Books #43

[veronica71]

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig is a brilliant book. His notes on a nervous planet though made me so much more anxious than I was and I couldn’t finish it.

I think I read the Humans and loved it but read another of his fiction and hated so much I can’t remember which one it was right now

He’s definitely a marmite author for me!!

 

[emmer_moans]

One of my least favourite ever is The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I will never read anything else he has written. What a load of tedious mawkish old rit and it goes on forever.

Oh i haven't read that but when it came out every book influencer was saying how amazing it was but I read a summary and thought 'not for me'. I just don't feel tempted to try any of his stuff, tbh.

 

[emmer_moans]

has anyone ever gone back as an adult to read a book they read as a child or teen?

Yes. Recently reread Adrian Mole which I must have read when I was about 14-15. Still loved it and got more of the nuance too.

Also just finished the Audible cast versions of HP series and had a great time doing so.

 

[SaintLeo]

has anyone ever gone back as an adult to read a book they read as a child or teen?

Yes loads, new books are great but I also love revisiting all of those favourite comfort books! Anne of Green Gables was my first book love. I have the complete set on Kindle and have read all of them multiple times. (And watched the 1980s Megan Fellows tv adaptation so often I could recite the whole thing!)

I’ve read a couple of Roald Dahl’s as an adult - The BFG was probably the most recent - and they’re still great stories even though Gen Z want to cancel him! And I read The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton earlier this year in anticipation of watching the new film version (still not got round to that though).

One of my favourite series as a kid was Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s Chalet School books. I think they’re quite niche as I don’t know many other people who’ve heard of them. They’re hard to come by now but I got hold of the first one a couple of year ago and still loved it.

 

[wishiniwasskinny]

I haven’t read any of them but will admit most are on my TBR. I have Yesteryear waiting in hardback and Strangers I am really interested in.

 

[chickhicks86]

has anyone ever gone back as an adult to read a book they read as a child or teen?

I was literally going to come on and ask this! I really want to re-read Back Home by Michelle Magorian. I read it so many times as an early teen.

 

[chickhicks86]

Yes loads, new books are great but I also love revisiting all of those favourite comfort books! Anne of Green Gables was my first book love. I have the complete set on Kindle and have read all of them multiple times. (And watched the 1980s Megan Fellows tv adaptation so often I could recite the whole thing!)

I’ve read a couple of Roald Dahl’s as an adult - The BFG was probably the most recent - and they’re still great stories even though Gen Z want to cancel him! And I read The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton earlier this year in anticipation of watching the new film version (still not got round to that though).

One of my favourite series as a kid was Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s Chalet School books. I think they’re quite niche as I don’t know many other people who’ve heard of them. They’re hard to come by now but I got hold of the first one a couple of year ago and still loved it.

I LOVED the Chalet School books, I read loads of them. I'm trying to think how I would have got hold of them pre-internet, I can't remember if it was the kind of thing that they'd have in the library or WH Smith.

 

[SaintLeo]

I LOVED the Chalet School books, I read loads of them. I'm trying to think how I would have got hold of them pre-internet, I can't remember if it was the kind of thing that they'd have in the library or WH Smith.

I think our library must have had them because it read loads but don’t remember actually owning many of the books. I know I didn’t read them in anywhere near the right order so probably just grabbed what was on the shelves at the time!

 

[ToxicPony]

I haven’t read any of them but will admit most are on my TBR. I have Yesteryear waiting in hardback and Strangers I am really interested in.

Also got a few on my TBR, have only read the (pleasantly surprising) no1 Kin, which I did enjoy, I enjoy all of Tayari Jones' books.

Is it weird that I'm utterly sick of the sight of Yesteryear and I haven't even read it? At this point it could be the best book ever, I'm determined to hate it.

 

[CommentBelow]

Also got a few on my TBR, have only read the (pleasantly surprising) no1 Kin, which I did enjoy, I enjoy all of Tayari Jones' books.

Is it weird that I'm utterly sick of the sight of Yesteryear and I haven't even read it? At this point it could be the best book ever, I'm determined to hate it.

