What are you reading?

snowball12 said:
Reading The Book keeper of Aleppo, tough going
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When I do a search on Amazon for this book, it comes up with the Bee keeper of Aleppo. Looks interesting, is that the right book?
 
I'm still going with Inkheart but taking it easy as I am halfway through it and other girls in the book club are at the beginning. Now I'm also reading a book borrowed from one of said girls, the first in the Crescent City series. I'm not 100% into it yet, I think I can enjoy it but is longer than I thought and the whole series sounds like a long commitment. I'll see after that one if I feel like reading the next, the owner has offered me to borrow the others too so that wouldn't be a problem.
 
PattiEvans said:
When I do a search on Amazon for this book, it comes up with the Bee keeper of Aleppo. Looks interesting, is that the right book?
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Oops, I meant the Bee Keeper, I plead granny brain after the school holidays lol
 
LOL! No problem I thought it was predictive text to blame!
 
I’m currently reading a “strange” book for me, I can’t describe its genre. Historical fiction maybe? It’s set 35,000 years ago when the Neanderthals were coming to the end of their existence and the homosapiens were snapping at their heels. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel. It was written in 1980 and there’s another five books I think. Mr hairdresser loaned me it last week, she’s read them all and loves them.I’m persevering with it but it’s not really exciting me and it’s definitely not a page turner. The premise is that there’s an earthquake and a five year old girl, of the homosapien clan, is separated from her family, she is found by a Neanderthal clan on their travels to find another cave. They think she’s ugly and very odd but take her in, she thinks they’re very odd. They don’t have much in the way of verbal skills, just grunts and gestures, and live by their memories which are from thousands and thousands of years ago, forward thinking is frowned upon, no wonder they were bred out! Her behaviour turns a lot of them against her as she one of the “others” as they call them. The book is very detailed, obviously a lot of research has gone into it. Like the types of plants they use for medication, the type of food they hunt, the way they cook it, the tools they make and use. I’m just finding it boring, I’ve reached page 200 and I don’t think I can go on. Anyone else know these books? It appears she’s an acclaimed American author. Maybe I’m just a pleb, but I feel like I’m reading the script for a 70s movie starring Raquel Welsh!
 
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I have not read it but it does not sound like my type of book.I think sometimes you have just to go with your gut feelings.
 
Been a minute. Recent reads include:

Rob Roy (Scott) - read for teaching. Now considering a different Scott because this one was dull.
The Gilda Stories (Jewelle Gomez) - black lesbian vampires through time. Really interesting. Gonna add it to a teaching list.
The Story of Silence (Alex Myers) - nonbinary knight, based on medieval French chivalric romance. Also teaching related, but I want to find the original medieval version (and dust off my middle French) to see how close to the original it is. Interesting but a tad overdetermined, though that may be the fault of the source material.
A Narrow Door (Joanne Harris) - I was not a fan, which is sad, because I normally eat up everything Harris has written.
The School for Good Mothers (Jessamine Chan) - I am an experienced dystopian/horror reader, and this traumatised the heck out of me. Excellent stuff.
The Lost Story (Meg Shaffer) - Wonderful adult fairy tale. Not quite as good as her The Wishing Game, but some nice Easter Eggs for those who know her romance writing alter ego as well...

Haven't decided what's up next. Possible Peter S. Beagle's newest...
 
eggyg said:
I’m currently reading a “strange” book for me, I can’t describe its genre. Historical fiction maybe? It’s set 35,000 years ago when the Neanderthals were coming to the end of their existence and the homosapiens were snapping at their heels. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel. It was written in 1980 and there’s another five books I think. Mr hairdresser loaned me it last week, she’s read them all and loves them.I’m persevering with it but it’s not really exciting me and it’s definitely not a page turner. The premise is that there’s an earthquake and a five year old girl, of the homosapien clan, is separated from her family, she is found by a Neanderthal clan on their travels to find another cave. They think she’s ugly and very odd but take her in, she thinks they’re very odd. They don’t have much in the way of verbal skills, just grunts and gestures, and live by their memories which are from thousands and thousands of years ago, forward thinking is frowned upon, no wonder they were bred out! Her behaviour turns a lot of them against her as she one of the “others” as they call them. The book is very detailed, obviously a lot of research has gone into it. Like the types of plants they use for medication, the type of food they hunt, the way they cook it, the tools they make and use. I’m just finding it boring, I’ve reached page 200 and I don’t think I can go on. Anyone else know these books? It appears she’s an acclaimed American author. Maybe I’m just a pleb, but I feel like I’m reading the script for a 70s movie starring Raquel Welsh!
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Know them well. Sort of pre-romantasy type novels with a similar vibe (some significant 'spice' as they put it now). Very 90s in style.
 
PattiEvans said:
I am very pleased with the new Kindle that arrived yesterday! Ooh and it fits reasonably well in a cover we already had. I have gone back to reading the Reformatory on the Kindle - my goodness it portrays such brutality - though it is indeed believable - going back the attitudes in the south of the USA were pretty appalling towards black people. I think in places they still are.

Not sure I'll return to "One armed sister", not because it's an actual book and I had forgotten how inconvenient they are compared to kindles, but it was depressing and I can only do one depressing read at a time!
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Glad to hear you're enjoying the Due (if enjoy is the right word!).
 
eggyg said:
I’m currently reading a “strange” book for me, I can’t describe its genre. Historical fiction maybe? It’s set 35,000 years ago when the Neanderthals were coming to the end of their existence and the homosapiens were snapping at their heels. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel. It was written in 1980 and there’s another five books I think. Mr hairdresser loaned me it last week, she’s read them all and loves them.I’m persevering with it but it’s not really exciting me and it’s definitely not a page turner. The premise is that there’s an earthquake and a five year old girl, of the homosapien clan, is separated from her family, she is found by a Neanderthal clan on their travels to find another cave. They think she’s ugly and very odd but take her in, she thinks they’re very odd. They don’t have much in the way of verbal skills, just grunts and gestures, and live by their memories which are from thousands and thousands of years ago, forward thinking is frowned upon, no wonder they were bred out! Her behaviour turns a lot of them against her as she one of the “others” as they call them. The book is very detailed, obviously a lot of research has gone into it. Like the types of plants they use for medication, the type of food they hunt, the way they cook it, the tools they make and use. I’m just finding it boring, I’ve reached page 200 and I don’t think I can go on. Anyone else know these books? It appears she’s an acclaimed American author. Maybe I’m just a pleb, but I feel like I’m reading the script for a 70s movie starring Raquel Welsh!
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I read most of them, back in the 80s. At that time I was flying and used to pick up all the latest releases in airport book shops. I'd read all manner of latest releases. I enjoyed them then, not at all sure I'd enjoy them now though.

I still recommend Dorothy Dunnett though... they were amongst ones I picked up - the early ones had really lurid covers, which in no way betrayed the intelligent writing. Just be aware that the first of the Lymond series "Game of Kings" is the hardest one to get through, though once you've read it you are eager for the next book.
 
In my book group of only two members, we swap books in brown paperbags in the high street It looks very suspicious.

I have just been given American Dirt (Jeanne Cummings). After our furtive paperbag swap, a complete stranger sidled up and told me it was a really good read Then she walked away .
 
I loved the Clan Of The Cave Bear and still remember it. A miracle with all the books I've read since, it was years ago. I only read the one though, but they had the whole series at the library. I felt one was enough.
 
I’ve packed it in ! Life’s too short, I’m back on the crime trail. The Murder Bag by Tony Parsons. I’ve only read a few pages and thinking I’ve maybe read it before. :confused:
 
Yesterday I flew through one of my books for teaching - Orlando (Virginia Woolf). (Yes I assign stuff I haven’t read before. Academics are a mess. Shush.) I really enjoyed it and hope my students will too! It was much more appropriate for the module than I was hoping, which is great.

Rereading Sorcerer to the Crown (Zen Cho), also for teaching, now. It’s a lighthearted, far shorter version of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susannah Clarke), but doing similar things with zero world historical fiction, which is what I need it for.

(The module is historical fiction for historians. My background is in SFF studies, though I work in 19th C history mostly these days, and I’m ramping up the connections between alt hist and hist fic big time.)
 
I tried to read Virginia Woolf but too high falutin' for me. I like Mrs Dalloway and the film The Hours but that's about it. Her and her hubby fascinate me. I've read a bit of his biography, he seemed a really nice bloke.
 
Ditto said:
I tried to read Virginia Woolf but too high falutin' for me. I like Mrs Dalloway and the film The Hours but that's about it. Her and her hubby fascinate me. I've read a bit of his biography, he seemed a really nice bloke.
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Ha yes, I’m not normally a Woolf fan (high modernism isn’t my thing, but she’s far more interesting than Joyce for my money), but Orlando was surprisingly readable and impressively ahead of its time in terms of gender.
 
grovesy said:
Finished Girl Zero, which I enjoyed. Now started The next in the series City of Sinners. I started this while waiting for my bloods been taken this morning.
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Now finished City of Sinners, enjoyed it.
Now started The Silkworm by Robert Galbairth.
 
Finished "Dead Memories" by Angela Marsons - as usual a good read. Am now reading Angel Maker by Morgan Green - Scandi crime fiction. Am only 15% into it, but already gripped.
 
PattiEvans said:
Finished "Dead Memories" by Angela Marsons - as usual a good read. Am now reading Angel Maker by Morgan Green - Scandi crime fiction. Am only 15% into it, but already gripped.
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I have not heard of Morgan Green. Will have to look him up!
 
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