Allotments 4 All
General => The Shed => Topic started by: emmy1978 on March 25, 2007, 00:38:24
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Apart from gardening books. Inspired to ask after watching Chocolat tonight. One of my favourite books and not ruined too much by being made into film. I'm reading Mother's Boys by Margaret Forster. I've read it before but having a re-read as such a fantastic writer.
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my sister got me a new (charity shop) herbal recipe book so I'm reading that..it's fascinating, loads of oldy worldy recipes in there, vinegar and brwn paper plaisters..looking to update my herbal remedy medicine chest ;D
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I love crime...novels and have just discovered Fred Vargas. I really enjoyed her book "Seeking whom he may devour"
Next on the pile I've got another Henning Mankell, a Swedish crime writer. Would be interested to hear "crime" recommendations from other members.
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we got a copy of clockwork orange with the Independent a couple of weeks ago and never seeing the film, but hearing the hype I thought I'd read it. Determined to finish it (its only thin) but I the sentences are made up of absolute rubbish and gibberish, half the time I have no idea what is going on - in fact it reminds me of a fantasy that a teenager would write - along with the fantasy language. Not recommended.
The only other book I was never able to finish (despite my best efforts) was Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy ... OMG my eyelids are closing at the meer mention of its name.
Best books I've read were the Gormenghast (?) series
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The Course of Honour -- by Lindsay Davis (writer of the Falco series, crime books brilliantly set in ancient Rome and also great fun to read.)
'The Course of Honour' is fiction but based around fact: that the emperor Vespasian had a long-standing mistress, who was a former slave. Her name was Caenis. And it's wonderfully researched, well written, fast paced and packed with emotion...
I've read it before and am enjoying it at least as much second time around!
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Currently I am reading the Trail of Tears, the true story of the Cherokee Indians upheaval. XX Jeannine
I am told the book The Island is excellent but have not found it yet.
XX Jeannine
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I seem to have finally gotten back on the 'good books', hoorah! After OU I always burn out any anything with any depth (fiction or non-fiction) and can only read easy trash for a few months. ;)
Just got Bryson's 'A Short History of Everything' which I can't put down now and Phillip Ball's 'H20' from the library. I love when I find good stuff!
Tina.
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I am reading Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series. Currently just over halfway through the fourth book, Wizard and Glass.
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Close to the Veg - Michael Rand. Can't recommend it as a riveting read unless you're really interested in the history of Finchley. Not much allotment work so far! :D
Just finished Hannibal Rising - relatively predictable (probably due to the previous films!) but a fast, good reader that I wanted to read in one go.
About to start Midnight Cactus by Bella Pollen. Her other two books were a good summertime read.
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I quite like Elizabeth Peters mysteries, good if you like egyptology, which I do, plenty of descriptions and explanations of egyptian pharoahs etc plus a good story..if you're going to get one, they are the amelia peabody series :)
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I love crime...novels and have just discovered Fred Vargas. I really enjoyed her book "Seeking whom he may devour"
Next on the pile I've got another Henning Mankell, a Swedish crime writer. Would be interested to hear "crime" recommendations from other members.
Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell) Her darker side and just superb. Also Minette Walters fab, I'm assuming you've done Morse etc. :)
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I am reading the Peter Kaye autobiography The Sound Of Laughter. I love Peter Kaye on the telly and although the book is funny, it's not as funny as I thought it would be. Still, it has been great to read about his childhood and teenage years. It's become very obvious where some of his 'characters' come from !
Donna.
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I'm reading "The Hawk Dancer" by Diana Saville. Hadn't heard of it before I saw it in the second-hand shop, but enjoying it so far. Chocolat is one of my favourites, too, but I have to say the film did annoy me! My other favourite of Joanne Harris's is "Blackberry Wine"- quite a lot of gardening stuff in it.
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Blackberry Wine is gorgeous. The film annoyed me too Caroline as they made the priest two separate people and the whole film lacked the oozy subtlety of the book, but it's always the way isn't it? I felt the same about Memoirs of a Geisha.
Currently I am reading the Trail of Tears, the true story of the Cherokee Indians upheaval. XX Jeannine
XX Jeannine
Jeannine, have you read Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee? It's very painful read, I'm only 1/4 way through. Have to keep leaving it and coming back to it. It's too much to read in one go, just far too horrific.
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I've just read 'Persian Fire' by Tom Holland. It's about how a couple of little Greek city states (which had just developed body armour) managed to defeat the first 'world power' Europe ever encountered.
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Emmy, no I haven't read it, but I am aware of it and intended to, someone else told me it was hard,this one is too but I need to read it.
