Sounds like a film title?! Or just a book bloggers exercise to look at five books briefly, with a view to longer posts to come. http://www.stuck-in-a-book.blogspot.com/ is a good read for avid readers everywhere, and Simon who writes it suggests the following headings.

1. The book I’m currently reading…A Man of Parts by David Lodge

I have mentioned before how much I’m enjoying this book. It’s set in an intriguing period and about a very interesting author. His relationships and writing are fascinating and Lodge’s writing style draws the reader in. I get the impression that I would not like Wells the person, but who knows where this novel will go.

2.The Book that I’ve just finished… Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves

This  book definitely deserves a full post, as does the rather good tv series Vera now showing on ITV. This is the first in the series, despite the running order on tv. It’s a good modern murder mystery, basically.

3. The next book I want to read…Good Behaviour by Molly Keane

One of a number of Molly Keane books I’ve picked up recently. I think that it deals with the interwar period which is so fascinating. It seems to be family stories, but not tragic saga types. We’ll soon see.

4. The book I bought most recently… Love’s Shadow by Ada Leverson

I must admit that I picked this up at Barter Books ( more about that another day) because I like The Bloomsbury Group set. This time an Edwardian novel, I am promised wit and love affairs. An interesting choice for £1.80!

5. The most recent book that I have been given…Women in the Second World War by Colette Drifte

This is a signed hardback by a local author, bought for me by Husband in Cogito Books in Hexham, a very efficient independent bookshop currently very involved in  the Hexham book festival. He knows that this is one of my current obsessions.  Here’s hoping I haven’t  used up all my credit as I want the new trio of books from Persephone when he goes to London soon…

And the Book Group? Well, one is happening on Wednesday night and we are looking at Alan Bennett’s A Life Like other People’s. Not sure about this as a cheerful read, but we’ll see what everyone else thought.