What are you reading at the moment? Recommendations welcome

[E G Logan]

Just finished and greatly enjoyed Fortunate Son by Caimh McDonnell, the 8th book in his Dublin Trilogy. (Yes, I know.)

If you like your detective stories grey and realistic – also PC, perhaps – this almost certainly isn't for you. On the other hand, if you like a roistering good yarn, with larger than life (but lovely) characters involved in highly-coloured events, try this.

Despite being pretty bloodthirsty, with some thoroughly dreadful people, it has a kind of feelgood vibe. And it made me laugh out loud.


Also read and enjoyed – also not for everyone – A Tuscan Childhood by Kinta (Carinthia) Beevor. A gentle memoir of well-connected English and US expats in the days before Tuscany became a hooray hangout, before the second world war.
Beevor's eccentric parents bought the run-down castle that perches, like a huge squat toad, on the Carrara hills above Aulla. Her father was a painter and her mother was a journalist, the Italy correspondent of The Observer.
[This was an old book, a lend from a friend, published in 1993.]

 

[Terry Lowell]

Rereading Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby. It is a masterpiece of structure and the art of dropping clues to what is actually happening, in seemingly innocuous situations and conversations. As I know the story, it works even better as I can see the slow build, the lies and the betrayal happening while poor Rosemary has no clue. Levin's background in screenwriting shows in how tightly it is structured, with not an ounce of fat. I highly recommend it to all readers, and to all writers.

 

[E G Logan]

Rereading Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby. It is a masterpiece of structure and the art of dropping clues

I read it, at night, in bed in my tacky little bedsit (single room studio) in Dundee. By the wobbly overhead light, I could see – help! – all the items Levin was describing in Rosemary's room. When I got to the locked connecting door... I think I let out a yelp and disappeared under my thin bedclothes.
I know I couldn't get up to put out the light.

 

[wrightstuff]

I've just finished The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

Despite being aware of the 'You MUST read it!!!!' buzz, I knew nothing about either the author or the plot / concept, so came at it at face value.

I'm a terrible reader - if a book isn't well-written, I'm mentally re-writing as I go... I did not do so at all with this book, which is huge praise as far as I'm concerned.

It wasn't immediately clear to me (apart from the parallel lives structure) which direction he would take the story in, and I was (pleasantly) surprised that he broke the formula that it looked as if he was setting up a couple of times.

A lot has been made of the fact that the pivot point is a library, and that plays well to a literary crowd. It also changes the tone from speculative fiction to literary fiction, and tells me that the author really knows what he's doing.

I liked the weaving-in of philosophy, but it was a little heavy-handed and clumsy at times. This is a minor criticism.

Not only did I devour and enjoy the book, I may have found my new favourite contemporary author.

Before that, I read Uncanny Valley, a short-story collection from Singapore-based S. Mickey Lin.

The concept was to write a number of Singapore-based stories that sat in the titular emotional state of Uncanny Valley. He's partially successful. A lot of the ideas are sound, but the writing is uneven - flat at times, which you can't afford in a short story, and there's far too much exposition, even for me.

I'll probably look for his novels, but more because of the Singapore context than anything else.

What's next? It's a toss-up between Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down (suicide again!!), which I somehow missed at the time, and Belfast native but Singapore-based Grace McClurg's Straits and Narrow, which has a great title, but does not have great reviews. However, it is a crime novel set in Singapore that sold quite well, so I feel I should read it at some point. I do love Nick Hornby's writing, so I'll probably keep that as a reward for completing Straits and Narrow

I read Straits and Narrow first, then A Long Way down. I found them both hard to get through, for very different reasons.

We found out on Monday that a childhood friend of our children committed suicide by jumping off the top of his block of flats. He was in a dreadful personal situation that he should (and could) have walked away from, but at 22, he could not see a future for himself. He had a history of mental illness, and had withdrawn into himself. it was a terrible shock, but on reflection none of are totally surprised. We just wish he were still here.

 

[E G Logan]

I've been distracted by finding there is another book by Caimh McDonnell that I hadn't read. Fortunately it's not too long.

Shorts: A Bunny McGarry Short Fiction Collection is described in the author's various introductions to the pieces as a possible standalone read, but I would suggest that it is definitely beneficial to have some context, if not total background recall. Also, it's not a book for those who like to have a firm grasp of the chronology, prequelling and sequelling all over the place.

