What are you currently reading, how do you feel about it, and what's next on the list? Part 2

[IceIceBabyBump]

The original thread is nearly full: Page 40 | What are you currently reading, how do you feel about it, and what's next on the list? | Mumsnet

So, here's another one to keep us going!

Was excited to read There Are Other Worlds Than These by Stephen King & Peter Strain, but am currently 275 pages in and decidedly not gripped. It's just...tedious.

So, next up is Devil's Day by Andrew Michael Hurley which should be suitably Octobery gloomy.

@Araminta - There's someone on an Amazon review who describes 'Devil's Day' as being 'like a dismal episode of Emmerdale from 1976'. I actually find that quite appealing so do please confirm once you're into it!

I've just finished 'Benighted' by JB Priestley which is an ensemble sort of work in a similar vein to 'An Inspector Calls', but imagine it starting with 'It was a dark and stormy night...' - that sort of vibe. As is often the case with JB Priestley, a lot of social commentary in the margins, so an interesting read on several levels.

Next is 'A Short Stay in Hell' by Steven L Peck. Not much idea what to expect but the blurb says that it's 'life-changing, existential'. I feel that I may be about to be glad that it's short...

I shall report back. Have already read his The Loney and Saltash so fully expecting it to be equally bleak and dismal. Perfect reading for a dark, rainy October afternoon.

I'm reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I'm enjoying it so much. I find myself looking forward to picking it up every evening. But it's taking me a long time to read.

There have been some laugh out loud moments. It always surprises me when the printed word makes me laugh.

I finally picked up a copy of The Wedding People by Alison Espach from the library and am about to start today.

I have no idea if I'm going to like it, but I'm feeling this immense pressure to do so.
I ordered it ages ago, and have had numerous emails from the ever so lovely librarian after all the copies went missing, people's later reserves of replacements were issued before me. She made it her mission to get me this book, bless her. I was just going to leave it but that would have been incredibly ungrateful behaviour and her happiness when I picked it up on Monday was heartwarming.

I guess this is also a post to say that libraries are such a wonderful resource. I have no idea how other local authorities operate, but despite reduced opening hours since COVID, here in Salford the service is pretty bang on. They have something called open-plus, so even when there's no staff in there you can enter after an induction between 08.30-19.00 with your library card. They don't charge for reserving a book and they'll transfer between all their library locations. If they don't have a copy of something, they will order it for you.

So come on The Wedding People ... I hope you're a banger! 😂

That’s interesting I hated the book especially the ending (won’t say anymore for spoilers) and the ‘reveal’ - friend has a theory it’s good book if you don’t have personal experience of severe mental illness, either directly or caring. Would love to know if any of that makes sense?

Just finished Crooked Manifesto by Colson Whitehead. It's the second book in his Harlem triology. The first book, Harlem Shuffle, was brilliant and Crooked Manifesto is a masterpiece. I'm saving part 3 for when I go on holiday next year.

This is so difficult to answer because I have no experience of living with serious mental illness or caring for someone who does so I can’t judge how it might make those who do feel and I absolutely wouldn’t want to try 😥

Last night I finished the left hand of darkness and surprised how much I enjoyed it! Now going to finish my cousin Rachel :)

@IceIceBabyBump I LOVE the secret history and the goldfinch! The writing is phenomenal, I've never read anything like them. I have the little friend but haven't read it yet

John of John by Douglas Stuart. Trying to read some of the Booker shortlist.
May We Feed The King next.

I was a little dubious about 'A Short Stay in Hell' by Steven L Peck on account of the blurb saying it was 'life changing'. It wasn't, but it was a nice little fable owing much to Jose Luis Borges (which it acknowledges) written with verve, wry humour, thoughtfulness and clever imagination. Very quick to read, would recommend for when you need a palate cleanser.

I followed that up with a collection of short stories 'Python's Kiss' by Louise Erdrich. There was a lot of variety but she managed to create credible people in credible worlds even in very short works. And quite a variety too. Impressive. But I must say they were mostly quite melancholy. I kept almost buying a novel of hers a while back but then other things got in the way. I'm definitely revising that now and re-adding it to my list.

