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Your Book Activity - April 2016


chesilbeach

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I'm reading The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter. Falling behind on my reading so trying to few a few short things. Also gonna check out The 39 Steps by John Buchan, I think.

 

Will be interested to see what you think of The Bloody Chamber, I've definitely never read anything else quite like it! 

(Also you were right about Fly By Night, it's a beautiful book  :smile: )

 

I've started The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, which is really good so far, but I'm starting to wish I picked something a bit shorter since I'm so behind on the reading I wanted to do this month! There should be an extra hour in the day just for reading  :readingtwo:

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Ripped through Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees, the Arizona stop and second book in my tour of the US.  I'm turning into a bit of a fan of hers, having been introduced to her writing last year with The Poisonwood Bible when it was my reading group's choice, and loved that too.  Not a writer who I would have gravitated towards otherwise, so goes to show one of the values of book groups. An initial 5/6.

 

Not quite sure what to read now.  I'm away on residential next week, and usually take a fairly big read, which I can usually make some headway on with the longish journeys each way.  Am currently tossing up between Janice Hadlow's The Strangest Family - it's about time I took on one of my bigger non-fiction books - Lonesome Dove (Texas) and East of Eden (California). 

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Nearly finished Darkly Dreaming Dexter. I think I will finish it tonight. Then I will start Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee, which is a library book. I figure I better read it quick-smart because it someone reserves it I won't be able to renew it. After that I think I will start Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, which I've had on my Kindle since 2014, and sounds like something I'd enjoy.

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Took ages looking at my TBR with nothing jumping out at me before finally settling for Cuckoo Song by Francis Hardinge.  Went out for coffee and made a start on it, and I've already read 50 pages and am hooked!

 

Wheyyy! It's very good. Not as good as Fly By Night, but very good. I must read more of her books, there are loads and I've only read two so far!

 

Finished The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories this morning, and today tore through The 39 Steps, so I'm back from being one book behind schedule to 1 ahead of schedule. Starting on A Single Man now, as it's also fairly short, and planning to read the last couple of short stories in 'It Came From The North' with the intention of getting back up to 2-3 books ahead of schedule before starting back on longer books again.

 

Whew! :thud:

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There should be an extra hour in the day just for reading  :readingtwo:

Agreed :D.

 

I'm currently reading Laura Ingalls Wilder - Het Kleine Huis 1: In Het Grote Bos (Little House On The Prairie 1: Little House In The Big Woods). So far it's nice, I'm on page 24 out of 154.

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I loved The Thirteenth Tale too which is why I picked this one up when it caught my eye. The premise sounds fascinating as well. :smile:

 

 

I couldn't get on with Notes From A Small Island when I tried re-reading it a couple of years ago. I can't recall why but it just didn't agree with me. I still want to read this one though, I just need to wait for it to be available at the library.

 

I also loved The Thirteenth Tale, and I recently bought Bellman & Black. I hope it's as good as TTT!

 

I've read another 150 pages of The Road to Little Dribbling in the past few days. It's a bit slow going because I have to keep stopping so I can Google the places Bryson visits. :D Sometimes he describes a particular view or place so nicely that I just have to see it for myself (and I can't afford to fly over, so Google will have to do). :)

 

Nearly finished Darkly Dreaming Dexter. I think I will finish it tonight. Then I will start Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee, which is a library book. I figure I better read it quick-smart because it someone reserves it I won't be able to renew it. After that I think I will start Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, which I've had on my Kindle since 2014, and sounds like something I'd enjoy.

 

Ooh, I really enjoyed Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Go Set a Watchman, so I'll be keen to read your thoughts on them. I've had Revolutionary Road on my TBR pile for years. Maybe if you enjoy it, it will inspire me to bump it up the pile (no pressure though! :) )

 

today tore through The 39 Steps

 

Look forward to your review on this!

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Nearly finished Murder House by James Patterson - was having trouble reading this but I think I was just tired.

 

Started on the Summer House by Santa Montefiore not read anything of hers before and now got two of her books also reading

Death by Invitation Jaden Skye

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Look forward to your review on this!

 

Aha I dunno if I'll write a full review, it's only short novella and there isn't (I don't think) a huge amount to say. It was quite bizzare and unlikely, but also a fun adventure. I never really did figure out the precise details of the politics, either, but I got the gist.

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I finished Selected Stories, a collection of selected writings by Alice Munro. It's more specific than Dear Life about some events, descriptions and dialogue, and it also seemed to me that the stories weren't diverse. I should give her work a rest, I think I emphasize it often. I'm currently reading and enjoying To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the writing is eloquent and the characters are interesting.

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Wheyyy! It's very good. Not as good as Fly By Night, but very good. I must read more of her books, there are loads and I've only read two so far!

I'm really enjoying it so far. I bought my OH Fly By Night for Christmas, but he hasn't read it yet, and I can't borrow it until he has :(

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I've read another 150 pages of The Road to Little Dribbling in the past few days.

