164 replies to this topic

[thara96]

Have just finished Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell, for a book club. I don't normally go for psychological thrillers, but this was really good, had me hooked so I finished it in about 4 days.

 

Have just finished Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell, for a book club. I don't normally go for psychological thrillers, but this was really good, had me hooked so I finished it in about 4 days.

I'll have to try that next! 

[Misterioso]

What do you recommend for Christmas? I am slowly getting in the festive mood. 

 

If you've not read it already, Skipping Christmas (sorry, can't remember author) is a glorious romp.

[agricola]

For Christmas, A Maigret Christmas in hardback is an attractive slim book which makes a good stocking filler.  My favourite book this year was The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, also read Scenes and Apparitions Roy Strong, couldn't get into Music in the Castle of Heaven and had to abandon it, Girl on a Train I didn't think I would enjoy but it was a real page-turner, some of the little 'A Very Short Introduction' books, the one on Thermodynamics is especially well written.  Currently reading The Goldfinch. 

[ejw21]

Just started Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez. I've finished the first chapter and there are lots of really interesting stats, but it's not heavy to ready - very accessible. It is about challenging data assumptions.

[Misterioso]

Just discovered Diane Setterfield's novels, and I love them. I've just finished Once Upon a River, and now begun The Thirteenth Tale.

[Dr. Rogers]

 

I've gotten on a Rudyard Kipling kick.  I recently finished Kim.  Now I'm almost done with his anthology The Phantom Rickshaw.  (As a Freemason I got a good laugh out of The Man Who Would Be King.)

 

Kipling was my father's favourite author.  I can't say he's my favourite (a little too imperialistic at times) but he's a fun read when taken in the context of his times.

'Stalky and Co' was one of my favourite books going back to my school days.

 

 

I'm reading The Complete Stalky and Co. right now.  It's quite a change from Kipling's stories of India - I was not aware that he had written school stories.

 

The Stalky stories are hilarious.  I have some trouble relating to them, though - the education system here in the States is rather different from the system in Victorian England, and also I never attended high school.

 

The only other school stories I have read were those by Wodehouse (the Psmith books and some others).  But Wodehouse's books featured so much cricket that I sometimes struggled to understand them.  (Cricket isn't exactly a popular sport in the Republic of Texas!)  The main characters in the Stalky stories seem to find cricket a bore!

[mel2]

Just discovered Diane Setterfield's novels, and I love them. I've just finished Once Upon a River, and now begun The Thirteenth Tale.

Just nicely into Once Upon a River - really enjoying it, a bit gothic which is exactly what I like at this time of year. Our book group won't be meeting until January, thank goodness, as it's rather a long book.

[fsharpminor]

As I enjoyed Rose Tremain's 'The Gustav Sonata' a while back, I have now started The Road Home'  about a Polish guy who who comes to UK to seek his fortune.

[thara96]

As I enjoyed Rose Tremain's 'The Gustav Sonata' a while back, I have now started The Road Home'  about a Polish guy who who comes to UK to seek his fortune.

 

As I enjoyed Rose Tremain's 'The Gustav Sonata' a while back, I have now started The Road Home'  about a Polish guy who who comes to UK to seek his fortune.

Is it good?

[fsharpminor]

 

As I enjoyed Rose Tremain's 'The Gustav Sonata' a while back, I have now started The Road Home'  about a Polish guy who who comes to UK to seek his fortune.

 

As I enjoyed Rose Tremain's 'The Gustav Sonata' a while back, I have now started The Road Home'  about a Polish guy who who comes to UK to seek his fortune.

Is it good?

 

The Gustav Sonata has some music connotations, and I enjoyed it. Its about a young lad living in Switzerland with his mother (father has died) in relative poverty. He meets another boy of higher family standing who is a budding pianist. But there are also political connotations regarding what happened to his father (who was a former chief of police). 'The Road Home' Ive only ready three chapters but I think I will enjoy it.

[Aeolienne]

 

 

As I enjoyed Rose Tremain's 'The Gustav Sonata' a while back, I have now started The Road Home'  about a Polish guy who who comes to UK to seek his fortune.

 

As I enjoyed Rose Tremain's 'The Gustav Sonata' a while back, I have now started The Road Home'  about a Polish guy who who comes to UK to seek his fortune.

Is it good?

 

The Gustav Sonata has some music connotations, and I enjoyed it. Its about a young lad living in Switzerland with his mother (father has died) in relative poverty. He meets another boy of higher family standing who is a budding pianist. But there are also political connotations regarding what happened to his father (who was a former chief of police). 

 

I personally didn't enjoy The Gustav Sonata. Plodding prose, lacking in atmosphere and too much unnecessary detail about bodily functions. The main character reads Struwwelpeter in bed - why on earth?! 

I'm currently reading Origins: How Earth's history shaped human history by Lewis Dartnell.

[mel2]

[quote name="Aeolienne"
I'm currently reading Origins: How Earth's history shaped human history by Lewis Dartnell.[/quote]

Husband read that recently and kept saying "just listen to this!" before reading out lengthy passages to me.
It's message seemed to be that whatever the climate crisis of the moment, it's not the first time it has happened.

[Aeolienne]

Also reading The Heretic's Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the future of money by Brett Scott

[Misterioso]

Also reading The Heretic's Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the future of money by Brett Scott

 

I'm always amazed by the heavy titles you seem to read, Aeolienne! 

[Aeolienne]

 

Also reading The Heretic's Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the future of money by Brett Scott

 

I'm always amazed by the heavy titles you seem to read, Aeolienne! 

 

This book, incidentally, was one I ordered from Bookmarks in Bloomsbury after their premises were attacked by far-right protestors last year. I'm not quite as far left as Bookmarks' typical customer, but I wanted to show my support - no bookshop deserves that kind of treatment, even if (one hopes) their insurers paid out.