Books read in the last couple of months

(or how I attempted to keep Surrey libraries going single-handedly).

This was meant to be a post about books read in August. But now it's October and I'm getting more reading time on the commute to work so my list of books read is getting huge...

This is more list than review!

So, this is what I read in August. The book titles link through to LibraryThing, just cos I think it's fab.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
I quite enjoyed this one,  I thought the portrayal of Henry VIII's court and factions excellent, but it does go on for a looonnnnngggg time. And it weighs a ton, so it only got commuted with once. So far, the one and only book that has made me think about having a Kindle.

A vintage affair by Isabel Wolff
A fun read. Has those annoying things about chick lit. (why does the heroine always have two men interested in her, that never happens in real life?! Why does one of the men always have twinkly eyes?!). Fun descriptions of vintage clothing.Good for commuting reading.

Murder is binding by Lorna Barratt
Bookmarked for death by Lorna Barratt
Murder mysteries set in a murder mystery bookshop (yes, really). Again, a fun read but not great works of literature.

Read in September:
The girl with the dragon tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The girl who played with fire by Stieg Larsson
The girl who kicked the hornets' nest by Stieg Larsson
Didn't intend to read them in a row in the space of just over a fortnight, but that's what happened. These are very compelling! I found myself wishing for a longer commute just so I could keep reading! Very highly recommended. They are in translation, but it's been done very well so you can't tell, apart from occasional bits where there's some detail to explain how something or other happens in Sweden. I enjoyed the insights into another society, and although there is a lot about the problems of Sweden's social welfare system, I still thought it sounded better than here... If only Larsson had lived longer, as i would have loved to have read more books by him.

People of the book by Geraldine Brooks
Really enjoyed this one. It's about the Sarajevo Haggadah, the story of a six hundred year old book and makes the world of rare books look far more glamorous than it actually is. Well, I've certainly never jet-setted round the world tracking down provenance leads anyway.

Read in October:
The prince of mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
This is meant to be scary, but it isn't nearly as chilling as others I've read. It's written for children and is in translation (which shows in places) and the scary bits are a bit too much obviously intended to be scary. The action moves too fast which makes it a little less believable too.

Treasures of Durham University Library ed. by Richard Gameson
Oooh nice books!

The Royal Horticultural Society: Bulbs
Good pictures and idiot's guide to bulb planting (very useful for me).

How to garden: perennial plants by Alan Titchmarsh
Another idiot's guide to gardening. I found it really useful as it focusses on a few plants rather than the overwhelming numbers you get in other gardening books (the sort that assume you know what you're doing). Probably not for someone who knows what they're doing...