The Book Corner

Horses Gallore

Horses Gallore

Well-known member
Ethel said:
I've just read 'Where the Crawdads sing' by Delia Owens. It's based on the life of Kya, growing up in the marshes of the North Carolina coast during the 50's and 60's and although it has a bit of everything, the descriptions of the marsh scenery are particularly beautiful. Sometimes I miss a book when I finish it, and this is one of them.
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I keep meaning to get a copy of this book and read it. I will one day.
 
Otters

Otters

Well-known member
Where The Crawdads Sing has passed through my hands many times at work but I've never got around to reading it - it is on my list though. My 'list' consists of a series of photos. When I see a book I think I'd love to read I take a quick pic of the cover with my phone.
 
M

Macavity

Well-known member
TattieScone said:
What's everyone reading just now? Any author or title recommendations?
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I have read Where the Crowdads Sing and We are All Completely Beside Ourselves recently. Both brilliant books.

Otters said:
Where The Crawdads Sing has passed through my hands many times at work but I've never got around to reading it - it is on my list though. My 'list' consists of a series of photos. When I see a book I think I'd love to read I take a quick pic of the cover with my phone.
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I do that too

I find listening to Radio 4 A Good Read gives me lots of ideas. I’ve read two books recently that I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. Lady into Fox , and Mrs Bridge.
 
lifestooshort123

lifestooshort123

Well-known member
I'm reading Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith. It's a good story but a lot could have ended up on the cutting-room floor. It's 925 pages long (ye gods!) and I'm battling on because I want to know what happens. I've never read (or watched) any Harry Potter so don't know if her writing style is the same nor am I going to watch any 'Strike' on TV as I'm usually disappointed with the casting. The early Frost books by Wingfield were great fun but I never saw David Jason in the role and the later books gradually morphed Frost into Jason - disappointing.
 
Horses Gallore

Horses Gallore

Well-known member
lifestooshort123 said:
I'm reading Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith. It's a good story but a lot could have ended up on the cutting-room floor. It's 925 pages long (ye gods!) and I'm battling on because I want to know what happens. I've never read (or watched) any Harry Potter so don't know if her writing style is the same nor am I going to watch any 'Strike' on TV as I'm usually disappointed with the casting. The early Frost books by Wingfield were great fun but I never saw David Jason in the role and the later books gradually morphed Frost into Jason - disappointing.
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I enjoyed the first of the Strike series on TV, but couldn't get into the last one at all. Perhaps I wasn't in the right frame of mind for it. I haven't read any of the books, but I do intend to give them a go at some point.
 
Planthedgeandtree

Planthedgeandtree

Well-known member
Having enjoyed the mini series 'Black Narcissus ' on BBC1, I am now reading the book, for the Himalayas, pre-partition India generally and for Sister Ruth, who was the one who dared tell the truth about the other nuns and suffered for that.
 
L

Littlemessyhouse

Well-known member
Enjoyed "Troubled Blood", but I agree, the thing is a doorstop. The identity of the murderer at the end was quite the surprise, but they always are, for me. Right now I'm reading "How to Hide an Empire" which is about the overseas possessions or territories of the United States. I consider myself a fairly informed person, but just a few pages in, I'm already finding out Things That I Should Have Known About, but didn't.
 
Justsayno

Justsayno

Well-known member
In the last few weeks I've read:
- The Go-Between - very old, and well written
- Clap when you land by Elizabeth Acevedo - good
- A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen -dystopian/pandemic, pretty good
- Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella - not one of her best
- Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks - plague in old England, very good
 
RomanesEuntDomus

RomanesEuntDomus

Well-known member
lifestooshort123 said:
I'm reading Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith. It's a good story but a lot could have ended up on the cutting-room floor. I
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Seems to be a bit of a problem for JKR once she gets into her stride in a series. The same thing happened between Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire in the Harry Potter series; she needs some 'kill your darlings' discipline in her writing at that point.
 
lifestooshort123

lifestooshort123

Well-known member
RomanesEuntDomus said:
Seems to be a bit of a problem for JKR once she gets into her stride in a series. The same thing happened between Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire in the Harry Potter series; she needs some 'kill your darlings' discipline in her writing at that point.
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I haven't read any of the Harry Potter but what I did find irksome in this book is where dialects and accents are written in gobbledygook - having described someone as an eastender, I can use my imagination, there's no need to spell it out!
 
