Your Book Activity - August 2017

[Marie H]

Bought the Kindle versions of Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, a new author for me, and Ankle Deep by Angela Thirkell.

 

On 05/08/2017 at 4:18 PM, chesilbeach said:

  Yesterday, I finished The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein, which was an excellent YA mystery / coming of age story set in the late 1930s, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

That's on my wish list now, as it sounds really good. 

[shirley]

James Patterson - Cross Justice

Julia Williams - The Summer Season

[Marie H]

Had a Kindle book spree yesterday 

Also bought The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein (£1.99)

[chesilbeach]

46 minutes ago, Marie H said:

Had a Kindle book spree yesterday 

Also bought The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein (£1.99)

 

Didn't take long to go from wish list to purchased!   Hope you enjoy it.

[Athena]

I'm currently reading The Bay at Midnight by Diane Chamberlain. I'm enjoying the book so far.

[shirley]

I also bought a few books on kindle over the weekend, a few boxed sets.  One box set is about Greece and the other Italy. Which I am looking forward to reading at some point.

 

Started the new Alex Cross book by James Patterson Cross the Line and also read the bookshot Cross Kill

 

I was quite bored with some of the earlier Alex Cross books but definitely enjoying these later ones

[Alexi]

I have been listening to a book called The North by Paul Morley on the way to and from work. 

 

As as the title suggests, it's about the north (of England). The writer grew up in Stockport. 

 

So why, WHY, have they got someone reading it in RP who can't pronounce northern names?? 

 

Blackley may look like it's pronounced phonetically, but it's not, it's Blake-ley. Dukinfield is not pronounced Dewkinfield. 

 

Ok, so the narrator probably grew up in Brighton but could someone - the author or publisher, perhaps - not have given guidance? I'm very close to switching off, and it's the first time I've been sparked into leaving an audible review! 

[Janet]

Oh dear, that's a shame.    A southern narrator makes no sense at all. 

 

It's like when people pronounce Frome as F-Rome , when it's really Froom (I had an argument with a telephone operator many years ago who insisted I was wrong - even though I lived in the town at the time!), or Bath as Baf when it's really Barth!  In an ideal world they should chose narrators who reflect where the book is from.

 

I read Pies and Prejudice last year - have you read that, @Alexi?  It's actually narrated by Stuart Maconie.  I didn't listen to it, but I imagine he's a good narrator. 

 

[Alexi]

4 hours ago, Janet said:

 

 

It's like when people pronounce Frome as F-Rome , when it's really Froom (I had an argument with a telephone operator many years ago who insisted I was wrong - even though I lived in the town at the time!), or Bath as Baf when it's really Barth!  In an ideal world they should chose narrators who reflect where the book is from.

 

 

LOL - the idea of someone telling you you're wrong when you lived there really amused me  

 

i read Pies and Prejudice a few years ago and enjoyed it - I was hoping for a similar read/listen but it's not happening so far. I'm close to giving up because I still have 12 hours to go! 

[frankie]

I've really gotten into Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter. I'm scared to pick it up, because it's getting scary! 

[Nollaig]

I finished Pretty Girls yesterday. I was underwhelmed, to say the least (though to be fair I had very high expectations). Definitely as graphic as everyone said and the characters were engaging (as was the Carroll family's story), but I thought the plotting and pacing were kind of terrible. There was only one twist, everything else I saw coming from a quarter of the way in. @frankie I really look forward to your thoughts on it. I also got really into it, and tore through it, but was still left underwhelmed.

 

I've started the third Matilda Darke book, which so far I am loving (as usual). It's weird though, because a character in the book was named after an Irish book blogger I know of on Goodreads, and I can't help but picture the blogger instead of the tough prison guard I'm meant to be picturing!

[chesilbeach]

Finished listening to David Copperfield yesterday, all 36 hours 36 minutes of it.   Great book, although quite depressing for the first 90%!  I had two credits to use on Audible, so I've decided on Summer at Shell Cottage by Lucy Diamond for a more relaxing listen that fits the season.

