Books you've read in 2020

Ooh I nearly bought WHAT BELONGS TO YOU with my BOOK TOKEN but then I thought it looked at bit too SMUTTY for my DELICATE SENSIBILITIES
 
Mats said:
you know what, I want to read some more Mann this year. got my eye on Buddenbrooks
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‘Tristan’ is particularly fantastic. I’ll fax you my award-winning (well, it got a First which is good enough for me) essay if you like. Goodness we’re so intellectual in this thread :disco:
 
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In the mood for a good VIRAL THRILLER given the current situation. It's great so far.
 
No interest to anyone else, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. The story of the 1932 Olympic 100m champion who accused her rival in 1936 of being a man, was then murdered in 1980 during a robbery, and on the autopsy table was discovered to be one herself!

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Anyone here read Middlesex? I do seem to remember it being discussed on Moopy years ago. Well this is my third attempt and I still can't get into it. I really hate giving up on books but on the other hand life is too short to keep trying when I have plenty of other unread books on my shelves!
 
Currently, I am reading Tess Of The D'urbervilles. I like reading novels than those empty theory books.
 
Suedey said:
Anyone here read Middlesex? I do seem to remember it being discussed on Moopy years ago. Well this is my third attempt and I still can't get into it. I really hate giving up on books but on the other hand life is too short to keep trying when I have plenty of other unread books on my shelves!
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No, but thanks for the warning.
 
Ooh maybe I spoke too soon as it's now getting better - I'm about a quarter of the way through.

I shall keep you posted !
 
jyxz said:
Thanks for the heads up - I didn’t realise there was a new book by Garth Greenwell
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It is GREAT. I can't decide if I like it more or less than WBTY. Maybe more as a collective piece? I don't know. But both are quite magical.
 
I think his style works better as short stories, WBTY left me wanting by the end. Cleanness was a lot more satisfying experience.
 
Phoenix said:
I think his style works better as short stories, WBTY left me wanting by the end. Cleanness was a lot more satisfying experience.
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It did feel a lot more complete, even though it was essentially a collection of relationships and hook ups. I loved WBTY but could understand the criticism that it worked better as a novella about Mitko. That said, some of the writing from the latter parts are really beautiful.
 
Suedey said:
Anyone here read Middlesex? I do seem to remember it being discussed on Moopy years ago. Well this is my third attempt and I still can't get into it. I really hate giving up on books but on the other hand life is too short to keep trying when I have plenty of other unread books on my shelves!
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I LOVE ‘Middlesex’. One of my favourite reads. It does seems to meander about a bit, but I promise it all comes together in the end.
 
I finished ‘Pine’ by Francine Toon this week, but it wasn't particularly good IMHO (despite the rave reviews).

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Think 'Cleanness' has just moved up to the list for me to read next.
 
jyxz said:
I LOVE ‘Middlesex’. One of my favourite reads. It does seems to meander about a bit, but I promise it all comes together in the end.
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I'm about a third of the way in now.. it's getting better but I'm still on the fence and my Goodreads rate won't be above 2/5 at the moment!
 
as promised to myself I've begun on Buddenbrooks and it's all I wanted it to be. THE DRAMA!
 
Shirley said:
Ooh I nearly bought WHAT BELONGS TO YOU with my BOOK TOKEN but then I thought it looked at bit too SMUTTY for my DELICATE SENSIBILITIES
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So I did buy this this morning along with three other ASSORTED BOOKS and the queen behind the counter started telling me WHAT A GOOD BOOK IT WAS and HOW MUCH HE ENJOYED IT. Honestly this is why I never go out

Oh I also BAGGED (a collection of) THE MUNROS so I shall be LOOKING FORWARD TO THEM
 
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This thread should be getting more popular really :disco:

Anyway, currently reading Bodily Harm by The Queen of Pop Margaret Atwood.

Which of these should I read next GANG:

The Luminaries?
Brick Lane?
The Essex Serpent?
Cat's Cradle?

Choices CHOICES

which reminds me, I forgot about March Book Club!
 
Short story collections read in the last two weeks:

The Empty Family - Colm Tóibín.

Being Various - selection of short stories by Irish writers from different backgrounds, mostly minorities.

Labels - Louis de Bernières

Now I'm half way through The South by Toíbín. I don't know if anything will ever compare to The Blackwater Lightship which might be my favourite book ever, but it's good, especially considering it was his first.

I'm also finally close to finishing Paula Meehan's Mysteries of the Home in my endless effort to read poetry more often.
 
I’m currently reading Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernière, but I’ve been so unfocused, a whole week went by with barely any reading.
 
I'm reading THIS which is possibly the most :disco: book ever written

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I’m currently reading Swimming In The Dark and it’s so achingly beautiful I’m having to ration it as I don’t want to read it too quickly.
 
I'm also hoping to pick up Andrea Corr's memoir while I can.

Heard good things.
 
Phoenix said:
let us know what you think, it sounds interesting but I always fear that these things end up being very westernized stories.
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I liked it a lot. A lot of the negative reviews are based on people who think they needed to read up on Iranian history to understand the story but really I think they're just a little simple minded because it's NOT that complicated and I'm not expert either.

I don't know if it's a definitive Iranian immigrant saga or anything but there is some beautiful writing and it really swells towards the revolution in the end. And it isn't particularly biased towards any side - there are dickheads, idealists and flawed fanatics on the Islamist, leftist and royalist(?) sides alike.

To me it dealt with the fusion of religions and cultures well, and it was quite clever in how it weaved perspectives of different characters throughout each chapter without really disrupting the narrative. There were a few lose ends that could have been tied up or maybe even cut but overall I liked it.

There is one very scathing review saying it isn't historically accurate enough and that there are some key errors in dates and whatnot but it IS a piece of fiction.

Those of you with a real knowledge of this might feel differently but give it a go. :)

Trying to decide what to read next. I've got Muriel Spark's The Girls of Slender Means beside me but we shall see.
 
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