What are you reading at the moment? Recommendations welcome

[Emily]

I didn't see that post, great recommendations I too, loved The Secret Life of Trees, I have it beside my desk and dip into it frequently!

 

[Michael C]

Afternoon all. I'm currently half way through The Trials of Koli by M R Carey (part 2 of a trilogy*) and enjoying it immensely, but I have yet to read one of his I didn't enjoy.

*The first volume is The Book of Koli and the finale is the Fall of Koli which I have pre-ordered.

 

[Catherine Le Bars]

The Art of Resilience by Ross Edgley. I'm hoping it sees me through 2021!

 

[Hannah F]

Just finished "Viper" by Bex Hogan (Publ. Orion, Hachette). YA Fantasy. First book in "Isles of Storm and Sorrow" trilogy.
Strong, brave heroine; a definite page turner. Has a Robin Hobb "Live Ship Traders" feel about it, perhaps because much of it takes place on a ship. Tagline: "He will make me a killer, or he will have me killed. That is my destiny."
I will definitely read the rest of this trilogy.

 

[Michael C]

Just finished "Viper" by Bex Hogan (Publ. Orion, Hachette). YA Fantasy. First book in "Isles of Storm and Sorrow" trilogy.
Strong, brave heroine; a definite page turner. Has a Robin Hobb "Live Ship Traders" feel about it, perhaps because much of it takes place on a ship. Tagline: "He will make me a killer, or he will have me killed. That is my destiny."
I will definitely read the rest of this trilogy.

Going to dig that one out. It sounds fun and as I'm writing a YA fantasy at the moment it would be good to get a feel for how others structure their work and the voices used, see if and how I can amend my own narrative voice to the intended readers better.

 

[Emily]

Look what just arrived @Paul Whybrow ! I'm hoping to hide later on and have A Good Read

 

[Katie-Ellen]

A really beautiful edition found on Ebay: The Wood for the Trees by Richard Fortey. A month by month in detail study of the life going on in a small patch of woodland. Trees, plants, fungi, birds and other wildlife. Science, stories and legends.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I recently mentioned in My Status that I was reading Advanced Twitter Strategies for Authors: Twitter techniques to help you sell your book—in under 15 minutes a day in an attempt to improved my tweeting skills.

Written by crime author Ian Sutherland, who writes as Ian H Sutherland for his non-fiction, it’s an intense read aimed, as the title suggests, at maximising the efficiency of one’s tweets while saving time.

In the first thirty pages he recommends various tools to automate tweets that don’t look like they’re automated. Twitter has rules to prevent automated spam….too much tweeting means that, according to Ian H Sutherland, “you may be reported as a spammer and Twitter may choose to suspend your account for violating the terms of service. Be careful.”

The author uses his fiction and non-fiction Twitter accounts to show what he’s described in the book, so I had a look at them. There was no problem finding his fiction account https://twitter.com/iansuth, but as for https://twitter.com/ianhsuth/ it shows a message:



@ianhsuth

Account suspended

Twitter suspends accounts which violate the Twitter Rules

​

It looks like he wasn’t “careful” enough! The thing is, do I continue to follow his advice and run the risk of being exiled myself?

What I have found useful for understanding and organising Twitter is TweetDeck.

TweetDeck

 

[Michael C]

Not reading it currently but The Terror is on BBC iPlayer. The book is very good.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I've just acquired a writing guide I've had a watch on eBay for a couple of years, when a trader listed it at £2.99. Written by Henriette Anne Klauser, Writing On Both Sides Of The Brain normally sells for at least £10 and is well-reviewed. My brain needs all of the help it can get!

 

[RK Wallis]

I'm reading a pulpy fantasy, The Whisperers of Evernow by Heidi Catherine. It feels like she's done one of those writing courses that churn out writers. But still good, different, good emotional moments

 

[Vagabond Heart]

I’ve just started Jo Nadin’s The Talk Of Pram Town. I read her book, The Queen Of Bloody Everything, and adored it. So am excited to see if the characters in this one are just as perfectly bonkers. So far, so good.