If you are interested in books to do with North American Indians try getting
The Daughters of Copper Woman, it is an odd book ,certainly I would describe it as a womans book, and it is amazing how the beliefs run very close to that of the Christian faith especially the bit about the creation of man.
XX Jeannine
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Just finished "We need to talk about Kevin" by Lionel Shriver for our book club meeting this month. Read it in two days - it's horrific and totally compelling. If I'd read it before I'd had kids, I'd have seriously thought about getting my tubes tied! :o
Am re-reading my Janet Evanovich novels as light relief. That woman just makes me laugh out loud.
Love all books by Joanne Harris - Gentlemen & Players was very dark indeed, but Chocolat is my favourite.
(Going to look on my book shelves, I have just discovered my copy of Holy Fools has disappeared - my Mother is going to be in big trouble for borrowing books without asking me - that kind of thing just isn't funny when you're an ex-librarian ;D)
Tabby
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I have just started The White Rose, by Jennifer Donnelly. When I looked at the cover it seemed like the kind of book I would never read!
It's set in 1900 in London and follows a woman who has just qualified as a doctor. There are all sorts of threads running through it, it looks a really good on the evidence of the first couple of chapters.
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Just joined new library that has opened in my village and picked up Ghosting by Jennie Erdal. Half way through and am finding it an interesting, but not a "can't put down" read. First book I ever read (on my ownsome) was the The Ruggles Family! Doesn't even appear on search engines - that famous!! ;D
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I'm reading A feast for crows book 4 in the A song of ice and fire series by George R.R Martin. I'm with you mc55, Gormenghast brilliant!!
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I've just started The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster (good so far) and also A Cook On The Wild Side by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (special offer last week from River Cottage website), so now I know what to do with the nettle patch on my plot!
Have just finished Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson, first part of a 3000-page trilogy about science, politics, money and power in the late 17th century - it's an absolutely astounding book, and I can't wait to get stuck into volume two (The Confusion).
And finally, as I'm off to Cornwall next week, I'll be reading lots of books of Cornish walks to see which ones we'll be doing this time...
Cheers,
Rob ;)
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Fab! Loads of things there that I really want to read! I've never read the Gormenghast series but my friend rates them very highly. Finished Mother's Boys last night.Picked up Mavis Cheek 'Aunt Margaret's Lover in charity shop on way back from school run, along with few others, going to start that today I think!
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the gormanghast trilogy (well the first two anyways) would be my desert island book.
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Want to read the gormanghast series as well. Reading Rubicon, history of Caeser and Rome but written as a novel rather than an academic book. Did realise how cruel they could be. Great book. Only once have I never been able to finish a book...Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, just way too depressing.
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Only once have I never been able to finish a book...Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, just way too depressing.
Only read One Hundred Years of Solitude by GGM. Also heavy going, but v.v. good.
The only book I've never been able to finish is The Famished Road by Ben Okri.
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still haven't finished A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth ::)
Would be interested to hear "crime" recommendations from other members.
Mark Billingham has written four or five books about a good detective character, Tom Thorn, set in London.
I also like Harlan Coben – he writes mostly about an American sports agent called Myron Bolitar who ends up investigating murders and kidnappings, set in USA.
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I usually read the type of books as written by Cathy Kelly, Katie Fforde and Erica James. However, for the last four months I've been librarian where the only readers are men! :o (Work that one out!) This has encouraged me to try some of the books they read, so I've recently read PD James, John Grisham, Peter Robinson etc. I've just finished a couple of 'technothrillers' by Michael Crichton of Jurassic Park fame and I've got a Harlan Coben to read although I'm not keen on American authors - they often use too many Americanisms and really awful language for my taste.
My stint at this library finishes this week, but I will continue to read thrillers on a fairly regular basis.
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You work in a prison library?
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THE STEEP APPROACH TO GARBADALE by Iain Bans will be my next read when the gardens looking tidy again (after the visitors!) The joys of living in Spain!!!!
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That's what i thought too Robert! Has to be prison library?
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The Great War for Civilisation - The Conquest of The Middle East by Robert Fisk. an excellent book.
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Criminal Law textbooks....ugh.......
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Have just finished Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson, first part of a 3000-page trilogy about science, politics, money and power in the late 17th century - it's an absolutely astounding book, and I can't wait to get stuck into volume two (The Confusion).
OH charged through all of them and really, really rates them. When I'm back to comuting by train again (April 22nd! Bye-bye crappy old job, hello lovely new one! Can't wait!!) I shall get stuck into them...and then buy new copies to replace my B-in-law's battered, borrowed copies!
I've started Love in the Time of Cholera, found it a beautifully written book, put it down and haven't picked it up again. There's not enough time to deicate to it at the moment but I will persevere again (when back on the trains etc!)
