I thought that I would give āPeter Moore Y Gwaethaf oār Gwaethafā a try, although it is not my favourite kind of book, as it is in Stori Sydyn. I tried Gwales, but it was unavailable. Temptation took over at that stage, and I somehow find that I have 8 books coming in the post. This was meant to be a low-spend month so that I can pay the dentist, but never mind.
I am expecting
Meddyliau Eilir by Eilir Jones
Perygl yn Sbaen by Bob Eynon
Dal y fynd, Chwynnu, Cicioār bar by Sioned Williams
Llechi by Manon Steffan Ros
Oes Heddwas?, Mynd fel bom by Myfanwy Alexander.
Most (all?) of these have been described above, so thank you.
Sue
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Oes Heddwas is the first of 4 with Mynd fel Bom being the 4th. Itās not a series as such but youāll see characters developing if you read the other two in between.
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Here are three great books by Dewi Prysor: Brithyll = Trout (stolen), Madarch = Mushrooms (the magic kind) and Crawia = the kind of slate you see used to make fences (stolen, twice). They tell the hilarious adventures of a colourful crew of characters. Warning! 
The language in these books is bad, and the behaviour is worse, but there are scenes that will have you crying with laughter. 
Youāll likely learn some new vocab that you wonāt find in SSiW, or any other course for that matter! All three books are lively, funny, and well worth a read!
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Thank you, thatās useful info. It may be some time before I get round to reading them.
Sue
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Cwcw - Marlyn Samuel
Marlyn is releasing her 5th book, 5 Diwrnod a Phriodas, this week so I wanted to read this first. This is her 3rd book and the 4th one that Iāve read. Confused?
Translated from the back cover ā¦
āSheās your sister!ā
āHalf sister. I hardly know the girl! And Iām not keen to get to know her either, understand.ā
Two sisters meet in their dadās funeral. The two are so different to each other, itās hard to believe that theyāre half sisters. So will they grasp the chance to get to know each other, or will they remain strangers for the rest of their lives?
In my opinion another enjoyable read from Marlyn Samuel. Iām now very used to her writing style and her sense of humour makes these a great way to release the mind from serious every day issues that us adults have to endure. Lowri and Seren are the daughters of a recently deceased serial adulterer who, in the past, has done the dirty while married to the mothers of them both. They meet in their dadās funeral but, due to their completely different backgrounds, donāt exactly hit it off at first. Lowri is a high earning attorney with a nice house and seemingly perfect life, Seren is a motorbike riding, leather wearing, straight-talking type of woman. But you canāt chose your family.
The same as I wrote for Cicioār Bwced, Llwch yn yr Haul and MilionĆŖrsā¦ This is a grown-upās book so not an easy read like those aimed at teenagers or learners but I wouldnāt say it was difficult either. Marlyn uses straightforward, simple language thatās very accessible so I wouldnāt think it would be impossible even for beginners and certainly ok for intermediate readers.
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Iām delighted to say Iāve finished Y Stafell Ddirgel gan Marion Eames. Delighted because itās overā¦
Itās rare for me not to recommend a book, but honestly, I think this one will work for a pretty select audience, specifically those interested in Quakerism and religious persecution in the seventeenth century.
The book tells the story of Rowland Ellis, a squire near Dolgellau who converts to Quakerism, which changes his life forever as his friends and family are persecuted for their beliefs.
Unfortunately for me itās written in the vocab of the period so I was wading through Acts of Tolerance, the commonwealth, the Light within, bearing witness, taking oaths, seizure of property, suffering persecution, Papists / Baptists / Quakers / other sects, people being dauntless / presumptuous / meek / tranquil. And I just couldnāt get through all the vocab to enjoy the story.
I donāt think that it helped that itās a mid twentieth century historical novel, as theyāre really different in style to contemporary tastes. People are persecuted and bad things happen, but then you just move onto the next chapter, usually after Rowland admires somebody for their tranquility and faith in the face of such suffering. Maybe if I were reading it in English Iād find it intensely moving and appreciate his inner struggle and personal growth, but Iām not a good enough reader and I really just couldnāt get into it. Instead of relating to a universal story of faith, I was bogged down in trying to understand what was being said. I only finished it because Iām stubborn.
I feel a bit bad to be so negative about it as I know itās a classic, but I recently heard an author comment they they had tried to make their recent book one people wanted to read, ānot like Y Stafell Ddirgelā. So I donāt think Iām the only one to feel this way.
And on that note, I think thatās me done with the first language TGAU prose texts. Although I havenāt enjoyed every book, Iāve enjoyed the project as a whole. I was surprised how much they differed in complexity, from the extremely readable to this beast. My favourite is probably still I Bleār Aeth Haul Y Bore by Eirug Wyn - that genuinely moved me. If youāre regularly reading books for native speakers in Welsh, donāt be afraid to give some of these a go. Itāll broaden your horizons and boost your confidence.
Now Iām off to read something funā¦
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Cai by Eurig Salisbury. This novel won the Prose Medal at the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol, 2016
Cai is a student in the art department at Aberystwyth University. He hopes to continue his post-graduate research into the work of the reclusive artist Aeres Vaughan who lives in a large house in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately Caiās application for a grant is turned down, possibly because he wants to write his thesis in Welsh. Help arrives unexpectedly in the form of an offer of funding from a man called Esell who represents a private foundation. Cai is soon invited to Plas Helygog to meet Aeres Vaughan. There, with the help of another Aberystwyth student Ffion whose father lives nearby, he starts to uncover the dark secret behind some of the paintings hanging in the house.
