SPARKS

[Spyke]

Thanks for the mention of Richard Cole's book, Alex. I planned on reading one of his stories, so it was nice to have a reminder!
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"but we can hear what others can't hear..."

[Crabby]

"Wild Swans"..... Jung Chang
I still felt l was very up to date reading this until l realised this was published in 1991..😱.

Only 100 pages in but it's already riveting, difficult to put down.

[Crabby]

Well, as Mr. Ron Mael has just thrown down the gauntlet by posting the news that he has finally completed reading James Joyce "Ulysses" after several attempts l may well have to start that on Monday...... Has anybody read it???

[Alex Robertson]

BROUHAHA by Ardal O'Hanlon
I've just started it, it's developing some interesting yet eccentric characters...a fuller report on completion

[Alex Robertson]

[Crabby]

I think doing Ulysses at school is really ambitious, l'm impressed but maybe it was too soon..... I feel the need of a challenge so when l finish reading it l'll report back (that should be in about 10 years or so!)
Interested to hear about the Ardal O'Hanlon book though.....

[J. Prufrock]

I never read Ulysses - come to think of it, I'm mildly surprised my teachers never assigned it given their apparent preferences for dead authors. Nowadays I usually seek out recent books; the last I completed was The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by (debut author) Sean Lusk. A clockpunk historical adventure with mild fantasy elements, clearly written by a modern author but due respects are paid to earlier authors of English adventure and coming-of-age stories.

[Alex Robertson]

[Crabby]

These comedians seem to have a knack for writing a good story.....
I read Graham Nortons first book 'Holding' quite a while ago and l remember it being very entertaining but also quite dark.

[NudieZoot]

Gargantua - Rabelais

Haven't gotten past the prologue. My ability to read and process French has not been used in... 12 years (give or take a few).
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Sold for an IOU on a ruple.

[Alex Robertson]

The Curewife…Claire-Marie Watson
This is a fictional account of Grissel Jaffray(Butchart) the last witch burned in Dundee.
Actually, the only recorded witch burning in Dundee. There may have been more but Dundee was sacked several times and records destroyed.
This book is written as a diary of her life, so obviously her trial, imprisonment, torture and ultimate execution are not mentioned. Logically because she wouldn’t have access to writing materials. The book describes some of the brutality of the actual sackings of Dundee and people’s desperation to survive. An interesting story and well told from a woman’s perspective .
Even if you know nothing about Dundee, this book is a really good read.

[Crabby]

Just finished Ulysses...... I thought it was magnificent.
Funny (very funny), crude, poetic, occasionally uncomfortable to read, challenging and often profound but always very real, honest and what surprised me most of all extremely poignant at times....
I'm so glad l read it....
I will miss it.......

[jessie6413]

Listening to Taupin’s Scattershot. It’s ok. Not terribly exciting or revelatory so far but good.
Just finished Eruption by Crichton & Patterson-a fun summer read.
Great Expectations- Dickens. I taught it for almost 20 years, am re-reading for pleasure, and because it’s our focus for the next reading season in our chapter of the Dickens Fellowship. Truly is a great book.
Also just started Stephen King’s new short story collection: You Like It Darker.
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"Language, however, is not language"

[J. Prufrock]

Five Broken Blades (2024) by Mai Corland is for those of us who enjoy fantasy novels and Dungeons & Dragons-type games - especially for fans of rogue-type characters. Party of six, assembled to pull off a near-impossible job but each with their own goals and questions about who's betraying who along the bloody way (and a few romantic subplots that thankfully don't take over the story) and multiple twists at the end ...my only disappointment is that the sequel won't be out until next year!

[Alex Robertson]

Finished SW PERRY’s The Angel’s Mark and have now started The Serpent’s Mark…murder mysteries set in Elizabethan England amidst the fear of war, plague, religious persecution and paranoia, fear of witchcraft and medical ignorance!
Cracking good reads with the bonus of lots more in the series.

I’ve rejoined the library, so I’ve got three authors on the go…I’ll review the others at a later date

[Alex Robertson]

Murder At An Irish Wedding by Carlene O’Connor
The second book in the “An Irish Village Mystery” series.
Very much in the style of a “cosy murder mystery”, which seem to be all the rage. I do enjoy this type of who-done-it as opposed to the all gut and gore type I used to read, but had to give up as they were becoming too gory and cliched.
Just right for a sunny afternoon like this!

[Alex Robertson]

Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson
Working my way through the Jackson Brodie stories. Kate Atkinson writes some of the best “convoluted “ stories, all the threads pull together into a magnificent tapestry as the stories reach their conclusion leaving you with a sense of satisfaction and longing…longing for the next book.
I first encountered her writings with the book Emotionally Weird several years ago and have been a fan ever since!

[Buckeye Randy]

Athlon Sports College Football 2024 Edition

College football has gone through significant changes the last several years. The biggest is paying college athletes plus allowing transferring to any school at any time. However, the tradition and pageantry still make it my favorite sport.

My beloved Ohio State Buckeyes are predicted as the second best program in the nation behind the Georgia Bulldogs. Other teams of note; Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns, Ole Miss Rebels and Alabama Crimson Tide. It should be a fun season with an expanded playoff to include 12 teams instead of only four.

Go Bucks!
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Billy, Don't Be A Porter

[Alex Robertson]

The Cornish Campsite Murder by Fiona Leitch
The latest addition to the “Nosey Parker” series.
I have to admit I haven’t read the rest of the series but it’s easy to jump in without knowing the previous murders solved by Jodie Parker. Pretty much your standard cosy murder mystery, set at a music festival in Cornwall. That said, it is written well enough to keep you hooked and guessing, so very enjoyable.
P. S. If this ever makes it to the screen Caz Harper is to my mind Suzi Quatro.

I’ve also just finished The Heretic’s Mark by SW Perry…be had to skip The Saracen’s Mark as it wasn’t available.

[Alex Robertson]

Big Sky Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie gets drawn into the murky world of sex trafficking, internet grooming and underage sex abuse. As ever, there are webs of confusion and coincidences which keep you guessing as to what happens next which makes these books so hard to put down.