Madeleine Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 I used to read quite a lot of Nicci French but they got a bit samey after a while ie woman in peril, and the police were always useless so she has to do everything for herself, including, naturally, going alone to an empty house/factory etc,so I lost interest in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
France Posted April 10 Author Share Posted April 10 (edited) Yes, this one had a lot of plot similarities to one I'd read before (the first they wrote I think) and ridiculously useless police, both in 1990 and 2020. Edited April 10 by France 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niko Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 On 2/18/2024 at 7:36 PM, France said: Yes, it wasn't bad but the book was much better, imo! I've been enjoying books much more than movies lately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
France Posted April 22 Author Share Posted April 22 I seem to be on a roll with good books at the moment (long may it continue!) The House of Lamentations by Shona Maclean is the fifth in her series about Cromwell's agent Damien Seeker and is as good as the previous ones. She is so good at imbuing her stories with a sense of place. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros is the sequel to Fourth Wing and is very good indeed, the sort of good where you ignore everyone in the room while you get on with the next few chapters. What's not to like about dragons, especially adolescent dragons with attitude? My only criticism is the sex scenes, I may be old and stuffy but my daughters are anything but and they agree, what Violet and Xaden get up to between the sheets does not need to be described in that detail and interrupts the flow of the story which is about dragons , their riders, other magical creatures and battles against evil. Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin is a cosyish mystery written by a TV chef. It's light, well written, well plotted and great fun, prefect for the shift I was on yesterday which was lots of waiting around interspersed with short bursts of activity. One to look out for and I'll be reading his next one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 (edited) I also really liked Iron Flame but I agree with you on the sex scenes as they are way, way, overdone. Adding to my comment: The sex scenes were so explicit and overblown that it actually perturbed me during the reading of what is a very good book with wonderful stories in it Edited April 22 by muggle not 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeleine Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 9 hours ago, France said: I seem to be on a roll with good books at the moment (long may it continue!) The House of Lamentations by Shona Maclean is the fifth in her series about Cromwell's agent Damien Seeker and is as good as the previous ones. She is so good at imbuing her stories with a sense of place. I'm just reading the 3rd book "Destroying Angel". I was in a bookshop today and saw her new one, "The Winter List" out in paperback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendofbooks Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 On 3/19/2024 at 6:37 AM, France said: I'm trying to be restrained about buying books! It comes out in paperback here next week. How do you do it? Every time I walk into a bookstore, I feel like buying everything at once! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
France Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 12 hours ago, friendofbooks said: How do you do it? Every time I walk into a bookstore, I feel like buying everything at once! Living in France helps as there are far fewer bookshops with less choice! When I visit the UK it's a different story though. I could literally barely lift my case for books last time and that was before I'd got airside at Gatwick and a look at the large airport only paperbacks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 What about using libraries, especially the digital libraries where you can download to a kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendofbooks Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 On 4/25/2024 at 2:00 AM, France said: Living in France helps as there are far fewer bookshops with less choice! When I visit the UK it's a different story though. I could literally barely lift my case for books last time and that was before I'd got airside at Gatwick and a look at the large airport only paperbacks! Oh, I recognize myself in your message I'm glad I'm not the only one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
France Posted 9 hours ago Author Share Posted 9 hours ago On 4/25/2024 at 2:29 PM, muggle not said: What about using libraries, especially the digital libraries where you can download to a kindle. Most French libraries have a small selection of English books in paper (most of it donated) but digital books are in French mostly and my French isn't up to reading a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
France Posted 9 hours ago Author Share Posted 9 hours ago Funny how you can change your mind - I tried Slow Horses by Mick Herron a couple of years ago and it just didn't appeal. Then after having read his latest book after fervent recommendations I gave Slow Horses another go and really enjoyed it. For those who haven't seen the tv series (and I haven't) it's about a group of apparently washed up spies who for policy reasons haven't been sacked and have been exiled to a building called Slough House to do boring stuff in the hope they'll be driven to resign. It's twisty, clever, has unexpected but satisfying plot twists and doesn't take itself too seriously. I'm certainly going to read more in the series. It's been 10 years since Shades of Grey by Jasper fforde came out. It was startlingly inventive even for fforde, about an England where ever since Something Happened people have only been able to see one colour and your status in society is governed by which colour you can see and how much of it. The Greys, who have no colour vision, are the labourers and have very few rights. It was very witty, very funny and full of wonderfully daft ideas such as the rule that once something was declared apocryphal you literally could not see it, so the Apocryphal Man was able to walk around with impunity with no clothes on, stealing food off plates in the communal dining hall. A sequel was promised and Red Side Story finally arrived this year. It's worth the wait. Shades of Grey had a serious undercurrent, Red Side Story is a lot darker but it's still witty, funny and a crashing good read. I'm really sorry to have finished it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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