Geraldine > Recent Status Updates

I have what I have termed 'an embarrassing over-abundance' of unread books on my Kindle.

So I am reading them all, all at the same time - just about the first 5% of most books. Fascinating to see contrasts and similarities.

I've also got a list of nearly 50 books "The Little Book of..."; "30-Second SUBJECT"; "The SUBJECT Book" & others deliberately written in bleeding chunks, & I read a chunk of 3 or 4 a day.

I'm struggling with this and don't really like it, but as it's such a short a book I shall persevere in the hope of an upturn

I'm putting this on hold for three months. It's proper brill, but emotionally very hard going. I want to tackle the second half with a fresh feeling

I've reached page 631, having struggled through the chapter on Palestine, a short book in itself. Extremely well-written and polemic, righteous anger, and harrowing - and not really history, but current affairs, sadly

This is an absorbing, thoughtful, thought provoking book. I'm a quarter of the way through; only 850 pages to go!

This is obligatory reading if you grew up where I did. I tried reading it in both Primary & Secondary School, but abandoned it. Third attempt, do or die, in a ditch, whatever.

This is an extraordinarily long book, so I shall read it over a long period of time, concurrent with many others

Utterly shocked to find that this collection of short stories included one that was nothing more than a masturbatory fantasy of a man sexually assaulting a woman and ejaculating. All dressed up to be a fancy thing set in Cambridge University but actually just a violent porn story emanating from Rape Culture.

Interesting and well researched but not very well written. In strictly chronological order, it jumps about from anecdote to anecdote without any sort of narrative thread, and I lose track of who is who.

Found this book because the writer is the brother of a former colleague of mine - so far I'm finding it a very good read and feel that my slight connection to the writer is immaterial.

I read several in this series in quick succession a couple of years ago, but decided that really isn't the right way (For Me!) to read a series. In any case, this was published after my binge session.

I read this - indeed, the entire Raj Quartet - after my A -Levels. I speed read it and so don't remember so much. I'd also like to see the TV series again. I'm re-reading this with - hopefully - the benefit of maturity, and at a more leisurely pace.

I'm 'stuck' with trying to read this, having bought it for somewhat more than 99p, and leaving it too late to return it as Abandoned.

But the first 3 of 8 stories have left me thinking 'And?...so what, what's the point, something's missing'

Literary fiction. Pretty, whimsical writing but very little story!

I'm about halfway through a book which isn't very good but is readable and born from a very good idea and carries some good insights plus some rather crass observations.

This has already earned itself an extra half star by mentioning Sale Library! Along with its branch Coppice Avenue, this was my spiritual home in my teens!

The GR entry suggests I'm reading the paperback; I'm not. I'm reading the Kindle version which is coupled with its sequel.

So, I'm a third of the way through & have just realised this is second in a series and I haven't read the first.

Ah well, never mind

Interesting and boring at the same time

I fell in love with the TV series, and have finally randomly selected the first book to read. Actually even better than the TV!

Author shares my surname; book is set partly in Streatham/Brixton, my manor. Some silly mistakes (Costa in Brixton in 2003? I think not!), but I've flown through the first part & it's shaping up nicely.

Real Life Distractions get in the way of Reading... (not fair!). I failed last year's Reading Challenge , but I don't see it as 'failure'.

As well as having one fiction & one non-fiction on the go, I'm dipping into Poetry & Women's biography, & critically reading 'Bible in One Year'. Dear me, boring, mainly nonsense, &, often contradicts itself.

I hope to read much more in 2018. So many books, so little time!

Started this last night...well, wee sma', & it grabbed me immediately for its location - the mysterious Dungeness, which I have visited twice in the past year. The excellence of the writing & my curiosity about the characters kept me hooked.

This is definitely a worthwhile of necessarily lengthy tome. Not perfect, but given the breadth of his sweep, it's inevitable that any reader will find passages less interesting than others.

This currently ranks as the best history book I have ever read. Very readable and non-scholarly - I'd widely recommend it to all and sundry.