Nici76's Reading

[Nici76]

I'm having a bit of a slow start this year, hopefully i will find some more time to read soon!

JANUARY
Stephen King - Four Past Midnight
Martina Cole - Close

FEBRUARY
Stephen King - Desperation
Stephen King - IT

MARCH
Still Stephen King - IT

APRIL
Still Stephen King - IT

MAY
Still Stephen King - IT
Maggie O'Farrell - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (I didn't finish this book as I wasn't enjoying it)
Anthony Horowitz - Raven's Gate
Anthony Horowitz - Evil Star

I have deleted my TBR and To Buy list as it keeps changing so if you are interested, look at my Library Thing page!

[Nici76]

Another book to add to the ones i have to buy - Stephen King - The Stand :)

[Nici76]

And another one to add....Ugly - Constance Briscoe

[Nici76]

Well I'm still reading IT - this must be an all time record for me for how long it takes to read a book :irked:

And the annoying thing is i have got so many good books waiting to be read that i can't touch until iv'e finished IT.....

[Nici76]

Right I have only got 400 pages left of IT! I have also updated my reading list..

[Liz]

Right I have only got 400 pages left of IT!

The end is near, then.

Are you glad you stuck with it?

[Nici76]

The end is near, then.

Are you glad you stuck with it?

Absolutely! It has turned out to be a real page turner!!!

[Gyre]

IT is a big read but so worth it Nic, I am glad you are enjoying it.

You have a great list there, I have read some of the Stephen Kings, I am looking forward to reading your thoughts Nic x

[Nici76]

My list has changed again as i got a couple of new books today! :D

[lovesreading06]

nici 76 i hope this doesn't sound rude but why don't you go offline and read the book.

[Nici76]

nici 76 i hope this doesn't sound rude but why don't you go offline and read the book.

Huh? :10_confused:

[Michelle]

nici 76 i hope this doesn't sound rude but why don't you go offline and read the book.

Actually, that does sound rude! If we all spent our time offline reading, this lovely forum wouldn't exist! ;)

[lovesreading06]

Sorry Michelle

[Nici76]

I have decided that I should write the blurb about IT by Stephen King after going on about it for so long!

To the children, the town was their whole world. To the adults, knowing better, Derry, Maine was just their home town: familiar, well-ordered for the most part. A good place to live.

It was the children who saw - and felt - what made Derry so horribly different. In the storm drains, in the sewers, IT lurked, taking on the shape of every nightmare, each one's deepest dread. Sometimes IT reached up, seizing, tearing, killing......

The adults, knowing better, knew nothing.

Time passed and the children grew up, moved away.
The horror of IT was deep-buried, wrapped in forgetfulness. Until they were called back, once more to confront IT as it stirred and coiled in the sullen depths of their memories, reaching up again to make their past nightmares a terrible present reality.

[Gyre]

Me again Nici...

IT is such a cool book and very freaky, I had a bit of a moment because of Pennywise, really scared me x

[Nici76]

Hello you again! :D

I will never be able to look at clowns in the same way again...

300 pages left! :lol:

[Gyre]

Hello you again! :D

I will never be able to look at clowns in the same way again...

300 pages left! :lol:

I know that familiar, I thought I saw Pennywise outside a train station, I was really freaked out, it was late at night though and I was reading 'IT' loads x

[Nici76]

Now that I am coming to end of IT, I now have a bit of a dilema, I can't decide whether to read Raven Hart - Vampires Seduction or Maggie O'Farrell - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. Decisions decisions!

[Gyre]

Now that I am coming to end of IT, I now have a bit of a dilema, I can't decide whether to read Raven Hart - Vampires Seduction or Maggie O'Farrell - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. Decisions decisions!

I would go with 'The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox' by Maggie O'Farrell. because I am starting it too and looking forward to discussing it with all of the gang!:D

[JudyB]

I would go with 'The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox' by Maggie O'Farrell. because I am starting it too and looking forward to discussing it with all of the gang!:D


Yes it's next on my list too!

[Nici76]

Maggie O'Farrell - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox it is then! Thanks!

[Nici76]

Horray! I have finished IT, I am now starting The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell.

I am looking forward to joining in the discussions at last! :lol:

List updated.

[happyanddandy]

Maggie O'Farrell - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox it is then! Thanks!


You are in for a treat!!

[Nici76]

You are in for a treat!!

That's what spurred me on to finish IT, it is getting such good reviews that I just couldn't wait to read it! And it's nice to see quite a big type as well compared to IT which was tiny!

[Liz]

Well done for finishing IT. :)

It's a book I would like to tackle sometime.
It seems as though it's a book worth ploughing through.

[Nici76]

It is definately a good book, but it does require 100% attention, which is where i was struggling. I am glad I read it too the end, although clowns now scare me! :lol:

I'm looking forward to having a few "easy" reads now before I tackle The Stand!

[JudyB]

Hope you enjoy The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - just finished it today - thought provoking and sad. A good read!

[Nici76]

Please don't hate me everyone :hide: , but, I am struggling with The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. I am just over half way through and I am really really trying to finish it. Sorry everyone - I believe I am the only person to say something bad about this book......

[happyanddandy]

Please don't hate me everyone :hide: , but, I am struggling with The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. I am just over half way through and I am really really trying to finish it. Sorry everyone - I believe I am the only person to say something bad about this book......

What is the problem Nici? :smile2:

[Gyre]

If you can't get into the book Nici, that is ok, is anything in particular that you are not enjoying? x

[Nici76]

Happyanddandy & Gyre:-

I'm not sure exactly what I don't like about it, I am just not really enjoying it. It is hard to put my finger on. I am also getting confused when it darts backwards and forwards and Iv'e read a parargraph not really knowing who's memory I am reading.

[Icecream]

It can be confusing Nici. Don't worry. The style isn't for everyone.

[happyanddandy]

Yes - when Kitty starts talking in a disjointed fashion I initially wondered what was going on and had to reread some bits.

[Nici76]

Thanks Icecream. The funny thing is one of my favourite authors, Barbara Erskine goes back and forth in all her books and I love them. Very strange....

[Nici76]

Yes - when Kitty starts talking in a disjointed fashion I initially wondered what was going on and had to reread some bits.

Yes - that's what I have had to do. I will keep trying though, I don't like giving up on a book....

[Icecream]

Maybe it's the way it's written. There are parts of this one that are confusing.

[Nici76]

Sorry everyone but I couldn't finish The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox.:( I will try again in a couple of months.

I am now reading:
Anthony Horowitz - Raven's Gate

He always knew he was different. First there were the dreams. Then the deaths began.
When Matt Freeman gets into trouble with the police, he's sent to be fostered in Yorkshire. It's not long before he senses there's something wrong with his guardian:with the whole village.
Then Matt learns about the Old Ones and begins to understand just how he is different. But no one will believe him; no one can help.
There is no proof. There is no logic. There is just the Gate.

This is the first of a series of 3 (so far) and they are children's books. I was given them today by a lady at work who is a fellow Stephen King/Harry Potter lover who says they are excellent! And definately worth a read!

I am on page 40 and so far so good! :D

[JudyB]

This is the first of a series of 3 (so far) and they are children's books.

Did you know that they also fall into the crossover fiction category? They are enjoyed by adults and children alike. :D

[Nici76]

Did you know that they also fall into the crossover fiction category? They are enjoyed by adults and children alike. :D

No I didn't! The lady at work who gave them to me said they were children's but she really enjoyed them. Certainly by what I have read already they do seem quite grown up.

Oh and Robbie is pestering me to read them next!

[Icecream]

Sounds great. I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts on these..

