Sugar

Rain

😘

Dock

The Best of me - Nicholas Sparks

Lorry

Thank you, All! It’s so good to be back here!

Thanks for highlighting this. I’ve added it to my wishlist.

December has been a mixed bag of books for me. I started with the Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, a teenage novel based on Dracula (tying neatly to Onion Budgie’s opening post). Part of a series telling the stories of girls/women inspired by classic novels. I followed this with Simon Mayo’s Mad Blood Stirring, which was to fulfil part of a reading challenge for 2019 on a Facebook group I belong to. This was the book for “read a book by an author better known for something else”. I’m so glad I read it - it’s set in 1814 in Dartmoor (my favourite part of the UK) around a little known part of the prison’s history. Mayo successfully crafted great characters, in a well drawn setting, and wrote it in a compulsive reading way. From this to a crime thriller (also for the above challenge, this time about the authors initials), Now You See Her by Heidi Perks. A lightweight read but with some interesting psychological analyses. I’m very close to finishing George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London. (“A book published before I was born” for the Challenge). Not sure what to say about this. I didn’t know it was autobiographical until I was over 50 pages in, and I decided I didn’t like the main character so did some googling... I also finished The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult yesterday that I’d been listening to on Audible while driving. I read the last 20% on my Kindle though as I couldn’t sleep in the night and didn’t want to miss any of it/spoil the twist/disturb my other half. Aiming for a lighter, seasonal read in James Bowen’s A Gift from Bob next. Hoping that everyone’s favourite Streetcat will help me with some festive spirit for this week...

The TBR shelf 2019 Physical Shelf 1) Tender Morsals - Margot Lanagan 2) A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving 3) You are Not like Other Mothers - Angelika Schrobsdorff 4) Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon 5) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See 6) The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy 7) Sushi for Beginners - Marianne Keyes 8) The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry 9) The Sealed Letter - Emma Donoghue 10) Under the Paw - Tom Cox 11) Monsters - Sharon Dogar 12) The House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz 13) The Family Fang - Kevin Wilson 14) Shopaholic to the Rescue - Sophie Kinsella 15) I let you go - Claire Mackintosh 16) The Behaviour of Moths - Poppy Adams 17) Bel Canto - Ann Patchett 18) The Uninvited Guests - Sadie Jones 19) Notes from an Exhibition - Patrick Gale 20) Three Things about Elsie - Joanna Cannon 21) A Place in the Country - Rob Stuart 22) Girl, Stop Apologizing - Rachel Hollis 23) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K Dick 24) The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins 25) The Pilates Body - Brooke Siler 26) After You - Jojo Moyes 27) Life to the Limit - Jenson Button 28) The Olive Readers - Christine Aziz 29) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith 30) The Return - Victoria Hislop Kindle 1) Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury 2) Sea - Sarah Driver 3) The House with Chicken Legs - Sophie Anderson 4) The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern 5) Elizabeth is Missing - Emma Healsy 6) Long time no see - Hannah Lowe 7) The Zookeeper’s Wife - Diane Ackerman 8) Night Train to Lisbon - Pascal Mercier 9) The French Lieutenant’s Woman - John Fowles 10) Sleepyhead - Mark Billingham 11) The Ragged Troysered Philanthropists - Robert Tressell 12) The Vine Witch - Luanne G Smith 13) Caribbee - Thomas Hoover 14) Testament ifYouth - Vera Brittain I’m thrilled to learn that all the books that were on my 2006 list have all gone! Although we moved house in 2009 and I am fairly sure some of these have been on the shelf since we unpacked... 🤦‍♀️

Endorphin

Quick skim through and I think I’ve read 101. Sadly though I am much more than 10% of the way through my life 😂. Will edit this post at some point with which I’ve read. Loved reading all the discussion so far.