I know Aberystwyth well, having been a student there myself many years ago and I have visited many times since. I also happen to live not that far from the fictitious Plas Helygog. The locations are well described and Eurig Salisbury conjures an atmosphere of suspense. Cai is suitably obsessed with his subject and Ffion is drawn into helping with his research.
I felt that the story sagged in the middle. There comes a point where nothing seems to be happening, other than Cai looking at paintings, searching through old documents and piecing together letters written by Aeres Vaughan which reveal that her nieceās death affected her badly. In fact I actually put the book down for several months. However, if you push on through the dull bit, the end is swift and dramatic as the details of the mystery are finally revealed.
The book is suited to confident readers, but after looking up a fair bit of vocabulary at the start relating to art, painting, sketching etc, it didnāt seem too difficult.
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I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed āCysgod Y Crymanā (Shadow of the Sickle) by Islywyn Ffowc Elis. I thought the subject matter (shift in society after WW2) and the language would slow me down, but the story is so gripping it barely lasted me three nights 
I could imagine this as a TV drama, with the scenes unfolding before my eyes (a bit like Brideshead Revisited!). Having read another book in the āCam at y Cewriā series - āWilliam Jonesā by T Rowland Hughes (about hard life in the quarries and mines) - I thought Iād pass on my hearty recommendations. The novels in the Cam at y Cewri series have been adapted for learners, without losing their true essence, so you can enjoy the classic literature without struggling. There are helpful notes at the bottom of each page so youāre not constantly reaching for the dictionary or trying to work out the sense of unfamiliar phrases. Theyāre very, very good!! .
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On that, I really recommend the poetry anthology in the series. Poetry normally isnāt my thing, but Iāve really enjoyed this collection.
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I enjoyed your review, by the sound of it far more than you enjoyed the bookā¦
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There is actually a study guide because itās a TGAU text. For anyone interested in the themes I might recommend reading that instead!
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Itās useful to know what books NOT to buy!
Sue
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On which note I read Blasu this weekend, by Manon Steffan Ros. Oh my, that was a warm relaxing bath and a bar of chocolate after the blincinā Stafell Ddirgel.
Iād had a copy for a while but had been putting it off, because for some reason I had it in my head I found MSR a āhardā author. Well, I couldnāt have been more wrong. Iāve obviously improved as a reader since I came to that conclusion and it was pure bliss to read. Like coming home after battling through cross country in the wind and the rain.
At least from a language perspectiveā¦ From a story perspective there were lots of tears!
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Thanks for the recommendation of Blasu. I also somehow had the feeling that Manon Steffan Ros was āhardā, but it sounds like a good book to read next when Iāve finished Y Plygain Olaf. Also my reading skill have probably improved since I bought the book and then put it to one side.
I really donāt know where youāve all got the idea from that Manon Steffan Rosās books are āhardā! 
Iāve found them immensely readable and enjoyable, even in my early days as a Welsh reader. The dialogues when the characters speak are easy to follow and also helpful as a learner. In addition to novels for adults she has also written for the āStori Sydynā series which are short and aimed at encouraging people to read in Welsh, and also for teenagers (such as Pluen). These are a really good place to start with reading her work and will leave you feeling more confident in your reading and wanting to progress Sheās one of my favourites as I donāt need to keep reaching for a dictionary and the stories are captivating. I can be persuaded to part with these two if any one would like to make me an offer. Theyāre so good, Iāve read them twice already!
I think itās because the first one of hers I read was Llyfr Glas Nebo, which is very dialectal. I enjoyed it, but it took me a few chapters to get in the zone. And then Iād picked up Llanw but also not slid right into it so put it down again.
Moral of the story, never say never! Keep calm, keep reading, and keep coming back to things!
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Iām with Caroline on this one one, sorry Cetra 
I really struggled with my first MSR book, Y Stelciwr which is another title in the Stori Sydyn series. It probably didnāt help that Iād only read a couple of Mynediad books at the time and was very early in my Welsh learning journey. It also didnāt help that I didnāt like the story but I persisted with it sporadically whilst reading other titles by other authors. Everyone was raving about Llyfr Glas Nebo so I duly bought that and left it on the shelf to gather dust, fearing to go there after my earlier experience. When I did I was surprised how much easier I found it. I got through it fairly rapidly and I enjoyed reading it (for reading experience that is, not necessarily the content). I tend to use the library (lucky me living in Wales 
) or buy from charity shops so now tend to pick up anything and give it a whirl. This thread has been brilliant for suggestions/reviews BTW. For someone who is not an avid reader Iāve really pushed myself to read Welsh books. Since starting to learn Welsh Iāve read more and used the library more than at any other time in my life and for me itās right up there among the best things Iāve ever done. Iām also now reading more English books as well. Itās not been easy but itās a definite win on so many levels so Iāll echo/paraphrase Carolineās words - daliwch ati!!
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Iām actually loving hearing people share their procrastination and worries. I know I do it when I I post, but itās so easy to only show the books ticked off the list, the āachievementsā, not the messy feelings and frustrations along the way.
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Books started but not yet finished? At least five, plus a few where I have dipped in and looked at the first page.
Sue
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