The Bookworm's Thread 2016

pollypenny

carbootcrazy wrote: »

I can't recall your reporting back on Suite Francais. I'd be interested in your opinion as I still have it to start.

From what you suggest (and from your dislike of the Liane Moriarty which appears to be the subsequent selection) I get the impression that you feel somewhat out of step with others in your book group;)

My group did Suite Francais years ago, as nominated by a friend who loves it. It went down very well. However, the film seems to consider it a love story, ignoring the plight of refugees.

I picked it up again for 20p, but haven't retread it yet.

Molillie

I hadn't spotted this thread before, and love reading, so will enjoy all your comments. At present, I have some Elizabeth Edmondson on audio, as seeing her obituary made me think I might like her writing. So far, I'm enjoying them, they are set back in the inter-war years, or a bit later, which make them escapist for us now. They suit me, as I like real writers from this time. The only thing so far which sounded out of time for me was a mention of carrot cake, which I am pretty sure wouldn't have been around much in Britain in the thirties, as I seem to remember it coming in during the seventies. They are light reading, with lots of plot, and many twists. "The Frozen Lake" is my current one, and I've recently finished "Villa on the Riviera" this latter starting with the central character needing to apply for her birth certificate, and discovering that she wasn't born where and when she thought she was. This is the sort of theme that suits the era when the books are set, when we had far less of a paper trail of our existence. I think they'd appeal to people who like Golden Age crime mysteries, and family dramas.

Hobsons_Choice

Harlen Coben: "Fool Me Once".
Just finished this and it was excellent, a real page turner.
I certainly didn't realise who the 'murderer' was until the confession at the end!!

Upsidedown_Bear

Hobsons_Choice wrote: »

Harlen Coben: "Fool Me Once".
Just finished this and it was excellent, a real page turner.
I certainly didn't realise who the 'murderer' was until the confession at the end!!

I keep seeing his books in the library and wonder if they are any good.
I'll get one out next time I'm there - thanks for the recommendation

Goldiegirl

Molillie wrote: »

I hadn't spotted this thread before, and love reading, so will enjoy all your comments. At present, I have some Elizabeth Edmondson on audio, as seeing her obituary made me think I might like her writing. So far, I'm enjoying them, they are set back in the inter-war years, or a bit later, which make them escapist for us now. They suit me, as I like real writers from this time. The only thing so far which sounded out of time for me was a mention of carrot cake, which I am pretty sure wouldn't have been around much in Britain in the thirties, as I seem to remember it coming in during the seventies. They are light reading, with lots of plot, and many twists. "The Frozen Lake" is my current one, and I've recently finished "Villa on the Riviera" this latter starting with the central character needing to apply for her birth certificate, and discovering that she wasn't born where and when she thought she was. This is the sort of theme that suits the era when the books are set, when we had far less of a paper trail of our existence. I think they'd appeal to people who like Golden Age crime mysteries, and family dramas.

Oh no, I hadn't realised that Elizabeth Edmondson had died. I've read and enjoyed a couple of her books, as I like that mid 20th century era, when everything isn't resolved by looking on the internet. The Frozen Lake was one I read

[Deleted User]

Molillie wrote: »

I hadn't spotted this thread before, and love reading, so will enjoy all your comments. At present, I have some Elizabeth Edmondson on audio, as seeing her obituary made me think I might like her writing. So far, I'm enjoying them, they are set back in the inter-war years, or a bit later, which make them escapist for us now. They suit me, as I like real writers from this time. The only thing so far which sounded out of time for me was a mention of carrot cake, which I am pretty sure wouldn't have been around much in Britain in the thirties, as I seem to remember it coming in during the seventies. They are light reading, with lots of plot, and many twists. "The Frozen Lake" is my current one, and I've recently finished "Villa on the Riviera" this latter starting with the central character needing to apply for her birth certificate, and discovering that she wasn't born where and when she thought she was. This is the sort of theme that suits the era when the books are set, when we had far less of a paper trail of our existence. I think they'd appeal to people who like Golden Age crime mysteries, and family dramas.

Thanks for the recommendation, she sounds just my cup of tea:j


I know carrot cake has been around for a very long time. I think it was a staple during WW2 when sugar was scarce, the carrots giving the necessary sweetness. I think the topping/frosting was probably a later American addition.

pollypenny

Upsidedown_Bear wrote: »

I keep seeing his books in the library and wonder if they are any good.
I'll get one out next time I'm there - thanks for the recommendation

They're ok. Good page turners that you forget about a couple of days after finishing it.

I find most thrillers to be like that. Maybe Jeffrey Deaver and Stella Rimington are a bit different.

Molillie

carbootcrazy wrote: »

Thanks for the recommendation, she sounds just my cup of tea:j


I know carrot cake has been around for a very long time. I think it was a staple during WW2 when sugar was scarce, the carrots giving the necessary sweetness. I think the topping/frosting was probably a later American addition.

Thanks for that, it's useful to know about carrot cake, I just wasn't aware of it until the seventies, but the author does seem to have done a lot of research, so probably it was around in the thirties. It was just one of those minor things that throw you out of the story briefly, because you start thinking about whether it was available then! In general, the books read very like those from writers from that era. There are quite a lot of them to work through, and I think a free one was being offered through her website (download) which was still being maintained a few weeks ago. It's sad that she's died, as she was only in her sixties, and it seems to have been fairly sudden.

Wednesday2000

Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon.

It is a psychological thriller. 8/10. I really enjoyed it.

milasavesmoney

Upsidedown_Bear wrote: »

I keep seeing his books in the library and wonder if they are any good.
I'll get one out next time I'm there - thanks for the recommendation

I really love Harlan Corben books.