bobblybear

Started the first Harry Potter book and am loving it so far. Funny, because I tried reading it a few years ago and just couldn't get into it.

They have locations, which I have still to work out what that is. Paragraphs? Lines? I'd like page numbers - makes more sense than locations, although I guess depending on the size of the font you choose, the page number will change.

The Wind In the Willows is a book I'm planning on re-reading, as I remember loving it as a child. I also managed to get Gone With The Wind for my Kindle for £0.49, but have yet to find the right time to read it. I've read a lot of positive reviews on it, but have read so many chunky books this year that I am in desperate need of lighter reading for a while. My absolute favourite of the year would have to be The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell. I just love the way she writes, and the way the story comes together. You just know that there will be some kind of 'twist' towards the end, and the way she does it is so articulate and believable and original. Worst book would be Brick Lane by Monica Ali. For some reason I thought it would be like White Teeth by Zadie Smith, but I just found it so disappointing. Also, I thought the The Tailor of Panama by John LeCarre blew chunks. It was my first LeCarre, and I just could not get into it. I found LeCarre's writing style very clunky, and I just couldn't get it flowing when I was reading it. bobblybear

Your favourite read of the year? I have to cheat and nominate two: The Hand That First Held Mine - Maggie O'Farrell The Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney Your favourite author of the year? Probably David Liss - he was a new author for me, and I was quite impressed. Your most read author of the year? Stephenie Meyer, as I finally read the Twilight series. Your favourite book cover of the year? Pass The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, then the one you read the least of)? Brick Lane by Monica Ali. The book that most disappointed you? The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. The funniest book you read this year? Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris Your favourite literary character this year? Difficult, but I'd say Ethel Williams from Fall of Giants, by Ken Follett. Your favourite children's book this year? I only read one children's book this year - the first in the Famous Five series. Your favourite non-fiction book this year? I'm quite shocked to discover I've only read one non-fiction this year, and I'm still part way through it (and I've been reading it since June ) It's At Home by Bill Bryson. A very good read, so I don't know why it's taking me so long. Your favourite biography this year? Haven't read any. Your favourite collection of short stories this year? None - I can't get into short stories. Your favourite poetry collection this year? None, poetry doesn't do anything for me. Your favourite illustrated book of the year? The only one I have read is The Little Prince.

Finished The Little Prince last night. What a sweet little story. Now I have to decide what to read next. Should I start the Harry Potter series, or should I look at some of those 12 Days of Kindle bargains I picked up last night? Decisions, decisions.... bobblybear

Finally slogged my way through The Girl Who Played With Fire. Have now decided to read something a bit 'lighter', and have started The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. bobblybear

I'm reading the the second book in the series, and finding it a struggle. I started the series after hearing all the hype, but just don't get the fascination. I find Lisbeth to be quite irritating, and more like caricature, rather than a character anyone can relate to. As far as the storyline goes, I just found it to be extremely run-of-the-mill. I do wonder if these books would have been as popular, if the author hadn't passed away. bobblybear

Thanks again for all the welcomes. bobblybear

1. Age (<18, 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55+) 25-34 2. Gender Female 3. What do you read on a daily basis? (blogs, newspapers, books, etc.) Books, online newspapers 4. How often do you read for fun in a week? Most days. 5. What time of day do you like to read? During the week, only at night. On weekends, sometimes during the day. 6. Where do you read? In bed, or on the sofa. 7. How many books have you read in the last 6 months? Probably about 10. 8. What type/genre do you enjoy reading most? No particular genre, but something that makes you think. 9. Why do you read? (entertainment, relaxation, learning, etc.) Entertainment and learning. 10. What barriers prevent you from reading more? Time. 11. Do you think reading for fun is important? Yes, otherwise what is the point? 12. Do you fold page corners or use a bookmark? Never fold corners, use a bookmark, unless I'm reading on my Kindle. 13. Do you prefer to read to music or in silence? Silence. 14. Do you discuss books with your friends? Only occasionally. I don't know too many people who read. 15. Do you borrow books from the library? Yes. 16. Do you borrow/loan books from/to friends? Yes.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 6 The Bible - 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 8 1984 - George Orwell 9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman 10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens 11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott 12 Tess of the D�Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy 13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare 15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier 16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien 17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk 18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger 19 The Time Traveller�s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger 20 Middlemarch - George Eliot 21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell 22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald 23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens 24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy 25 The Hitchhiker�s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh 27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck 29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll 30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame 31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy 32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens 33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis 34 Emma - Jane Austen 35 Persuasion - Jane Austen- 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis 37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - 38 Captain Corelli�s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres 39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden 40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne 41 Animal Farm - George Orwell - 42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown 43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez 44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving 45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins 46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery - 47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy- 48 The Handmaid�s Tale - Margaret Atwood 49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding 50 Atonement - Ian McEwan 51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel 52 Dune - Frank Herbert 53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons 54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen 55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth - 56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon 57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens- 58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley 59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon 60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez- 61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck 62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov- 63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt 64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold 65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas 66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac- 67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy 68 Bridget Jones�s Diary - Helen Fielding 69 Midnight�s Children - Salman Rushdie 70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville 71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens 72 Dracula - Bram Stoker- 73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett 74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson 75 Ulysses - James Joyce 76 The Inferno - Dante- 77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome 78 Germinal - Emile Zola 79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray - 80 Possession - AS Byatt - 81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens 82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell 83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker 84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro 85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert 86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry - 87 Charlotte�s Web - EB White 88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton - 91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad 92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery 93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks 94 Watership Down - Richard Adams 95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole 96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute 97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas 98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl 100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo Read 33; there are quite a few on there that I hope to get to in the near future. bobblybear

I'm just over half way through The Girl Who Played With Fire. I'm struggling a bit with it. I wasn't overly keen on the first book in the series, so I don't really know why I started this one. I think it's because it was cheap. bobblybear

Thanks for the welcomes! I can't believe I misspelled 'hello' on the topic title. Ben, The Stand is brilliant. I've lost count of the number of times I have read it, must be at least 10. Yep, I give the Kindle two thumbs up as well, and have used mine every day. A great bit of kit. bobblybear

Hello, Just a quick introduction... I'm a 34 year old female, from the UK, who has pretty much read all her life. All time favourite authors are Stephen King (especially The Stand, and The Dark Tower series), Margaret Atwood, and Maggie O'Farrell. I pretty much read and enjoy anything (aside from Chick Lit, Westerns, and Fantasy), and am willing to give any book a go. I have recently bought a Kindle, and am loving it!! It has come in handy as we have just moved house, and space is quite limited. Aside from reading, my most current pastime is playing far too much of Fallout: New Vegas. I look forward to seeing you all on the boards. bobblybear