Book meme
Tagged by @threefill the Patron Saint of Spillages -- my cheese friend, and ALSO my book friend.
The last book I read: Things in Jars by Jess Kidd. Great story but the narrator could not manage the accents required so that was frustrating. Would still recommend it though but as a read rather than a listen.
A book I’d recommend: The Hoarder by Jess Kidd. PLEASE do go for the audiobook in this instance. The narrator, Aoife McMahon, is sheer brilliance and the story is wonderful and so the two together become a bigger, better thing.
A book I couldn’t put down: The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth, Nona the Ninth. These books will rearrange your brain. If you're a fan of smart funny dialogue, weird meme references mixed with ancient classics and a massive helping of Catholicism thrown in, but set in space, with necromancers, and lesbians.... then these are the books for you. Big shout out to Moira Quirk on audiobook duties, and I would recommend audio first, then text. You will ABSOLUTELY need to read these twice.
A book I’ve read twice or more: The entire Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. I've got most of them in physical form on the bookshelf but I now listen to audiobooks for a re-read. Not a fan of the new Audible recordings, my favourites are Nigel Planer and Stephen Briggs which thankfully Listening Books library still has. If you live in the UK and your health or condition prevents you from physical reading, please check out listening-books.org.uk You can join up for £25 a year and get access to a huge library of audiobooks. They have an extensive sci-fi and fantasy section and get plenty of recent releases from @torpublishinggroup who put out great books.
A book on my TBR: Saltwash by Andrew Michael Hurley. There was a brilliant radio dramatisation of Andrew's 'Barrowbeck' on BBC Radio 4 a few years ago and I loved it. Folk horror but subtle and layered. I want more.
A book I’ve put down: My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. Unforgivably dull. Listened to a whole hour, which was a penance. I would like to ask all the people who recommended this: Are you ok?
A book on my wish list: The Heretics by Joe Abercombie. I love Joe's books and they are always narrated by Steven Pacey, who is the absolute daddy of voice actors. The Devils had me in stitches but also made me feel and I'm really looking forward to this sequel. It is not out till 2027. Yes, I have already bought an advance copy.
A favourite book from childhood: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. I was an odd child and this was perfect.
A book I’d give to a friend: When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Redzén. Oof. This book took me apart and put me back together again. A story about being a parent, being a child, loss, grief and owning a dog. Heads up, you will bawl your eyes out so be sure you're ready for that kind of thing before you get into it.
A book of poetry or lyrics that I own: The Love Poems of W.B. Yeats. This was a gift from an actress I worked with in 1993. She wrote a beautiful inscription in the front and I really cherish this book.
A non-fiction book that I own: I don't currently have any non-fiction on the shelf. I tended to read musician auto/biographies and then pass them on to other musicians. Favourite of the lot was probably Johnny Marr's 'Set the Boy Free' which I loved. He is SUCH an inspiring human being and so positive about everything that I got a real lift from that book. I listened to it early in my illness and it was something to cling to, his energy.
What I’m currently reading: Gnomon by Nick Harkaway. I'm not far in but I love it so far. Narrated by Ben Onwukwe whose voice is DELICIOUS. A very pertinent book to modern times.
What I’m planning on reading next: Oh now this is fairly impossible to answer. Gnomon is extremely dense so it's likely I might have to go for something very light, or a re-read.
Tagging no-one, just have a go if you see this and like to share books. Drop me a message if you have questions on any of the above books, or if you just want to talk about them.
