Just bought Endless Forms by Seirian Sumner after listening to her on the infinite monkey cage.
Halfway through "One More Croissant for the Road" by Felicity Cloake. She's apparently a foodie writer for the Guardian and a cyclist. It's about a tour round France to check the birthplace of famous dishes.
Quite nicely written, if a bit middle class, combining cycling and food.
I've previously read the follow up "Red Sauce Brown Sauce" which is about a tour round Britain investigating local breakfast traditions. Which was better than it sounds.
On recommendation from this forum I’m now on Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky 1 really enjoying reading about Portia(s) in particular at the moment
The Lovecraft files’ on BBC Sounds
I can only find the Lovecraft Investigations - is that it, or can you share a link? Have a long journey ahead.
Robin Knox Johnson - his book about being the first person to sail non-stop around the world solo. Tremendous. A little bit of sailing jargon to deal with (I'm not a sailor!) but not too much. Well worth a read. He went and did the same thing again in his late 60s. What a fella - the best of British!
Just finished The Trees by Percival Everett. Really intriguing and amusing but with a genuinely hard hitting message. Highly recommend giving it a go.
If anyone is a fan of horror and horror/comedy I’ve been working my way through the novels of Stephen Graham Jones and Grady Hendrix.
About two-thirds into East of Eden now. Sam has died and the story seems to have pivoted to Cal and Aron – I am not sure how this is going to pan out but I have enjoyed it thoroughly so far and I am looking forward to completing it shortly.
@jimmy - sorry yes that's the series. Starts off as a 'cold case mystery pod' and ends up... well I won't spoilt it but we loved it!
Currently reading Ten minutes and thirty eight seconds in this strange world by Elif Shafak
Only just started it so I'll let you know what I think when I finish it. Certainly very vivid and takes me far away from everyday life so that's good.
@gordimhor. ...it's a belter. I think she's a great writer.
@johndoh I read all the Steinbecks when I was in my 20s. It’s probably time to do them again. The Angry Raisins is a tough read though.
Just finished the second part of book four of Brandon Sandersons Rhythm of War. It's been a very good series so far. Not sure what my next one will be though
Anyway,interim book being read.
@redthunder love this area (orchards, salmon nets and little hillocks) so will find a copy of this.
Finished East of Eden yesterday. I liked it a lot, but it didn't beat Grapes of Wrath for either the core story nor the way he wrapped it up perfectly on the last page (it did have that great last sentence, but it just didn't hit the spot in the same way for me). It just felt like there were too many characters appearing at just the right time to help the story arc, likewise too many convenient events clicking into place just right. However, it did succeed in creating some fantastically-created characters (Kate, Cal, Lee and Abra especially).
For a bit of light relief, I have just started 'This is Going to Hurt' by Adam Kay. Given the gargantuan text size, and overall length of book, I think I'll have read it in about 3 hours.
Irvine Welsh "The Blade Artist". Haven't read him for a while, man, he's good at building tension. There's such an underlying threat in the words that sometimes the adrenaline is too high to get to sleep after reading it! Brilliant
Fiesta-The sun also rises, Hemingway. Really enjoyed it all, and I then travelled to the part of Spain it's set in and enjoyed it all again. He absolutely nails the description of the scenery and ambience. I reckon he'll go on to great things
Also been dipping into Battalion again, fabulous writing and incredibly sobering. It probably answered any questions about how or if I would have survived the second world war as a typical bloke in the ranks.
I've been reading some comfort trash stuff so I thought, I'll read something a bit trickier, looked through old stuff I'd not touched in ages and found the Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi. Spot on, I thought, I loved that. Started into it. No idea what's happening. Lots of words I don't understand. Who is this character? I feel like I'm missing every second page or maybe having a stroke or something. Got a few chapters in, gave up, thinking "I loved this before, I must have become stupid"
Oh, nope, I'd accidentally started on the third book in the series. So now I'm almost at the end of the actual Quantum Thief, and loving it, even if it's staying just barely on the right side of comprehensible.
The Joy Luck Club, because it was sitting there on the kindle. Surprisingly good, a series of vignettes so far (escaping the red army; learning to play chess; the mad Italian family next door) that I think will pull together.
My 10 yr old daughter really wants to read IT (the Stephen King one). Initially because she was told she couldn’t but then because she read a few pages and found the writing style engaging.
