Liz's 2006 Book List

[Liz]

Books Read 2006

01) NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR - George Orwell (10/10)
02) THE GREEN MILE - Stephen King (8/10)
03) TAMING THE TIGER - Tony Anthony (9/10)
04) JOURNEY'S END - R.C.Sherriff (8/10)
05) LORD OF THE FLIES - William Golding (6/10)
06) THE EYRE AFFAIR - Jasper Fforde (7/10)
07) POLE TO POLE - Michael Palin (8/10)
08) PRIDE & PREJUDICE - Jane Austen (9/10)
09) THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY - Oscar Wilde (10/10)
10) THE WAR OF THE WORLDS - H.G.Wells (6/10)
11) LOST IN A GOOD BOOK - Jasper Fforde (7/10)
12) AN ALIEN AT ST. WILFRED'S - Adrian Plass (8/10)
13) THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES - Agatha Christie (7/10)
14) THE SIGNALMAN - Charles Dickens (6/10)
15) KEW GARDENS - Virginia Woolf (7/10)
16) ERIC - Terry Pratchett (9/10)
17) MEDIEVAL LIVES - Terry Jones & Alan Ereira (8/10)
18) LAST SEEN WEARING - Colin Dexter (8/10)
19) THE DEAD OF JERICHO - Colin Dexter (7/10)
20) GENTLEMEN & PLAYERS - Joanne Harris (9/10)
21) THE CHAMBER - John Grisham (8/10)
22) THE RIGHTEOUS MEN - Sam Bourne (4/10)
23) THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS - Jasper Fforde (6/10)
24) MOVING PICTURES - Terry Pratchett (10/10)
25) THE HISTORY BOYS - Alan Bennett (8/10)
26) THREE MEN IN A BOAT - Jerome K. Jerome (8/10)
27) THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE - Muriel Spark (9/10)
28) LITTLE WOMEN - Louisa May Alcott (5/10)
29) THE TURN OF THE SCREW - Henry James (7/10)
30) SOMETHING ROTTEN - Jasper Fforde (8/10)
31) THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ - Lyman Frank Baum (7/10)
32) THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS - Kenneth Grahame (7/10)
33) THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS - John Buchan (7/10)
34) THE SHINING - Stephen King (10/10)
35) BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S - Truman Capote (8/10)
36) HOUSE OF FLOWERS - Truman Capote (6/10)
37) A DIAMOND GUITAR - Truman Capote (4/10)
38) A CHRISTMAS MEMORY - Truman Capote (7/10)
39) THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY - Patricia Highsmith (10/10)
40) THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY - Douglas Adams (7/10) (re-read)
41) THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE - Douglas Adams (7/10) (re-read)
42) LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING - Douglas Adams (7/10) (re-read)
43) SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH - Douglas Adams (7/10) (re-read)
44) MOSTLY HARMLESS - Douglas Adams (7/10) (re-read)
45) FULL CIRCLE - Michael Palin (9/10)
46) REAPER MAN - Terry Pratchett (8/10)
47) WITCHES ABROAD - Terry Pratchett (8/10)
48) SMALL GODS - Terry Pratchett (8/10)
49) A CLOCKWORK ORANGE - Anthony Burgess (6/10)
50) ABOUT THE AUTHOR - John Colapinto (8/10)

[Michelle]

:wave: at Liz

I really must give Jasper Fforde a try. :)

[muggle not]

Welcome aboard. That is a pretty nice list of books read this year. May I suggest that you consider John Steinbeck for sometime in the future.

[Liz]

Welcome aboard. That is a pretty nice list of books read this year. May I suggest that you consider John Steinbeck for sometime in the future.

I have read one of his - I read OF MICE AND MEN last year and quite enjoyed it.
Which others of his would be good also, or are they all fairly similar?

[Janet]

Welcome aboard. That is a pretty nice list of books read this year. May I suggest that you consider John Steinbeck for sometime in the future.

I have read one of his - I read OF MICE AND MEN last year and quite enjoyed it.
Which others of his would be good also, or are they all fairly similar?
I read Of Mice and Men this year for GCSE English - it was a clever story. I've not read anything else by him either, but I will try to.

[muggle not]

Welcome aboard. That is a pretty nice list of books read this year. May I suggest that you consider John Steinbeck for sometime in the future.