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Currently I am reading the Trail of Tears, the true story of the Cherokee Indians upheaval. XX Jeannine
XX Jeannine
Jeannine, have you read Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee? It's very painful read, I'm only 1/4 way through. Have to keep leaving it and coming back to it. It's too much to read in one go, just far too horrific.
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I read Bury my Heart when I was about 12 yrs old :-[ It's stayed with me ever since. I can still see the book cover now on my parents' bookshelf.
Not reading a book at the moment but I've just skim-read my bank statement. Not as distressing as 'Bury My Heart' but it comes a close second!
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oooo a bit excited about the books I have read recently. The Island was an excellent read a bit strange at first but grew quite compelling. That is written by Victoria Hislop. Just finished The Book Thief by markus zusak again a very slow strange start but really couldn't put it down after the first few chapters. I had tears in my eyes at the end.Forgotten what my new book is but am enjoying for once it is a british read about a woman in her mid 40's and oh what a change to have it set in this country.
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Just started Dangerous Lady by Martina Cole
OH Half watching Football !!!!!!!!
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Trixiebelle, All Quiet on the Western Front was the book I read aged 11/12 that has stayed with me all my life. Can't believe you got through Bury My Heart! It's such a great book, and so well written. I love the lists of other events that were happening at the same time around the world. Puts it all into perspective.
BlueBird, what is Martina Cole like? I've heard she is highly rated so what do you think?
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Yep, prison library is correct. Did my last stint last night, and 'nicked' a few cuttings from the herb garden outside the library on my way out. I WILL get my herb/aromatic garden done this year (if I'm not put away for doing this!)
In case you're interested, the most popular genre in the prison is true life crime, followed by crime fiction. Martina Cole is very popular, but I didn't like her.
I've just finished my first Harlan Coben, which I enjoyed and have just started rereading Delderfield's 'To serve them all my days' - one of my favourites which I havedn't read for about 5 years.
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GGM - 'Love in a Time of Cholera' depressing? Think it's a fab! love story 8) But '1000 Years of Solitude' an epic great too (like GGM, me 8))
Now then.....the book I started in the 80's & never finished? Umberto Eco's 'The Name of the Rose'......kept starting it, reading it at deathbeds, overtaken by events ::)......never finished.....be warned folks! started reading it again ;D
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Great book, it's nuch better than the film.
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Currently reading The Hills is Lonely by Lillian Beckwith. Dated, but hilarious. Have 3 others of her books in the same vein to read too. Can't understand why I've never come across them before.
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I also love Erica James' books - recently added 2 more to my bookshelf to read.
Loved 'Chocolat' (the book) and have 'Five Quarters of the Orange' by Joanne Harris to read.
Also have a Jenny Pitman book 'The Inheritance' lined up - not read her before but looking forward to that.
A real surprise book to me (& very gripping) was 'Charlotte's Friends by Sarah Kennedy - of Radio 2 fame!
Currently reading 'the Journey' by Josephine Cox - easy reading in bed.
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I have just read these three books by Susie Kelly.
Best Foot Forward: the Misadventures of an Englishwoman: In this book Susie Kelly travels solo, on foot with a backpack, from La Rochelle to Lake Geneva.
Two Steps Backward: Susie describes her life living in an old farmhouse in France.
A Perfect Circle Susie and her husband travel around the perimeter of France in an old camper van.
A good read for Francophiles. Susie Kelly has a good sense of humour and I found her descriptions of places and people really interesting.
I have now just begun reading Grumpy Old Women by Judith Holder .
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I'm currently reading The Sunday Sport. :)
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Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan...#
Well you did ask...
:-X
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;D ;D ;D
Pauline7...Susie Kelly is GREAT! Loved all her books.
Also love the Gormenghast trilogy. One of my secret vices is Jeanine Mcmullen "My Small Country Living", "The Wind in the Ash Tree" and others, probably all out of print now, but tell the tale of how she managed with little money and lots of animals and a house which frequently bit back.
Right now my main reading is seed catalogues. Note to self: do more reading!
;)
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Trixiebelle,I could have sworn I aswered your question. I must have pressed the wrong button...........anyway,no I haven't read Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee, but I have heard of it once or twice so I think I will find it.
I have just finished Daughters of Copper Woman(again),by Anne Cameron . It is a re-telling of the legends carefully guarded and shared with her by the Native Indian Nootka women on Vancouver Island.It talks of the first woman in creation and how she gave birth to the first man, the coming of strangers and the problems that then came. It is very moving story of sisterhood,an odd book, you will love it or hate it.