She’s losing interest in reading over the last year or two so I’m a bit torn. Whilst not wanting to expose her to several terror-ridden sleepiness nights I also think that reading should be a bit rebellious and it’s a fairly healthy place to find new exposures from.
“It” is like mot a step or two too far, but does anyone have any recommendations for something a tad more suitable but in a similar vein? (Or any thoughts on just letting her crack on?!?)
Depends on the child - Stephen King stuff is generally more mentally scary than gory and explicit. I was reading his stuff aged about 12 IIRC. I have two 14 yr old girls - one would be terrified, the other might quite like it. We also foster a 13 yr old - he’d love it (and has seen the films, along with many other similar films from a very early age).
I guess that you have to let her try but be prepared for sleepless nights.
It’s not the gory stuff I’m worried about - she found that and read some aloud in the library in front of the librarian. Out of context it’s quite cartoonish so not a problem. It’s the mental / psychological stuff that’s more of a concern.
“It” is one of the Stephen Kings I’ve not read - a quick google now makes me think this isn’t the one to start with. Aside from it being about attracting and attacking children, there are also some pretty graphic rape / child sex scenes.
Maybe some of the other ones though. Suddenly Pet Semetery seems like a (relatively) safe bet.
mashr
Full Member
On recommendation from this forum I’m now on Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky 1 really enjoying reading about Portia(s) in particular at the moment
I read that a few weeks ago, also on a recommendation from here. Really enjoyed it, it's an interesting take on alternatives to humans being the dominant species.
After that I read the last book in The Expanse series, the whole series is excellent.
Then I went in a different direction and read The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer. If you're not a fan of Bob already, it might not suit you, the humour is very understated and often wildly surreal. It's a story of gritty South London crime drama, but less gritty and more melancholy. More squirrel action than you'd expect. Recommended if you're after a light-hearted easy read.
I'm now reading Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, also from a recommendation on this thread. Early days but enjoying it so far.
Re "It" I'd skip ahead to whatever chapter it is that has the underage group sex scene in the sewer, read it yourself and see how you feel, and then make a call based on that. People react to it pretty differently
Just finished the Cicero trilogy by Robert Harris, didn't realise that the Roman Empire was fighting each other as well as invading all and sundry.
Just started Funeral in Berlin, first Deighton book I've read in years, really enjoying it.
“It” is like mot a step or two too far, but does anyone have any recommendations for something a tad more suitable but in a similar vein?
Coincidence, but my son (at uni) just decided he wants to start reading again (I think the phone screen was preferred for a while 🤨), so I got him a Stephen King - Different Seasons, great stories. He really liked it.
Children of Time (Adrian Tchaikovsky) was wonderful, it's one I have bought several times to send to friends. Intelligent sci-fi that gets you thinking and keeps coming back to you. He's a worryingly prolific author - I've tried some of his other books, but none has hit me like this one (recommendations?).
I enjoyed The Satsuma Complex (Bob Mortimer) as lightweight holiday entertainment, he writes beautifully but it might help that my internal voice talks with his accent anyway. I wasn't aching for more, though.
Two recent highlights:
Rome: A History in Seven Sackings (Matthew Kneale) which made me realise how utterly ignorant I am of European history. I got there via Robert Harris' Cicero trilogy. As well as being good to read, these both opened up new worlds of political and historical understanding for me - a bit like I'd gone to a posh school. Honestly, Brexit, SNP, Trump and Johnson and Kanye and Kardashian... they're all in there.
Surface Detail (Iain M. Banks) is as brilliant as he always is. (OK, was. Sadly.) Sends your brain in many directions, and I'm sure a lot of it went over my head, but magical all the way.
Has nobody mentioned "When we cease to understand the world" (Benjamin Labatut)? It's a raspberry ripple of physics/maths history/biography mixed with imagination, fabrication, creativity and inaccuracy. Not selling it, am I? It's the only book I have ever read where, after Chapter 1 (and a lie down) I had to read Chapter 1 again just to try to understand whether I had actually read that. Remarkable.
I'm currently reading Road of Bones (Fergal Keane) about the 1944 battle of Kohima, largely because I cycle past the Imphal barracks each morning I am aware of my ignorance. Horrible, and mad, so far.
there are also some pretty graphic rape / child sex scenes.
