What are you reading? How do you feel about it?

I started this and gave up about a third of the way in. The absence of quotation marks etc didn't help, but I just could not deal with the grimness. Was actually dreading picking it up.
I love a bleak read usually, but this was too much even for me.

I read Colm Toibín's The Blackwater Lightship instead. About a grandmother, mother and adult daughter who don't get on, staying in the grandmother's house with the daughter's brother, who is dying of AIDS, and two of his friends.

Believe me, compared to Prophet Song it's a laugh a minute

All fabulous books to have on the go!

I've just finished 'Tomorrow and tomorrow and Tomorrow' by Gabrielle Zevin; it was great read and one that I was surprised to have enjoyed so much.
Currently half way through 'Black Water Lilies' by Michel Bussi. It's not my usual read (murder mystery) but I'm finding myself quite intrigued by it.

@JaneyGee Yes that's the one! Written in the 70s and the style is obviously of its time. Oddly there's been no mention (yet) of Lion Witch and wardrobe series. I'm about 50 pages from the end. But lots of mention of The Hobbit and LOTR. Charles Williams is the third, he's less well known. They were indeed remarkable literary men with astonishing output. But some of it is very heavy going.... I read in the eve and it can be a struggle to fully grasp the literary criticism and religious discussions. Am enjoying it immensely though.

I'm reading The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. It is a sprawling family saga set in India in the early twentieth century and I am loving it, I look forward to picking it up and disappearing into green and watery world of Kerala with its paddy fields and coconut trees. So far it has been a good mixture of tragic and uplifting with engaging characters I care about,

Is that by Humphrey Carpenter? I'm fascinated by the Inklings. I love the idea of these men, who could all read Ancient Greek, Latin, Italian, French, etc, who knew Homer in Greek and Dante in Italian, could meet up in a pub, get a little drunk, and listen to The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe, or The Hobbit being read out loud. It's wonderful to think that such brilliant people (Tolkien knew 20 languages, and Lewis was reading Paradise Lost when he was 10) could still take pleasure in simple stories.

I'm reading Big Swiss for my book group - intrigued but I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet or where it's going! It's keeping me going though!

Gabor Mate

'In the realm of the hungry ghosts!'

It's now a chore and I am desperate to finish it

I put down my first DNF of the year today, Bunny by Mona Awad.

Despite the amazing reviews it is just pages of pointless annoying waffle and nonsense.

It's weird because I enjoyed another book of hers - All's Well, I think the Shakespeare references carried me through in that one.

I've just finished The Hike by Lucy Clarke. Made me feel uneasy, but I was very underwhelmed with the way the ending went. It felt a bit bland.

It's so interesting to hear that about prophet song. I got about 25% of the way in and had to give up, the way it's written made it such a slog for me. Lack of quotation marks and paragraphs meant I was constantly skipping back to work out who said what.

Different strokes for different folks!

That's how I felt after readinf Nineteen Eighty Four. I also felt relieved - that I had finished it.

I'm about 80% through Demon Copperhead and loving it.

I think that I will think about it more, turn it over in my mind, read it again and probably come to enjoy it over time. I was the same with Remains of the Day.

That’s probably one of my most disturbing reads ever. Took me a few months to stop thinking about it, and even longer to realise it was one of my favourites of all time!

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro. This has left me reflecting on lots of things but also very flat. Enjoyed is not the word....

The Ten Thousand Doors Of January by Alix Harrow. I bought it solely for the title. I'm finding it a bit frilly at the moment. It's not keeping my attention, but I'm determined to persevere.

Am also reading The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall, which is fascinating. I love geopolitics! Close to the end of this too.

Am reading The Inklings currently. Biography of C S Lewis, Tolkien and others and their life and times in Oxford. It was gifted to me by a very good friend. Am finding it a bit of a slog if I'm honest - long passages about their views on religion and mythology etc. which are hard going! But will persevere as I am close to the end.

I'm reading space by Tim Peake. Its about the astronauts and how they became. Really really interesting ❤️

Flowers for Algernon.

I think it's going to have a v sad ending 😭

A stash of unread books to read which never seems to get any smaller.

This is true.

However, having promised myself that I will stay away from books in charity shops, NT bookshops, book swaps at work, my local town’s independent bookshops (because it’s important to support them…)

This is a dangerous thread for me..😳

(have a stash of unre

Yes. I liked it. I really liked Imelda's voice, the one you're referring to in the stream of consciousness style. I thought it was a very sad story and I liked the shifting perspectives as you view events through other characters' eyes. The only thing is that there isn't a definite conclusion and you're not sure of the outcome and left to make up your own mind as to what happened. That's annoying!

I've just finished the Rory Stewart book Politics on the edge and can very well understand why he wouldn't want to go back to be an MP his 'year group' are the most vacuous and self centred MPs I have ever heard of.

I'm on with Theresa May The Abuse of Power and it's the same, the last ten/ twelve years of politics has been in the gutter.

I will read The Road to Wigan Pier after.

Feeling quite angry at the moment 😂