57. A Gift from Bob by James Bowen 56. Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell ** 55. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult (A) **** 54. Now You See Her by Heidi Perks **** 53. Mad Blood Stirring by Simon Mayo **** 52. The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave **** 51. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes **** 50. The Secret Language of Cats by Susanne Schötz ** 49. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys **** 48. Toffee by Sarah Crossan ***** 47. The Fallout by Sadie Jones *** 46. Cloud Boy by Marcia Williams **** 45. Life: an exploded diagram by Mal Peet *** 44. H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald **** 43. A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan *** 42. The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell **** 41. The Mortal Coil by Emily Suveda **** 40. The Island by Victoria Hislop **** 39. Becoming Dinah by Kit de Waal *** 38. The Girl Under the Olive Tree by Leah Fleming **** 37. Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane (A) *** 36. Where the River Runs Gold by Sita Brahmachari *** 35. The Lido Guide by Janet Wilkinson ***** 34. Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich *** 33. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella *** 32. Being Miss Nobody by Tamsin Winter **** 31. The Lido by Libby Page **** 30. Dangerous Water by Anne Allen ** 29. The World According to Bob by James Bowen **** 28. The Almost Moon by Alice Sebald ** 27. The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde (A) *** 26. The Boy who Flew by Fleur Hancock **** 25. Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich *** 24. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (A) *** 23. My Brother’s Name is Jessica by John Boyne *** 22. A Song for the Dying by Stuart MacBride **** 21. The Middler by Kirsty Applebaum ***** 20. Boy meets Hamster by Birdie Milano ***** 19. Rosie Loves Jack by Mel Darbon ***** 18. You against Me by Jenny Downham **** 17. Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella *** 16. The Woman who Died a lot by Jasper Fforde (A) **** 15. Felicia’s Journey by William Trevor *** 14. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich **** 13. The Terrible Thing that happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne ** 12. The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling (A) *** 11. A Street cat named Bob by James Bowen *** 10. The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud by Ben Sherwood **** 9. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich *** 8. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz **** 7. Eleanor Olliphant is Absolutely Fine by Gail Honeyman (A) ***** 6. A Whisper of Horses by Zillah Bethell **** 5. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich *** 4. Antigona and Me by Kate Claunchy **** 3. Once in a Lifetime by Cathy Kelly *** 2. The Girl who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig (A) *** 1. Angel Fever by LA Weatherly **** (A) = Audiobook

Head

Growth

My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante

Sweet

I’ve decided to take a month’s social media detox, and I’ve rediscovered places on the web I had long ago forgotten about. Looking back it seems I last visited BCF in 2007 😱 Over the last 12 years, I’ve had a big career change, spent 5 years with no reading mojo, and wasted far too much time mindlessly scrolling on Facebook! This year, I’ve been reading for pleasure again, and have realised how much I miss discussing books with friends. So - I’m back and looking forward to getting stuck in!

This young adult novel is one of the best books that I have read this year. Set in Ireland, it follows the story of 16 year old Shell as she comes to terms with her Mam's death, her alcoholic fathers frequent absences and caring for her younger siblings, Trix and Johnny. On top of this she is growing up and trying to battle the teen angst that is so familiar to any 14-17 year old. When her situation changes, she finds herself in the middle of something that is going to change her world and that of all those around her. Siobhan Dowd writes with a true Irish lilt in her text. The accents and the locations flow out of the book, and the language she uses is purely magical. She handles difficult situations well, putting all her narrative into context without being patronising. This has been shortlisted for the 2007 Carnegie Medal, and I will be mightily shocked if it doesn't win.

I'm not a horror fan. What I don't like is how unbelievable it generally is. I love psychotic thrillers, and very gory crime - I always feel that potentially these could happen. Horror always seems steeped in legend, and while I appreciate the original tales the constant rehashing doesn't appeal.

My name is Sugar, and I am a bookaholic. Even though I've been making an effort to read from the TBR this year (rather than just stock it up), I don't seem to be making any inroads! Not helped by my dad's imminent move from my childhood home and meaning that I've had to rescue all those books I'd forgotten were on the TBR!!!

I've not read it yet - but only because I hadn't heard anything about it! You clearly need more marketing, Katie! I'll be checking it out for next month's buys.

Just noticed that the new book (due in about a months time), First Among Sequels, isn't going to have a "classic" cover. I'm gutted - I don't mind the Jack Spratt covers looking different to out Thurs but I don't want them to look the same.

My May struggle continued until someone at work asked me what I thought was the best book on the Carnegie shortlist. Having realised I had only read 2 of the 6, I decided to put it right and read the rest. Thank goodness for well-written, highly engaging books. I whipped through the 4 in about 10 days, and have my holiday heap ready and waiting for June. Have updated Post 1 for the titles and whether I have been enjoying them or not. Will update post 2 with the holiday titles ina second!

Adolphus Tips is one of Morpurgo's lighter weight stuff. He's a very versatile writer, but Private Peaceful, The Wreck of the Zanzibar and Why the Whales Came are in a league of their own!

I received a copy of the new one, Night Rise, from the publisher in the post. I've read all the Alex Rider books (which I love) but Ravens Gate hadn't really appealed to me until the freebie! I really enjoyed it but, like Kell, not enough to actively go and find the rest just yet. If anyone wants my copy of Night Rise, PM me and I will send it to you for the cost of postage.