I’ve read it and don’t think it deserves the hype but enjoyed it enough, however, every time I see hype about it I kind of mentally knock off a quarter of a star.
Speaking of new books with hype.. has anyone read Land yet? Or Whistler? Which actually doesn’t seem to have a tonne of hype but obvs is a big release.

 

[tarahalls]

Normal People was the one that made me feel like I was reading a completely different book to everyone else! Hated it to the point where I haven’t ever picked up anything else by Sally Rooney.

I threw my copy at the wall when I’d finished it I’m still angry I suffered it to the end & want those hours back When I hear the authors name I still feel angry & FOR THE LIFE OF ME can’t understand why people rave about it

ETA because I saw someone else mention Broken Country & this is another I have a LOT of hate for! The FMC, what a piece of work It was an awful story featuring awful characters…just awful

 

[Kerrie86]

I didn’t hate normal people the book, but that’s maybe coz I LOVED normal people the show.

 

[Katykatykaty]

Oh I love Matt Haig! His Reasons To Stay Alive book is probably my most reread book - I go back to it whenever I feel down or lost and brings me back to life. The Humans is absolutely brilliant, I remember waking my husband up laughing at it.

I can see why people wouldn’t like The Midnight Library but I absolutely loved it.

Some of his others are a bit wishy washy but I know I’m always going to enjoy his work even if every one isn’t a 5 star read.

 

[SaintLeo]

I haven’t read any of them but will admit most are on my TBR. I have Yesteryear waiting in hardback and Strangers I am really interested in.

I haven’t read any yet either but Into The Blue is currently a 99p Kindle deal so it’ll be one I pick up soon! I’m intrigued by the Kathryn Stockett as I loved The Help and but haven’t read anything else by her.

 

[Carapop]

I’ve read it and don’t think it deserves the hype but enjoyed it enough, however, every time I see hype about it I kind of mentally knock off a quarter of a star.
Speaking of new books with hype.. has anyone read Land yet? Or Whistler? Which actually doesn’t seem to have a tonne of hype but obvs is a big release.

Whistler is a beautiful book, highly recommend

 

[CommentBelow]

Whistler is a beautiful book, highly recommend

Exactly the validation I wanted!
I think I might hold off on Land, some of the reviews mention is being quite a dense read so feels like one that might languish on my TBR then the paperback will be out and I’ll be irritated with myself lol

 

[anniemouse]

Has anyone read Black Rabbit Hall? It’s my library book club book, I’m 155 pages in and it feels so slow.

 

[Chocolategoggler]

Yes loads, new books are great but I also love revisiting all of those favourite comfort books! Anne of Green Gables was my first book love. I have the complete set on Kindle and have read all of them multiple times. (And watched the 1980s Megan Fellows tv adaptation so often I could recite the whole thing!)

I’ve read a couple of Roald Dahl’s as an adult - The BFG was probably the most recent - and they’re still great stories even though Gen Z want to cancel him! And I read The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton earlier this year in anticipation of watching the new film version (still not got round to that though).

One of my favourite series as a kid was Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s Chalet School books. I think they’re quite niche as I don’t know many other people who’ve heard of them. They’re hard to come by now but I got hold of the first one a couple of year ago and still loved it.

I've read a couple of them. Just have vague recollections, but I think I wanted to read more.
I think there's 64 books!!!
World of Books seems to sell them.
If I was a billionaire I'd probably try and reprint all the books out of print that should be in print!

 

[mindlessness]

I've read a couple of them. Just have vague recollections, but I think I wanted to read more.
I think there's 64 books!!!
World of Books seems to sell them.
If I was a billionaire I'd probably try and reprint all the books out of print that should be in print!

There’s a publishing company called Girls Gone By that does exactly this.

Girls Gone By Publishers | Welcome

We re-publish fiction from the twentieth century, concentrating on sought after, and difficult to find titles on the second-hand market.

www.ggbp.co.uk

@SaintLeo if you wanted to replace an old favourite!

 

[Seaside Girl2]

this. Dreadful book.

Someone on my Facebook feed has recommended this and I took a screenshot to remind me Might rethink it now