I have read one of his - I read OF MICE AND MEN last year and quite enjoyed it.
Which others of his would be good also, or are they all fairly similar?
Steinbeck is undoubtedly my favorite author of all time. Books of his that I have read to date:
Grapes Of Wrath
East Of Eden
The Winter Of Our Discontent
Of Mice And Men
Tortilla Flat
Cannery Row
Sweet Thursday
Red Pony
The Wayward Bus
The Moon Is Down
The Pearl
Travels With Charley

Grapes of Wrath is really an epic and a fantastic book. It will leave you "wrung out". I also really liked The Moon Is Down. It is a book that really makes a person think and is one that I intend on re-reading one day. You cannot go wrong on any of his books though.

[Liz]

:) :)
Oh right. Thanks very much. I'll have to give one of them a try sometime soon.

[Tiger]

Welcome back, Liz. :smile:

[Liz]

Welcome back, Liz. :smile:

:tyou:

Thanks Tiger - It's good to be back and talking about books again!

[Liz]

GENTLEMEN AND PLAYERS - Joanne Harris

Started - Wednesday 20th September
Finished - Thursday 21st September

I really enjoyed this book. Managed to read all 500 pages or so in two days, which is not bad for me as I'm a bit of a slow reader. Not sure now whether to give another one of Harris' a go.

Has anyone else read GENTLEMEN AND PLAYERS? Or even a different book of hers and could tell me whether it was any good or not.

- Liz -

[Kell]

I have Gentlemen & Players on my TBR pile - i'm looking forward to it! I loved Chocolat - if you haven't read it, give it a go - it's lovely! And then go & watch the film - it has the gorgeous Johnny Depp in it. ;)

[Liz]

I've wanted to see the film for a while, but I think I'll wait and read the book first.
Thanks Kell.

- Liz -

[Liz]

THE CHAMBER - John Grisham

Started - Friday 22nd September
Finished - Monday 25th September

Quite enjoyed this little read in the end. I thought that the beginning of the story was good, setting the scene, giving a bit of history and all that, but I felt that half way through it seemed to drag a little. It just seemed to be repeating itself and going round in circles. I was starting to get a bit fed up with it until the last 150 pages or so - then the story picked up again.

Reading this has not put me off his books, so I will definately be borrowing another one of his from my sister.

[Liz]

THE RIGHTEOUS MEN - Sam Bourne

Ok, so I've decided to read THE RIGHTEOUS MEN for a few reasons. The main one is that it seems to have had mixed reviews. I've seen some that rip it apart and say it was awful, and then there are those that say it's really good and grips you. I know it's meant to be a bit of a rip-off and jumping on the bandwagon of THE DA VINCI CODE, but I haven't read any of Dan Brown so I won't be able to compare the two.

So, I've decided I'm going to come to this book with an open mind and see whether I enjoy it or think it's a load of rubbish.

- Liz -

[Liz]

THE RIGHTEOUS MEN by Sam Bourne

Started - Tuesday 26th September
Finished - Thursday 28th September

Well, I've read it, and I have to say that I didn't enjoy it a great amount. I never really got hooked into the story. There were a few twists and turns in it, but none that made me want to find out what happened next. I think I would have to go the those that didn't get on with the book than those who thought it was fantastic. I thought that it was an "ok" book, rather than a "great" book - not one that I would recommend or want to read again.

[Liz]

Have just started THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS by Jasper Fforde. It is the third book in the Thursday Next series. I really enjoyed the first two books, so hopefully this one will be just as good.

[Kell]

I got The Eyre Affair last weekend - i'm looking forward to getting into it!

[Louiseog]

I love JF, have just bought all of the books to keep and I never keep books!!!

[muggle not]

I love JF, have just bought all of the books to keep and I never keep books!!!
You have good taste. Congratulations.

I got The Eyre Affair last weekend - i'm looking forward to getting into it!
Let us know how you enjoy the book, perhaps in the Jasper Fforde topic.

[Liz]

THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS

Enjoyed this one, although not as much as the first two in the Thursday Next series. It seemed as though it took a while for the book to get going. But, having said that, it hasn't put me off wanting to read the fourth one in the series.

[Liz]

After finishing Fforde, I'm still in the mood for a funny book, so thought I'd continue with the Discworld series. I'm now on to Moving Pictures

[Liz]

Didn't feel too good today, so stayed at home. Ended up doing a bit of quiet reading and managed to finish off Moving Pictures. It was really good - enjoyed it very much.

I've now moved on to The History Boys by Alan Bennett. The film is out quite soon, but I wanted to have read it before going to see the film. It's not a very long play, so I should have it finished in plenty of time.

The History Boys....... An unruly bunch of bright, funny sixth-form boys in pursuit of sex, sport and a place at university. A maverick English teacher at odds with the young and shrewd supply teacher. A headmaster obsessed with results; a history teacher who thinks he's a fool.

[Liz]

Wow....finished The History Boys sooner than I expected. Was really good - hopefully the film will stay as true to the play as possible. It would be a shame if they were to lose some of the speeches that are in the play.

Have now moved on to Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Saw a bit of the t.v. series that was on BBC2 earlier this year - got me interested in it and it looks like it could be a good little read. I doubt that I'll finish it in a few hours, though.

[Liz]

Went to see Terry Jones at Cheltenham this evening. He was giving a talk on the Barbarians, the subject of his recent book and T.V. series. I thought it was excellent. I didn't get in line to get a book signed, though, as I would probably be still there waiting now. Still, it was a great night out. :D

[Kell]

I loved that series, Barbarians - it was SOoooooooo good! Wish I could have been there to see Mr Jones myself!

[Liz]

Three Men in a Boat wasn't too bad - a nice quick read.

I'm now moving on to The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark. I've seen the film, so I'm going to end up seeing Maggie Smith all the way through reading the book.

[Liz]

Really enjoyed The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. One of my favourite reads this year.

Just started Little Women. About to start chapter four, and so far I'm not hooked by it. Maybe it will grab me later on in the book.

[Kell]

Didn't feel too good today, so stayed at home. Ended up doing a bit of quiet reading and managed to finish off Moving Pictures. It was really good - enjoyed it very much.
Have you read Soul Music? It's of a similar ilk, but with music instead of film. Very good. ;)

Hope you're feeling much better now.

[Liz]

Yeah, I'm feeling a little better today, but I'm still not 100%.

I'm reading the Discworld series in order, so I haven't reached Soul Music yet. I've seen the cartoon film of it and really enjoyed that, so I'm looking forward to reading it.

[Liz]

Finished Little Women this evening. It was ok, but not the best book I've read. It just seemed a little too nice. All the girls were very nice and were nice to each other. Everyone and everything was just too nice.

So, I've decided to move on to The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Hopefully this will not be all nice and pretty.

[Liz]

Quite enjoyed The Turn of the Screw in the end. It took a few pages before I really got into the story, but it was worth reading.

Going to move on to another Jasper Fforde. This time I'm on Something Rotten, the fourth in the Thursday Next series.

[Liz]

Something Rotten was better than the previous Thursday Next book. It seemed to have more of a story in it, unlike The Well of Lost Plots that seemed to take a while before anything really happened.

I'm now going to have a go at The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I've seen the film (most people have), so I'm going to see whether the book's any good.

[Liz]

Finished Oz the other day. I think it's quite a sweet little book. A great Children's Classic.

I'm now going to read another children's book, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. I loved the characters in Terry Jones' film (Eric Idle as Rat, Terry Jones as Toad and Steve Coogan as Mole). So, I think I'll give the original story a go and see what it's like.

[Kell]

I ADORE The Wind in the Willows! I still have a lovely hardback copy I was given when I was very little & it still gets re-read now. Speaking of which, i think it must be coming up to time for a re-read again very soon...

[madcow]

I remember reading Wind in the Willows when i was in junior school (which was only (ahem) a couple of years ago! :tong: ). I loved it, and it is definately one of those books you can read over and over again. :D

[Liz]

Great! Sounds like this could be a good book.

[Liz]

ARRRGGHH.....:hissyfit:

This is beginning to get on my nerves a bit. I cannot seem to get past the first page. I read a sentence or two and then walk off and get a drink or do something else. I'm not sure why I'm finding it so hard to concentrate. I know I haven't read enough to see whether I'm hooked or not, but usually I can read at least the first chapter or so. I'm never this bad with a book.

Hopefully this is only a temporary thing. I'm really enjoying a bit of reading at the moment.

:irked: :irked:

[Sarahrob]

Oh I love the Wind in the Willows. Hope you can settle into it!

[Liz]

Yeah, so do I.

I've managed to read the first chapter, so this could well be a good sign.

[Liz]

Found a book token this morning where the use by date is the end of October. Well, what could I do! It would be wrong to let that token slip away. So I toddled off down to Waterstones and bought a few books.....