XX Jeannine
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Jeannine: Look for the book 'Searching For Red Eagle'. A lovely woman in the US. wrote this book and I had the pleasure of being in contact with her for a while (must get in touch again! thanks for the reminder!)
I'm reading 'The Poacher's Handbook' by Ian Niall at the moment. Fabulous!
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Thanks Trixie I will Xx Jeannine
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I have just finished Daughters of Copper Woman(again),by Anne Cameron .
XX Jeannine
Have been on the hunt for this Jeannine, my mum thinks she has a copy so I'll get to read it soon.
:)
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The last book I read was
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Luck-Trouble-Lee-Child/dp/0593057015/ref=sr_1_1/026-7813420-6471653?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175465335&sr=1-1
currently reading this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0593057244/026-7813420-6471653 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0593057244/026-7813420-6471653)
and this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1844035603/026-7813420-6471653 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1844035603/026-7813420-6471653)
this is next
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kite-Runner-Khaled-Hosseini/dp/0747566534/ref=sr_1_1/026-7813420-6471653?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175465179&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kite-Runner-Khaled-Hosseini/dp/0747566534/ref=sr_1_1/026-7813420-6471653?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175465179&sr=1-1)
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If you look on the cover of Kite Runner, you will see a rec from Isabel Allende. She is just superb. wiould recommend anything by her. Liking the look of that allotment book too. Hmm, need new bookcase. ::)
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The Lilllian Beckwith books were the first 'adult' books I ever read, at about the age of 10! I found them hilarious.
I'll look out for the Susy Kelly books mentioned; they sound as though they might be fun. I keep meaning to read the books by Carol Someone (Drinkwater?) about an olive farm in France. I like books on France, probably because we used to holiday there most years.
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If you look on the cover of Kite Runner, you will see a rec from Isabel Allende.
Two south American magic realist authors in one thread. You are an intellectual set of people ::)
Isabel Allende is one of those people whose life contains enough material for rather a lot of novels, but my favourite story is that as a young woman, she was sacked from a job translating romantic novels from English into Spanish, because she was changing the dialogue and the endings so that the heroines were smarter than in the originals - and the publishers thought that readers wouldn't like it!
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:)
I read Paula by Isabel Allende some time ago and it still lives with me now, one of the most moving things I have ever read.
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Flo, great big thanksXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Island received today,you are a love. Thank you Jeannine XXXXX
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The Island is an amazing read....stays with you, same of Kite Runner'. Number one read for me has to Carlos Ruiz Zafon 'The Shadow of the Wind'......oh the days before law books! Very envious of all of you,mind you Lord Denning's books provide some light relief...
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Lilypad - think the books you mean by Carol Drinkwater (Helen Herriot from 'All Creatures Great & Small' fame) are a series about her much beloved Olive Farm in France. I read the 2nd in the trilogy 'The Olive Season' and loved it so much - hadn't realised it when I brought it home that it was the 2nd - so wished I'd read the first one but want to read more.
I also enjoy books by Judith Cutler.
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:)
I read Paula by Isabel Allende some time ago and it still lives with me now, one of the most moving things I have ever read.
Me too, one of those books that actually really makes you cry! x
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Carol Drinkwater (Helen Herriot from 'All Creatures Great & Small' fame)
Wow - just found out that there was a previous Mrs Herriot. Always knew her as Lynda Bellingham... Showing my age there!
I started with the second book too and enjoyed it very much and am always on the look out for the first one.
Bella Pollen is also a very good read. A talented writer and spins a very good yarn. Her books so far are non-related and include: Hunting Unicorns, Midnight Cactus and The Daydream Girl. Just finished Midnight Cactus and read it cover to cover (allowing for sleep and conversational interruptions! ;D)
I've also just bought Lily Prior's latest, Cabaret and seriously hope it is in the same vein as her other wonderful, slightly off beat books (La Cucina, Ardour & Nectar).
For a bit of additional magical realism, I hearilty recommend Louis de Bernieres first three books (before he sold out with Cpt Corelli <grumble grumble>!) The War of Don Emmanuelle's Nether Parts, Senor Vivo & The Coco Lord and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman. I've just sent my duplicate copies to an american friend who was raised in Guatemala - yet to hear his critique!
PS: will we be up for a sales commission for all this advertising we're doing on this thread!!???!? ;D ;D ;D
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;D ;D ;D
No need for commission, bennett...I have already sold my soul to Amazon! Have now restricted myself to having a peek once a week, and only buying something once a month! It's faaaaarrrrrr toooo tempting!
;)
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Emmy, if your Mum hasn't got Daughters of Copper Woman, let me know and you can borrow mine. XX Jeannine
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Oh Katy you said that bad word Amazon, that is nearly as bad as the other profanity eBay. Although I have hardle spent anything on either in the last few weeks. Thank you A4A
XX Jeannine
PS I think I will go and see if they are still there XX
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:o
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo! Don't do it J!!
