Wellington Reads discussion

Greetings, all! What's everyone reading this month?

I am still struggling through One Hundred Years of Solitude - I've really enjoyed lots of Garcia Marquez's other books but am finding this one hard to get into. Any one else read it? I keep considering quitting it, but think I'll regret it if I do! All the reviews about it are so positive.

In a completely different strain, I'm also reading Maigret and the Man on the Bench. I've been curious about Simenon for a while and finally got into it last week (at lunch with nothing to read - the horror! Had to think fast) and am really enjoying it. Such a fun, easy read.

Anyone else got a good book at the mo?

I've been reading YA fiction (again). Maureen Johnson (who is just pretty hilarious in general, but writing here in a more serious vein), wrote a follow-up (The Madness Underneath) to her 2011 book The Name of the Star, which I read a while ago and really enjoyed.

The Name of the Star, which starts the sequence off, introduces Rory, an American student at a London boarding school, and centers around a series of Jack the Ripper style murders synchronized with the timeline of the actual Ripper killings, that terrorise London. There's a supernatural element, and it's a first-person narration, which I really enjoyed, for kind of crazy reasons, which are...

That I follow the author on twitter :-) And somehow her protagonist just sounds like her twitter voice, which might be a slightly crazy reason for enjoying a narrative voice, but there you go :-)

That's not the only reason I enjoyed the book though -- it's just really good. The follow-up though, did something wholly unexpected with one of the main characters quite abruptly at the end, and wasn't a complete story -- it's sort of a 'to be continued' in the next book, leave you hanging kind of sequel, which I was a bit frustrated by.

So that's what I've been reading :-)

Celeste wrote: "I've been reading YA fiction (again). Maureen Johnson (who is just pretty hilarious in general, but writing here in a more serious vein), wrote a follow-up (The Madness Underneath) to her 2011 book..."

ooh, this sounds so good! am going to add it to my to-read list now :o)

Just about to start "Code name Verity" By Elizabeth Wein. YA fiction which usually has no interest for me but this came highly recommended by Kate de Goldi on her recent radio interview.

Yes Paula Kate de Goldi has quite a lot of influence. "The group" by Mary McCarthy has winged out of the stack since she mentioned it on last Saturday's Kim Hill programme, and now has reserves. Who would have thought that this sixties feminist novel would have a new following.

Stephanie wrote: "Greetings, all! What's everyone reading this month?

I am still struggling through One Hundred Years of Solitude - I've really enjoyed lots of Garcia Marquez's other books but am finding this one h..."
I've just started Hiding in Plain Sight/the Secret Life of Raymond Burr and it is very interesting, especially the lengths he went to to hide his sexuality.
Also just read Dale M Kushner's first novel - The Conditions of Love. Stunning and funny story of a young girl and her various homes as she grows towards adulthood.
Hard to believe it is a debut novel.

Stephanie wrote: "Greetings, all! What's everyone reading this month?

I am still struggling through One Hundred Years of Solitude - I've really enjoyed lots of Garcia Marquez's other books but am finding this one h..."

On a different track, being a dog lover, I wondered if any of you have any books to recommend about dogs?
I was cruising the catalogue yesterday to see how many books we have about dogs and gave up after counting 195 items with dog/dogs in the title- and that was only adult books!

We have just received 'Starting with Rex - how a wise stray dog gave me hope and inspiration" by Ying Ying B YIN
Also have ' A three dog life' by Abigail Thomas B THO (bit sad)
Saving Molly James Mahoney B MAH
Marley and me John Grogan B Gro (naughty puppy turns into good dog USA) (also a film which we have)

June - in spite of not being a dog lover, I have found myself reading (and enjoying) a murder mystery series which is occasionally told from the dog's point of view. The first book is Dog on It.

Just reserved it - looks fun.