NC currently halfway through Val Mcdermid Karen Pirie series. It's quite good, first one was very good, second one struggled a bit but am on 4th now and am enjoying them. It's the first time I have read any VM stuff and will definitely read some more.
Have you read the Tana French Dublin Murder Squad series? Loved that. And Jane Casey Maeve Kerrigans series. That was the one I read back to back on holiday last year. Then there are the Vera and Shetland series by Anne Cleeves, and the Simon Serrialer series by Susan Hill. I loved all of those.
I love a good murder detective series but don't like gratuitously violent stuff. Started reading one last week, can't remember what it's called but had to put it down because it was so violent towards women. I found Brenda Bauer the same, good writing and gripping but as the series went on it got more and more violent and then I have nightmares if I read it before going to sleep.
Madame good to see you back. Dd will be over your way later, just dropped her off for her Belgium trip. They are staying in Ypres but heading over the border a couple of times to see various battlefields and museums.
Felt a bit teary dropping her off. Covered it well by beeping the horn and shouting 'bye frouby poopyhead (used to call her that when she was little), mummy loves you, be a very good girl mwah mwah mwah'. She just shook her head and pretended she wasn't with me 😂😂😂.
Dd was good at reading, but looking back at her learning to read she never did that c-a-t cat stage. She just memorised every word as though they were a 'tricky'word and then we had the shock last year that she may be dyslexic. She's never enjoyed reading, and never read for pleasure apart from a couple of books based on some teenage film she had seen.
Ds is learning to read by sounding out and blending but I can't see him being a bookworm either. He's very much like longest dd. He hates reading at home and it's a real struggle to keep him focused unless he needs a couple of star stamps for a certificate at school. He thrives on praise and stickers and rewards though so am going to have to do something like that over the holidays to keep him reading.
I think we worry about our dcs no matter what. Dd is bright, loves school and learning but was a shy, sensitive little soul and I worried about her fitting in socially and still worry how she is going to cope mentally next year with gcses. She has found her little crew of mates though, all a bit geeky and bright and quirky and has settled down socially.
Ds is a livewire. I think he will struggle with discipline and actually doing what he's supposed to do. But socially is outgoing and not intimidated by anyone, no matter how old. He would love to hang around with the teenage kayakers, but also plays with the younger ones. And isn't shy around adults either. But I can see him being bother as he won't conform and lacks a few social skills like being quiet or sussing out someone doesn't really want to play or interact.
Had 3 little bottles of beer last night, am in winding down mode and be glad when ds finishes school tomorrow.