Thanks everyone for all the useful suggestions. Iāve put in an order for a few books from Y Lolfa, so hopefully that will keep me going for a bit.@jenny-5 Thatās very kind, yes please. I have read a couple of books that arenāt my style but which I could read fairly easy and I reckon until I can read fluent Welsh I will tackle the good, the bad and the ugly!
My latest haul, set out in the order I intend to read them. (though not sure if Iām ready for Sgor and Amdani yet!
Wow, youāre serious about reading! Enjoy!
p.s.Iām also a bit envious that you can get them so fastā¦and with no extra high shipping&tax costs like us here now!
My library (Aura) membership gives free access to Borrowbox. A small few of these books are on there.
Thatās a really interesting option!
However do you (or anybody) know if it is possible to become a member of a library in Walesā¦if youāre not Welsh and do not live in Wales and not even in the UK like me?
Of course borrowing real books would not be possible, but this service could work the same way anywhere in the world.
Also I can tell for sure I was able to become a member of the British Library in London for a research I did locally in that occasion but putting all the things together I guess it might be worth asking!
Hi, I do not think it is just a Wales Library thing. Would be worth checking if it is something your library might offer?
Oh I hadnāt thought about that!
However Iāve just checked and it seems currently only to include libraries in UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, Singapore, Malaysia.
Also I canāt understand if you have then access to a huge shared virtual library or just those of the one youāre member of?
In the latter, even if the app reached Italy I donāt think Iād find books in Welsh unfortunately!
āY Nantā by Bet Jones was reviewed back in October 2018 by @seren, but I think that it deserves another mention. Take a group of ill-assorted and mostly unpleasant characters, cut them off from the rest of the world by bad weather, and throw in a murder. There you have the basis for a traditional murder mystery and this one did not disappoint. I started with the intention of looking up the words that I didnāt know, but I found that I couldnāt bear to stop reading. What dark secret will be revealed next? What will happen now? As a result I may have missed some of the fine detail, but the story came through perfectly. There are books that I have read just to get practice in Welsh and there are books, such as this one, that I would be equally happy to read if they were in English. Level of difficulty? Maybe Uwch 1, though I find that books become easier if you are enjoying them. I must try her other books.
Sue
I too enjoyed āY Nantā and have now just finished āPerlā, also by Bet Jones and would certainly recommend that one too. An involving story that moves between the Eifionydd region of Wales and war-torn Croatia, which had the bonus of teaching me quite a lot about recent Croatian history that I was only vaguely aware of. I would put the level of difficulty at the upper end of intermediate ā the Welsh is clear and straightforward but there is quite a range of vocabulary, including many of those polysyllabic abstract nouns that take a while to get sorted in your mind. All good practice of course.
Thanks, @Davids. I have ordered āCraciauā and it should arrive in the next few days. I shall look for āPerlā too.
Sue
I succeeded in applying for membership in Ceredigion libraries (other libraries apparently required to be resident in that specific town/county at least on the online form) and I can now get books in BorrowBox.
Amazing! Diolch yn fawr iawn, Janette!
Hi, Iām just about to finish Sgwp! and Iām looking for a next book recommendation, please. I am not fluent at the level of that book, but I understand most of it, with only occasional dips into the dictionary. Iād rather avoid Teen themed stories (Iām 63 oed). In English I would normally read Colin Dexter, Len Deighton, that sort of thing.
Diolch
Hi, @Tony_Davis,
From one 63 oed to another, I love Sgŵp!
You might try
Yn Ei Gwsg by Bethan Gwanas. Dafydd walks in his sleep. One morning he wakes up covered in blood which is not his own. This is in the Amdani series at Sylfaen level with useful words at the bottom of the page and vocabulary at the end.
GĆŖm Beryglus by Richard MacAndrew, adapted by Pegi Talfryn. A serial killer is at work in the Brecon Beacons. This is also in the Amdani series and a bit more advanced at Canolradd level.
From the Stori Sydyn series, suitable for reluctant first language readers and also for learners, so no vocabulary, but very approachable.
Hunlleff by Manon Steffan Ros. Why does Glyn have recurring nightmares about a terrible old woman who is coming to get him?
Tacsi iār Tywyllwch by Gareth F Williams. Ruth and Ffion run a taxi company. They are happy to go out at night to pick up lone women, but danger lurks.
Tacsi i Hunllef by Gareth F Williams. The sequel.
Marc Daniel by Dafydd Parri. This is out of print, but you might find a second hand copy and itās a lot of fun. Explosion? A room filling with gas? Kidnapped and thrown into Lake Geneva? High speed car chase? Marc Daniel can cope.
This one may be a couple of years in the future as it was for me, but I think it was worth waiting for. I would say Uwch level. Y Nant by Bet Jones.
Happy reading.
Sue
Oops - wishful thinking there. I am actually 73 oedā¦
Hi Sue, they sound exactly like the type of book I would enjoy, thanks for recommendations.
Cofion
Tony