The Lume Team share their current reads and recommendations…
Welcome to Lume Books Team Reads, where we thought we’d share with you what we’ve been reading and loving lately. As a team our taste in books is quite eclectic, so hopefully, if you’re in need of a recommendation, someone’s got you covered!
Aubrie is reading The Secret History by Donna Tart
“I’ve just revisited Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, having first read it more than a decade ago.
Considered “the thinking person’s thriller”, Tartt’s richly detailed writing quickly immerses the reader into the intellectual and psychological narrative of five college students who commit murder.
Add to that Greek mythology, betrayal, sex, drugs and existential self-loathing and you’ve got the quintessential summer read.”
Eve is reading Some Touch of Pity by Rhoda Edwards
“The Cromwell trilogy by Hilary Mantel is one of my all time favourites, so I’m always on the lookout for historical fiction with the same depth of research and tight yet lyrical prose.
Rhoda Edwards’ novel about the much-maligned Richard III caught my eye, and so far it’s delivering.
Edwards clearly knows the period inside out, yet doesn’t clobber the reader with the weight of her research. Written from the perspective of multiple characters and never Richard himself, the delivery is completely unlike Mantel’s — but creates in its own way a moving and haunting portrait that I think offers a larger truth than the history books.”
Imogen is reading Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
“With its labyrinth of halls, thundering tides, and the incongruous objects brought by the Other, Susanna Clarke has created a truly intriguing world for readers to explore.
Since I’m only halfway through, I’m wary of saying too much about this pretty unique and mysterious book. But the more Piranesi learns about his world and what he’s doing there, the more I want to read on.
Mythology, fantasy and mystery all rolled into one, I can see why Piranesi has so many fans.”
James is reading The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
“Just back from Sicily, I wanted to read something about the history of the region, and this book has been on my list for a while.
It’s about the great changes that occured in Sicily throughout the 1860s, all seen through the lens of an aristocrat with waning powers, Don Fabrizio, also known as The Leopard.
So far I’m enjoying the great descriptions of the family members and their fraught relationships. The author conjures some wonderful phrases that seem odd at first in translation but ultimately make perfect sense.”
Matthew is reading The Dream and the Tomb by Robert Payne
“The Dream & The Tomb by Robert Payne is a masterly, single volume history of the crusades, and a perfect introduction to the subject for the general reader.
He covers the entire period, bringing out the main themes and penning succinct portraits of its main characters, battles, ideas, and strategies.
It was a dramatic period of history, and Payne brings its weirdness and strangeness vividly to life.”
Sophy is reading The Windsor Story by Charles Murphy and Joe Bryan
“As an anti-monarchist, I was interested to read this account of the Windsors (Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII) written by two American journalists who were hired and fired by the couple.
Its one of the great stories of the 20th Century, and this book recounts the tale right from the inside — events as told to Bryan and Murphy by the couple themselves, but more importantly by members of their inner circle.
It’s a complete whistle blow. Clearly the two Americans are no fans of the Royal Family, and expose the extravagance and monumental privilege, but also the isolation and essential hard heartedness at their core. Plus ca change…”