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I hang my head in shame...............
Amazon.4 cookery books.
eBay.squash seeds and pumpkin seeds and tomato seeds and squash seeds and carrot seeds and sq........
There is this big selection box of seeds too, I might just keep an eye on it , just for curiosity, that's all .
Oh I have to go and lie down
XX Jeannine
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seeing as our town's only "new" bookshop has just closed down citing the rise of supermarkets selling books at half list price (and crap a selection of books, too, I might add...!) I use Amazon for specific books and our Oxfam bookshop for a rambling book shopping experience. Oxfam are great, but it can be pot luck as to what gets donated.
Seeds: garden centres, swopsies, online catalogues.
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Emmy, if your Mum hasn't got Daughters of Copper Woman, let me know and you can borrow mine. XX Jeannine
Thanks Jeannine. I'm seeing her in a few weeks so i'll know then. She says it might be boxed so i'll let you know.
Bennetts, i agree about supermarkets for books, although v.v.good for cookery and gardening books. lucky here as there is a Borders and loads of good charity bookshops. My fav bookshop though has to be Waterstones. It's the smell of coffee and brand new book...mmmm!
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I've just finished 'Maxwell's Mask' by M. J. Trow - the latest in the popular Peter 'Mad' Maxwell series.....actually I listened to it - addicted to audio books and listen when ironing/cooking or just relaxing as a change from reading (when my eyelids tend to droop ;))
thoroughly enjoyed the 'who dunnit' that kept me guessing to the end and the humorous, slightly sarcastic at times, style of writing.
moving on now to Virginia Andrews
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I finished "The Hawk dancer" and read "A wedding in December" by Anita Shreve and "A short history of tractors in Ukrainian" while on holiday- the best time for reading! Enjoyed them all.
BTW if you don't want to give the big bookstores all your money, don't forget www.greenmetropolis.com (http://www.greenmetropolis.com) - great secondhand book site, all paperbacks £3.75, you can sell as well as buy, and they give a donation to the Woodland Trust for every book sold. Think I got the link from another member here.
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Just been reading a magazine article where they asked 5 women authors what their favourite books were and what they were looking forward to reading. One of them mentioned a sequal to "Chocolate" called "The Lollipop Shoes" - can't wait!
Have just finished "The Food of Love" by Anthony Capella(?) - it's fantastic. The way he describes Rome and the dishes cooked by the main character is incredible. Started it this morning, finished it this evening (no housework done in my house today ;D).
I did manage to feed my children lunch and dinner, but there wasn't much conversation between them and me! I heard my 6 yr old say to my 4 yr old "You have to speak louder to Mummy when she's reading, she's actually IN the book, so she can't hear as well as she does normally" :-[
Tabby
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I'm still in Pilgrim's Progress but only about 5 pages to go... the theology is really deep and I have to read some pages several times...
::)
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It is deep; it's also horribly individualistic. There's an 18th Century sequel where his family goes after him, which is a bit more rounded theologically.
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Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Written by Harriet A. Jacobs
She was born a slave in North Carolina in 1813,became a fugitive in the 1830's,recorded her struggle for freedom in an autobiography which was published in 1861.
A must read book
XX Jeannine
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Sounds great Jeannine. Love these sort of books. I find them really fascinating and inspiring. I'm guessing you've already read Maya Angelou's series of autobiographies?
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Hi Emmy, no I don't have those.
I have quite a large library of books about slavery and the trade, it is a subject I have studied since I was a girl many are historical texts and many are non fiction stories from slaves themselves or childrens stories telling the facts in a child frendly way,
XX Jeannine
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Her story is that of a young black girl growing up with her grandmother in 30's Arkansas. The books follow her life from her childhood right through her life. They start with 'I know why the caged bird sings'. They are great books, she has a unique take on things that i think you would like. :)
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Actually I think I have read the Cage Bird one,but it way back if it is the same one,I will have to look those up, thanks you XX Jeannine
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Have just finished a book called "The Allotment: Its Landscape and Culture" (http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,88888889/) - very academic, but deeply fascinating. It discusses in detail the way allotments fit into English history, and also their relation to other parts of Europe. Not a 'quick and easy' read but highly recommended.
Am currently reading "Fencing Paradise" by Richard Mabey. This is a book of reflections by Mabey prompted by his visits to the Eden Project - he basically walks through each biome and writes about plants that catch his eye, discussing biology, ecology, folklore, history, philosophy, art etc, and also the general themes and ideas of the Eden Project itself and how these relate (or don't) to the outside world. Anyone who's read Mabey (especially Flora Britannica or Nature Cure) probably won't need me to recommend this, but nevertheless - it's absolutely brilliant!
