Ben Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Seriously good Christmas haul there poppyshake, sounds like Alan's good at picking up on hints. My mum's similar - she notices when I spot something on a Waterstones advert or drop it into casual conversation. She's particularly attentive in the months running up to Christmas, thankfully, resulting in me getting some nice Christmas reading pressies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Love the motivational thoughts poppyshake, but please, please, please don't stick to all of them - life's too short to be reading autobiogs of people who haven't lived, and any Danielle Steel (and yes, I did try many years ago, and can only confirm it really wasn't worth it!!), but I agree with Claire about Kindle users! Just one semi-serious thought: have you thought about not having a target?! After all, if you're counting books, Les Miserables is rather thicker than, say, Flush. Equally, if you're going to go outside your comfort zone, then I suspect some books might be a bit slower to read on occasions (and I find that the non-fiction I tend to read takes rather longer than the fiction too). Anyway, whatever you do, I hope you have a great year's reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 Seriously good Christmas haul there poppyshake, sounds like Alan's good at picking up on hints. My mum's similar - she notices when I spot something on a Waterstones advert or drop it into casual conversation. She's particularly attentive in the months running up to Christmas, thankfully, resulting in me getting some nice Christmas reading pressies. You can always rely on mums My family are very good now but they used to think books were a boring present (not all of them some of them are avid readers) and almost felt sorry for me for asking for them. They also look out for signs, though tbh it's not difficult for them .. I just point and shout Love the motivational thoughts poppyshake, but please, please, please don't stick to all of them - life's too short to be reading autobiogs of people who haven't lived, and any Danielle Steel (and yes, I did try many years ago, and can only confirm it really wasn't worth it!!), but I agree with Claire about Kindle users! Just one semi-serious thought: have you thought about not having a target?! After all, if you're counting books, Les Miserables is rather thicker than, say, Flush. Equally, if you're going to go outside your comfort zone, then I suspect some books might be a bit slower to read on occasions (and I find that the non-fiction I tend to read takes rather longer than the fiction too). Anyway, whatever you do, I hope you have a great year's reading! Thanks Willoyd, you too I don't think I will set a reading target in 2012. This year I was overly ambitious and have ended up not only not reaching my 2011 target but not coming anywhere near my 2010 total .. I don't think many of them were housebricks either to account for it. So far I've been hopeless at sticking to any of my 2012 goals. I've been in a few charity shops and only come out with books that were already on my mental TBR's. I saw Lee Child books, Danielle Steel books, ugly books and vampire books (those last three seem to be interchangeable ) a plenty but none of them came home with me. It's early days though but I have to admit, if I read a lot of things I don't like it will slow me down and probably play havoc with my mojo. I will step out of my comfort zone though, the reading circle is already helping me with that and there are genre's (such as sci-fi and crime) that I hardly ever look into and I want to address that in particular. The one thing I must change though is the way I write (or don't write) reviews .. I've fallen into sloppy habits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 I had a bit of a result on Boxing Day .. Alan remembered that there was a book he had bought for me that I hadn't unwrapped, and when he went looking for it he found two They weren't wrapped, he had hidden them and forgotten about them, but that didn't bother me ... I had more books They were ... Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs: The Left Bank World of Shakespeare & Co - Jeremy Mercer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 How lovely. I like the sound of both of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 (edited) Great bonus find. I must say Lee Child for me was really worth the read. Killing Floor is the first of the Jack Reacher books as I'm sure you already know, and it was my first read this year. I wrote some vague thoughts here if you're interested, but the basics of the review was that it was a fast-paced, enjoyable read. I've gone on to read the next two in the series, Die Trying and Tripwire and also enjoyed them too. I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on with Child when you get around to him. Edited December 28, 2011 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 So, though I have already done some Christmas book shopping on Amazon (I will photograph them when they get here .. can't wait!!) I went out yesterday into town to look at books. As well as my Christmas money, I had a Waterstones voucher and a book to exchange so I skipped all the way there in a very zip-a-dee-doo-dah sort of way Books bought in Waterstones: And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie (so many people have said this is a belter .. I can't wait!) Penguin's Poems By Heart - selected by Laura Barber (there's been a shocking lack of poetry in my reading lists lately .. need to change that.) The Sisters Brothers - Patrick deWitt (reading a library copy at the moment but knew from page two that I had to have it.) The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean - David Almond (it was the cover I confess ) Books bought