Different Seasons ~ Stephen King
To Kill A Mockingbird ~ Harper Lee
Rebecca ~ Daphne du Maurier

To be honest, I thought I already had Rebecca - but after a few hours of hunting about it looked as though I hadn't got it after all. Well, at least now I know I have it.

[Liz]

:yahoo: YAAAY!!! :yahoo:

I think I'm getting back into the swing of things again.
I've reached page 91 and now I'm starting to settle back into some reading. At long last!!

[Liz]

Felt as though I needed some fresh air this morning, so off I toddled round town. Big mistake! Ended up going into WHSmith.
Came out with.......

The Shining ~ Stephen King
The Thirty-Nine Steps ~ John Buchan
Breakfast At Tiffany's ~ Truman Capote
Catch-22 ~ Joseph Heller

Looks like I'm going to have to find some more space now! :mrgreen:

[Louiseog]

I loved 39 Steps, John Creasey is another author who writes a bit like that too.

[Liz]

The Wind in the Willows

Quite enjoyed it.
It took me a while before I fully got into the book, but once I did, I found it to be a great little book.

[Liz]

I think I'll move on to one of the books I bought the other day.
Seeing as I've already had a comment on it, I'll choose.......

The Thirty-Nine Steps ~ John Buchan

[Liz]

Finshed off The Thirty-Nine Steps this afternoon.

I wasn't too sure about it when I first started it - wasn't sure if it was my kind of book. However, I really got into it at about 1/3 of the way through, so it turned out to be ok in the end.

[Liz]

After seeing the Stephen King Reading Circle, I thought I'd give The Shining a go. I've only read one SK before (The Green Mile), so this will be a good chance to see whether I like any other SK.

[Liz]

Thankfully The Shining won the vote in the SK Reading Circle, so I started that today. I haven't seen the film all the way through, so it will be good to see how the book goes.

[Lilywhite]

I'm looking forward to giving this a go too Liz :)

[Liz]

:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Finished off The Shining this afternoon. Really enjoyed it and thought it was excellent. Definitely a 10/10 read. I think I prefer this S.K. book to The Green Mile.

I'm now going to move on to Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote.
The copy I have also has three other short stories:

~ House of Flowers
~ A Diamond Guitar
~ A Christmas Memory

[Liz]

Haven't had much time this past week to read, but I've finally got around to finishing Breakfast at Tiffany's. Really enjoyed it. I haven't seen the film, but after reading the book I wouldn't mind seeing how they made a film out of it. The other short stories in the book were ok. I was not too impressed with A Diamond Guitar - thought it was a bit of a pointless story. But, I enjoyed the other two.

I'm now going to move on to The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.

[Icecream]

It would be interesting to hear your views in the film thread on this one Liz.

[Liz]

Finished off The Talented Mr. Ripley during the early hours of this morning. Thought it was a fantastic book! Enjoyed it very, very much. The book is far better than the film, I thought. I'm definitely going to try the other books in the Tom Ripley series. :mrgreen:

Anyway, I'm going to have another read of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I read it about 18 months ago and quite enjoyed it, so fancied having another go at it. I wasn't too impressed with the film version last year, though. Didn't seem quite right, somehow.

[Liz]

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
DOUGLAS ADAMS

On Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has only just had his house demolished that morning, this seems already to be more than he can cope with. Sadly, however, the weekend has only just begun, and the Galaxy is a very strange and startling place.

[Liz]

THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE
DOUGLAS ADAMS

When all questions of space, time, matter and the nature of being have been resolved, only one question remains - "Where shall we have dinner?"
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe provides the ultimate gastronomic experience, and for once there is no morning after to worry about.

[Liz]

LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING
DOUGLAS ADAMS

In consequence of a number of stunning catastrophes, Arthur Dent is surprised to find himself living in a hideously miserable cave on prehistoric Earth. However, just as he thinks that things cannot possibly get any worse, they suddenly do. He discovers that the Galaxy is not only mind-bogglingly big and bewildering, but also that most of the things that happen in it are staggeringly unfair.

[Liz]

SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH
DOUGLAS ADAMS

Just as Arthur Dent's sense of reality is in its dickiest state he suddenly finds the girl of his dreams. He finds her in the last place in which he would expect to find anything at all, but which 3,976,000,000 people will find oddly familiar. They go in search of God's Final Message to His Creation and, in a dramatic break with tradition, actually find it.