All that said, it made me laugh out loud, as his novels mostly do. I am truly, deeply, madly jealous of the way of working he describes – and gets away with! – though I suspect it can't be nearly as random as he suggests. And maybe not quite so much fun. Absolutely not fair if it is.

 

[Sedayne]

I recently finished two novels which I think are marketed at a similar readership. Slightly sinister without being out-and-out horror.

Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh is a short book but felt like hard going. I was intrigued enough to finish it, but ultimately there were no surprises, and it was very difficult to warm to any of the characters. Only two characters were named, with others referred to as 'my husband' and 'the ambassador'. The other book that springs to mind that does this is Milkman by Anna Burns, and whilst I think it worked there, I don't think it did here. I really wanted to love this book, and I didn't hate it, but I was disappointed.

Now I've just finished Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. The difference with this was the genuinely unsettling atmosphere and characters I truly cared about. A rather sad and beautiful read. And I learned things about marine biology I didn't know I could be so interested in.

 

[Sedayne]

Just finished Free Love by Tessa Hadley. I had very mixed feelings about this at the start. I had tried the audiobook, but couldn't hack the posh narrator, and then I thought I probably wouldn't hack the posh characters anyway. But I wanted to read it because the reviews made it sound great, and it's set in a similar era to my WIP (although very different class - might as well be another world). Reading rather than listening was better, but I stumbled at first on the writing style which seemed to be all the things we're not supposed to do - switching pov frequently not only mid scene but sometimes mid paragraph (and with too much interiority to pass off as omniscient), comma splices aplenty, odd uses of semicolons, dashes instead of speech marks (which is fine, except that sometimes it was hard to know who was speaking or when they'd finished speaking). BUT none of that mattered because it was utterly brilliant and kept me reading in that hungry way I don't always get these days. Not sure how it worked, but it did.

Before that, I had listened to Patrick Gale reading his latest novel Mother's Boy. No such qualms. Just perfect from beginning to end.

 

[E G Logan]

Tessa Hadley. I had very mixed feelings about this at the start.

I struggle to find her writing as good as some (many) people say.

I reckoned Late in the Day would have struggled to find an agent, let alone a publisher, having such a dated Hampstead intellectual theme/focus. I agree that her speech marks decision makes it hard to keep track of who is speaking, especially during long exchanges, and I found that irritating.

 

[Sedayne]

I struggle to find her writing as good as some (many) people say.

I reckoned Late in the Day would have struggled to find an agent, let alone a publisher, having such a dated Hampstead intellectual theme/focus. I agree that her speech marks decision makes it hard to keep track of who is speaking, especially during long exchanges, and I found that irritating.

It may be my working class bias, but given what she writes about, it's not hard to imagine that she could have had helpful social connections at the start of her writing career. Nevertheless, she engaged me well, and I might try some others of hers.

 

[Pamela Jo]

I am now convinced to read Caimn McDonnell. I just finished The Decagon House Murders, Yukito Awatsuji. Billed as a cult mystery in Japan it was very Japanese as it was a masterpiece at building suspense. Structurally impeccable but it fell short of the seat of the pants grab I get from Agatha Christie. Or the less perfect Rivers of London series. Otherwise I'm reading nonfiction to put me in the mood for a first draft. there's something about reweaving facts into story that I enjoy.

 

[Geoff]

I am halfway though Ken Follett's Eye of the Needle. I have seen the film, but haven't read the novel. Not my usual type of book, but writing is precise, so will carry on turning the pages.

 

[wrightstuff]

I recently finished a re-read of Who She Was by Tony Parsons. I'm a huge fan of this author, but have come to the reluctant conclusion that the insight and quality of his wonderful early novels will not be repeated. I enjoyed Who She Was, but on reflection, it could have been written by any mass-market scribbler. Some of the writing was clumsy, it was a pot-boiler of a novel, from someone I'd come to expect to use subtlety and finesse. Any thoughts?

I'm about halfway through Glorious Exploits. Enjoying every word! Will share my thoughts once I have finished.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Picked up , "the Last Polar Bears" by Harry Horse at a charity shop, where I do most of my xmas buying. The author was a political cartoonist who wrote a few of these in later years. Ostensibly for children, but delightful and funny up the last pages that left me gut wrenched. A reminder of how powerful world building is. Such a slender, simple book, but it haunts me still.

