What book you reading ?

[Florence Fennel]

I've tried several Kindle samples, but haven't found anything that's gripped my interest yet. Now trying an Ian Rankin Inspector Rebus!

[Andraste]

Continuing a phase of veg-based reading, I've just finished 'Allotted Time: two blokes, one shed, no idea' by Robin Shelton.

I very much enjoyed this tale about Robin and his mate Steve taking on their plot. Plenty of humour, often quite touching, & I'm pretty sure everyone has a 'Ken' & a 'Ted' on their plot. The easy-to-grow tips at the back of the book were a nice touch.

[Jay22]

Ian Rankin’s Rebus books are good Flo. As are the DCI Daley series by Scottish author Denzil Meyrick… set in fictional Kinloch which is actually the real Campbeltown in Argyll.

[Florence Fennel]

I liked the TV series jay, but I'm finding the book a bit slow. Percy Verence is the chap here I think

[1batfastard]

Hi All,
I am now about to start Ian Fleming by Andrew Lycett, love all the James Bond stuff and I know snippets about him, but I am really looking forward to learning more about the man behind the legend that is James Bond.

According to Google books :- The definitive biography of author Ian Fleming and the perfect read for anyone enjoying the Sky Atlantic biopic starring Dominic Cooper.

Ian Fleming's life was just as dramatic as that of his fictional creation, James Bond. Andrew Lycett's direct access to Fleming's family, friends and contemporaries has enabled him to reveal the truth behind the complicated facade of this enigmatic and remarkable man.

With an extraordinary cast of characters, this is biography at is best - part history, part gossip and part an informed reassessment of one of this century's most celebrated yet mysterious personalities

EDIT:- I have not tried kindle to be honest mainly because I prefer the tactile touch of the book, I get the accessibility of kindle and the modern fast paced lifestyle it fit's in with, along with no need to have shelves full of books it's just not me.

I say you can't beat holding a book in your hands and Kindle just does not have that same type of appeal to myself being totally honest, but like they say each to they're own!.....


Geoff.

[Snoop Puss]

I spend all day with words and I have fallen out of the habit of reading for pleasure (except for cookery books ). Too many books picked up and then dropped for lack of interest in the subject, plot, characters... Anyway, trying to get back into it.

Have just started reading The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth. Looks to be hard work. For the first time ever I think I'll have to read each chapter twice. So far, they have started with a mystery in the opening paragraph that is resolved later on, so I've decided to reread with the later knowledge in mind. Never done this before. So far so good, though. One problem: it's a translation that is mostly excellent, but there are moments where I'm brought up short by the choice of words or sentence structure. Call me Mrs Critical, I know... In my defence, I shared a couple of these moments with Mr Snoop and he snorted with laughter.

[neonplanet40]

Currently, I've immersed myself in "Educated" by Tara Westover. It's a compelling memoir that delves into Westover’s life growing up in an extreme survivalist family in the mountains of Idaho.

[Nicos]

Just finished reading ‘Wolf Hall’ and ‘Bring up the Bodies’ by Hilary Mantel .
They are about Thomas Cromwell’s early life and his involvement with Henry VIII
Very easy reading. Loved the series and can’t wait until the second series is made and released!

Books Borrowed from a friend who , frustratingly , hasn’t got/ can’t find the third in the trilogy.

[mothhawk]

A Volunteer Nurse on the Western Front by Olive Dent.

This was first published in 1917, and in spite of being a memoir, has quite a propaganda feel to it. There's only one short chapter that tells how conditions could be. I can't really believe all the nurses were so cheerful, living under canvas and working in a tent hospital, particularly in winter, with chilblains, leaky tents, frozen washing water, frozen toothpaste, hot water bottle "crackling with ice", and all the lotions and medicines having to be thawed before use. Going to bed in "pyjamas, nightdress, bed jacket, bed socks, bed stockings, dressing gown, travelling rug, and fur coat" doesn't sound a barrel of laughs either.

To this she adds that one must remember weather like this is better for the men in the trenches because while it is hard dry cold, they don't end up in hospital with swollen purple-black trench feet.

It's certainly a fascinating read.

[Snoop Puss]

Have you ever read Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, mothhawk? If not, it might make an interesting read after the book you're currently reading. The descriptions of the trenches were shocking.

Thanks for the reminder, Nicos. I haven't read the third one either. The Radetzky March lasted a bit longer than some books I've recently picked up, but not by much, I'm ashamed to say.. I'll try Hilary Mantel. A great recommendation.

[mothhawk]

No, I haven't, Snoop. Thanks for the recommendation

[Nicos]

^^^ one of my favourite books of all time!

[Florence Fennel]

The Winter King - Bernard Cornwell and finding it really hard going!

[nick the grief]

The Natural Gardener: A Lifetime of Gardening by the Phases of the Moon By John Harris He has just retired after 40 years as Head Gardener at Tresilian Gardens in Cornwall . A fascinating read of a man with a wealth of knowledge, you may have seen him on Rick Steins Cornwall


I really enjoyed reading it. Never tried Moon gardening but never too old to learn.

ntg

[mothhawk]

The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin, a fictional account of the "Schoolchildren's Blizzard" that happened on the Great Plains in USA in January 1888. After starting the book I looked it up, it makes sobering reading.

https://www.readex.com/blog/%E2%80%9...-blizzard-1888