[Liz]

MOSTLY HARMLESS
DOUGLAS ADAMS

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has, in what we laughingly call the past, had a great deal to say on the subject of parallel universes. Very little of this, however, at all comprehensible to anyone below the level of Advanced God and, since it is now well-established that all known gods came into existence a good three millionths of a second after the Universe began rather than, as they usually claimed the previous week, they already have a great deal of explaining to do as it is, and are therefore not available for comment at this time....

[Kell]

Are you enjoying the Douglas Adams, Liz? We have the full radio play (all 5 phases) & listen to it at night all the time - excellent stuff. :)

[Michelle]

I sense a pattern here.... :D

[Liz]

Are you enjoying the Douglas Adams, Liz? We have the full radio play (all 5 phases) & listen to it at night all the time - excellent stuff. :)

Yeah, I am enjoying reading the Guide again. I find it's one of those books that you don't have to concentrate on too much, so it's easy to pick up for a short while and not have to have marathon reading sessions to understand what's happening and get into the story and style.

I haven't read any of his other books, though. But I'm not sure if I want to. I like the Guide, but I think that would be about it - the Guide doesn't make me want to read any others of his.

[Sugar]

I haven't read any of his other books, though. But I'm not sure if I want to. I like the Guide, but I think that would be about it - the Guide doesn't make me want to read any others of his.
I thought the same Liz, until someone convinced me to read the Dirk Gently books. They are quite different, but equally funny and easy to read.

[Liz]

I thought the same Liz, until someone convinced me to read the Dirk Gently books. They are quite different, but equally funny and easy to read.

I've heard a bit about them, but not an awful lot, so I'm not quite sure what they're about.

[Sugar]

Dirk Gently is a Private Investigator. Only his methods of investigating are not exactly conventional.

I haven't got my copies here, so I can't quote the blurb. Just tried a google search and it looks like everyone else has difficulty describing them as well - I think they need to be read to be believed.

[Liz]

Ok, well I'll keep a look-out for them. Thanks, Sugar.

[Liz]

Finished off my second read of The Guide. Still enjoyed it, which is good. Sometimes re-reading a book can give you a different opinion on it. The first three are my favourites. The final two are good, but they seem to have been written for the sake of it. They don't spoil the story, just drag it out for a little longer.

Next..........

In Full Circle, his third expedition, Michael Palin travels for almost a year through 18 countries bordering the Pacific Ocean, encountering some of the most politically volatile and physically demanding places on Earth.

Surviving lunch with head-hunters in Borneo and a meal of maggots in Mexico, he travels around the perimeter of the world's largest ocean in this spectacular journey of contrasts, drama and beauty. Whether scaling the Exalted Mountain in China, dodging icebergs in Chile or being taken short on the banks of the Amazon, Palin can always be relied upon to be the perfect travel guide.

FULL CIRCLE
Michael Palin

[Liz]

Finished off Full Circle at 5:00am this morning. Have really enjoyed Palin's travel books, and this one was no exception. Look forward to reading the next one.

After watching The Hogfather the other night, it has put me in a bit of a Pratchett mood.
So now I will be starting.......

REAPER MAN
Terry Prachett

Death is missing - Presumed....er....gone.

Which leads to the kind of chaos you always get when an important public service is withdrawn. Meanwhile, on a little farm far, far away, a tall dark stranger is turning out to be really good with a scythe. There's a harvest to be gathered in....

[Liz]

Finished Reaper Man after breakfast this morning.
Enjoyed it, but it wasn't the best Discworld novel I've read so far.
Still good, though.

[Liz]

Now moving on to ......

WITCHES ABROAD
Terry Pratchett

It seemed an easy job... After all, how difficult could it be to make sure that a servant girl doesn't marry a prince?

But for the witches Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick, travelling to the distant city of Genua, things are never that simple...

Servant girls have to marry the prince. That's what life is all about. You can't fight a Happy Ending.

At least - up until now....

[Liz]

Have spent all morning reading and finished Witches Abroad.
Really enjoyed this one - but being a bit of a Pratchett fan, I will probably like most of them to a certain extent. :mrgreen:

[Liz]

Now moving on to .....

Small Gods
Terry Pratchett

In the beginning was the Word.
And the Word was: "Hey, you!"

For Brutha the novice is the Chosen One. He wants peace and justice and brotherly love.

He also wants the Inquisition to stop torturing him now, please....

[Kell]

I love Small Gods - the whole theory of Gods only existing because of the belief of their followers seemed to make a lot of sense to me. Hope you enjoy it.

