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Original poster

Recent reads!

89 replies

florenceuk · 31/03/2004 15:55

Thought I'd just note a couple of books I've read recently - not chick lit though so suspect they don't belong on the recent "good books" thread. Mostly because I've spent the weekends recently lying around feeling ill, have read quite a few lately which I'd recommend:

Having had Cold Mountain on my shelf for ages finally read it - very good, vivid imagery, lots of blood and guts as well. I want to see the movie now. But thought death of Inman was slightly gratuituous at the end???? Anyone else think so?

The Fourth Queen - can't remember author but a recent 3 for 2 offer. Young Irish lass becomes fourth queen to Emperor of Morocco - really! Good historical read, lots of salacious detail about harem life, features a sexy dwarf - good one for the train! Those of you who liked the Red Tent may like this one as well.

Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor. More serious this book - Irish go to America and suffer on the way. Lots of detail on Irish famine. Well written, very clever if lacking in truly sympathetic characters. If anyone else has read this and liked it, I recommend The English Passengers which is IMO superior.

Astonishing Splashes of Colour - recommended by someone on here, easy to read but emotionally wrenching book - can't really say what it's about without giving away plot. One for us mums-to-be to blub over.

What I Loved - by Siri Hustvedt. Read this a while ago, but want to recommend it as I think it is a fantastic book, extremely well written - a very intelligent book that is still extraordinarily readable. Fantastic descriptions of what it is like to be an artist, and I suspect Hustvedt's love life with Paul Auster is VERY sexy indeed.

Now I just need some more recommendations for me! Anybody got any?

OP posts:
shrub · 31/03/2004 16:09

just read 'the da vinci code' - yes i know -i'm slumming it at the moment (read too many arty intense books which promised so much then left me cold and were instantly forgettable) and found it a really good read

tamum · 31/03/2004 16:33

I finished What I loved a few months ago too, really good I thought. I just finished Shooting Butterflies by Marika Cobbold- I hadn't read anything by her before, but it was very good. I'm now reading Painting Ruby Tuesday which I'm quite enjoying-ish. Favourite of all recently was Brick Lane, but I've bored people on here with that before

bundle · 31/03/2004 16:45

florenceuk, finding Star of the Sea v dreary...up to about p.100..is it worth soldiering on?? (it's my book club book so feel a bit duty bound & have already failed to finish one - Vernon God LIttle -so getting bad reputation! )

Original poster
florenceuk · 31/03/2004 16:54

Depends on whether you like that historical pastiche kind of thing really. I did get into it, but I think you need to have a taste for the general style. It is not a novel driven by narrative which pulls you through. Have to admit, I just kind of guessed that Vernon Little would be unreadable from the author interviews!

OP posts:
bundle · 31/03/2004 17:00

I do read a bit, get into it and then it dawns on me slowly that he's doing a bit of 'this' style, 'that' style...etc and can almost hear the plot groaning. quite like the stuff about mary the servant girl.

sis · 31/03/2004 20:25

Tamum, I've just finished Brick Lane and was disappointed after all the hype. I really didn't care what happened to anyone after about a third of the way, apart from the sister in Bangladesh. But then I liked the number 1 ladies dectective agency series which has left other mumsnetters cold...

Evita · 31/03/2004 20:32

I just read a couple of books by Suzenne Berne, one called 'a murder in the neighbourhood' the other called something like 'the perfect arrangement' and I thought they were fantastic, really surprisingly good, especially the first one.

tamum · 31/03/2004 21:12

To be honest sis, I think it helped that I read it really quickly over Christmas (that and the fact it was a free signed copy ). It did lose impetus in the middle a bit, and I didn't find the affair very convincing, but I thought it picked up again towards the end, and I loved Chanu. I loved some of the images she painted too.

Batters · 31/03/2004 21:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tamum · 31/03/2004 21:21

It does seem to be one of those love it or loathe it books, doesn't it?

Posey · 31/03/2004 21:58

Just finished The Good Companions by JB Priestly. Took me forever, but really enjoyed it.
Am currently reading Rottweiler by Ruth Rendell. Thoroughly enjoying it so far

Tommy · 31/03/2004 22:49

Have just read 3 books by Sandi Toksvig - can't remember the titles but I bought all three together from the Bookpeople. One was called "Whistling for Elephants" They were excellent - just what you'd expect from her - witty and intelligent but with such poignancy at times. Highly recommended.

Tinker · 31/03/2004 23:03

Evita - I read the Suzanne Berne one - Murder in teh neighbourhood' a few years ago - thought it was FANTASTIC! Really evocative of school holidays as a child in the 70's (even though it's set in the US) - came across it by accident.

sis · 01/04/2004 09:54

Batters, you may want to stop trying! really, I think you've covered the best bit of the book.

I agree Tamum, she does describe life in the village veery vividly at times but overall, it seemed to just give a taster of things and then snatch it away just I became interested.

Batters · 01/04/2004 10:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Demented · 01/04/2004 16:51

No, no, no, someone tell me Brick Lane is fantastic!!! WH Smith had a three for two offer on today and as I was browsing round I remembered Tamums recommendation and bought it along with Chocolat and some book recommended by Richard & Judy (don't watch it just had a sticker on the front).

Demented · 01/04/2004 16:53

BTW my recent purchase doesn't mean I've finished Owen Meany, still plodding through, although the last 100 pages have been better, only 100 to go!

tamum · 01/04/2004 17:44

I could tell you again how much I enjoyed it if that's any help

sis · 01/04/2004 20:30

Demented, take it back - a really good read (apart from the final chapter) was 'Too close to the falls - a memoir' by Catherine Gildiner, maybe you could swap?

sis · 01/04/2004 20:31

Sorry, posted in haste - meant to put one of these at the end of my last post.

Demented · 01/04/2004 21:20

Arrrgh, torn between Tamum's recommendation and sis urging me to take it back!!!

I think I will keep hold of it, it is a bestseller so I suppose there must be more than Tamum who like it. Although I will keep 'Too close to the falls - a memoir' by Catherine Gildiner in mind for the future (probably far in the future, I've now got 6 books on my bedside table waiting to be read). Off to have a look on Amazon to see what it is all about.

Demented · 01/04/2004 21:30

Sounds good, I have written it down and will have a look tomorrow. Afterall the three for two offer is a good deal.

tamum · 01/04/2004 21:31

Naaa, it's just me buying loads of copies

Paula71 · 01/04/2004 23:01

Have just ordered The Time Travellers Wife and Lovely Bones, has anyone read these?

At the moment I am reading Expecting Emily by Clare Dowling. I wouldn't exactly call it chick-lit, it isn't pseudo Bridget Jones or set in London. It is quite a good read though, especially as I had pre-eclampsia and felt like I was stuck in hospital forever! (Albeit late onset so only spent 10 days in hospital!) I quite like the idea it is set in another part of Ireland, and not Dublin. Sometimes I feel like all the books set for my age group are either Londoncentric or based in Dublin.

Not that I am expecting people to write about Edinburgh or Glasgow but I would like to read one that is based in another English city rather than always London.

Paula71 · 01/04/2004 23:01

Sorry, went off topic again.