My Labrador Friends Book Club - Fiction Choice

[M.F.]

Life by Keith Richards is a great holiday read, I think. Interesting insight into the lifestyle and the music making. My husband says the three books by Noah Harari are brilliant brilliant brilliant. I started the first one. He’s very engaging. But my mind is rather distracted at present to get into any book.

 

[Joy]

'Girl Meets Boy' by Ali Smith. Not light and fluffy, but short and truely 'feelgood' - at the end it left me with a beaming smile.
A funny cosy crime I enjoyed was 'A Shot in the Dark' by Lynne Truss.
'Let Me Lie' by Clare Mackintosh is a good psychological thriller.

 

[jazzmynn]

I recently read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. She’s not my style of author but my Mom recommended it so I gave it a try. I actually quite enjoyed it - I found it light and entertaining to read.

 

[Plum's mum]

I read A Shot in the Dark too, just after telling my mum that humour in books goes right over my head, and then I spent the whole book laughing out loud!

My top 6 are not very light reading but I would recommend Hope: A Tragedy by Shalom Auslander. It’s about a man who discovers Anne Frank is living in his attic. It is so funny and also sad. I cried and laughed reading the same paragraph. It’s so different and original.

 

[Xena Dog Princess]

I read 60 books last year and thought I could easily match that this year. Ah ha...no. Work gets in the way, you know? So many good books, so little time.

Jacqui, do you like murder mysteries? I'm a huge fan of the Dr Siri series by Colin Cotterill. There aren't many (if any) books set in Laos in 1975. Even though they're your classic "doctor turned detective" trope, they're really rather delightful. And Cotterill totally captures Lao culture and the people.

 

[snowbunny]

I read 60 books last year

I'm not sure I managed one! A shame, I love to read.

 

[M.F.]

I read 60 books last year

I am in awe. And envious. I used to consume books. Now I find myself with iPhone in hand. Awful awful awful addiction.

Need to start a phone addicts club. Just not sure how that works on an online forum...

 

[jazzmynn]

I’ve just started reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine for next month’s book club. I’m getting a kick out of some of the words that I now recognize because of you fine folks: a hob, pushchair, spaghetti bol, boot, and I’ve just learned today that a “pub” is actually the short form for public house. I googled that one after our morning walk. Who would have known? Looking forward to seeing what else I’ll come across!

 

[Candy]

I really rather liked that book! It's good that you're learning some of our terminology, perhaps you could teach us some back!

 

[Leanne]

I got bought a audible subscription for my birthday in Feb... I’m still not quite sure if I like it or not

 

[Candy]

I'm sure it was well meant, but I get where you're coming from. The lovely thing about reading is that the pace is dictated by none other than oneself. I find that most comfortable.

 

[Leanne]

I must admit I quite like it in the car but late in the evening I want to curl up with a book xx

 

[Candy]

Yes, me too!

 

[Cupcase]

Audio books do not replace actual reading books. I've been reading books for ever and my taste has changed dramatically over the years. Unfortunately due to muscular pain I find I'm better if I keep moving and you can't read a book while walking. Audio books have been a life saver.
I have been teaching myself sewing and I get to do both of my favourite things together, sew and 'read'.
I read all Diana Gabaldon books in paper and have now listened to them in audio and loved every minute of Davina Porter reading to me.

 

[MellowYellow]

I've read two books I've much enjoyed recently, Love is Blind (William Boyd), and Middle England (Jonathan Coe), and am just reading The Wall (John Lanchester) - all three are favourite authors of mine, all three have new books out at the same time! *happy sigh*

I am so lucky to work in a school and be able to make full use of the library.

 

[Lisa]

I haven’t got into audible books either. I will try one at some point just to see, but I just like the reading experience as reading, not hearing.

 

[Jacqui-S]

An update on my reading over the holidays

• Nick Jones - Joseph Bridgeman and the Silver Hunter - a time travelling book, part 2 (of I think 3). I quite enjoyed it, but quite light and obviously not believable! An easy read.
• EM Forster - Maurice - On my reading list for a while - I know it's a classic, and the first book really (I think) about homosexuality when clearly it was still illegal, but I found it pretty heavy with quite old-fashioned and stilted language. It was interesting reading this in the middle of A Place called Winter, and Toby's Room - all of them with homosexuality as its core content.
• Pat Parker - Toby's Room - this was a book club book. Very much a different twist to the story of The Great War. A bit dirty feeling in a way with the central character who first slept with his sister probably mucking her up for life, and eventually killing himself on the battlefield deliberately when his relationship with a stablehand was rumbled. The sister was an artist and ended up documenting facial reconstruction post-war. It was an interesting book, but I'm not sure it would be described as a happy or comfortable read. It is really well written, part 2 of 3, but is enough of a stand-alone book to not need the other I believe.
• Helen Forbes - In The Shadow of The Hill - I really liked this - a Scottish Murder-Mystery with a surprising twist at the end. Based around Inverness and Isle of Harris, opening up some dark personal secrets. I found the array of characters a bit bemusing and lost track of folk a bit but it didn't divert from the story.
• Duncan Whitehead - The Gordonstoun Ladies Dog Walking Club Unleashed (part 2) - I quite like this series. Its a bit frivolous! Centred around undercover serial killing hitman and a leafy suburban community who like an afternoon dog walk in the park with a wee cocktail or two. The latter clearly appealed to me. I think this series is quite fun!
• Claire MacKintosh - I See You - A sort of psychological thriller but actually quite fun - someone who sets up a "dating agency" based on people travelling on the London Tube - though the dates may end up as dates, or dead depending on who buys their profile! Maybe not so good to read if you live in a city and use public transport a lot! A good read.
• Victoria Hislop - The Island - To be honest, this is pretty badly written, with nothing at all sophisticated in the storytelling, and not really leaving much to the imagination, but I was pulled in by the topic. It was based around the island of Spinalonga off the coast of Crete which I remember visiting many many years ago on holiday. Spinalonga was a leper colony for those not having heard of it and I don't know how true to real life the descriptions were, but would like to think there was some truth in the description of life on the island.

Got a Peter May book next on my list. Another Scottish islands murder mystery.

 

[Jacqui-S]

Oh.....should be finished that easily by LA Smith and Wilding's release date on 1st June

 

[Lisa]

Oh.....should be finished that easily by LA Smith and Wilding's release date on 1st June

 

[Lisa]

I just finished Educated by Tara Westhover, for my book club. It’s non-fiction memoir. Harrowing read, amazing that she could survive it all.