Explore York Reading Group discussion

I feel a bit late to the party on this one. I gave it to my Mum for Christmas and it has found its way back to me. I grew up very close to Chapel St Leonards, so the descriptions of the land/seascape at the beginning are very evocative of my own childhood summers. I feel like I need to disappear in it for a bit.

I've just finished The Witchfinders Sister. Meh. I'm not convinced. The heroine has all our modern takes on everything (i.e. witch hunts were based on misogyny and fear and not god's will), without any context for how she would have come to these ideas in opposition to everyone else around her with no education or role models influencing her views. I feel that way about historical fiction sometimes. Probably just me. I mean I guess it's *possible* that some people have original thoughts from time to time, but given that I'm not prone to thinking myself I just find it unlikely!

I have just finished Henry Porter's Brandenburg. It is the third of his books that I have read. It was my least favourite of these as I didn't take to the characters at first. However it was an interesting history of the fall of the Berlin wall and insight into East Germany, which I have to admit to knowing little about. Good author for those who enjoy a spy novel and there is a bit of romance thrown in. I will look for more by the author.

I've been working through Shari Lapena books, always like to read a murder mystery. Just finished 'Someone we know' and so far have a 2 out of 3 detection of culprit rate of her books.

I’ve just finished Square Haunting by Francesca Wade, and am now about to start Hadley Freeman’s “House of Glass” - so excited!

I’ve just started The Binding by Bridget Collins. So far so good!!

I have just finished Baghdad Central by Elliott Colla from 2014. I think it’s a great contemporary book wrapped up in a crime novel in order to make it palatable to people like me. I would love to discuss it with someone else who has read it and maybe understands it better than me.

Frances wrote: "I have just finished Henry Porter's Brandenburg. It is the third of his books that I have read. It was my least favourite of these as I didn't take to the characters at first. However it was an int..."

Characters are so important, it really is make or break for some books!

Sarah wrote: "I’ve just started The Binding by Bridget Collins. So far so good!!"

That is a book that has been flying off the shelves, there has been lots of good reviews!

I'm now reading 'The Offing' by Benjamin Myers. I heard part of it on BBC Radio4 read by Kevin Whateley and it was wonderful to get lost in the countryside in summer days and the story of a young boy, Robert, from a mining family who comes upon a middle-aged woman's cottage. It's the mid 1940s and Dulcie, the woman, lives near Robin Hood's Bay. Robert narrates it in the first person and I still hear it in my head in Kevin's voice. I asked R4 if they could repeat it but they haven't yet and I wanted to read it in print anyway. It's a poetic book that seems to be like Marmite to some. Most people reviewing it loved it but the occasional one sees its prose as pretentious but I don't think I've read such good descriptions of the countryside since I read Thomas Hardy. (I think Myers sometimes, quite rarely, gets it wrong and it can be a little clunky in some places.) In conclusion, it's a particularly good book to escape into, with the world crisis going on, at present.

I don't know what to read all my books seem to be crime/ thriller and I need something a bit more light-hearted

Yes, we all need some ideas for books to escape into that have happy endings. Any ideas librarians?
I did like 'The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra' in the Baby Ganesh (elephant) series about an Indian detective, written by Vaseem Khan. The Vish Puri detective novels, again set in India, by Tarquin Hall are light and amusing too. I came across 'The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken', which is No. 3 in his series, and then tried the others. I suppose both authors are in the cosy crime genre like Alexander McCall Smith and 'The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency'.

Hi Anne. I like cosy crime too. I have enjoyed Julia Chapman's Dales Detective Agency and Anne Cleeves has done a couple of series. If you like historical series some authors to try are Carola Dunn, Frances Brody, Nicols Upson, Rhys Bowen and Kerry Greenwood. Sure there are lots more but these come to mind immediately.

Thank you @Frances . I have only read Anne Cleeves so this list of authors who are new to me will be very helpful. Thanks a lot.

Laura wrote: "I don't know what to read all my books seem to be crime/ thriller and I need something a bit more light-hearted"

I usually have to read a good light hearted book after crime or sci-fi! Try something by Jenny Colgan or Trisha Ashley, they are proper light hearted, usually romance but generally quite funny, very easy reads! And normally set somewhere lovely! - Kelly

Lyndsey Davis Falco series and Janet Evanovich series are crime but have humour in them. Ben Aaronovich too if you dont mind fantasy and crime.

The Night of the Mi'raj by Zoë Ferraris
I’m re-reading this novel because Ferraris’s three books helped me get through the pandemic. York Explore, our library service, made lucky dip bags which we could collect during lockdown and Ferraris’s City of Veils was one of the books in my bag. I am forever grateful to them for introducing me to this series. They’re just so interesting: it’s like visiting Saudi when none of us could go anywhere. Saudi Arabia is not a place I wish to visit but I’d like to know more about it and these books transport us into its culture in a most fascinating way.

I have finally got round to reading Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club. I am enjoying the characters and the numerous intertwined story lines. There are both smiles and sad bits and looking forward to seeing the outcome.

Frances wrote: "I have finally got round to reading Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club. I am enjoying the characters and the numerous intertwined story lines. There are both smiles and sad bits and looking forwa..."

Interesting. I'll have to have a look at it.

I don’t often read a book which I feel I need to discuss with a group but I started ‘No honour’ by @awaiskhan and some of the cultural activities of life in Pakistan confuse me. I wonder if there’s an online book group who would be prepared to read it and discuss it.