Kat's Old Reading Threads 06/07/08

[Lilywhite]

I finished The chemistry of death and was quite impressed with this book. I liked the mixture of being part of the story and being part of the investigation, which the main character was. Ending was a bit wet but apart from that a brilliant story.

Now I'm reading one of the reading circle books for this month. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Victor Frankenstein is obsessed with the secret of resurrecting the dead. But when he makes a new 'man' out of plundered corpses, his hideous creation fills him disgust. Rejected by all humanity, the creature sets out to destroy Frankenstein and everyone he loves. And the hunter becomes prey in a chase that carries them to the end of the earth.

[Lilywhite]

I finished Frankenstein this afternoon and was quite surprised by how long it actually took me to read it. I think there was a slight language barrier to get through, as with a lot of the classics, oh, and the overuse of the word endeavour, throughout :) The story was not entirely what I expected it to be which made it a more enjoyable read. My idea of Frankenstein was visions of creating his 'wretch' but that was actually only a small part of the story. I also really enjoyed the ambiguity (sp) of the story. Is the real monster Frankenstein himself or is the monster and Frankenstein one and the same person....
Overall a good story although it does drag in places.

[Lilywhite]

I decided to pick up Dime Store Magic ~ Kelley Armstrong although I haven't had too much time to read it at the minute. I am about 100 pages in and it's good so far, I think it makes a really nice change to introduce new characters, especially in a long series.

Paige Winterbourne is a witch. Not that you'd notice, most of the time she's just a normal 23 year old - works too hard, worries about her weight, wonders if she'll ever have a boyfriend. An ordinary life, that is, until the neighbours find out who she is, and all hell breaks loose - literally.

[Michelle]

This one was actually my favourite in the series. :)

[Kell]

I'm very fond of Paige's character, being a bit Witchy myself - it's nice to read a positive Witchy-type character for a change. ;)

[Lilywhite]

Finally managed to finish Dime Store Magic today, which is in no way representational of the book. I absolutely loved it, a much better story than her previous two books and a much more enjoyable character IMO. Looking forward to the next one now. However, I have a few other books to read first, primarily library books that I have had since tuesday and not even looked at. :roll: As O's is reading Blindness I will start with Empress Orchid ~ Anchee Min

It is the final days of the Chinese empire. Orchid, a beautiful seventeen-year-old from an aristocratic but impoverished family, is pushed into the malestrom when she finds herself unexpectedly chosen to become a low-ranking concubine of the Emperor.
The world inside the Forbidden City is erotically charged and highly ritualised, but beneath its immaculate face lie whispers of murders and ghosts. The thousands of concubines will go to any lengths to bear the Emperor a son and become his Empress. Determined not to be a victim of the jealousies and foul play, Orchid trains herself in the art of pleasuring a man, bribes her way into the royal bed and seduces the monarch. Little does she know that China will collapse around her, and she will be its last Empress.

[Lilywhite]

I've managed to finish Empress Orchid in between a million other things I had to do. I can't say I'm a huge fan of this book although that's not to say I didn't like it. It just got boring in places and I couldn't sympathise too much with the character as she sometimes made her own bed to lie in. Nuharoo was frustratingly a cow and deserved to have her smile wiped off her face but that never really happened and I was slightly disappointed. A good read but not my ideal choice.

Off to the library in a min so I didn't pick my next read. I shall see what they have waiting for me. :D

[Lilywhite]

I'm back from the library now and it was a fairly successful trip :D
I got Slammerkin ~ Emma Donoghue and for my OC i got Mayada: Daughter of Iraq ~ Jean Sasson I also managed to pick up The Lovely Bones ~ Alice Seabold for 50p on the car boot as they didn't have it in at the library. Now I just have to decide which one to read first.........
(much time elapses...)
I will go with Mayada : Daughter of Iraq ~ Jean Sasson
Mayada Al-Askari was born into a powerful Iraqi family. One grandfather fought alongside Lawrence of Arabia, the other is acclaimed as the first Arab nationalist. When Saddam Hussein and his Ba'ath oarty seized power, Mayada little imagined the devastation that it would wreak upon her life. But soon she found herself alone in Baghdad under Saddam's reign of terror, a divorced mother of two, earning a meagre living printing brochures - until the morning in 1999 when she was summarily arrested by Saddam's secret police and dragged to the notorious Baladiyat Prison, accused of pringint anti-government propoganda.
There she was thrown into a stinking cell already housing seventeen other 'shadow women'. These women came from different Iraqi backgrounds, but all shared the same fate: imprisonment and torture without trial, and the threat of execution. To block out the screams of other prisoners, while waiting for theor next interrogation session, like latter-day Scheherazades the 'shadow women' passed thier days telling each other their stories. Mayada's tales of her priviledged former life were a source of particular fascination to her cellmates: the history of her proud family, the assassination of King Faisal II, and her own encounters with the perpetrator if their current sufferings - Saddam himself.
Well-loved for her bestselling Princess trilogy, in Mayada Daughter of Iraq Jean Sasson presents another topical story in her World of Women series. A friend since Mayada acted as her translator on a visit to Baghdad in 1998, Jean tells this brave woman's story, providing an intimate and fascinating insight into Iraq's cultured and ancient history and the dignity of it's people. But the book also bears powerful witness to the terror wrought by Saddam on the lives and souls of Iraq's ordinary citizens.

[madcow]

Oh boy looks like another one for the TBR pile!

[Lilywhite]

I finished Mayada: Daughter of Iraq last night. It was a very interesting book, I loved the way Jean Sasson managed to combine the horrors of Iraq and Saddams rule with nostalgic stories of pre war Iraq and the extremely interesting live that Mayada has lived. She offers a great insight into Iraqs political figures as she met them and really sheds new light on a side of Iraq we didn't know existed.