in WH Smiths: (buy one get one half price) James & the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl (I know Dahl's stories of course but have never read them .. so this is me making a start.) Matilda - Roald Dahl Book bought at Oxfam Books - Cirencester: The Child that Books Built - Francis Spufford (I may have made a mistake here .. the reviews aren't good but who could resist the title?) Book bought at The British Heart Foundation - Cirencester: Moon Over Soho - Ben Aaronovitch (I've eyed this one for a while .. one of those books that has blurb mentioning Harry Potter on the cover .. I always fall for it.) So, as you can see ... apart from the poetry book .. nothing has changed. There's still time .. pray for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Book bought at The British Heart Foundation - Cirencester: Moon Over Soho - Ben Aaronovitch (I've eyed this one for a while .. one of those books that has blurb mentioning Harry Potter on the cover .. I always fall for it.) Do make sure you read Rivers of London before you start this one. It's a great book, but the second in a series which has a definite continuity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 How lovely. I like the sound of both of those. It was a lovely surprise. I'm pretty sure he must have got them off of my Goodreads list or something. I know I have the Jeremy Mercer one written down somewhere because Kylie .. or it may have been frankie .. recommended it to me. He knows I have a weakness for Vintage books and Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm has the most gorgeous cover .. what a pity you can't see it when it's on the shelf Great bonus find. I must say Lee Child for me was really worth the read. Killing Floor is the first of the Jack Reacher books as I'm sure you already know, and it was my first read this year. I wrote some vague thoughts here if you're interested, but the basics of the review was that it was a fast-paced, enjoyable read. I've gone on to read the next two in the series, Die Trying and Tripwire and also enjoyed them too. I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on with Child when you get around to him. Alan has read one, I think someone at his work lent it to him some years back and he enjoyed it. I've not read him but have heard bits read on radio and it was a bit testosterone for me. However, I'm determined to give him a go to see what all the fuss is about and to see if I can get in touch with my kick-ass side .. I'm sure I must have one somewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 Do make sure you read Rivers of London before you start this one. It's a great book, but the second in a series which has a definite continuity. Now why didn't I know this?? Thanks for the tip willoyd, I hate reading books out of sequence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Butter Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs: The Left Bank World of Shakespeare & Co - Jeremy Mercer That sounds like it might be out of the same stable as 84 Charing Cross Road. If so, I'll definitely keep an eye out for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy Reader Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Why Be Happy When You Could be Normal? - Jeanette Winterson (from Alan .. I sat and read the first few pages in Waterstones and laughed lots .. she has that sort of dark skewed way of looking at things that I like. I bought it for my niece but obviously the appreciative noises I'd made didn't go unnoticed.) ooooh I keep looking at this in waterstones window but keep telling myself I have enough books to be getting on with - will be itnerested to hear what you think about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 That sounds like it might be out of the same stable as 84 Charing Cross Road. If so, I'll definitely keep an eye out for it. Books about bookshops .. what's not to like? Yes Geoff, I think this will be a cracker, I have the highest of hopes for it ooooh I keep looking at this in waterstones window but keep telling myself I have enough books to be getting on with - will be itnerested to hear what you think about it I can tell you already Sally that I LOVED it with a capital L. It's everything I would want from a biography, and I'm saying this even though she did rather spring on me the fact that she was going to skip over 25 years of her life (the middle years .. which she doesn't think she'll ever write about.) The book is mainly concerned with her childhood and the formidable Mrs Winterson. Anyone who has ever read Oranges are Not the Only Fruit (and I haven't .. but I did catch bits of the drama) will know something about Jeanette's upbringing although that is fiction and as such only loosely based on her real childhood. She relays it all with humour, you can't really talk any other way about a mother who kept a gun in her duster drawer and the bullets in a tin of Pledge. I expected to be entertained but I didn't expect to be as moved as I was. Jeanette was adopted and it's her search to find her birth mother, along with her bouts of mental illness and her struggle to love and be loved that I just found incredibly touching. She writes with such honesty (and this is something I love about her) she is brutally candid, saying things and painting a picture of herself that is not altogether flattering. She writes somewhere in the book that there are people who say that they could never commit murder .. but she's not one of them ... and she feels it's a good thing to have figured this out in advance. She's very vivid too and her enthusiasm for literature is infectious (I thought this after seeing her last year on 'My Life in Books' .. she was my favourite guest by far), there's a fair bit here about being a writer and being a female writer in particular that is