I don't recall that bit so, yeah, perhaps avoid.
Without remembering the detail of them (ie, if they include sex/rape stuff), these are my favourite SK books: Pet Cemetary, Misery, Cujo (and of course, IT).
Ceephay Queen, Book 8 of Joel Shepherds Spiral wars, sci-fi epic that keeps me coming back. Who doesn't like being manipulated by a ex-galaxy ruling AI Queen.
Stalingrad by Anton Beevor.
Before that Code by Charles Petzold.
I’ve just read the first book for a couple of years, don’t have the concentration these days. It’s Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, a story of deprivation, drugs but also human kindness. Set in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, 546 pages of small print - can you tell that I’m proud to have finished it? A good book for diverting your mind from the world.
Just finished the Cicero trilogy by Robert Harris, didn’t realise that the Roman Empire was fighting each other as well as invading all and sundry.
You're in for a treat, then, if you carry on down that path because there are tons of great books that deal with Roman in-fighting. The obvious place to continue would be I Claudius.
Without the awareness that the Romans spent a lot of time fighting each other, very little Roman history can make sense. Even Gladiator, the film, is based on that premise, but classically, 'Beware the Ides of March', 'Et tu, Brute', Cleopatra in a carpet, Nero fiddling while Rome burned, just off the top of my head.... Fascinating stuff. They were mad as a big box of frogs.
My 10 yr old daughter really wants to read IT
From memory the "sex scene" isn't really titillating or voyeuristic it's sort of mechanical, but whether your 10 year old understands the reasoning behind the scene is more IMO difficult to asses, and I think had the book been written now, it wouldn't be written the way it is. The book is not really for kids although everyone zeros in on those pages conveniently forgetting that a child has their arm torn off in pretty much the opening pages, there's some pretty abusive adult relationships, there's several pretty graphic murder scenes, and monster who offers a child oral sex...
I don't think the book's for 10 year olds really...
Just getting to the end of A short history of Europe by Simon Jenkins. Mostly as a way to get a concise summary of, er, European history. I think it's been done pretty well and has been an enjoyable read. Getting lined up is Defence of the realm but that's a bit of a beast (may take it on holiday) so will fill in with some lighter reading novels before (and alongside) it.
Finished 'This is Going to Hurt' yesterday - I quite enjoyed it for some light relief, but I can't help but think that some of the stories were bit 'embellished' shall I say? It read a bit like Adrian Mole for pace (not a surprise really, being a diary). However, he is very clearly very passionate about the NHS and it is clear that the system is very, very broken - and things have only got much worse since he experienced it for himself too.
So, back on to my usual subject now (the two World Wars) and re-reading 'Bomber Boys' by Patrick Bishop.
@Northwind The Quantum Thief trilogy was a great read but you're right some of the ideas in it boggled my poor mind.
Currently reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and it is really, really good.
When that's done I've got two waiting for me at home, both by Gabriel Garcia Marquez:
One Hundred Years of Solitude
and possibly over-reaching here in my ongoing attempts to learn Spanish, the Spanish language version of Love in the Time of Cholera
Never heard of him but was suggested as an influence on Louis de Bernierres, who is my favourite author to date.
Never heard of him but was suggested as an influence on Louis de Bernierres, who is my favourite author to date.
I love LdB, and met him years ago when he did a Dylan Thomas thing at a local theatre. I presented him with a slightly mouldy, limited issue copy of Captain Corelli to sign, and he was very tolerant of my muddled fanboy gushing! 😀
I really like LdeB but really struggle with GGM. Found his writing to be turgid.
Started into it. No idea what’s happening. Lots of words I don’t understand. Who is this character? I feel like I’m missing every second page or maybe having a stroke or something. Got a few chapters in, gave up, thinking “I loved this before, I must have become stupid”
Oh, nope, I’d accidentally started on the third book in the series. So now I’m almost at the end of the actual Quantum Thief, and loving it, even if it’s staying just barely on the right side of comprehensible.
Yeah, well, s’all quantum, innit.
Having read the first of Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ series many yonks ago, enjoyed it but never followed through with the next one, I thought I ought to start over, and bought the whole series as ebooks, and read them all right through. Absolutely love them, nice dry sense of humour, and well set in the various locations. Interesting way the manic is integrated into the everyday world.
