What are you reading now Summer is here?

[suedonim]

I wondered what everyone is reading at the moment. My latest book is Antony Beevor's Berlin. A nice cheery one for sunny days.

Quattro, I'm reading the books back-to-front as we don't have 'Stalingrad' in Nigeria with us so I can't compare them yet. I'm not that far into Berlin, less than 100 pages, but there's some gut-wrenching stuff. While I'm reading it my mind is just asking the question, how can so many people be so wicked??

Clerkent, do you use second hand/charity book shops or swap amongst friends?

"Disgrace" was excellent, but most definitely not light-hearted summer reading.

suedonim, I use bookshops, charity shops, car boot sales, jumble sales but never friends. There is a one-way process: books come into the house, but they never leave!

An Instance of the Fingetpost - Iain Pears
Vanishing Acts - Jodi Picoult
Falconer's Lure - Antonia Forest

I like to have a few books on the go at once so I can match my reading to my mood!

Harry Potter in anticipation of the new and final one

Lol @ oneway process, Clarkent! It sounds like a Book Protection Society - 'We never put down a healthy book.'

To get rid of books you could always do it via Book Crossing. Never tried it myself but love to imagine all those books going round the Circle Line or in a telephone box near you

I have finally picked up The Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson, I love his work - except the 'Short History of Just About Everything' it made me quite nervous and I only read about 2 chapters before giving it away!

I have just read Louis de Berniere's Birds without wings. Utterly absorbing and finished it in a few days because I loved it so much...also the Kite Runner; fantastic a must read. Then was lent the Devil wears Prada: what utter crap (hope the film was better) also lent her sequel 3 pages in felt I couldn't subject myself to her writing anymore. Am in the process of reading Between a Rock and a hard place by Aron something, the young man who cut off his own arm. I have skipped a bit though as found 250-odd pages a tad dull describing his first 3 days being trapped, might return to it though...

The Devil Wears Prada - have'nt read it but film was disapointing - had it's good moments but ultimatley left me wanting more!

I will persevere with Disgrace after all these recommendations.

I thought 'Instance of the Fingerpost' was very enjoyable - not high art, but a thumping good read.

Bump

kathy reichs, break no bones. a nice jolly summer read. just finished billy conolly's autobiography. his wife is a name dropping twat imo

just finished Harlan Coben's THe Woods

only took 2 evenings, was great!

have no idea what to move on to next - probably something a bit more weighty

I'm enjoying dipping in and out of The undercover economist and then will start The Real Toy Story, about marketing to children and also have just bought Female Chauvinist pigs, women and the rise of raunch culture which I'm expecting to enjoy. For (very, very) light reading I'm also Anyone out there which is chick lit but a good study of grief.

I also have various books on my bedside table, Tom Parker Bowles on eating his way around the world, Hugh Fearnley Eats it All (collection of writing), The corporation, about how corporations function, Stephanie Calman's book about failig as a grown up (keep picking that up and putting it down again) and Our Betty, Liz Smith's memoir. also Big Babies, or why can't we just grow up and The story of childhood in modern Britain. I shouldn't go near a bookshop again until I've got through this little lot I don't tihnk.

Goodness me, WWW! Do you have them all on the go at the same time or is this to tide you over until Autumn? I can't wait to get home (in 24 days time, not that I'm counting) and visit the book shops to see what's new.

bloody hell WWW....you're not readding all of those at once are you?
I think my head would explode!

Ds3 is learning about WW2 atm and was talking about Anne franks diary the other day so I'm reading that
I hated it at school but thought it might be a better read now I'm a grown up

Good idea to put links! I might read the Real Toy Story myself. I have nothing to read after The Last days of Dogtown which I am enjoying at the moment.

Well, sort of. I started the chick lit on Thursday night and have about half an hour left to read, I've been dipping in and out of the undercover economist (it's been in my bag/car etc) so about a third of the way through, ditto Hugh FW, it's collected food writing so easy to pick up and put down. I only bought the toy story/female chauv ones last week so haven't started them, the growing up and big babies ones I haven't started (and bought them at Christmas so not a good sign) The Corp one I suspect I'll never read, Stephanie Calman, hmm, not sure, maybe I'll finish it. Liz Smith will take me about an hour by the looks of it, it's v big writing!

Oh I've got another crappy novel on the go too! I don't seem able to read proper serious fiction any more, I can only do crappy novels or non fiction. I really want to read Piers Morgan's recent too but waiting for paperback. I loved The Insider.

My lovely Christmas present was to spend as long as I wanted and as much as I wanted in a bookshop. I left borders 3 hours later and £250 lighter so some of these are from that excursion!

(from dh)

Big writing = faster reading. I'm working my way through various novels I've had for ages and can't recall what attracted me to them in the first place.

I fear I may be about to suffer a public humiliation over my reading matter. An expat group here in Nigeria sells donated books, to raise money for charity. I now see that other people have donated stuff like Jilly Cooper, Maeve Binchy and various chicklit novels while I gave Beryl Bainbridge, Marcel Theroux and Margaret Attwood. They're going to be unsold, week after week after week, aren't they?