[Nici76]

I have just finished Anthony Horowitz - Raven's Gate and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a nice easy read which I would describe as fantasy. I am looking forward to the the next book which I am about to begin: Anthony Horowitz - Evil Star

After defeating the Old One's at Raven's Gate, Matt Freeman thought he could get on with his life. But someone has other ideas.

Far away in peru a second gate is about to open. Only Matt has the power to stop the forces of darkness breaking through, but now they know all about him. This time they're going to destroy him first.

*******

It's very strange that I am about to start reading a book about Peru (I only found out this evening when I read the back of the book) as my Dad is off to Peru on Saturday to "Hike the Inca Trail" - spooky...!

[FishAndChips]

They sound interesting. I may give them a try myself. (I like easy reads!)

[Nici76]

I have only got about 50 pages left of Evil Star, I would of liked to have finished it by now but it's been a busy few weeks....

I have to say though that I am throughly enjoying this book! I think a lot of it is because this is where Dad has just got back from so perhaps I am showing more of an interest than I normally would have done but even so it's a great read!

Full of suspense and excitement, I would definately recomment it! I will get it finished this weekend.

[Nici76]

I finished Evil Star today and like I said an enjoyable easy read! :D

I have now started Raven Hart - The Vampires Seduction... Excellent so far! ;)

[Nici76]

Oopps, forgot to write the blurb: :doh:

Raven Hart - The Vampires Seduction

When it comes to a wild and seductive nightlife, Savannah has bite.

Older than the United States and wealthy beyond his years, playboy William Cuyler Thorne is a vampire with a nice long undead life - one that includes a steady stream of admirers, a consistent supply of rejuvenating blood, and, best of all, a cover as one of Savannah's most prominent pillars of society.

But all good things must end.

Now an ancient enemy has come for William from across the seas. It is his sire, Reedrek, the vampire who created him. And Reedrek will stop at nothing until all that is precious to William - his beautiful mistress, his stable of willing female victims, his glorious estates, and his good-ol'-boy vampire sidekick, Jack - is within his voracious grasp. But William has an arsenal of his own - one that is enhanced by the power of voodoo. And when these two bloodsuckers meet, there will be hell to pay.

[Nici76]

I finished the Vampires Seduction last night and today I will be starting:

Raven Hart - The Vampires Secret

Once a mortal with a beloved family, William Cuyler Thorne is now a vampire on the prowl for blood and beautiful women. He has the perfect cover as an admired citizen of Savannah society. Though Reedreck, the ruthless old-world vampire who tried to destroy William, has been defeated, he still has his followers - and they will settle for nothing less than all-out war.

To counter this vicious band of European bloodsuckers, William organizes a vampire empire, which includes the handsomely slick Jack; Wiliam's newly made eternity mate, the luscious seductress Eleanor; and a wannabe-badass named Werm. But as William and his team prepare for the ultimate showdown, the only hope for victory may lie with one woman, a vampire with unusual powers who holds the vampires' fate in her hot little hands.

I hope I enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the first book, the Vampires Seduction!

[Michelle]

They are good reads, aren't they!? Personally, I found the second one even better than the first.

[Nici76]

That's good to know Michelle! I really really enjoyed the first one so i'm going to love the second!! :D

Fantastic books! Does anyone know if Raven Hart has a third book in the pipeline?

[Michelle]

She certainly does.. http://ravenhartbooks.com/blog.html :D

[Nici76]

Excellent! That's made my day! Thanks Michelle!

[Nici76]

I may have only read 78 pages of The Vampires Secret so far but I am already throughly enjoying it! I am about to add Raven Hart as one of my favourite authors! Great! :D

[Nici76]

I have only got around 30 pages left of The Vampires Secret :( I am trying to drag it out as I don't want to finish this book as it is just so good!!

And Michelle, I agree about the second being better than the first - excellent!!! :D And also, as I have enjoyed these books so much, has Kelley Armstrong got a similar style of writing? As I am going to get her series soon!

[Michelle]

And also, as I have enjoyed these books so much, has Kelley Armstrong got a similar style of writing? As I am going to get her series soon!

Hmm.. yes, I guess similar, but hers are obviously focused on the female characters, rather than Raven's very male ones! Also, I think Raven's books are a little more graphic. Up until the most recent book, I would have said that Kelley's were no where close with the sex scenes.. but in the most recent one, hers was explosive! ;)

[Nici76]

Sounds good! ;) Thanks Michelle!

[Kell]

Sounds good! ;) Thanks Michelle!
They ARE good - start with Bitten and go on from there - you won't regret it!

[Nici76]

Thanks Kell! I am saving up my Amazon vouchers to get them! :D

[Icecream]

I have only got around 30 pages left of The Vampires Secret :( I am trying to drag it out as I don't want to finish this book as it is just so good!!

I want to read this too. After reading the first one I had the impression that the second one would be better. Now I can't wait to get my hands on it.

[Nici76]

OMG! What an ending to The Vampires Secret!!!!!! What a cliff hanger! Can't wait to read the next one when it comes out!!

I am now reading Ugly - Constance Briscoe:

I handed my school photograph to my mother. She stared from the photograph to me.

"Lord, sweet Lord how come she so ugly. Ugly. Ugly."

These cruel words are just the begining. Constance's mother systematically abused her daughter, both physically and emotionally, throughout her childhood. Regularly beaten and starved, the child was so desperate she took herself off to Social Services and tried to get taken into care. When Constance was thirteen, her mother simply moved out, leaving her daughter to fend for herself; there was no gas, no electricity and no food.

But somehow Constance found the courage to survive her terrible start in life. This is her heartbreaking - and ultimately triumphant - story.

[happyanddandy]

It's too harrowing Nici :blush:. I can't read this sort of book.

[Echo]

Actually, I quite like the sound of Ugly! That's definitely going on my list!

[Nici76]

I have had to stop reading Ugly - Constance Briscoe.

I am just not in the mood for this type of book. I will try to read it again at another time.

I am now going to read:-

James Herbert - The Secret of Crickley Hall

Would you stay in a haunted house for more than one night?

Would you live in a place where ghostly things keep happening? Where a cellar door you know you locked the night before is always open the following morning? Where hushed whimpering is heard? Where white shadows steal through the darkness? Where the presence of evil is all around you?

Would you? Should you?

The Caleighs did, but they had their reasons. They should have known better though. As the terror mounts, they begin to regret their decision. As the horror rises, they realize their very lives are at risk...and so is their sanity. For the secret of Crickley Hall is beyond all nightmares...

[JudyB]

I am now going to read:-

James Herbert - The Secret of Crickley Hall



Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Nici76]

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks Judy, I need to be reading a book which will take me away from this world at the moment. Hopefully this one will do it!

[JudyB]

It's quite creepy in places - it's a good bit of escapism!

[Nici76]

Just thought, James Herbert - The Secret of Crickley Hall is 633 pages long so therefore it can also be a Doorstep Challenge! :D

[Janet]

Just thought, James Herbert - The Secret of Crickley Hall is 633 pages long so therefore it can also be a Doorstep Challenge! :D
That title makes me think of Noel's House Party! :lol:

O/t, but I tried searching for you on Facebook, but it didn't find Nici76.

[Nici76]

Janet, I have PM'ed you about Facebook.

[FishAndChips]

James Herbert - The Secret of Crickley Hall

Would you stay in a haunted house for more than one night?

Would you live in a place where ghostly things keep happening? Where a cellar door you know you locked the night before is always open the following morning? Where hushed whimpering is heard? Where white shadows steal through the darkness? Where the presence of evil is all around you?

Would you? Should you?