 

[Emily]

So am excited to see if the characters in this one are just as perfectly bonkers. So far, so good.

Sounds like my kind of book!!

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I'm currently marvelling at the skill of Paulette Jiles. Her Enemy Women is so well-written, that I find myself pausing to re-read sentences and paragraphs. I'm sure that it will be one of my favourite reads of 2021. It deserves the fabulous reviews it received.

Enemy Women

 

[Hannah F]

Just finished Matt Haig's "The Midnight Library". By page 24, I was feeling really depressed, but @RK Capps said to keep going (analogy there); the mood will pick up once the story reaches the library. And, oh boy it did! Spent the last few chapters in tears (not going to reveal whether through happy or sad emotion). A great concept and a great read.

 

[Gordon d'Venables]

God, the Devil and Me. A memoir written by Nyungar elder, Alf Taylor.

 

[Robert M Derry]

I've just finished reading the Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A Heinlein and I'd highly recommend it to any sci-fi fans. One of the best books I've read in a long while. Unlike a lot of classic 60s sci-fi it doesn't feel ridiculous by modern standards. It's also got a political thriller undercurrent and it's a pretty intelligent approach to 'revolution on the moon'. The stilted Loonie English can be tricky to get used to at first, but once I was in, I was hooked!

 

[Tracey (T)]

Just finished Matt Haig's "The Midnight Library". By page 24, I was feeling really depressed, but @RK Capps said to keep going (analogy there); the mood will pick up once the story reaches the library. And, oh boy it did! Spent the last few chapters in tears (not going to reveal whether through happy or sad emotion). A great concept and a great read.

Yep, I had similar trouble with this book but persevered. Passed it on to my mum who was telling me last week that she can hardly bear to continue with it but I told her to keep going too. I found that it has really made me question my life, all those ‘what ifs?’

 

[Hannah F]

Yep, I had similar trouble with this book but persevered. Passed it on to my mum who was telling me last week that she can hardly bear to continue with it but I told her to keep going too. I found that it has really made me question my life, all those ‘what ifs?’

What's for you won't go by you.

 

[Geoff]

I have picked up The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford again. I started, read the first 20 odd pages, but then stopped,for some reason.

 

[Paul Mackay]

Not reading it currently but The Terror is on BBC iPlayer. The book is very good.

I loved the book, it's brilliant. Trying to catch up with the series.

 

[Paul Mackay]

It's not that I'm stuck for reading anything at the moment, but it's nice to know what Litopians are reading - might provide valuable material for a writer or a pleasant diversion away from the genre s/he are writing in. I was going to say 'Bookshelf,' but that's recently been mentioned as a possible scam. But it would be quite nice to peruse our own 'Litopian Library' as an accompaniment to local bookshops/Amazon, etc.
Someone in the Welcome Lounge mentioned writing about walking the entire UK coast with his dog, and I asked whether he'd read The Salt Path and Five Hundred Mile Walkies.
No need to write a review, just author, title and genre (if not apparent).

I've just finished Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis a YA Horror. I'm now reading Colin Wilson's Ritual in the Dark (the terrifying thriller of murder most macabre) and for the past few months I've been dipping into Folk Horror Revival: Field Studies, Essays and Interview -Various Authors. The latter has been brilliant for ideas with my WiP and it led to me reading Colin Wilson who I'm enjoying and may never have otherwise discovered.
Anyway, just floating it out there.

Just finished Outwalkers by Fiona Shaw. Superb. 11yr old and I both loved it.

 

[Julie]

Just finished Outwalkers by Fiona Shaw. Superb. 11yr old and I both loved it.

I've not heard of that. I'll look it up now.

 

[Jonny]

Currently I'm reading A Big Boy Did And Ran Away by Christopher Brookmyer.