Now I’m re-reading a book I bought when it was released in 1994, and which is set in 2031; ‘Heavy Weather’ by Bruce Stirling. I haven’t read it in years, but it’s description of society and climate collapse is scarily prescient and we’re staring right down the barrel of the situation he described as being in eight years time, 29 years ago. Things aren’t very fluffy.
The Eagle and the Lion - Goldsworthy ( Rome v Parthians and Sassanids) - basically 600 years of Empire rivalry and conflict. Up to the first clash as Carrhae 53bc - no spoilers - doesn't end well from Crassus and his roman Army.
Cloud cuckoo land by Anthony doerr. Really good tale spread over centuries with good characters. One of those reads that you don't really want to finish. Some detective fluff next as an interim read...
Sapiens
A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari
Finally got round to reading Dune in preparation for the second film being released (boo that it's been delayed until March!).
I'm halfway through and it's really good, very captivating and the world building is amazing. I always heard it was quite dense and a difficult read but it's not at all. The pace has been quick and the plot is super exciting and mysterious.
Unmasking Autism by Dr Devon Price.
Recommended.
Finished the first nine (!) Laundry Files by Charles Stross. Bit annoyed he's not completed the series (have to wait a couple of years), but started on the next series anyway. My wife and I rarely read the same books, but she's enjoyed these as well so thanks for the recommendation from way back up this thread.
Sapiens
A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari
I enjoyed this but not so much Home Deus the follow up.
I read one of the Laundry Files (your recommendation here) not for me, but I absolutely get why you like them 🙂
Homo Deus is definitely more than a bit iffy, it's a lot like the Germs Guns and Steel that came out a few years back, initially heralded as a great work until they get a bit more of a close read, and then folks realise that they're both actually just a bit half baked.
No Off Switch, Andy Kershaw's autobiography. Some holiday reading. Just started it but he seems to have led a pretty bonkers life. At the moment he's growing up in a small parochial world, but his restless ADHD character is about to be set free.
I read one of the Laundry Files (your recommendation here) not for me, but I absolutely get why you like them
It goes from very geeky to very lovecraftium(tm) in a few books. Definitely develops as a series. Probably first 2 books were the weakest. But yeah, my kind of thing and - later books especially - some great page-turning plots.
Oh, OK, I've read the first one, and it felt like a Rivers of London clone - although it's older I think, so maybe the other way around, I'll give it some more time. I do like Lovecraft
Interestingly I will start a book later that was written by my cousin (Unpublished but shortlisted for a literary fiction award) who I likely met over 50 years ago when we were both very young but have not spoken to since. We recently made contact over Twitter.
I'm on Virtual Light by William Gibson. Took some getting my head into his style after some of my recent reading, but about halfway through and really enjoying it.
If you've not read 'No Country For Old Men' and have a Kindle - currently 99p on Amazon.
( https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004FV4T8E)
River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana's Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon
Only just started it the other day but a good 50-60odd pages in already, loving it so far.
Oh, OK, I’ve read the first one, and it felt like a Rivers of London clone – although it’s older I think, so maybe the other way around, I’ll give it some more time. I do like Lovecraft
Yeah, the first Laundry book was published in 2004, the first Rivers book in 2011. I’ve read all of the Rivers books, and most of the Laundry ones, and I can’t say there’s that much similarity between them, the Laundry is 007 x Lovecraft, whereas Rivers is police <span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">procedural x urban magic, (see Kate Griffin’s Matthew Swift books).</span>
Finally finished Game of Thrones ... Bit disappointed it's not finished by the author, but I should of done my research. I suppose ChatGPT will have to finish it for George RR Martin.
Read a few books in between the torture.
Next up:
"Star of the Sea" by Joseph O'Conner.
and I can’t say there’s that much similarity between them
Man is co-opted (he doesn't want to be) into part of routine organisation, the civil service/cops, and finds himself dealing with the supernatural in a nudge nudge wink wink way that bits of govt in charge of them sort of know about but don't want to really be involved in and hold in some disdain for it's unruliness and the general public are utterly clueless about, and they get to save the world with it knowing about it at all. And he still has to deal with all the petty bullshit that goes on in those organisations for irony and minor laughs. The stories/plots start small and get increasingly world enveloping with a recurring cast of villains and allies.
They're pretty similar.