 

I've read another 150 pages of The Persephone Book of Short Stories and there have been some fantastic stories in it, but taking another break from it for the moment and going back to a novel.  Having said that, not sure what novel that will be yet.   Will peruse my bookshelf this evening and see what takes my fancy.

[Lau_Lou]

I took two books on holiday

The Little Flowershop By The Sea by Ali McNamara. I loved this, the characters, the storyline and the romance was great. 5 star

 

The Cosy Teashop In The Castle by Caroline Roberts. This was a disappointment. It was boring and not much happened. There is also something else that was ridiculous but I can't work out the spoiler tag. 2 star

 

I also finished Bedknob & Broomstick by Mary Norton before we left. This would be a 1 star for me really because oh my goodness I can't explain how dull I found this. I gave it 2 however, because I really enjoy the film and I know we wouldn't have it without the book.

 

I am still reading The Horse & His Boy as well as Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan and Persuasion.

 

 

[Janet]

On 8/14/2017 at 10:39 PM, Alexi said:

I'm close to giving up because I still have 12 hours to go! 

Is it an Audible book?  I've returned one after not enjoying it (I can't even remember what it was!) so maybe it's time to do that? Perhaps you could find a paperback if the premise is good? 

[Janet]

2 hours ago, Lau_Lou said:

I also finished Bedknob & Broomstick by Mary Norton before we left. This would be a 1 star for me really because oh my goodness I can't explain how dull I found this. I gave it 2 however, because I really enjoy the film and I know we wouldn't have it without the book.

Oh, I'm really sorry to hear this. I love the film and have thought about reading the book, but I think I might give it a miss based on this!

[Athena]

The past two days I haven't read much in The Bay at Midnight. I thought my reading slump was over, but yesterday I again really didn't feel like reading .

[Lau_Lou]

23 hours ago, Janet said:

Oh, I'm really sorry to hear this. I love the film and have thought about reading the book, but I think I might give it a miss based on this!

The film is so good isn't it?

oh I don't know I just didn't like the adventures they went on and in my opinion Mrs Price, although a very nice lady just wasn't how I expected her to be. Angela Lansbury played her so well. 

[Lau_Lou]

14 hours ago, Athena said:

The past two days I haven't read much in The Bay at Midnight. I thought my reading slump was over, but yesterday I again really didn't feel like reading .

Sorry to hear this

I hope you get out of this soon. 

[Alexi]

On 15/08/2017 at 10:44 PM, Janet said:

Is it an Audible book?  I've returned one after not enjoying it (I can't even remember what it was!) so maybe it's time to do that? Perhaps you could find a paperback if the premise is good? 

Did not know you could do this at all! Will immediately investigate  

[Nollaig]

I'm most of the way through A Room Full of Killers by Michael Woods, the third Matilda Darke installment. Enjoying it, but not as much as the previous books. I think it could have been great, but fell short a little bit.

 

I've also bought Under The Hawthorne Tree by Marita Conlon-McKenna, which is a children's book about the Irish famine in the 1800s. Read it as a child, and been meaning to reread it for years, so I got it on Kindle for my Irish Counties Challenge. Bought another one for the same reason but do you think I can remember what it was? Nah.

[Athena]

11 hours ago, Lau_Lou said:

Sorry to hear this

I hope you get out of this soon. 

 

Thanks, me too.

[Janet]

5 hours ago, Alexi said:

Did not know you could do this at all! Will immediately investigate  

Yes, you definitely can.🙂 I returned All The Light We Cannot See because I was reading it as well and I found the book better than the audio version. 

[More reading time required]

I'm now about a third through Doom of the Dragon and I also finished off The Waste Lands and am part way through Wizard & Glass.

[Raven]

Started reading Small Gods by Terry Pratchett this week.  

 

It is the one Discworld book I missed first time around and, for some reason, never got around to until now. 

 

50 or so pages in, and enjoying it so far. A much easier read than his later novels. 

[chesilbeach]

Had a couple of poor reading days, but a bit more free time today, and I've gone back to The Go-Between from my English Counties challenge, and I'm almost half way through now.