 

[wrightstuff]

Just finished Glorious Exploits. If you haven't read it, do so. It's a great read, and has a unique feel to it - rough and polished at the same time. I enjoyed the writing, the characters and the themes, especially as I'm a bit of a Classical Greek play nerd (we all have out dark secrets!). I especially enjoyed some of the prefiguring, that was less heavy-handed than most contemporary novels, but obvious enough to provide a little dramatic irony.

Having said that, it does have mis-steps and flaws, but is no less readable for that, though some passages felt more like a writing exercise than a novel. I suspect it will bear re-reading, which is about as big a compliment as I can give.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Just finished Glorious Exploits. If you haven't read it, do so. It's a great read, and has a unique feel to it - rough and polished at the same time. I enjoyed the writing, the characters and the themes, especially as I'm a bit of a Classical Greek play nerd (we all have out dark secrets!). I especially enjoyed some of the prefiguring, that was less heavy-handed than most contemporary novels, but obvious enough to provide a little dramatic irony.

Having said that, it does have mis-steps and flaws, but is no less readable for that, though some passages felt more like a writing exercise than a novel. I suspect it will bear re-reading, which is about as big a compliment as I can give.

I thought of picking this up when it came out. The Irish literary scene claimed it as theirs and made it sound glorious indeed, however the new price was discouraging and as someone who grew up on classical texts I can be sniffy about efforts to "modernise" them. So thank yu for this review. I think I would have been disappointed if I had paid 20 something euro for it, but look forward to finding it in a charity shop soon.

 

[wrightstuff]

I thought of picking this up when it came out. The Irish literary scene claimed it as theirs and made it sound glorious indeed, however the new price was discouraging and as someone who grew up on classical texts I can be sniffy about efforts to "modernise" them. So thank yu for this review. I think I would have been disappointed if I had paid 20 something euro for it, but look forward to finding it in a charity shop soon.

Like you I have reservations about 'modernising' classical texts. I'm not 100% against it, I'm just sceptical about how well it might be done. It's actually a challenge I'm tempted to take on at some point...

Anyway, Glorious Exploits doesn't do this. It's a story built around putting on a (then contemporary) play. I won't say more for fear of plot-spoiling, but I had a similar reaction at first. I actually mostly read library books these days, as I have the time to do so - Singapore has an excellent system of reservations that allow you to return and collect from external lockers. Apart from that, I'm a big World of Books (and similar) customer - mostly to replace books I have lost in multiple moves, and for other reasons.

 

[E G Logan]

Just binge-read before Christmas the last two – Thorn in My Side (4), The Bad Seeds (5) – in the series by CJ Skuse featuring female serial killer Sweetpea.

Though her previous books were Y/A, these qualify as 'adult thrillers', according to her publisher. While the early books in the Sweetpea series were described as 'dark comedy', and the victims were chosen largely randomly, in these later ones the serial killer has become something of a vigilante, seeking well-deserved revenge, and acquiring a worldwide online fan following.

These two are an absolute master class (Skuse teaches Creative Writing) in producing irresistibly page-turning text, peppered with interesting, fanciable characters, jaw-dropping swerves and breathless cliff-hangers. The plots are total tosh, and definitely not for those who don't take to gore, but hey! I'd say she's left open the possibility of a book 6, and I know I'll find myself buying it.

Appearing on TV as of October 24...

 

[RK Wallis]

Sweetpea

I love the name Sweetpea for a serial killer. That's a masterclass on voice and tone combined. I've got to read those books!

 

[E G Logan]

. I've got to read those books!

Brace yourself.
I think the received wisdom is the first two are the best. They're certainly more original, and maybe more spontaneous. But I enjoyed 4 and 5, too. I read them back to back, almost non-stop.

 

[izi 出久]

Spoilers.


Last year I finished the Dune series. Finally. But the last three books... Why? Dune through Children of Dune did not remotely prepare me for bloodthirsty sex ninjas. And just to be vanquished by Idaho's penis.

 

[wrightstuff]

Just finished Never Let Me Go.

I cruised through it in a couple of days, but Oh Myyyy...

I really loved the book. The writing is near-flawless, the voice distinctive, but...it's supposed to be a 31-year-old woman, so why does she have the turn of phrase and habits of thought of my mother's friends (who mostly turned 90 last year)?

