A book you really enjoyed over the last two years.

Our Spoons Came from Woolworths

Barbara Comyns

Semi-autobiographical account of a disastrous early marriage, ghastly in-laws and grinding poverty among aspiring artists.

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Bridge of Clay
Markus Zusak

Poignant, gritty, poetic, funny, beautiful!

Just finished reading ‘Time and Time Again’ by Ben Elton. Can thoroughly recommend this. A time travelling tale with a twist. Very though provoking.

Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith. We got it for our monthly bookgroup and it really evoked parts of Italy and a good read,including historical accuracy about the partisans in world war 2.

Strange flowers ,Exit,paper cup, finished all Dr Ruth Galloway by Ellie Griffiths which I really enjoyed,

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Where the Crawdads Sing, couldn't put it down.

For me the book I read was "The Lost Ways". This book is written very specifically and truthfully. If you want to learn about survival, this is a book worth reading.

I spent some time reading "The Lost Ways", a book about survivalism written by Claude Davis. A lot of good and useful knowledge about survival is mentioned. This is a very interesting book.

In the last year I have enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns, Where The Crawdads Sing and Remarkable Creatures. After picking one of the books in a sale I have read all Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway books and loved them all. Ruth is such a real person, you feel you would recognise her if you saw her in the street.

I’ve just finished Demon Copperhead, all 600 pages of it. Cleverly written but not for the faint hearted, drug addiction features heavily.

So I wanted something light-hearted to read and chose ‘The Trial’ by Rob Rinder. Thoroughly enjoying it. 👍

I would highly recommend A Thousand splendid suns. Its been my absolute favourite recently. Also I suggest The bell jar by Sylvia Plath(another author i enjoyed reading a lot this year) and The Lowlands by Jhumpa Lahiri (Amazing Plot, Intricate details and realistic characters overall an amazing work)

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High Wages by Dorothy Whipple

DW is one of my favourite authors and this is the latest of several other books by DW I have read. They are all very good.

Currently reading and thoroughly enjoying ‘That Bonesetter ‘Woman’ by Frances Quinn. A really good read, set in the 18th century.

The two books that I enjoyed so much are The Book of Lost Names and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

I recently read Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow which was highly unusual but such a good read. I'm on A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara now a brilliant read and so well written.

Still Life by Sarah Winman, set mainly in Florence, is such a positive, life-affirming book. The panoply of quirky characters are good for each other, such a change from the accounts of toxic relationships that are the theme.of so many novels. And the central character Ulysses is someone who makes you glad to have known.

I love the historical novels. Just reading Hamnet by. Maggie O’Farrell which I am enjoying.

A Respectable Trade by Philippa Gregory. In fact anything by her if you enjoy historical novels. Fabulous author.

I recommend the World's End series by Upton Sinclair and Robert Tressel: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists.

Wyllow3

The Louise Penny detective series with the detective M Gamache. Wonderful insights and good yarns, not found anything so good in ages.

PS Casdon that is a wonderful book too.

Have you tried Donna Leon's Brunetti books set in Venice ?. No blood or gore but just a gentle read and a good back story with his family .

I have always liked Anne Tyler’s books and someone recommended Mary Lawson as being a similar author. I have just finished ‘A Town Called Solace’ and really enjoyed it so have just ordered another of her titles from the library.

Not a novel but very interesting and incredibly moving in parts (don't read it in public!).
There are some Sue Black mini-lectures on YouTube if you fancy a taster.