Tuesday 1 March 2016

In January and February auntie read....

I used to read at least 3 a week, never watched telly and went to bed alone at 9 every night, I had time. Now I have an iPad, the internets especially my new found Instagram obsession and a husband. I am missing the books, I am aiming for 1 a week. 

Amazon has probably my most favourite book of all for 99p so please buy Maggie O'Farrell - After you'd gone. That is my random act of kindness for today. You're welcome.

In January and February, your auntie read...

TThe Sunrise by Victoria Hislop
Set in Cyprus during the troubles of the 1974 war this tells the story of a fancy hotel and the staff. Working together are Greek Cypriots and some Turkish Cypriots, you see both sides of the story.If you like to learn something as well as enjoy the story, this is the book for you, the older I get the more I like things to be worthy!  I would say this would be a great holiday read. It's very easy to read and I did enjoy it, Tolstoy it's not but frankly with dry January, the 5-2 diet and my Christmas overspend, I needed all the comfort on offer to me.

Shoot the damn dog - Sally Brampton
I am fortunate in that where I have had low periods and stressful times in my life, I haven't been depressed, I might have been up to 90 and have had moments of high anxiety but I haven't felt like it wouldn't get better. I have friends and a family member really struggling with this at the moment so had hoped it would help me if not to help them at least to be able to not say anything daft. 

The Skeleton Road - Val McDermid
Usually like her but this one was hard going at times, not a Tony Hill/Carol Jordan but you could guess who had did it a fair bit before the end, it's fine so.

When God was a rabbit - Sarah Winston 
Unlike everyone else I missed it first time around, started well but my interest petered out about half way through, it was ok, I know I should be in the literary supplement with pithy wit like this.

Splinter the silence - Val McDermid
I did like this one. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan back together and setting up a new crime squad, someone is murdering outspoken women but making it look like they have committed suicide but Tony and Carol put an end to that malarkey.

How to build a girl - Caitlin Moran , if you've read how to be a woman, don't bother with this, save yourself the time. I loved Moranthology so everything I read after this is a bit of a letdown, I expect she's fretting now she's got my opinion, I shall have to avoid her at parties.

Little lies - Liane Moriarity
I liked this, small town suburban Australia and the petty politics of the school gate with a deeper undercurrent.

Tune in again at the end of April and please do recommend your favourites to me, I love a good book.






9 comments:

Gigi said...

Seems like I've read Liane Moriarity before and liked whatever it was I read. I haven't any new favorites to offer up though. I love to read, but lately it seems like I've been reading the same book forever...and I can't even tell you what the title is without getting up to go look at it or tell you what it is about. Hmmm....I'm thinking I need to give up on this book and find another one...maybe one of these that you've mentioned.

London City (mum) said...

Stasiland - Anna Funder. I must have recommended this book to everyone by now, but the Kevinettes really enjoyed it a few years back and I still remember it vividly. Amazing insight to East Germany, the Berlin wall and the Stasi mentality.
And then you should watch the film 'The Lives of Others' - it all fits together very neatly and possibly makes you realise how fortunate we are to live in a democracy (regardless of the various nutters doing the daily rounds).

LCM x

auntiegwen said...

Gigi - life is too short to read bad books :)

LCM - I shall most definitely give that a go, we have recently been to Riga and the KGB and Stasi influence there is chilling, himself and I were saying how we had won the lottery in life being born where we were. Also we are off to Berlin next week! how timely, thank you my dear xx

Mac n' Janet said...

I like Val McDermott and I'm slowly working my way through her books. Some I like better than others, but all in all she's pretty good. Really like Liane Morality, my favorite is What Alice Forgot.
Haven't been to Berlin since Germany was reunited. We went on the troop train from Frankfurt--that was the only way we allowed to go because my husband had a top secret clearance-- and it was spooky. We had to surrender our passports and East German soldiers patrolled the corridors and we weren't allowed out of our compartments.
Berlin was incredible, the Wall very disturbing and the food heavy and delicious.

auntiegwen said...

M&J - Val McDermid is great, if you like Scottish crime try Denise Mina set in Glasgow and also Stuart McBride set in Aberdeen, I guess everyone knows Ian rankin but he's Eduinburgh
I read What Alice Forgot, I really enjoyed that one, have you read Diane Chamberlin? you might enjoy her if you like Liane
I am v excited about Berlin, like yourself everyone who's been says its incredible.

libby said...

You are so good at sticking with books still.....I have a pile of them next to the bed and
never seem to get around to the reading! Berlin is fab....big....full of history.... some wonderful stuff to see....and a great sculpture by one of my favourite artists Kathe Kollwitz..there is a lovely little museum of her work and her mother and son sculpture by the brandenburg gate (I think) is so good. And of course there is dark dunkel beer! Have fun...see you both soon hopefully..xxx

auntiegwen said...

Libs - will look out for that , I am sure Andrew will sample the beer in the interests of research of course, yes yes to seeing you soon xxxx

Trish said...

I haven't read any of these but might give The Sunrise a go as I enjoyed The Thread by her - easy reading but a bit of interesting history thrown in ( I agree, I like a bit of worthiness in a read now!)

I've been reading I Let You Go by blogger turned worldwide best-selling author, Clare Mackintosh - cracking thriller. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (translated from Swedish and a really quirky heartwarming read)

My worthy book at the moment (requiring a dictionary nearby) is The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat) by neurologist OLiver Sacks who died recently. Fascinating stories about people with unusual neurological disorders.

auntiegwen said...

Ooh Trish - I have read all of those, the Oliver Sachs is very interesting to me working in neurology, we have very similar taste