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CaffeinatedSeagull · 28/04/2026 10:43

Just finished ‘Perfection’ by Vincenzo Latronico. It kind of meandered and didn’t really go anywhere plot wise but maybe that was the point given it’s a book that’s about dissatisfied millennials coming to terms with the emptiness of contemporary living.

Just started ‘Revolutionary Ride’ by Lois Pryce which tells of her journey across Iran on a motorbike. That should definitely have more adventure in it.

Whereismyjoiedevivre · 28/04/2026 13:45

I’ve just started The Names and so far am not sure why it’s been so raved about. Is it the tackling of coercive control within a marriage? The “Sliding Doors” concept?

Whereismyjoiedevivre · 28/04/2026 13:49

I’ve had to pause Julia (a re-telling of 1984 from Julia’s perspective) because I found it too grim and too hard on the heels of reading The Testaments. Need a break from dystopia! But I’ll return to Julia as it’s well written and an interesting concept.

Sameoldsameold78 · 28/04/2026 22:57

I loved The Names and A Family Matter.

just gave up on Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister, couldn’t care less she was trying to save her daughter cos had no emotional investment in the characters, normally love her books.

Can anyone recommend a good family saga?

tobee · 29/04/2026 22:23

Ha @pippistrelle I always forget what books have been about often worryingly soon after I’ve finished them 😬 .

Started and now just finished The Party by Tessa Hadley. Just over 100 pages long (and largish print!) and I enjoyed it. I like a slice of life book, to be drawn into a period and setting - post war Bristol. Two young sisters; mostly told through the eyes of the younger one. Always adds a layer as I am a younger sister.

pippistrelle · 30/04/2026 14:25

tobee · 29/04/2026 22:23

Ha @pippistrelle I always forget what books have been about often worryingly soon after I’ve finished them 😬 .

Started and now just finished The Party by Tessa Hadley. Just over 100 pages long (and largish print!) and I enjoyed it. I like a slice of life book, to be drawn into a period and setting - post war Bristol. Two young sisters; mostly told through the eyes of the younger one. Always adds a layer as I am a younger sister.

Edited

Oh yes, some are almost instantly forgettable. These days I keep a book journal to help me keep track, and avoid buyng the same book twice. I record the name and a very brief summary, but sometimes by the time I come to put it in the journal, I've already pretty much forgotten what it was about. I put this down to reading a lot and usually having several books on the go at one time, rather than failing memory. That's my story and I'm sticking to it...

pippistrelle · 30/04/2026 14:30

Oh, and I liked The Party, and I can remember what it was about... but not how it ended... I used to live in Bristol near the dodgy pub where they went to the party, so I spent most of my time reading the book trying to place it.

Eastie77Returns · 01/05/2026 07:30

Just finished Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Sublime. It’s easy to see how and why her work has influenced so many other writers.

Now reading The Birthday Party by Laurent Mauvignier (French translated into English). It’s an extremely slow paced psychodrama/thriller set in rural France and is very..I think dense is the right word. It’s over 500 pages long and all takes place on a single day. I almost gave up on the first page which opens with a 20 line paragraph with no full stops. Glad I stuck with it though as I’ve gradually become completely gripped.

IceIceBabyBump · 01/05/2026 14:52

Sameoldsameold78 · 28/04/2026 22:57

I loved The Names and A Family Matter.

just gave up on Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister, couldn’t care less she was trying to save her daughter cos had no emotional investment in the characters, normally love her books.

Can anyone recommend a good family saga?

Have you read any Mary Lawson? Her books are all about family drama/saga in rural Canada, and beautifully written, utterly absorbing

OP posts:
tobee · 01/05/2026 22:46

Eastie77Returns · 01/05/2026 07:30

Just finished Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Sublime. It’s easy to see how and why her work has influenced so many other writers.

Now reading The Birthday Party by Laurent Mauvignier (French translated into English). It’s an extremely slow paced psychodrama/thriller set in rural France and is very..I think dense is the right word. It’s over 500 pages long and all takes place on a single day. I almost gave up on the first page which opens with a 20 line paragraph with no full stops. Glad I stuck with it though as I’ve gradually become completely gripped.

That sounds a very satisfying experience

Arran2024 · 02/05/2026 11:24

IceIceBabyBump · 01/05/2026 14:52

Have you read any Mary Lawson? Her books are all about family drama/saga in rural Canada, and beautifully written, utterly absorbing

I love her work.

MissyB1 · 02/05/2026 11:33

IceIceBabyBump · 01/05/2026 14:52

Have you read any Mary Lawson? Her books are all about family drama/saga in rural Canada, and beautifully written, utterly absorbing

I agree I recently read Crow Lake, absolutely loved it!

SpunkyKhakiScroller · 03/05/2026 17:38

Just finished Empire of Gold, the final book in the Daevabad trilogy. I enjoyed the setting and the characters in the series. The plot was good but overcomplicated and the ending could have been better.

Now onto Water Moon for my in person book club. Also listening to The Searcher by Tana French on the side.

myislandhome · 04/05/2026 12:52

Just started the wedding people (Alison Espach) as it was discounted. Not loving it so far.

Middlemarch123 · 06/05/2026 22:14

I usually read quite heavy books. I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, but I’m an ex A level literature teacher, so “well read”, as they say. Read all the classics , love poetry, Shakespeare…Due to life being horrible lately, I’ve switched from the classics to lighter reading. I’ve always turned to books, from a little girl, I’ve been an avid reader. but currently devouring Marion Keyes. Great writing, very comforting, when real life is horrible, curling up with a good read which is humorous is like a hug.

Terpsichore · 06/05/2026 22:37

I'm reading How to End A Story, the collected diaries of the Australian writer Helen Garner (I read a fair bit of non-fiction). They're great and she's a wonderful writer. It's quite hard to work out what's going on - a lot of the entries are just single disconnected sentences - and everyone she names is just identified by initials, but I'm gripped. Her prose is taut and tight and she takes no prisoners.

Next up on my list is a 1950s novel by an interesting writer called Helen Ashton, The Half-Crown House. It's about a family of somewhat reduced circumstances who decide to let the public into their stately home. I found it on eBay after reading another Ashton book and getting intrigued by her - she was also a qualified doctor, and quite often wrote on medical themes. Persephone republished her novel Bricks and Mortar, which follows the life and family of a (male) London architect over 40 years. I have this on my shelf but haven’t got round to reading it yet.

Yuja · 07/05/2026 15:12

I just finished The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles which I adored (as expected as I also adored A Gentleman in Moscow). Next up is The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris, a booker longlist from 2021 that I have not got round to reading yet and am looking forward to. Might save it for a short holiday I have booked in early June

Lunatone · 09/05/2026 09:59

Just finishing A Mayfair Mystery by J B Harris-Burland. It's supposed to be a murder mystery but wanders off into politics and personal drama, a bit like Anthony Trollope with a bit of murder. As it was written in 1913 the politics are a bit crazy, so it feels quite prescient in comparison with modern British politics.

Next is some E C R Lorac, though I haven't decided which one to pick from my pile. Bats in the Belfry maybe?

pippistrelle · 09/05/2026 14:02

Middlemarch123 · 06/05/2026 22:14

I usually read quite heavy books. I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, but I’m an ex A level literature teacher, so “well read”, as they say. Read all the classics , love poetry, Shakespeare…Due to life being horrible lately, I’ve switched from the classics to lighter reading. I’ve always turned to books, from a little girl, I’ve been an avid reader. but currently devouring Marion Keyes. Great writing, very comforting, when real life is horrible, curling up with a good read which is humorous is like a hug.

Nothing wrong witth that @Middlemarch123 . We don't necessarily need to be challenged by what we're reading. I'm firmly convinced that it's good for the brain to read a wide variety of things. That's my excuse for my forays into chick lit and thrillers, anyway.

