~Andrea~ Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 Thanks Athena. I hope I haven't put you off The Mad Ship as I have enjoyed the series so far. I think I probably took a little too long reading it and lost some momentum along the way. Have you read the Farseer trilogy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 No, not yet. The Farseer trilogy is first on my TBR before the Mad Ship. Since they were published earlier I figured it'd be best to start with those. I don't know when yet though, I'll soon start a new fantasy series (but which one!) but first there's two fantasy books I'd like to read first (in series I've already started). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Yes The Live ship books contain spoilers for the Farseer trilogy so definitely start with Farseer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 I'm very close to finishing Room (on the last of 9 CDs now), and I'm almost a third the way through The Secret History (which is also utterly fab and gripping). I acquired two books today from the lovely Chrissy: The Graveyard Shift by Neil Gaimon and King Solomon's Carpet by Barbara Vine, both of which I am very excited about and looking forward to reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Yes The Live ship books contain spoilers for the Farseer trilogy so definitely start with Farseer.x That's good to know . x I acquired two books today from the lovely Chrissy: The Graveyard Shift by Neil Gaimon and King Solomon's Carpet by Barbara Vine, both of which I am very excited about and looking forward to reading.x Yay for more books ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 (edited) Well Room was great! What a brilliantly told and thoroughly compelling story, touching on dark themes but with a lightness that made it so readable and engaging. I was hooked from the first and totally invested in the characters all the way through. I loved the narrator, Jack, who managed to bring out the threat, emotion and even humour in this fantastic story. I will definitely be looking for more from this author. The audio version was brilliantly read by the actor playing Jack (as well as others) and I would highly recommend this version, although had I read it in book form I think I would have devoured it much quicker. I am half way through The Secret History and absolutely loving it. I'll save my comments for when I finish, but once again Donna Tartt is delivering on every count! A great start to my reading year Edited January 27, 2014 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed Room, such a gripping story! And I agree with you on Jack, I couldn't help but love him and hope that everything worked out for him. Such a smart and endearing kid! Just noticed The Secret History is the Jan reading circle so I'm going to join in once I've finished The Mad Ship!! I'm very close to finishing Room (on the last of 9 CDs now), and I'm almost a third the way through The Secret History (which is also utterly fab and gripping). I am half way through The Secret History and absolutely loving it. I'll save my comments for when I finish, but once again Donna Tartt is delivering on every count! Great to hear you're reading the book and are enjoying it so much! We're looking forward to your thoughs on the reading circle when you've finished Which Tartt book have you read before, then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed Room, such a gripping story! And I agree with you on Jack, I couldn't help but love him and hope that everything worked out for him. Such a smart and endearing kid! Oh it was so good I can't stop thinking about it. I think I'll re-read or listen again one day. Great to hear you're reading the book and are enjoying it so much! We're looking forward to your thoughs on the reading circle when you've finished Which Tartt book have you read before, then? I can't wait to dive in! I'm trying to finish it by the end of Jan. I've read The Little Friend which I thought was superb though I think this one is even better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 'Room' is a great book, but the audio version sounds intriguing though. It sounds like they got the right narrators for the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 (edited) I'm glad to hear you liked Room! There've been quite a few good reviews of it from people here so I have confidence I'll probably like it to when I get to reading it (I don't listen to audiobooks, I have a paperback copy). Edited January 27, 2014 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Oh it was so good I can't stop thinking about it. I think I'll re-read or listen again one day. It's definitely one of those books that stay with you afterwards. I definitely want to own a copy of it some day and re-read it I can't wait to dive in! I'm trying to finish it by the end of Jan. I've read The Little Friend which I thought was superb though I think this one is even better! I think you'll be the second person I know who has read and enjoyed The Little Friend, I usually only come across negative reviews on the book. I'm sort of curious about TLF now... I tried reading it once or twice but it was such a log. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 I'm glad to hear you liked Room! There've been quite a few good reviews of it from people here so I have confidence I'll probably like it to when I get to reading it (I don't listen to audiobooks, I have a paperback copy). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did Athena I think you'll be the second person I know who has read and enjoyed The Little Friend, I usually only come across negative reviews on the book. I'm sort of curious about TLF now... I tried reading it once or twice but it was such a log. Actually now I come to think of it, I seem to remember the first half being pretty slow but boy does the second half make up for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Actually now I come to think of it, I seem to remember the first half being pretty slow but boy does the second half make up for it! Well that's encouraging... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) I started listening to Linda La Plante's Above Suspicion yesterday. I have to say having been spoiled with The Secret History and Room, I am finding the prose a little jarring, but I think I'll enjoy the story. (I also thought it would be a good choice since February is Crime/Thriller month) Edited January 28, 2014 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I started listening to Linda La Plante's Above Suspicion yesterday. I have to say having been spoiled with The Secret History and Room, I am finding the prose a little jarring, but I think I'll enjoy the story. (I also thought it would be a good choice since February is Crime/Thriller month) I found that after reading Longbourn Jo Baker, it was so good & then i had to read a Dorothy Koomson for my book group & i couldn't even manage 50 pages, the difference in quality of writing was so great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 It's weird isn't it how the change of voice can be so off-putting. But I have to say I'm rather enjoying the Linda La Plante now. The dialogue bits are better than the straight prose - which I guess makes a certain amount of sense since she was a script-writer first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I finished The Mad Ship a couple of days ago. It was very good but very long (900 pages) and I did feel it was a bit slow in the middle. I enjoyed it but felt it could have been shorter. I almost think there are just too many characters and too much going on in this story at times. Interesting that you put it that way, Andrea - my feeling with Hobb is that she doesn't have enough going on to justify the length of her books - that's why I found the last Farseer book, in particular, dragged. I felt similar about the first Liveship book, which is why I haven't been back for The Mad Ship yet. Do you think you'll read the final book in the trilogy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 Interesting that you put it that way, Andrea - my feeling with Hobb is that she doesn't have enough going on to justify the length of her books - that's why I found the last Farseer book, in particular, dragged. I felt similar about the first Liveship book, which is why I haven't been back for The Mad Ship yet. Do you think you'll read the final book in the trilogy? Oh yes definitely. I want to finish this trilogy so I can get stuck into the Tawny Man one which I'm really looking forward to. Hmm I do see your point. I think in the Mad Ship there was too much going on, but not enough of it was interesting or exciting enough. I suppose it did have an element of filler about it. However I didn't feel that way about the Farseer books which I loved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Oh yes definitely. I want to finish this trilogy so I can get stuck into the Tawny Man one which I'm really looking forward to. Hmm I do see your point. I think in the Mad Ship there was too much going on, but not enough of it was interesting or exciting enough. I suppose it did have an element of filler about it. However I didn't feel that way about the Farseer books which I loved. Its one of the reasons I put the middle trilogy aside and never got back to it. The Farseer books were written better in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 I finally finished The Secret History by Donna Tartt last night. My thoughts are on the reading circle thread here and are riddled with spoilers. I thought it was a wonderful wonderful book. I thought the writing was excellent. The imagery was vivid, the characters believable, original and interesting and the insights into human nature brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 I finished Linda La Plante's Above Suspician today: From Amazon:Young detective Anna Travis has been assigned to her first murder case - and it couldn't be a more shocking, more horrific set of killings. They began eight years before; now the body count up to six. The method of killing is identical, the backgrounds of the girls very similar - all of them were drug-ridden prostitutes. Then a seventh body is found, same modus operandi, but this time the victim is a young student, sweet and innocent, with the "face of an angel." The profile of the murderer has changed dramatically.Anna stumbles on a vital piece of information which links one man to the killings. A household name, a much loved actor who is about to become an international movie star. He has charm, good looks and the gift of the gab. Denial and protestations of innocence spring easily and confidently from his lips. An arrest, in the face of intense publicity, would creat a media frenzy. And if he was found beyond doubt to be the wrong man, his career would be finished and Anna's hard fought-for reputation in the police force destroyed once and for all...With absolute authenticity and extraordinary power, La Plante takes us deep into the criminal mind and the criminal world. And, in heroine Anna Travis, she has created another memorable and utterly engaging new female detective. I enjoyed this a lot. I listened to it on audio and have to say it was excellenty read by Janet McTeer who did a fantastic job with all those different voices for the characters. The story was engaging and interesting, and while the writing was something of a step down after Room and The Secret History it was good enough for a detective novel and the dialogue itself well written. I did groan a bit at the sex scene between Travis and her boss which felt a bit tacked on and obligatory and didn't add much to the story. I remember thinking at the time eww how creepy and inappropriate (Anna is quite vulnerable after a difficult encounter with the suspect and her boss then makes a move). I didn't find the scene particularly believable. I would probably read more by Linda La Plante, and I have always enjoyed the her TV dramas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 I started listening to Bonkers by Jennifer Saunders on Thursday. So far I'm enjoying it a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I started listening to Bonkers by Jennifer Saunders on Thursday. So far I'm enjoying it a lot. I've just listened to that .. very enjoyable and excellently read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 (edited) I've just listened to that .. very enjoyable and excellently read Ah it was fab. I've just finished it. Very funny and what a likeable person she seems. I used to love the comic strip short films (though they are a bit dated now), Girls on Top and F&S etc. It was great hearing about all that stuff plus all the jet setting and glamour that seemed to come with the Ab Fab days. I didn't realize she'd had breast cancer though. Brave Jennifer Edited March 5, 2014 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Very brave .. very calm and capable also .. or on most things anyway. Had to laugh about the Goldie Hawn script Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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