A little snippet

Although I love reading these little nuggets of what other bloggers are reading/have received in the post lately, I tend to avoid doing them myself as I end up feeling like I'm being a little lazy.  However, Simon at Stuck in a Book started this one (and it has been travelling all over the book blogging world since then) and I thought it a particularly clever way for me to take a look at the bookshelf, take stock and evaluate where I am with my own reading at the moment.  So here goes:

1. The book I'm currently reading.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. - This book has been an absolute joy to read and a bit of light-hearted relief.  A pleasantly romantic and quintessentially British tale that reveals all of the highs and lows of life in an English village, I look forward to reviewing this debut novel with relish.

2. The last book I finished.

At the moment I tend to review books I've read almost as soon as I've finished them and An artist of the floating world ,by the wonderful and timeless author Kazuo Ishiguro, was no exception.  You can see my review of this thought-provoking book here.


3. The next book I want to read.

I couldn't say with any certainty which book I will pick up next as it tends to be a bit of a spur-of-the-moment type thing and my moods book-wise change like the wind, but The Paris Wife by Paula McLain is definately on my shortlist (although I'm slightly concerned that the bf will nab this before I get the chance to pick it up.)  Charting the life of Ernest Hemingway's enigmatic wife Haldey Richardson, this should make for some good reading .. although I have to say I've never read much Hemingway myself.. (his books always seem like 'boys books' to me...do you think I'm right to feel that way?)


4. The last book I bought.

My weekly charity bookshop smash and grab resulted in some great finds as usual (I think charity shops can vary depending on where you are, and South Manchester is fairly good - though not as cheap as other places..) I managed to bag a copy of The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louise de Bernières, a read I found far superior to Captain Corelli.  I also picked up On Chesil Beach...I do find McEwan a bit hit and miss and I wonder how I'll fare with this one..but I thought I should at least give it a go. Finally I bought a funny looking book by Angeles Mastretta called Mexican Bolero. Although I have to be in the mood for it, I often find novels from that part of the world both hilarious and obscure at the same time and this book looked to have some fantastic characters within it.


5. The last book I was given.  

Technically books that were given to me for Christmas should probably fall into this category and they were plentiful. Amongst a fantastic vintage book on Troubadours, rekindling a passion I had for that period in history during my university days, and a lovely copy of The English Patient which I reviewed back in February, I received a practically brand new copy of Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, a satirical novel charting the adventures of a chap named Billy Pilgrim and centering on the fire-bombing of Dresden during World War II.  A classic I previously knew nothing about and that is now sitting proudly atop the TBR pile...