of enormous interest. Strangely, there is also a link to the above book (Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs) in that Jeanette is friends with Sylvia Whitman, whose father George opened a bookstore in Paris and named it after Sylvia Beach's renowned bookshop (and named his daughter after the owner). Jeanette has spent time there sleeping amongst the books to aid recovery from a breakdown. I have practically written a review here .. who knows it might have to pass for the actual one and if so I have made an outstanding start because we're not in 2012 yet and I have already put down some thoughts on a book I finished last night!! Praise the Lord and pass the tax rebate The thing is, there's a lot more I want to say but the essence is here. I loved it to bits, I would have liked it to have been much longer and it definitely enters my all time top ten favourite biographies. Does that answer your question? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy Reader Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 sounds like I will have to get it after all. She was my favourite guest on "My Life in Books" too and I immedately read Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit after that I love reading books when you can actually hear the authors voice when you are reading it as they so obviously write as they speak (Marian Keyes is another one) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 The Reading Promise - Alice Ozma (from Alan proving that he reads my Amazon wishlist.) I might have already asked this, but does Alan have any brothers or any like-minded friends?! Send them my way, please! Books bought in Waterstones: And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie (so many people have said this is a belter .. I can't wait!) Haha, that was quick So... this is your 2012 reading log... and have you counted how many books you've added to your TBR already, before we've even gone onto 2012? Happy reading in 2012, I can't wait to see which books you read this year and read all the wonderful reviews you are going to write Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 sounds like I will have to get it after all. She was my favourite guest on "My Life in Books" too and I immedately read Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit after that I love reading books when you can actually hear the authors voice when you are reading it as they so obviously write as they speak (Marian Keyes is another one) I'm going to have to read 'Oranges' (as Jeanette refers to it) now, it'll be interesting to see how much is fact and how much fiction. I love Marian Keyes's books .. but I haven't seen or heard her in a long while and figure she must still be ill poor Marian. I might have already asked this, but does Alan have any brothers or any like-minded friends?! Send them my way, please! He has got both brothers and friends (though I wouldn't call them like minded) but trust me frankie .. you wouldn't be interested. In any case I thought you were going to hook up with Mr David Mitchell So... this is your 2012 reading log... and have you counted how many books you've added to your TBR already, before we've even gone onto 2012? I know, it's a poor start but the thing is (and this was the case last year) most of my book acquisitions happen in the first part of the year (and in that I'm including the last part of the year before ) because I get a lot of books for Christmas and my birthday (Feb) and I spend both Christmas and birthday money on getting more .. so the list will probably get longer but after February I doubt I'll buy many more .. just the odd one or two. I'm thinking that it's a good time to hit the charity shops because it's possible that people will dump unwanted book presents there (the ungrateful swines) and I might start seeing some of the newer books filtering through. Happy reading in 2012, I can't wait to see which books you read this year and read all the wonderful reviews you are going to write Thank you, bless you you too. I will be hanging about your thread so often you will think me a stalker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 (edited) Reading Goals for January 2012 Read at least one book from your TBR list (Running with Scissors - Augusten BurroughsBoy: A Tale of Childhood - Roald Dahl) Participate in the Jan Reading Circle (The Bloody Chamber and other Stories - Angela Carter) Something from the 1001 (Dracula - Bram Stoker/The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald) Sci-fi (oh lord! .. I've settled on The Midwich Cuckoos - John Wyndham .. thanks for the suggestion Janet ) Edited January 31, 2012 by poppyshake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 My Christmas books have been delivered .. happy days! The Bloody Chamber & Other Stories - Angela Carter (Thank you Janet .. I have already started and ooooohh ) Dracula - Bram Stoker (another delicious Penguin Deluxe ) How to be a Woman - Caitlin Moran (recommended to me by my niece Louise.) Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs (who cares if it's good ... what a title!!!!) Mistress Masham's Repose - T.H. White (I wanted to read this even if it didn't win the February reading circle vote .. it did though ) Night - Elie Wiesel (recommended by frankie so I know it will be fantastic .. heartbreaking but fantastic ) Virginia Woolf Selected Letters - Virginia Woolf (Virginia in her own words ... should be fascinating.) The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aitken (A childrens classic that I haven't read .. there does seem to be rather a lot of sequels though ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 Happy New Year forum membies May you be healthy and happy in 2012 and may your mojo never stray further than your garden gate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Morning little Poppyshake I read Miss Peregrine -- LOVED the book, the way it's made, the beautiful inside covers,like an old book might have,and the old photos, but I am an old photo lover anyhow. The book was ok for me ,but not something I would have normally chosen,only because I rarely pick books that are ..maybe fantasy ? It might be called ? I guess because of that, it wouldn't be on my 5 star list,but I have very few books that get 5 stars becaause I'm pretty picky in my reading tastes . Anyone who likes fantasy, who maybe likes a little horror ? maybe..... would probably really like it . The writing was good .I think maybe my one-track brain just has trouble jumping the tracks and riding on a different one . You might really like it a lot though . A special Happy New Year to you too . Thank you for being so friendly and welcoming to me . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 Morning Julie (it's actually afternoon here but I am being transatlantic ) It sounds like the sort of thing I like because although sci-fi brings me out in a rash I do love a bit of fantasy (unless you're talking Steven Erikson .. a bridge too far for me.) I don't mind a bit of horror too ... though I'm not quite sure of the quantities yet. I have flicked through the book and was taken with all the photo's .. creepy! I have a feeling actually that it's going to come under the heading of 'books what I love' I am not picky .. I am the opposite of picky .. or I pick too well and find I love everything. I am 99.9% sure that all the books I've bought so far I will love or like a lot. But I will definitely grab a random from the charity bookstore in January and see if I can't surprise myself. I am no longer afraid to abandon a book either ... yes, this is the new improved Poppyshake! Thank you for your friendship too I love this place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hi Poppy Yes, you will probably like it then . I haver a hard time deciding what type book you'd classify this one as . It has I suppose some horror in it,but not the sickening blood and guts variety .The book would get extra points from me just because of the BOOK . I like books like that, that have something different about them --the photos, etc makes it really neat . I think you are better than me at sticking with a book. It sounds as if you have had a few this past year that were very difficult to stick with,but you did stick with them . I tend to toss one if I don't get much enjoyment out of it or it is a chore to read . Some books, I know I will like from the very first sentence. Others are just dry and dull page after page,so I don't waste too many pages bothering with it . Time's a wastin' and the books are piling up . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Sci-fi (oh lord! .. no thoughts or suggestions as yet) I don't 'do' sci-fi either, but I loved both Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham, so I'd definitely recommend those. A bonus is that they're not too long. The Bloody Chamber & Other Stories - Angela Carter (Thank you Janet .. I have already started and ooooohh ) Mistress Masham's Repose - T.H. White (I wanted to read this even if it didn't win the February reading circle vote .. it did though ) The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aitken (A childrens classic that I haven't read .. there does seem to be rather a lot of sequels though ) You're welcome. I've ordered my copy of Mistress Masham's Repose - looking forward to it. I keep seeing The Wolves of Willoughby Chase in charity shops and am drawn to it. I don't really like books with lots of sequels though. Hmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share Posted January 1, 2012 I don't 'do' sci-fi either, but I loved both Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham, so I'd definitely recommend those. A bonus is that they're not too long. Thanks for the recommendations Janet , I have read Day of the Triffids and loved it .. so I might go for one of his others if I see them in the charity bookshops but I feel I'm cheating slightly because it's contemporary sci-fi that gives me the collywobbles .. so it's those that I should really look for but I'm a bit hopeless because I get fantasy and sci-fi mixed up. I'm not even sure what I should be looking for and of course spines rarely give you an indication (though there are probably some watchwords that I should look out for .. stuff about space most probably.) I'm not going to be too rigid at this stage and I'm definitely not going for a housebrick because the chances are I'm going to struggle. I wonder if Oliver Jeffers How to Catch a Star counts I keep seeing The Wolves of Willoughby Chase in charity shops and am drawn to it. I don't really like books with lots of sequels though. Hmm. It has the most gorgeous cover and spine which is even more unusual (lovely green stripey spine ) It may well be one of those books where it doesn't really matter if you read the sequels .. that's what I'm hoping anyway. Time's a wastin' and the books are piling up . ... ain't that the truth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 (edited) Mistress Masham's Repose - T.H. White (I wanted to read this even if it didn't win the February reading circle vote .. it did though ) The Folio Society did a wonderful edition of this, with a gorgeous red and gold cover. One of the best children's books ever. Virginia Woolf Selected Letters - Virginia Woolf (Virginia in her own words ... should be fascinating.) I've just acquired (through ebay) the complete set of letters - all 6 volumes (!), for a stupidly low price. I've promised myself I will read them all!! Edited January 1, 2012 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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