What books are you reading and why?

"I’m reading Shuggie Bain, set in Glasgow a---"

I am interested in why the name Hugh is pronounced like Shuggie. And I guess the Scots pronunciation is true to etymology of the name. I think Hugo is another version .

Gagajo, "The Secret Life of Pronouns". 'Psycholinguistics to be precise.

Ooooh Alexa. That sounds interesting. I have been looking at language and power with a student today.

I’m reading Shuggie Bain, set in Glasgow about a child and his relationship with his alcoholic mother. It’s bleak but with flashes of humour and tenderness. It also puts my own consumption of wine into perspective !

I am reading a book on linguistics that requires a lot of thinking on my part. I read it before I do my blood pressure reading as it takes BP down as low as that of a a healthy youth

Finished “Quantum Curators and the Faberge Egg”. I read this to see if it might be a book my GS would like. Well it might be if it were not for the bad language. It was curiously engaging though. Next book is “State of Treason” by Paul Walker, the first in an Elizabethan spy trilogy. Started well.

I am 2/3rds through 'Broken Heart' by Tim Weaver and can thoroughly recommend it. I think I bought it in a charity shop. I will certainly be looking out for other titles by this author.

I belong to two book groups. For one I am ploughing my way through Scott Fitzgerald "This side of paradise", it's dreadful! In the other one we doing my choice Bernadine Evaristo " Girl, woman, other " which is very good. I've also got two other books waiting, "Shuggie Bain", and "Hamnet".

I'm dipping into various favourites. Just about to start The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I enjoyed Radio 4 adaptation of Dantes Divine Comedy so have bought a copy.
One of my biggest disappointments is Stephen King. I have been a massive fan since the 1970s. Recently however I have found myself enjoying the books initially but feeling bored half way through . The only exceptions were the one where the main character travels through time to prevent the assassination of Kennedy and Mr Mercedes.
I started The Institute and had very high Hope's of a return to form but sadly no.

Will do, GagaJo. Thanks

Ooo try The Tenant of Wildfell Hall if you like Austin, GrannyRose. Anne(?) Brontë.

For comfort/escapist reading at the moment, the whole Mapp and Lucia series on my Kindle.

During times of stress - like now - I usually reread Jane Austin as it takes me to another time and place. Have just discovered the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn, also set in regency times. It is the basis for the recent, very popular, Netflix drama which I watched first. The books are a good read if you like romance and don't mind a bit of sex too.

Reading all kinds of lighthearted fluff at the moment Jenny Colgan in her cafe or Isabel Dalhousie series from Alexander McCall Smith. Don't seem to have the staying power or appetite for anything that requires too much concentration or plot following. I blame Covid but.... might be old age!

I previously moaned about the poor selection on Amazon First Reads but have to eat my words after reading West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. I was hooked from start to finish. A wonderful heartwarming story though also illustrating the hardships of 1930s America.

This week I have read, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (again), Slave Old Man (for work) and also am nearly done reading A Dry White Season (also for work).

I am really enjoying A Dry White Season, but Slave Old Man was a bit too deep and heavily symbolic for me. OK if I was planning to write about it for myself, but not to teach to teenagers.

Just finished The Convent by Sarah Sheridan - its a murder mystery. It was recommended to me, which is why I read it, I'm glad I did as it was gripping.

I've read the first book in the trilogy before but not the other 2. The school library has all 3 in this time so I will get to read them all.

GagaJo, I thought The Three Body Problem brilliant but it is a long slow read. It must be a fiendish job translating it from Mandarin. Liu Cixin is up there with the best sci-fi writers, I’ve read other of his works too but The Three Body Problem is best I think.

Just been reading back through this thread - wonderful book recommendations- thanks everyone!
I’ve recently downloaded The River by Helen Bryan, it’s just come out and is the third in the valley trilogy. So many books have passed through my brain since I read the first two that I’ve gone back to the beginning. So I’m currently reading The Valley - eighteenth century London/Sussex/Virginia.

I am reading A Single Thread by Tracey Chevalier. I really enjoyed Girl with a Pearl Earring and Remarkable Creatures. I think TC is a great writer who really makes you care about the characters. I'm quite enjoying A Single Thread but am finding it slightly depressing. I hope the main character has a bit more luck as the story progresses.

The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin, VERY slowly because I have no little concentration these days.

I read Skallagrig a long time ago and it has always stuck in my mind, great story, I've not seen the film though.

Skallagrig by William Horwood is one of my favourite books too! I’m also enjoying his Hyddenworld series, just got one left to read. I’m currently reading Tidelands by Philippa Gregory, set during the English Civil War, which appealed to me as it was the period I studied for A level History many years ago and remember really enjoying. This is different to many of her books as it’s about ordinary people rather than kings and queens.

I'm reading 'Music A Subversive History' by Ted Goia which was a Christmas present from DS1. Covers a wide range of history, lots of interesting facts put together to make a thought provoking good read.
I normally alternate reading a stretch of a serious tome with some fiction as a lighter read. In this case Music was the lighter read because my fiction choice was Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road'...father and young son trudging through a snowy post-apocalyptic America trying to avoid the very bad guys and half starving as they struggled to find food. A really grim tale that a solo person in lockdown perhaps shouldn't be reading but I couldn't put it down and lay awake thinking about it at night. But it was also a wonderful tale of a father's love and care for his son and so beautifully written. It won McCarthy the Pulitzer Prize.