Your Book Activiy - October 2022

[lunababymoonchild]

Just bought The Portable Faulkner by WilliamFaulkner, paperback

[lunababymoonchild]

Just bought It, Stephen King on Kindle

[Kudz]

In preparation of the next DI Kim Stone book being released next month I’ve started a re-read. I’m about halfway through Silent Scream by Angela Marsons and I’m hoping to get it finished later today.

[Chrissy]

I have just completed the five young adult books that make up Rick Riordan's 'Trials of Apollo'. A rollicking romp through Greek and Roman myths, legends, gods and monsters, heroes and demigods. Perfect reading for me right now.

 

Made a start on Jasper Fforde's 'The Last Dragon Slayer', the first of four books. Not sure I will carry on with it for now, as it's not holding my attention as i hoped it might. I need easy escapism at the moment, something with humour and a light touch. I shall have to rummage around on my kindle and bookshelves and see what grabs me. 

[timebug]

Currently just over halfway through my umpteenth re-read of all the John Mortimer 'Rumpole' books/stories. Like Jeeves & Wooster, Rumpole typifies a version of Britain that does not exist, but which is a nice place (in print) where the good people usually triumph.

[muggle not]

On 10/20/2022 at 11:44 AM, lunababymoonchild said:

Just bought It, Stephen King on Kindle

Which Stephen King did you buy?

[muggle not]

I just downloaded from the library Broken Homes (Rivers of London Book 4) by Ben Aaornovitch.

[lunababymoonchild]

5 hours ago, muggle not said:

Which Stephen King did you buy?

 

It. Not clear, I now see

[Hayley]

On 10/24/2022 at 11:33 PM, Chrissy said:

Made a start on Jasper Fforde's 'The Last Dragon Slayer', the first of four books. Not sure I will carry on with it for now, as it's not holding my attention as i hoped it might.

Oh that's a shame! I want to read that one too. Have you read Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge? I remember thinking that had a good balance of gripping but gentle/ easy escapism. 

 

 

I have finished The Old Curiosity Shop and started In A Glass Darkly by Sheridan Le Fanu.

 

 

[lunababymoonchild]

Currently reading Hangsaman, Shirley Jackson

[muggle not]

6 hours ago, lunababymoonchild said:

 

It. Not clear, I now see

IT was one of my favorites by Stephen King. The Dark Tower series was also a favorite of mine but there are some that didn't like them.

[lunababymoonchild]

58 minutes ago, muggle not said:

IT was one of my favorites by Stephen King. The Dark Tower series was also a favorite of mine but there are some that didn't like them.

 

I read about half of the first Dark Tower series and didn't like it. But, I got 40% off IT and that's all that was needed.

[willoyd]

Just been trying to read An Honest Deceit by Guy Mankowski for a book group. Not a book, or indeed author, that I've come across before, and TBH am absolutely mystified why Bradford Libraries would include this in their book group reading list.  The writing is horribly overwrought, and the grammar/orthography dire.  Some examples of the latter from early pages:

 

....and so Marine, with her sandy nose, looks me

She belonged to Juliette and I

I didn't have enough information to ruminate with

I saw that my she was still swimming

La Clare De La Lune

each of whom were

 

Punctuation is all over the place - not just misleading at times, but inconsistent.  All in all, an editorial disaster.  I've given up.  1 star.

 

[Goose]

Just finished I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Ian Reid and about to start Magpie by Elizabeth Day.

[poppy]

On 10/25/2022 at 11:33 AM, Chrissy said:

I have just completed the five young adult books that make up Rick Riordan's 'Trials of Apollo'. A rollicking romp through Greek and Roman myths, legends, gods and monsters, heroes and demigods. Perfect reading for me right now.

So glad you found something you enjoyed to read, Chrissy. Helps get over the fear of completely losing your reading mojo 🥰

 

On 10/26/2022 at 8:53 PM, timebug said:

Currently just over halfway through my umpteenth re-read of all the John Mortimer 'Rumpole' books/stories. Like Jeeves & Wooster, Rumpole typifies a version of Britain that does not exist, but which is a nice place (in print) where the good people usually triumph.

I read several of his Rumpole books years ago and enjoyed them immensely. He writes very humorously. I have his autobiography Clinging to the Wreckage, which I must get round to reading.

[Chrissy]

On 10/27/2022 at 10:58 AM, Hayley said:

Oh that's a shame! I want to read that one too. Have you read Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge? I remember thinking that had a good balance of gripping but gentle/ easy escapism. 

 

I should clarify that I have read the series previously, with the exception of the last one, so was planning on zipping through them to get to the final book with the story and characters firmly in my head! I LOVE the series, and look forward to doing as planned, just at a later stage.   I will definitely be looking up Fly By Night though. Thank you for the recommendation. 

 

 

19 minutes ago, poppy said:

So glad you found something you enjoyed to read, Chrissy. Helps get over the fear of completely losing your reading mojo 🥰

 

Trying to be sensitive to the needs of my temperamental reading mojo, but boy it's a chore sometimes.  

 

With this in mind, I decided on a detour into non-fiction, so am currently reading 'Shadowlands - A Journey Through Lost Britain' by Matthew Green. It was 99p on a kindle deal, and the first sentence of the blurb mentioned two 'lost' places I have visited and been intrigued by; Skara Brae, located on Orkney, and Wharram Percy a deserted medieval village in North Yorkshire. How could I NOT buy it.

 

I also bought a recommended kindle version of Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales', plus a paperback version onto which I intend on making notes. The thought of reading this has been in my mind for absolute years, so I decided to get what I needed for when I am ready to dive in!

