Sofia Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Wohoo! No offense Franzen, but Burroughs rules Right now, I have to agree! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted May 22, 2013 Author Share Posted May 22, 2013 Incredibly good haul Claire Will be interested to see what you make of Skios. The critics seemed to love it but the reviews on Amazon were divided when I looked. Thanks, Kay. I've had it on my wishlist since it came out because I heard it on a radio programme, but it had been a bit expensive, and then tunn300 reviewed it on his reading list a few weeks ago which reminded me of it, and I was checking my wish lists and found it had dropped in price so I snapped it up! I keep seeing this author's name but know very little about her or the books. Can you name me more books or authors that are like this author, that I may have heard of, or can you describe what they're like? (or do you not know it exactly yourself, since you just bought them after all XD) M. C. Beaton is probably best known for her series Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin. I've not read the Hamish Macbeth books, something I should probably rectify, but they centre around a small Scottish village policeman, while the Agatha Raisin books (which I've read ALL of ) are humourous crime novels about a businesswomen turned private detective set in and around the Cotswold area of England. Before she turned to the crime genre, she published many, many historical comic romances (completely unbelievable stories, but done with such a sense of fun and making the heroines much more feisty and quite feminist in their own way), all published originally under various different pen names, which are now gradually being reissued under the M. C. Beaton name. They are very light and frothy, but I think they're fun, funny and nice, easy Sunday evening reading (you know when you want something simple to just entertain you without needing to think too much about it ). Not to spam up the Circle Read thread, but that's quite a coincidence . It's on my TBR, I haven't really heard much about it but it sounded interesting and I saw it cheap.. I haven't read it yet but if it gets chosen, it would be great to read it with the group. If it doesn't get chosen, I look forward to read/hear what you think anyway . I've had it on my wishlist since it came out, and like Skios it popped up on my wishlist as having reduced in price, so I couldn't resist! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingdawn Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 After finishing Inferno this morning I started reading Angelopolis by Danielle Trussoni. I remember reading the first one, Angelology, but only vaguely remember the storyline. So far there hasn't been that much of a backstory about what happenend in the first novel but there have been some references. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 (edited) M. C. Beaton is probably best known for her series Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin. I've not read the Hamish Macbeth books, something I should probably rectify, but they centre around a small Scottish village policeman, while the Agatha Raisin books (which I've read ALL of ) are humourous crime novels about a businesswomen turned private detective set in and around the Cotswold area of England. Before she turned to the crime genre, she published many, many historical comic romances (completely unbelievable stories, but done with such a sense of fun and making the heroines much more feisty and quite feminist in their own way), all published originally under various different pen names, which are now gradually being reissued under the M. C. Beaton name. They are very light and frothy, but I think they're fun, funny and nice, easy Sunday evening reading (you know when you want something simple to just entertain you without needing to think too much about it ).x Thanks ! I'll have to take look into them sometime . Edited May 22, 2013 by Athena Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleonora Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 I started a book written by Steve Martin. I didn't know he was also a writer! Still waiting for Dry. Never imagine so many people loved Burroughs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I've finished a couple of books since i last posted Bring Up The Bodies Hilary Mantel, a fantastic read which i enjoyed even more than Wolfhall also A Place Called Freedom Ken Follett another good read which i found hard to put down but not quite in the same league as the Hilary Mantel. I've now started Back When We Were Grownups Anne Tyler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I finished Walking Back to Happiness by Lucy Dillon last night and started reading The Secret of Happy Ever After by the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Read a bit of 'The Glass Guardian' this morning and registered 6 of my book sale stash from last week on Bookcrossing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I just finished reading Roald Dahl - The Witches. Just as good as I remember it to be. Now what to read next as a story book.. (I'm still reading two information books as well) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 I saw last week that Jenny Colgan had won the Romantic Novel of the Year award for Welcome To Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop Of Dreams, and I realised that although I follow her on Twitter and think she's very entertaining, I haven't read one of her books in years, so decided to rectify that. I'm currently reading Welcome To Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop Of Dreams, and it's in the romcom genre, it's fabulous! I was 15 minutes early for work and read it then, and hated stopping reading at the end of my lunch break, so I think I will be reading this all evening too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingdawn Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I've