I think this may be why I can't handle thrillers on tv so well
Books #10 Reading Chats.
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Someone please stop me buying books. Why can't my brain comprehend that it's a better idea to read the books I already have instead of buying more books?
I used to devour Nora Robert's books and would pass them to family/friends who were equally enthralled with her style of storytelling. I followed her on Facebook for a short time and got to see a mean streak/whiney side to her that turned me right off. I was finding her books a little repetitive at this point so I guess seeing her FB posts/comments cemented my decision to stop reading her material.
Still reading Blood Orange. About halfway though and I'm enjoying it.
Picked up Hamnet in the charity shop today for 50p. Not entirely convinced it's my kind of thing but intrigued by things I've read about it. And can't say no to a bargain. Have any of you read it?
Picked up Hamnet in the charity shop today for 50p. Not entirely convinced it's my kind of thing but intrigued by things I've read about it. And can't say no to a bargain. Have any of you read it?
You’re asking the wrong people here. But if you do happen to find the answer, please share!
Buying books and reading books are two entirely separate pastimes.
Reading Songbirds. It’s a slow burner, beautifully written and I’m enjoying it.
In the Times Books newsletter today it mentioned some upcoming releases I though the tattle book community might be interested in, have copy-pasted into the spoiler:
I have not read properly for absolute ages. Need to go back and catch up on this thread and hopefully get inspired by you all.
| Our look ahead to autumn fiction |
| Will the heatwave never end? The parks are packed, the Tube’s a sweaty hell pit, and the air temperature is hotter than a Sally Rooney sex scene. If, like the books team here (half of whose members have wisely jetted off on holiday this week), you catch yourself pining for cool September breezes and soft autumnal colour palettes, instead of all this blinding white sunshine, we have just the thing for you. Autumn is the time that publishers traditionally wheel out their big hitters and the slate of novels landing in a couple of months’ time is looking particularly juicy. Here are our top ten picks for autumn fiction: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell (out Aug 30) Sex, murder, and literary allusion, 1560s Florence-style? Yes please. The Women’s Prize for Fiction winner Maggie O’Farrell’s ninth novel is a Renaissance drama about the real Lucrezia de’ Medici, whose marriage to the villainous Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, inspired Robert Browning’s most famous poem, My Last Duchess. Lessons by Ian McEwan (out Sep 13) After a clutch of short, wacky novels (Nutshell, Machines Like Me, The Cockroach), Ian McEwan has gone back to the big guns with this fat, century-spanning book. When his wife vanishes, leaving him alone with his tiny son, Roland Baines finds himself looking back over his life, from the Suez crisis to the Covid pandemic. Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie (out Sep 27) Kamila Shamsie’s previous novel, Home Fire, won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2018 — the judges called it “the book for our times”. So expectations are high for her new one, the story of two women, friends since very early childhood, who are bound together in adult life by loyalty, disloyalty, and one disastrous childhood night. The Romantic by William Boyd (out Oct 6) This one sounds special. It’s being touted as one for William Boyd (pictured above) purists, fans of the big novels such as Any Human Heart and Sweet Caress. The period is the 19th-century and the hero is Cashel Greville Ross (Boyd has never been one for minimalism): gigolo, soldier, jailbird, diplomat. His adventures take him from Co Cork to London, from Waterloo to Zanzibar, from Sri Lanka to the Pisa of the Romantic poets. Strap in. Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout (out Oct 6) Lucy, from My Name Is Lucy Barton and 2021’s Oh William!, makes a rapid reappearance in this new novel by the author of the peerless Olive Kitteridge, following her ex (the aforementioned William) to a coastal retreat in Maine, there to mull over their complex relationship. The Last Chairlift by John Irving (out Oct 18) A slalom skier whose sporting ambitions are ruined by pregnancy, an uneventful family who avoid questions about the past, a young son who’s looking for answers. This new novel by the author of The Cider House Rules, his first for seven years, sounds like classic John Irving. The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy (out Oct 25) It has been 16 years since The Road, so anticipation is apocalypse high for the 88-year-old giant of American literature’s new book. We begin with a plane crash in 1980s Mississippi and from there the story crisscrosses the American South, from New Orleans dives to Florida oilrigs, as the hero Bobby Western goes on the run. A sequel, Stella Maris, follows swiftly in November. The Singularities by John Banville (out Oct 25) Freddie Montgomery (who will be familiar to fans of The Book of Evidence) steps out of a flashy red sports car and looks up at the house he grew up in. He’s just out of prison and ready to build a new life, but the house has been sold to a famous theoretical physicist and his family. They didn’t bargain for Montgomery. Think dark secrets, family feuds and knotty questions on the meaning of reality from the Booker-winning John Banville. Bournville by Jonathan Coe (out Nov 3) Jonathan Coe has come as close as anyone to writing the definitive modern British state-of-the-nation novel, and the outline for this new one makes it sound as if he’s having another go — “a profoundly moving and brutally funny portrait of Britain told through four generations of one family who live in the Birmingham suburb that smells faintly of chocolate”, goes the blurb. Very tempting. |
I have not read properly for absolute ages. Need to go back and catch up on this thread and hopefully get inspired by you all.