I would describe it as a mash-up, dark, witty, shaper than a cutthroat razor, ranty and utterly brilliant international terrorism thriller.

My book of '21 so far. I (literally) don't want it to end. It is a fabulously plotted, fantastically written thing of excellence and beauty.

 

[Vagabond Heart]

Currently I'm reading A Big Boy Did And Ran Away by Christopher Brookmyer.

I would describe it as a mash-up, dark, witty, shaper than a cutthroat razor, ranty and utterly brilliant international terrorism thriller.

My book of '21 so far. I (literally) don't want it to end. It is a fabulously plotted, fantastically written thing of excellence and beauty.

Listened to this on audiobook as we drove all the way to Germany in one hit. Fab book.

 

[Emily]

Listened to this on audiobook as we drove all the way to Germany in one hit. Fab book.

Now I have to read this!! Brilliant title too

 

[Julie]

This is more of a light/deep as you want to go read/re-read. Charlie Macksey's The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. I bought it back in February as a birthday gift for one of my daughters. I really wanted it for myself, and then husband bought it for me. Then my youngest daughter also wanted it - so, sent her a copy.

It is charming - beautiful illustrations and 'simple' words. "Nothing beats kindness," said the horse. "It sits quietly beyond all things."

I keep it next to me on the coffee table, and I'll often say, 'What would the boy, mole, fox and horse say?' and I'll rifle the pages and see what 'the answer is.'

Anyway, not long after my kids' grandad was taken to hospital and given palliative care. I sent a copy to my ex-mum-in-law. This book became a vessel? Is that the right word? It's like it held us, all together, and we would quote from it.

"Asking for help isn't giving up," said the horse. "It's refusing to give up."

It is just so beautiful. On many levels. I believe NHS staff had some of his work printed and put on the hospital walls. Michael Rosen, the children's poet recovered from coronavirus and he wrote a poem about the staff and Macksey did the artwork.

Wiping away a tear, here's my next recommendation. It's not a novel, but a super little book called Clean Green: Tips and recipes for a naturally clean, more sustainable home, and it's by Jen Chillingsworth.

For some time, I have been experimenting with natural cleaning products. Freshening rugs with dried tea leaves, spraying lemon juice everywhere, etc. I've found lots of recipes online, but I wanted a book. So, if you're wondering what to do with your distilled vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, soda crystals, essential oils, castille soap, etc, then look no further. I'll just slip off my soap box now!

 

[Emily]

So, if you're wondering what to do with your distilled vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, soda crystals, essential oils, castille soap,

I use no chemicals, just these! I buy vinegar in 5 litre bottles and bicarb and sodium carbonate/crystals in 5kg bags, great to have in bulk. I used to make all my own laundry detergent with Dr. Bronners soap and soda crystals, but have been using this fantastic "ecoegg" now for the past year. Its brilliant

 

[Julie]

I use no chemicals, just these! I buy vinegar in 5 litre bottles and bicarb and sodium carbonate/crystals in 5kg bags, great to have in bulk. I used to make all my own laundry detergent with Dr. Bronners soap and soda crystals, but have been using this fantastic "ecoegg" now for the past year. Its brilliant

I've heard of those ecoeggs, but never tried them. There's a shop in Totnes that does them. I'll check it out.
I have to say Emily, that it comes as no surprise that you only use natural products. Yay! It's great fun experimenting. And it's spring, the perfect time for giving homemade products a whirl! Ditto the same for body scrubs. I use coffee grounds in my hair, which makes it really soft . Coconut oil is rubbed into heels and toes - I'm sandal ready all year round.
I want to try soap nuts. Have you ever used them?

 

[Emily]

No, I was going to use them but our water is quite hard, and I'd read up on them and from what I gathered they work better in soft water. The Eco egg is FANTASTIC!
Look into rice water for your skin and hair. And you can make up a vit c serum really easily, using pure ascorbic acid. It's wonderful too