Cheryl Truman on books

More reader suggestions on breaking my brief aversion — not so much to reading itself, but to starting, hanging in and finishing a book. The Northern Clemency, however, is looking pretty good for a 608-page big ol’ read. I’m 60 pages in, which is usually the point of no return.

I’ve put two Anthony Trollopes and the new Kate Atkinson on my Amazon shopping list — but with which Trollope should I begin?

I also found that I had put City of Thieves on my wish list. I have no memory of this, but after reading Holly Bandoroff’s endorsement, I’m glad I did.

Help me out here, readers.

From Louise Parker:

” I feel your pain. There is nothing worse than having no book one is dying to read (if you are an omnivorous reader.) I have been on this earth and in the libraries a lot longer than you, and have sufferred fits of distaste at the new books available. At those times, I go back to the tried and true. Old books that I really enjoyed, that I read long ago, and can enjoy again, having forgotten a lot of the detail. I just reread the Delderfield saga. It is wonderful to be able to get all of the old books on Amazon. I am getting ready (when I finish Hot Flat and Crowded to reread Georgiana by Amanda Foreman. The recent movie Duchess was a superficial treatment of her life. I also went through the lists of books that people sent in last summer as their favorites. I can recommend To Kill A Mockingbird and For Whom the Bell Tolls if you haven’t read them lately. The way Hemingway grasps his reader is masterful. I had forgotten how engrossing he is. If you are having a dry period, don’t look among the new fiction. It is almost all drivel. Also, I tend to find books I really like at the new Morris Book Store. It is the book store of my childhood and young days. … If you want something light, the Phillipa Gregory Tudor books are quite entertaining, and I always learn things from them.
God bless you. We readers have to have something that we can turn to so that we can put our feet up after days of shopping and cooking for the holidays!”

From Holly Bandoroff:

“I, too, have been in a reading drought this fall, so much so that I just finished re-reading both Pillars of the Earth and World Without End ( how desperate is that?)

I have read a few wonderful books this year that you might consider.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (actually classified as a young adult book) This is a poignant tale about a young girl searching for love and normalcy in a foster family in Germany during WWII. It is cleverly narrated by Death.

The City of Thieves by David Benioff. A fabulous story of two mis-matched young men thrown together in search of 12 fresh eggs for a general’s daughter’s wedding during the siege of Leningrad. I loved this book!

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. A harrowing thriller about a serial killer of children in Stalinist Russia. The state refuses to admit there is a pattern to the crimes because of their company line that no one in their perfect society would be unhappy enough to commit these atrocities.

I also read a series of 3 historical fiction novels by Diana Norman. She is the real woman behind the nom de plume Arianna Franklin (The Mistress of the Art of Death). These novels followed a strong willed, and capable young woman during and after the American Revolution. (A Catch of Consequence, Chasing Liberty and Sparks Fly Upward)

From Steve Rhodes:

“I go through similar spells at least twice a year, and I don’t have your excuse of reading for a living. Yikes!

I have four books to recommend, two I’ll mention, and two that I’ll send you, snail mail.

Two I’ll mention:

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (published by Ecco). I believe you have an affinity for dogs. This book involves dogs, but also a good dose if MacBeth. Beautifully written, nicely paced, great character development. A real surprise.

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. in addition to following an unusual story line, Diaz taught me a great deal about the convoluted history of the Dominican Republic.