finished reading Angelopolis by Danielle Trussoni. That didn't take me long. It was quite good and there's definitely another one! Going to read a book that is on my Kobo next but I'm unsure which right now. I will probably decide tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 I saw last week that Jenny Colgan had won the Romantic Novel of the Year award for Welcome To Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop Of Dreams, and I realised that although I follow her on Twitter and think she's very entertaining, I haven't read one of her books in years, so decided to rectify that. I'm currently reading Welcome To Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop Of Dreams, and it's in the romcom genre, it's fabulous! I was 15 minutes early for work and read it then, and hated stopping reading at the end of my lunch break, so I think I will be reading this all evening too. x This is great to hear! I bought the book a while ago (it's on the TBR) and have heard/read one review of it (a good/positive review). I'm glad to hear you like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted May 24, 2013 Author Share Posted May 24, 2013 (edited) This is great to hear! I bought the book a while ago (it's on the TBR) and have heard/read one review of it (a good/positive review). I'm glad to hear you like it! It's so charming, and Jenny Colgan and I are about the same age, so the little references to the different sweets are perfect reminders of childhood for me. I have read any of her books since her very first book, Amanda's Wedding, but after this I'm definitely going to go back and read more! Hope you enjoy it, Athena, I'm almost finished now but it's been hard to put down. Edited May 24, 2013 by chesilbeach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingdawn Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Last night I started reading Socialpunk on my Kobo. It's a dystopian, young adult novel. So far so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 I'm half way through The Secret of Happy Ever After which I'm really enjoying. It's also making me add a few books to wishlist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 (edited) Have been alternating between Seasons in the Sun and The Voyage Out over the past couple of days - reading the former at home in the evenings and early mornings, and the latter when away from home during the rest of the day. It's not often I read two books in parallel, preferring to concentrate on one at a time, but it seems to be working well, perhaps because they are so different. Both are also proving to be very rewarding reads. It's nice to get stuck back into some well-written (in rather different ways!), enthralling books after a winter/ early spring of very ordinary, if not downright poor, fare (with a couple of exceptions!). Had a bit of a raid on the local charity shop yesterday, tempted in by the first book, displayed in the window. Norman Davies's The Isles, Reading the Decades (John Sutherland), The Music of the Primes (Marcus du Sautoy) all found themselves added to the rather long list of unread books on my shelves! Edited May 24, 2013 by willoyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookmonkey Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 I'm still reading Kathy Reichs. I do most of my reading in bed, and since I've been pretty tired lately I keep falling asleep and not reading much. Got the biggest book sale of the year this weekend. Hoping to get some Diana Gabaldon's and maybe some others when I go tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted May 24, 2013 Author Share Posted May 24, 2013 The Music of the Primes (Marcus du Sautoy) I loved this one when I read it last year - hope it doesn't stay an unread book on your shelf for too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allyoop Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Im not sure how i feel about it yet, Im enjoying reading it but its rather annoying at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Miracle of miracles, I may actually finish The Crimson Petal and the White this weekend. I'm 90% through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingdawn Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Just finished Socialpunk #1. It was really good and I would definitely read the rest in the series, however many of them there are. Going to start Home Lost by Franz McLaren. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce Can't wait to see what you make of this one Claire, almost picked it up in Smiths today but didn't bother in the end. No actual reading for me today but I did manage to pick up Ian McEwan's new novel Sweet Tooth and from a quick read of the first few pages I think it'll be one that I'm going to enjoy. Other than that I'm still tackling Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and have about two hundred pages to go. Slow going, but I'm taking my time on purpose. Very rewarding read thus far, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes and how it ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookmonkey Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Just got back from the book sale. I got three Diana Gabaldon's: Drums of Autumn Lord John and the Private Matter The Fiery Cross. I also got a biography of Keith Holyoake (ex Kiwi Prime Minister) and History of the world in the Twentieth Century. I don't usually buy fiction books, but it's so hard to get Diana Gabaldon books at my library I had to buy them. Pleased with what I got. $10 all up. Could have got a lot more, but I didn't have much money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Started Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Not much reading going on here as Steve is home for 3 weeks so have been busy, very slowly progressing through Diane Chamberlain's Brass Ring though.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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