I plan to read this a some stage.

 

It's a bit slow going because I have to keep stopping so I can Google the places Bryson visits. :D Sometimes he describes a particular view or place so nicely that I just have to see it for myself (and I can't afford to fly over, so Google will have to do). :)

Aww, that's lovely. Hopefully one day you'll be able to come and fly over (and come to Bath to see me the beautiful city!

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I also loved The Thirteenth Tale, and I recently bought Bellman & Black. I hope it's as good as TTT!

I will let you know; I'll be reading it fairly soon as it's a library book. :readingtwo:

 

Ooh, I really enjoyed Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Go Set a Watchman, so I'll be keen to read your thoughts on them. I've had Revolutionary Road on my TBR pile for years. Maybe if you enjoy it, it will inspire me to bump it up the pile (no pressure though! :) )

Dexter was excellent! I look forward to reading the next one....I loved his dark sarcastic sense of humour. :D  I'm in the early stages of Go Set A Watchman, and it's ok so far. It's been years since I read To Kill A Mockingbird, so I can't remember some of the characters mentioned, but they only seem to be mentioned in passing so I don't think I'm missing out on anything.

 

I read the synopsis of Revolutionary Road last night and it seems like the kind of book I'll enjoy, which is why I've bumped it up my TBR pile. It may be a bit dated, but the premise sounds excellent.

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I'm really enjoying it so far. I bought my OH Fly By Night for Christmas, but he hasn't read it yet, and I can't borrow it until he has :(

 

I have two copies, I'm happy to send you my ugly reading copy if you want to read it sooner! :lol:

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Those covers are pretty :D!

 

I love how they're all well known figures converted into pulp style characters :D

 

Yesterday I finished reading Me Before You by JoJo Moyles. I enjoyed it, but there were some really irritating parts which felt poorly written and poorly thought out in order to bring about a situation Moyles wanted to portray. It had a realistic and believable ending though which really redeemed anything that raised my eyebrow prior to it. Not gonna bother with the sequel.

 

Now reading The Missing by C. L. Taylor.

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Yesterday I finished reading Me Before You by JoJo Moyles. I enjoyed it, but there were some really irritating parts which felt poorly written and poorly thought out in order to bring about a situation Moyles wanted to portray. It had a realistic and believable ending though which really redeemed anything that raised my eyebrow prior to it. Not gonna bother with the sequel.

Shame you didn't love it as much as some other people do. I'm glad you enjoyed reading it though :).

 

My next read will be Kate Dicamillo (ill. K. G. Campbell) - Flora En De Fantastische Eekhoorn (Flora & Ulysses), a library loan. I don't know anything about this book other than the synopsis on the back, but it seemed nice. So we'll see.

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I love those covers, Noll!  Very clever :D

 

I loved Thirteenth Tale too, Kylie.  Now you have two people waiting on you with bated breath, Bobbly! :P:lol:

 

I started work on a tile mosaic last weekend so I haven't had time to start a new book.  I'm going into the city on Saturday though and plan on visiting my favorite used book shop so I hope to find something then!  Stay tuned...

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I finished off listening to A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor today, which is the fourth book in the Chronicles of St. Mary's series, so just have the fifth book to listen to before book six is released next week! :exc:

 

I just ran out of time during my lunch break, so I've got just one chapter to go in Cuckoo Song which I've really enjoyed and will be finishing off in a minute. :D

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Aww, that's lovely. Hopefully one day you'll be able to come and fly over (and come to Bath to see me the beautiful city!

 

Me too! I've actually visited England before (including Bath), but that was several years before I joined BCF, so I didn't know about all of you lovely people. :( To think now how close I was to you! I may have even passed you in the street! :o

 

I started work on a tile mosaic last weekend so I haven't had time to start a new book.  I'm going into the city on Saturday though and plan on visiting my favorite used book shop so I hope to find something then!  Stay tuned...

 

Ooh, cool! I used to do mosaics. Would love to get back into it but never seem to find the time. Fingers crossed that you find something great in the bookshop. :)

 

 

I received a few lovely books in the mail yesterday (by Boris Akunin) and read yet more of The Road to Little Dribbling.

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Me too! I've actually visited England before (including Bath), but that was several years before I joined BCF, so I didn't know about all of you lovely people. :( To think now how close I was to you! I may have even passed you in the street! :o

 

 

Ooh, cool! I used to do mosaics. Would love to get back into it but never seem to find the time. Fingers crossed that you find something great in the bookshop. :)

 

That's what I always think too when I remember my 1 trip to the UK, Kylie.  20 years ago in November!  Oy...

 

I'll have to post some photos of what I'm working on in my thread.  I love doing it!  

 

I was just doing some checking and apparently Saturday is Independent Book Sellers Day so I'm excited to get some goodies while I shop :D.

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