This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

nightie

Finished The Salt Path this morning. Inspirational

Sinister Kid

Half way through a Man called Ove by Frederick Backman... I really wasn't prepared for how heartbreaking this book is in places.

nightie

Sinister Kid wrote: »

Half way through a Man called Ove by Frederick Backman... I really wasn't prepared for how heartbreaking this book is in places.

Loved that book. Picked up my nieces copy of Wonder. I know it’s a children’s book but it’s tugging at the heartstrings too.

cee_jay

Sinister Kid wrote: »

Half way through a Man called Ove by Frederick Backman... I really wasn't prepared for how heartbreaking this book is in places.

This is such a wonderful book - heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure, and also quite funny in parts.
His new book Anxious People is also excellent - as is Beartown but that comes with a trigger warning.

Wyldwood wrote: »

Just finished A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Gríofa. It's a superb read. A retelling of the story of Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonnaill & Art Uí Laoghaire woven into what appears to be the semi-fictionalised tale of Doireann's own life.

Next Donal Ryan's Strange Flowers

I finished A Ghost in the Throat last week - it took me a bit of time to get into it, especially the historical Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonnaill bits, but I loved it by the end.
I have Strange Flowers on my Kindle to read at some stage.

After binging completely on Bridgeton on Netflix, I have just finished the first 2 books by Julia Quinn on which the series is based - The Duke & I and The Viscount who Loved Me. Easy, lighthearted reads, not my normal type of book.

I have my work book club meeting at 1pm and that will decide on which book I read next - The Midnight Library, Rodham or Hamnet - all of which I really want to read.

eire4

Finished a re read of Herge's Adventures of Tintin book 7 which included The Castafiore Emerald, Flight 714 and Tintin and the Picaros. Fun stories as always with the Tintin books.

Xofpod

eire4 wrote: »

Finished a re read of Herge's Adventures of Tintin book 7 which included The Castafiore Emerald, Flight 714 and Tintin and the Picaros. Fun stories as always with the Tintin books.

I meant to ask previously - are you reading these in the small format collected editions? I looked at one previously but found the artwork so squashed that it took all the joy out of it for me.

Swiper the fox

Don't know why i fell for the hype again but I'm very close to the end of Hamnet and it is painful reading, barring the description of the journey of the plague spreading fleas it is absolutely unmemorable.

eire4

Xofpod wrote: »

I meant to ask previously - are you reading these in the small format collected editions? I looked at one previously but found the artwork so squashed that it took all the joy out of it for me.

I know exactly what you mean. The boys are without doubt best in the original full format so to speak.

Wyldwood

Finished Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles. An immensely enjoyable book. Highly recommended.

Next up The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Swiper the fox

Swiper the fox wrote: »

Don't know why i fell for the hype again but I'm very close to the end of Hamnet and it is painful reading, barring the description of the journey of the plague spreading fleas it is absolutely unmemorable.

I enjoyed it but the final fifth was really tough going, it felt like it was ending the entire time (I was on the Kindle so didn't really know how much was left) and I found myself speed reading and getting grumpy trying to finish it.

I'm still reading Infinite Jest. I didn't start it thinking I wanted to tackle one of the great unreadables, I started because it seems to cross my path every so often and I am interested.

I saw advice many times advising that after about 20% you will really begin to love it. I often get stressed with a long book thinking I'll be forever reading it and I don't have too much time to dedicate these days, but I decided that with this book I'd just enjoy the ride, who cares if I'm reading it for months.

Ann when I read the first 50 pages or so, I thought that would be quite an easy approach. It read like a number of brilliantly written short stories, ones that you knew would have a link but you didn't know it yet. And I could get on-board with that as I like short stories, and I liked the writing.

Then it started getting technical... Impressively so given the amount of "stuff" DFW seems to know on a range of subjects. But it can make for hard reading. I felt like giving up at times but then you get hit with another on those amazing short story type chapters and you think it's worth it all!

Another thing that is very impressive is what a writer he is. The book is over 1000 pages and beautifully written throughout. Who has the time to craft that many words? I don't think you can, I think it is inherent and intuitive, effortless in his case.

So I'm about a quarter way through, and I am enjoying it in a weird way, but I am also beginning to think of, and maybe regret, all of the other books I could have read with this time and effort. Many advise just doing ten pages a day and reading something else simultaneously. I think if I started something else then I wouldn't come back.

I'll keep reading it till the weekend and see how I feel. I've been saying that for a fortnight.

cee_jay

I started The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett this morning.

Xofpod

eire4 wrote: »

I know exactly what you mean. The boys are without doubt best in the original full format so to speak.

There's a good book by Harry Thompson, Tintin:Hergé and his creation - well worth a read for a bit of background.

eire4

Xofpod wrote: »

There's a good book by Harry Thompson, Tintin:Hergé and his creation - well worth a read for a bit of background.

Thanks i will have to check it out sounds interesting. A few years ago while I was on holiday in Belgium I took a day trip to the small college town of Louvain where the Tintin museum is located. Well worth a trip if your ever able to manage it.

The White Feather

Just wanted to say I loved all the Tintins too and read them all last year and reviewed them here on boards in my reading log. Great fun.

Saw this too, a The Blue Lotus print by Herge sold for 3.2 Million the other day!

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55667043

Wyldwood

Finished Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half. It's a highly enjoyable read. Twin girls born in a fictional Louisiana town where the population is "cream". The twins take polar opposite paths through life. Highly recommended.

cee_jay

Wyldwood wrote: »

Finished Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half. It's a highly enjoyable read. Twin girls born in a fictional Louisiana town where the population is "cream". The twins take polar opposite paths through life. Highly recommended.

I finished this 2 days ago - I thought it was an excellent book. I found it so compelling, and it was written beautifully.

This morning, I started the first book in the Dark Iceland series by Ragnar Jonasson - Snowblind.

cee_jay

Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson - First book in the Dark Iceland series, and we are introduced to Ari Thor. Through him, we feel the cold, darkness, isolation and claustrophobia of northern Iceland. Twisty mystery book - just how I like them! 4/5

I have since started Disaster Inc. by Caimh McDonnell - the 1st book in his McGarry Stateside trilogy. This trilogy follows on from the Dublin Trilogy, first book in that being A Man With One of Those Faces, which was a funny, hilarious read that I found perfect for pandemic reading.

Xofpod

Just started Byzantium Endures, Michael Moorcock, the first of his Colonel Pyat series

Busi_Girl08

I'm 3 chapters into Mexican Gothic, really enjoying it so far.

Re-reading Dune. Looking forward to the film this year.

Sinister Kid

Busi_Girl08 wrote: »

I'm 3 chapters into Mexican Gothic, really enjoying it so far.

This is on my TBR pile!

I'm about a third of the way through Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.

Also about a third through Invisible Girl by Lisa jewell on audio.

Enjoying both so far.

New Home

A Saucerful of Secrets by Jane Yardley

Daisies

Wyldwood wrote: »

Finished Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half. It's a highly enjoyable read. Twin girls born in a fictional Louisiana town where the population is "cream". The twins take polar opposite paths through life. Highly recommended.

Finished it at the weekend and really enjoyed it.

Currently reading Everyday Sexism but Laura Bates and After the Silence by Louise O Neill

miamee

I'm almost finished The Botanist's Daughter at the moment and really enjoying it.

Wyldwood

cee_jay wrote: »

Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson - First book in the Dark Iceland series, and we are introduced to Ari Thor. Through him, we feel the cold, darkness, isolation and claustrophobia of northern Iceland. Twisty mystery book - just how I like them! 4/5

Loved those books, very atmospheric. Having been to Iceland I could visualise the setting.

I've just finished Shari Lapena's Someone We Know. Very good read, recommended for those that like a bit of 'who-dun-it'.

eire4

Deleted User wrote: »

Re-reading Dune. Looking forward to the film this year.

Looking forward to the film as well. Excellent book really enjoyed it.

nightie

Finished The Man Who Didn’t Call by Rosie Walsh in the wee small hours. Loved it

eire4

Finished Broken which is book 6 in Kelley Armstrong's otherworld series. Focused on the original werewolf characters introduced in the first 2 books and an enjoyable read.

NIMAN

Hoping to restart Rendezvous with Rama tonight.

Its a book I started a few years back, and never got finished for various reasons.

Hopefully this time round.