[Your Book Activity - May 2014]

Started The Yellow Birds by Kevin Peters this morning,an Iraqi war story.

Bought Fan by Danny Rhodes,The Silence Of The Glasshouse by Martin Malone & Prayers For The Stolen by Jennifer Clement.

[Your Book Activity - March 2014]

I started A Cry In The Night by Tom Grieves yesterday-modern day crime with witches-and bought Red Rising by Pierce Brown-sci-fi-and The Wreckage by Michael Crummey-Newfoundland social story.

[Your Book Activity - March 2014]

Three quarters way through John Wilcox's WW1 novel Starshine,and will probably be reading Paul Fraser Collard's Crimean historical adventure,The Scarlet Thief next.

[Your Book Activity - March 2014]

Almost finished Far To Go by Alison Pick,excellent novel.

[Your Book Activity - March 2014]

I started Stephen Baxter's latest sci-fi novel,Proxima this afternoon,and it's very good so far.

[Your Book Activity - February 2014]

Started Ring Around Rosie by Emily Pattullo on Kindle last night.

[Your Book Activity - February 2014]

Started The Strangled Vine by M.J.Carter tonight which arrived today. It's an historical adventure set in 1837 India.

[Author Robert Galbraith revealed as J K Rowling]

^{The Cuckoo's Calling was my favourite crime novel of 2013,and I bought it before J.K.Rowling was unmasked as the actual author.}

^{I've never read Harry Potter,though my son has them all. Looking forward to The Silkworm.}  

[The last film you saw - 2014]

Gravity and 12 Years A Slave,both brilliant for totally different reasons!

[Your Book Activity - February 2014]

Half way though my Kindle download of The Seed Farm by Ruby Lord,and while it's quite an original idea and the story is quite good,the grammar is quite poor. There's

a woeful absence of commas and full stops. Reviewers on Amazon & Goodreads haven't mentioned this,so maybe it's a dodgy download!  

 

I ordered The Strangler Vine by M.J.Carter from Wordery today. It's a historical adventure set in colonial India.

[What are you listening to? - 2014]

I use Spotify while I'm up here in the loft and afew of the tracks in my current top 20 are Diamonds by Rihanna,Pale Light by Dusted,Far From Any Road

by The Handsome Family which is the theme for the new U.S crime series True Detective,Kenya Dig It & Kingfisher Call Me by The Ruby Suns,Hollow

Talk by Choir Of Young Believers,theme from The Bridge,the Danish/Swedish police series. Also been listening to Suzanne Vega's new album Tales

From The Realm Of The Queen Of Pentacles.That's quite an  album title! Plus sounds of nature for relaxation such as Soft Mountain Stream,Ocean Surf,

and Thurderstorm and Rain.

[Your books wish list]

I use my 'tbr' list on Goodreads which currently has 59 titles,though some have been there for a few years. Last year I created a smaller list for high priority books

I want to read on Wordpad on my computer,which I delete from and add to fairly often.  

[Your most recommended books -list]

Green

 He did write another ,which I haven't read :

 

 

I did read this Julie,and it's o.k but was very slow and  not really a patch on Peace Like A River. Don't mean to put you off!

[Your Book Activity - February 2014]

Started The Seed Farm by Ruby Lord, £1 buy on the Kindle last night.

[Your Book Activity - February 2014]

Have nearly finished Replay by Ken Grimwood - it is rather good, isn't it?

 

It certainly is! It's one of my favourites. I don't usually re-read books,but I could happily submerge myself in Replay again.

 

I finished the 'western' Butcher's Crossing by John Williams earlier this evening,and haven't decided what to read next yet. Too many choices!  

[Your most recommended books -list]

Green

 Nice to see Peace Like a River mentioned.It was a beautiful book, wasn't it ?

 

Hi Julie. Yes,it was,and my favourite read in 2009. I'm surprised Leif Enger hasn't written more.

[Difference between the genres?]

I always thought thrillers were often more fast-paced and not confined to police procedure,like Deb says a 'quest'. Whereas most crime novels I've read tend to follow a formula of  a crime investigated by a lead detective police inspector and his/her sergeant or private eye as in The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith.

[Your Book Activity - February 2014]

_{Finished and thoroughly enjoyed Revenger by Rory Clements earlier this evening. Will probably start Butcher's Crossing by John Williams later tonight.}

[Your most recommended books -list]

 

_{Room by Emma Donaghue}

 

_{Lord Of The Flies by William Golding}

 

_{Skallagrigg by William Horwood}

 

_{The Woman In Black by Susan Hill}

 

_{The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey}

 

_{City Of Thieves by David Benioff}

 

_{Quest For The Faradawn by Richard Ford}

 

_{Fatherland by Robert Harris}

 

_{The Help by Kathryn Stockett}

 

_{A Long,Long Way by Sebastian Barry}

[Your most recommended books -list]

Watership Down by Richard Adams

 

Sophie's Choice by William Styron

 

All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

 

The Road Back by Erich Maria Remarque

 

Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker

 

The Missing by Tim Gautreaux

 

Replay by Ken Grimwood

 

Peace Like A River by Leif Enger

 

Jude The Obscure by Thomas Hardy

 

The Well And The Mine by Gin Phillips

 

Part 2 to follow...

[Favourite Genres?]

^{Currently reading historical fiction,and leaning toward a western next,a genre I've only dipped my toes into a few times!}

[Historical Crime]

Andrew Taylor is a UK writer who's produced some excellent historical crime fiction, The Scent of Death is set in New York during the American War of Independence and won a Dagger here from the Crime Writers Association.  I'd also recommend Laura Wilson's Stratton series set in the 40s and 50s and Sarah Waters' Victorian novels.  And the late Ariana Franklin whose books are set in the twelfth century and feature a great female protagonist are really excellent and unusual reads.

Thanks for the recommendations,Cath,I'll look them up. 

[Favourite Genres?]

I try and mix up my genres,though it can be strange to leap from 16th century historical crime to 23rd century sci-fi! My current favourite genres are historical crime,sci-fi,fantasy and contemporary,but this changes quite often. I only used to read fantasy,sci-fi,horror and animal stories 20+ years ago and it took me quite a while to open up to other genres.

[Your Book Activity - February 2014]

I read 6 books in January,2 last week while on holiday. Back to work tomorrow so my readometer will slow right down!

[Jeffrey A Carver The Chaos Chronicles]

Just wondered if anyone else has read Jeffrey A Carver's four book series,The Chaos Chronicles? I only discovered Carver because I wanted to read a sci-fi set on Neptune,and his first novel,Neptune Crossing came up in multiple searches. It's followed by Strange Attractors,The Infinite Sea,and Sunborn. I only have Sunborn left to read,waiting patiently on my Kindle! An entertaining series that some might describe as hard sci-fi,but definitely not hard work!