Hello Rosehip, welcome to the thread. I really need to try Helen Dunmore some time soon. I think I have one in the house somewhere.
Remus I remember reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius when it first came out and I loved it. I haven't enjoyed his writing quite as much since. I have A Hologram for the King but haven't yet read it. I think I could read self indulgent styles with more tolerance in my early 20s and now I feel like I just don't have the patience!
I don't remember the last book I've posted but have read a few in last few weeks.
You by Clare Kepnes and Hidden Bodies by the same author. First and second books of a trilogy. Narrator is a stalker/psychopath who becomes serially fixated on different girls and every minute detail of their lives. I don't think I will rush out for the third although the twist at the end of Hidden Bodies has made me curious to see what happens in the next.
Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead. I have The Underground Railroad on my shelf, really looking forward to reading it. I read this one first though - it was about a beach town in Long Island, NY where the teenage narrator spent all his formative summers. I didn't think the plot was strong enough to really keep me interested. It felt like the book was a vehicle for Whitehead to list out childhood and teenage memories with not much connection by way of story in between.
Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain by B Norris. Five stories and the main characters of each all unknown to each other, intertwine at the end of the book. Was a quick read. I think the author is a playwright and this is his first novel.
The Tidal Zone by S Moss. Narrator's teenage daughter has a near death experience necessitating a protracted hospital stay. The storyline revolves around this period of time in this family's life. The narrator's reflections on his role as a stay at home parent, his marriage, modern life, suburbia, etc are familiar and well written. His wife is a stressed and harried GP and I liked reading about his feelings of concern and resentment and tenderness and frustration towards her.
The Luckiest Girl Alive J Knoll. I couldn't finish this. Was billed as an amazing debut thriller. It was awful.
Intensity by Dean Koontz. First book I've read by this prolific writer. I felt like I was reading the screenplay of a made-for-tv film. Was fine, readable but I don't have much afterthought about it...
Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller. I really enjoyed this - as much as her first novel Our Endless Numbered Days.
Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty. She wrote Appletree Yard. This was about a woman who is recently separated after her husband has an affair. She loses her daughter in a car accident very soon after the separation. I thought this was a suspense/thriller type book but it didn't really go that way at all. It's about a mother's grief and pain and feelings of revenge.
The Nightingale by Krisitin Hannah. Much reviewed. I really enjoyed this. Big book that flew by.
The Art of Racing in the Rain forget the author's name. Told from the point of view of a dog. About his feelings for his (human) family and their struggles seen through the dog's eyes. Was good. Refreshingly different from anything else I've read lately.
A Perfectly Good Man by Patrick Gale. I like this writer a lot but this was not one of my preferred books of his. But worth a try if you like P Gale. Maybe not the right time for me and this particular one.
The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. Very sweet. Reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird. Family in Montana - father raising 3 young sons alone, mother has died. He hires a housekeeper through a newspaper ad and story is mainly about the changes brought about by the arrival of this woman into their home.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. Absolutely amazing. Heartbreaking, beautifully written. Nothing else I could say would do justice to this book. I bought it based on the strength of the recommendations on this thread so thank you to all who enthused about it upthread.
Ok that's it. Next up is Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler.