Ben

I intend to watch Amour and The Master as well as all the main one's you listed; the consensus amongst most of my friends is that both are excellent and that Phoenix thoroughly deserved his nod for Best Actor (even if surely DDL will snap that one up).

My contemporary British literature module definitely seems to be throwing up some different reads than I'm used to studying for university, and I'm hoping this is no different. White Teeth seems to have been received well critically and publicly, so here's hoping. I'll get back to you when I'm done. Well the fact that you enjoyed it thoroughly is promising, at least. Will put this in spoiler brackets just to ere on the side of caution for anyone else: I mean, I don't know if I'm making much sense there, and I'll try to expand on what I'm trying to say when I write a proper review, but hopefully you get the gist; was disappointing in some ways but also to me seems to wrap up things up quite well. Would be interested in hearing your thoughts, as I'm sure they'd make a whole lot more sense than mine.

Happy to see Lincoln pick up so many nominations and it should rightfully sweep up; the film was excellent. Have both Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained waiting to watch in the next few days, but other than that the nominations seem good to me. There's been some surprise expressed that Tarantino and Bigelow didn't get director nods, and that Leo didn't get one for his role. Can't really comment upon that until I've seen them both though (which should be very soon).

I'm also planning on War and Peace this year, hopefully.. Best of luck with your reading in 2013, and while I'm here welcome to BCF.

Finished McEwan's Saturday and although I can see why some people really don't like it, and even leave it unfinished, I did actually really enjoy it. Thought it was witty, thought-provoking, and clever in transforming the mundane details of every-day life. I'll give it a 4/5 and add it to the 'to-review list' which I'll have some time to work on soon. I'm now starting Zadie Smith's début novel White Teeth. Synopsis: Zadie Smith's "White Teeth" is a classic international bestseller and an unforgettable portrait of London. One of the most talked about fictional debuts of ever, "White Teeth" is a funny, generous, big-hearted novel, adored by critics and readers alike. Dealing - among many other things - with friendship, love, war, three cultures and three families over three generations, one brown mouse, and the tricky way the past has of coming back and biting you on the ankle, it is a life-affirming, riotous must-read of a book. " Couldn't find a better synopsis that actually tells me something about the book, but I guess I'll just starting reading it and find out.

In which case things look promising.

In fairness I did mean at the start of this novel, because I haven't read any of his others, but fingers crossed I'll enjoy.

Oh no that doesn't sound promising. It's started well and I love McEwan's writing style, however, so we shall see.

Finished The River Between which was indeed written in the same vein as Achebe's novel, but which I found more enjoyable - it seemed to have a much more interesting, faster-paced narrative. Will give it a 4/5 and add it to the to-review pile (which I'll get around to eventually). I'm now making a start on Ian McEwan's novel Saturday - another book for my contemporary British fiction module. Synopsis: Saturday, February 15, 2003. Henry Perowne is a contented man- a successful neurosurgeon, the devoted husband of Rosalind and proud father of two grown-up children. Unusually, he wakes before dawn, drawn to the window of his bedroom and filled with a growing unease. What troubles him as he looks out at the night sky is the state of the world - the impending war against Iraq, a gathering pessimism since 9/11, and a fear that his city and his happy family life are under threat. Later, Perowne makes his way to his weekly squash game through London streets filled with hundreds of thousands of anti-war protestors. A minor car accident brings him into a confrontation with Baxter, a fidgety, aggressive, young man, on the edge of violence. To Perowne's professional eye, there appears to be something profoundly wrong with him. Towards the end of a day rich in incident and filled with Perowne's celebrations of life's pleasures, his family gathers for a reunion. But with the sudden appearance of Baxter, Perowne's earlier fears seem about to be realised. Definitely sounds like one of the more interesting synopsis on my list. Perhaps if I enjoy it I'll finally get around to Atonement.

Decided to read something alongside The Good Soldier to keep my reading moving, so have started Ngúgí Wa Thiong'o's The River Between. It is another book on my African diaspora module, so I'm expecting it to be somewhat similar to Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Synopsis: Christian missionaries attempt to outlaw the female circumcision ritual and in the process create a terrible rift between the two Kikuyu communities on either side of the river. The people are torn between those who believe in Western/Christian education and the opportunities it will offer, and those who feel that only unquestioned loyalty to past traditions will save them. The growing conflict brings tragedy to a pair of young lovers who attempted to bridge the deepening chasm.

Would help if I got moving and actually sat down to read it. I've just spent hours on goodreads and lounging around instead, need to get it together - it's not exactly a long book. I will let you know how I find it when I finally log off.

I think I just need to take the plunge because I've heard a lot of positive things about it and I have literally no excuse for not picking it up and at least giving it a go. Sorry to hear about losing the voucher Noll, that sucks. I do hope it turns up somewhere soon and that you can shop to your heart's content.

Sounds like an excellent idea to me. The first thing I said when starting my thread this year was that I'd keep up to date with reviews of books I read this year. Alas, a week through the year and I'm already three behind. I think an incentive of any of the things you mentioned would improve the regularity in my review writing, although treating myself with a book could be a problem.

That's great news that they let you keep the extra copy, and I do hope you finally manage to get the book you were after now it's been dealt with. I'm also one of those that would like to see pictures when you have everything set up and ready - I'm so jealous that you're getting your own library!

Doesn't look like it, Devi, can't wait to hear what you thought of it.

That makes perfect sense to me, Janet.

Next up Ford Madox Ford's The Good Soldier. Synopsis: When John Dowell and his wife befriend Edward and Leonora Ashburnham they appear to be the perfect couple. He is a distinguished soldier and she is beautiful and intelligent. However, what lies beneath the surface of their marriage is far more sinister and their influence leads John into a tragic drama that threatens to destroy everything he cares about. Better get cracking, see how much of a dent I can put in this university reading list.

Finished The Black Album by Hanif Kureishi and found it a very enjoyable read. I've been feeling slightly ill the past few days, and not really up to writing reviews or attempting to structure my thoughts coherently. So in an effort to avoid not making much sense, I'll do them at a later date. I'll leave this post here as a reminder of the one's I need to catch up on (which I will do soon). The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The Black Album by Hanif Kureishi. Shall now go peruse my university reading list to see what's next on the list.

Yeah, I think I'll probably do the same and grab a nice copy of it at some stage, as it really is a great book to have in the collection. My current copy is still in reasonably good condition but the spine is creased to no end through the weight of the pages. It's not really 'damaged' as such, I guess, but I would still like a nice copy of it anyway.

Watched Lincoln tonight, very entertaining. Daniel Day-Lewis excellent as usual. On the whole enjoyed it immensely.

Not to worry. Looking around a bit, I don't think that version is abridged, actually, but I have the one you were considering, and can vouch for it. Whichever you choose, I do hope you enjoy the novel, it really is excellent.

Thanks, Claire. I don't know if you remember that thread I had a while ago where everyone was commenting and recommending films I should watch. Well, I'm going to go back to it soon and start working on the list again. I love Emma Thompson so definitely going to add The Remains of the Day. Cheers for the recommendation. PS: Love the new user title. Not a member on goodreads so unfortunately can't see which cover this is, but at 894 I have a feeling that it might be an abridged version. I'd do a bit of a research and look up the edition you have - it's definitely worth reading an unabridged copy for a book so fantastic.

Super socks and seems like a great book haul to boot. Loving the picture Kay, you'd be a natural on Instagram.

Bit late but no not at all. It's definitely a book that needs to be taken slowly in my opinion. I found it so rewarding in the end though.