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?

JG Ballard, Millenium People, and it's fab. Just finished we Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver and it was an amazing book - I'd recommend that a million times over. It's one of the best books I've read in a long, long time (and I read alot of books!)

ooh, I've just started We need to talk about Kevin, Gingermonkey so that's good to hear.

I think it takes a bit of getting in to, because you want Franklin to reply to the letters and he doesn't and it's a bit harsh at times, Emma, when you have kids and you think how they could turn out but stick with it! The last chunk of letters are especially good, you get to hear what actually happened on 'Thursday'. It made me cry and I always like a book that can do that, without it being a true story. When I read the last page I just sat in bed and went 'WOW', it was a shame I had finished it!!!

'a short history of tractors in ukranian'
is hilarious.
i would highly recommend it

Give Me Ten Seconds by John Sergeant, the political reporter famously 'handbagged' by Mrs Thatcher. It's an ok book but not as good as others of that ilk.

House of Meetings by Martin Amis
yes it is brilliant

An Ice Cream War by William Boyd

have just started it - loving ti

have just finished the Accidental which I really enjoyed but i know lots didnt

Just finished The Scotland St trilogy by Alexander McCall Smith - he of the No1 Ladies Detective Agency series

He wrote them as little "novelettes" for serialisation in the "Scotsman" and yes - I would definitely reccommend them:

Titles in the series:

44 Scotland St

Espresso Tales

Love over Scotland

Just about to give A prayer for Owen Meeny another shot !!

I'm reading The Devil Wears Prada which is good, but I'm dying to finish it as I want to see the film now it's out on DVD.

Just finished - Philippa Gregory's The Boleyn Inheritance - sequel to The Other Boleyn Girl. Fabulous historical read. Other than that

Fred Vargas "Seek whom he shall devour" french detective thriller (english version)

Closed Circle - Jonathan Coe. Not as good as other Jonathan Coe but readable enough.

Yeahinaminute - I loved a prayer for Owen meany... but not Scotland St... love the lady detective series but found Scotland St a bit wishy washy... (Not that you asked for my opinion of course so ignore me )

Stepehn Fry The Stars tennis Balls, probably my favourite book to date.

what's so amazing about grace? by phiilip yancy, only started it as it's recommended reading for a course, but very good.
definitely recommend it to other christians , others may not get much out of it, but very thought provoking

quadrophenia .. I read that recently it is great isnt it?

I'm really near the end cjmummy and I haven't been able to put it down! Its the first Stephen Fry book I have read and I will certainly be reading more!

Red Carpets & Other Banana Skins, Rupert Everett's autobiography. Very entertaining and very scandalous

Anita Shreve The Pilot's Wife...holiday reading at home....(?) She is just discovering odd things about him.....

yeahinaminute - read 44 Scotland street end of last year.....didn't end up caring about any of the characters really.....ADORED Maupin's Tales of the City series it was modelled on though.

me too quadrophenia .. my mum picked it up second hand ... i will have to keep an eye out for more as it was much much better than i expected.

"A Spot of Bother" by Mark Haddon (author of Curious Incident of dog in the night time).

And yes I would recommend it, its very good. Funny, realistic, interesting, a great read.

I have just finished The Dark Half by Stephen King. If you like SK, then I would say to try it as it's up there with the best of his novels .

Am now reading Insomnia (also by SK) - only a few pages in though so don't know if I will enjoy it yet (I don't enjoy them all!)

Before that I read Gardens of Delight by Erica James. I really like her books and have read a few now. Light easy reading, romance and relationships, definitely recommend them if you want a light read

Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson, which apparently won the Pulitzer Prize. It's a quiet, elegant, slow-moving read (a large, covetable horse falling into a tunnel is about the most exciting thing so far) in reminiscence form. The narrator is a wise old minister talking to his much-loved young son, born after he spent much of his life a widower. It's beautiful and very touching, but, erm, not very exciting. I like a bit more welly to be honest.

I have just read Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult. Its about an Amish girl accused of neonaticide.

It was fabulous, couldnt put it down, gutted now ive finished

Inheritance of Loss - kiran desai, really lovely book, man booker winner, and v interesting times in india and the UK and families / relationships. nicely written,
flows quite easily , goood writing

"David Copperfield", an old favourite. Beautiful.