Onion Budgie

Ah, I wasn't aware of that version. (That's probably because I avoid anything Miss-Marple-related like the plague -- childhood trauma of having to watch endless Joan Hickson episodes with my mother. ) I hope you enjoy the book too, Madeleine!

"It was almost six o'clock, so Joel Lingeman wanted a drink." Man About Town by Mark Merlis.

I'm still reading Man About Town. The main character is a congressional adviser, so there's a fair amount of political chat at the beginning which I wasn't expecting. Quite enjoying it so far, but I'm not even a quarter of the way through. I bought a couple of books to read in October. The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie (an eerie occult novel, currently being filmed for TV -- I want to read it before it airs), and Muse by James Renner, a horror-themed novella. I'm looking forward to both.

I liked it too! I enjoyed Malkovich's take on Poirot. I couldn't quite believe that twist in his personal history, though. (Have you got to that bit yet?)

I finished Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie -- it was a goodun', with plenty of twists and turns. Next up is Man About Town by Mark Merlis, an LGBT+ story about a chap whose long-term relationship ends, and his journey to a fresh self-discovery. It sounds interesting!

Good Omens, repeatedly. It's spectacularly good. It's only on Amazon Prime at the moment, but will make it to BBC2 by the end of the year. Don't miss it, whatever you do! Michael Sheen and David Tennant are just so charismatically perfect in their roles as the angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley. Also -- how did I make it to this point in my life without watching EVERYTHING that Michael Sheen has ever been in?!? He's such a good actor. Currently remedying this ghastly faux pas.

I've just finished This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. It was an absolute page-turner! If the book has a fault, then it's the tendency to sidle too far into the sentimental and unbelievable where family dynamics are concerned. Also, I felt the dialogue at times to be wholly unrealistic. But still, and overall, I enjoyed it very much, and wholeheartedly support books in this particular genre. I have a craving to get back to Hercule Poirot! Quelle surprise! I'm about to make a start on Cards on the Table. I'm not sure what I'll do when I finally run out of Poirots. Thank goodness AC was prolific.

22 so far this year.

"But first, Roo was born." This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel.

A couple of chapters in, and so far so good! It's a chunker -- almost 500 pages.

Just finished Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie. Enjoyable, but not one of my favourites. I'm now about to start This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel, about a little five-year-old boy who realises that he wants to be a girl, and how his family deal with all that entails. It's had a lot of good reviews, so I'm looking forward to it.

I finished Good Omens. It didn't make me laugh out loud, but it was still fun, and I wanted to know what happened next, so got through it fairly quickly. Now I'm going to watch the TV series! My next read will be Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie.

Perhaps you could find a sturdy satchel-type bag with a large enough pocket that could hold a book, and keep it separate from keys, water bottles, etc., that might be likely to damage it?

Same as you, I use Goodreads and Amazon. The two combined work very well for me, but I'll watch this thread with interest in case anyone comes up with a better idea!

I finished A Lovely View of Sea. It wasn't great, and all those spelling errors and typos did my head in. Why do publishers let themselves down in this way? I'm now about to start Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman.

I've not heard of The Reader. (I'm very bad at keeping up with films!) I'm past the halfway point with A Lovely View of Sea. There's not much of a plot so far; just a precocious 12-yr-old kid wandering around New Brighton, talking to people. And there are hundreds of spelling errors and typos. It evidently wasn't proofread before publishing. A bit sloppy. I spent a couple of hours this evening reading Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman, and it was lovely, fluffy, and wondrous.

Hi Luis, and welcome. No, I've never seen any film adaptation of the book. I'll be sure to watch it the next time it comes up on TV! I hope you're enjoying the book as much as the film?

I'm just about to start A Lovely View of Sea by Michael Carson -- it arrived in the post this morning. If it hadn't arrived, I would have begun reading Good Omens instead. So that one will be next. (The excitement about the new TV adaptation of that is infectious!)

To be honest, I'd recommend anything by Helene Hanff. All of her six books are autobiographical in one way or another, and they're all fab. (I wish she'd written more than six!)

Yes! I've worked with them on the last three Sherlock Holmes games, writing/editing dialogue and text. I'm so glad that you like them!

Ted Morgan wrote a wonderful, massively detailed and insightful biography of William S. Burroughs. I loved Joe Orton's diaries, which were published after his death. What a fascinating, complicated, hilarious character he was. John Lahr's biography of him was also very good. Helene Hanff's autobiography, Underfoot in Show Business, is warm, witty, and marvellous. I keep meaning to read George Plimpton's biography of Truman Capote, but there it still sits on my shelf, unread. Capote is one of my favourite authors, so I must read it soon. I've read Conversations with Capote by Lawrence Grobel, which is captivating.

I've been thinking about this. I can't think of any that shaped me, particularly, at a very young age. But -- I first read Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories in my early teens, and those DID change me, profoundly, in many ways, and still to this day. Back in the 90s, I joined Holmesian societies, wrote articles, and went to group meetings. I've been inspired to write my own Holmesian stories, and I freelance as a writer/editor for a games company that develops Sherlock Holmes adventure games. It's been a lifelong love of mine, and I don't see that ever fading.

It's July, and it's HOT! What's everyone reading this month, between ice baths? I've 60 pages left of Wuthering Heights, and I'm really enjoying it. Teenage me obviously wasn't in the right mood for Emily Bronte, but present-day me definitely is. It's melodramatic bedlam, and every single character is foul -- much like our Tory government, in fact. I'm reading it at arm's length and in small chunks, because it's intense!

I disagree with me too! I'm re-reading it right now, and am LOVING it.

I've reached the last quarter of The Charioteer. The pace is *finally* picking up. I had faith, I knew it would. It's almost exciting now! Andrew or Ralph? If it isn't Ralph, I'll be disgruntled. Come on, Laurie. Next up will definitely be Wuthering Heights. After reading all of your above comments, I can't wait to re-meet all of those ghastly characters!