Jump to content

Your Book Activity - July 2016


Athena

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 163
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Still reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides; though my reading mojo is slightly sluggish at the mo.  :mellow:

 

I used to love the Moomin books, they were lovely.

 

I've been dithering for ages about reading The Shell House, as I think part of it is set not far from where I love.  Has anyone read it?

Woo hoo! Another Moomin books fan  :smile:  .  

 

Just finished The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry.  Easily the best fiction first-time read this year, and one of the best I've read in years.  Certainly enjoyed it far more than the current Essex book in the Counties Challenge: The Turn of the Screw was a good read, but not in the same league as this, IMO.  The Essex Serpent positively seaps the locality from every pore - it's so much a book of place.

Good to see that you enjoyed The Essex Serpent :smile:  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went to the library a couple of times of the last few days (I had two days off work), and borrowed The Bees by Laline Paul, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, and Forensics by Val McDermid.

 

I'm surprised by how short the Harry Potter book is. I thought they were all doorstops, but I guess not. It will be a re-read, but I'd just forgotten that it wasn't a mammoth book. :dunno:

 

I'm now reading Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury, which is the history of Cadbury's (she's a distant relation to the founders) from it's creation to it's takeover by Kraft. Full of interesting tidbits....for example: their first product using the cocoa bean was something called Iceland Moss, which combined cocoa and lichen (!!!! :o ). They tried to market it as being beneficial for health but it never took off. :D  Also, manufacturers used to mix brick dust, and iron into the cocoa in order to enhance the colour and texture. :thud: Thankfully things have changed a bit since then! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went to the library a couple of times of the last few days (I had two days off work), and borrowed The Bees by Laline Paul, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, and Forensics by Val McDermid.

I'll be interested to hear what you think of The Bees- I've been wanting to read it for awhile... I started the sample, but it didn't grab me, but I'm thinking it was just my mood at the time :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm surprised by how short the Harry Potter book is. I thought they were all doorstops, but I guess not. It will be a re-read, but I'd just forgotten that it wasn't a mammoth book. :dunno:

The first three books aren't so long, books 4-7 are a lot longer. I hope you enjoy re-reading the book :).

 

Does the chocolate book not want to make you eat chocolate :D?

 

I've made a bit of progress in Jojo Moyes - Me Before You 2: After You, I hope to finish it off today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm now reading Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury, which is the history of Cadbury's

This sounds good - I will go and look it up. :)

 

I'm currently reading The Sussex Downs Murder by John Bude and listening to The Finding of Martha Lost by Caroline Wallace.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does the chocolate book not want to make you eat chocolate :D?

 

Not when they talk about mixing in with lichen. :lol: They also put it in lasagne, mainly because they didn't know what else to do with it. :lol:

 

This sounds good - I will go and look it up. :)

It is very good.....it's very detailed. I have to admit to not knowing much at all about Cadbury's and it's pretty amazing to think how much was built on the efforts of two brothers. It's an interesting insight into Quakers as well, which was the religion upon with many of these businesses were founded. The founders of Barclays Bank, Fry's, Rowntree, and Cadbury's were all Quakers. Interesting reading.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not when they talk about mixing in with lichen. :lol: They also put it in lasagne, mainly because they didn't know what else to do with it. :lol:

I didn't know what lichen was, so I looked it up. That makes sense, it doesn't sound appealing :giggle2:.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm now reading Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury, which is the history of Cadbury's (she's a distant relation to the founders) from it's creation to it's takeover by Kraft. Full of interesting tidbits....for example: their first product using the cocoa bean was something called Iceland Moss, which combined cocoa and lichen (!!!! :o ). They tried to market it as being beneficial for health but it never took off. :D  Also, manufacturers used to mix brick dust, and iron into the cocoa in order to enhance the colour and texture. :thud: Thankfully things have changed a bit since then! :D

 

This sounds great. I bought it a little while ago but haven't read it yet. Must bump it up the pile! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finished Stephen King's The Long Walk and am about to attempt Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick deWitt for the third time.

 

Undermajordomo Minor is Kindle's Daily Deal. Can't decide if I should buy it. I loved The Sisters Brothers, but haven't read anything else by him. Is it your third attempt because you haven't enjoyed it?

 

I didn't know what lichen was, so I looked it up. That makes sense, it doesn't sound appealing :giggle2:.

 

No, it's pretty gross. No-one liked it and it didn't sell well. :lol: But a lot of the chocolate products appeared in medical journals claiming to have many health benefits (back in the 1800s).

 

This sounds great. I bought it a little while ago but haven't read it yet. Must bump it up the pile! :)

 

It is very interesting....there is so much more to chocolate and how the industry got started than I expected. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it. :smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Undermajordomo Minor is Kindle's Daily Deal. Can't decide if I should buy it. I loved The Sisters Brothers, but haven't read anything else by him. Is it your third attempt because you haven't enjoyed it?

I LOVE it! I think if you liked The Sisters Brothers, you'd like Undermajordomo Minor. Definitely worth it for a Daily Deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started Alice by Christina Henry, as I love American McGee's Alice and thought, 'yay, another dark Alice story!' At about a third in, the writing is so horrendously bad that I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to finish it. I'm also still lacking motivation to read The Essex Serpent, which I am enjoying, but which is denser than I want right now.

 

Hm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I LOVE it! I think if you liked The Sisters Brothers, you'd like Undermajordomo Minor. Definitely worth it for a Daily Deal.

Some parts are... unsettling, be forewarned, but then, it's deWitt :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finished Undermajordomo Minor and have started The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance by Catherine Ryan Hyde, which was a Christmas gift from Gaia :)

I hope you enjoy it :)!

 

I'm plan to start Nicola Yoon - Everything, Everything today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...