The "I am currently reading" thread

Just finished (and thoroughly enjoyed again) The Belle Fields and its recently published sequel Ashes of Roses by Lora Adams. Set in this area these cover the life of folks at both ends of the social spectrum. Very descriptive writing of the early 1900's, loads of twists and turns - having read the first of the two, was over the moon when the sequel appeared and got some answers how things turned out. Some sad and 'moving' bits so beware? Anyone in to poetry might like a unique book - Say Kangaroo by Five Sisters. Many poems written by the 5 siblings about their growing up in the 50's and 60's would definitely take many forummers back to their own childhoods. Got mine via Amazon Kindle although they're available in paperback if that's what you prefer. - Anyone trying any would love to hear your comments.

I'm about halfway through "Thatcher stole my trousers" by Alexi Sayle, following on from His first memoir. He's really easy to read, very funny.

Just finished Extraordinary People by Peter May.

After being impressed with his Lewis series I picked up the first 5 Enzo McCloud books from the book trolley at work. They are about a Scottish former forensic examiner living in France.

I expected more than a pastiche of the Davinci Code, tearing around Paris solving ridiculous and pointless clues.

Not great.

Just in the middle of "Pigs in Heaven" by Barbara Kingsolver. Really enjoying her writing so far, gentle, nice well described characters.

I'm starting a reading challenge next, which a friend found on pinterest and might hopefully get me out of my reading rut.

Last one I read was 'A Secret Singing' by Roy Lewis, enjoyable early 70s crime novel. Now onto Kuldesak by Richard Cowper, early 70s science fiction novel - one of those where humans are just emerging into the outside world after centuries in an underground silo (the latest example of this sort of thing is Wool by Hugh Howey). Anything by Cowper is well worth reading if you can find it, especially his excellent Twilight of Briareus.

Cast Iron by Peter May.

The sixth, and thank God, the last in his Enzo McCloud series. All the same, all formulaic and all predictable. Only read the series to satisfy my masochistic urge to prove myself correct.

Also painfully egotistical...the central character is obviously based on the author himself, a 60 year old hippy, who is strangely irresistible to any lithe, 20 year old, woman who happens to make an appearance.

Soon to be donated to my local cats charity.

Cast Iron by Peter May.

 

The sixth, and thank God, the last in his Enzo McCloud series. All the same, all formulaic and all predictable. Only read the series to satisfy my masochistic urge to prove myself correct.

 

Also painfully egotistical...the central character is obviously based on the author himself, a 60 year old hippy, who is strangely irresistible to any lithe, 20 year old, woman who happens to make an appearance.

 

Soon to be donated to my local cats charity.

ooh, I've fallen right out with Peter May. I'm now queuing up an irsa Sigardsdottir, following an emergency charity table detour of a James Patterson's Alex Cross novel, which was enjoyable fluff.

ooh, I've fallen right out with Peter May. I'm now queuing up an irsa Sigardsdottir, following an emergency charity table detour of a James Patterson's Alex Cross novel, which was enjoyable fluff.

Irsa Sigardsdottir...........:love::love::love:

If you like Nordic Noir my all time fave is Arnaldur Indriðason.

I've been to Iceland, I identify with everything in his books. There are no guns, no car chases, no political chicanery....just mundane procedural boring murder...and it's brilliant!

Irsa Sigardsdottir...........:love::love::love:

 

If you like Nordic Noir my all time fave is Arnaldur Indriðason.

 

I've been to Iceland, I identify with everything in his books. There are no guns, no car chases, no political chicanery....just mundane procedural boring murder...and it's brilliant!

I will have to check him out... Damn you Taxman for increasing the list of stuff I'm not getting round to reading

Currently reading Woman with a Birthmark by Hakan Nesser. Like Indradason it is a slow paced investigation but a fast paced story. Very procedural, no car chases or gunfights.

London by Edward Rutherfurd. A fictionalised history of the city from pre-Roman times to the present day. This is a bit meh, it's just about interesting enough to keep me reading but it's not a work of great literature and I think some of the historical detail is questionable.

Pass the Gravy by A. A. Fair. This was a pen-name of Erle Stanley Gardner, who wrote the Perry Mason mysteries, and the series he wrote under this name featuring Donald Lam and Bertha Cool is just as good. There's something about his writing style that just clicks for me; I've read all the Perry Masons and most of these as well, and enjoyed every one.

They were all published by Corgi in the 1960s but are quite hard to get hold of these days - I still need a few more so if anybody has any they'd like to get rid of, drop me a PM!