The last book I read...

was Trumpet by Jackie Kay. One of the best books in a while, but sine I've already reviewed it here, I'll mention instead Daphne du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel. This was only the second of her books I've read,  but what great psychological drama! Philip is such an unreliable narrator, but I couldn't help wanting the best and fearing the worst for him.

The book I'm reading now...

Graham Greene's gangland story Brighton Rock. This is a book that hits the ground running, plot wise. The characters are so well drawn as are the relationships between them.

What I'm reading next...

Our book group choice this month is The Soul of Kindness by Elizabeth Taylor. We enjoyed Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont so much that we've plumped for another by the same author. It was a last-minute decision with no time to phone a blogger friend for advice, so I don't know yet if we've picked a good one. I'm determined not to leave my reading until the last minute this time.

The last book I bought...

was on a shopping trip to Manchester with my daughter. In the biggest bookshop I've visited in a long time, I was like a kid in a candy store. No matter how good the on-line discounts, you can't beat handling the books. I managed to limit myself to just one - Umberto Eco's new novel The Prague Cemetery. I loved the combination of ideas and great storytelling in The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum, but found myself baffled by Eco's later works. I'm hoping this is a return to his early form.

The last book I was given...

The Bridge of the Golden Horn by Emine Sevgi Ozdamar. This was given to me by Lizzy Siddal as part of her German literature month. It tells the story of a Turkish teenager who goes to Germany in search of work. I must confess I'm struggling with this one. The first-person, almost childlike, narration was refreshing at first, but my enthusiasm has waned a little. I'm waiting for the right moment to pick this one up again.