On Your Bookshelf

[purple_dress]

It's so good, isn't it?

I finished The Queen of Hearts, which was a good story of friendship and betrayal. I'm now reading Three Women which is very well written and engaging but also very sad.

[Pippedydeadeye]

I found Three Women incredibly sad and a touch too voyeuristic.

[Ella77]

I stopped reading it when I was still on the free sample because of the voyeuristic feel, so I'm glad it's not just me.


Dic, I took a bit of a break after Crawdads too .

[purple_dress]

I listened to a podcast with the author and it does sound like she went to great pains to tell their stories from their perspectives. I see what you mean though.

[Lily]

The Cazalet chronicles are just beautiful. I read one of them when I was quite young and there's a line which has stuck with me ever since: "At night she slept holding her own hand, pretending it was his." Elizabeth Jane Howard's other books are v good too, especially Odd Girl Out and Falling. Randomly, I found out I know her nephew and he lent me a book of her ghost stories; unfortunately that wasn't as good as her novels.

I am awash with Tana French at the moment; I just finished The Likeness and jumped straight into The Secret Place. Her language is just so *lush*.

I felt a bit uncomfortable after Three Women too. It was a bit too raw for me.

[Ella77]

Commencement (J. Courtney Sullivan) was really good. It tells the stories of four girls who meet at a women’s college (Smith) in the late 90s. It’s a little like Prep in a way.

[Elya]

Thanks for your post, Ella, there are lots of things on it that I haven’t read, including the cazelets.

I’m finally reading Heartburn by Nora Ephron and loving it. I had a lovely browse in Foyle’s yesterday but only bought that and the new Erin Morgenstern book.

[Marth]

I'm reading Samantha's Irby's book of essays: We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.

I am truly loving it, and have already ordered her most recent book.

[purple_dress]

I really wasn't keen on Wow, No Thank You. I'll be interested to hear what you think. I did find a lot of it quite interesting but she really made me cringe too much at her total lack of boundaries.

I finished Three Women and I wouldn't say I enjoyed it but I thought it was amazing. I found it very moving.

[Penny Century]

I’m finally reading Heartburn by Nora Ephron and loving it.

Thank you for the reminder, I've been meaning to read this for a while!

[Kenickie]

I've read a couple of Kate Eberlen books recently which are very good for non taxing but not inane reads.

[Annabella]

I had burned through a couple of crime thrillers
Mark Billingham - Their Little Secret
Gytha Lodge - She lies in wait
Both good reads of their genre

[Bat Macdui]

I had to read a succession of paint by numbers crime books after Crawdads, for recovery space. It's going to finish Digs off if she reads it this year.

Has anyone read Mary Beard's SPQR? Is is easy enough to read? I quite fancy it but I like my popular, accessible non-fiction to be popular and accessible. I mean, I'm not thick, but I am NOT GOOD with academic language. I only found out last week that hegemony is pronounced with a hard g.

[Flora Poste]

Has anyone read Mary Beard's SPQR? Is is easy enough to read? I quite fancy it but I like my popular, accessible non-fiction to be popular and accessible. I mean, I'm not thick, but I am NOT GOOD with academic language. I only found out last week that hegemony is pronounced with a hard g.

I have! I found it relatively accessible in the way that all her writing is, but to be honest, I thought it was a bit long and quite dull. I really enjoyed her Women and Power manifesto though, and she published a book of short essays a few years ago that I thought was really interesting and very accessible.

ETA: the essay collection is called Confronting the Classics.

[Smunder Woman]

I only found out last week that hegemony is pronounced with a hard g.

I only found out now So many words that I've only ever read and not heard aloud.

[Bat Macdui]

I still don't think I'm confident enough to say it, either.

Thanks, Flora. Not quite the fun canter through things Roman I was hoping for, then. I've read Women and Power, I will probably try the essays instead.

[Lily]

I only found out last week that hegemony is pronounced with a hard g.

I only found out now So many words that I've only ever read and not heard aloud.

I heard somewhere if you pronounce words wrong it shows you are an avid reader.

I am on Amanda Craig: The Lie of the Land. Not my usual thing, but I'm enjoying it.

[Marth]

In my head I've always pronounced it hedge e moany.

SO WRONG

[Smunder Woman]

That's exactly how I said it in my head too.

[purple_dress]

I've learnt something!