Wellington Reads discussion

Is anyone reading an exciting new book this July? Or even just an average one?

I'm partway through Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Poison Belt: Being an Account of Another Amazing Adventure of Professor Challenger - I recently finished The Lost World and thoroughly enjoyed it so thought I would continue with the series, but am enjoying this second one less.

I'm also about to start Albert Wendt's Pouliuli - Albert Wendt is a favourite of mine and I haven't read anything by him for a while, so am looking forward to getting in to that.

I am continuing on with Leonard ( Leonard Woolf : a life. Victoria Glendinning B WOO) but after seeing the moving,elegant film have picked up " "Belle" (B BEL) by Paula Byrne, who has written a number of acclaimed biographies including "Mad world: Evelyn Waugh and the secrets of Brideshead" I am also dipping into our wonderful travel magazines - "Conde Nast traveller " "Lonely Planet traveller" and 'Wanderlust". Sparkle distant lands !!

Am currently partway through Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. Am loving it!! It's incredibly sweet and easy to read; I can't wait to see the movie after!

I'm reading My Name was Judas by kiwi author C.K. Stead. I'm really enjoying it. It's been sitting on my bookshelf for too long.

I just finished And She Was, by Alyson Gaylin. I think I'm stuck in a 'mysteries and non-fiction' only reading cycle, although a friend has given me Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell to read, and I'm quite excited about that :-)

And She Was is a mystery series featuring a PI, Brenna Spector, who has a condition called Hyperthymestic Syndrome which means she remembers every moment of every day of her life. There's a TV show that's based on a really similar premise (which I haven't really watched), but interestingly, it's not based on this series, although they came out around the same time.

I've also got Longbourn, by Jo Baker, on my to-read pile -- it's the story of Pride and Prejudice, but told from below stairs, by the servants. I quite like this quote:

"If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she’d most likely be a sight more careful with them." :-)

But, so far, it's fallen prey to the 'mysteries and non-fiction' only reading rule I seem to have in place at the moment. Need to get back to reading other fiction! (Although I love mysteries -- it's just, variety is good :-))

Stephanie wrote: "Am currently partway through Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. Am loving it!! It's incredibly sweet and easy to read; I can't wait to see the movie after!"

Also, Steph, I loved the movie, but I had no idea it was based on a book :-) Yay!

Celeste wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Am currently partway through Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. Am loving it!! It's incredibly sweet and easy to read; I can't wait to see the movie after!"

Also, Step..."

Oh you should definitely read it, it's really good! I'm finding it really sweet and easy going. I've never read chic lit, and I definitely wouldn't say this is chic lit, but it must be what readers get from it, I think. It's like a little holiday :o)

I've started reading Sole Survivor by Derek Hansen, I don't know why but I always had it in my mind that this was an Australian book set in Australia, but low and behold it is set on the remote Great Barrier Island just offshore from Auckland. The plot is pretty uninspiring so far but Bryce Courtenay gave it high praise so I'm hoping it will get better.

Hi all :)
Finally finished War and Peace, phew! It was great, but now I'm excited to be able to get some some of the other appealing titles that have been waiting for me.
I loved Tenth of December - a set of short stories that are beautifully spare.
The Rehearsal was next up and I loved it as much as I thought I would. Wonderful writing and a kind of jangly, disjointed style. Can't wait for her next one. Maybe I'll re-read The Luminaries in the meantime... though there's so much else to read...
Next up The Sea Inside, The Golden Notebook and my first foray into the world of Paul Theroux.

I'm reading my way through the works of Aldous Huxley which I managed to pick up a set of at a book fair last year. It is quite interesting going through them one after another and seeing all the common themes etc.

I'm currently reading William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back, having been amused by William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope. With Ian Doescher having made these into Shakespearean-style plays, I wonder what these would be like if they were actually staged.

i am taking a break from Leonard (Woolf)- although his story has got more interesting as it has gone along - a really excellent biography.Having just seen seen the very moving "Saving Mr Banks "(on a library DVD)I became intrigued by the life of the author of " Mary Poppins". So am now intermittently reading " Mary Poppins she wrote : the life of P.L. Travers" by Valerie Lawson.

I'm currently reading The Miniaturist - loving it so much! Like, "don't want to do anything else except read" type loving it. It's really nice to be so engaged in a book, it seems to happen so rarely. It's set in 1600s Amsterdam with a touch of feminism and a bit of a spooky mystery going on - very addictive!

Sounds like a great book Stephanie, I've put it on my tbr shelf :)