I'm now reading Slammerkin ~ Emma Donoghue

Set in London and Monmouth, loosely based on a terrible murder that took place in 1763, Slammerkin is the gripping tale of Mary Saunders, the young daughter of a poor seamstress.
Mary dreams not just of food and warmth but of ribbons and fine clothes. It is this hunger for glamour that makes her rebel against her lot in lofe, and lures her into prostitution at the age of thirteen. Roaming the dangerous streets of London, she wears a painted red smile.
Forced to flee from a debt and a hired killer, Mary finally ends up in Monmouth, her mother's home town, where she tries to start a new life as a maid. But soon she discovers that the past is inescapable. Caught up in new loyalties and old lies, Mary Saunders sets off a chain of events that can only lead to tradgedy.

[Lilywhite]

I picked up Undead and Unemployed ~ MaryJanice Davidson as a filler and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love these books, they are so light and easy to read with great wit and sarcasm included.

Not sure what to now....

[Kell]

I'm hoping to get the rest of this series for Xmas (I've only read the 1st one, but I really enjoyed it!).

[Lilywhite]

Went to the library today with the intentions of just returning books but it took me a whole minute to pick up two more :roll: I managed to get Keeping Faith ~ Jodi Picoult and The Death Artist ~ Jonathan Santlofer I think I may be turning a corner on my reading drought :lol:

[madcow]

Went to the library today with the intentions of just returning books but it took me a whole minute to pick up two more :roll:
Must be a family trait seeing as i did the same thing last week :lol:

[Lilywhite]

They were off my 'want to read' list, which makes it a teensy bit better :)

I'm loving the Lovely Bones by the way. A fantasticly innocent book that has so many levels to it.

[Lilywhite]

I finished The Lovely Bones last night. I stayed up late just so I knew the ending :lol: I really really enjoyed this book and I do agree with the blurb on the back about it staying with you after the last page.

Next I shall be reading..... Keeping Faith ~ Jodi Picoult

For the second time in her marriage, Mariah White catches her husband with another woman, and Faith, their seven-year-old daughter, witnesses every painful minute. In the aftermath of a sudden divorce, Mariah struggles with depression and Faith begins to confide in an imaginary friend.
At first, Mariah dismisses these exchanges as a child`s imagination. But when Faith starts reciting passages from the Bible, develops stigmata, and begins to perform miraculous healings, Mariah wonders if her daughter – a girl with no religious background – might indeed be seeing God. As word spreads and controversy heightens, Mariah and Faith are besieged by believers and disbelievers alike, caught in a media circus that threatens what little stability they have left.
What are you willing to believe? Is Faith a prophet or a troubled little girl? Is Mariah a good mother facing an impossible crisis – or a charlatan using her daughter to reclaim the attention her unfaithful husband withheld?

[Renniemist]

That sounds good Kat. I may need to give Jodi Picoult another go.

[Lilywhite]

She is one of my Fav's :D

[Lilywhite]

I have a small confession to make....I've nearly finished it. It's a great book so far and I'm really gripped as to the ending. Highly recommended.

[Angel]

I really enjoyed Keeping Faith.

[Lilywhite]

I've really enjoyed it to Angel. Another brilliant book by Jodi Picoult, still not MSK but a great read none the less.

[Lilywhite]

I'm now going to read The Death Artist ~ Jonathan Santlofer that I got from the library.

A killer is preying on New York's art community, creating gruesome depictions of famous paintings, using human flesh and blood as his media. Terror stalks this world of genius, greed, inspiration, and jealousy -- a world Kate McKinnon knows all too well. A former NYPD cop who traded in her badge for a Ph.D in art history, Kate can see the method behind the psychopath's madness -- for the grisly slaughter of a former protege is drawing her into the predator's path. And as each new murder exceeds the last in savagery, Kate is trapped in the twisted obsessions of the death artist, who plans to use her body, her blood, and her fear to create the ultimate masterpiece.

[Icecream]

Oooh that sounds very interesting.

[everydayxangels]

if you enjoyed Five People You Meet in Heaven, I definitely reccomend For One More Day by Mitch Albom. I am almost finished with it, and it is honestly delicious.

[Lilywhite]

Will it make me cry??? Five people made me cry :( although I did like his style of writing. I may take a look at this one then. Thanks everydayxangels.

[Lilywhite]

The Deep End of The Ocean ~ Jacquelyn Mitchard arrived in the post this morning and I picked up The Time Traveller's Wife ~ Audrey Niffenegger from the library on my way home.

I'm still reading Just Another Kid by Torey Hayden but it's on a bit of a go slow at the moment as I am doing an essay for my OU course at the same time. I want to read my book but I know the course has priority (just ;) )

No other teacher had been able to handle these six emotionally damaged children. Three were horribly traumatized by the nightmare of war. Then there was an eleven-year-old boy who had never known life outside and institution; eight-year-old Mariana, who was dangerously exciteable and sexually precocious; and Leslie, seven years old, yet completely unresponsive and unable to speak. These were the children entrusted to the care of Torey Hayden, the extraordinary special-needs teacher who refused to give up on them. Torey was determined that every child should experience joy, hope and a future free of fear. With compassion, patience and most of all love, she knew that miracles could happen.

[Lilywhite]

I managed to finish Just Another Kid this afternoon, another brilliant book by Torey Hayden giving a unique insight into the life of a special needs teacher and all the trauma it entails.

I shall start The Time Traveller's Wife ~ Audrey Niffenegger as it is sat next to me waiting to be read :)

This is the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry who met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets and he fins himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. In the face of this force they can neither prevent nor control, Henry and Clare's struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

[Louiseog]

I loved this book, once I got it sorted in my head!

