books

I like them too. Have you read any Peter Hoeg?

Sparkygran, I love Jonathon Kellerman as well, have read lots of his books, have you tried books by his wife, Faye Kellerman, they`re good as well, but can`t say the same about their son`s offerings. As for Nordic thrillers, I love Joe Nesbo`s Harry Hole books.

Haven`t read any Peter Hoeg but have noted the name and will give him a go. Have read Faye Kellerman and like her books - didn`t know their son wa a writer too.

Have either of you tried Louise Penny and her Ch Insp Gamache series really good.

And Arnaldur Indridason is my current Icelandic favourite.

The son`s name, if I remember rightly, is Jason.
I`ve just read Blood Harvest, by S.J.Bolton, it was really good, as all her books have been, if a bit eerie.
I`ve just started on my Gransnet prize book, The Wives of Los Alamos, a very new style of writing to me, not sure whether I like it yet or not.

I've nearly finished Deborah Moggach's Heartbreak Hotel. Very warm and funny and a great read for those of us who are not afraid to think, OMG that's ME.

Better than Best Exotic Marigold Hotel I think.

Just read two books by Lucretia Grindle (what a name!) and about to start a third. They are detective-type thrillers set in Florence mainly. The first one I read was set in modern-day Florence, where a murder had taken place, with flashbacks to wartime Italy and the actions of the partisans. It was very well-written and I learned a lot of history along the way.

Have you read any of Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti books Mishap ? Set in Venice they are very good and tell you a lot about Italian life and politics.

That's what I love about Gransnet I can get great recommendations of books new to me and I escape to far off places in my mind. I too thoroughly enjoy the Jo Nesbo books.

I am presently reading (sorry can't remember name) by S J Bolton set in the Shetlands, if I hadn't got my lovely grandchildren staying with me I would have polished the book off by now.

I just love Donna Leon`s books and there is a new one due for publication about now. Am reading a Paul Charles book at the moment called A pleasure to do death with you - really good have read him before and this one is his latest in DI Christy Kennedy series

NanKate, like you I can`t remember the title, but the book you mention by S.J.Bolton was, I think, her first book, and it was very good. I`ve finished The Wives of Los Alamos now, and it was okay, but I would have preferred it written in a more usual style, and to have gone into more depth with each individual family, or some of them anyway, enabling the reader to feel that they know who is being discussed. I also noticed the glaring error where the British toasted the Queen! I`ve just started Secrets of the Lighthouse, by Santa Montefiore, a new writer to me, but the book was the half price book of the week at Smiths, and looked good from the synopsis, so I`m giving it a try.

Numberplease glad you enjoyed 'Sacrifice' by S J Bolton I will finish it when my two grandsons (3 and 1) have gone home after a week's hols with us !

I keep a list of books I want in my purse and dart into any charity shop I see and often get the one I want. I did however treat myself to a full price book which had sold worldwide it was called 'Gone Girl' it was absolute drivel and I donated to a charity shop after 100 pages. When looking up the reviews on Amazon I saw many others hated it too.

Sacrifice, yes, that`s it! And I`m another who hated Gone Girl. Secrets of the Lighthouse is going well so far, a sort of combination of mystery and romance, with some lovely descriptions of the Connemara coast and countryside.

Thanks Numberplease I rather fancy that book. I will add it to my list.

Have just added S J Bolton`s Sacrifice to my book list. I too keep a list of books that I want to read and work my way through them and Gone Girl is one of them - disappointed to hear you didn`t enjoy it NanKate but will still give it a go

Sparkygran do get Gone Girl from the library or a charity shop because you will be wasting your money otherwise in my opinion, however as so many people have read it and liked it I must be (with Numberplease) in the minority.

Secrets of the Lighthouse was lovely, I can recommend it.

Well got Gone Girl from library and like NanKate and Numberplease I don`t like it and this afternoon I decided that there are too many good books out there and I have currently 3 at home to read and 4 awaiting collection in library so didn`t bother to carry on with GG. Gave it a go but I don`t like different characters having short chapters each its something I have noticed in a few books recently and sometimes the charaters are in different eras also was irritated from the start of GG with Margot being shortened to Go in fact there was nothing I liked about this book.

I`ve just started a book by M.G.Gardiner, called The Shadow Tracer. I`ve never come across this author before, but this is turning out to be quite good. Am about a third of the way into it, and judge a book by how "unputdownable" it is, and this one is one of those, so far.

I'm about halfway through An Officer and A Spy, Robert Harris' novel about the Dreyfus Affair. Fascinating stuff and well up to his usual standard

I`m just coming to the end of an older Michael Connelly book, The Poet, and it`s been great, despite being written in 1996. I was amused by references to digital cameras as something new.

We had Gone Girl at our book club recently and it gave us lots to discuss. There were no likeable characters in it but I felt it was a worthwhile read and cleverly constructed. This month's book was Doris Lessing's The Grass is Singing. It was similar in a way; a bit of a grim read but we discussed it for ages so we must have got a lot out of it. Someone did say 'We've usually finished with the book by now and started gossiping, but we still have lots to discuss.'

I'm giving Gone Girl to our book group tonight. I thought it was weird, and wondered why it was such a 'best seller' - or was this due to publicity? I can't now remember how it ended! So will have to re-read it.

Well if I was given Gone Girl to try and read again I would need a large slug of alcohol to help me along and possibly a couple of sedatives.

I hated it, but will concede many liked it

NanKate and Numberplease am half way through "Sacrifice" by S J Bolton and am so enjoying it - thanks for the steer in her direction. I love novels especially crime ones located on Scottish islands.