Recommendations
Discussion
How about we recommend stuff to each other?
Here are some from me:
John Connolly: very dark crime fiction with a supernatural twist. Absolutely superb.
Ben Aaronovitch: The Rivers of London series. The descriptions don't really do it justice, they're funny, witty and reasonably violent with some magic thrown in.
The Crimson Petal and the White: the story of a Victorian prostitute. It's elegant, fascinating and awesomely descriptive. If you like Faber, also try Under the Skin - it's actually pretty freaky but a great read.
John Wyndham. Remember Day of the Triffids? Also try The Midwich Cuckoos and The Kraken Wakes.
Hilary Mantel. The sequel to the excellent Wolf Hall has just come out, called Bring Up The Bodies. The latter is told from the POV of Thomas Cromwell. Mantel's other books are absorbing reads too, try A Place of Greater Safety (about the French Revolution) and Beyond Black (about stage mediums).
Any recommendations?
Here are some from me:
John Connolly: very dark crime fiction with a supernatural twist. Absolutely superb.
Ben Aaronovitch: The Rivers of London series. The descriptions don't really do it justice, they're funny, witty and reasonably violent with some magic thrown in.
The Crimson Petal and the White: the story of a Victorian prostitute. It's elegant, fascinating and awesomely descriptive. If you like Faber, also try Under the Skin - it's actually pretty freaky but a great read.
John Wyndham. Remember Day of the Triffids? Also try The Midwich Cuckoos and The Kraken Wakes.
Hilary Mantel. The sequel to the excellent Wolf Hall has just come out, called Bring Up The Bodies. The latter is told from the POV of Thomas Cromwell. Mantel's other books are absorbing reads too, try A Place of Greater Safety (about the French Revolution) and Beyond Black (about stage mediums).
Any recommendations?
A Country Lad Looks Back - Peter Wolfenden
A very enjoyable read (IMO) of the author's experiances as a young boy/ man in the countryside. Quite a simple format.
A very enjoyable read (IMO) of the author's experiances as a young boy/ man in the countryside. Quite a simple format.
Nicci French Tuesday's Gone. I'm a big fan of their books, they're crime novels but previously they've been from the POV of victims whereas the last two are a series from the POV of a therapist who assists the police with murder cases. Very understated and compelling.
Just started Tideline by Penny Hancock which is about a middle-aged woman who kidnaps a teenage boy. Only read about 1/4 of it so far but it's very evocative in its descriptions and nicely written.
Just started Tideline by Penny Hancock which is about a middle-aged woman who kidnaps a teenage boy. Only read about 1/4 of it so far but it's very evocative in its descriptions and nicely written.
I read Taken by Benedict Jacka at the weekend, which is another "hidden world of magic in contemporary London" novel. Light in tone, although not always in content, and humorous, I found it very enjoyable, although on balance I think I prefer Aaronovitch's novels.
In a completely different genre, Me before you by Jojo Moyes. This was a random kindle purchase when I had nothing to read in my lunch hour and concerns a young woman who, upon losing her job of six years working in a cafe when it is closed down ends up as housekeeper and sort-of carer to a former city high flier who was left paralysed following a motorcycle accident. Unashamedly a weepie but well written and genuinely moving all the same (and obviously very well known for some reason that eludes me, there are over 1000 reviews on amazon !) It's an "issues" book but not in an overbearing way and not "annoying as hell" like Jodi Picoult (sorry to all her fans, but I will never forgive her for the final chapter of My sister's keeper
). 5/5
In a completely different genre, Me before you by Jojo Moyes. This was a random kindle purchase when I had nothing to read in my lunch hour and concerns a young woman who, upon losing her job of six years working in a cafe when it is closed down ends up as housekeeper and sort-of carer to a former city high flier who was left paralysed following a motorcycle accident. Unashamedly a weepie but well written and genuinely moving all the same (and obviously very well known for some reason that eludes me, there are over 1000 reviews on amazon !) It's an "issues" book but not in an overbearing way and not "annoying as hell" like Jodi Picoult (sorry to all her fans, but I will never forgive her for the final chapter of My sister's keeper
). 5/5Gassing Station | Books and Literature | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff