What are you currently reading, how do you feel about it, and what's next on the list? Part 2

It's spooky month here so I listened to the new Dracula from Audible. Jonathan Bailey and Ella Purcell were good, I thought Aimee Lou Wood was the standout as Lucy, but Maggie Gylenhall as a monotone Van Helsing was a weird interpretation that didn't work for me.

Besides that, I'm doing my Oct traditional listen of A Night In The Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny.

My nonfiction read is A History of Civilizations by Fernand Braudel, and I'm nearly done.

Read Cider with Rosie having last read it at school. Well worth a reread, the chapter Grannies in the wainscot seems like a big inspiration to Terry Pratchett re Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg etc.

Also read The Good Liar by Denise Mina. Worth a read, some great characters, although plot was stretching things.

Next Two Women in Rome by Elizabeth Buchan

Not reading, but listening to A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking as I fall asleep, which is very funny 😄

I have lately discovered the delights of Audiobooks through Spotify Premium and am taking full advantage!

I dipped into the previous thread so I hope it’s ok to join in.
I’ve just finished ‘The Names’ which was my book club choice - a quick, easy but also emotional read and a really interesting premise.
I have two next choices - When the Cranes Fly South for something to get stuck into or Us by David Nicholls for light reading. I can’t decide which way to go.

I was a little dubious about 'A Short Stay in Hell' by Steven L Peck on account of the blurb saying it was 'life changing'. It wasn't, but it was a nice little fable owing much to Jose Luis Borges (which it acknowledges) written with verve, wry humour, thoughtfulness and clever imagination. Very quick to read, would recommend for when you need a palate cleanser.

I followed that up with a collection of short stories 'Python's Kiss' by Louise Erdrich. There was a lot of variety but she managed to create credible people in credible worlds even in very short works. And quite a variety too. Impressive. But I must say they were mostly quite melancholy. I kept almost buying a novel of hers a while back but then other things got in the way. I'm definitely revising that now and re-adding it to my list.

My next reads will be a short story collection by Shirley Jackson - 'Dark Tales' and a sort of memoir called 'The Agatha Christie Cure' by Cathy Rentzenbrink. I've read a couple of things by her before, including a novel 'Ordinary Time' which I really enjoyed, so I have high hopes.

John of John by Douglas Stuart. Trying to read some of the Booker shortlist.
May We Feed The King next.

@IceIceBabyBump I LOVE the secret history and the goldfinch! The writing is phenomenal, I've never read anything like them. I have the little friend but haven't read it yet

Last night I finished the left hand of darkness and surprised how much I enjoyed it! Now going to finish my cousin Rachel :)

This is so difficult to answer because I have no experience of living with serious mental illness or caring for someone who does so I can’t judge how it might make those who do feel and I absolutely wouldn’t want to try 😥

Just finished Crooked Manifesto by Colson Whitehead. It's the second book in his Harlem triology. The first book, Harlem Shuffle, was brilliant and Crooked Manifesto is a masterpiece. I'm saving part 3 for when I go on holiday next year.

That’s interesting I hated the book especially the ending (won’t say anymore for spoilers) and the ‘reveal’ - friend has a theory it’s good book if you don’t have personal experience of severe mental illness, either directly or caring. Would love to know if any of that makes sense?

I finally picked up a copy of The Wedding People by Alison Espach from the library and am about to start today.

I have no idea if I'm going to like it, but I'm feeling this immense pressure to do so.
I ordered it ages ago, and have had numerous emails from the ever so lovely librarian after all the copies went missing, people's later reserves of replacements were issued before me. She made it her mission to get me this book, bless her. I was just going to leave it but that would have been incredibly ungrateful behaviour and her happiness when I picked it up on Monday was heartwarming.

I guess this is also a post to say that libraries are such a wonderful resource. I have no idea how other local authorities operate, but despite reduced opening hours since COVID, here in Salford the service is pretty bang on. They have something called open-plus, so even when there's no staff in there you can enter after an induction between 08.30-19.00 with your library card. They don't charge for reserving a book and they'll transfer between all their library locations. If they don't have a copy of something, they will order it for you.

So come on The Wedding People ... I hope you're a banger! 😂

I'm reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I'm enjoying it so much. I find myself looking forward to picking it up every evening. But it's taking me a long time to read.

There have been some laugh out loud moments. It always surprises me when the printed word makes me laugh.

I shall report back. Have already read his The Loney and Saltash so fully expecting it to be equally bleak and dismal. Perfect reading for a dark, rainy October afternoon.

@Araminta - There's someone on an Amazon review who describes 'Devil's Day' as being 'like a dismal episode of Emmerdale from 1976'. I actually find that quite appealing so do please confirm once you're into it!

I've just finished 'Benighted' by JB Priestley which is an ensemble sort of work in a similar vein to 'An Inspector Calls', but imagine it starting with 'It was a dark and stormy night...' - that sort of vibe. As is often the case with JB Priestley, a lot of social commentary in the margins, so an interesting read on several levels.

Next is 'A Short Stay in Hell' by Steven L Peck. Not much idea what to expect but the blurb says that it's 'life-changing, existential'. I feel that I may be about to be glad that it's short...

Was excited to read There Are Other Worlds Than These by Stephen King & Peter Strain, but am currently 275 pages in and decidedly not gripped. It's just...tedious.

So, next up is Devil's Day by Andrew Michael Hurley which should be suitably Octobery gloomy.

I have just rejoined Audible just so I can listen to the new Dracula adaptation with Jonathan Bailey. Deliciously dark so far!

I love the Ruth Galloway series, such great characters! The Matthew Bartholomew murder mysteries by Susannah Gregory are great too. I have started May We Feed the King, odd but good so far but not really gripping. Still reading The Sirens by Emilia Hart, it's coming together a lot more now but I predicted the twist and prefer her first novel Weyward if I'm honest.

I've just read The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths. I've read a few of the Ruth Galloway books but not in order.
At the end there was a short bit of the next book, so I borrowed it from the library. I started reading it only to find I've read it before.

What an absolute idiot! 🙄

Just finished The Dream Weavers. I'm a sucker for anything Dark Ages and a bit woo. It was OK although some of the characters were a bit weakly drawn, e.g. a normal 16 year old boy using 'One' instead of 'I'.

Reading this at the moment.. loving it

I finished Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason at the weekend and have to say thought it was pretty good. I read a few reviews after and a lot of people didn't like the main character but I actually did.

Now reading City of Thieves by David Benioff which retells a tale during the Nazi siege of Leningrad. 2 young Russians are arrested for deserting and thieving and instead of prison are given 6 days to find 12 eggs so a Russian Colonel's daughter can have a wedding cake. It's has been really entertaining so far.

Just read ‘The Eights’ by Joanne Miller and really enjoyed it. I seemed to have read a lot of women-in-a-mans-world books lately. Not sure if it’s a new trend of books, or a coincidence.

Thanks to you both for recommending these - I have made this connection but they have only been on a mental list (for a very long time). So this is what I do now @Wheelbarrowracer - copy and paste the titles/authors on to a sticky note.

Meanwhile, I am back in Crete - well approaching cautiously by boat at dead of night - Ill Met By Moonlight/W Stanley Moss. The true story of a dangerous mission in WW2 - also involving Patrick Leigh Fermor.

Currently reading The Cut Throat Trial by the Secret Barrister. Finding it ok but a bit dull in places, and not sure how much I care about the back story of two of the women - interestingly only the two female characters get any kind of outside life shown, making me wonder if this book is written by a woman.

next is Slags, which I read a few pages of and I’m already not feeling. Very boring so far, just kind of and then I did this and then this.