Not reading

March 3, 2007 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I’m feeling very guilty as I have done hardly any reading since my last post. I’ve had a bad bout of flu where all I wanted to do was sit and feel sorry for myself, and when I did get back to work I was travelling in earlier than normal, so not getting a seat on the train, so listening to podcasts instead of reading.

The Book God and I were planning to visit the cinema tomorrow but I’m seriously considering staying at home to finish the book I’ve been reading for a month. We’ll see.

In order to kick start my enthusiasm once more I’ve bought two new books – The Steep Approach to Garbadale and The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril. Both very interesting – I’m a huge Iain Banks fan (love the science fiction too), so if that doesn’t work nothing will!

Dying Light

February 11, 2007 in Reviews | Leave a comment

dyinglightstuartmacbride40365_f.jpgI am developing a great fondness for crime novels and thrillers set in Scotland, often referred to as Tartan Noir; I especially love Christopher Brookmyre.

When looking for something suitable before Mr B’s next novel, I came across Stuart MacBride, largely by accident and simply because I liked the look of the paperback cover for his first novel, Cold Granite. I enjoyed it so much that I had ordered the sequel before finishing it.

Dying Light is once again set in Aberdeen and features DS Logan Macrae; things are not going well for him in this novel and he has been assigned to work with DI Steel in the “Screw-up Squad”. I won’t go into the plot, but it is gruesome and very satisfying. I particularly enjoy the dark humour which runs through the story and found myself giggling more than once. I love the reminder that almost everything we see on TV crime is English or US law and that there is no right to counsel in Scotland until after the police interview is complete, so asking for your lawyer is a bit redundant.

I can highly recommend this, and am looking forward the the third book in the series which should be with us soon.

Birthday books

February 7, 2007 in Book buys | Leave a comment

As I mentioned before, the Book God was very generous on the birthday present front, especially considering that Christmas wasn’t that long ago. From the list thoughtfully provided by me he chose:

Beware of Pity – I have a couple of Stefan Zweig books already, including one on Mary, Queen of Scots (or MQS for short), but rather fancied this because of an article in (I think) Slightly Foxed – and it has a lovely Klimt cover;

Whale – I have been fascinated by whales of all sorts since I was small, and have adopted an orca through the Whale & Dolpin Conservation Society for almost 10 years, so I’m really looking forward to exploring their place in world culture. This looks like a really interesting series, though I think I’ll avoid the book on cockroaches!

David Rizzio & MQS – murder at Holyrood! Kind of speaks for itself and just irresistible to me – no books on 16th century for Christmas this year;

The Thistle & the Rose – given that it’s 300 years since the Union and that I’m a Scot married to an Englishman, I suspect that this topic will loom large in purchases during the coming year. Plus I really like Allan Massie – I enjoyed his contributions to the excellent programme on John Buchan which BBC Four showed over the holiday season.

My esteemed friend the Hon. Mrs W. was also kind enough to buy me a small token to add to my ever-growing Bloomsbury pile – Hyde Park Gate News – which has miraculously survived being unwrapped in a central London watering hole on the eve of my birthday, surrounded by the remains of very sticky cocktails.

Second City of the Empire

February 6, 2007 in Trips | Leave a comment

It was my birthday at the end of last month so the Book God and I headed to Glasgow for the first visit in a number of years. We had a great time, and bought some more books to add to the presents the BG had kindly bought me before we left.

I didn’t get much reading done while we were there but the trip was relaxing nonetheless, though I’m now forbidden from starting any sentence with “I remember when this used to be…..”

Quicksilver

January 28, 2007 in Reviews | Leave a comment

QuicksilverI feel as if I have been reading this novel for ever, but not in a bad way! I started it before Christmas but stuff at home, some difficult commutes which put me off reading and the sheer size of the paperback back mean that I haven’t been picking it up consistently. But this morning I decided that I would finish it, and I’m glad I persevered, as it’s a rich and rewarding read.

Quicksilver is the first of a trilogy, and is set in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It deals with all sorts of things: alchemy and the development of modern science, revolution and intrigue. It mixes real people like Isaac Newton, William of Orange, James II and Samuel Pepys among many others, with Stephenson’s own characters. It has a lot of detail, which I know has put some people off, but I found that if you allow yourself to sink into it you’ll be swept along by the story. It’s very funny in places and the set pieces are wonderfully described. I’m looking forward to reading the sequels!

Commuter calamity

January 24, 2007 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

If I’m honest, these days most of my reading is done on my train journey to and from London, which gives me around 50 minutes a day where I can lose myself in a book.

Disaster struck yesterday, however, when my MP3 player died on me (a long story to do with corrupt disks which I just don’t want to think about) and I realised how much I needed music while reading on public transport to stop me from being distracted by other travellers and their bizarre mobile phone conversations.

This is a shock for me as I was well known as a child for not let anything short of the end of the world disturb me while I had my head in a book – perhaps it’s just age………

Welcome

January 20, 2007 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I hope you will join me here from time to time to find out what I’ve been reading, and possibly what I’ve been watching as well, as so many of the films and TV programmes I’m drawn to seem to be based on books that I’ve read (or mean to).

You’ll see over the coming months that I read all sorts of things from sci-fi, horror and crime fiction to sixteenth century history (a particular favourite, but more on that in the future)

I hope you’ll feel free to comment and perhaps make some recommendations!

Bride of the Book God

Follow brideofthebook on Twitter

Scottish, in my fifties, love books but not always able to find the time to read them as much as I would like. I’m based in London and happily married to the Book God.

I also blog at Bride of the Screen God (all about movies and TV) and The Dowager Bride, if you are interested in ramblings about stuff of little consequence

If you would like to get in touch you can contact me at brideofthebookgod (at) btinternet (dot) com.

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