Tell me the last book you read and what you thought of it

[Ididivfama]

I just finished Such a fun age, by Kiley Reid. I’d say it was pretty good. It was readable and I got into it, I was curious. I liked how it touched on race relations in a different way. I disliked all the characters though, but I guess that makes them more realistic. Would pass it on but probably not read again.

Who’s next?

I was disappointed by Kate Atkinson's 'Fairy Tales'. I love her work and I love short stories but these were so fantastical I just couldn't connect with them.

Putin's People by Catherine Belton

Very interesting explanation of how we got from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the state of play in Russia today

Piranesi which I LOVED. I'm quite into dark academia and have always been interested in the idea of liminal spaces so was just my sort of thing.

Before that it was Hamnet which I really didn't like, over the top writing and boring. Just didn't get it. Thought it was going to be perfect for me so that was disappointing.

Bournville by Jonathan Coe. Too long, lazy writing (quoting great chunks of historical speeches), couldn't empathise with any of the characters, plot lines not developed and sinking without trace. Can you tell I wasn't impressed?

I Could Be You by Sheila Bugler.
It was good

Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin. Loved parts of it (beautifully and unmistakably French) and a gut wrenching description of grief but felt it drifted into a bit of a whodunnit which was a shame

I'm (thankfully) behind the whole world and have just finished reading Troubled Blood by Robert Gailbraith. Absolutely loved it! The plot, the characters are excellent. I have the next one in the series which I am desperately trying not to read right away as I don't want to catch up too quickly.

I who have never known men
By Jaqueline Harpman

Recommended by somebody on here I think.
It was fascinating and thought provoking. I did finish it and I'm easily bored and give up on books as a rule.

But it was very dark, depressing and left me unsatisfied in terms of answers and explanations.

I might recommend it to somebody else who liked the genre but wouldn't rush to read it again.

Trevor is a genius. I still can’t get used to him being dead. The great thing, though, is that you’ve still (probably, unless you’ve been working backwards through his work!) got loads of his short stories and novels still to read.

Have just finished Niamh Mulvey’s short story collection, Hearts and Bones. Highly recommended.

L shaped room was of its time I think. Read through a late 50s/early 60s lens it is more groundbreaking.

I also loved Piranesi - read it last year and it stayed with me for months.

I’ve just finished Metronome which I found annoying and dull. A bit like a real life Metronome 😂

Now reading Dark Matter by Blake Crouch which reads like a film. Looking forward to The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell arriving this week.

I just read Beast in the Shadows by Erogwa Rampo. really clever to get you thinking

Just finished Cuckoo in the Nest - Fran Hill. Brilliant book based on her own childhood, it’s about a teenage girl in the 1970s who is fostered. I couldn’t put it down, and loved all the 70s references brought back so many memories.

Currently reading - Gates of Hell: Why Bill Gates Is the Most Dangerous Man in the World by Daniel Jupp.

It's brilliant.

I read that earlier this year. It was ok with an interesting subject matter but I didn’t find it as compelling as some of her other books.

I’m reading Beth Underdown The Key In The Lock and finding it good so far.

I got into Elizabeth Strout’s books about 18 months ago I think from a recommendation here. The flawed characters and pace are incredible, she makes the mundane interesting and characters you wouldn’t think at first read are interesting turn out to have hidden depths. Reminds me of Colm Toibin.

So many books on here have been added to my "want to read" list.

I've just finished The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads even though I was in tears for the last 5 or so chapters.

I read the L Shaped Room when I was at school - 40 years ago. My DM went to my school & complained - she didn't think it was suitable for 16 year olds. I think English classes at school have changed a lot, and I don't know if the change is for the better. We had our set O'Level books (no GCSEs in my day) but we were also reading so many other books as a class - I remember Sons & Lovers; Saturday Night, Sunday Morning; The L Shaped Room; Bonjour Tristesse; The Crucible.

I actually stayed up way too late last night finishing 'In Memoriam' by Alice Winn..
It's a beautiful love story between 2 public school boys set just before and during the First World War...
Absolutely devastating at times and I had tears rolling down my face often..

I've just re-read an old favourite, The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James. I love Henrietta Stackpole out of all the characters. It also contains one of my favourite lines "that perceptible hush which precedes a crisis". Really recommend it.

I'm currently reading Still Life for my book club and really struggling with it.

We Are Called to Rise, Laura McBride. The story is told through the lives of 3/4 characters whose lives all take a terrible turn. They basically have to choose between giving in to their despair or developing their resilience and moving forwards. Full of soul searching monologues which do become a bit tedious and an ending that felt rushed and unlikely. Despite all of this, I found it strangely compulsive reading!

I've read that agree about the character

Still Life by Sarah Winman. Several people had recommended it but I was disappointed overall - very saccharine, completely unbelievable characters, not really enough magical realism to be magical and too much magical realism to be realism, and also heaving with anachronisms (the way people spoke, concepts being introduced way before their time like 'the male gaze' and even the word 'petrichor' and the incredible tolerance of same-sex relationships). Cloyingly sentimental in the end.

Most recently finished was The Only One Left by Riley Sager. He throws so much in at the end it makes his books so frustrating.

Before that I absolutely adored How To Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. Immediately made my DP read it so I could talk about it ... loved it. About to finish Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld which I'm also v much enjoying, I've never read one of hers before.

Inheritance by Jenny Eclair. Actually I listened to the audio book. It was so, SO good. I wish I would read it all again for the first time.