 

This weekend is more of a paperwork weekend, so I will be sticking with suguru number puzzles and a cryptic crossword. That'll keep my brain busy!

[lunababymoonchild]

Started reading The Omen. Spawned (literally) scary movies for TV during the seventies, which looking back on it I shouldn't have been allowed to watch. 
 

I'm not sure I'll stick with Hangsaman, Shirley Jackson. It's not holding my interest.

Edited October 29, 2022 by lunababymoonchild
Altered confusing sentence structure

[lunababymoonchild]

22 hours ago, Hux said:

Just bought... 

 

The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner

The Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

Geek Love - Katherine Dunn

Read The Sound and the Fury in  BGO group read, got The Invisible Man and got halfway through Geek Love and gave up.

 

Just finished The Omen. Old fashioned by today's standards but a great book

[willoyd]

Finished Mary Colwell's Curlew Moon in the last hour of the month!  The story of the author's walk across Ireland, Wales and England, visiting curlew sites and activists working on trying to turn the tide that has seen this species' numbers crash in the past couple of decades - by over 95% in places.  Extinction of the species in lowland Britain is seriously on the cards before the end of the decade - not really surprising given my own experience locally where the local authority has readily given permission for yet more building on green belt that is prime curlew (and other wader) feeding territory - not even an attempt at mitigation for any aspect of wildlife of any sort.  It's only going to get worse too.

Beautifully written book.  5 stars out of 6.

[willoyd]

On 10/29/2022 at 2:09 PM, Chrissy said:

With this in mind, I decided on a detour into non-fiction, so am currently reading 'Shadowlands - A Journey Through Lost Britain' by Matthew Green. It was 99p on a kindle deal, and the first sentence of the blurb mentioned two 'lost' places I have visited and been intrigued by; Skara Brae, located on Orkney, and Wharram Percy a deserted medieval village in North Yorkshire. How could I NOT buy it.

 

Looks a very interesting book.  Looking forward to finding another 99p copy!

On 10/29/2022 at 2:09 PM, Chrissy said:

 

I also bought a recommended kindle version of Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales', plus a paperback version onto which I intend on making notes. The thought of reading this has been in my mind for absolute years, so I decided to get what I needed for when I am ready to dive in

 

Can strongly recommend The Canterbury Tales - absolutely loved them.  I read them in a parallel 'translation', which meant that could really enjoy the rhythm of the original (especially having learned some of the pronunciation) whilst readily understanding them!  I don't think I've come across any modern version that does sufficient justice for them to be read without the original. The more I read, the less I needed the modern.

[lunababymoonchild]

10 hours ago, willoyd said:

Can strongly recommend The Canterbury Tales - absolutely loved them.  I read them in a parallel 'translation', which meant that could really enjoy the rhythm of the original (especially having learned some of the pronunciation) whilst readily understanding them!  I don't think I've come across any modern version that does sufficient justice for them to be read without the original. The more I read, the less I needed the modern.

I did not know that you could get a translated version. Will look for this.

 

ETA I did! So thanks for that.

Edited November 2, 2022 by lunababymoonchild

[Madeleine]

I remember reading The Knight's Tale at school, and once I got into the rhythm of the original I found it bowled along and actually enjoyed it, great fun (and quite racy for our school at the time!).

[poppy]

15 hours ago, willoyd said:

Finished Mary Colwell's Curlew Moon in the last hour of the month!  The story of the author's walk across Ireland, Wales and England, visiting curlew sites and activists working on trying to turn the tide that has seen this species' numbers crash in the past couple of decades - by over 95% in places.  Extinction of the species in lowland Britain is seriously on the cards before the end of the decade - not really surprising given my own experience locally where the local authority has readily given permission for yet more building on green belt that is prime curlew (and other wader) feeding territory - not even an attempt at mitigation for any aspect of wildlife of any sort.  It's only going to get worse too.

Beautifully written book.  5 stars out of 6.

 

That's very sad, Willoyd. I was somehow under the impression Britain was very careful about the conservation of different species of flora and fauna. Does it more depend on the attitude of the differnt councils? We have very small numbers in NZ but I don't recall ever having  seen one.

[willoyd]

2 hours ago, poppy said:

 

That's very sad, Willoyd. I was somehow under the impression Britain was very careful about the conservation of different species of flora and fauna. Does it more depend on the attitude of the differnt councils? We have very small numbers in NZ but I don't recall ever having  seen one.

The UK is one of the most nature depleted nations in the world (fact, not opinion), which I think says it all really.  We have the worst record in western Europe on water pollution etc.  It's all very much dependent on central government - our funding and our governance is very heavily centralised. Local councils have had funding cut to the bone, and conservation is rarely, if ever, a priority.  There's some fantastic work done by organisations and individuals, but they're up against it.

Edited November 2, 2022 by willoyd

[poppy]

14 hours ago, willoyd said:

The UK is one of the most nature depleted nations in the world (fact, not opinion), which I think says it all really.  We have the worst record in western Europe on water pollution etc.  It's all very much dependent on central government - our funding and our governance is very heavily centralised. Local councils have had funding cut to the bone, and conservation is rarely, if ever, a priority.  There's some fantastic work done by organisations and individuals, but they're up against it.

 

I was watching an episode of Secrets of the Queen's Gardens today and was very impressed with Charles's conservation efforts and organic approach to things. Interestingly they said a large number ( can't remember exactly but over 100, I think) curlew eggs had been rescued from airfields, hatched by conservation groups and released on the Sandringham Estate. Hopefully that will go a little way to rescuing such an endangered species.