What are you currently reading, how do you feel about it, and what's next on the list?

[IceIceBabyBump]

Currently:
I'm currently about half way through "Enter Ghost" by Isabella Hammad.

Feeling:
I've been working my way through the six books shortlisted for the Women's Prize and this is the last one. It's probably bottom of my list of those books. I haven't at all clicked with the characters and I'm finding it quite boring to be honest.

Next:
I've just had my next stack of four books delivered and I think I'll try George Orwell's "1984" next. I'm excited.

Thank you for your comment @feellikeanalien; interesting to hear.

I am reading The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky, and really enjoying it (about half way through!).

Next will be The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry or finishing All the Names by Saramago. Then Crime and Punishment (maybe)

Currently:
Absolutely & Forever by Rose Tremain.

Feeling:
Loving it. Engaging from the off, hugely likeable main character, set in the 50s and 60s. A lovely, easy read after reading Held, which was a literary one that was well written, but slightly hard work. This is great.

Next:
Think am going for Hamnet.

The Running Grave, the last Strike book. I've been ekeing them out but I've finally got round to it. I'm enjoying it very much.

Just abandoned a couple of Anne Cleeves books. Didn't get on with her writing at all.

Next up is a Robert Harris Officer And A Spy.

Jane Casey The Cutting Place, audio book. Fun to listen to whilst doing chores, but there's getting to be an awful lot of plot and Caroline Lennon (the reader) tends to boom a bit.

For Jane Casey fans, what's your favourite?

Currently half way through The Trial by Rob Rinder. It's, so far, very good. Well plotted, several themes I suspect will all start to come together, and an engaging narrator. And, obviously given his background in law, a thorough knowledge of the courts and how they work.

Thunderclap, a study of the powder keg disaster that blew up Delft and Carel Fabritius, the painter of The Goldfinch. It’s absorbing, beautiful but slow.

Next up, The Place of Tides, James Rebanks’ latest, about indigenous life in Scandinavia.

Still enjoying The Count of Monte Cristo, relishing a chapter every day!

I have just finished Quicksilver by Callie Hart. It's Romantasy fluff so incredibly formulaic (you read one, you read them all) but it was okay. I'm persevering with this genre as both DDs are loving it and it's such a joy to finally discuss books with them (even nonsense ones).

Have just started Once Was Willem by M. R. Carey which has already gripped me hard within the first few pages. It's very much a shift away from his usual style as it's set in the 12th century. But so far I have loved every book he's written.

Has anyone read his Pandominium books?

Currently reading: The Instant by Amy Liptrot. I loved The Outrun so was looking forward to this and while I really like her style of writing this book has become a bit navel gazey - I'm not sure what the point of it is really?

Next: Child of God by Corman McCarthy, been a while since I've read any of his books!

Just started reading Stone's Fall by Iain Pears. I tried to read An Instance of the Fingerpost but gave up because every time it got going it kept stopping and felt like information was being regurgitated; a clever bit of research almost shoehorned in to the narrative.

The story of Stone's Fall looks interesting. I don't know if women writers do this as well, but I feel like, when male writers invent a female character in a piece of historical fiction, they often make them too modern, an anachronism. They don't ring true. Maybe it’s because they create a female character that they are attracted to? . I hope this won't be the case. Also, I often find, with historical novels. I'm on alert for things that don't ring true to me. I wish I could relax. But then if it's jarring I suppose it's an indicator of a book not being that good?

By the way, I really enjoyed reading A Heart So White. I like reading something that makes me think.

Now finished Absolutely & Forever (loved), and started Hamnet. Wonderful so far, story woven around Shakespeare's son, very compelling and beautifully written. I'd read a Maggie O Farrell before and not liked it much, but if you hadn't told me I would never have guessed this was the same author. Strongly recommend!

Next up I think will be All the Light we Cannot See.... don't know if anyone has read?

Just bought Kate Morton -Homecoming!

Finished Sophie Hannah’s The Couple at the Table; I promised myself I’d never read another SH book but it was there in the library…. Didn’t enjoy it. Silly plot. I don’t mind a bit of convolution but good grief her plots are unreal. Since when do police gather everyone around and unmask the murderer? Or am I missing something??

