NetGalley

[Lady Clementina]

Roman Clodia wrote: "Me too on Armfield. Loved A Little Life but To Paradise isn't calling to me... :)"

The futuristic thread in To Paradise has me a little sceptical as well.

[Alwynne]

I like that it sounds ambitious, even if it's an extravagant flop it'll be interesting to read, so many of the contemporary novels I've tried recently like the Sarah Moss etc have been so parochial, and just not well written enough or interesting in terms of language or structure to rise above their narrow concerns, I've found them a bit dull.

[Susan]

I know Nigeyb liked Luke McCain - his new one is on NetGalley: Where God Does Not Walk

[Nigeyb]

Oooh. Thanks Susan

[Susan]

Welcome :)

[Alwynne]

I got approved for a copy of Sara Freeman's Tides which sounds promising, there's also a new Sarah Pinborough Insomnia for any thriller fans.

[Alwynne]

I just finished and reviewed Kay Dick's They out here soon from Faber and in the US from a new imprint McNally Editions - who are focusing on vintage titles. It's available on Netgalley UK as a 'read now' and think some of you may like or find it interesting. Nigey there's the added attraction of the fact that Dick was living in Brighton and the scenery features the Downs and coastal areas.

I read another novel of hers The Shelf and pretty much loathed it, but my review for that has links to further info on Dick who was quite a character. This one is so much better, she worked on Orwell's Animal Farm as an editor and this is a little like Orwell meets Anna Kavan.

[Lady Clementina]

Duino Elegies by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Vita and Edward Sackville-West is on NetGalley as a readnow

https://www.netgalley.co.uk/catalog/b...

[Alwynne]

I've already downloaded that one Lady C but thanks, now have to work out where my other copy is so can compare translations!

[Nigeyb]

Thanks for the tip about They Alwynne 🤠

[Alwynne]

I'm halfway through Mona Awad's All's Well which is currently on Netgalley UK, and lapping it up. A delicious, dark fairy tale which deals with academia, medical misogyny and chronic pain, and Shakespeare, full of Shakespearian reversals and an element of macabre fantasy. About 50 pages in, I ordered her last novel Bunny

[Susan]

I have recently requested quite a few books and been approved, so I have to concentrate on them for a while. Currently reading, Murder on the Lusitania which is good fun.

[Nigeyb]

Alwynne wrote: "I just finished and reviewed Kay Dick's They out here soon from Faber and in the US from a new imprint McNally Editions"

Thanks again Alwynne

No longer read now so I have put in a request

[Alwynne]

Great Nigey, hope you like it, noticed online that there've been a few talks in the past about it in the Brighton area, so must have a bit of a following there?

[Nigeyb]

I'd never heard of it until you mentioned it but now, alerted to its existence, I expect I'll notice references all over the place


I'll let you know when I notice local events etc

Thanks again

[Roman Clodia]

Anyone else following Nicola Upson's Josephine Tey series might be interested that her latest is now on NetGalley: Dear Little Corpses. No cover on here yet but it's set in 1939 amongst children evacuees.

[Bronwyn]

I finally decided to give NetGalley a try about a month ago and received my first book last week! I got Heiresses by Laura Thompson. I’m a quarter of the way through and really enjoying it. I like Thompson’s work and was really excited I received this one. :)

[Nigeyb]

Netgalley is great Bronwyn. If a little too tempting sometimes

[Alwynne]

Agree with you there Nigey.

[Susan]

I love NetGalley. I take far too many books, but it is brilliant. I belong to Amazon Vine and they used to, mainly, offer books and then that seemed to dry up and other things were offered for review. I missed the books and was pleased that a fellow Vine member suggested NetGalley as an - excellent - alternative.

[Lady Clementina]

Nigeyb wrote: "Netgalley is great Bronwyn. If a little too tempting sometimes"

I feel the same; I often end up with far more than I can manage

[Jill]

I darn’t even think of Netgalley. I have so many physical books here, and I would really like the space they take up back. My other half thinks if ever the house caught fire it would burn for days on just the books alone.

[Bronwyn]

I’ve tried not to browse too much because I had a feeling it would be too tempting! :) I also found a read now one about Alice Dunbar-Nelson that I hope to get to soon, but probably not until the new year.

[Alwynne]

This just turned up on Netgalley UK After Agatha: Women Write Crime thought it might interest some of us?