Victory City by Salman Rushdie. I picked it up to read while on holiday, I'm quite enjoying it so far.
Because I've never read it, I'm struggling through Wuthering Heights.
CHATGPT to the rescue 😉
https://liamswayne.github.io/index.html
Click here to read The Winds of Winter written entirely by AI
Click here to read A Dream of Spring (also written by AI)
Might do this by Audio 🙂
Read Seth Dickinson's second Baru Cormorant book on holiday - first one was exceptional but this one got a cooler reception, classic difficult second book for the author. Actually pretty good imho, author had issues with the manuscript getting too long so there are some technical problems with the narrative, but he still knows the story he wants to tell. Third one (Tyrant) is meant to be good and will read.
Reading Seiobo and below atm by Laszlo K. Series of interlinked short pieces, which on the face of it should be an easier read for an author who is relentless in their disregard of the full stop. Early days with it but each piece has been better than the last, so shaping up nicely.
FYI
Nice wee film doing the rounds ATM 😃
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7aDkmeg8pr0
Some garbage by Anne Rice... i'm 540 pages in and still not exactly sure what the plot is or why... i thought she was a bit of a master of horror... but basically she's a master of remmebering who's who in her list of 4000 characters who are all intertwined in some way.
Just about to finish Surface Detail (Iain M Banks), after working through them all again I've come to the conclusion that its his greatest Culture book. its got everything.
Mid way through Mary Shelly's Frankenstein as it was free, and there was a fair bit of press about it recently (anniversary of some kind?). Different from the films which, on reflection must just be inspired by it, and well worth a read.
Just about to finish Surface Detail (Iain M Banks), after working through them all again I’ve come to the conclusion that its his greatest Culture book. its got everything.
I loved that one! (I love all of them tbh) but yeah Surface Detail is great. It's got the best ship mind in it too - falling outside the normal moral constraints. That 'battle' scene is just too good.
Different from the films
Spoilers (not really) I think the thing that struck me most with Frankenstein was the the passages of him creating the monster are like " I worked on the creation and it came to life", none of the thunder, lightening, Igor the assistant "It lives!!" nonsense you get in the films. It's like the ending to Dracula, you get to the part where the scooby gang are chasing him back to his castle and the American basically just opens the coffin and shivs him. The whole death happens in about a sentence and a bit, maybe half a paragraph at best, it's like Stoker couldn't be arsed, and you read it and think "Wait; Is that it? Have you just killed off the world's greatest anti-hero in 20 words?"
I'm working through The Hollywood Kid at the moment, by Oscar Martinez and his brother. Basically an overview of how El Salvador's gangs developed, how embedded they are in society, and following the life and death of one particular gang member.
Also just picked up a copy of Jupiter's Travels for £1 - the memoirs of the first guy to motorbike around the world, apparently
Reading Seiobo and below atm by Laszlo K.
Superb book. Might reread this and Destruction & Sorrow Beneath the Heavens as I'm stuck for inspiration finding new stuff.
Also just picked up a copy of Jupiter’s Travels for £1 – the memoirs of the first guy to motorbike around the world, apparently
It's fantastic, a really wonderful snapshot of the world as it was. One of my favourite books.
I'm currently reading The Shadow Casket by Chris Wooding, part two of a traditional fantasy series. Enjoyed the first book very much and this is more of the same.
Just finished Whatever happened to the C86 Kids by Nige Tassell, if you are of a certain age of which I'm sure many on here are and you like indie music,then you'll enjoy this. Recommended 👍
Last few i've listened to, walking the dogs;
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
Mayflies - Andrew O'Hagan
Harrys Game - Gerald Seymour
Satsuma Complex - Bob Mortimer
Currently listening to Meantime by Frankie Boyle, all recommended.
Just finished Whatever happened to the C86 Kids by Nige Tassell, if you are of a certain age of which I’m sure many on here are and you like indie music,then you’ll enjoy this. Recommended 👍
Ah, you may be interested in Pandamonium! How (Not) to Run a Record Label by Simon Williams, which I'm half way through. I don't read much non- fiction, but I'm enjoying this immensely.
Very well written (and amusing) recollection of falling into running a record label, interspersed with a very honest counterpoint which I wasn't expecting and won't spoil.
Deathfire by Nick Kyme. Book 32 of the Games Workshops Hours Heresy series.