The Caleighs did, but they had their reasons. They should have known better though. As the terror mounts, they begin to regret their decision. As the horror rises, they realize their very lives are at risk...and so is their sanity. For the secret of Crickley Hall is beyond all nightmares...

Ooh that sounds good. It might have to go on my TBR...

[Nici76]

Ooh that sounds good. It might have to go on my TBR...

I have to say that I am really enjoying it. It's nice to read a "good old fashioned" haunted house story!

[Gyre]

That's how I found the book as well Nic, a good old fashioned haunted house! x

[JudyB]

Yes it was a really good read.

Gyre - I love your avator.

[Nici76]

Just a quick update - still reading James Herbert - The Secret of Crickley Hall and I am up to page 415 and throughly enjoying it!!!!

[Nici76]

I finished James Herbert this morning. I thought it was an excellent book!

I am now reading Simon Kernick - Relentless so far so good!

3 o'clock. It's a normal Saturday afternoon.

You're with the kids in the garden when the phone rings.

It's your best friend from school. Someone you haven't seen for a few years. It should be a friendly call making arrangements to see each other again, catching up on old times.

But it's not.

This call is different. Your friend is speaking quickly, panting with fear, his breaths coming tortured, ragged gasps. It is clear that someone is inflicting terrible pain on him.

He cries out and then utters six words that will change his life forever....the first two lines of your address.

[scottishbookworm]

Well done for finishing IT. :)

It's a book I would like to tackle sometime.
It seems as though it's a book worth ploughing through.If you need a book to tackle with try war and peace!

[Liz]

If you need a book to tackle with try war and peace!

LOL - You're right. Now that is a book to tackle!
But you never know, maybe I'll give it a go someday.

[Nici76]

I finished Simon Kernick - Relentless today and I really enjoyed it. It is very fast paced with lot's of twists and turns so it really kept my attention. I will definately read more of Simon Kernick's books! :D

Not sure what I am going to read next, I will have a look when I get home.

[Nici76]

Right, I have decided on a fantasy book.

Maggie Furey - The heart of Myrial
(Book one in the Shadowleague series)

The magical barriers that have held the world together for aeons are begining to fail. But this is far more than just a natural disaster. For the boundaries have also served to keep hostile nations apart.

Catastrophe is imminent, and the only hope of salvation lies in the hands of the Shadowleague and its emissaries, in particular the Loremaster Veldan and her firedrake partner Kazairl. The next few days will change their future and threaten to tear the Shadowleague apart.

[Nici76]

Iv'e just looked and as Maggie Furey - The heart of Myrial has got 505 pages it can also be a Doorstep Challenge book as well! :D

[Nici76]

I have had to stop reading Maggie Furey - The heart of Myrial as milk spilled in my bag today and now the book is sopping wet. :irked:

I have made the very brave decision to tackle Stephen King - The Stand and at a mammouth 1,325 pages long it is definately a Doorstep as well!

I may be reading this for a while! :lol:

Dark dreams that warned of the coming of the dark man. The apostate of death, his worn-down boot heels tramping the night roads. The warlord of the charnel house and Prince of Evil. His time is at hand. His empire grows in the west and the Apocalypse looms.

[angerball]

I have made the very brave decision to tackle Stephen King - The Stand and at a mammouth 1,325 pages long it is definately a Doorstep as well!

Oh awesome, Nici!!!!! This is one of my all time favourites! I'm sure it will hook you in. Please give us a progress report somewhere along the way, as to whether you are loving it or hating it. :)

[Nici76]

Of course I will Angerball! :D

Certainly it has got very good reviews on here, I have just been building myself up to it - it's huge!!

[angerball]

Of course I will Angerball! :D

Certainly it has got very good reviews on here, I have just been building myself up to it - it's huge!!

Once you get into it (and I got very much into it, right from the beginning :mrgreen:), it won't seem that long. It's surprisingly easy to read. Hope you enjoy it!! :D

[Nici76]

Thanks Angerball! I will keep you posted! :D

[FishAndChips]

I have made the very brave decision to tackle Stephen King - The Stand and at a mammouth 1,325 pages long it is definately a Doorstep as well!

I may be reading this for a while! :lol:


I'm looking forward to reading this some day. Trouble is I can't decide whether to go for the abridged or unabridged. I think the abridged is 800 odd pages.

I'll be interested to know how you get on.
Good luck!

[Nici76]

I'll be interested to know how you get on.
Good luck!

Thanks! So far I am enjoying it but I have only read 60 pages so Iv'e got a long way to go!! :D

[Nici76]

I have now read nearly 200 pages and I'm still enjoying it and finding it very easy to read.

I had no real idea about the story line for this book when I started it and considering Robbie is suffering from a bit of a cough at the moment - it is making me a bit paranoid!! :lol:

[Kell]

I had no real idea about the story line for this book when I started it and considering Robbie is suffering from a bit of a cough at the moment - it is making me a bit paranoid!! :lol:
Every time I re-read this book (it being one of my all-time faves), I get a bit funny about coughs and colds, and it makes me think long and hard about how I would go about ensuring my own survival in a crisis. For it not being strictly a horror book, it certainly has some terrifying ideas contained in the pages!

[Nici76]

Im now on page 477 and still really enjoying the book.


I don't know if anyone else agrees but I have often wondered what I would do and what it would be like to be "all alone" and survive. Having to break into shops for clothes and food and travelling around trying to find other people.

I am thinking that Randall Flagg is the devil and Lionel has sold his soul.

Excellent read! :D

[Kell]

I wonder exactly that every time I read The Stand or anything along those lines. I picture myself in that situation and ask what I would do, how I would cope, what my chances of survival would be, how I would overcome obstacles. The same happened when i read Savages by Shirley Conran...

[Louiseog]

I really want to read this now, I must resist!!

[Nici76]

Go on do it!! ;)

[KW]

This is def going on my TBRpile. I've just read too many great things about it. And now am watching this thread, Nici, to see if it 'stands' up ( lol ) to your standard...

KW

[Nici76]

LOL! :lol:

It is meeting my standards!

[angerball]

I wonder exactly that every time I read The Stand or anything along those lines. I picture myself in that situation and ask what I would do, how I would cope, what my chances of survival would be, how I would overcome obstacles.

Same here. I think exactly the same thing when I read it, and to be honest, I don't think I'd survive for very long. :lol: I think I'm going to have to re-read it soon - it's been a few years since I read it last, and all this talk is making me remember all the good bits in it. :D

[Kell]

I think I'm going to have to re-read it soon - it's been a few years since I read it last, and all this talk is making me remember all the good bits in it. :DIt's been a couple of years for me too - I keep meaning to pick it up again, but I have so many new books to read that I would feel guilty neglecting them for such a long period of time. Perhaps the two of us could make a pact to re-read it together...?

[angerball]

Perhaps the two of us could make a pact to re-read it together...?

:lol: Ok, I will if you will! ;) Given that there's now a Reading Circle thread on it, I think it will inspire a lot of people to give it a go. :mrgreen:

Mine is tucked away in a box somewhere, so when I dig it out (hopefully today), I'll get started! :D

Edit: Found it!! I'm going to start reading it tonight.

[Kell]

Well, I may well be one of the very last starting it - LOL! I'm setting aside the last week of the month as "Stand Week" as I'm on holiday from work and Dale isn't, so I should have plenty of solitary, undisturbed reading hours to rack up on it. Looking forward to it!

It's a long time since I've visited Stu, Franny, Larry, Nick and the others, so it'll be good to see them again - just like old friends getting together!

And I have to say that if I'd been there, I'd be with Mother Abigail's lot!

[Nici76]

I haven't been able to read my book for the past few days what with worrying about Robbie. Just couldn't concentrate. Hopefully though I can start reading it again now things have settled down.