[Lilywhite]

I am looking forward to reading it now, especially as about two weeks ago I decided to give it a go as it was always in the library and when I went to get it, it had gone!!!

[Kell]

Ooh, enjoy TTW, Kat - it's certainly very unusual & enjoyable. Be sure to nip along to the Reading Circle thread & add your thoughts about it. :readingtwo:

[Lilywhite]

I've decided to give Interview With A Vampire ~ Anne Rice a go too whilst I'm in the reading/halloween mood :) So far I'm quite enjoying it.

[Lilywhite]

Not doing so well at the moment. I seem to have lost my reading mojo and there seems to be a million other things to be doing other than reading.... which is annoying.

[Liz]

Ah, I hate it when that happens. There's just so many books that you want to get through, but you just cannot get settled down to one.

[Lilywhite]

and now Most Haunted Live is on for the next three nights.... there goes more reading time.

[madcow]

and now Most Haunted Live is on for the next three nights.... there goes more reading time.


Drat, bet it's not on Freeview, not that i'd be able to watch it until OH falls asleep...lol

[Lilywhite]

the final night will be on ftn.... that's tuesday night. and you could always go on the websight at living for the live webcams ;)

[Lilywhite]

MaryJanice Davidson ~ Undead and Unreturnable arrived in the post this morning from RISI :yahoo: I love these books.

[Lilywhite]

A-ha. I'm storming through TTTW now and I'm loving it. Although time travel as a subject really messes with my head, I think I have a grip on this one. I do find myself thinking too deeply about it and getting myself tied up in paradoxes but other than that, a great story. :)

[madcow]

A-ha. I'm storming through TTTW now and I'm loving it. Although time travel as a subject really messes with my head, I think I have a grip on this one. I do find myself thinking too deeply about it and getting myself tied up in paradoxes but other than that, a great story. :)

I really enjoyed this one too Kat.

[madcow]

I have to say if it wasn't for joining this forum i would never have read this one. So glad i decided to join.

[Lilywhite]

yep I agree, I finished this one last night (and I didn't even cry). I'm glad I picked this one up as it was nothing like I expected (there I go judging books by there covers again :D ) Off to the library and car boot today to see what I can find.

[Michelle]

Isn't it a bit cold for a car boot sale?!

[Lilywhite]

actually the sun is streaming through the windows today. I did have my scarf on but it wasn't too cold and the car boot bit is covered in Preston, which helps.

Managed to get two books from the library, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian ~ Marina Lewycka and Blood and Water ~ Lucy McCarraher which RISI has been plugging at me all week.

[Liz]

I've not been too sure whether to give A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian a try. I keep seeing it everywhere I go. I've read the few pages on the review section here, but I'm still not 100% sure. Could you let us know what it's like when you finish it? That would be great.

[Lilywhite]

well, I decided to start reading A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian this afternoon as it was on the top of the pile. I'm about 100 pages in (hardback version) and so far it's quite amusing. Great light story, well written, with historical memories thrown in for good measure. I would recommend this if you are after a light read, not quite chick lit but amusing none the less.

For years, Nadezhda and Vera, two Ukrainian sisters, raised in England by their refugee parents, have had as little as possible to do with each other - and they have their reasons. But now they find they'd better learn how to get along, because since their mother's death their aging father has been sliding into his second childhood, and an alarming new woman has just entered his life. Valentina, a bosomy young synthetic blonde from the Ukraine, seems to think their father is much richer than he is, and she is keen that he leave this world with as little money to his name as possible. If Nadazhda and Vera don't stop her, no one will. But separating their addled and annoyingly lecherous dad from his new love will prove to be no easy feat - Valentina is a ruthless pro and the two sisters swiftly realize that they are mere amateurs when it comes to ruthlessness. As Hurricane Valentina turns the family house upside down, old secrets come falling out, including the most deeply buried one of them all, from the War, the one that explains much about why Nadazhda and Vera are so different. In the meantime, oblivious to it all, their father carries on with the great work of his dotage, a grand history of the tractor.

[Liz]

Right, that's it. It's going on my TO BE READ pile.

Thanks Kat. :mrgreen:

[madcow]

Right, that's it. It's going on my TO BE READ pile.

Thanks Kat. :mrgreen:


Ditto....lol

[Lilywhite]

I'm now reading Blood and Water ~ Lucy McCarraher as seen on RISI :D

At 45, Mo Mozart has struggled to bring up her first two children as a single mother and, now they've flown the nest, she's concentrating on maintaining a career while being a good wife to her second, younger husband, Jack, and mother to their little daughter, Lily. With the help of yoga, meditation and her close group of girlfriends, Mo feels she's at last getting the balance of her life right. Until, that is, Jack's highly strung twin sister asks her to help trace their birth mother, Caitlin, whom Jack wants nothing to do with. Her involvement in the search triggers turmoil in Mo's life, exacerbated by the onset of menopausal symptoms, Jack's involvement with someone else, and an old vagrant woman who unleashes unwelcome, supernatural encounters.
The hunt for Caitlin is a compelling journey of clues and dead ends, coincidence and revelation, that exposes much of the grief involved in teenage sex and adoption. It is set within a wry and authentic portrayal of the complex lifestyle which so many contemporary women lead, and against an evocative depiction of London's historic Crystal Palace district. Each of the acutely drawn characters has personal issues, all of which raise questions about spirituality and sexuality, motherhood, relationships and family bonds.
Forced to use all her professional skills, personal contacts and psychic gifts to locate Jack's biological mother, Mo gains a deeper understanding of herself in the process, and unearths unexpected information about her family and the intimate lives of her best friends.

