The Bookworm's Thread 2017

Callie22

VfM4meplse wrote: »

7/10. I didn't think much of this at first, but warmed to him when I realised he's the rarest of breeds - an American socialist! - so am glad I persevered with his essays as I quite enjoyed this book. He's not up there with Bill Bryson (in my estimation), but I'm now more inclined to listen to his stuff on R4.

I'd never heard of David Sedaris until recently when he was mentioned in a Guardian article (I think ...) about the best comedy writers. The article recommended his book 'Me Talk Pretty One Day' which is, among other things, about his struggle to learn French. I read it and it really was one the funniest books that I've read in a long time - at times I was genuinely laughing out loud. I'd really recommend him if you're a fan of writers like Bill Bryson.

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[Deleted User]

Callie22 wrote: »

I'd never heard of David Sedaris until recently when he was mentioned in a Guardian article (I think ...) about the best comedy writers. The article recommended his book 'Me Talk Pretty One Day' which is, among other things, about his struggle to learn French. I read it and it really was one the funniest books that I've read in a long time - at times I was genuinely laughing out loud. I'd really recommend him if you're a fan of writers like Bill Bryson.

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Try and find his audio talks too. He has done a series on radio 4. Genuine laugh out loud funny and often poignant too.

[Deleted User]

Just started reading Adam Rutherford's A brief history of everyone who ever lived (nonfiction).

Really enjoying this. It is about human history and evolution as seen through DNA and genetics.

pollypenny

I love listening to David Sedaris on the radio, so I'll try to find his book, VfM.

Re Bryson, I used to love his writing, but Mother Tongue, The Story of English, with his authoratative but wrong explanations of Welsh and Irish pronunciations and the superficiality of The Road to Little Dribbing have turned me off.

With the latter, I thought I'd be the only one to dislike it: no, the whole book group did.

I'm enjoying a complex Jeffrey Deaver at the moment, The Cold Moon. Picked up another Elly Griffiths and a Tess Gerristen at tai chi yesterday. I'm well stocked.

sugarbaby125

VfM4meplse wrote: »

I agree completely about value for money, but don't expect to go into Poundland to find book gems - thats what chazzers are for! I'm not much into light / inconsequential reading but would like to hear of anything else you'd recommend that can be sourced from the Land of the Pound!

I am not part of this thread to persuade anyone else to read any book that I have read, simply to share my opinion of my personal reading matter with others. I am fortunate enough to have a few Poundland shops in easy reach. There are not only D list autobiographies in Poundland shops unless you also consider Shelia Hancock and her deceased husband John Thaw as D list. The only Bill Bryson I have read was a Poundland buy and I have yet to read my copy of Kate Adie's autobiography, also a Poundland buy. I currently have just over one hundred books to read. All Poundland buys. Children's book buys in Poundland shops are another rich vein that I take advantage of.

Thank goodness that we are all unique as book readers

[Deleted User]

sugarbaby125 wrote: »

I am not part of this thread to persuade anyone else to read any book that I have read, simply to share my opinion of my personal reading matter with others. I am fortunate enough to have a few Poundland shops in easy reach. There are not only D list autobiographies in Poundland shops unless you also consider Shelia Hancock and her deceased husband John Thaw as D list. The only Bill Bryson I have read was a Poundland buy and I have yet to read my copy of Kate Adie's autobiography, also a Poundland buy. I currently have just over one hundred books to read. All Poundland buys. Children's book buys in Poundland shops are another rich vein that I take advantage of.

Thank goodness that we are all unique as book readers

It is a while since I read it, but I really enjoyed Kate Adie's Kindness of Strangers if this is the one you have.

Art_Deco

Finished GIRL UNKNOWN- KAREN PERRY, described as the most richly satisfying psychological thrillers of 2016, not for me it wasnt, expected something exciting but was a bit disappointed to be honest, there were times when i was shouting "why are you doing that , tell her to get lost, just say no, " etc etc,,anyway i moved on and read THE HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED --- JONAS JONASSON, the title says it all really, lots of adventures, bit of history, funny, maybe a touch overlong but still worth reading , and again made me feel a tad sad!! Back to a good old murder PETER JAMES---- LOVE YOU DEAD, " Detective Superintendent Roy Grace investigating a black widow operating in the city, her philosophy on money is easy either earn it or marry it, marrying is easier but getting rid of the husband after is harder, that takes real skill, but practise makes perfect................"

