What are you reading atm, and would you recommend it to the rest of MN?

[Blandmum]

I am reading Semidetatched by Griff Rhys Jones.

Very funny memoir. He is sopt on in his descriptions of all those ghastly teenage parties that I remember from my 'yoof'

A very funny book and I'd recoend it to all mumsnetters in their late 30s/40s. Or for younger MN to rad about what their parents got up to in the 60s and 70s!

An excellent read.

And you?

I am reading the latest part of Alan Bennet's autobiography.

'Tis a bit depressing at the moment.

Am reading World War 2 by Juliet Gardiner ( found by accident when searching a different author of same name on Amazon, and lookied interesting, so bought with one click..) Absolutely riveting - mercifully short on boring military stuff, but vast amounts of fqascinating detail about the real lives of people at home and how they were affected. Ashamed to say that I had no idea before reading about how intense the blitz, and for how long it went on, and what that meant for people's daily lives, evacuation etc. Deffo recommend.

I am reading Ready or Not? Chris Manby.

Its fine, light-hearted and not too much sex, I don't like books full of all that nonsense

amy tan - saving fish from drowning

would recommend it, very unusual!

Just finished Jane Austin book club can't remember the author
quite a nice read, nothing heavy, but won't go down as best book I've ever read

Mao, the untold story.

No i wouldn't, it's too much hard work and not the kind of book you can pick back up after you've just had to get your kids some water, some toilet paper, some peace.

Kookaburra, that sounds great and I will try that one next.

if you haven't read it take a shuft at 'We are at War', a collection of diaries written by Mass observers during the war. Absoltly absorbing and show what people were really feeling at the time...how unpopular Churchil was, for example!

I agree about the Juliet Gardiner book. I also recently read "London 1945" by Maureen Waller - extremely interesting for all Londoners and will make you look at your surroundings more closely. Still on the WWII theme, can I recommend (again) Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky - it was in Sainsbury's best sellers last week. Lyrical writing and an interesting and terrible story behind the fiction.

I'm reading Disgrace by J M Coetzee. I'm probably the last person in the world to read it but yes, I'd recommend it.

Before that I finished Notes On A Scandal by Zoe Heller. Don't bother even pick it up!

the kite runner and world war z

not read enough to recommend either yet...

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins ,yes I would thoroughly recommend it,took me a few chapters to get into it but it is great.

Dimpledthighs,the kite runner is fabulous,you'll love it.
(have sent out my begging letters and am awaiting the replies ,thanks again)

Having read the Jilly Cooper thread, I am rather disappointed that I can't find my copy of Riders .

I am currently reading a girly chick-lit type thing, 'Going Home' by Harriet Evans. I don't know if it's any good as it's taking me ages to get through. Maybe that's not a good sign...

Everything Changes, by Jonathan Tropper. It's going to be made into a movie, just found out. It was a GREAT read, kind of chick-lit from entirely a guy's perspective, very different.

Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonegut.
Audrey N-thingy plagerised his idea shamefully.

I've dipped into Anne Robinson's memoirs of an unfit mother and have on my bedside table Tom Parker Bowles year of eating dangerously, plus about 10 other assorted books.

The Five People you Meet in Heaven- I'm almost done and have enjoyed it.

The Goldilocks Effect by Paul Davies-I recommend it to anyone who enjoyes Physics

I'm reading FAT by Rob Grant.

A very funny book so far, following the lives of 3 people obsessed by weight. 1 is hugely overweight, 1 is a young girl who has an eating disorder, and the other is a young guy who is helping the government launch its "fit farms".

I really am lol at this book DH thinks I have gone mad. Rob Grant is the co-creator of Red Dwarf so I knew the book would be funny when I first picked it up.

It begins "It's unclear precisely when it became illegal to be fat. Of course technically it's not, even in this day and age. Even with the blatant persecution of all tubbies, there's no official legislation on any statute book that comes right out and says fatness is against the law.
But it is."

I've just finished 'He'll be OK' by Celia Lashlie. It's based on her interviews with teenage boys in NZ and the conclusions she's reached on how to help them become good men. It was fascinating - real insight into male behaviour

I don't even know the name of the book I am reading. I picked it up for £1.99 in the local Co-op. It is quite engaging but not great literature - but has done the trick this last week or so while I have been full of cold/cough.

Rowlers, I just finished the Jane Austen Book Club too (by Karen Joy Fowler). Would recommend if you're looking for a nice frothy light read.

I am reading "The Other Side of Dawn", the last of a series of 7 books by an Australian writer called John Marsden. It is actually aimed at the teenage market ... about a group of 8 teenagers who go camping in the bush in the Christmas holidays and come home 5 days later to find that while they were away Australia was invaded ... and lost.
Absolutely fantastic series, a sad and terrible story about how they cope and what they do to not be found ... including all the teenage, growing up stuff.
I would definitely recommend it and any other John Marsden books - he is a fabulous writer.

I am reading "One Good Turn" by Kate Atkinson and really enjoying it.Would deffo reccomend it to MN.She is very funny and observant.

Have just started Brave New World, have been meaning to get around to reading it for about the last 10 years!

And I would recommend it!

'First Shot' by Lee Child. One of the Jack Reacher series.

If you like thrillers you'll love this. A real page turner, kept me awake past midnight many times.