I'm probably the last Litopian to read this novel, but I'm going to avoid obvious plot-spoilers. Having said that, I was some way through the book when I realised this woman is about 80% of the way through her life, so perhaps that's the key to how she writes - or am I over-thinking this?

That aside, it's a powerful take on what it is to be human, and the price we pay for scientific progress. If you haven't read it, get a copy and clear your schedule. It's an easy read, but a thought-inducing one.

 

[Sedayne]

Just finished Never Let Me Go.

I cruised through it in a couple of days, but Oh Myyyy...

I really loved the book. The writing is near-flawless, the voice distinctive, but...it's supposed to be a 31-year-old woman, so why does she have the turn of phrase and habits of thought of my mother's friends (who mostly turned 90 last year)?

I'm probably the last Litopian to read this novel, but I'm going to avoid obvious plot-spoilers. Having said that, I was some way through the book when I realised this woman is about 80% of the way through her life, so perhaps that's the key to how she writes - or am I over-thinking this?

That aside, it's a powerful take on what it is to be human, and the price we pay for scientific progress. If you haven't read it, get a copy and clear your schedule. It's an easy read, but a thought-inducing one.

I'll hold my hand up that I haven't read it.
But apparently Kaz (as he was known) shared a flat in Edinburgh with my brother-in-law (or his friend, I can't quite remember), and my husband met him once. Alas a very useless and long forgotten literary connection.
I'll add it to my list.

 

[MattScho]

Spoilers.


Last year I finished the Dune series. Finally. But the last three books... Why? Dune through Children of Dune did not remotely prepare me for bloodthirsty sex ninjas. And just to be vanquished by Idaho's penis.

I think. officially, this is not really a spoiler so much as reporting on what was spoiled.

 

[JoanUP]

I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo!
So awesome!
I see a movie adaptation came out last year, and that looks great too, although I'm afraid to watch the entire trailer for fear of spoilers.

 

[MattScho]

Well done on reading Monte Crisco, but could they stop making it into movies. Just checked, and this is film version the 13th! Though, there have been another 20 more loosely based on it.

 

[MattScho]

Listening to The Ministry of Time. Quite interesting, though only a third of the way through.

 

[wrightstuff]

Well done on reading Monte Crisco, but could they stop making it into movies. Just checked, and this is film version the 13th! Though, there have been another 20 more loosely based on it.

I very much enjoyed Stephen Fry's rewrite of the novel, though I didn't know what it was until it started to feel a bit familiar...

Listening to The Ministry of Time. Quite interesting, though only a third of the way through.

That's on my To Read list. Keep us updated.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Spoilers.


Last year I finished the Dune series. Finally. But the last three books... Why? Dune through Children of Dune did not remotely prepare me for bloodthirsty sex ninjas. And just to be vanquished by Idaho's penis.

Yeah, it was the 60's. I think he fell off the LSD cliff.

Reading Mary Stewart's Wildfire at Midnight. A blast back to the past, Coronation 1953. This would be called a psych thriller today and the woman,an had skills. None today can match her in the genre.

 

[Mel L]

Just finished Heavy, An American Memoir, by Kiese Laymon.
It was exactly that: heavy. Big, messy, sad. A lot of vernacular. Heavy issues too: addiction, abuse, weight, struggles of being Black in the American south. Not gonna lie, I struggled to get through it. Glad I kept at it, though, as while not an easy read it ultimately drew me in with its radical honesty, and I learned a lot about the realities of life in the US. A good read for anyone who wants to write about difficult family relationships.

 

[David Newrick]

I am reader first and a writer second, so I am always reading something. This is a quick update as I have not posted in this thread before.

I have just finished Life's Little Ironies by Thomas Hardy published in a fine edition by the Folio Society. Fascinating short stories with ironic twists in them. Soundly well written as I would always expect from the Victorian writer Hardy.

Before that I read The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly published by Orion. This is about the fifth in the Harry Bosch detective series. It is set around Hollywood in the 1990's and is a fast paced work. To be fair it is a mass market work so I took it at face value and as a result have little to say about it as there are many other novels like it out there. What surprised me was the presence of several typos and even words which were clearly missing from sentences. I see this more and more now, all by major publishing houses.

Now is the time of a living nightmare of anxiety in making a choice and overthinking it as I try to decide what to read next in my large 'reading pile' of books. Then fighting with the bitter blows of reader remorse as I read the first fifty pages...