Cheers,
Rob ;)
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Wow rob, going to look out for The Allotment... and also Richard Mabey, I've never read him but he has been recommended to me before.
I am reading...Born 1900 by Hunter Davies. It's the stories of people and institutions born or founded in 1900. Totally fascinating.
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Just finished The Bad mother's handbook- funny and touching at the same time (needs an x rating in places, if you're sensitive!)
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That's waiting on my shelf Caroline. :)
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Have just read "Black Swan Green" and "This book will save your life" one straight after the other. Thoroughly enjoyed them both. Passed "BSG" on to OH, who continually harrassed me to finish "TBWSYL" before he'd finished the first. Couldn't do it in time, so he's onto a Dan Brown, while I am on to "The Girls". (Sorry Im not putting authors here, but having had a few to drink, I cannot be bothered to go and find the books!)
Have also got Phillippa Gregory's "The Other Boleyn Girl" on the go.
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Being a librarian, i loveeeeeeeeeeee books, keep buying them but getting round to reading them is another thing. I think th last book i read was The Abortionists Daughter... but i have about 5 new books that i need to get stuck into.
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'Spiritual Midwifery' by Ina May Gaskin
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My favorite book is 'Women Who Run With the Wolves' by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.
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Started The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Have you read this Olive? It is amazing, can't put it down, started it last night, put it down at about 2am.
It's about a young girl who is murdered and goes to heaven, how she watches her family and her murderer and how she influences their lives. It's captivating and wonderfully written. I wish I could write like that.
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God's War (about the Crusades) by Christopher Tyerman.
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Have just read "Black Swan Green" and "This book will save your life" one straight after the other.
Last two adult books, I read, too.
Wasn't too impressed by "This book will save your life".
Black Swan Green (by David Mitchell) is really good, but his previous books (Cloud Atlas, Ghostwritten, No.9 Dream) have been great. This is much of a straight 'year in the life of a teenager' compared with the multiple narrative, story within stories that his previous novels were.
My 'to read' pile is up to about thirty books. "The Tenderness of Wolves" is next.
Anyone who's read Mabey (especially Flora Britannica or Nature Cure) probably won't need me to recommend this
Think I'll have to get hold of that! (Flora Britannica is a fantastic piece of work). Although as a Cambridgeshire resident, I still think it a little strange that when he was suffering from severe depression, he chose to move to the fens rather than away from them ;)
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Anyone who's read Mabey (especially Flora Britannica or Nature Cure) probably won't need me to recommend this
Think I'll have to get hold of that! (Flora Britannica is a fantastic piece of work). Although as a Cambridgeshire resident, I still think it a little strange that when he was suffering from severe depression, he chose to move to the fens rather than away from them ;)
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Funny you should say that - I lived in Ely for 16 years and thought exactly the same thing!
Cheers,
Rob ;)
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'Spiritual Midwifery' by Ina May Gaskin
sounds interesting spacehopper - what's it about ??
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Just finished Perfume by Patrick Suskind. :o :o How they made this into a film I don't know, I'll have to see it. Also A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka which was a very enjoyable read and Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory. I really enjoyed this and will read some others by her I think.
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Wolves for me too! "Wolves of the Calla", part 5 of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. This is a very thick book, should keep me quiet for a long time.
I bought it new on Amazon marketplace for just 80p! with p&p it's still half the High St price. Was looking on ebay, but people bid used books up to such silly prices on there. Add in the p&p, and they might as well go to WHS and buy it new.
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I started The Constant Gardener a few weeks ago but I wasn't impressed at all so I've dumped that for Narrow Dog To Carcassone. I'm only 40 or so pages in but it's already made me laugh out loud a good few times and the syle it's written in is just lovely.
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That's a shame Nelson, I liked The Constant Gardener.
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I have just finished The Island thanks to Flossie who kindly sent me a copy which she doesn't want back and will not even take the postage for,bless her heart. I really enjoyed this one Flo, you are a darling.
So fair is fair, I would like to pass it on and perhaps then someone else could pass it on.
First to PM gets it, same rules apply, I don't want the postage either.
What goes around comes around as the saying goes. !!!
Thanks again Flossie
XX Jeannine
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have you guys heard of book crossing?
http://www.bookcrossing.com/
i love the idea of releasing books into the wild.