[Liz]

Finished the last few pages of Small Gods this morning.
Really enjoyed this one. Thought that the god Om was very funny.
Think I may have a break from Terry Pratchett books for the moment and read something else. I'll go and have a little look on the shelf.

[Liz]

I have decided to go for something that I didn't think I would ever read, possibly due to watching the film version of it and not really enjoying the story. A few people I know have read the book and have all given mixed opinions. Some seemed to really enjoy it while others seemed to hate it and felt the story to be "pointless". I've been persuaded to give it a go and see whether I enjoy the story more (if enjoy is the right word) than I did the film. However, I'm not exactly looking forward to reading it.

A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess

In Anthony Burgess' nightmare vision of youth culture in revolt, fifteen-year-old Alex and his friends set out on a diabolical orgy of robbery, rape, tortue and murder. Alex is jailed for his teenage delinquency and the State tries to reform him - but at what cost?

[Liz]

Finished it this morning, and I have to say that I wasn't really that impressed by it. Maybe it was because I had seen the film before reading it, so I was picturing the scenes as I was reading them rather than imagining them myself. It took some time getting used to the style it was written in, and also because it had its own language (Nadsat), I had to find a dictionary of it so that I could understand what was going on. Some of it you could guess what it actually meant, but a lot of it you had to look up. It was good the way it was split up in to three parts to define the three differsnt stages of the main character's life and story. However, I still didn't enjoy it that much. Maybe it will be one of those books that I will come back to in a few years and will have a diffferent opinion on it.

[Liz]

Went to town this morning - managed to beat all the crowds out for a bargin. Went to Waterstones and couldn't resist their 3 for 2 on Terry Pratchett. Chose 3 Discworld books.

Then popped in to the Oxfam bookshop. They also had a 3 for 2 offer on. Ended up walking away with....

# Two of Stephen Fry's novels

# Good Omens ~ T. Pratchett & N. Gaiman

# (bk1) Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency ~ D. Adams
# (bk2) The Long Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul ~ D. Adams

Thanks to Sugar who recommended the Dirk Gently ones.

So there's quite a few that will be added to the TBR pile.

[Liz]

After hearing a lot about this, and being given a very positive review from Kell, I've decided to have a go at.......

About The Author
John Colapinto

Cal Cunningham, a penniless Manhattan bookstore clerk, has always dreamed of writing a book that would rocket him to the top of the bestsellers list. "Almost Like Suicide", the great novel, based on Cal's life, fulfils his every fantasy making Cal the hottest thing in New York. But is Cal the author? And what happened to his flatmate Stewart, who died in a bicycle accident, and had literary aspirations of his own?

[Kell]

I hope you'll enjoy it. I lent my copy to my Mam as I think it's something that'll be right up her street. Quite an unusual book, but I loved the whole concpet & Colainto's style - I'll certainly be reading more of his work.

[Liz]

Well, I've read the first part (which is about 50 pages or so into the book), and so far it's really good. I can see I'm going to enjoy this one.

[Liz]

I'm nearing the end of the book, now. About 50 pages to go.
I must finish it before 2007 arrives otherwise it is going to get on my nerves and really wind me up. I have a thing about carrying a book over the New Year. When do I say that I read it? 2006? 2007? Where do I place the book? So I have to finish this book before 00:00 on 1st January and then wait until it's 2007 before I can start a new book. Does that make sense?

[Kell]

I know exactly how you feel, Liz - I've just finished my book & now I'm going to have to take a day off from reading so that I don't carry one over to 2007! What will I do instead??? I'm just pleased I'm not the only one who gets funny about things like that! :lol:

[Liz]

I'm so glad there is someone else who feels the same way about a thing like this. My family and friends cannot understand why I'm like this about it.

Thanks Kell!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[Liz]

Well, finished off my last book of 2006. And I have to say, it wasn't too bad. Very good in fact. Really enjoyed the first part (the book has four parts in it). The action that had built up seemed to disappear a little in the second and third parts but picked up again in the final part and raced away to the end. A great book to finish the year with. :)

[Liz]

This year, I think, has been my best year for reading. Have read about 50 books this year - the most I've ever read in a year! Have read some great books, some not so great books, and some really awful books.

Lets hope I get my eyes around some great books in 2007!

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Liz xxx :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[madcow]

I'm sure you will Liz :mrgreen:

[Angel]

Go for it next year Liz!

[Liz]

Thanks guys. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: