What books are you reading and why?

Any Martina Cole......

May I recommend Alaska, by James Michenor? It`s a very long, thick book, spanning Alaska`s history from prehistoric times to the present day, and it`s fascinating. I first bought it about 40 or so years ago, and bring it out to re-read every so often, just giving myself enough time to forget the finer details.

Finished reading The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi and really enjoyed it. It was set in jaipur in the 1950's.

Just started The Long Call by Ann Cleeves. For some unknown reason I have not read any of her books, though I love a good crime novel. A few chapters in, and so far I am enjoying it.

I have just completed 'Where the Crawdads Sing' . I was a late starter to this novel having given up reading it 4 times. I am so pleased I perceivered. It is the most absorbing and unusual story I have read in a long time. I am not surprised it sold so well.

I've just started Joanna Trollope's "Mum and Dad" she used to write very well about family dynamics and then she went off a bit, but this latest one was in Sainsburys for £4.99 so I thought I'd give her another go.

My last book was "The Other Passenger" by Louise Cadlish, which I thoroughly recommend to anyone who loves a twisty psychological thriller, I couldn't put it down!

I have two on the go at the moment; Bernard Cornwell’s “War Lord” which I am eaking out because I love the main characters so much I don’t want it to end. It’s the last in the series.
The other one is “Pandora’s Jar” by Nathalie Haynes. She is a wonderful writer, scholarly, amusing and fiercely feminist, she approaches women - both the heroines and the monsters - in mythology from a different, more humane perspective, exploring the ancient texts and even citing some surprising modern media counterparts. By no means dry as dust writing - she can never be accused of that; she gives the women of the ancient world a voice.

Barack Obama. A Promised Land. One of my Christmas present books.

I have just downloaded A Better Man by Louise Penny. If anyone likes crime fiction the Inspector Gamache books are very good and well written. There are a few of them so start with the first one Still Life.
On the lighter side I have been reading Jeeves and Wooster, P G Wodehouse very funny.

I've just finished 'The Nightingale' about life in France during WW2 under the Nazi regime. Not an easy read, in fact, quite traumatic - puts our present problems into perspective. I needed a stiff drink at the end of it.

Like Jumblygran I resort to P G Wodehouse for some light relief. Also I've a book of Somerset Maugham short stories, for a nice wallow in history.

I have just finished Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher. A lot of it is set in Cornwall and it is very good. I'm also over half way through A Suitable Boy and enjoying it very much. It is my 'daytime' book as it is too big to take to bed. On the Kindle in bed I have 'Four Sisters' by Val Wood. I love her books, set in my home area of East Yorkshire.

Am half-way through The Salt Path by Raynor Winn, having seen it recommended on the 50 books a year thread. More than one reviewer said it was the best book they had read this year and am inclined to agree.

Now reading Silver Bay by Jo-Jo Moyes. What a versatile writer she is. This is set in Australia whereas the last one of hers I read was The Giver of Start set in the coal mines of 1930s USA.

Start Stars

I was trawling our overstuffed bookshelves the other night for something that a) I hadn’t already read, or b) that wasn’t any of dh’s heavy non-fiction.

I picked up David Copperfield, thinking I must surely have read it ages ago, but I hadn’t.

Haven’t read any Dickens for ages but thoroughly enjoying it - despite the fact of it being a very fat book so not ideal for reading in bed. On the plus side it will last me more than 2 days (very quick reader.)

I love ‘Coming Home’ rubysong, it’s a reread favourite. I read it for the third or fourth time during March lockdown.

I am reading Rumours of Rain by Andre Brink for book group.

I am just reading Single to Paris by Alexander Fullerton picked up in a phone box lockdown library last month. All about an SOE agent in occupied France and very atmospheric although with some graphic bits of Gestapo interrogation.

Have just finished When The Germans Came about the occupation of the Channel islands, a gripping read about how bad they had it out there.

I am a big fan of CJ Sansom books, about a lawyer Adam Shardlake, suppose you could call them historical thrillers.

Witzend ...did you happen to see a tv program called the ations favourite 50 books?

Pride and prejudice was number one with David Copperfield coming around 2md or 3rd I think.
I havent read it...yet!

Reaps

I'm reading And then there were none by Agatha Christie. I read a lot of detective novels and decided to revisit the classics such as Christie

Voted by Christie fans as her best book.

No, I didn’t, Namsnanny - I’ll have to do a google!

Another one I was sure I must have read ages ago, was George Eliot’s Middlemarch, which was one of 12 on the syllabus for an OU course on the 19thC novel.

I absolutely loved that book and managed to do at least 2 assignments on it, plus one exam question. ?

Bakingmad0203

I love Lucinda Riley’s The Seven Sisters books. Each one ( there are 7 books altogether) is set in a different country ( some which I’ve visited) and well researched. Looking forward to reading about the last sister which is due out early next year.

Me too. Love it

Another seven sisters fan here. The last in the series is due out this May.

I really enjoyed the Seven Sisters books, so looking forward to the last one.