[Nici76]

Only 150 pages left to go!!! I am on page chapter 72 and Trashcan Man is on his way back home after blowing up all the helicopters (excellent!) and Stu, Ralph, Larry and Glen are on their way to the other side. Nadine has been killed by Flagg and its all getting very exciting! You can feel the end is near!

[Gyre]

Oh Nic, I am excited for you! :lol:

I always find 'The Stand' gets really nerve-wracking at the end, its all happening and you just can't read quick enough! x

[Nici76]

Finished The Stand this evening :D

What a book! So many different scenarios to think about and a lot of different emotions whilst reading it!

I think one of my favourite parts was towards the end Stu and Tom coming home and Tom saving Stu's life.

I am now going to read something really easy:

Louise Bagshawe - Sparkles

Blurb from the back of the book:
The glittering fortunes of the Massot family, vastly wealthy owners of Paris's greatest jewellery firm, were plungedinto confusion seven years ago by the disappearance of Pierre Massot, its charismatic, secretaive head. Now his beautiful young widow Sophie has decded she and her son Tom - and the firm - must mve on to survive.

But their enemies have other ideas and a trail of scandal is waiting to be uncovered...What really happened to Pierre? And what was the family secret he tried so hard to conceal?

[Gyre]

Nic! well done, I am really happy to hear you enjoyed 'The Stand', it is such a great book. :D

[angerball]

Well done, Nici! :yahoo:My favourite part of the book is always the first section - when the flu takes hold, and the effect it has on the different characters. Bet you're glad to read something else now! :lol:

[Michelle]

I'm still not finished with The Stand.. I keep getting distracted by other books!

[burghead lass]

congrats nici on finishing the stand

Heather

[Nici76]

Thanks everyone!

You are making me feel as if i have completed a great achievement LOL! :lol:

It was a very long book though! But well worth it, I am glad I can say that I have read it!

[The Library Nook]

I love The Stand, it is one of my all time favourite books. I haven't read it again for a couple of years though so I think I need to find a new copy!

[supergran71]

Is there a review of The Stand anywhere? I would like to know who wrote it and what its about please

[Kell]

I've not written my review of The Stand yet, Supergran, but it's by Stephen King and you can find the thread from the reading circle HERE (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=3882), which gives a synopsis and some thoughts on the novel. It's one of my personal all-time favourite books and really bucks the trend of thinking that King is purely a horror writer. :mrgreen:

[Gyre]

http://bestsmileys.com/waving/6.gif Nic!

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd93/Weave73_album/Nici.jpg

It is an accomplishment Nic, so well done you, I felt the same after reading 'The Stand' too. x

[Nici76]

Aw thanks Paula! :friends3:

[Nici76]

I finished Louise Bagshawe - Sparkles last night. It wasn't as good as her previous books I have read but nevertheless it was a nice easy read and I enjoyed it.

Not sure what I am going to read next, I will look when I get home...

[Nici76]

Tonight I am going to start reading Jane Elliott - Sadie

Blurb from back of the book
Sadie Burrows' life is torn apart by the death of her father and the brutal man who replaces him.

In the chill of a winter morning in her flat on the rough Summer Estate, sweet thirteen-year old Sadie's childhood comes to an abrupt end.

Sadie survives her hideous ordeal and becomes a millionaire businesswoman with a high class sex and lingerie shop and a chain of gentlemen's clubs.

Then, out of the blue, there is a knock at her door and Sadie's shameful secret comes back to haunt her.

*****
This sounds very similar to Martina Cole's style of writing so I am looking forward to reading it.

[KW]

After reading this thread, Nici, I'm going to have to check out THE STAND.

[Kell]

Aw, DEFINITELY read The Stand, KW - it's a long, hefty read, but it's well worth it. :)

[Nici76]

Brilliant KW! I hope you enjoy it. :D

[angerball]

Aw, DEFINITELY read The Stand, KW - it's a long, hefty read, but it's well worth it. :)

I'll second that. It's a favourite of many people. :)

[Nici76]

Well i'm 70 pages into Jane Elliott - Sadie and I love it! It's brilliant and very similar style of writing to Martina Cole. :D

[Nici76]

Finished Jane Elliott - Sadie today.

A good but gritty easy read!

[Gyre]

What a fab year you have had book wise Nic x

[Nici76]

Thanks Paula! It hasn't been bad! :D

[Nici76]

Tonight I am going to start Peter James - Not Dead Enough

Blurb from the back of the book
On the night Brian Bishop murdered his wife he was sixty miles away, asleep in bed at the time. At least that's the way it looks to Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, who is called in to investigate the kinky slaying of beautiful young Brighton socialite, Katie Bishop.

Grace soon starts coming to the conclusion that Bishop has performed the apparently impossible feat of being in two places at once. Has someone stolen his identity or is he simply a very clever liar? As Grace digs deeper behind the facade of the Bishops' outwardly respective lives, it becomes clear that everything is not at all as it first seemed. Then he digs just a little too far, and suddenly the fragile stability of his own troubled, private world is facing destruction......

****
I have read a few of Peter James's books in the past and enjoyed them so hopefully I will enjoy this one just as much!

[Nici76]

Still reading Peter James. Another cracking book! It is keeping me gripped and I just can't guess how it's going to end!

I am up to page 365 out of 625. I have to finish it by Christmas day so I am ready for my Martina Cole! :D

[Nici76]

Finished Peter James - Not dead enough on Sunday. What a fab book! I really really enjoyed it! :D

I will be starting Martina Cole - Faces tomorrow.

Blurb from the back of the book
Just before Danny Cadogan's fourteenth birthday, his father leaves. Having drunkenly run up a gambling debt he cannot pay. Big Dan Cadogan takes the easy way out. Leaving behind his family to face the wrath of the men sent to collect the debt. Determined to protect his mother, brother and sister, something changes in Danny and, overnight, he turns into a young man set on making his way in a violent and dangerous world. And so, with his childhood friend, Michael Miles, providing the brains behind the operation, Danny Cadogan becomes a Face. Not just a Face, but the most feared Face in the Smoke. Out for all he can get. At any cost.

But Danny's ruthlessness on the streets of London doesn't stop at his front door. He rules his wife, Mary, and his children, with an iron will - and his fists. But if Mary reaks her silence, it could shake Danny's criminal empire; right to the very core. And for a Face at the top of his game, there's only one wat yo go Down. Because, after all, debts can be paid even without money.

I can't wait! :D:D:D

[Gyre]

Nic, you are rockin your book list! I am very proud of you hen x

[Nici76]

Thanks Paula! :D

About to start my Martina Cole....I am VERY excited about it!

[Nici76]

Well it's been 7 days since I started my Martina Cole and I have to say i'm a little disapointed with it. Normally I would have finished her books by now and i'm still only on page 83......It just hasn't been holding my attention. :(

I am so hoping that it picks up soon.

[The Library Nook]

I hope it picks up for you too, i have never read one of her books- which do you recommend?

[Nici76]

Thanks a.book.in.the.life, it's really disappointing when you really look forward to a book and then it lets you down....

I started with The Know. Very gritty but impossible to put down! I also really enjoyed The Ladykiller, another great book!

[The Library Nook]

I started with The Know. Very gritty but impossible to put down! I also really enjoyed The Ladykiller, another great book!

I will look out for those then:)

[Nici76]

Let me know how you get on! :D

[Nici76]

I can't quite believe I am writing this but I am going to give up on Martina Cole - Faces.

I am finding it a chore to read it and reading should be a joy. I got into bed last night and fancied a read but didn't want to read this book so that made my mind up. I will put it back on the bookshelf and try again in the future......

