WWW Wednesday 29th June 2016

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This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. A similar meme, This Week in Books is hosted by Lipsyy Lost and Found.

Why not join in? Just answer the following three questions in a post and then put a link to that post in the Comments over at Taking on a World of Words.

The questions are:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. What do you think you’ll read next?

As always, clicking on the cover image will take you to the book’s Goodreads page.

1. What I’m reading at the moment

The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent

The Reader on the 627 by Jean Paul DidierlaurentI requested this from NetGalley after seeing Yvo’s review and was delighted to be approved. As I expected, so far my experience of this book is very similar to Yvo’s – in other words, very positive. And it’s only 250 pages long which, after Outlander, is exactly what I needed 🙂

The blurb: Guylain Vignolles lives on the edge of existence. Working at a book pulping factory in a job he hates, he has but one pleasure in life …Sitting on the 6.27 train each day, Guylain recites aloud from pages he has saved from the jaws of his monstrous pulping machine. And it’s this release of words into the world that starts our hero on a journey that will finally bring meaning into his life. For one morning, Guylain discovers the diary of a lonely young woman: Julie. A woman who feels as lost in the world as he does. As he reads from these pages to a rapt audience, Guylain finds himself falling hopelessly in love with their enchanting author…

2. The last books I read

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles by Madeline MillerAbsolutely beautiful and brilliant. Get your hands on a copy. See if your library has it. Here’s my full review.

The blurb: Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their difference, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess.

But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

AND

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander by Diana GabaldonOutlander by Diana GabaldonIt is with a very heavy heart that I was unable to give a full thumbs up to this book. Don’t get me wrong, it has a lot of things going for it and I understand why so many readers love it. But I found myself unable to forgive it for what I saw as romanticised spousal abuse and homophobia. Here’s my full review.

The blurb: The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

3. What I’ll read next

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Career of Evil Robert GalbraithMy experiences of the first two books in this series have been mixed. If you haven’t seen them, here are my reviews for The Cuckoo’s Calling and The Silkworm. However, there’s been an upward trend in my ratings, so I have high hopes that JK will finally get in her stride with this one, particularly as the blurb promises us more Robin!

The blurb: When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman’s severed leg.

Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible – and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them…

Have you read/are reading any of these? What are you reading? Let me know! 🙂

And elsewhere on the blog…

Cherry cake recipe sponge cake with glace cherries and white icing

Last week I made cherry cake. Simple sponge cake with red glacé cherries.

Claire Huston / Art and Soul

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64 thoughts on “WWW Wednesday 29th June 2016”

  1. I read your review of Outlander and agree with you on it being too long. I also found some of the themes offensive but I don’t think it bothered me quite as much as it did you. I think I put a lot down to the time period and shoved it out of my mind. Hopefully you’ll enjoy your current reads more.

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    • I think Outlander, of all the books I’ve read recently, has been a good reminder to me of just how differently everyone experiences a book.
      I might have been able to put it behind me, but the book kept dwelling on the specific incident and corporal punishment in general! I started to wonder if the author had some weird obsession with physical punishment!
      My current book is the perfect thing to read now: a total contrast. Contemporary, French and very short!

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    • It’s one of those books which sneaks up on you. It plods along at first and you think, “Oh, I guess this is ok” but then suddenly you realise you’re really in to it and you’re sad when it ends. Such a lovely little book. And definitely one for book lovers!

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    • Outlander has its good points… but a couple of strong negatives really stuck with me and I couldn’t forget about them. A shame, because Gabaldon is a great writer.
      The Reader of the 6.27 is great, particularly for book lovers 🙂

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  5. 6.27 sounds like such a great story. I would like to read that. I have the Cuckoo’s calling but I have just seen your review and adjusted my expectations:-) I haven’t read HP series by JK but I know how much of a hit those books are so I was intrigued when I found out that she has written some thrillers.Ill try get the series though. Happy reading and as usual,your baking is just too good. That cake has me drooling.

    Happy reading.