Its hard to pick books up at a reasonable price now as they’re out of print; the later books in the series are stupid money on eBay.
I’m also part way through the Eisenhorn series by GW; on the the Ravenor Omnibus, it’s a massive book.
I don't get upset when 'celebrities' die, but when Banks went I was gutted. He is, by a distance my favourite author. Stross and Gibson and Stephenson and Mcleod all have aspects, but none of them are Banks. None of them scratch that itch.
Anyways, I read the Joe Abercrombie age of madness trilogy which was decent enough. Some memorable characters in that.
There was a pseudo fantasy series I picked up from Stross' blog that I was going to reccomend but I am absolutely ****ed if I can remember the author or the titles. It involved one of those universes where magic is a commidty and a system and they exists in some vagule industrial type era with like a mayan/inca backdrop where there human souls involved and stuff. Gah. I have googled, but suffering major brain fail.
Also just picked up a copy of Jupiter’s Travels for £1 – the memoirs of the first guy to motorbike around the world, apparently
i got a copy for my birthday once, dont remember if i ever read it.
My round the world travels got kinda condensed into riding around
se asia on a dirtbike
Last book was Guy Martin's autobiography, an insight into the racing world and how i might feel about it,
and just started the Natural History of Badgers, as that is of concern to me,especially in these days of pseudo-science,scapegoating badgers and deifying the infected cattle as the govt pays for/encourages the genocide while turning a blind eye to foxhunting.
reintroducing beavers and pine martens is a great idea, like stopping the grey squirrels and other invasive pests,but why are (cash)cows so protected? they harbour and spread the disease, fart holes in the ozone layer,you need the digestive juices of a dog to break their meat into bits that humans can process efficiently, are mostly antibiotics,take up all the land that can be put to better use, widen the gap between the rich and the poor,etc. so 12% of americans eat 50% of the beef, doesnt that tell you something?
an interesting fact- westerners only developed the gene needed so they could eat cows milk 5000years ago-asians didnt- thats why they dont like dairy
tell me i'm wrong!
They’re pretty similar.
That can be said about an absolute shit-ton of books, when all’s said and done.
Anyway, finished Heavy Weather, now reading ‘Lost & Found’, by Elizabeth Garner, Alan Garner’s daughter. It’s a real book, and signed by the author, given to me by friends for my birthday. It’s a collection of old traditional folk tales.
Because I’m not prepared to take precious hardcover books out with me, I’m also reading ‘The Sisters Brothers’, by Patric DeWitt on my phone, it’s a western set in the early 1800’s, about two brothers who are contract killers. First time I’ve read it in absolutely ages, so I’ve forgotten most of the story. It’s pretty brutal.
you need the digestive juices of a dog to break their meat into bits that humans can process efficiently, are mostly antibiotics,take up all the land that can be put to better use, widen the gap between the rich and the poor,etc. so 12% of americans eat 50% of the beef, doesnt that tell you something?
an interesting fact- westerners only developed the gene needed so they could eat cows milk 5000years ago-asians didnt- thats why they dont like dairy
What they do in America is different to what we do here, and so what about western people developing a gene 5000 years ago, we here in the U.K. are different from those during the Neolithic 5000 years ago, when agrarian farmers started to immigrate from what is now Türkiye and the Mediterranean via France. And another little fact for you, us westerners have between 2-7% of Neanderthal DNA, which gives us certain advantages, but also brings with it certain disadvantages - Type II diabetes, Lupus and smoking addiction come from Neanderthal DNA. Eastern humans don’t have Neanderthal DNA, they have Denisovian, which may bring with it lactose intolerance, plus their agricultural practices are completely different, due to huge environmental factors.
Your point is, again?
Because I’ve never read it, I’m struggling through Wuthering Heights.
Please do let us know whether it was worth the struggle! I've considered reading it quite a few times, but have never quite decided whether I would end up satisfied at reading (what I imagine will be) a well-crafted story, or if I'd just end up feeling worn out!
Started Ben MacKintyre - Operation Mincemeat.
Just finished my Brother's books about being a new, young teacher in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1980's: 'All Teachers Great and Small', 'All Teachers Wise and Wonderful' and 'All Teachers Bright and Beautiful'. Cheery, humorous and easy to read (especially after all the spy novels I've been ploughing through).