I think the problem with this book is that there is too much description writing and not enough 'doing' if that makes sense. I also think that she is churning out books too quickly (one a year) and not spending enough time on writing them.

I am so disppointed. :(

[FishAndChips]

Oh what a shame. I hope you enjoy your next book.

[supergran71]

I can't quite believe I am writing this but I am going to give up on Martina Cole - Faces.

I am finding it a chore to read it and reading should be a joy. I got into bed last night and fancied a read but didn't want to read this book so that made my mind up. I will put it back on the bookshelf and try again in the future......

I think the problem with this book is that there is too much description writing and not enough 'doing' if that makes sense. I also think that she is churning out books too quickly (one a year) and not spending enough time on writing them.

I am so disppointed. :(

I have only ever tried one Martina Cole book and I thought it was awful. Anyone who uses an overwhelming amount of swearing and sordid sex is not a writer worth bothering with in my opinion.

[Nici76]

After hearing many a good thing about this book on here, I have started to read John Connolly - The Book of Lost Things.

Blurb from the back of the book
High in his attic bedroom, twelve year old David mourns the loss of his mother. He is angry and he is alone, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in the myths and fairytales so beloved of his dead mother he finds that the real world and the fantasy world have started to meld. The Crooked Man has come, with his mocking smile and hisenigmatic words: 'Welcome, your majesty. All hail the new king.'

And as war rages across Europe, David is violently propelled into a land that is both a construct of his imagination yet frighteningly real, a strange reflection of his own world composed of myths and stories, populated by wolves and worse-than-wolves, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious legendary book...

[Michelle]

As i just posted in another thread, I really enjoyed this one. Hope you do too!
Did you get The Vampire's Kiss, btw?

[Nici76]

Nope not yet, due any day! :mrgreen:

[Nici76]

How good is this book!!! So far my favourite characters have to be the dwarfs, I laughed out loud when I was reading their part of the book! I am really enjoying reading different endings to fairy tales - brilliant! :D:D:D

[Michelle]

Ahh.. that's the bit I was telling you about - the next chapter is a real contrast!

[Louiseog]

I loved this book think it was my fave last year

[Nici76]

Ooohhh I will have to make time to read some more tonight!

P.S. The postman tried to deliver a parcel today so I reckon that's my Amazon order - woo hoo!

[NiceguyEddie]

I also think that she is churning out books too quickly (one a year) and not spending enough time on writing them.



Gawd, James Patterson churns out two a week. A nightmare for a bookseller, because by the time you get a title in, the next one's out.

[Nici76]

I finished John Connolly - The Book of Lost Things last night. I really enjoyed it even though it was very different to what I normally read. It was very funny in some places!

I have now started a book which I have been eagerly awaiting!

Raven Hart - The Vampires Kiss

Blurb from the back of the book:
A dark and brooding creature of the night, William Cuylet Thorne has spent five centuries mourning the deaths of his beloved wife and son. In that time, he has also grown into Savannah's most powerful vampire, attracting rich, beautiful
women and commanding fear in all who dare cross his path. Now he seeks revenge. For it appears that his wife and son are not dead, but rather undead having joined a malicious clan of European bloodsuckers – and that same group has now captured Renee, the young daughter of his dear friend, a voodoo princess. Leaving his suave sidekick, Jack, to hold down the fort in savannah, William travels across the Atlantic to save Renee and settle the score.

While Jack is left to content with his seductive ex-girlfriend and a rebellious band of werewolves, William must confront his own defiant temptress and an even more sinister threat. For the evil vampire lords will do much more than retaliate if William rescues Renee and her magical blood: They will wreak havoc across the land.

[Nici76]

Just a quick update to say I am loving The Vampires Kiss. I haven't read as much as I would like recently due to my headaches but now i'm feeling better I don't intend to put it down!

It's nice to be back in the company of William, Jack and the gang and once again Raven Hart is doing a fab job! :D

[Icecream]

I have just checked Amazon and my Raven Hart books are supposed to arrive on Monday. I can't wait to be back with the characters either. I started the first one the day Katie was born last year and read it at night while feeding her.

[Nici76]

I have just finished The Vampires Kiss - Oh my goodness, what a lot to happen in one book! I was sad that Eleanor died, really happy that Jack and Connie FINALLY got together but then was sad again when I realised what had happened to them..Oh yes and very happy that William got Renee back.

I once again found it really funny and couldn't put it down!

Now onto Raven Hart - The Vampires Betrayal. I can't give you the blurb as I am reading Michelle's manuscript.

[Michelle]

Wow, I think you actually read them quicker than me! Betrayal was my absolute favourite so far.. I can't wait to see what you think!

[Nici76]

I'm loving it so far! :D

[Nici76]

Finished Raven Hart - The Vampires Betrayal this evening. Yet another excellent book by Raven but I can't believe the ending, i'm so sad.

I am now starting Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman

Blurb from the back of the book
Under the streets of London there's a place most people could never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks.

Richard Mayhew, a young businessman, is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre. And a strange destiny awaits him down here, beneath his native city: neverwhere.

[Michelle]

Wow, that was quick! :) As I said to you, I really like William's character, so I was gutted! Which has been your favourite in the series so far?

[Nici76]

I know - 3 days, I think it must be a record for me!

Hmmm my favourite, that's tricky.....it's a toss up between Secret and Betrayal. Both very good but also very different.

How long do we have to wait for the next one? :lol:

[Nici76]

Neverwhere is taking me a bit longer to read simply because it is such a strange book! I am enjoying it and certainly I will never look at London in the same light again!

A very interesting and unusual story.....

[Nici76]

Finished Neverwhere this evening. You can see what I thought of it in the Reading Circle (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=127199#post127199) thread.

I fancied a historical read so I have chosen The Favoured Child - Phillippa Gregory.

Blurb from the back of the book
The Wideacre Estate is bankrupt. The villagers are living in poverty and Wideacre Hall is a smoke-blackened ruin.

But in the Dower House two children are being riased in protectedinnocence. Equal claimants to the inheritance of Wideacre, rivals for the love of the village, they are tied by a swcret childhood betrothal but forbidden to marry.

Only one can be the favoured child. Only one can inherit the magical understanding between the land and the Lacey family that can make the Sussex village grow green again. Only one can be Beatrice Lacey's true heir.

This book sounds familiar, I hope I haven't read it before! :blush:

[JudyB]

Neverwhere is taking me a bit longer to read simply because it is such a strange book! I am enjoying it and certainly I will never look at London in the same light again!

A very interesting and unusual story.....


I've earmarked this as a birthday present for my Dad - it sounds just up his street.

[Nici76]

Brilliant Judy! You will have to let me know how he gets on.

[Gyre]

Getting your good reads on there Nic, happy reading :D

[KW]

Secret and Betrayal. :lol: Hmm, this BETRAYAL sounds interesting...might that I take a look....

[happyanddandy]

This book sounds familiar, I hope I haven't read it before! :blush:


This happened to me very recently - I bought a new copy of 'The White Family' by Maggie Gee - a few pages in I realised I had read it a couple of years ago!! A waste of my BOGOF :lol:

[Nici76]

Getting your good reads on there Nic, happy reading :D

I can't believe how well I am doing this year! What an excellent start! :D

Hmm, this BETRAYAL sounds interesting...might that I take a look....

They are great books, I would recommend them to anyone!

A waste of my BOGOF :lol:

Lol that made me smile!

[Nici76]

I have just finished The Favoured Child - Phillippa Gregory and what a great book it was! Lot's of ups and downs and moments when I felt real sadness. Couldn't put it down towards the end and even gasped in a few places!

Once again another cracking book by Phillippa Gregory. :D

[Nici76]

Next to be read is Slash, I'm looking forward to this one! :mrgreen:

Blurb from the back of the book

From one of the greatest rock guitarists of our era comes a memoir that redefines sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.

He was born in England, but raised in LA, spending an adolescence on the streets of Hollywood, discovering drugs, drinking, rock music and girls, all the while achieving notable status as a BMX rider. But everything changed the day when aged 15, Slash first held the beat-up, one string guitar his grandmother had discarded in a closet.

The instrument became his voice and as soon as he could string chords and a solo together, Slash wanted to be in a band. He found that band in the form of four young men of equal minds: Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler and Duff McKagan. Together they became Guns n Roses, one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands of all time. Dirty, volatile and as authentic as the streets that weaned them, they fought their way to the top with ground-breaking albums such as the iconic Appetite for Destruction and Use your Illusion 1 and 2.

Here, for the first time ever, Slash tells the tale that has yet to be told: how the band came together, how they wrote the music that defined an era, how they survived insane, never-ending tours, how they rode the most excessive rock 'n' roll wave of a generation and, ultimately, how it all fell apart. This is a window into the world of the notoriously private guitarist and a seat on the rollercoster ride that was one of history's greatest rock and roll machines: always on the edge of self-destruction even at the pinnacle of success.

[Nici76]

Finished Slash last night and really enjoyed it. You can read my thoughts over in the Review section (I can't post a link due to my stupid internet provider...)

Next is Sarah Pinborough - The Taken

Blurb from the back of the book
She's a beautiful little girl, only ten years old with pretty blond curls. Why, then, does she strike terror into all who see her?
Because she died thirty years ago - a horrible, agonizing death in the middle of a raging thunderstorm. Tonight the storm has returned....and so has she.

She has returned from a shadowy realm unseen by the living to exact revenge on those responsible for her death. One by one she will make them pay. There is nowhere to hide, no way to escape.
It is only a matter of time before her ghostly vengeance is complete.....

[Nici76]

I'm enjoying The Taken but it's really scaring me! There is nothing more frightening than children ghosts!

I must stop reading it before I go to bed as it scares me so much that I am cocooning myself in the duvet and keep imagining the children at the bottom of my bed..... :hide:

[Michelle]

Aww Nici - you need a nice fluffy chick lit for the evenings! :friends0:

[prospero]

No, Michelle - we should buy her a copy of Heart-Shaped Box (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heart-Shaped-Box-Joe-Hill/dp/0575082151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206462130&sr=1-1) - that'd scare seven bells out of her. :D

[Gyre]

Happy reading Nic! x

[Nici76]

Fished The Taken last night, now about to start Ken Follett - The Pillars of the Earth.

Blurb from the back of the book
Set in the turbulent times of twelfth-century England when civil war, famine, religious strife and battles over royal succesion tore lives and families apart, The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of the building of a magnificent cathedral.

Against this richly imagined backdrop, filled with intrigue and treachery, Ken Follett draws the reader irresistibly into a wonderful epic of family drama, violent conflict and unanswering ambition. From humble stonemason to imperious monarch, the dreams, labours and loves of his characters come vividly to life. The Pillars of the Earth is, without doubt, a masterpiece - and has proved to be one of the most popular books of our time.

[Nici76]

I am love love loving The Pillars of the Earth! I haven't been able to put it down all day! But at a huge 1,088 pages long with itsy bitsy writing I haven't made much of a dent in it yet!

[Michelle]

That's my worry about this book, how long it will take! Do you think it can be read alongside other books?

[Nici76]

Michelle, I personaly can't read two books at a time. But I think that if I could, this would be one that could be. (Hope that makes sense lol).

[Michelle]

Yes, it does. :) I've been reading about 3 at a time recently, so I might consider it soon.

[Nici76]

Finshed Ken Follett - The Pillars of the Earth last night, what a great book! My review can be found here (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=139304#post139304)

Next I'm onto Rose Malikan - The Blackstone Key

Synopsis from Amazon:
1795, and a young woman travels in haste from Cambridge to the Suffolk coast. Her name is Mary Finch, and she has been invited to meet her wealthy uncle - and so end a family estrangement that has held fast for more than twenty years. Smart, courageous and blessed with good looks if not good fortune, Mary is excited by the prospect of adventure, and the chance to escape a miserable future teaching at Mrs Bunbury's school for young ladies. But a whispered warning from a man dying on the road who carries a strangely familiar watch bearing her uncle's initials, exposes her to a ruthless conspiracy that threatens not only her family's reputation, but her very life. With England embroiled in a ****** war with Republican France, and spies and smugglers active all along the coast, Mary must learn quickly how to fight for her survival, and to distinguish friend from foe. Can she trust the two men who want to help her? What is their interest in the mysterious Blackstone key? Does it guard a secret treasure, or might it have a more sinister purpose?

[Nici76]

Unfortunately I have had to give up on Rose Malikan - The Blackstone Key. Unfortunately this book just didn't hold my attention.

So now i'm onto Wicked - Gregory Maguire

Synopsis from Amazon:
An astonishingly rich re-creation of the land of Oz, this book retells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, who wasn't so wicked after all. Taking readers past the yellow brick road and into a phantasmagoric world rich with imagination and allegory, Gregory Maguire just might change the reputation of one of the most sinister characters in literature.

[Gyre]

Snap Nici!:D

I am on page 197 and I started it yesterday, I am enjoying it a lot more this time, I have tried and failed to read it before but this time it is aces!

Happy reading Nici!
http://bestsmileys.com/reading/3.gif

[Nici76]

Although I was enjoying Wicked, I wasn't really in the mood for a fantasy/magical read so I stopped reading it for now. I will go back to it when I am in the mood.

So I decided I would read The Memory Keepers Daughter - Kim Edwards instead.


Blurb:
David Henry, a doctor who has escaped his humble beginnings in rural Pennsylvania, moves to Lexington, Kentucky, to begin his career. There, he meets Norah Asher, whom he marries after a brief but intense relationship. A year later, on a very snowy night in 1964, a pregnant Norah goes into labor—and David and his trusted nurse, Caroline Gill, are the only witnesses to a heart-wrenching surprise: the birth of twins, one a perfectly healthy boy, the other a girl with the classic symptoms of Down syndrome.

Dr. Henry, convinced that his daughter's condition will only cause his family heartache and suffering, commands that Caroline immediately take her to an institution—and tells his wife that their daughter died at birth in order to protect her. It is this fateful decision that continues to haunt the novel's characters for years to come.

Caroline attempts to follow Dr. Henry's wishes, but finds herself unable to leave the infant, Phoebe, and vanishes with her to start a new life. Norah, oblivious to the situation, feels an infinite void at the loss of her daughter, which leads her to withdraw from her marriage. David, who is constantly consumed by his dishonesty and guilt, turns to photography in an attempt to freeze the fleeting but distinct moments that make up life. The twins grow up in different states, sharing many traits but unaware of one another's existence.
So far so good! :)

[Nici76]

Finished The Memory Keepers Daughter this afternoon and really really loved it. You can find my review here (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=145059#post145059)

Next is: Before the Storm - Judith Lennox

Synopsis from Amazon:

A gripping multi-generational family drama set in London and Cornwall, from 1908 until the 1950s.On an autumn day in 1909 wealthyyoungRichard Finborough catches sight of twenty-year-old Isabel Zeale at the harbour at Lynmouth in Devon. Her beautycaptivates him.

Aware of shameful secrets in her past, Isabel has no intention of letting anyone into her life, but Richard'spersistence and ardour eventually win himher trust- and her hand in marriage.

The decades pass and Isabel and Richard raise a family through the turbulent times of the First World War and the 1920s. As her children reach adulthood, Isabel is convinced her secret is safe - until an old acquaintance emerges from the shadows, turning her world upside down. To protect the happiness of those she loves most, Isabel must find the courage to confront what came before, and live with the consequences!

[kb.marsh]

I can't wait to read the Memory Keeper's Daughter, it is on my TBR list

[Nici76]

Finished Before the Storm tonight and loved it! You can find out my thoughts here (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=148648#post148648)

I am about to start another review book, Lost and Found by Jacqueline Sheehan

Synopsis from Amazon:
Roxanne Pellegrino's world collapses when her husband dies unexpectedly. The only way she feels she can deal with her all-consuming grief is to run away from her life. She leaves her home, her career and her friends, heading for Peaks Island, a tiny speck off the coast of Maine. A former psychologist, she finds herself taking a job as an animal warden and reinventing her past so it doesn't include the tragedy of her husband's death. But despite Roxanne's best efforts to cut herself off from her emotions and people in general, she finds herself drawn to her quirky new neighbours. And then Roxanne meets Lloyd. Lloyd is a stray dog, a large black Labrador retriever who clearly has been woefully mistreated. And so begins a remarkable friendship between a wounded woman and a wounded dog. And as both slowly begin to heal, Roxanne begins to deal with her grief and discover that happiness can be found in unexpected places...

This sounds like a good little book and am looking forward to it. :)

[madcow]

Sounds like a lovely book look forward to reading your comments Nici.

[burghead lass]

Must read that book next nici I loved the blurb on the bad and your thought even make the book all the more interesting

[Nici76]

I stopped reading Lost and Found yesterday as it wasn't really my type of book and instead I am now reading A piece of cake - Cupcake Brown and I am already 123 pages in as it is really good!

Synopsis from Amazon
This is the heart-wrenching true story of a girl named Cupcake and it begins when, aged eleven, she is orphaned and placed in the 'care' of sadistic foster parents. But there comes a point in her preteen years - maybe it's the night she first tries to run away and is exposed to drugs, alcohol, and sex all at once - when Cupcake's story shifts from a tear-jerking tragedy to a dark, deeply disturbing journey through hell. Cupcake learned to survive by turning tricks, downing hard liquor and ingesting every drug she could find while hitchhiking up and down the California coast. At just sixteen, she stumbled into the terrifying world of the gangsta, dealing drugs, hustling and only just surviving a drive-by shooting. But, ironically, it was Cupcake's rapid descent into the nightmare of crack cocaine addiction that finally saved her. After one four-day crack binge she woke up behind a dumpster. Half-dressed and half-dead, she finally realized she had to change her life or die on the streets - another trash-can addict, another sad statistic. Astonishingly, Cupcake turned her life around and this is her brutally frank, startlingly funny story.
Unlike any memoir you will ever read, "A Piece of Cake" is a redemptive, gripping tale of a resilient spirit who took on the worst of contemporary urban life and survived it. It is also the most genuinely affecting rollercoaster ride through hell and back that you will ever take.

[Nici76]

Just finished A piece of cake and my review if here (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=151706#post151706)

Not sure what to start now so off to look at my bookshelf! :)

[Nici76]

Right I have decided on Stephen King - Bag of Bones

Synopsis from Amazon:
When Mike Noonan's wife dies, he is drawn to their summer home in the town of Sara Laughs. He finds the town in the grip of millionaire Max Devore, who is hell-bent on getting custody of his deceased son's child. Kyra and her mother turn to Mike for help, but there are sinister forces in their way.

[Michelle]

Now I really enjoyed this one.. although it was quite a few years ago.

[Nici76]

I haven't read any Stephen King since The Stand which was ages ago so I quite fancied one of his books. Shouldn't really be reading it though as I have four review books and eight of your books here as well..... :blush:

[Nici76]

Finished Bag of Bones last night and really really enjoyed it.

It was a bit of a slow burner but I stuck with it and glad I did. A good ghost story which scared me in places. One big twist in it that I really was not expecting and it really quite upset me! Full review of the BCF Blog and my Blog by the end of today.

Next I will be reading an Elizabeth Chadwick book when I meet up with Michelle tomorrow - can't wait! :D

[Michelle]

You can't wait for the book, or you can't wait to shop with your wonderful friend?! :mrgreen:

[Nici76]

You will win every time! :D But I am a little bit excited about the book.... ;)

[The Library Nook]

lol! Thank you I needed that little giggle from your exchange today:)

[kb.marsh]

You can't wait for the book, or you can't wait to shop with your wonderful friend?! :mrgreen:

Did you two know each other before the forum or just met on here?

[Nici76]

Did you two know each other before the forum or just met on here?

We met here and i'm jolly glad we did! :D

I am about to start Daughters of the Grail - Elizabeth Chadwick :)

Synopsis from Amazon:
Thirteenth century France. Bridget has grown up mastering the mystical gifts of her ancestor, Mary Magdalene, whose unbroken female lineage has kept a legacy of wisdom alive for a thousand years. But the all-powerful Catholic Church has sworn to destroy Bridget for using her healing talents and supernatural abilities. Bridget's duty to continue the bloodline leads her into the arms of Raoul de Montvallant - a Catholic. But when the Church's savage religious intolerance causes Raoul to turn rebel, a terrible vengeance is exacted by Simon de Montfort, the unstoppable Catholic leader of a crusade against peaceful 'heretics'. As war rages on, it is the children of these passionate souls, Magda and Dominic, who must strive to preserve the ancient knowledge for future generations - and find the love and courage to endure...

[Nici76]

I have had to put Daughters of the Grail to one side since mum passed away as I have well and truly lost my reading mojo.

Instead I got a magazine yesterday to read and there was a review for a book called Angels watching over me - Jacky Newcomb. This book seemed to almost jump out at me wanting to be read so today I got it. I am finding it comforting as I believe in this sort of thing. :blush:

Synopsis from Amazon:
The souls of our loved ones take a keen interest in our lives here on earth. "An Angel Watching Over Me" offers a glimpse into the magical stories of communication between our world and the next. These messages will bring comfort and healing to anyone who has lost someone close to them, whether recently or long ago. In this book, Jacky Newcomb illustrates the power of real-life spontaneous afterlife experiences and how they show that life goes on after we leave the physical realm. These stories have much in common with the classic angel experience, and show that the souls of your loved ones watch over you as you live your life.

[happyanddandy]

I hope it gives you some comfort Nici :friends0:

[Icecream]

I hope this book gives you what you need Nici.

[Nici76]

I don't normally read two books at once but today I have started Healing Grief - James Van Praagh.

I am also still reading Angels watching over me, both of these books are giving me comfort and are beautiful books to read.

[kb.marsh]

I really hope these help you Nici :friends0:

[Nici76]

I finished Healing Grief - James Van Praagh this morning and feel really comforted by it. A beautiful book after life after death from a mediums perspective. I have always believed in mediums and this has reinforced my views.

Really lovely.

I will probably finish Angels watching over me - Jacky Newcomb this afternoon. I brought a copy of this book for my sister as well as I thought it would comfort her and she has finished it already! She loved it! :)

[Nici76]

I feel like reading some fiction again but nothing too challenging so I have decided on Hope - Lesley Pearse.

Synopsis from Amazon
Somerset, 1836, and baby Hope is cast out from a world of privilege as living proof of her mother's adultery...Smuggled away from the Harveys and Briargate House to a nearby village, Hope grows up in the arms of the warm and loving Renton family, unaware of her true identity. But fate has harsh plans for Hope and a chain of events sees her forced to lead a vagabond's existence until she finds the courage to fight back and prove herself a fearless and able nurse, a vocation that takes her to the horrific battlefields of the Crimea. But, the secrets of the past are not yet done with Hope Renton and she must return to England to face the legacy of her birth...With the storytelling magic that has won Lesley Pearse millions of fans, "Hope" is the portrait of a remarkable woman who will never let the world - or injustice - bring her down.

