boy and dismantled the paperback into manageable chunks.

No relation of mine they're not old enough to write a book I'm afraid. However other people have enjoyed this book too so obviously just not for you.

Just a thought - auntie1 - did your niece write it perhaps?

Oh dear I fell for A Disguising of Tailors after auntie1's recommendation and it is truly one of the worst books I have not been able to read- i.e. get beyond about P 5. It reads so clumsily and so far has plumbed the depths of cliches:
"Manuel pushed it opened (sic) but stood back: he wasn't sure if Tailor still had a gun and didn't want to be the recipient of any bullets fired in anger.
(Note from me, bullets fired in fun of course can't do any damage)
However, I digress.
"Henry...Henry it's me Manuel". He waited "Hey it's me..." (and so on)
Anyway they find a body
"He's freezing cold. I fear we're too late. He felt his wrist for a pulse.....
Excited? On tenterhooks? No? Me neither.
I wonder if as a first book it's one of those self-published novels? Pretty dire, even as a cheapo on Amazon, I reckon I was robbed.

I have just download Me Before You for my kindle.
I really enjoyed Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and the Kite flyer by Khaled Hosseini .
But favourite books of all time are Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres and the Claudius books by Robert Graves.

Started reading the latest Patrick Gale book - A Perfectly Good Man - set in Cornwall of course and not a straightforward tale time wise. About a third of the way now and really enjoying the weaving together of the characters and their lives.
I was pleased to see it for the Kindle about £3 less than the paperback in W.H.Smith.

Am also re reading - the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society- but left that in France as thought I would only be in UK a few days but broken arm keeping me here for a bit longer. If all well at hospital tomorrow we hope to go on the ferry Thursday.

I have just finished reading The Musicians Way, the book is fascinating for anyone who is learning an instrument, it is very interesting and practical. i couldn't put it down, towards the middle of it i felt like the author was actually sitting in my living room explaining everything to me.

Gerald Klickstein.

I would still like to know what's happened to the Reading List, GNHQ!

Oh, I liked it, not as much as Roy Grace though.
Chess, I agree about Jack Reacher, don`t tell anyone, but I think I`m in love with him!

PS to my previous post about Peter Robinson's 'Before The Poison'. It's downhill all the way, I'm afraid. Nothing like as good as DCI Banks and had a really disappointing ending.

Oh yes they have, chess. Look at this thread:
www.gransnet.com/forums/am_i_being_unreasonable/1192782-Its-all-very-well-to-laugh

really into the Jack Reacher books.Can't believe I've only recently found him. a bit surprised no-one yet had mentioned "the" book!!!

In the middle of another brilliant Karen Rose book, No One Left to Tell, I love Karen Rose.
Merlotgran, I read Before the Poison a while back, I agree, it`s a very good story.

Well, I know we haven't had any summer weather yet, but it is strictly speaking summer - what's happened to the Reading List?

Anyone who likes the DCI Banks series by Peter Robinson might like to read Before The Poison. It's not an Alan Banks story but about a composer of incidental music for Hollywood films who returns to his roots in Yorkshire following the death of his wife. He buys a spooky old house in the Dales and uncovers the story of a woman who was hanged in 1953 rightly or wrongly? for the murder of her husband. I'm just over half way through and loving it.

I have recently read A Disguising of Tailors by Sandra Anderson from Amazon as a paperback or Kindle format. It was a great read. An exciting mystery thriller which moves from England to Norway. It has many twists and turns in the plot and is thankfully not full of gratuitous sex and violence as so many books are today. It is her first book and I shall be looking out for more books by this author, hopefully a sequel using some of the same characters who became like friends.

What's happened to the Gransnet List of Summer Reads, GNHQ?
I know it doesn't seem like it, but it is technically summer.....

If you like books set in world war 2, Woman of Secrets by Amelia Carr is a great read. Her new book The Secret She Kept is also just out. I have just finished reading The Thread by Victoria Hislop which I loved and Rightous Exposure by AK James which is her first book is a good read too.

I've just read that one Susiecb having heard it some time ago on Woman's Hour - lovely read. I found my original copy of a Moveable Feast last year and loved being re reading it. You should really read some more of Hemingway. (sorry about all the 'reads'!)

susiecb, that sounds fascinating. His autobiographical book about his life as a young writer in Paris, 'A Moveable Feast' is a favourite of mine. Don't be put off by the notion that Hemingway is all about bullfighting. Have a go at 'A Farewell to Arms' - no bulls in that. Also 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'. I think the latter is where the quotation 'did the earth move for you?' originated!

This is a long thread so I haven't read it all so please forgive me if you have had this one. I have just finished The Paris Wife about Hemingways first wife (not a biography but lots of biographiccal detail). It was fascinating. I have never wanted to read Hemingway (all the bullfighting etc put me off) but I think I might now. This book is very well written account of their early life together and lovely stories about Paris and the South of France in the 20s

Thanks to stansgran I am now almost finished "A tree grows in Brooklyn" what a super book and I had never heard of it. Could I suggest the Patrick Gale books "Notes from an Exhibition" was the first one I read and loved about a very interesting and complex family with a lovely peaceful theme running through it, you would have to read it to know what I mean

The Sense of An Ending by Julian Barnes

This was recommended to me by someone at my bookgroup and I read it in a very short time and throughly enjoyed it. It explores memories of relationships of 40 years ago at school and university and the main character is forced to re-evaluate his memories. A thought provoking read.

I have just re-read the Hannay books as I got them for my Kindle. I thought they hadn't stood the test of time too well. Apart from the imperialist attitudes (to put it kindly), I find his dialogue very badly written and I skipped huge chunks of description. I think Greenmantle is about the best of them, but I found Mr Standfast far too long.