Reading as a cheap hobby

MrsStepford

Good grief @Brambling, 215 weeks is incredible.. Any advance on 215 weeks anyone ? 

I love physical books, both brand new hardbacks and rough second-hand paperbacks. Also vintage cookbooks. I

Just finished the latest DCI Harry Grimm from David J Gatward. Cocaine smuggling, murder, pies and of course, Wensleydale. 

-taff

well, I just checked mine and I lost my current streak a few weeks ago. But you're not going to believe this but my longest streak was 216 weeks, from 2018 to 2022...

But I do know that brambling is going to just keep going so give it a week and they'll be in the lead again

....

MrsStepford

After the dream I had earlier, I'm thinking of writing a book myself..

 I'm in my old bedroom at my parents old house in a cute Kent village. I don't know how he got there, but I'm squished in my canopied single bed, with a naked Tom Cruise, who is licking my biceps and nibbling my neck. 

So I want a pee and so does he. The bathroom is next to my room. I open the door cautiously and there's my mother showing some stranger into the guest bedroom next to mine. She introduces me to him as a distant cousin of my uncle. Tom sticks his head round the door and Ma says: " Hi Tom, nice to see you" and grins. 

I insist on Tom wearing my dressing gown (a men's grey silk one) and he objects. I tell him that I'm sure that my mother would appreciate his butt if she saw him streaking across the landing but I don't trust my dodgy uncle's dodgy cousin not to take a photo and flog it to The Sun.

And then I woke up. 

Brambling

-taff said:

But I do know that brambling is going to just keep going so give it a week and they'll be in the lead again

😁 

I'm sure like most of us readers my actual weekly streak started when I was five so that's 55 years for me so 2860 weeks 🧐 even when I worked long shifts in a hotel in the 80s and finished some nights after 1am I always read before going to sleep 💤 

I started a Peter May book on the train today picked up from a CS this one set in Canada, unfortunately dodgy AC on a hot train meant I couldn't get' into it so will try again tomorrow 

Wednesday2000

I started another B A Paris book yesterday, but I couldn't get into it. I find her books a bit hit and miss. My husband returned my library books when he went out as one of my books was reserved by someone. I only have two library books left now, but I have a few on my kindle. I know I have the new Johann Hari book about the weight loss drugs on my kindle. Magic Pill. I will start that later.

Coxy11

I finished The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides last night. A real page-turner and a twist at the very end. Highly recommend. Now starting the Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz.

MrsStepford

Oxfam online shop has a summer sale on with 40% off, books included
https://www.oxfam.org.uk

I picked up a book on the history of Gieves & Hawkes for OH which started off in the 18th century as a naval outfitter in Portsmouth. I

I wanted some more Gino D'Acampo cook books but eBay was cheaper than Oxfam. I think I may have all of them now. 

MrsStepford

Best books to read this summer, according to Evening Standard:

Blue Ruin - Hari Hunzru
Welcome to Glorious Tuga - Francesca Segal
Naked Portrait: A Memoir of Lucien Freud - Rose Boyt (daughter and Executor)
The Lasting Harm - Lucia Osborne-Crowley (account of Ghislaine Maxwell's trial)
Munichs - David Peace
The Echoes - Evie Wyld
Briefly Very Beautiful - Roz Dineen
All That Glitters - Orlando Whitfield
The Ministry of Time - Kalianne Bradley
All Fours - Miranda July
This Strange Eventful Evening - Claire Messud
Cleavage - Cleo Watson
Table for Two - Amor Towles
You Are Here - David Nicholls
Wife - Charlotte Mendelson

catclaires

Going off on a little bit of a tangent, I attended a Waterstones author event yesterday (cost £5, so pretty cheap if you resisted the temptation to buy the nice hardback novels there to get them signed - sadly for me, it also involved the cost of a 1.5-hour train journey each way - but I met up with a friend who I'd not seen for ages, so it was all worth it!) with Gillian McAllister and Dorothy Koomson. It was absolutely fascinating - so interesting to hear them both talk about how they write and get their ideas - both had quite different ways of going about things. They were both lovely, and a really nice thing was that both agreed that they were keen readers before they ever started writing, so they both write from a 'reader' point of view primarily (what would they like if they were reading the book) rather than a 'writer' (thinking about what the publisher might want and so on). I'd definitely recommend this kind of event if you see any nearby to you - I think any of us readers would really enjoy it! 

Pleasingly, I discovered that both authors had written more books than I realised - so lots more to read! I was also both happy and ashamed to find that I'd stockpiled two of GM's books on my Kindle when they were 99p and had completely forgotten I had them, as I've evidently bought too many other (mainly 99p) books since  

DK has been writing for years and has gradually transitioned from romance-type books to more crime/psychological thriller types. GM writes psychological thriller types with really unusual (in my opinion) settings and ideas - I've found all of hers extremely gripping so far and would highly recommend them!

Wednesday2000

^ That sounds interesting!

My husband has just gone to pick up 4 library books for me, all Gillian McAllister.