Category: WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday is run by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m still reading J R R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. This is a book I’ve read several times over the years since the first time I read it, just after I left school (a long time ago). I am now well into Book 3, The Return of the King. I don’t remember this one as much as the first two books, maybe I haven’t read it before as many times as the other two. It really is an amazing book, such vivid descriptions of characters, places and events. I am reading this hardback book slowly, taking my time over it, just a small section each day – letting the story soak into my mind. I think I may have to spend more time reading it from now on – the action is really gripping me, although, of course, I know how it ends.

The other books I’m reading are The Island by Victoria Hislop and Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson.

The Island is set mainly on the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga – Greece’s former leper colony and is the story of Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. I’m reading a paperback edition, which means I’m not reading it in bed! I need more light to see the small typeface.

Shrines of Gaiety is to be published in September, so I’m reading a digital review copy from NetGalley. As with Atkinson’s Life After Life, I’ve found this a difficult book at the beginning and it took me until nearly 20% to get to know the characters. I nearly gave up a few times. But then I settled into the story and am nearing the end – now at 86%. I should finish it soon.

The last book I read is Nucleus by Rory Clements, historical fiction set in 1939 just before the start of the Second World War. I wrote about it in this post.

As always I haven’t quite decided what to read next. It could be Lion by Conn Iggulden, the first in a new series ‘The Golden Age’, set in Ancient Greece in the 5th century BC. It’s about the Athenian general and politician Pericles. 

But, then again when the time comes I could choose something completely different. I just don’t know.

Although this is a weekly meme I think I’ll take part once a month from now on.

WWW Wednesday is run by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m currently reading J R R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. This is a book I’ve read several times over the years since the first time I read it, just after I left school (a long time ago). I have finished Book 1, The Fellowship of the Ring and have nearly finished Book 2, The Two Towers. This time round I am struck by Tolkien’s world building and his powers of description of the characters and the locations, but most of all by Tolkien’s storytelling – superb. I am reading this hardback book slowly, taking my time over it, just a small section each day – letting the story soak into my mind.

The other book I’m reading is A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute, which is also a fantastic story. I’m reading this one quickly on my Kindle, so different from The Lord of the Rings, but although Shute’s style of writing in straight forward, almost plain language, is not at all like Tolkien’s he is also an excellent storyteller, bringing the characters to life. So far I am still in Malaya with Jean and her companions as they walk hundreds of miles around Malaya as prisoners of war of the Japanese.

I recently finished True Crime Story by Joseph Knox and wrote about it in this post. I didn’t enjoy it, as much as I had hoped, but after a confusing start it picked up at around the 50% mark. It’s a novel about a 19 year old university student who walked out of a party taking place in the shared accommodation where she had been living for three months and just disappeared. Seven years after her disappearance, struggling writer Evelyn Mitchell begins piecing together what really happened in 2011.

As always I haven’t decided what to read next. I have so many books I’d love to read, but until I’ve finished The Lord of the Rings and A Town Like Alice, I just don’t know which one it will be.

WWW Wednesday is run by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m currently reading David Cameron’s autobiography For the Record and making slow progress. It’s interesting reading his version of events. I’ve not got much to say about it yet, though as I’ve only just got up to the 2010 election.

The other book I’m reading is Daniel Defoe’s novel, A Journal of the Plague Year, a most depressing book about the truly terrible details of the Great Plague of London in 1665 – 1666 in which killed an estimated 100,000 people—almost a quarter of London’s population—in 18 months.

I recently finished reading The Searcher by Tana French, her latest book published on 5 November. I enjoyed it, although not as much as The Wych Elm. It has a leisurely pace that I wasn’t expecting, but I loved the characters and most of all Tana French’s beautifully descriptive writing. I’ll be writing more about it in a later post.

Next I’m thinking about reading some escapism, maybe the second book in the Rivers of London series Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch. I loved the first book – pure fantasy.

WWW Wednesday is run by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

 What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading:

• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell – nearing the end now.
• And Now for the Good News by Ruby Wax – not quite what I expected.
• For the Record by David Cameron – more interesting than I thought it would be.
• The Searcher by Tana French – just started and it’s looking good so far.

Recently finished – A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin, the latest Rebus book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Reading next: not sure as it will be some time before I finish my current books. I’m wondering if it will be 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro as a follow-up to Hamnet.

WWW Wednesday is run by Taking on a World of Words.

 What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m currently reading Wycliffe and How To Kill a Cat by W J Burley, one of my TBRs. It’s the second in the Wycliffe series, set in Cornwall.

Superintendent Wycliffe is on holiday, but popping into the local police station to see an old friend he hears that a woman has been found dead, probably murdered and he can’t resist offering to help. It’s immensely readable. The title puzzles me – I suspect that it’s not really about how to kill a cat – I hope not!

The last book I read was Still Life by Val McDermid, her latest Karen Pirie mystery. I’ll be writing more about this book. It combines a cold case investigation into a skeleton found in a campervan and a current investigation into the discovery of a body in the Firth of Forth. I loved it.

I see that ITV are adapting the first Karen Pirie book, The Distant Echo. Filming began in February this year, but I couldn’t find any other details – one to look out for.

I’d like to read several books next …

But at the moment I’m leaning towards reading the first book in the Inspector Lynley series, A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George. I’ve dipped into it and it looks good.

Blurb:

Fat, unlovely Roberta Teys is found beside her father’s headless corpse, wearing her best dress and with an axe in her lap. Her first words are: ‘I did it. And I am not sorry’ and she refuses to say more. Inspector Thomas Lynley and DS Barbara Havers are sent by Scotland Yard to solve this particularly gruesome murder. And as they navigate their way around a dark labyrinth of secret scandals and appalling crimes, they uncover a series of shocking revelations that shatter the façade of the peaceful Yorkshire village.