[madcow]

Kat i wish you wouldn't do this....how can i get my to read pile down when you keep giving me more and more titles to add to it!!!!!!!

[Louiseog]

and me !!

[Lilywhite]

My apologies :mrgreen: honest.

It's not like my TBR pile gets any smaller you know :D besides, I blame RISI for this latest one, oh, and the library for putting it out on display where I would blatently see it.

[Janet]

Gosh, your list has had 1000s of views. Hardly anyone looks at mine - you must read more interesting books than me (and more of them!). :)

[Liz]

I'm always amazed to see how many more books Kat has read since the last time I visited her book list. It's incredible how many you get through, Kat!

[Lilywhite]

My name is Kat and I'm a book-a-holic :D

I dont really watch tv anymore so my time I use for reading which I find much more satisfying. And sometimes I suprise myself by how fast a book goes by, especially when I'm enjoying it.

BTW, I buy more than I read :mrgreen:

[madcow]

My name is Kat and I'm a book-a-holic :D

You don't say :lol:

[Lilywhite]

I finished reading Blood and Water this evening, I wasn't particularly taken with this book although it was quite an interesting story and very easy to read. I've now decided to read Benita Brown ~ Her Rightful Inheritance as I was looking for something different from what I've been reading recently and this was closer to the top of my TBR pile than any others.

Orphaned as a child and the product of a mixed marriage, eighteen-year-old Lorna Cunningham has been brought up by her wealthy grandmother, who neither loves nor likes her. When she meets the sensitive and intelligent Edwin Randall she is delighted to have finally found companionship and shares his passion to do something to improve the terrible conditions in the Newcastle slums. However, their deepening friendship is overshadowed by her infatuation with the handsome but unscrupulous Maurice Haldane, who is engaged to her cousin Rose. When her grandmother dies, a family secret is revealed that will change Lorna's life forever, but will she be able to break free of the past and see where her true happiness lies?

[Lilywhite]

I finished Her Rightful Inheritance tonight, not my usual book but I did want something different! I liked the story but didn't find it overly compelling, I did see it through to the end though. I'm now going to have a read of The Other Boleyn Girl

Mary Boleyn catches the eye of Henry VIII when she comes to court as a girl of fourteen. Dazzled by the golden prince, Mary's joy is cut short when she discovers that she is a pawn in the dynastic plots of her family. When the capricious king's interest wanes, Mary is ordered to her friend and rival: her sister, Anne.
Anne soon becomes irresistible to Henry, and Mary can do nothing but watch her sister's rise. Anne stops at nothing to achieve her own ambition. From now on, Mary will be no more than the other Boleyn girl. But beyond the court is a man who dares to challenge the power of her family to offer Mary a life of freedom and passion. If only she has the courage to break away - before the Boleyn enemies turn on the Boleyn girls...

[Lilywhite]

Absolutley loved TOBG, brilliant. Another cracking story from Philippa Gregory that had me engrossed from first to last page.

I picked up a couple of books from the library the other day, although I forgot to update my list :roll: so here goes. Hidden ~ Paul Jaskunas and Love in the Time of Cholera ~ Gabriel Garcia Marquez both of these books were just random picks off the shelf so I'm hoping they are good. I also picked out a random book for O's that I might also read before I let him take it back.

I have been reading my OU work today and I do have more to read this week but I am hoping to make a start on Love in the Time of Cholera ~ Gabriel Garcia Marquez very soon.

Florentino Ariza has never forgotten his first love. He has waited nearly a lifetime in silence since his beloved Fermina married another man. No woman can replace her in his heart.
But now her husband is dead. Finally - after fifty-one years, nine months and four days - Florentino has another chance to declare his eternal passion and win her back. Will love that has survived over half a century remain unrequited?

[Kell]

I finished Her Rightful Inheritance tonight, not my usual book but I did want something different! I liked the story but didn't find it overly compelling, I did see it through to the end though.
I read this one recently - it was certainly a break from the norm for me, but I think the fact that I'm from that area & recognised a lto of the places made it a little bit better for me than it otherwise would have done.

Benita Brown has been likened to Catherine Cookson (who also set he books in Northumberland) & she's such a sweetiepie. When I interviewed her for the main page, she was so lovely! I hope that some time when I go down the road I'l be able to meet up with her as she seems so nice. :)

[Kell]

Absolutley loved TOBG, brilliant. Another cracking story from Philippa Gregory that had me engrossed from first to last page.This is my fave Philippa Gregory to date (& it was also the 1st one of hers I read). I'm hoping to get The Boleyn Inheritance for Xmas...

[Lilywhite]

I have The Constant Princess to read but as soon as I have read that I shall be looking into getting this one :D

[Lilywhite]

There was a major miracle in Preston today. I managed to go around the library and the car boot and not pick up any books at all. :D :mrgreen: :D

[Michelle]

Wow! Are you coping ok.. any withdrawl symproms? :mrgreen:

[Lilywhite]

i do feel a bit funny.... maybe I should sit down with a book :D

[Icecream]

Lilywhite, I was in Preston on Saturday night. I had an hour and a half wait for a train to Burnley (I know I could have rung my Mum but I knew she'd moan). I was craving a chinese takeaway by the time i arrived in Preston and could only find Indian takeaways in the town..:irked: !

[madcow]

There was a major miracle in Preston today. I managed to go around the library and the car boot and not pick up any books at all. :D :mrgreen: :D

That must be a first for you...lol

[Lilywhite]

Lilywhite, I was in Preston on Saturday night. I had an hour and a half wait for a train to Burnley (I know I could have rung my Mum but I knew she'd moan). I was craving a chinese takeaway by the time i arrived in Preston and could only find Indian takeaways in the town..:irked: !