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Oooh, I do like that, but i'm a bit of a keeper. Got 3 bookcases full, boxes waiting till I have more room. I'd do it with a copy that I'd replaced for better condition/cover etc. Hardly in the spirit though! ::) :) ;)
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emmy - Lovely Bones i have 1/4 read and cant get into it... i will keep trying though but i'm not inspired to read at the moment. I tend to read 1/2 dozen books in a month and then nothing for 3 months LOL
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I read The Lovely Bones for a book group, a few years ago. Probably because I am deeply unreligious, and have no belief in any kind of heaven, it wasn't really my kind of book.
The same group also set us on to read Seven People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom. You don't want to hear my thoughts on that one. :) I left the book group not long afterward.
In the last couple of weeks I have re-read the whole of Faith Addis' series of five books about her and her husband's various ventures (the Down to Earth tv series was loosely based on these books) - starting with running a holiday camp for children. A friend had borrowed these a few years ago, and just returned them. Then I moved on to the boxed set of PG Wodehouse I bought from the clearance shelf at WHSmith (again re-reading, because I think there are very few Wodehouse's I haven't perused).
I've also read a book called Allotted Time which you may have heard of. About a couple of men who started from scratch on their own allotment. The cover strapline is "Twelve months, two blokes, one shed, no idea". It's amusing, thought it doesn't really teach you much about veg growing. The main message of the book, I think, is that lottie-ing can be life-affirming, and in the case of the author, it helped to pull him out of depression. Can't be bad. :)
I have, as you might have gathered, spent a lot of time reading this last two weeks. :)
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WHERE'VE YOU BEEN DENBEE ;D SEE ME IN MY OFFICE IMMEDIATELY ;D
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have you guys heard of book crossing?
http://www.bookcrossing.com/
i love the idea of releasing books into the wild.
Fantastic link!!!
thanks for that. i have some books I will be releasing into the wild now :)
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I did it today with If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon Mcgregor.
Fun!
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My local charity shops are absolute caves of delights when it comes to books. And then I take 'em back again so they can be sold again. Yikes, in my head I sound like Eddie Izzard!
Book recycling, the possibilities are endless.
just finished Portrait in Sepia by Isabelle Allende - great read, something translated from modern Greek about a Greek family, lives & loves, difficult to read due to the use of English so that went straight back out again, Flying under bridges by Sandi Toksvig, ok but not her best. Now reading It could happen to You by Isla Dewar & lining up Lanark by Alasdair Gray.
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Portrait in Sepia just brilliant. Love Isabel Allende.
I love charity book buying too, but i am a keeper. I dream of house with books books everywhere. I love them. I want them around for the girls to read as they get older as that's how i grew up helping myself from grandparents and mums bookshelves.
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Well, apart form reading Gardening Magazines??!!
For many years I could not read fiction, I was a student from 1997-last Nov, I felt that if I read fiction I was wasting my time as I should have been reading academic papers!
Anyway, I now read loads of teenage books, started reading a few books that my children were reading at school (aged 12 & 14), I really enjoyed them and found them so easy to get into, I am still enjoying reading teenage books, and enjoy the time discusing the stories with the children. I am currently reading Ragwitch by Garth Nix.
I liked Eragon and Eldest, much better than the film. I also like Marcus Sedgewick, Michelle Paver, Eva Ibbotson, & William Nicholson.
I get a lot of books from Read it swap it, but I do find it hard to swap a good book, with 15 book cases in the house (although 12 are non-fiction!), and only one empty shelf, I think I will need to let some go soon!
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Hi Emmy, yes I love Allende & keep thinking I've read them all when another one turns up on the Charity shop shelves. I used to keep all my books but house moves and downsizing forced me to be a bit ruthless over the last few years. Having said that I have about 200 paperbacks salted about the place in boxes & the corner of the office. I think it stems from the almost complete lack of books in the house when I was growing up. If I could get some paperback deep free standing bookshelves for the upstairs hallway I'd get them back out of the boxes at least.
I've registered with the book crossing site & think that will supplement my donating to charity. I have to make myself do it to keep the numbers down and spread the reading around, after all sharing books is a good thing.
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Oh joy! More keepers!!
SueSteve - have you read the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer? And the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman? They are teenage books but absolutely brilliant. I also love The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime by Mark Haddon. Oh i love books so much. Books, music or gardening? Reading a book, in the garden, listening to music, glass of wine...BLISS!
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i cant read and listen to music at the same time. i love reading though but i havent heard of most of the books you guys like. theres so many books out there waiting to be read. at the moment i am reading the letters of vita sackville west and harold nicholson. i guess my attitude to books is that i love to keep the ones i love. the ones that i have enjoyed but wont read again i am happy to pass on. i am also a great believer in the transient nature of certain objects which arrive in our spaces for short periods to enhance our lives in some way and then move on to do good works in other peoples lives. not just books, but books fall into that catagory for me.