David Mitchell-Ghostwritten was fab. Love his style
Now onto another Anthony Horowitz - still have a huge pile of books waiting to be read. A beautiful sight though 😄

Currently reading: "For thy great pain have mercy on my little pain" by Victoria Mackenzie.

Feeling about it: Not sure. It feels simultaneously immersive but also a bit 'thin' and 'surface' level. There was scope, I think, for a really rich, deep, descriptive literary epic. But its not that. The constant swapping between the two characters is quite off-putting and laboured.

Next up: Maybe "Paula Spencer" by Roddy Doyle

Yes, I read it years ago. It's really good.

I've got Hamnet on my 'to read' pile so pleased to see a good review here!

@Everythingwillbeokay also read All the Light - it’s brilliant and accelerates towards the second half, you will enjoy it !

Agreed, it's up there as one of my top 10 books ever

Hamnet also excellent.

I finished Child of God, beautiful and atmospheric writing as ever from McCarthy but a very disturbed lead character. I do get so lost in his writing though, it really hooks you in.

I have The Glutton on my TBR for next but not really feeling it....

I really enjoyed "The Glutton"

There were some parts that were a bit odd. And I think the author lost the excellent descriptions of Tarare's hunger pains later on. I also don't think the author kept the opening creepiness running throughout - it sort of oscillates between a creepy retrospective and an abundant Georgian romp. But its utterly absorbing, really innovative concept and feels very Georgian- the backdrop of the French Revolution is really well done.

Am I the only one struggling with The Lumineries? Has anyone read it?

I feel like I really want to read this book - but I've started the book, the TV series and the audio book and never get very far into it.

Is it very dull thoughout or is it worth perservering with?

Its quite unusal for me to just give up on a book.

@IceIceBabyBump bring it to the top of your pile! It's getting better and better.

Thank you and @MotherOfCatBoy for confirming my choice of next read, am pleased I know I've got a winner for the next one.

I'm still slightly recovering from reading Perfume a few weeks ago. It really disturbed me and has stayed with me a bit.

I'm doing the 50 book challenge for the first time ever, and I was so enjoying it, until that, and so now trying to avoid another wrong choice!

I absolutely loved "The Luminaries". It's very dense and complex. I wouldn't describe it as "dull" necessarily but it does have a very dense way of telling everyday stories. To be honest, if you're not grabbed by it quite quickly, I'm not sure its one for you. If you're not fully invested I think it could get a bit unwieldy and confusing.

For me - It's one of the best books I've ever read. I'm planning on re-reading it over Christmas this year - because it needs good quality, winter time to hunker down with 😅But I love dense, and brooding literary fiction.

That sounds inspiring @IceIceBabyBump thank you.
I do like dense and complicated novels - I will give it another go 😁

I love that you are planning books to read in 10 months time!

I’ve have just today finished reading The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. It’s the second time I’ve read it but I was stuck in a rut and knew I enjoyed it first time. I’d also just finished The Women by Kristin Hannah and that was excellent so a hard act to follow!!

Just been browsing and found a sequel I didn’t know existed. A Minnette Walters book called The Players. Sequel to The Swift and the Harrier which I enjoyed. I’ll be starting that tomorrow.
I’m a big historical fiction fan!

I'm halfway through Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. I'm struggling to maintain the enthusiasm to complete it. It's got some good moments but I'm finding the characters hard to believe - they all just seem so blasé about what they discover and the situations they find themselves in. Plus I keep getting the sneaking suspicion that before Aaronovitch decided to write this he'd come across Charles Stross' The Laundry Files series and thought he'd give it a try but doesn't have the imagination, talent or sense of humour to pull it off successfully.

My current (sort of) non-fiction book is A City On Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith. This is an entertaining look at the practical difficulties of space colonisation. I'm a massive space geek and as much as I enjoyed The Martian and the TV series For All Mankind, this book is a more realistic view of just how difficult and dangerous it would actually be to colonise another planet. Plus it's funny.

Finally, as a tribute to the anniversary of Terry Pratchett's death, I've just started re-reading Monstrous Regiment. Pratchett's books are my happy place. Now there's someone who could write believable characters.