Unfortunatley Icecream, we do have a lack of Chinese places unless you know where to go and there isn't one near the train station I know of. They are opening a Japanese restaurant just at the top of the train station though, they are even flying in trained Japanese chef's.

[Lilywhite]

That must be a first for you...lol

This was a first for me and I had to try really really hard not to get any books. I just sort of wandered without taking anything in, otherwise I would have had another handful to bring home. :lol:

[Icecream]

Unfortunatley Icecream, we do have a lack of Chinese places unless you know where to go and there isn't one near the train station I know of. They are opening a Japanese restaurant just at the top of the train station though, they are even flying in trained Japanese chef's.

Wow. Sounds good. Not to worry I took one home from near to the house instead:icon_oops:

[Lilywhite]

I'm quite excited now as Lesley Pearse ~ Hope arrived in the post this morning in all it's hardback glory (it's massive). I have put it beside my bed and I have told myself not to read it until I have a) read my library books, b) caught up on my OU stuff and c) made a dent in my tbr pile. Although, by reading it first it will be a huge part of my tbr pile gone as it is so big...... Hmmmm ;)

[madcow]

I'm quite excited now as Lesley Pearse ~ Hope arrived in the post this morning in all it's hardback glory (it's massive). I have put it beside my bed and I have told myself not to read it until I have a) read my library books, b) caught up on my OU stuff and c) made a dent in my tbr pile. Although, by reading it first it will be a huge part of my tbr pile gone as it is so big...... Hmmmm ;)

Can i borrow it when your finished????????
Pretty please with a huge cherry on top......;)

[Lilywhite]

ahhh go on then, seen as you're my mum :D

[Lilywhite]

I've now started Hidden ~ Paul Jaskunas which is another of the library books I picked up last week.

Then: Maggie Wilson lies on her bedroom floor. She is unconscious, her pulse is slow, and she is bleeding from three wounds. Yet she is still alive. Adn she nows who attacked her.
Now: Maggoe's testimony was enough to convict her husband, and, six years later, he remains behind bars. But another man has stepped forward and confessed to the crime. Suddenly Maggie is forced to rethink everything she believed.
Alone in her house with her memories, surrounded by police reports, photographs and court records, Maggie is determined to recover the truth about that night. Her journey into the dark corners of her mind is as gripping as it is haunting.

[Lilywhite]

Currently Reading (1)

The Firemaster's Mistress ~ Christie Dickason

Read This Year

50. Philippa Gregory ~The Boleyn Inheritance (4/5)
49. Terry Pratchett ~ The Color of Magic (4/5)
48. Sarah Pinborough ~ The Taken (4/5)
47. Ann Cleeves ~ Hidden Depths (1/5)
46. Martina Cole ~ Close (5/5)
45. Undead and Unreturnable ~ MaryJanice Davidson (4/5)
44. Maggies Tree - Julie Walters (2/5)
43. Jeanne Kalogridis ~ Painting Mona Lisa (3/5)
42. Holly A Harvey ~ Karma (4.5/5)
41. June Hampson ~ Broken Bodies (4/5)
40. Catherine Ryan Hyde ~ Love In The Present Tense(3/5)
39. Without Consent ~ Katherine Fox (4/5)
38. The Crimson Petal and The White ~ Michel Faber (5/5)
37. Barbara Erskine ~ Daughters of Fire (2/5)
35. D.H. Lawrence ~ Lady Chatterley's Lover (3/5)
34. Vicky Halls ~ Cat Confidential (4/5)
33. Stef Penney ~ The Tenderness of Wolves (4/5)
32. Clive Barker ~ The Thief of Always (3/5)
31. Sophie Hannah ~ Little Face (2/5)
30. Kelley Armstrong ~ Industrial Magic (4/5)
29. Vladimir Nabokov ~ Lolita (4/5)
28. Mandasue Heller ~ The Game (3/5)
27. Kath Woodward (Ed.) ~ Knowlede and the social sciences: theory, method, practice (Not Many left now)
26. Margaret Atwood ~ Alias Grace (4/5)
25. Joe Hill ~ Heart-Shaped Box (2/5)
24. Torey Hayden ~ Twilight Children (4/5)
23. Laurell K Hamilton ~ The Circus of The Damned (2/5)
22. Laurell K Hamilton ~ The Laughing Corpse (2/5)
21. Laurell K Hamilton ~ Guilty Pleasures (2/5)
20. J.M. Warwick ~ An Open Vein (4/5)
19. Craig Russell ~ Brother Grimm (4/5)
18. Edited by David Held ~ A Globalizing World?? (Yuck!)
17. William Broderick ~ The Garden of The Dead (1/5)
16. Jacquelyn Mitchard ~ The Deep End Of The Ocean (3/5)
15. Jed Rubenfeld ~ The Interpretation of Murder (4/5)
14. Ken Dornstein ~ The Boy Who Fell Out Of The Sky (2/5)
13. Philippa Gregory ~ The Constant Princess (4/5)
12. Terry Pratchett ~ Wee Free Men (4/5)
11. Edited by Gordon Hughes and Ross Ferguson ~ Ordering Lives (another OU Workbook)
10. Kevin Brockmeier ~ The Brief History Of The Dead (5/5)
9. Maggie O'Farrell ~ The Vanishing Acts of Esme Lennox (4/5)
8. Jeanne Kalogridis ~ The Borgia Bride (4/5)
7. Gregory Maguire ~ Son of a Witch (3/5)
6. Katherine Warwick ~ Dancing With His Heart (4/5)
5. Gregory Maguire ~ Wicked (3/5)
4. John Grogan ~ Marley and Me (5/5)
3. Raven Hart ~ The Vampire's Seduction (4/5)
2. Steve Hinchliffe and Kath Woodward ~ The Natural and the Social: Uncertainty, Risk and Change (shows I read it at least)
1. Jonathan Stroud ~ Buried Fire (2/5)


