Bookworms 2020

Hobsons_Choice

Books read and enjoyed during lockdown (so far):

Knife - Jo Nesbo

The Burning Chambers - Kate Mosse

The Fear Index - Robert Harris

The Poison Tree and He Said/She Said - Erin Kelly

Fallen Skies - Phililpa Gregory

You Were Gone - Tim Weaver

How The  Dead Speak - Val McDermid.

Can't wait for the Chazzers to open, both to donate and buy more books. Good job all the above were already in my "to read" stash, I'd have gone doo-lalley otherwise!

Charly27

Happycas said:

Charly
I think I read Evening Class years ago.  Are they learning Italian?  In my 'rereading well loved authors and feeling safe' mode for coping with  lockdown etc, I think it's time to revisit Maeve Binchy.

Thanks for the reminder!

Yes they all meet in an Evening class to learn Italian.I finished it now and I wanted to order all her books I haven’t read but restrained myself. It really made me think about the sadness in many peoples lives., the loneliness of living with someone without loving them. Being so close but so far away ...
Now reading Them Long Winter’ by Laura Ingalls-Wilder. 

Fridayschild

I haven't read quite as much as usual during the last couple of months of lockdown, but have managed 3 audio books and a few regular books. 

The audio books were:  Heroes by Stephen Fry which I thought was excellent but accept it isn't for everyone, in particular the accents he uses to differentiate between characters, as the names are often difficult to remember.  Highly recommended if you like Greek mythology.

The Five by Halle Rubenhold.  A very well researched look at the five woman murdered by Jack the Ripper.  This does not focus on their deaths at all.  It is very much focused on their lives at a time when society was much more rigid with regard to women's roles, and debunks the myth that all the women were prostitutes, when in fact only one of them identified as such. I am so glad that I didn't leave in the late Victorian period!!

I am still listening to All that Remains by Prof Sue Black who is a forensic anthropologist.  In this book, which she reads herself in her lovely soft Aberdonian accent,  she unravels the myths surrounding death and its processes. From the actual process of dying to what is involved when you donate your body to medical science.   She allows us a glimpse into her own experience of loss, as well as some of the  cases she has been asked to consult on over a long career.  Excellent, but again, not for everyone. 

I have also read Up with the Lark, by Joan Bomford which is a memoir of her life in farming during the 20th and 21st centuries. From the war years and driving a tractor at 8 years of age, the love for her family and farming, to the running of a large riding school  which she set up from scratch.  A lovely and not too heavy read. 

Smut by Alan Bennett - The title says it all.  It was very funny and smutty. Made me smile a lot. 

I am now reading His Bloody Project, the author's name escapes me at the moment and The God of Small Things by Arandhati Roy.

I've been rereading the thread and have added quite a few to my already long list of future reads.

Happy reading everyone!

FC

Charly27

Ooh thanks Fridayschild. More suggestions to add to my list. I particularly like the sound of this one:
I have also read Up with the Lark, by Joan Bomford which is a memoir of her life in farming during the 20th and 21st centuries. From the war years and driving a tractor at 8 years of age, the love for her family and farming, to the running of a large riding school  which she set up from scratch.  A lovely and not too heavy read.  

Ditzy_Mitzy

I've recently started Richard Adams's 'Watership Down'.  I saw the film many years ago and found an old printing, 70s Penguin, in a charity shop so decided to buy it.  It could be read by a child, but is no means just a children's book, instead offering insights into the human (rabbit?) condition.  The writing is plain, as one might expect, but it cracks along.  I'll reserve judgement until it's finished, however.

pollypenny

I've just finished Calypso by David Sedaris.  Hilarious,,although I had heard some of his anecdotes on R4.  

[Deleted User]

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

I've recently started Richard Adams's 'Watership Down'.  I saw the film many years ago and found an old printing, 70s Penguin, in a charity shop so decided to buy it.  It could be read by a child, but is no means just a children's book, instead offering insights into the human (rabbit?) condition.  The writing is plain, as one might expect, but it cracks along.  I'll reserve judgement until it's finished, however.

I have always loved Watership Down.

If you enjoy it you may also like the Duncton Woods books by William Horwood which are novels about moles!  They are a little more fantasy-based though.

elsien

I've not read the Duncton Wood books, but I did like his Skallagrig and the Stonor Eagles when I was younger. Not that they are aimed at young adults, that was just when they crossed my path. May have to revisit at some point to see if they've stood the test of time. 

Ditzy_Mitzy

Spider_In_The_Bath said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

I've recently started Richard Adams's 'Watership Down'.  I saw the film many years ago and found an old printing, 70s Penguin, in a charity shop so decided to buy it.  It could be read by a child, but is no means just a children's book, instead offering insights into the human (rabbit?) condition.  The writing is plain, as one might expect, but it cracks along.  I'll reserve judgement until it's finished, however.

I have always loved Watership Down.

If you enjoy it you may also like the Duncton Woods books by William Horwood which are novels about moles!  They are a little more fantasy-based though.

Thank you - it would fit in with my current reading pattern, which is not to read anything published after the 1980s (I have my reasons!!). 

[Deleted User]

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

Spider_In_The_Bath said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

I've recently started Richard Adams's 'Watership Down'.  I saw the film many years ago and found an old printing, 70s Penguin, in a charity shop so decided to buy it.  It could be read by a child, but is no means just a children's book, instead offering insights into the human (rabbit?) condition.  The writing is plain, as one might expect, but it cracks along.  I'll reserve judgement until it's finished, however.

I have always loved Watership Down.

If you enjoy it you may also like the Duncton Woods books by William Horwood which are novels about moles!  They are a little more fantasy-based though.

Thank you - it would fit in with my current reading pattern, which is not to read anything published after the 1980s (I have my reasons!!). 

I hope you enjoy them - the books are a bit like Game of Thrones for moles!
For pre 1980 books:
 - The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman (historical novel) - cheating as this was published in 1982
- 49 Steps by John Buchan
- Whiskey Galore by Comton Mackenzie
- Any novel by Daphe Du Maurier (one of my favourite authors)
- Lord of the Rings Triology
I'll let you know if I think of any more