Ben Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 You have some fabulous books on your 'to read' pile, Ben. Good luck with your reading in 2012 - and here's to reducing the pile a bit! Thanks Janet, looks like I'll need some luck if I want to put a big dent in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 Just had a couple of books delivered from Amazon - only two for the minute but there's more on the way. They're all books for university, and I'm hoping that the staggered arrival won't make it seem like a massive jump already in my TBR. The Hound of the Baskervilles & The Valley of Fear. - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Body in the Library. - Agatha Christie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmylou Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 aww I don't see Inheritance on your TBR... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 aww I don't see Inheritance on your TBR... What can I say? I was too impatient to leave it until 2012. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Great TBR Ben. I see Ms Slaughter on your list....just love her books. We have quite similiar books on our TBRs and like you I am hoping to make a big dent in it this year........no book purchases for me! Happy reading Ben. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 Great TBR Ben. I see Ms Slaughter on your list....just love her books. We have quite similiar books on our TBRs and like you I am hoping to make a big dent in it this year........no book purchases for me! Happy reading Ben. Thanks, I guess the advantage of having a massive TBR is that it means I have lots of fantastic books still on the horizon. Of course on the other hand it seems like a constant up-hill struggle to make a dent in it. A struggle that's guarenteed to get worse as my books deliveries for university come rolling in over the next couple of weeks. I'm already starting 2012 with purchases I have no choice to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 Going to answer this in this thread as it's easier to keep track of. ooh I'm so glad you have read Inheritance, now I have someone to talk to!!! yay! For me, I felt there were a lot of open ends that frustrated me and I don't understand why Eragon can't ever come back?? Not even for a holiday?! I kind of felt the same as well, he left a lot of unanswered questions. I want to know more about Angela the herbalist, who just seemed more mysterious the more the series went on. I also want to know about the old man Eragon encountered that was 'searching for the answer.' Paolini also just skimmed through a lot of stuff, like I was disappointed that the Menoa tree asked for something in return and it sound ominous and gloomy - then it just didn't take anything at all. I thought some of it sounded ridiculous as well - I didn't fully understand how Roran got rid of the army by sitting in the middle of the road with the shimmer around him. As for him not coming back, he could quite easily I'm sure. I mean he has Saphira to fly him around, surely it wouldn't take that long. I guess Paolini left a lot open incase he wants to write another book about the world, which he could quite easily do. Was a little infuriating though, even if I did enjoy it on a whole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmylou Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 The biggest intrigue for me was the lady and the girl whose fortune angela read, who saved rorans life accompanied by a random boy. What was that about?? I thought the roran thing was him using the time he defeated 100 men on his own as bravado to scare them off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Ben, have you seen the film A Room With A View? I highly recommend it, if you haven't. It's one of my favorite films of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 The biggest intrigue for me was the lady and the girl whose fortune angela read, who saved rorans life accompanied by a random boy. What was that about?? I thought the roran thing was him using the time he defeated 100 men on his own as bravado to scare them off? Yeah that's another thing I wouldn't mind knowing - I guess I could have missed something but I'm sure that wasn't explained. I think there was more in it than just scaring them off, and if there wasn't then that's completely unrealistic and would never work. Ben, have you seen the film A Room With A View? I highly recommend it, if you haven't. It's one of my favorite films of all time. Hey bobblybear, no I haven't actually. I thought the book was fantastic though so I'll definitely keep an eye out for the film. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 I must say I'm making slow progress with Bakewell's How to Live. It's a fascinating book, but it's actually a lot longer than I thought it would be, due to the smaller text. Also it's the opposite of the 'easy reads' I wanted to start the year off with until exams are over. I'm not going to discard it, because I'm really enjoying it, but it's unfortunately going to have to be slow going, at least until the 17th where I'll have much more lesiure time to read. Frustrating, but nothing much I can do about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Oh, what a shame. I'm sure it will be rewarding once you've finished but it's difficult to start the year off with a challenging book, especially when you have so much else you need to concentrate on. Keep chipping away at it Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Oh, what a shame. I'm sure it will be rewarding once you've finished but it's difficult to start the year off with a challenging book, especially when you have so much else you need to concentrate on. Keep chipping away at it Ben Yeah it's disappointing but I'm sure if I just do a few pages here and there when I have time I'll soon manage to get somewhere with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 I've been thinking and I've decided to pick up The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, alongside How to Live. Mostly I've decided it because I feel like I'm becoming a little bogged down with my current read, but also because I'll be studying it for university next year, and of course Sunday's episode of Sherlock is based on it this time around. Synopsis: The terrible spectacle of the beast, the fog of the moor, the discovery of a body: this classic horror story pits detective against dog. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on the wild Devon moorland with the footprints of a giant hound nearby, the blame is placed on a family curse. It is left to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson to solve the mystery of the legend of the phantom hound before Sir Charles' heir comes to an equally gruesome end. Anyone else read this or any of the other Holmes adventures? I'm determined to read more of them in the future, especially if I enjoy this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Ben, have you seen the film A Room With A View? I highly recommend it, if you haven't. It's one of my favorite films of all time. I agree - one of my top five films ever! And if you like that, Howards End, another Forster adaptation by Merchant Ivory is absolutely wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 I agree - one of my top five films ever! And if you like that, Howards End, another Forster adaptation by Merchant Ivory is absolutely wonderful. *makes a note.* Thanks, Claire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 (edited) Okay, I finished The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at about 4am this morning because I couldn't sleep. In any case, it was just what I needed. Thoughts: One of the more well-known Sherlock Holmes tales, but as is usual, I am for the most part entirely ignorant of all the Holmes stories - something I aim to change. This tale follows the curious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, found dead in the alley outside his stately home. The police say there are no suspicious circumstances, but Dr Mortimer has spotted something that he has kept quiet. In London, he calls upon Holmes and Watson, to unravel the mysteries of a tale he has on an old piece of parchment; a tale that seems to defy the realms of the ordinary world. It soon transpires that this pair are taking on one of their most difficult challenges yet. For the most part, Holmes is absent from the story, and it is his companion John Watson's tale more than anything. Watson must have his wits about him, as it's impossible to know who to trust. Overall then, I found the tale fast-paced, engaging, funny, witty, and an all round enjoyable read. I will definitely be looking for more Holmes mysteries in the future. 5/5. Edited February 7, 2012 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 I've decided to start Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. Not sure why but just picked it randomly off the shelves. Synopsis: When Griet becomes a maid in the household of Johannes Vermeer, she thinks she knows her role: housework, laundry and the care of his six children. But as she becomes part of his world and his work, their growing intimacy spreads tension and deception in the ordered household and, as the scandal seeps out, into the town beyond. Anyone else read this? Just had a quick read of the first few pages and I think I'm going to enjoy it muchly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 Getting annoyed with my delivery from Amazon now, which says it hasn't even dispatched. Ordinarly I wouldn't mind because I didn't order them until December 31st - and what with the delivery being dodgy over the festive period I haven't been waiting that long. However the two other books I ordered with these arrived three days ago, and a book I ordered on the 3rd arrived today. All that and these haven't even left the werehouse. I also know it sometimes depends on availability, but it says they're all in stock. Should I be worried or am I just being impatient? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 (edited) Hi Ben Not sure how things work over that way, but I know here, a lot of my orders in the past few months or so have been split up into separate orders ,even though everything I ordered is in stock. They apparently have separate shipping areas because I have things from one order that came from Texas and Pennsylvania,and the Texas stuff arrived first . Not quite sure how it happened,but maybe that's what they have done with yours. I think once I ordered something that they hadnt even said had been mailed out and it arrived the next day,so maybe someone is slow on notifying people online ? Good luck --- give them a call if it doesnt arrive soon . Edited January 7, 2012 by julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 Yeah I think that's what happened - they split my delivery into two books for one parcel and three for the other (the one I'm waiting on). They said they'd done it for speed, so maybe they'd anticipated the fact I wouldn't be receiving some of my books until a later date. I'm sure they had their reasons for it - they must have done if a book I ordered just a few days ago is already here. I mean I'm probably just being impatient, and if it had at least dispatched I wouldn't be as angsty. I guess I'll just wait - I think I'm probably moaning more because I'm always had really quick delivery from Amazon before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Yea I know when you order stuff ,you want it all to arrive. I'm sure it'll get there soon. They have always gotten my items to me,so they seem to be quite reliable . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 Yea I know when you order stuff ,you want it all to arrive. I'm sure it'll get there soon. They have always gotten my items to me,so they seem to be quite reliable . Likewise. Guess I'll just quit moaning and wait it out. It at least gives me some more time to get the TBR down before the deliveries arrive and take it straight back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Hope the delivery gets sorted soon! I'm awful when I order things, I want them NOW. Just went through the thread, so many interesting books in the TBR list. Good luck with the 2012 reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 Hope the delivery gets sorted soon! I'm awful when I order things, I want them NOW. Just went through the thread, so many interesting books in the TBR list. Good luck with the 2012 reading I'm sure they will be here soon, I've just got to hold my horses. Thanks, I've got so much to look forward too; always exciting to start a new reading year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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