On Hold
Emma Darwin ~ The Mathematics Of Love
Keith Donohue ~ The Stolen Child

[Lilywhite]

Waiting to Arrive (0)


To Be Read (73)

Christopher Paolini ~ Eldest
Trudi Canavan ~ The Priestess of the White, Last of The Wilds, Voice of The Gods
Stephen King ~ Christine, Everything's Eventual, Needful Things, Pet Semetary, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Insomnia, IT, Cell, Misery, The Stand, The Bachman Books, Lisey's Story
Terry Pratchett ~ Feet of Clay, The Truth, The Light Fantastic
Tess Gerritsen ~ Body Double
Mick Foley ~ Mankind Have a Nice Day
Philippa Gregory ~ Wideacre, Virgin Earth, Fallen Skies
Philip Pullman ~ Northern Lights, The Amber Spyglass
Jean Plaidy ~ The Lady in the Tower
Bram Stoker ~ Dracula
Val McDermid ~ Distant Echo
G.P. Taylor ~ Shadowmancer, Wormwood
Sarah Waters ~ Fingersmith
Joanne Harris ~ Coastliners
Michael J Fox ~ Lucky Man
Jeff Abott ~ Panic
Elizabeth Chadwick ~ The Loveknot, Shadows and Strongholds, The Greatest Knight, The Champion, The Marsh King's Daughter
Barb Hendee, J.C. Hendee ~ Dhampir, Thief of Lives, Sister of The Dead, Traitor to The Blood
Kelley Armstrong ~ Broken, No Humans Involved, Haunted
Sarah Dunant ~ Transgressions
Sebastian Japrisot ~ A Very Long Engagement
Liz Maverick ~ Crimson City
Alex Duval ~ Vampire Beach: Bloodlust
Lesley Pearse ~ Hope
Tori Hayden ~ Beautiful Child
John Boyne ~ The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
Markus Zusak ~ The Book Thief
Sam Enthoven ~ The Black Tattoo
Jonathan Nasaw ~ The Girls He Adored, Fear Itself, 27 Bones
Tana French ~ In The Woods
Cody McFadyen ~ Shadow Man
Kit Craig ~ Strait
Kim Harrison ~ Dead Witch Walking, The good, The Bad and The Undead, A Fistful of Charms
Maggie Prince ~ Raider's Tide
Kathleen O'Malley ~ Childhood Interrupted
Karen Moline ~ Belladonna
Jodi Picoult ~ 19 Seconds
James Robertson ~ The Testament of Gideon Mack
John Connolly ~ The Book of Lost Things
Jeanne Kalogridis ~ Burning Times
Karen Miller ~ The Innocent Mage
David Wellington ~ Monster Island
Mitch Albom ~ For One More Day
Sarah Waters ~ Affinity
Mary Janice Davidson ~ Undead and Unpopular
Joe McKinney ~ Dead City
Raven Hart ~ The Vampire Seduction

Want To Read

Elizabeth Chadwick ~ The Winter Mantle, The Conquest, The Scarlet Lion, Daughters of The Grail, Shields of Pride, A Place Beyond Courage, The Falcons of Montabard, Bride Fire
Robert Daley ~ The Enemy of God
Philippa Gregory ~ The Favoured Child, Meridion
Ian Holding ~ Unfeeling
Poppy Z Brite ~ Exquisite Corpse
Jodi Picoult ~ Second Glance
Gary Troup ~ Bad Twin
Souad ~ Burned Alive
Neil Gaiman ~ Coraline
Jostein Gaarder ~ The Christmas Mystery
Michelle Rowan ~ Bitten and Smitten
Gregory Maguire ~ Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost
Carrie Vaughn ~ Kitty and the Midnight Hour, Kitty Goes to Washington
Karen Chance ~ Touch The Dark, Claimed by Shadow
Kim Harrison ~ Every Witch Way But Dead
Mandasue Heller ~ The Club, The Front, Tainted Lives, Forget Me Not, The Charmer
Jon McGregor ~ If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things
Robert Neill ~ Mist Over Pendle
Kate Mulholland ~ A Cry Of Innocence
Mary-Janice Davidson - Undead and Uneasy
Philip Carlo ~ The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer

[madcow]

ahhh go on then, seen as you're my mum :D


Aww thanks babes :mrgreen:

Ps that book your reading sounds interesting...is it?????

[Lilywhite]

only a couple of pages in at the mo, can't hold my interest in anything for more than five mins today. It's good so far though.

[madcow]

I've added it to my to read list

[Lilywhite]

you mean this one??

http://mud.mm-a4.yimg.com/image/1088103072

[madcow]

LOL no that's my to be read now list...

[Lilywhite]

http://www.acc.umu.se/~zqad/cats/1161414097812.t.jpg

[madcow]

That's a cute pic :)

[Michelle]

Aww, that puss cat looks very much like one of mine! :D

[Lilywhite]

I went slightly overboard today :blush: I got Jodi Picoult ~ Mercy from the library because if I left it I wouldn't see it again for ages. Then I found a great stall on the car boot selling p/b books for 50p each, so I got Elizabeth Chadwick ~ Shadows and Strongholds, Kelley Armstrong ~ Broken and Terry Pratchett ~ The Truth

Now I shall sit in the corner and punish myself..... I might take a book with me though :lol:

[Michelle]

Broken for 50p!? Excellent find! :D

[Lilywhite]

I know, it made it worth braving the cold :D

[Gyre]

50p what a great bargain!! well done.

