What books are you reading and why?

Inishowen, I read American Dirt a few weeks ago, couldn't put it down although quite harrowing, needed some light reading for the next book!

My daughter has just been recommended that we read, "It Didn't Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle" by her mental health support worker. Recent events have had her tentatively diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder which is often caused by an attachment problem with their parents. I have to confess that I am rather struggling with the thought that my actions have inflicted this on my daughter but as I had attachment issues with my mother, she had them with hers, I am hoping to find it illuminating and, hopefully, healing.

In April I read Lockdown written by Peter May some 15 years ago! It was fascinating. Since then I've read a number of fiction books: Little White Lies by Philippa East and The Catch by T M Logan amongst them. Recently I read The Choice by Edith Eger. It's been on my Kindle for a while but I needed to be 'ready' to read it. Obviously NOT a fiction book, it was remarkable as is the author.

winterwhite

My current 'downstairs book' for daytime is Britain AD by Francis Pryor, about the dark ages and myths about King Arthur. I'm reading it because I've just got round to it. Bought by me in some 2nd hand bookshop because it looked interesting and readable, which it is.

My 'upstairs book' i.e. bedtime is a detective story from the British Library crime club - 1930s body-in-the-library stuff. I'm downstairs at the moment and can't remember author or title.?

Your post made me laugh * winterwhite*!!
I too have upstairs and downstairs books, plus one for the car as well!!
( as I get left whilst H does the leg work for us!!)
As for forgetting titles and authors,......?!!

I am reading Peter James' 'Find Them Dead' which is the latest in a detective series set in Brighton. I would have ordered it from the library for a 60p reservation charge but the second Lockdown has sent that packing so I bought the book on a 'Two For £8' at Tesco's. I am really enjoying it for the plot which involves drug running, county lines and witness nobbling and also the West Sussex background.

The other one on the 'Two-For' is the latest Lynda Le Plante and I am looking forward to reading that.

I alternate with 'worthier ' titles suggested by my book group. I have just finished 'The Offing' which was also a very jolly read.

Currently listening to James Mace’s excellent series of books on the Anglo-Zulu war. I wanted to learn more about the politics and history of former British territories. It was only taught from the empire’s point of view when I was at school many years ago.

'American Dirt'. Incredible book and so well written. Was hooked right from the beginning. Highly recommended.

icanhandthemback ... your post echoes my position, especially your last sentence.
Can I say, dont be too hard on yourself.
Can I recomend any of Oliver James books on the same subject?
As I found them to be interesting and helpful as well.

I'm currently reading Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers. It's definitely not my usual sort of thing - detective novels, thrillers & plenty of blood & guts & action! This one was recommended on Between the Covers , Sarah Cox's literary programme on BBC2 on Friday last week. The plot just caught my imagination & I'm really enjoying it for a change. Like many others, I recently read & thoroughly enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club - again, not my usual type but it was refreshing & very Richard Osman, I could hear him as I read. I really love reading & lockdown is the perfect excuse to fill my Kindle & curl up in front of the logburner

'American Dirt' by Jeanine Cummings. Incredible book and so well written. Was hooked right from the beginning. Highly recommended. Also 'The Plague' by Albert Camus. About fear and isolation as people are in the grip of a deadly plague.

I have just finished Virginia Nicholson's 'Singled Out - how two million women survived without men after the First World War'- published by Penguin in 2008. It gripped me from start to finish. Full of incredible, moving and brave stories showing how much we still owe to this generation, who gave us new role models and paved the way for so many of the life chances we now take for granted.

Mazmoonshine54

I've just finished Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It was on my must read list.

I've just watched a doc. About Ddm on o e of the free channels (PBS I think) Fascinating woman.

I'm reading Doctor Zhivago as it's been on my book shelf for ages (along with many titles) and thought it was high time I got it out and actually read it. I'm about three quarters through. It differs greatly from the film, well it would, wouldn't it?

I like to alternate between slower, deeper books and faster moving thrillers so it'll be something entirely different next.

This is a really useful thread and I've noted lots of suggestions. I'm currently reading through the Montalbano books by Andrea Camilleri. I'll probably re-read all my Georgette Heyers next as I think enough time has gone by for me to have 'forgotten' them. I've also got all the Margery Allingham 'Campion' novels and the Dorothy L Sayers 'Peter Wimsey" novels to go through. These three authors were all inherited from my mother who also enjoyed a good read.

I'm reading When I Come Home Again by Caroline Scott. It's about a man who comes home from the Great War traumatised and the women who hope he is the man they have 'lost'. I have a special interest in WW1 as a friend owns the Lochnagar Crater on the Somme. I've always read several books a week - when I was young most children could read before they started school so I got the habit early! Also we didn't have a television so my sister and I read for entertainment. My husband finds it peculiar that I always read and watch television at the same time but I tell him; there are soooo many books in the world and life is short. A few years ago one of my sons bought me a Kindle for Christmas. I resisted it at first as turning the pages of a book is such a pleasure, but now I love the instant way books can come to me.

I am reading Mrs Bridge by Evan S Connell. Set in pre-second war America it is witty and very clever. Nice short chapters too so you can read it is little bursts.

Just finished Expectation by Anna Hope - a wonderful book about female friendship - recommended! About to start A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier. Our library has free reservations at the moment so I am taking full advantage of this service!!

I'm also about to reread A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara because it was wonderful, though heart wrenching.

I’m reading Elif Shafak’s ‘10 minutes, 38 seconds in this strange world’. I’ve heard her speak a few times and thought I’d give her novels a go. She writes extremely well and I’ll definitely be reading more of her work. I download a lot of books from BorrowBox and last night finished one in the Quick Reads series: ‘Six feet six’ by the author of ‘My name is Leon’ (Kit de Waal). Started ‘A Paris bookshop’ and am a few chapters in. Don’t know where I’d be without reading!

icanhandthemback , we don’t do anything to harm our children on purpose so give yourself a break. I suffered with a lot of separation anxiety from my mother as a child but now as a grown up l try to rationalise the old feelings l felt. Why don’t you and your daughter read the book together? You could take your time over it and discuss it as you go. It might drag up some unwanted feelings for both of you but you could support each other, you are mother and daughter after all. It may bring you closer too for your daughter to understand how you have felt in the past. As long as you both start with a logical open mind and go very slowly what harm can it do? Help her and listen to her during discussion on the book but don’t argue or disagree on feelings because that’s what they are, feelings. Understanding each other will help you both. Good luck

milliemabel Sorry to hear you've lost your dad. How lovely that you read to him.

I’m immersed in the Wild West of America, in Texas. I’m reading The Son by Phillip Meyer. It’s a three-generation tale of white man’s incursion into Indian territory and the later Mexican population. It’s very bloody in parts, which is not my usual preference, but the narrative drives the book along relentlessly even though it’s approx 600 pages long.

It has apparently been made into a tv series with Pierce Brosnan as the main protagonist.

Vickya, I also read the Jalna series in my ear.y teens, and loved it. The only one I didn't read was the very first one, so bought a used copy online a couple of years ago and ' caught ' up. I may well do the same with the whole series. It was made into a tv series some years ago, which was such a disappointment. Having all the characters in my mind's eye, I would have done it very differently. ( I wish! )

Just read’ A room made of leaves’ by Kate Greville about a woman whos husband is sent to govern the penal colony in Australia. Very rich on detail like all her books. My other book which I’m currently reading is ‘ How to build a better brain’ by Dr Sabrina Brennan, on how to try to ‘future proof your brain’ by increasing neuroplasticity, basically helping your brain to adapt to cope if damaged by age or illness. It is very interesting and hopeful.

I enjoy detective/police procedural books. I've done Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and Elizabeth George again and again. If you haven't read any by Anthea Fraser* you might enjoy her Inspector David Webb series (first one is 'A Shroud for Delilah') and a lighter series which made me truly laugh out loud is The Falconer Files by (weirdly) Andrea Frazer. All these are in my kindle library.

I've gone nostalgic for the 70s and begun reading Desmond Bagley's thrillers again. I just finished 'Running Blind', which is set in Iceland. My copy is so old it's falling to bits and the pages are yellow with age but I'd only read it once, about 35 years ago, so it was like the first time! I'll read 'The Vivero Letter' next.

I'm nearly at the end of the entire 'Dr Dolittle' collection by Hugh Lofting, which I last read when I was around nine years old. I went back to them thinking I'd recommend/read them to my grandson but there are some very outdated references in them which preclude that.

I'm lost without a book.