The Mock Turtle

Ella77 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 9:55 pm The School For Good Mothers has broken me .

Oh God, am I going to have to pay for everyone's therapy? Sorry.

It was very good, thanks for recommending it.

I've just finished it and found it really harrowing.

Flora Poste wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 4:32 pm I've just finished Cover Her Face, the first of the Adam Dalgleish novels which, for some reason, I've never read before.

I have just started this! I am also going to skip The School for Good Mothers for the moment, as I don't need harrowing. I was nearly emotionally destroyed by an episode of His Dark Materials last night, I don't need anymore trauma.

I read Dorothy Sayers 'Whose Body' over Christmas, which was nicely written but a bit bleak and the Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin, which was a joy and delightfully silly in places.

I am looking forward to the new Jane Harper in February.

I’ve finished The City We Became finally, so at least I’ve got one on my list for 2023. I also discovered the second book was only published in November last year so I’ve now got that and will probably start that today.

I'm glad that Ella enjoyed it and am sorry for Ken's trauma. It's just such an excellent concept for a book, I think. So clever and so believable.

I’m currently reading another Andrey Kurkov - Death and the Penguin.

I need to put it to one side though and start on Marzahn, Mon Armour for the next book club. Somebody just posted to say she can’t read any more and doesn’t want to discuss it “due to the chiropody angle”, so I’m intrigued.

I’m also listening to The Editor’s Wife by Clare Chambers.

Don't be sorry, it's probably just not the best time for me to read it. It is good and I found it very hard to put down!

I have joined the ranks of those reading the School for Good Mothers. Do I need to find myself a therapist for when I've finished?

I've just finished The Vegetarian - Han Kang. I have no idea what to make of it. I think it was completely lost on me as I didn't understand the culture and thought the characters were all hateful. It was a mercifully short read

Turtle Bean wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 1:26 pm I loved Life After Life. I read it on holiday in Majorca and my mum and my MIL wouldn't leave me in peace to read. I read the last couple of chapters stood with my feet in the sea on a sunny beach, just to get some quiet.

This has made me hoot. I'm drawing to a close with it and I'm slowing down purposefully. I just love Ursula. I'll do A God In Ruins next.

I loved that almost as much.

Oh yay! 2023 starting off strong.

I finished The School for Good Mothers. Grim!

If it were real, aye. But I thought it was a brilliant premise. Anyway, let me know if you have nightmares tonight and I'll pay for the therapy in 2023.

I finished and loved Klara and the Sun and have started Wolf Hall and Talking with Psychopaths and Savages.

lazzbo wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 11:08 pm If it were real, aye. But I thought it was a brilliant premise. Anyway, let me know if you have nightmares tonight and I'll pay for the therapy in 2023.

The invoice is in the post

It was a great concept, I just found it a bit relentless. I enjoyed thinking of ways to torture her ex husband though

I have finished The City We Became (second part of the duology), which was an entertaining enough read. If you like big cities or New York(and sci-fi) there might be something in it for you.

I’ve got a new library rental - The Light from Uncommon Stars. I also bought the Empress of Salt and Fortune so I have a couple of things to read during upcoming flights/airport waits.

I’ve just finished School for Good Mothers and agree with Sal - it was relentless. I think it would have been a much better book if there had been some nuance in the authorities and the system - I found the stress and basic unfairness of the whole process too much (and therefore unbelievable).

Good concept, but she’s no Atwood or Ishiguro (and I think it was better written than a lot of stuff so it wasn’t badly written!)

I hear you both on the relentlessness, it's true.