Art_Deco

sugarbaby125 wrote: »

I buy all of my books from one of the local Poundland stores. I love reading and it feeds my soul. I love reading an eclectic mix of genres and although I get lots of light reading and Autobiographies, I also come across some real gems. In the cold light of day, it is better to pay a £1 for a hardback or paperback book than to pay anything up to £20. There is a high turn over of books in the Poundland stores, so there is always new books arriving on an almost daily basis. All of the books I have been reading for the last few years have mostly been Poundland purchases. All of the books I have read this year so far have been Poundland purchases.

Have to say there has been some really good books and newly published in recently, i look for books anywhere and everywhere, mainly chazzers as im addicted, but got a few from the pound shops and there is £1 /£2 book shop just opened in town so if im after a special title and cant find it in the chazzer i might pop in there to try.:)

Ames

Winchelsea wrote: »

I finished The Temporary Genleman by Sebastian Barry - my P*undland book - a couple of days ago, and really enjoyed it. Quite poignant in places.

Since then I've speed-read Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, fir my book group last night, but it wasn't really my sort of thing. I appreciated that it was well written, but it was just too dark for my liking.

I'm now starting Some Luck by Jane Smiley. So far, so good!

I read Brighton Rock a few months ago, I didn't have a clue what it was about and was surprised - I didn't expext such an old book to be so dark and violent. I really liked it though.

sugarbaby125 wrote: »

I am not part of this thread to persuade anyone else to read any book that I have read, simply to share my opinion of my personal reading matter with others. I am fortunate enough to have a few Poundland shops in easy reach. There are not only D list autobiographies in Poundland shops unless you also consider Shelia Hancock and her deceased husband John Thaw as D list. The only Bill Bryson I have read was a Poundland buy and I have yet to read my copy of Kate Adie's autobiography, also a Poundland buy. I currently have just over one hundred books to read. All Poundland buys. Children's book buys in Poundland shops are another rich vein that I take advantage of.

Thank goodness that we are all unique as book readers

Oh good, I'm not the only one with a three figure TBR!

Art_Deco wrote: »

Finished GIRL UNKNOWN- KAREN PERRY, described as the most richly satisfying psychological thrillers of 2016, not for me it wasnt, expected something exciting but was a bit disappointed to be honest, there were times when i was shouting "why are you doing that , tell her to get lost, just say no, " etc etc,,anyway i moved on and read THE HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED --- JONAS JONASSON, the title says it all really, lots of adventures, bit of history, funny, maybe a touch overlong but still worth reading , and again made me feel a tad sad!! Back to a good old murder PETER JAMES---- LOVE YOU DEAD, " Detective Superintendent Roy Grace investigating a black widow operating in the city, her philosophy on money is easy either earn it or marry it, marrying is easier but getting rid of the husband after is harder, that takes real skill, but practise makes perfect................"

I wasn't impressed with The Hundred Year Old Man. It started out ok but it was just so implausible.

It was the 'elephant on a bus' that finally pushed me into disliking it. Followed by the 'wander over the himalayas'. Not sure why they were my lines in the sand!

I finished 'One of Our Thursdays is Dead', which was a bit disappointing, the worst in the series so far. I'm now reading UnLunDun by China Mieville, another weird fantasy/steampunk about a couple of girls who have to save a 'hidden'/alternative dimension London. I'm enjoying it but I don't think it'll be a keeper and I doubt I'll be heading to ebay to buy everything else he's written. (Hmm, now the massive tbr starts to make sense...)

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*Margaret*

Hi everyone, I've been reading but not updating, sorry. In the last few weeks I've read three books by MJ Arlidge. Unfortunately the library didn't have the first two in the series so I started on book three which is 'The Doll's House'. I then read the next two 'Liar, Liar' and 'Little Boy Blue' and now I've got the next in the series 'Hide and Seek' but I've not started it then (that's my Saturday night sorted!)

They're very easy to read, but the plotting is good and unlike most books I've read I haven't managed to guess the killer yet. The books do contain information from the book that comes before, so I already know the outcome of the first two books so reading them in order would be sensible.