Hot Topic Book Reviews and Recommendations

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Betsy said:
I recommend the Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer. If you like psychological thrillers this is the one for you. It was my local Radio's book of the month and was on their book club. Well worth the read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also anything by Cecilia Ahern my fave author not been disappointed by anything she's written. Fifteen by Beverly Clearly I could read time and time again. The Laura Ingalls Wilder books are also a fave of mine. Harry Potter I could read again and again. I love Catherine Cookson novels.
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I've abandoned Michelle Obama and reverted to Harry Potter for "comfort reading". I've got all the Laura Ingalls Wilder, might go to those next.
 
Merab's Slave said:
I’ve been re-reading some of my favourite Anne McCaffrey books.
She wrote fantasy and they’re really good light reading.
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I've just rediscovered her too. People have been going on about Iain M. Banks as a sci-fi writer for years so I finally tracked one down and it's ok, quite fun but so obviously a boy's read - way too bloodthirsty, I've had to skip pages in a few places. So I'll stick with Anne McCaffrey! (Alternated with Harry Potter and Laura Ingalls Wilder of course 😂)
 
Lorcan said:
I genuinely love the books in general but the Death series is probably my favourite. They're definitely not morbid and the humour is definitely my thing. There's a reason Death is one of the best liked Discworld characters.
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I like Death too but I also like The Witches stories - Esme Weatherwax, Gytha Ogg and Magrat Garlick! Love Terry Pratchett books!
 
The book I am finding very useful at the most at the moment is The Complete Book of Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit by Matthew Biggs, Jekka McVicar and Bob Flowerdue. It's described as the definitive sourcebook for growing, harvesting and cooking. At the moment I am using it in the planting stage but every time I plant something I read it's whole section. From the cooking advice to see what I can do with the plant once it has produced it's useful bit to what medicinal use the plant has and a bit about it's history. This is a very useful and fascinating book at a time when growing your own is coming back into fashion.
 
Just finished Fingersmith by Sara Waters. The story didn't go as I thought it was going too, many surprising twists, it needed some concentration! An historical novel mainly set in London, which due to my family history journey I found fascinating. My paternal mother's side went from riches to rags during the early 1800's (just my luck it wasn't the other way). Thanks to 4x great uncle George and his gambling habit. I really enjoyed this novel.
 
I’ve bought one of Håkan Nesser’s books. I finished the one I was reading and the next in the series isn’t being released till next month. So something to bridge the gap!
 
Halloween coming
Recommend me you favorite horror or mystery books set in isolated locations or confined spaces.
I finished The Broken Girls by Simone St. James last week and enjoyed it even more than her most recent novel, The Sun Down Motel. It isn't exactly horror, but it is a ghost story and incredibly creepy.
 
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cowolter said:
Halloween coming
Recommend me you favorite horror or mystery books set in isolated locations or confined spaces.
I finished The Broken Girls by Simone St. James last week and enjoyed it even more than her most recent novel, The Sun Down Motel. It isn't exactly horror, but it is a ghost story and incredibly creepy.
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well the only one that has ever scared me, but this was a long time ago was Pet Cemetery ...by S.King.... :yikes: i don't read horror cos i get nightmares! but this thread has inspired me to get some reading done!
 
Hey yall - Thought I'd add on to this thread

For those who enjoy a more fantasy style books - check out the following:

  1. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (book two: A Wise Mans Fear)
  2. Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher
  3. Wheel of Times series (I'm in the first book and my partner says this is the best series ever)
 
Being a fan of crime fiction I'm enjoying reading the British Library Crime Classics.
They're re-releasing some of the forgotten books from the Golden Age of crime fiction - the inter-war years.
Most of them are a really good read.
 
I wondered about that one.
Will give it a go.
Recently discovered L J Ross - murder mysteries.. I’ve only read the first book “ Holy Island” so far but am looking forward to reading my way through the series
 
Merab's Slave said:
I wondered about that one.
Will give it a go.
Recently discovered L J Ross - murder mysteries.. I’ve only read the first book “ Holy Island” so far but am looking forward to reading my way through the series
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It's not the normal murder type books I read, I'm more of a Rebus or Mark Billingham, but it's light hearted and enjoyable, there are bits that make me think of people I know and can see the conversations which make me laugh, I'm pleased I tried it.
Not heard of L J Ross, may add that to my list.
 
Now I'm reading "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield, and I didn't expect that I liked this book. It's quite easy to read. If you like a twisted story you'll definitely like this one
 
@Her Nibship and I have just discovered a shared love for the books of C J Samson, Rory Clements and S J Parris so I thought rather than derail a different thread I should look out this one.
Any other fans of hefty historical fiction books out there?

Anything else people have been reading in this latest lockdown?
 
I love CJ Samson. I've not tried the other two but will make a note to look out for them. I've been re reading some Ann Cleeves recently as I ran out of un read books. I enjoy a good murder mystery.
 
Wheeksers said:
Hey yall - Thought I'd add on to this thread

For those who enjoy a more fantasy style books - check out the following:

  1. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (book two: A Wise Mans Fear)
  2. Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher
  3. Wheel of Times series (I'm in the first book and my partner says this is the best series ever)
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The Patrick Rothfuss books are very good but there's been such a big gap after book 2 that I'm wondering if he's given up on the trilogy.
The Wheel of Time is absolutely epic in it's scope! Masses of different groups & factions to keep track of & lots of strong female characters. It was a shame that Robert Jordan died before finishing the series (more of a shame for him & his family, obviously) but Brandon Sanderson did a good job of completing it. I've read the whole series 2 or 3 times and can feel it calling me again before too much longer!
 
Must look out for those. I haven’t come across them.
Life got a bit manic for a while so I started re-reading some of my favourite Terry Pratchett Disc World books - fun to read and easy on the brain.
 
Merab's Slave said:
Must look out for those. I haven’t come across them.
Life got a bit manic for a while so I started re-reading some of my favourite Terry Pratchett Disc World books - fun to read and easy on the brain.
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There's very few people I know that don't enjoy Discworld...although my mother is one of them lol. I've been reading a bit of Lee Child again recently (the Jack Reacher series, don't remember if I've mentioned them before). He's good, although I prefer the early ones.
 
Lorcan said:
There's very few people I know that don't enjoy Discworld...although my mother is one of them lol. I've been reading a bit of Lee Child again recently (the Jack Reacher series, don't remember if I've mentioned them before). He's good, although I prefer the early ones.
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I enjoyed Jack Reacher series, Lee Child did seem to go off a bit though didn't he. He wasn't someone I would have thought of reading but when my Dad died my Mum gave me his books, he must of had the first 8 or 9 of them. I carried on buying them whenever I saw a new one.
 
I think sometimes when an author becomes really popular they’re under pressure to write more and more books that they can either become repetitive or just lose track.
John Grisham went off a bit for a few books but seems to have recovered.
 
Merab's Slave said:
I think sometimes when an author becomes really popular they’re under pressure to write more and more books that they can either become repetitive or just lose track.
John Grisham went off a bit for a few books but seems to have recovered.
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Absolutely agree! Also they start to co write and I suspect they just put their name to it.
We had a debate about Daphne Du Marier and Winston Graham, their style of writing changed a lot and both have novels attributed to them that seem to have been written by someone else.
 
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