i love maggie o’farrell so really looking forward to that. also had no clue john irving had a new book coming out! he can be hit or miss for me but when he’s on, he’s so good.
currently reading people person by candice carty-williams as i thought it looked like a great out in the garden read. i liked queenie a lot, despite some issues with the main character, and liking this about the same so far.
Just read this and thought of you all:
NPR’s Book of the Day
For a bite-size books podcast, check out NPR’s Book of the Day, which the American public service broadcaster bills as “today’s great books in 15 minutes or less”. In each brisk episode, expect authors zipping through themes explored in their works, timely breakdowns of the latest must-reads, and NPR journalists picking the books that best address the topics at the top of the news agenda. If you’re stuck with what to pick up next, or want to gauge if that hot new release everyone’s talking about is really one for you, this is the podcast for you
NPR’s Book of the Day
For a bite-size books podcast, check out NPR’s Book of the Day, which the American public service broadcaster bills as “today’s great books in 15 minutes or less”. In each brisk episode, expect authors zipping through themes explored in their works, timely breakdowns of the latest must-reads, and NPR journalists picking the books that best address the topics at the top of the news agenda. If you’re stuck with what to pick up next, or want to gauge if that hot new release everyone’s talking about is really one for you, this is the podcast for you
I’ve been reading The Passage by Justin Cronin which has been on my list for years… not my first world disaster type book I’ve read since the start of the pandemic (shout out to The End of Men, a true favourite, closely followed by Station Eleven) but it turns out I find them quite fascinating, not sure what that says about me. If anyone is aware of any other civilisation-ending books along those lines I’d love some recommendations (pls don’t judge me)
I love end of the world/pandemic type books - The End of Men is one of my absolute favourites! Books that I’d lump in this category that I’ve also enjoyed include Skin, Last One at the Party, Before and After, Tender is the Flesh, The Unit and Bird Box.
Thank you! I’ve screenshot this and I’m sure I’ll work through them all
much appreciated
Last One At The Party is really good and its not my type of book at all.
Im trying to decide which books off my wishlist to buy to get the £5 credit.
Im trying to decide which books off my wishlist to buy to get the £5 credit.
I’m currently reading Station Eleven
. Since the start of the pandemic I have been reading such books and also watching movies etc. i think i love this genre? if we can call it a genre i love post apocalyptic narrations. I have read The Road by Cormac McCarthy and it was better than I expected. Bird Box was the best read of 2016 for me I LOVED IT. The suspense (i felt like i was in it) and it ended with a shock for me. 5th Wave was also good but i read it years ago so I’m not sure.Edit: I just remembered Jose Saramago’s two books Blindness and Death woth interraptions. I loved them too.
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Noting these down tooI’m currently reading Station Eleven
Thank you!Enjoy Station Eleven! It was definitely one of my favourite reads of last year
i loved station eleven too! i read it right at the start of the pandemic though, which wasn’t my best idea, but it’s a beautiful book!Noting these down too
Enjoy Station Eleven! It was definitely one of my favourite reads of last year
I really loved this book. It was in my top 3 at the time but then I’ve read a couple of other contenders since.
Also need to finish spending my £10 to qualify for my credit. I think I’ve bought about 7 99p books since the offer started.
Ah I loved station eleven. I am reading Severance at the moment which reminds me of it. And I think On the Road is an all time favourite of mine. The writing is stunningly sparse and amazingly effective.
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