That said, I've never really managed to get on with Marion Keyes. Nor sure why, and it's a shame because she seems like such a kind, compassionate person. (Basing that on the problem page thing she did on Radio 4 with Tara Flynn.) Maybe that kindness is coming over to you in her books?

IceIceBabyBump · 09/05/2026 15:26

I'm now reading "How We Disappeared" by Jing-Jing Lee. It's about Korean enslaved by the Japanese army. It's a really good read so far. The depiction of the main character in later life is absolutely heartbreaking.

I have no idea what's up next- I've still got a couple of hundred pages of this book to go!

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MissMarplesNiece · 09/05/2026 18:02

I've just given up on Woodspring by Elizabeth Buchan. I was disappointed that it's so poorly written. I dislike dnfing books but I've got so many books on my to read pile and I disliked Woodspring so much, that I'm not going to waste my time on it.

mrstea301 · 09/05/2026 19:00

I’m just back from holiday so have read quite a few books - really enjoyed The Names! My favourite recently though has been London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe - I am biased as I’ve loved everything I’ve read of his so far, but he has a real gift for writing non-fiction that feels like fiction and it’s so good! Fascinating story about a 19 year old that jumped from a balcony in London in 2019, but it turned out that he’d been pretending to be the son of a Russian oligarch. The book is about what led up to that and his parents search for the truth of what happened. Highly recommend it!

now casting about for what to read next…

LethargeMarg · 10/05/2026 08:50

Im currently reading a 99p kindle read called ‘Pineapple Street’ which im really enjoying. It’s a New York family comedy drama with each chapter from a different sibling. It’s a 4/5 star read for me so far and hadn’t heard of it before, think it may have been an Amazon or good reads tip based on something else I read. Before that I read The Two Roberts, which I loved the first half, less so the second but still enjoyed it overall (based on two Scottish artists who met at art school in the 1930s, fall in love and their relationship and complicated life together ). Next read I think will be ‘Endling’.

pippistrelle · 13/05/2026 12:06

mrstea301 · 09/05/2026 19:00

I’m just back from holiday so have read quite a few books - really enjoyed The Names! My favourite recently though has been London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe - I am biased as I’ve loved everything I’ve read of his so far, but he has a real gift for writing non-fiction that feels like fiction and it’s so good! Fascinating story about a 19 year old that jumped from a balcony in London in 2019, but it turned out that he’d been pretending to be the son of a Russian oligarch. The book is about what led up to that and his parents search for the truth of what happened. Highly recommend it!

now casting about for what to read next…

London Falling is excellent. But such a tragic story.

I've just finished 'Tokyo Express' by Seisho Matsumoto, part of the Penguin Modern Classics stable. It's a gentle crime story - if anything involving a double murder can be considered gentle. The name is misleading and makes it sound like it's set on a train. It's not, but there is a lot of information about trains and stations on the Japanese rail network, so I was interested to see that it was originally translated as 'Points and Lines' which, I think, suits it much better.

Now reading 'Fruit Fly' by Josh Silver which is a good read involving a writer suffering writer's block (and dealing with other issues too) and the skanky junkie she's mining for material to rejuvenate her career.

However, I take issue with the editing. There are words used wrongly that should surely have been picked up in the editing process. For example, the writer talks about someone 'scrawling' through the internet instead of 'scrolling', the middle class writer from London says someone 'is stood at the countertop'. She'd say 'is standing'. There have been other examples too in this book , and it just grates a bit. I'm seeing stuff like this increasingly in new novels and I wonder about the editing process - relying on AI? too polite to correct the author? or proofed/edited by someone without the necessary command of English?

This is how people end up being blustery retired colonels in Tunbrige Wells writing angry letters all day, isn't it?

IlovetoKnitandRead · 13/05/2026 14:44

I am enjoying reading Greengates by RC Sherrif, while dipping into The Idiot, by Dostoevsky. My current library book is There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak, which is really good, and I am looking forward to starting my Easter book Catherine, A retelling of Wuthering Heights, by Essie Fox, but I may keep this for when I go to Haworth next month.