Bookworms 2020

dolly84

Treasurequeen said:

Just finished The familiars by Stacey halls a very good book I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend. 

I've got that waiting on my bookcase.

dolly84

Mrs_Salad_Dodger said:

Lord of the Rings
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Stand

I've only read The Stand from those, it's such a long time since I read it I can't remember the story.

pollypenny

Days Without End.   Sebastian Barry
Birds Without Wings. Louis de Bernier 
Catch 22.  Joseph Heller

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

dolly84 said:

Mrs_Salad_Dodger said:

Lord of the Rings
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Stand

I've only read The Stand from those, it's such a long time since I read it I can't remember the story.

A man-made plague wipes out most of the population of America & then the survivors fall into 2 camps - the good guys led by an elderly black lady & the bad guys led by the son of Satan. Maybe not the best reading material in the current situation 😩 

Fridayschild

rosewoodspa said:

First time commenting on this thread. I read insatiably - an average of nearly a book a day!! This week I've dug out all my old Laura Ingalls Wilder books - (Little House on the Prairie series). It certainly puts into context all our so called deprivations! Isolation  in her books means not seeing another soul for months, and shortage in supplies means malnutrition and no heating - as in the Long Winter. Those of you who have never tried them, I heartily recommend and don't be put off by the sickly sweet saccharine TV series. The only thing that had in common with the books was the title. The books are a much grittier take on the period and a fascinating social history.

Thanks for the recommendation rose.  Like you, I thought the series was very sugar sweet.  The books sound much more realistic and much more my sort of thing!

I have just finished the second compilation of James Herriott All Things Bright and Beautiful.  There are lots of heartwarming tales within this book but he doesn't whitewash the difficult and hard life of many farmers and their animals.  What I feel he does very well, is give them respect and a voice. 

I have just started The Offing by Benjamin Myers, which was The Times book of the year.  Recommended to me by my other half.

Only just started it but the blurb says "One summer following the Second World War, Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham village. Sixteen and the son of a coal miner, he makes his way across the northern countryside until he reaches the former smuggling village of Robin Hood's Bay. There he meets Dulcie, an eccentric, worldly, older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage facing out to sea."    Very good so far.... will report back.

FC

gettingtheresometime

Just finished 'Half a World Away' by Mike Gale. Basically it's about two half siblings who got took into care when they were small children but were split up and as a result their lives took very different paths. 

The story alternates between the POV from the two siblings, now adults, & is a really easy read.

Ive also finished 'The Beekeeper of Aleppo' by Christy Leftie. I found it, initially, hard to get into but it soon had me gripped (if that's the right phrase) & I found a lot of the time, my heart was in my mouth.

Charly27

I’m just reading The Beekeeper of Aleppo. Glad you found it gripping in the end.

DianneB

Please can I join in? I have been scouring the thread and noting titles to order from ebay and Amazon, I really miss being able to browse for books in charity shops and the library! How I regret my 1 in 1 out regime since moving to a smaller house, otherwise I would have a stash of loved books to re read.
Anyway hard to choose my 3 favourite books so can I go for favourite authors?

1. Susan Hill
2. Peter May 
3. Michelle Magorian 

pollypenny

I've just a finished Perfect by Rachel Joyce.   So disappointing after her previous books. 

It was full of foreboding and nervous tension, with no uplifting end.  

Charly27

DianneB said:

Please can I join in? I have been scouring the thread and noting titles to order from ebay and Amazon, I really miss being able to browse for books in charity shops and the library! How I regret my 1 in 1 out regime since moving to a smaller house, otherwise I would have a stash of loved books to re read.
Anyway hard to choose my 3 favourite books so can I go for favourite authors?

1. Susan Hill
2. Peter May 
3. Michelle Magorian 

Like DianneB I’d love to jump in. I’m also missing my library visits and scouring charity shops. I picked up four or five ‘new to me’ books at Tesco on their second hand book table a couple of weeks before lock down and I’ve been reading unread books on my kindle. I’ve ordered The Little House on the Prairie box set which I loved as a child and want to re read but have tried to hang fire ordering too many books. 
My go to books/authors are probably:

1. Jean Auel Clan of the Cave Bear series which I read as a young adult
2. Little Women
3. Susan Wiggs, Santa Montefiore but will read anything once

Currently reading The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri and very much enjoying it, if enjoying is the right word.