[Susan]

Looks interesting, Alwynne. Thanks.

[Roman Clodia]

Ooh, that looks good, thanks Alwynne. I see Cline has written a biography of Zelda Fitzgerald as well.

[Roman Clodia]

I've finished After Agatha: Women Write Crime and while it's fun and would make a great companion to The Golden Age of Murder (but with a gendered slant), it's also unnuanced and uncritical. I especially enjoyed the interviews with contemporary female crime writers, but it's disappointing that it treats 'women' as a single entity...

www.goodreads.com/review/show/4384756236

[Susan]

Grand Hotel Europa has appeared on NetGalley.

[Roman Clodia]

Ooh, thanks Susan! I assumed nothing new would be put on NG till after the holidays so would have missed this if you hadn't mentioned it.

[Susan]

Welcome, RC :)

[Roman Clodia]

The new Moshfegh is on NG now: Lapvona - so excited!

[Nigeyb]

Look forward to your reaction


I'm a bit chastened after that last outing, which I know you loved

[Roman Clodia]

I can't resist starting it straightaway so will let you know. I wouldn't have been grabbed by the blurb either, except that it's Moshfegh.

[Susan]

I must admit that I wasn't tempted by the blurb. I know it's Moshfegh, but I will wait to hear your thoughts :)

[Roman Clodia]

Hmm, hard to know what to make of the Moshfegh so far, it's *very* different from anything she's done before, more like a fairy tale/fable than anything else. Not a strong recommendation from me, I'm afraid.

[Nigeyb]

Oh dear

[Susan]

OK, maybe we'll wait then, RC ;)

[Roman Clodia]

I highly recommend this from NG: Blurb Your Enthusiasm: An A-Z of Literary Persuasion: it's witty, knowledgeable and entertaining about everything to do with packaging the book as a product from front cover to blurbs to shoutlines and puff quotes. And I think Wilder has some of Lucy Mangan's humour and enthusiasm.

[Bronwyn]

I forgot this was a thread. 😂

I received We Kept Our Towns Going about corset/bra maker employees in Michigan’s UP. I just need to finish Possession first…

[Lady Clementina]

A set of essays by Margaret Atwood, Burning Questions is available for request

[Roman Clodia]

Amy & Lan by the wonderful Sadie Jones is on NG - have to say the blurb didn't grab me... but it's Sadie Jones.

[Tania]

I picked up The Bloater by Rosemary Tonks, which featured on a Backlisted Podcast a while ago. At the time they said it was the rarest book they'd ever featured, partly because Rosemary Tonks used to find and destroy copies of the book, including those in libraries.

[Alwynne]

I've got that one too Tania, look forward to comparing notes.

[Tania]

Great, I will probably get to it next week, very intriguing.

[Sid]

Yes, I've got The Bloater, too. I didn't know that about Tonks destroying it, which makes it all the more intriguing.

I've just started Hot Water by Christopher Fowler, also from NG. I'm about 25% into it; so far it's a decent but rather run-of-the-mill set up for a thriller and not a patch on the wonderful Bryant & May books.

[Bronwyn]

I finished We Kept Our Towns Going.

Just got an email that I was accepted for The Women of Rothschild.

I need to stop requesting so I can actually read books I own. Lol

[Susan]

It is just too tempting, isn't it, Bronwyn? I feel your dilemma...

[Sid]

I've managed to get my NetGalley backlog down to 2! I am very proud...but it won't last because I'm too weak-willed. I've just requested a Tess Gerritsen because I've heard she's good but never tried her, and more will be along soon, I'm sure.

At least this year I've decided to be more ruthless about not persisting with books I don't like much; for several I've read a decent chunk and then skimmed sufficiently to give a genuine review, but I've decided not to slog to the end out of duty. My life has changed for the better... 😊

[Susan]

Good to hear, Sid!

I used to read a lot of Tess Gerritsen, but she is another author I have lost contact with.

I have definitely been reading more personal books this year and I am determined to do that. Otherwise, you forget why you started reading in the first place.

[Sid]

Susan wrote: "I have definitely been reading more personal books this year and I am determined to do that. Otherwise, you forget why you started reading in the first place."

Very true. I'm trying to do the same, but only managing to a certain extent. This group and Reading The Detectives are directing a lot of my reading at the moment - which I'm enjoying very much!