I have been a lifelong devourer of books and reading matter of various kinds; paperback novels, kindle classics, audio books, weekend papers, craft and cookery books and the backs of shampoo bottles. It's a family thing; my mum was a voracious reader of romantic fiction and my three daughters have all inherited the reading bug.
Sadly, I haven't read nearly as many books as I would wish over the last couple of years. This is partly due to my discovery of audio books; I have a monthly membership with Audible and found it a fantastic way to achieve guilt-free reading. I can listen to or 'read' a book whilst doing the housework and it's a double whammy; I get boring jobs done whilst consuming the latest novels. The funny thing is that although I've actually only listened to someone else read me a book, I still feel like I've read it myself. It's helped me to finish books I'd struggled with in hard copy. Gone Girl is a perfect example of this - I bought it when it first came out but just couldn't get past the first chapter; I downloaded the audio book last week and was gripped by it from first to last.
That naughty minx, Netflix, is also responsible for tempting me away from my first love. It's oh-so-easy to indulge in a Firth-fest and watch Pride and Prejudice back to back or get hooked on the American version of The Killing, but it's to the detriment of my reading. I'm saying Non! to Mistress Netflix and saying Yeh Baby! to Madame Book! Reading is good for the soul whereas Netflix feels like a dirty little habit (with the exception of Mr Firth). Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating, but you know what I mean.
But back to the book recommendations. Claire from Clarina's Contemplations has started on a year of reading with 'authors a to z'. She aims to work her way through an alphabet of authors over the course of this year and it's really inspired me to join her.
I was deliberating on my options for A (I'm a massive Margaret Atwood fan and was tempted to re-read an old favourite) but then got distracted by the possibilities for 'B' and found myself downloading the complete series of the Mapp and Lucia books by E F Benson for a mere 99p on my Kindle. Did you see the recent TV adaptation of Mapp and Lucia just before Christmas? I've been watching it on BBC iPlayer over the last month and it's been an utter joy to watch. It's a comedy of manners that focuses on some deliciously devious one-upmanship and the cultural snobbery of the monstrous Miss Mapp. I can't wait to get stuck into this and I expect I will whizz through it and re-read it many times.
Any recommendations for a book whose author begins with C? If you fancy joining in the 'Authors A to Z' challenge then you can hop on over here to see what Claire is reading.
As they say in Tilling, 'Au Reservior'!
Galx
PS This post is also linking up with All About You linky over here.
Any recommendations for a book whose author begins with C? If you fancy joining in the 'Authors A to Z' challenge then you can hop on over here to see what Claire is reading.
As they say in Tilling, 'Au Reservior'!
Galx
PS This post is also linking up with All About You linky over here.
Ah! So glad you are joining us!!! So good to have people to have to report back to!! Looking forward to hearing how you get on with Miss Mapp... Think I may need to do this again next year in order to try and read all the books everyone else is reading too!! Thanks for linking up to "A to Z authors" xx
ReplyDeleteSuch a good idea for a reading challenge, so thanks for setting it in the first place! x
DeleteOh what a lovely idea! I LOVE Magaret Attwood but just don't have the time to read as much as I'd like to - any spare moment sees me tapping away at my laptop to be honest but I'm really making an effort to try and read more this year as, like you, it's such a love of mine. An author beginning with C... let's see how about Lewis Carroll? You could read Alice in Wonderland - one of my favs! Or Patricia Cornwall? A bit gory but gripping. Visiting from #allaboutyou too by the way :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reading suggestions - I think there may be a couple of Margaret Atwood books I've missed over recent years, so may very well back track to read one. :)
DeleteI didn't see the Mapp and Lucia programme, but it sounds my kind of thing, so I'll have to look it out for my reading challenge. I do love the idea of an A-Z, but I'm just going for a straight 50 books.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a good reading challenge and I solute you for aiming for the big fifty. Thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteThanks for info, I have just downloaded Mapp And Lucia. I really enjoyed watching the series.
ReplyDeleteHugs x
Hurrah! Hope you enjoy it :)
DeleteI loved Steve Pemberton's three-part adaptation of Mapp & Lucia just at Christmas and so I may well invest 99p in a copy (or even fork over a little more for a paperback).
ReplyDeleteLooking on my shelf I can see lots of Bs I'd recommend but not too many Cs. But I would consider 'Disgrace' by JM Coetzee and 'Oscar and Lucinda' Peter Carey, both winners of the Booker prize, or if you want something more disposable, any of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta books ('Postmortem' was the first).
Ooh, good suggestions. I've never read Disgrace although I have read Oscar and Lucinda. The Scarpetta books are also new to me - I've known about them for ages but just wasn't sure if they would be my sort of thing or not. So many possibilities!
DeleteThat's a great idea. I'm in a book club which helps with reading commitment. I have just had a quick look through my bookshelves for C authors but I'm afraid I didn't find any that I'd wholeheartedly recommend. Good luck with the challenge. #pocolo
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Christine :)
DeleteI love this idea! And I love the idea of an audio book even more - I hadn't thought of the multi-tasking aspect. I think I may have to try this. Thank you for linking to #PoCoLo x
ReplyDeleteYou definitely should try it v- I shall have to do some audiobook recommendations I think :)
DeleteWow! You're truly a reader ...We all make choices I guess about the things we prioritize... Conscious and sometimes less conscious ones. I really enjoy a great book, but I also want instant gratification, so it has to grab me right from the start. I have a lot more patience with audiobooks :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips and linking up with #AllAboutYou
I recorded Mapp and Lucia over Christmas but haven't sat down to watch it yet...didn't realise it was adapted from a series of books and now I feel I should read the books first!! #atozauthors
ReplyDelete