My next reads will be a short story collection by Shirley Jackson - 'Dark Tales' and a sort of memoir called 'The Agatha Christie Cure' by Cathy Rentzenbrink. I've read a couple of things by her before, including a novel 'Ordinary Time' which I really enjoyed, so I have high hopes.

I dipped into the previous thread so I hope it’s ok to join in.
I’ve just finished ‘The Names’ which was my book club choice - a quick, easy but also emotional read and a really interesting premise.
I have two next choices - When the Cranes Fly South for something to get stuck into or Us by David Nicholls for light reading. I can’t decide which way to go.

Not reading, but listening to A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking as I fall asleep, which is very funny 😄

I have lately discovered the delights of Audiobooks through Spotify Premium and am taking full advantage!

Read Cider with Rosie having last read it at school. Well worth a reread, the chapter Grannies in the wainscot seems like a big inspiration to Terry Pratchett re Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg etc.

Also read The Good Liar by Denise Mina. Worth a read, some great characters, although plot was stretching things.

Next Two Women in Rome by Elizabeth Buchan

It's spooky month here so I listened to the new Dracula from Audible. Jonathan Bailey and Ella Purcell were good, I thought Aimee Lou Wood was the standout as Lucy, but Maggie Gylenhall as a monotone Van Helsing was a weird interpretation that didn't work for me.

Besides that, I'm doing my Oct traditional listen of A Night In The Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny.

My nonfiction read is A History of Civilizations by Fernand Braudel, and I'm nearly done.

I'm reading Land by Maggie O'Farrell. It's boring me ridgid.

I am reading this too and am pretty bored. I don't like the long chapters and the fact it skips back and forth between timelines either.

I don't know what it is about Maggie O'Farrell. I read Hamnet and enjoyed that, and also After You'd Gone. But I couldn't get into The Marriage Portrait or another one that I can't remember.

I'm going to give up and read American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee :)

I’ve just given up on When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman. I got about 2/3 of the way through and it was just annoying.

I've just read This must be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell. It was left in a hotel by a previous guest. I did enjoy it though not as much as some of her others.

Oh no I have Land in my tbr pile! I enjoyed Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait, Instructions For A Heatwave was good too but I couldn't get through This Must Be The Place. I am also listening to the Dracula adaptation and thinking what to read next.

For Maggie O’Farrell fans, I read a couple of her earlier books years ago and would recommend The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and The Hand that First Held Mine - both excellent stories.

Currently reading Ted Chiang’s short story collection, Exhalation. It’s really good. Described as modern science fiction, a lot of it touches on AI, memory, mortality. Makes you think. An earlier collection, which I haven’t read, included the story on which the film Arrival was based - anyone remember that? Amy Adams played a linguist trying to understand the aliens who had landed on Earth..

I remember Arrival and reading it was based on one of his short stories. A friend then bought one of Chiang's collections - I haven't read any but would be interested to know how you get on.

Another Chinese-American's work is interesting, in this genre, Ken Liu's short story was made into another film:

Beautiful Dreamer is a sci-fi, time travel tale set in a striking near future world of drones, robots, holograms and transport pods. But it’s also a personal story. A mother, facing a terminal disease, leaves her baby daughter and travels into space at near-light speed. Using relativity, she is able to stretch her final two years over her daughter’s entire lifetime but is only able to visit her daughter for one night every seven years.

I've read a few Maggie O Farrell books and when I started the marriage portrait didn't think I'd like it because it's a historical novel and it was quite slow to get going. In the end though, it was a great read. Full of suspense. I've recommended it to a few of my friends so hope they manage to get into it. ( Just thought I'd say that in case you ever felt like going back to it )..

Regarding Maggie O’Farrell: The Hand That First Held Mine and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox are both very compelling, at times devastating, reads. I’d recommend these two above her more recent work although I’m currently reading I Am, I Am, I Am which is from 2017 and am enjoying it. I think she uses language beautifully.