Wednesday 20 July 2011

Tell Us What You're Reading - July

Due to all the rain we've been having in Normandy during the past couple of weeks I've been doing quite a bit of reading indoors, with a hot cup of tea never far away.
Here are some I've enjoyed.

She Flew The Coop by Michael Lee West.
This is the second MLW book that I've read this year and like Crazy Ladies I did enjoy it.
Subtitled "A Novel Concerning Life, Death, Sex and Recipes in Limoges, Louisiana" SFTC certainly lives up to the title.
It was a good read and thinking about the characters afterwards I realised that almost all the "she" characters did indeed fly the coop, one way or another.
Whether or not they were forced to by an unfaithful husband -Vangie; an unwanted pregnancy - Vangie's daughter Olive; widowhood -  Edith; or a need for a better life - Dee Dee and her young daughter, Billie, both born on the wrong side of the tracks.
If you haven't already read SFTC I would recommend it.

Douglas Kennedy is an author that I like.
I enjoyed reading A Special Relationship and The Pursuit of Happiness some years ago and so looked forward to reading The Big Picture.
It was a good read, possibly not as good as the previous ones but definitely worth spending a rainy, or sunny for that matter, afternoon or two on.
It's a cautionary tale about being careful what you wish for.
Josh is a stressed out dissatisfied New York lawyer, husband and father, who's dream was to be a photographer, reporting wars and major world events, but who settled for a safe, predictable and comfortable life.
A random act of violence rapidly turns his world up side down and he has to leave everything behind, take on a new identity and disappear.
The ironic thing is that this new identity brings him the longed for photographic career and fame that he always craved, the question then is will he be able to keep it?
The story moves along quickly and kept me entertained until the end, would recommend this one too.

Trunk Music by Michael Connelly is a Hollywood Detective Harry Bosch novel, a bit of light reading.
If you're a fan of the genre (which I am, now and again) this continuation of the Harry Bosch story is worth a read.

Room by Emma Donoghue was passed on to me by my sister who enjoyed it very much.
I had my reservations at first but persevered.
I'm so glad that I did because Room is one of the best books I've read this year.
I'm not saying anything more, except READ it!

Currently, I'm halfway through The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory the story of Lady Margaret Beaufort.
No one writes historical novels better than PG.
I have already read The White Queen (Elizabeth Woodville) and I am enjoying reading the Lancaster version of the conflict between the Lancaster, York and Tudor families.

Click here for more good book recommendations.

8 comments:

bonnieboatwright@gmail.com said...

Hi! Thank you for linking up to our "What We're Reading" post! In looking at your Books I've Read this Year list I see that we have quite a few in common. I had not heard of the Michael Connelly series before but will definitely take a look because it sounds like a series I would enjoy. Have a great week!

LindyLouMac said...

I have linked up as well this month so just calling by the other participants now. You have been busy, both Douglas Kennedy and Philippa Gregory are authors that I enjoy as well. Thanks to your comments about Room I shall also be moving it title higher up MT TBR.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I like some of the same authors, too and will add some of these books to my reading list! Thanks! ♥

Ricki Treleaven said...

I have read Room (it was a book club selection) and I thought it was amazingly written, especially considering the POV! The Red Queen is on my TBR list, and I love Philippa Gregory's books, too. Thanks for linking up! :D

Barbara said...

Didn't even know you had this blog, Maggie. What a cute background. When I was making a little side blog, I was looking for something like this and blogger didn't offer it. Where did you find it?
I have Room...am wary about starting it, but everyone tells me they loved it. I just added a bunch to my Kindle for our vacation next month. Will look into Red Queen. It wasn't on my list.

RobinfromCA said...

I found you because you visited me at Miscellaneous Thoughts and BTW, yes! You are more than welcome to pull a chair up next to me on the beach with your book! What a fun book blog! I have had such a busy summer I've not been able to do much reading and am so jealous of your list! Three sets of houseguests and three weddings in August will prevent much but I am challenged to get at least some reading in! Wish me luck!!

Micupoftea said...

I love reading too...always have a book going, but usually only read before bed so I don't go through as many as you do...what a treat and pleasure to read on a rainy day with tea by your side. I have the custom of rereading old favorites during the summer, so I am currently reading The Hobbit. :)
You recommend The Room, eh? I tend to like historical fiction~

Anonymous said...

I read Room recently too and thought it was fabulous. Parts were so creepy, but there were a lot of loving, wonderful parts too. I was really glad I read it and ended up convincing my book club to add it to their schedule. As for me, I just finished The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom by Amy Chua. I enjoyed that... definitely made me think more about some of my parenting style. Right now, I'm reading War by Sebastian Junger about the war in Afghanistan. He was embedded in the Battle Company my cousin was in.