I bought a book for 38p and believe it was not worth it:irked:

[Lilywhite]

Still reading Mercy ~ Jodi Picoult as I've been doing my OU reading more this week. So far a great read and although it's taking me a while I am enjoying it.

Cameron McDonald has spent his life guided by duty. As the police chief of a small Massachusetts town that has been home to generations of his Scottish clan, he is bound to the town's residents by blood and honor. Yet when his cousin Jamie arrives at the police station with the body of his wife and the bald confession that he has killed her, Cam immediately places him under arrest. The situation isn't as clear to Cam's wife, Allie. While she is devoted to her husband, she finds herself siding against Cam, seduced by the picture Jamie paints of a man so in love with a woman that he'd grant all her wishes - even the one that meant taking her life. Into this charged atmosphere drifts Mia, a new assistant at Allie's florist shop, for whom Cam feels an instant and inexplicable attraction. While he aids the prosecution in preparing the case against Jamie, who killed his terminally ill wife out of mercy, Cam finds himself betraying his own wife.

[Angel]

It's taken me a while to get into this one - mainly because I've been too busy or falling asleep in the evenings! I am enjoying it though - typical Jodi Picoult leaves me thinking and wandering about the situation

[Lilywhite]

I'm loving the reflections into Cam's history and the crossing over of the stories. Another well thought out plot though, with the would you/ wouldn't you story.

[Gyre]

Cute kitten...

:mrgreen:

[Lilywhite]

Back from my weekly jaunt to the carboot an library. I managed to be good around the carboot but I succumbed to temptation in the library and picked up Jean Plaidy ~ Madame Serpent and The Italian Woman
I also got a couple of books from Oxfam for my collection Stephen King ~ The Bachman Books and The Stand for £1.99 each.

I'm now looking for the shop to buy the time to read them all........

[Lilywhite]

I'm going to start on Stephen King ~ The Shining which is one of the reading circle books....

Danny is only five years old but in the words of old Mr Hallorann he is a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of the Overlook Hotel his visions grow frighteningly out of control.
As winter closes in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seems to develop a life of it's own. It is meant to be empty, but who is the lady in room 217, and who are the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And whiy do the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive? Somewhere, somehow there is an evil force in the hotel - and that too is beginning to shine...

[Lilywhite]

I'm trying my best to get through this one but since working I haven't had any time at all. The up side is that I am allowed to take my book to work with me for the quiet times :D

[Ophelia]

[quote=Lilywhite;17198]CURRENTLY READING




Roberta Kray ~ The Debt (5\10)

Is that the lady who was married to one of the Kray twins, Lilywhite?

[Lilywhite]

Yes it is Ophelia, she has written a couple of biographical books about their life but this is her first fiction book. Not too bad for a first, you can see where her influences come from and it makes for an interesting read. Not a patch on Martina Cole for crime writing but a good read none the less.

[Ophelia]

Yes it is Ophelia, she has written a couple of biographical books about their life but this is her first fiction book. Not too bad for a first, you can see where her influences come from and it makes for an interesting read. Not a patch on Martina Cole for crime writing but a good read none the less.
Thanks for that, Lilywhite. I might give it a go.

[Lilywhite]

Finally managed to finish The Shining at work today, although I do think it lost some of it's shine at 8:45am sat at a computer lol

Decided to give Madame Serpent ~ Jean Plaidy a go.

Sullen-eye and broken-hearted, fourteen-year-old Catherine de'Medici arrives in Marseilles to marry Henry of New Orleans, a second son of the King of France. On the promise of a dowry fit for a king, Catherine has left her true love in Italy, forced into trading her future for a stake in the French crown.
Amid the glittering fetes and banquets of the most immoral court in sixteenth-century Europe, the reluctant bride becomes a passionate but unwanted wife. Humiliated and unloved, Catherine spies on Henry and his lover, the infamous Diane de Poitiers. And, tortured by what she sees, Catherine becomes dangerously preoccupied by a ruthless ambition designed to make her the most despised woman in France: the dream that one day the French crown will be worn by a Medici heir....

[Lilywhite]

I'm about 2/3 through this now and I'm really enjoying it. A great story and blended very well with the history. I would have finished this ages ago but I'm only catching bits between calls at work. Should have it done in a couple of days though.

[madcow]

This one sounds good Kat. Look forward to reading it at some time in the future.

[Lilywhite]

finished this one at work yesterday and have made a start on The Hogfather.... loving it so far.

[madcow]

Madame Serpent ~ Jean Plaidy

Kat is this a library book? If not can i borrow it? ;)

[Lilywhite]

unfortunately, it is a library book and I took it back yesterday... I know our library has all three in the trilogy... check yours and if not you can get them from the Harris.

[madcow]

Ok thanks babes, i've added it to my 'To Read' list.

[Lilywhite]

I finished The Hogfather today and absolutley loved it. Great story :) I've started The Italian Woman ~ Jean PLaidy which is the second in the Medici Trilogy I started the other day.

When Catherine de' Medici was forced to marry Henry of Orleans, her's was not the only heart broken. Jeanne of Navarre once dreamed of marrying this same prince, but like Catherine, she must bend to the will of King Francis's political needs. And so both Catherine and Jeanne's lives are set on unwanted paths, destined to cross in affairs of state, love and faith, driving them to become deadly political rivals. Years later, Jeanne is happily married to the dashing but politically inept Antoine de Bourbon, whilst the widowed Catherine continues to be loved by few and feared by many - including her children. But she is now the powerful mother of kings, who will do anything to see her beloved second son, Henry, rule France. As civil war ravages the country and Jeanne fights for the Huguenot cause, Catherine advances along her unholy road, making enemies at every turn...

