willoyd Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) Lots of classics, and most are quite long … both these things normally put me off, though it's all psychological, as when I do dive in, I usually enjoy them! Lots of short and/or easy books too: An Awfully Big Adventure Darling Buds of May Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Winnie-the-Pooh The Dark is Rising Cider with Rosie The Bookshop and so on. Some short classics too: A Christmas Carol Cranford (easy read, if you haven't read it) The Turn of the Screw But you've probably read all those.....! Edited February 10, 2015 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Yes, read most of those, or I don't own them yet … I was just talking about the ones I have already that are in my jar. Those are mostly freebie classics I've downloaded and all seem huuuuuge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I'm another adding The Mangle Street Murders to my wishlist Great review Interesting list there Willoyd - for some reason I thought the Henry James was long. I know nothing of the synopsis so not sure why I think that I still have a few to go on that list but I've enjoyed the longer ones too - with a couple of exceptions. To Middlemarch I go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Yes, read most of those, or I don't own them yet … I was just talking about the ones I have already that are in my jar. Those are mostly freebie classics I've downloaded and all seem huuuuuge. Only because so many modern day books are so short (with some honourable exceptions!). The Victorians knew how to write a book to get your teeth into! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 I'm another adding The Mangle Street Murders to my wishlist Great review Yay! You won't regret it Alex Interesting list there Willoyd - for some reason I thought the Henry James was long. I know nothing of the synopsis so not sure why I think that I still have a few to go on that list but I've enjoyed the longer ones too - with a couple of exceptions. To Middlemarch I go! Speaking personally, all of Henry James' books seem long .. even those that are short I haven't given him a fair trial yet though but then, I'm not sure I want to I loved Middlemarch though it did drag at times. It would have helped me enormously though to read it as part of a group .. so much to mull over plus the encouragement would have been beneficial. Hope you get on well with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 8th pick from the jar ...The 131⁄2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers Despite this being one of the biggest book in the house .. I'm thrilled I've been hoping that the jar would pick it for me sooner rather than later. It's probably only its size that stopped me picking it up before .. that and the fact that I'd put it at the bottom of a display of stacked books in my cabinet so a little effort was needed to obtain it The jar has made me make the effort and I've got a great weekend of reading coming up Kylie will be happy too xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Ohmigod yay! Bless you, book jar! I am beyond excited! ...and oh so terrified in case you don't like it. I'll be spending the weekend pacing up and down and wringing my hands anxiously. Go Captain Bluebear, you cutie-pie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Speaking personally, all of Henry James' books seem long .. even those that are short[/font] I haven't given him a fair trial yet though but then, I'm not sure I want to I've now read Portrait of a Lady, What Maisie Knew, and The Turn of the Screw, so think I've given Mr James a reasonable trial. Of these, the first two were pretty tedious, but I did enjoy The Turn of the Screw - however, I was grateful it was short. I'm not intending to explore Henry James any more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 Ohmigod yay! Bless you, book jar! I am beyond excited! ...and oh so terrified in case you don't like it. I'll be spending the weekend pacing up and down and wringing my hands anxiously. Go Captain Bluebear, you cutie-pie! I'm pretty sure we will get on .. it's such a visually amazing book. It's difficult to stop yourself from flicking through looking at all the lovely illustrations etc. I had to stop myself from doing it as I want to be surprised along the way I've now read Portrait of a Lady, What Maisie Knew, and The Turn of the Screw, so think I've given Mr James a reasonable trial. Of these, the first two were pretty tedious, but I did enjoy The Turn of the Screw - however, I was grateful it was short. I'm not intending to explore Henry James any more! You have definitely given him a fair trial I've read The Turn of the Screw and whilst there were still parts that frustrated me, it was a good deal better than The Ambassadors which was the sort of book to make you hate reading I don't feel the need to explore him further Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I swear that bear looks familiar to me.. I wonder if I've ever read the book when I was younger or seen it somewhere or such. I hope you enjoy the book ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 You two … poor old Henry James. I read Washington Square and I enjoyed it, but have only read that and The Turn of the Screw. Having said that, I've read that even James himself didn't like Washington Square so perhaps I stumbled on the odd one out in his work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 Received some lovely parcels this week from frankie and opened them today on Friendship/Valentine's day .. which was very fitting. Anyway .. hoorah! .. they contained books! Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie and This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper! The blurbs for both are great .. they sound like amazing reads. This is the year of amazing reads I think .. and we're only in February Thank you so much frankie xx You're a wonderful friend Happy Friendship Day to all you lovely BCF membies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 Also hubby left me some suspiciously book shaped parcels to open this morning. Not all of them were books however, there were also some Jane Austen postcards and a card game called Marrying Mr Darcy which I will have to play with Alan until I can get one of you lovely people to come and play it with me instead I think the gist of it is that you acquire accomplishments etc .. (I already have one .. extensive reading ) and you become so accomplished and desirable that you eventually are able to nab Mr Darcy .. if you win that is. Possibly the loser gets Mr Wickham .. I'm not sure Alan always wins at all card/board games so I have no doubt that he will get to marry Mr Darcy more times than me My book prezzies were .. The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped In An Ikea Wardrobe by Romain Puertolas, The Restoration of Otto Laird by Nigel Packer (phew .. it was for me then ) and My Dear Bessie: A Love Story in Letters Edited by Simon Garfield. Happy Days!! xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 You two … poor old Henry James. I read Washington Square and I enjoyed it, but have only read that and The Turn of the Screw. Having said that, I've read that even James himself didn't like Washington Square so perhaps I stumbled on the odd one out in his work! You must have a squizz at The Ambassadors one day Claire