Friday Reads: Spies, dead bodies, and bad marriages

Рет қаралды 258

Күн бұрын

I had some microphone issues so this isn't the greatest audio quality. Lot's to catch up on this week
00:00 general waffle
00:57 The Small House At Allington by Anthony Trollope
04:06 Ancestors: A Prehistory Of Britain In Seven Burials by Professor Alice Roberts #historathon2024
08:48 The Pursuit Of Love by Nancy Mitford
13:04 The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John le Carré
16:40 From Doon With Death by Ruth Rendell
#fridayreads

Пікірлер: 23

@reginalemoine5809 6 ай бұрын

I’m so glad you read Inspector Wexford! The series gets better and better and the evolution of Wexford is really great. The Pursuit of Love is one of my all-time favorite novels. I liken Nancy Mitford to Evelyn Waugh. They were actually great friends. I have a volume of their letters, which are supposed to be great, but I haven’t read them yet.

@AaronReadABook 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the recommendation! I might try one of her standalones too as people seem to really love those too, but I quite like the vibe of these.

@cathrussell2426 5 ай бұрын

My favourite book about the Mitfords is The Mitford Girls by Mary Lovell. It's quite a chunky thing but didn't feel like it, if you know what I mean. I also really enjoyed Wait For Me! by Deborah Mitford and a book of her letters to Patrick Leigh Fermor, the travel writer, called In Tearing Haste. So no, you're not the only Mitford sisters fan. LOL

@AaronReadABook 5 ай бұрын

Those are all going on the list! I read A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor last year and really enjoyed it, I went on holiday to Germany after reading it 😂So that sounds interesting! Good to know I'm not alone, I've just started Hons and Rebels today.

@bookstalgic 5 ай бұрын

"We can only trust what the Romans say" haha, scary thought! The advances in archeology are so fascinating. Ancestors sounds interesting - too bad about the weird rants in there. I put The Pursuit of Love and on my list. I've never heard of the Mitford family, but sounds fun. Oh yes, that Goodreads notification if you're falling behind definitely makes me unnecessarily anxious, lol. I set the bar low so that I can avoid that! :D

@AaronReadABook 5 ай бұрын

I usually set it lower but the thing is I do have spreadsheets and things too anyway so I would still know 😂 Once the idea of 100 is in my head I would work it out anyway. I'm reading the autobiography of Nancy's sister now, and Nancy is so funny in that too.

@svarga1 6 ай бұрын

I love Ruth Rendell's Wexford novels. She is a fabulous author. For me, she and P.D. James are almost on a par with Christie.

@AaronReadABook 6 ай бұрын

PD James is another one I've started too, I read the first two of her Dalgliesh novels and really enjoyed them. I'm going to re-visit her in March too!

@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk 6 ай бұрын

Currently reading Dune at the moment. Best wishes.

@AaronReadABook 6 ай бұрын

That's a great one, look forward to seeing what you think!

@josmith5992 5 ай бұрын

Sarah and I have just started Ancestors and funnily enough we both mentioned the personal bits feeling a bit out of place and unnecessary. We’ve only read two chapters but I’m really enjoying it, it’s fascinating stuff! I’m one of the ones who rates Small House highly, it’s been a while since I read it and I didn’t write a review so when I reread them all again I’ll have to see if that’s still the case, I just loved how different it was where the love interests were concerned. I also love the Palliser series, I think it’s a little more uneven as there is one book in it I’m not a fan of but I love Can you Forgive Her? I love Phineas as a character and the series also features possibly my favorite character in Trollope so far.

@AaronReadABook 5 ай бұрын

Roberts is the head of the humanist society or something, and apparently loves to spread the word 😂 I did think it was one of your favourites, I think it will stick with me for sure.

@artandbooks5850 6 ай бұрын

I am half way into The Small House at Allington and I am loving it! I can also recommend The Claverings when you are done with this series, a stand alone. I read the first 2 books of The Palliser series and loved them both. Contrary to many opinions out there, I thought Phineas Finn was fantastic.

@AaronReadABook 6 ай бұрын

Phineas Finn I think is another one I've heard divides people for sure. I do own The Claverings so that definitely a good shorter option at some point. Hope you enjoy the rest of it!

@genteelblackhole 6 ай бұрын

I haven't read the first two Le Carré books, but have heard radio adaptations of them (with Simon Russell Beale as Smiley), and the Sidney Lumet film of the first one (with James Mason as Smiley with his name changed), and they definitely don't have the same feel as the stuff from TSWCIFTC onwards. Probably safely skippable!

@AaronReadABook 6 ай бұрын

From reviews I've seen of 2 it's not a proper spy novel either, however I love Sidney Lumet generally so I suspect that is worth a watch.

@genteelblackhole 6 ай бұрын

@@AaronReadABook Yeah, the second book is more of a murder mystery type story, not espionage. Maybe enjoyable in its own right, but feels like more of an odd one out than Call For the Dead. The Lumet film of CFTD is worth a watch - it's called The Deadly Affair.

@booksimnotreading 5 ай бұрын

I’m on the fence as well with Small House. It was a very brave choice for Trollope!

@AaronReadABook 5 ай бұрын

It was. I think probably it's what the characters deserved in some way.

@booksimnotreading 5 ай бұрын

@@AaronReadABook Really? Even the scoundrel?

@AaronReadABook 5 ай бұрын

Yeah maybe he got off a bit easy but he did lose lots of his money

@YourTrueShelf 5 ай бұрын

Ditto to Jo's comments about Ancestors - also don't like her jumping in with her views! It's nice to be reading it when you've just read it. Ruth Rendall - never tried, but also had the same impressions & didnt the BBC or ITV make loads of adaptations? I had a huge book about the Mitfords that I bought when I visited Chatsworth - then I gave it away without reading 😂 That's why I set my goodreads to 1 so that I didn't get those reminders!! John le carré I've only read The constant gardener, but at the time I really liked it. Many years ago!

@AaronReadABook 5 ай бұрын

I've only just discovered that the youngest Mitford owned Chatsworth House, one of them was obsessed with chickens too, very interesting. I always forget he wrote The Constant Gardener, I'll have to get that one.