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have you read the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer? And the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman? They are teenage books but absolutely brilliant.
My 8 year old son (and quite a few of his friends) like Artemis Fowl , too. Eragon & Eldest also popular with the 8 year olds round here, as are The Anthony Horowitz "Power of five" and "Alex Rider" series of books.
'His Dark Materials' will probably have to wait a couple of years, I think. Although supposedly children's books, they have a fair bit of philosophy/ theology, ideas from quantum physics and lots of influence from Paradise Lost & William Blake, so plenty to think about for an adult reader. Really good books. Philip Pullman was my wife's teacher at school in Oxford when she was 9 or 10. She always talked about how great a teacher he'd been. It was a quite a shock for her when she saw a full page interview with him in the paper one day....
A quick multiply of number of books per shelf by the number of bookshelves suggests we have about 1500 books in the house :-[ They must be doing an excellent job of insulating the walls.....
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Today I started (and kept going till I finished) a book by Christopher Brookmyre called 'All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye', which I picked up in a charity shop last week, and kept as a reward to myself for finishing my Open University assignment, which I had to have in by last night.
I love Brookmyre's novels. He's dry, witty, caustic, and very funny. A Scottish version of Carl Hiaasen I suppose, another satirical author whose books I love to read.
The one I read today was fast and amusing. With a woman as the hero. Recommended if you like action in your books.
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Re His Dark Materials, do you know the film of the first part of the trilogy will be released in December as The Golden Compass. Very impressive cast headed by Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.
http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/
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Oh joy! More keepers!!
SueSteve - have you read the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer? And the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman?
Hi Emmy,
I have the Philip Pullman books, they are among the many on the 'to read' list! My son has some of the Artemis Fowl books, but I havn't read any yet.
Sue
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Reading a book, in the garden, listening to music, glass of wine...BLISS!
I must agree with you there, but not in this rain ;)
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Doesn't happen often enough now with girls running about!
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Morning all, another couple of crackers I've just finished:
Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka - a black comedy set in the world of migrant fruit pickers; sometimes horrifying (the chicken farm will stay with me for a while...) and often extremely funny.
Digger's Diaries by Victor Osborne - just republished; yet another 'one year in the life of my allotment' book, but well written and very truthful about the ups and downs of allotmenteering.
Cheers,
Rob ;)
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hi Rob, my mum has Two Caravans for me up in Blackpool I think. She trawls charity shops for me and I do for her!! We did end up with 3 copies of Memoirs of a Geisha though ( she bought 2 the loon)
I'm still working my way through Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, very hard going. Found Beasts in my Belfry by Gerald Durrell in chario ( charity shop in 3 year old speak) - not exactly high lit but he is one of my heroes. His best book is My Family and Other Animals though, laugh out loud time. The others focus on how he came to set up Jersey Zoo and his life running it. ;D
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Must read Gerald Durrell one day. Have read some of his brother Lawrence(very different - high literature) but somehow haven't got round to Gerald. I seem to remember trying Bury My Heart... once, but didn't finish it - can't remember why, so might have to try again. Enjoy Two Caravans, it's fab ;D
Am about to start Woodlands by Oliver Rackham, a 600+ page weighty tome about... woodlands! Supposed to be brilliant, so hopefully I won't notice the sprained wrists from carrying it on the train! And then I've just ordered two books by Roger Deakin - Waterlog, about his attempts to swim most of the 'wild' waters of Britain, and Wildwood, about mankind's relationship to trees. Deakin was (I think) a founder member of Friends of the Earth, and comes highly recommended by Richard Mabey - which is more than good enough for me!
Cheers,
Rob ;)
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Yes Rob, very different to Lawrence. He was a dry old stick. Gerald was a real bon vivant, took nothing seriously except animals and ecology. He reminds me very much as a latter day Steve Irwin. Informed, intelligent, enthusiastic and insane. ;D ;D
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Informed, intelligent, enthusiastic and insane. ;D ;D
Four essential qualities in life, I reckon!
By the way (re your avatar) - as my eldest daughter keeps reminding me, it's now only 3 days until Pirates 3 comes out! I guess you're looking forward to Friday as much as she is...
Cheers,
Rob ;)
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I knoooow!! ;D ;D ;D
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Taken the plunge and released my first book into the wild via Bookcrossing.com. Fly little novel, fly!
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It's so good. Someone found my book and logged it on the site!!!!
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<sigh> It's still sitting in the canteen. Time yet though & have a few more nearly read to be launched elsewhere.
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i must get on and set some free too, i have a little pile ready to go, but no time to find good places unless i release them on the allotment or the school.
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Sarah - I released mine in a shelter on the clifftop!