We did it as a group read I think ... hardly any of us made it through to the end. I did because I was determined to make myself miserable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 We're not much for Valentine's in our house … in fact I don't think we've ever done anything to celebrate it in all our years together! Looks like you two know how to do it properly though. You must have a squizz at The Ambassadors one day Claire We did it as a group read I think ... hardly any of us made it through to the end. I did because I was determined to make myself miserable It's on my list! I'm sure I'll get to it one day … just not sure when that day'll be yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 We're not much for Valentine's in our house … in fact I don't think we've ever done anything to celebrate it in all our years together! Looks like you two know how to do it properly though. Not everyone is I know .. makes some people want to vomit No-one actually needs a specific day to celebrate love or being together or whatnot .. it's just a great big old excuse to eat and .. in this instance .. buy books That's probably excuse No.12 in the 50,000 plausible excuses for book buying. No.54 is because it's a Monday No.72 is 'because I'm worth it'! It's on my list! I'm sure I'll get to it one day … just not sure when that day'll be yet A long, dark, day in the tea-time of your soul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I think the gist of it is that you acquire accomplishments etc .. (I already have one .. extensive reading ) and you become so accomplished and desirable that you eventually are able to nab Mr Darcy .. if you win that is. Possibly the loser gets Mr Wickham .. I'm not sure Alan always wins at all card/board games so I have no doubt that he will get to marry Mr Darcy more times than me That sounds hilarious, and a lot of fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Not everyone is I know .. makes some people want to vomit It doesn't offend me or anything like that, but OH doesn't even do birthdays so I've got no hope of anything even remotely romantic for Valentine's Day! No-one actually needs a specific day to celebrate love or being together or whatnot .. it's just a great big old excuse to eat and .. in this instance .. buy books That's probably excuse No.12 in the 50,000 plausible excuses for book buying. No.54 is because it's a Monday No.72 is 'because I'm worth it'! OMG … this is a book that NEEDS to be published! What's number 1? A long, dark, day in the tea-time of your soul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 That sounds hilarious, and a lot of fun! It looks good .. the proof of the pudding will be in the playing. I will report back as soon as I've done that and got over the ensuing sulk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 It doesn't offend me or anything like that, but OH doesn't even do birthdays so I've got no hope of anything even remotely romantic for Valentine's Day! Awww .. you're not a bully or a whinger that's the problem You're too accepting Claire OMG … this is a book that NEEDS to be published! What's number 1? No.1 would be something terribly obvious like .. 'I had a book token' .. it's the later excuses that need to be more inventive. Certainly 'I would have bought cake otherwise' should be well up there and I wouldn't rule out 'voices told me to do it' either I think, as a forum, we could come up with 50,000 excuses.. be a breeze. We use most of them week in week out anyway Other considerations .. The cover spoke to me My bookshelf lacks peach coloured spines I have one table leg shorter than the other You should always have something sensational to read on the train (thank you Oscar ) They're easy to wrap They double up as missiles I might learn something (a long shot but still ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I like ... It was a book shop, what else was I going to buy? They were on offer, so it was too good a bargain to miss I had to use up the points on my reward card The film comes out soon and I need to read the book first I need to know how the series ends It's on the shortlist for the (insert prize name here) so I need to judge it for myself It won the (insert prize name here) so I need to see if it deserved to win It beat my favourite on the (insert prize name here) so I need to see what all the fuss is about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 I like ... It was a book shop, what else was I going to buy? They were on offer, so it was too good a bargain to miss I had to use up the points on my reward card The film comes out soon and I need to read the book first I need to know how the series ends It's on the shortlist for the (insert prize name here) so I need to judge it for myself It won the (insert prize name here) so I need to see if it deserved to win It beat my favourite on the (insert prize name here) so I need to see what all the fuss is about Ooh .. I can see you've thought about this Claire .. or more likely .. you've used ALL of these before How about .. I need to buy more books before my jar runs out of options and presents me with .. Carter Beats the Devil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 OMG … this is a book that NEEDS to be published! What's number 1? This was my first thought as well. I would totally buy this book—I picture it as a nice little hardback with some lovely illustrations. I love the ones you've both already come up with! I love love love the sound of the Marrying Mr Darcy card game! I want it!!! ETA: Squeee! I found an Australian store that sells it! (Even better, it's an awesome independent bookseller in Sydney.) I don't even have an 'Alan' to play it with, but that won't stop me buying it! Ooh, did you know there's an Undead Expansion Pack for the game? I guess it's based on P&P&Zombies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Ooh .. I can see you've thought about this Claire .. or more likely .. you've used ALL of these before Moi? *assumes innocent face* How about .. I need to buy more books before my jar runs out of options and presents me with .. Carter Beats the Devil Now that is a perfectly reasonable reason for buying more books, and definitely not a pathetic excuse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Received some lovely parcels this week from frankie and opened them today on Friendship/Valentine's day .. which was very fitting. I hope you enjoy the new books ! Happy Friendship Day to all you lovely BCF membies Happy Friendship Day to you too! My book prezzies were .. The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped In An Ikea Wardrobe by Romain Puertolas, The Restoration of Otto Laird by Nigel Packer (phew .. it was for me then ) and My Dear Bessie: A Love Story in Letters Edited by Simon Garfield. I hope you enjoy these books too ! No.1 would be something terribly obvious like .. 'I had a book token' .. it's the later excuses that need to be more inventive. Certainly 'I would have bought cake otherwise' should be well up there and I wouldn't rule out 'voices told me to do it' either I think, as a forum, we could come up with 50,000 excuses.. be a breeze. We use most of them week in week out anyway I like all of the ones you and Claire came up with, I am sure we could make a long list together! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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