Wednesday, February 3, 2021

WWW Wednesday - February 3, 2021

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Right now I am reading Secret Places by Janice Elliott (1981), set during World War II, in which teenage Patience Mackenzie befriends Laura Meister, a refugee from Germany, who joins her girls' day school in England.  There is also a movie with Jenny Agutter in the cast; here is the beginning.

I just finished Gemma by Noel Streatfield (1968); which I somehow never read before! I know that Lory at Entering the Enchanted Castle is going to feature books about the stage in March, so I will review this four-book series then.   Suffice it to say that Gemma contains all the elements dear to Streatfeild lovers’ hearts: a frugal family trying to get by, children with performing arts aspirations - and talent, and characters who come to life through the author’s skillful pen.
I am about to read The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (2020).  In a retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; this mystery was a big bestseller in Britain.  I learned about it from Cath at Read-Warbler in November and her description made me put it on reserve right away.  I guess two months wasn’t really that long to wait for a popular book.  There are still 186 holds, partly influenced by an article about the author in The New York Times last week. 
Have you read any of these?   Or seen the movie of Secret Places?  I also just noticed that the Noel Streatfeild Estate has authorized a British actress/vlogger/author to write a modern version of Ballet Shoes.   Is nothing sacred?

5 comments:

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

These all look good. The Thursday Murder Club is grabbing me. Thanks for sharing, and here's MY WWW POST

Leslie @ Books Are The New Black said...

Wow! Those look like great reads!! I'm glad you are enjoying them.

My WWW!

Cath said...

Thanks for the mention, Constance. I do hope you enjoy The Thursday Murder Club (I kind of feel a weight of responsibility now, LOL.) Most people seem to, I've seen one negative review but everyone else seems to have loved the very British sense of humour on display. I gather Richard Osman has book 2 already written but can't remember whether he said it would be out later this year or next. He was on a book show on TV and was so modest and surprised by the reaction to his first fiction book. If his publishers have any sense they'll get book 2 out as quickly as they can.

Ms. Yingling said...

I got The Thursday Murder Club for Christmas and am saving it for spring break. I might have to look up both of the other books. They look interesting.

TracyK said...

I look forward to your review next month on the Noel Streatfield books related to the theatre. I have never read anything by Streatfield but I have heard much about the books.

I look forward to reading The Thursday Murder Club sometime, but not rushing to it right now. I have only heard good things about the book.