The Bookworm’s Thread 2018

Callie22

I read 'Elinor Oliphant is completely fine' this week and really enjoyed it. It's not the easiest story to read but it was very good - there were moment when I genuinely laughed out loud (I'm never going to hear YMCA in the same way ...) and other parts were really moving, so it's a definite recommend from me.

I also read 'My name is Lucy Barton' by Elizabeth Strout, which is about the relationship between a mother and daughter. It wasn't a bad book and from the quality of the writing I can see why it was a Booker nominee, but I didn't love it. It's one of those slightly wafty modern novels where there's a point rather than a story, and although it wasn't a long book it felt like it took a very long time to say anything and I was left feeling a bit 'meh'. I don't feel I wasted my time reading it but it's probably one for the Oxfam bag. In the same vein I also read 'Sag Harbor' by Colson Whitehead, which is about a young African-American boy spending the summer on Long Island. To be honest it left me a bit underwhelmed, but I've heard a lot of good things about his 'Underground Railroad' so I'll give that a go.

I'm also reading 'In Other Worlds' by Margaret Atwood, which is a collection of essays about science fiction and its influence on her writing. I think it's great, but I'm an Atwood fan who'd recommend almost everything she's ever written. Last night I also started 'Gather the Daughters' by Jennie Melamed, which is a dystopian novel about a small island community that is isolated from the world after some unspecified apocalyptic event. I'm only about 20% through that at the moment so I have no idea where it's heading, but it's an interesting read.

Blackcatsreturns

I've just finished Three Things About Elsie. I listen on audible and it was narrated by Paula Wilcox who was superb. It was a lovely, well written book. Poignant and funny. I wanted to finish it to find out what happens but didn't want it to end if you see what I mean. The ending made me cry which was a bit awkward as I was on a busy commuter train! 10/10

Wednesday2000

Wednesday2000 wrote: »

Strange Magic - Syd Moore.

I actually quite enjoyed that book yesterday and I bought the second book in the series - Strange Sight: An Essex Witch Museum Mystery.


I have read her other books The Drowning Pool and Witch Hunt. I like the way she mentions Essex a lot, haha. The Drowning Pool was set in Leigh-on-Sea, as I remember.

CurlyTop

I've finished The Chilbury Ladies Choir and would thoroughly recommend it. Based around WW2, it tells the tale of a small village whereby when the men have gone to war, the vicar decides to cancel the local choir until the women decide to have a female only one. The story is told through a series of letters and journal entries (luckily not to too many people otherwise I would have been confused). I understand from the authors note that the reason for her writing this way was as part of the mass observation exercise run by the government in trying to capture people's lives through this difficult time.

A really good read. You can see how the women drew their strength and then themselves, grew as people. Not slushy, but there is a little romance, there are plenty of other goings on to keep you engaged. It looks like there may be a follow up, which I look forward to reading.

gettingtheresometime

Blackcatsreturns wrote: »

I've just finished Three Things About Elsie. I listen on audible and it was narrated by Paula Wilcox who was superb. It was a lovely, well written book. Poignant and funny. I wanted to finish it to find out what happens but didn't want it to end if you see what I mean. The ending made me cry which was a bit awkward as I was on a busy commuter train! 10/10

I know I loved it as well.


You may like Life, Death & Vanilla Slices by Jenny Éclair - I listened to a recording of this, narrated by Jenny Éclair and that again was very good.

VfM4meplse

Am getting serious withdrawal symptoms! Have been so tied up with stuff I haven't had time to sit down properly with any one book. I don't enjoy reading so much if its just a few pages at a time, the book loses momentum for me

Had lots of minutes here and there to dip into MSE though. Thank goodness for 4G

Blackcatsreturns

Thank you for the recommendation "Getting-there". I've just bought it on audible. I read the summary and it sounds fab. So many of my recent choices have been recommended on this thread. Really grateful for the suggestions as they have helped me broaden my reading horizons.

pollypenny

I loved Life, Death and Vanilla Slices, too!


At the moment, I am lost in Wuthering Heights!

It must be 15 years or so since I last read it when I taught it for A-level with a brilliant class. Soooo good!

Callie22

pollypenny wrote: »

At the moment, I am lost in Wuthering Heights!

It must be 15 years or so since I last read it when I taught it for A-level with a brilliant class. Soooo good!

Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite books too, although it took at least fifteen years for me to pick it up again after my A-Levels. I had an awful teacher who hated the book and had a bit of a 'thing' against female writers, and he really ruined it for me for a long time. Having said that in the meantime I've read pretty much everything else the Bronte sisters wrote and really enjoyed it all. It's such a shame when you get a teacher who hates the books on the syllabus - in the same vein I'm not sure I'll ever be able to read Animal Farm or Gulliver's Travels again ...

RicardaRacoon

So, another one who has read ELeonor Oliphant is completely fine and really enjoyed it! It took me two weeks to read, but not because of the book but because so much was going on that I didn't really had time to read. The book was rather funny but also rather sad! Silly me did read a few pages at the back though, which was a huge mistake as it spoils it when you know how it will end... But oh well..

Started The Guernsey Literate and Potato Peel Pie Society yesterday evening and so far it makes for a really good read. Juliet is a character much to my taste, her reason for breaking up her engagement was just too funny and I could totaly relate.

Things I want to read:
Everyone brave is forgiven - Chris Cleave. Put it on my book wishlist quite a while ago and got it from the library today.
When we meet again - Kristin Harmel. Picked it up in the library as I liked the cover...
The mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley. Wanted to read it for years and have a copy laying around for a year or two...
The complete Harry Potter Series. Decided that I would read all of them again, haven't read books 5-7 more than once.