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SueK's reading list - 2014


SueK

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Happy New Year to all!

 

This is my first ever reading list and thought it was time I put one together.

 

I've decided this year to read as many WW1 books as possible to commemorate the start of the Great War.  I don't know how far I will get or if I can cope with so much horror but I've made a start.

 

August 1914 - Solshentizyn - I've made a start and so far so good.  Maybe a bit slow at times but I'm looking forward a a big build up.

 

The Lie - by Helen Dunmore is due out next and I've got it on pre-order.  I love her books and I'm really looking forward to reading this.

 

Shoulder the Sky - Anne Perry - I've had this book a while now and I shall make a start in a month or so.

 

I might well be dipping into lighter books in between some of the big reads though.

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Happy New Year to all!

 

This is my first ever reading list and thought it was time I put one together.

 

I've decided this year to read as many WW1 books as possible to commemorate the start of the Great War.  I don't know how far I will get or if I can cope with so much horror but I've made a start.

 

August 1914 - Solshentizyn - I've made a start and so far so good.  Maybe a bit slow at times but I'm looking forward a a big build up.

 

The Lie - by Helen Dunmore is due out next and I've got it on pre-order.  I love her books and I'm really looking forward to reading this.

 

Shoulder the Sky - Anne Perry - I've had this book a while now and I shall make a start in a month or so.

 

I might well be dipping into lighter books in between some of the big reads though.

 

The Perry book is part of a series, I've read the first two, I believe, a while back.  It's been at least 10 years I guess.  As I recall, they were interesting.

 

Happy reading! :readingtwo:

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Thanks all for your good wishes.  Hi Pontalba, yes I've read a few in the Anne Perry series but I seem to have missed out "Shoulder the Sky" for some reason so looking forward to that.

 

Hi Signor Finzioni, I have the Pat Barker books on my "to read" list but thanks for mentioning. 

 

I am stuggling a bit with Solzhenitzyn's August 1914 book at the moment but I'm putting that down to my being in the wrong mood for it - but I will persevere.  In the meantime I am reading a few chapters from the "Wipers Times" which is quite hilarious (in spite of the circumstances). 

 

I will include Dr Zhivago in my WW1 reading list as it covers that as well as the Revolution and it's due another read (last read about 15 years ago).

 

:readingtwo:

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Hi sue

 Very interesting idea to read about WW1 . An interesting theme . Have you read A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin ? It was very good . I have it on my Kindle to reread at some point .  I had never known a lot about that War until reading that book. It's fiction but still very good .

 Hope you have a good reading year this year .

Edited by julie
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  • 10 months later...

Hi all

 

Right! so I didn't realise it was this long since I'd been on here :o   and to be honest I haven't kept up my plan to read as many WW1 books as I had hoped.  It can be a very depressing subject after a while as I found after finishing Solzhenitzyn's August 1914.  So I will summarise some of the books I have read and enjoyed this year starting with the WW1 related books:

 

The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear - I'm up to about Book 5 or 6 now and really enjoy them .  Although not strictly set in WW1 there are implications relating to the investigations that Maisie delves into but I like the storylines - undemanding but good reads.

 

The Storms of War - Kate Williams not a great lover of saga style books but it had an itneresting premise with the family living in England with a German father.

 

Various Penguin Short stories of WW1 - always good to pick up.

 

A Month in the country by J L Carr - short but exquisitely written

 

Moving on to later times .....

 

The Inspector Maigret series - Penguin released updates of these and publish a new one every month.  I have now read the first 6 and love them.  I've also read The Engagement by Simenon which is non Maigret book and very different to the series.  Well worth a try I think.

 

The Flowers on the Grass - Monica Dickens - first time I've read her and love her style of writing.  Simple plots, beautifully told.

 

This House is Haunted by John Boyne - very atmospheric Gothic ghost story - should be just the job for Christmas :grinhat:

 

Black Roses by Jane Thynne - tense novel set in Berlin before the war which centres on a young English girl's friendship with Magda Goebels - well written and looking forward to the follow up.

 

The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins - best read of the year for me so far.  It's due for release early next year I think but should be a big hit.  Well written with fabulous characters - it is not what is seems is all I'm saying.

 

The Dig - John Preston - atmospheric story of the people who discovered the Sutton Hoo treasure in the mid 30s in Woodbridge, Suffolk.  It is a fictionalised story but absolutely lovely read.

 

Ok those are the main reads for me - I have interspersed these with lots of short stories and various other reads that have been quite forgettable.

 

I'm now starting a new book called Inflicted by Ria Francis - it's a debut novel so will come back on here about that soon.

 

Thanks for reading this ........ :readingtwo:

Edited by SueK
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I've just finished Inflicted by Ria Francis.  It is a debut novel and it well written.  My only comment is I'm not sure what audience she was trying to capture.  Some suggest it is targeted at YA and others as a crossover.  If YA then I think it should be read as it charts a young woman's time in Theresienstadt concentration camp and it is extremely emotional.  Her story is told to a young boy (in present day) as a sort of springboard but the boy's story is very incidental and doesn't actually add much to the storyline, in my opinion.  Still, as a debut novel I think it is very promising.

 

Next on the list is The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths.

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The Girl on the Train sounds right up my alley!  It's not coming out over here till the middle of January.....

 

Also like the sound of Black Roses...interestingly enough the author is married to Philip Kerr...one of my favorite authors. He also writes in that time frame.

 

Oy, I need to stay away from your thread!!  LOL

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The Girl on the Train sounds right up my alley!  It's not coming out over here till the middle of January.....

 

Also like the sound of Black Roses...interestingly enough the author is married to Philip Kerr...one of my favorite authors. He also writes in that time frame.

 

Oy, I need to stay away from your thread!!  LOL

hi Pontalba yes I had forgotten that Philip Kerr was her husband. I love his Bernie Gunther books.

 

I hope you enjoy The Girl on the Train it's a great read.

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I've finally finished the Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths.  For those who aren't aware of the series, these are books about an archeologist, Ruth Galloway, who lives by herself  in an isolated area by the sea in Norfolk.  There are about 3/4 books so far in the series and The Janus Stone is the second.  The first is The Crossing Places.  I've read the first two and will settle down to the next one,  The House at Seas End, probably over Christmas.  I enjoy Elly Griffiths work as she has a sense of humour in her writing and Ruth is a loveable character who happens to find herself in danger when finding dubious bodies when she is on a dig.  Definitely worth pursuing.  I'm a sucker for books with an archeological flavour anyway, hence my love of The Dig by John Preston.

 

I'm now going to make a start on The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan which I picked up from Netgalley.

Edited by SueK
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