I am afraid that I just can't get back into Daughters of the Grail at the moment but I will try again at some point in the future.

[madcow]

Hope you enjoy it Nici, I love Lesley Pearse's books.

[Nici76]

I finished Hope - Lesley Pearse on Tuesday and loved it!

This is the second of her books that I have read and enjoyed this one just as much as the other one.

Brilliantly written with great characters. I thought her descriptions of the cholera outbreak were very well written and you could imagine being there.

Super! :mrgreen:

[happyanddandy]

I shall have to give her a try soon :smile2:

[Nici76]

Started No Time for Goodbye - Linwood Barclay this evening. So far so good! :mrgreen:

Synopsis from Amazon
On the morning she will never forget, suburban teenager Cynthia Archer awakes with a nasty hangover and a feeling she is going to have an even nastier confrontation with her mom and dad. But when she leaves her bedroom, she discovers the house is empty, with no sign of her parents or younger brother Todd. In the blink of an eye, without any explanation, her family has simply disappeared. Twenty-five years later Cynthia is still haunted by unanswered questions. Were her family murdered? If so, why was she spared? And if they're alive, why did they abandon her in such a cruel way? Now married with a daughter of her own, Cynthia fears that her new family will be taken from her just as her first one was. And so she agrees to take part in a TV documentary revisiting the case, in the hope that somebody somewhere will remember something - or even that her father, mother or brother might finally reach out to her... Then a letter arrives which makes no sense and yet chills Cynthia to the core. And soon she begins to realise that stirring up the past could be the worst mistake she has ever made...

[happyanddandy]

It's really good Nici :smile2:

[Gyre]

I agree Nici, 'No Time for Goodbye' is really good, happy reading :)

[Nici76]

Finished No Time for Goodbye last night and thought it was great!

My thoughts:
Brilliant! A excellent thriller that I finished in 3 days. So many twists and turns that apart from one character I really had no idea how the book would end! Very well written and you can imagine what it must have been like for the Cynthia, the daughter.
I would definately recommend this book. 10/10

[Nici76]

No doubt I will scare myself silly but tonight I will be starting Sarah Pinborough - Breeding Ground.

Synopsis from Sarah Pinborough's website:
Life was good for Matt and Chloe. They were in love and looking forward to their new baby. But what Chloe gave birth to isn't a baby. It isn't even human. It's an entirely new species that uses humans only for food - and as hosts for their young.

As Matt soon learns, though, he is not alone in his terror. Women all over town have begun to give birth to these hideous creatures, spidery nightmares that live to kill - and feed.

As the infestation spreads and the countryside is reduced to a series of web-shrouded ghost towns, will the survivors find a way to fight back? Or is it only a matter of time before all of mankind is reduced to a... Breeding Ground?

[Nici76]

Well isn't that just typical...I get a few pages into Breeding Ground and one of my review books turns up in the post this morning!

So I have put Breeding Ground to one side and am about to start The Sitting Swing - Irene Watson

Synopsis from Amazon:
Irene Watson's pretentious life could go no further until she faced her past. Her moving and inspiring memoir begins at the end, in a recovery center, where she has gone to understand a childhood fraught with abuse, guilt, and uncertainty. Two distinct parts of the book look at abusive child rearing and the process of recovery years later. This story shows change, growth, and forgiveness are possible. It gives hope and freedom to those accepting the past and re-writing life scripts that have been passed down for generations. It's never too late to change your life, never too late to heal. Praise for The Sitting Swing "Watson's memoir recounts her fearful, highly sheltered years as she uncovers the childhood wounds leading to her personality crisis. This is an earnest memoir, well structured." -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY "The Sitting Swing is the poignant story of the author's successful journey to transcend the patterns sculpted by her parents and childhood experiences. I loved it!"-NANCY OELKLAUS, PHD, LIFE COACH AND AUTHOR OF JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART: LIVING AND WORKING AUTHENTICALLY "As a teacher of transformational principles for self-discovery and the treatment of addictions, reading The Sitting Swing inspired me to a richer new voice, infusing my lectures with a deeper level of meaning.

[Icecream]

That sounds like a good read Nici. I will look forward to your review.

[Gyre]

happy reading nici xxx

[Nici76]

Finished The Sitting Swing, the refer will be on the blog shortly.

Now I am starting another review book:

My Lady Judge by Cora Harrison

Synopsis from Amazon:
In the sixteenth century, as it is now, the Burren, on the western seaboard of Ireland, was a land of grey stone forts, fields of rich green grass and swirling mountain terraces. It was also home to an independent kingdom that lived peacefully by the ancient Brehon laws of their forebears. On the first eve of May, 1509, hundreds of people from the Burren climbed the gouged out limestone terraces of Mullaghmore Mountain to celebrate the great May Day festival, lighting a bonfire and singing and dancing through the night, then returning through the grey dawn to the safety of their homes. But one man did not come back down the steeply spiralling path. His body lay exposed to the ravens and wolves on the bare, lonely mountain for two nights ...and no one spoke of him, or told what they had seen.And when Mara, a woman appointed by King Turlough Don O'Brien to be judge and lawgiver to the stony kingdom, came to investigate, she was met with a wall of silence ...'An excellent historical novel with a most original leading character...A true Celtic feast.' - P. C. Doherty.

[Nici76]

I couldn't get into My Lady Judge so I Have passed it onto Kate to review for me (thanks you Kate!)

So I thought I would try something that I have never tried before and decided on a classic! So I am now reading Jane Eyre and I tell you what, I am really enjoying it!!

Someone told me that I now have 'the bug' and will read them all! :mrgreen: Certainly I have requested some from Book Mooch!

[FishAndChips]

Oh so glad you are enjoying Jane Eyre. I loved that book. Hope a whole new world is opening up for you Nici :)

[Nici76]

I finished Jane Eyre earlier. I really really enjoyed and am now a classic addict! My review can be found on my blog. :)

[supergran71]

Nici I just looked at your blog and so agree with this -

The art of happiness is being content with what you have.

If only everyone else followed that philosphy, the world would be a better place I think.;)

[Nici76]

Thank you Ann! I totally agree. :D

[Nici76]

I have just finished A House at Riverton - Kate Morton and really really enjoyed it. Such a sad tale which brought a tear to my eye at the end. I didn't see the end coming at all so it was tense right until the last page.

I loved the way it was written and was engrossed from the first page.

10/10

[Angel]

This one is on mount TBR and I think I will tackle it soon

[Nici76]

I started Little Women ~ Louisa May Alcott a few days ago and am really enjoying it. It seems to be quite a lovely story. I know it is classed as a Childrens Classic but I am enjoying it nevertheless! :)

From Amazon:
Little Women has remained enduringly popular since its publication in 1868, becoming the inspiration for a whole genre of family stories. Set in a small New England community, it tells of the March family: Marmee looks after daughters in the absence of her husband, who is serving as an army chaplain in the Civil War, and Meg, Jo,Beth, and Amy experience domestic trials and triumphs as they attempt to supplement the family's small income. In the second part of the novel (sometimes known as Good Wives) the girls grow up and fall in love. The novel is highly autobiographical, and in Jo's character Alcott portrays a strong-minded and independent woman, determined to control her own destiny. The introduction to this edition provides a fascinating history of the Alcotts,and of Louisa Alcott's own struggles as a writer.