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  6. Pingback: WWW Wednesday 29th June 2016 | forthenovellovers

    • Thank you!
      Reading Outlander on e-reader is a good idea. I have the paperback and it’s enormous and the print is tiny tiny tiny. Having it on e-reader would have helped. I’d like to see the TV version to find out what they’ve done with the bits of the plot I wasn’t so keen on.
      I’ll visit your post now…

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  8. Cherry cake. Do I need to say more? 🙂
    The Reader on the 6.27 was added to my TBR after Yvo’s review, but I promised myself to try and read it in French, so I’ll probably put it off as long as possible!
    I picked The Song Of Achilles for our next book of the month for the Hype or Like Friday group. Your review was so good that when I noticed it was among the candidates, I voted for it. And then pushed a little more and it’s a done deal, haha! I hope to like it as much as you did.
    I received The Silkworm two weeks ago, it will probably be in my July TBR, but I was a little surprised to see it so big!
    Happy reading! 🙂

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    • I love cherry cake. Not a fan of fresh cherries, but I’ve always like glacé cherries, which is a bit weird…
      I always try to read books written originally in Spanish in the original, even though translations are usually excellent. In the case of the 6.27, the translator has done an excellent job and you wouldn’t know it wasn’t written in English originally.
      Ooo! I’m so glad you picked The Song of Achilles for your book group 🙂 I’ll be amazed if they don’t like it, it’s so beautiful.
      Thanks for visiting my post and happy reading!

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  12. The hard part about reading Outlander is taking it in the context of the time period. It was something I had to keep reminding myself while I was reading it because, while it was normal for the 1700’s, it’s completely offensive now. I’m sorry you didn’t end up enjoying it. If it makes any difference, the other books focus less on those aspects as far as I’ve read (I’m on book 5). The content is more adventurous and there’s more of a love story.

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  15. I’m a little bummed you didn’t like Outlander but I definitely do understand where you’re coming from. I am so excited to read The Song of Achilles in July! It’s been on my TBR for awhile now but your recent read of it has really pushed it back into the front of my mind.

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    • Yay! I can’t wait for you to read The Song of Achilles either so I have someone else to talk to about it 🙂
      I’m going to push on with the Outlander series because there are a few people who’ve told me they get better. And as I have the first 4 books on my shelf, it would be silly not to give her another chance given that she’s an excellent writer and the characters are interesting. Plus, I like the historical settings and details 🙂

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  16. I’m so glad to hear you are enjoying The Reader On The 6.27! 🙂 And I still have to read The Silkworm myself… I think I’m going to wait for your review on Career Of Evil before getting the copies; I wasn’t really convinced by the first book, but if they keep improving I guess the sequels are worth the try. 😉

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    • It’s such a lovely book! You were spot on in your review 🙂
      I’m keeping everything crossed that Career of Evil is a bit better than the previous two. I do wonder whether I would be harsher if they weren’t written by JK Rowling. She’s built up a lot of goodwill with me thanks to Harry Potter!

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  19. I haven’t tried Robert Galbraith’s books yet, I’ve been back and forth on whether they’re something I’d be interested in. I’ll have to stop by and read your reviews. It sounds like you’ve had a pretty reasonable week reading wise!

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  21. Can’t wait to read Achilles based on your review! I’ve read the Colleen Maccullough Song of Troy but this sounds even better! And I’m saddened to hear you haven’t been turned into an Outlander fan 😦 There is a lot of darkness in the book – in the series – and it gets dense and wordy at times (especially with later books) but I do love the series. Here’s my WWW http://hollykerr.ca/www-wednesday-acomaf-and-the-testing/

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    • It’s wonderful. I can’t wait to hear what you think! 🙂
      I will be continuing with the Outlander series after a break. I’ve been told they books get better as you work your way through, so I have hope!
      I’ll visit your post now…

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      • I always need a break between Outlander books because there’s just so much detail and description. Be warned, the last one in the series is in dire need of editing, but it will take a while for you to get there anyway!!

        Liked by 1 person

    • I think any book lover would enjoy The Reader on the 6.27. And it’s nice to read something shorter between Outlander which is massive (nearly 900 pages!) and the next Robert Galbraith which is, again, 500 pages. They need to be brave and edit her!

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  25. The Reader on the 6.27 sounds like an interesting book. I have The Song of Achilles on my TBR and can’t wait to read it. I’ve been back and forth on if I want to read Outlander. I think I may just listen to the audiobooks.

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  26. The Reader on the 6.27 sounds very interesting! I’m sorry a few of the elements of the time period in Outlander put you off of it. Don’t write it off completely – the series continues in a much better light. I am currently in the beginning half of The Fiery Cross and I have loved each book in the series.

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    • It’s really good to hear so many people say that the Outlander series gets better 🙂 I have the first 4 books on my shelf, so I do want to continue. I’ll have a break and fit a few more books in first… it’s a shame they’re SO enormous!

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  27. I’m glad that you at least had a balance in book quality between Song of Achilles & Outlander! The amazing evens out the terrible 😉
    I still have to read the Silkworm, but I hope you enjoy the third one! The first one was a little lacklustre, but I think I remember you saying that the second was better, so I’m excited to try it.
    Thanks for stopping by my WWW Wednesday earlier!
    Happy Reading 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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