Read any good books lately?

[kygal]

Sounds interesting. Would be fun to compare/contrast to the miniseries Lord M.

[kissmekate]

I've been meaning to post some good books here for ages, I have neglected this lovely thread terribly.

Thanks for bringing it back to life with an interesting recommendation, Frannie!

[francesca]

Oct 6, 2016 10:24:15 GMT kygal said:

Would be fun to compare/contrast to the miniseries Lord M.

Kygal, the enormous difference between the two Melbournes was that when Victoria came to the throne at eighteen Melbourne was fifty eight; he enjoyed his food and put on some weight in later life,though apparently, this never detracted from his extreme good looks.

His intelligence, wit and charm runs right throughout both books as does his loyalties and principles. These are borne out by letters and accounts written at the time.
There was a great deal affection,too, between Melbourne and Victoria. Though he understood that his influence and companionship would lessen after her marriage it is believed that their loss contributed to his deteriorating ill health and death.

Though Melbourne's wife had been dead for a few years when Victoria came to the throne, he never lost his loyalty to her despite her several affairs and scandals.
Reading accounts of her behaviour at the time, I think we would say that she was bi-polar.

[Rachel]

Frannie, thanks for the recommendations, I've requested both books from the library. I'm looking forward to reading them.

[kygal]

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

[kissmekate]

Finally, I wanted to leave at least one little tip on this poor neglected wonderful thread! It's not that I haven't read any good books lately, I just never got around to posting about them.

I recently read "Euphoria" by Lily King. I had been curious about the book since it first came out because the plot summary reminded me so much of IASL - three young anthropologists meet in New Guinea in the late 1930s (in fact, the book is based on the life of anthropologist Margaret Mead and two men she was involved with). Two of them, Nell and Fen, are a married couple who sometimes differ in their view of their profession. Fen is highly ambitious and eager to make a big breakthrough, fueled by jealousy of the success and rave reviews of the book Nell once wrote. When they need transport to another island, Andrew, the third main character, appears on the scene, taking them to their destination in his boat. He is a rather jaded, cynical person who has even tried to kill himself, and he is fascinated by tiny, spunky Nell from the first moment on but keeps a lid on his emotions at first.

Over time, a deep friendship forms between Andrew and Nell, and they also begin to work together. For the first time, Nell is working with a partner who truly sees her as equal, which of course leads to friction with Fen, and, inevitably, things start to get difficult and develop in a quietly dramatic way.

I totally loved this book! Not just because there are so many parallels with that movie I love so much, but because it is so well written, in a taut and precise prose style that captures characters and emotions and developments as well as Nell and Andrew's respective personal backstories movingly and beautifully. Plus, you get some very interesting insights into 1930s anthropology and the ways of the natives on those islands.

That I imagined a certain someone in the role of Andrew certainly didn't make matters worse! But even without the IASL connection, I would have thoroughly enjoyed this.

[kissmekate]

Mar 19, 2016 11:13:06 GMT kissmekate said:

The titles are all lovely:

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag
A Red Herring Without Mustard
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows
Speaking From Among the Bones
The Dead In Their Vaulted Arches
As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust

I just need to re-post those titles of the Flavia de Luce mysteries and add the latest: "Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd"

[Rachel]

Kate, did not love "Thrice the Brindled Cat Hath Mew'ed." The ending was terribly, terribly sad. But I have to say I've read the whole series now on your recommendation and have enjoyed them all.

[kissmekate]

, so you've overtaken me! The last one I read was the fifth volume, "Speaking From Among the Bones". The next two are on my TBR pile, I still have to get the "Cat". It might be time to start the next instalment ...

I'm glad you liked the series!

[kygal]

Sounds interesting. I am reading The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch series). Not bad.

[Rachel]

I can highly recommend the book "I Let You Go" by Clare Mackintosh. It's a mystery/thriller about what happens when a woman lets her child slip away and he is killed in a hit and run accident. Now I'm a veteran mystery reader and it's hard to surprise me. One of the reasons I didn't like "Gone Girl" was that I saw the big plot twist after the first 50 pages. This book has a plot twist that left me gasping. What is really incredible is that this is Mackintosh's first book. She has a new book coming out in February, "I See You" and I'm looking forward to it.

Kate, about the Flavia books - what can I say? I'm a compulsive reader.  When I find a new series I enjoy I put all my other reading on hold to catch up.  It also helped that my library has them all as ebooks.  So easy to get the next when you're finished with one.

[kissmekate]

I know we have at least one other Springsteen fan among us - I read his autobiography, "Born to Run", a while ago and found that the Boss is not just a great songwriter but also capable of writing a beautiful memoir. I particularly loved his self-deprecating humour and the way he managed to describe the relationship with his wife in a very loving way without giving up too much privacy. A must-read for fans (and a nice prompt for digging up all the old albums!)

[kygal]

Oh yes Kate! I have it but haven't read it yet. I have E Street radio in my car so I listened to hours of Bruce while traveling. It had some of the audio version (in his voice) of the book. I am very behind in my reading but he should be a priority for me..lol. Thanks for the review. The title is my favorite song. The only song he does in EVERY concert.

[kissmekate]

The title song is one of my favourites, too. He explains in detail how the song was conceived, very interesting!

Enjoy, once you get around to reading it!

[kygal]

I am looking forward to it!