RomanesEuntDomus

RomanesEuntDomus

Well-known member
lifestooshort123 said:
I haven't read any of the Harry Potter but what I did find irksome in this book is where dialects and accents are written in gobbledygook - having described someone as an eastender, I can use my imagination, there's no need to spell it out!
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Dialect is unbelievably difficult to write. You need to know it, like you know a language. And it needs to be represented with the lightest of touches, like that of a cartoonist sketching a celebrity. Sometimes the order of words or choice of vocabulary is all that is needed; no creative misspellings or obtrusive elision apostrophes are necessary.

JKR needs to clean up and pare down her writing style, and appreciate her limitations. At her best, she's an engaging and energetic storyteller with an eye for a character's rough edges. She is not a poet or a natural wordsmith so any descriptive or reflective passages tend to weigh her books down.
 
Bellarosa

Bellarosa

Well-known member
I’ve just started reading like a loon again because I was given a kindle for Christmas. I didn’t think I’d like it but I love it, although it could end up costing me a fortune. I read “ the Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman, which was a really nice read. Not brain hurting, just entertaining. I’ve also been reading Montalbano and Maigret. I’ve just read “Troubled Blood” and I really enjoyed it, although I didn’t realise how long it was because it was on my kindle 🤣
I have been re reading the Harry Potter books with my 10 year old and I quite like JK’s style of writing, although I tried to read “A casual vacancy” a few years ago and I couldn’t get in to it as I really didn’t feel any empathy or interest in any of the characters. I quite like the adaptation of Strike on tv as I think the casting is good for once.
 
lifestooshort123

lifestooshort123

Well-known member
Bellarosa said:
I’ve just started reading like a loon again because I was given a kindle for Christmas. I didn’t think I’d like it but I love it, although it could end up costing me a fortune. I read “ the Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman, which was a really nice read. Not brain hurting, just entertaining. I’ve also been reading Montalbano and Maigret. I’ve just read “Troubled Blood” and I really enjoyed it, although I didn’t realise how long it was because it was on my kindle 🤣
I have been re reading the Harry Potter books with my 10 year old and I quite like JK’s style of writing, although I tried to read “A casual vacancy” a few years ago and I couldn’t get in to it as I really didn’t feel any empathy or interest in any of the characters. I quite like the adaptation of Strike on tv as I think the casting is good for once.
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I prefer the books tbh but the latest, Troubled Blood, could have had 50 pages cut quite easily as it is padded out more than my winter duvet. I use my kindle on holidays and if a particular book is not available at the library but I can't get my head round not being able to flick back easily to check someone's name, I know you can do wondrous things on them but I'm too non-techie to work it out!
 
Justsayno

Justsayno

Well-known member
I just read The Stepdaughter by Debbie Howells & am halfway through Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan - both good quick to read suspense stories. And I don't think I mentioned it, but Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod was good.
 
Justsayno

Justsayno

Well-known member
For anyone that hasn't had enough of viruses, The End of October by Lawrence Wright is a good, slightly technical story of how a more virulent infection could impact the world. Kind of makes covid look tame ;)

If you want a good non-dystopian family drama, Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane was enjoyable.

Do not read Jodi Picoult's The Book of Two Ways unless you're incredibility interested in Egyptology. I liked her older books - way back when - but I'm not sure if it's my taste or her writing that have changed. Either way I think that's the last of her's that I'll invest time in.

Anyone else reading anything good ...or not?
 
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Velouria

Member
For anyone who likes music biographies I have recently read Sing backwards and weep by Mark Lanegan. Even if you are not familiar with his music it's a good read.
 
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