[madcow]

Another one for the 'To Read' list......

[Lilywhite]

Finally managed to finish this one. Another great story by Jean Plaidy and I'm very interested in the main character Catherine DeMedici. It's all new to me too, as I haven't heard much about the French/Italian royals before. Very intriguing.

Not sure what I will take to work tomorrow, I may even take work books for my OU as I haven't read any over xmas. We shall see in the morning.

[Lilywhite]

Just updated my TBR list as I got a couple of books for xmas/b'day and I went to Border's today with my pennies and spent many of them in there. Very Happy Bunny today :D

[madcow]

I got told off for coming home with more books :mrgreen: . But to coin a phrase....'Am I Bovvered?' :tong:

[Lilywhite]

I had to re-arrange my bookshelf to fit all my new ones on :lol:

Anyway, I'm off to my 2007 thread now as I think I'm just about done for 2006.

See you all next year

:006: :out:

[Lilywhite]

Ok, I'm kicking the New Year off with Jonathan Stroud ~ Buried Fire

Deep in the English countryside, the unearthing of an ancient Celtic cross awakens an imprisoned dragon and unleashes a smoldering evil. Less than a mile away, 13-year-old Michael McIntyre falls asleep on a lush green hill, and wakes up with frightening and sinister new abilities. Michael possesses the four gifts of the dragon-and he's not the only one, nor is he the most powerful. The others, whose identities will be slowly revealed, offer Michael powers beyond his wildest dreams if he will keep their secret safe. Now he must choose: give up these astonishing but devastating new abilities and help his family and friends banish the evil that lies beneath their fragile earth, or join the others in their crusade to protect their gifts and set the dragon free - a choice that may well destroy everyone Michael loves. Those with power will stop at nothing to keep its secret, while those without it need Michael's protection to survive. Buried Fire combines elements of fantasy and mythology in a spellbinding tale of good versus evil.
Synopsis from Amazon.co.uk

[madcow]

You have a couple on there that will most likely end up on my list Kat :lol:

[Lilywhite]

I thought you might be interested in a 'few' of them :lol:

I had to trim it down a little as there were a few on there I no longer wanted to read but it's still a monster list to get through.

[Lilywhite]

Ok, I'm halfway through the work I'm supposed to have done over xmas and I haven't read anything for days to catch up. As a reward I am going to make a start on one of my xmas pressies :)

Raven Hart ~ The Vampire's 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.

[Michelle]

I'm really nervous now, that you're not going to like it...

[Maureen]

I'm really nervous now, that you're not going to like it...

But she might! And apart from that, when I am recomended a book I don't like, I cannot blame the person who recommended it - they would have liked it.

[Lilywhite]

I'm sure I'll love it and if I don't I won't blame you (much :) )

I will be starting it soon, honest.....

[Lilywhite]

You'll be very glad to know Michelle that so far I am really enjoying this one, it's quite different from anything else I have read so far with regards to vamp stories. I'm liking the main characters already and am really getting a feel for the personalities coming through.

:)

[Michelle]

Phew!

:smile2:

I think that's what grabbed my attention.. I was expecting something quite 'fluffy', but it's certainly not! Although, it's not a 'horror' either.. it seems to have it's own little niche.

[Lilywhite]

It certainly has me gripped already :)

[Lilywhite]

I finally finished The Vampire's Seduction today and I am mightily impressed. I really enjoyed this book, it has just the right amount of everything in it to be enjoyable. I can't wait for the next installment now :)

Next I am going to read my latest aquirement from Waterstone's John Grogan ~ Marley and Me

John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they bought home Marley, a wiggly yellow fur ball of a puppy. Life would never be the same. Marley quickly grew into a barrelling, ninety-seven pound steamroller of a Labrador retriever, a dog like no other. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewellery. Obedience school did no good -- Marley was expelled. Neither did the tranquilisers the veterinarian prescribed for him with the admonishment, 'Don't hesitate to use these.' And yet Marley's heart was pure. Just as he joyfully refused any limits on his behaviour, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley shared the couple's joy at their first pregnancy, and their heartbreak over the miscarriage. He was there when babies finally arrived and when the screams of a seventeen-year-old stabbing victim pierced the night. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms. The heartwarming and unforgettable story of a family in the making and the wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life. For lovers of "Tuesdays with Morrie", The "Year of Magical Thinking", and even, of course, dogs!

[Purple Poppy]

I know a dog just like that! He belongs to a friend of mine, and he's a big heavy
yellow lab, like Marley. He is a whirlwind on legs with boundless energy and a propensity to bark just for the hell of it. He was originally a puppy for guide dog training, but failed miserably, not surprisingly. I think he lives in his own doggie world. Having said that though, like Marley, is exceptionally loyal and loving, and his owner adores him. I am fond of him too, but I sidestep quickly when he greets me, or else I end up on the floor!
PP

[Lilywhite]

I just love dogs like that, it was more the adorable picture on the cover that caught my attention than the actual book. But that looks just as good now I picked it up :)

[Purple Poppy]

Authors (publishers) take note (mark 2)

(Mark 1 in Thread on hardback or softback books)

PP:smile2:

[madcow]

Marley sounds an awful lot like Jasper! That's him in my avatar, all 39 kilos of him. Love him to bits even when he's naughty :mrgreen:

[Purple Poppy]

Looks like another book to add to the list!
He looks wonderful Madcow, very like my friends dog...just looking for trouble!

[madcow]

Thanks PP he is. We've only had him 7 months he was 2 when we got him. He is now part of the family and we won't be without him :mrgreen:

[Lilywhite]

There are some very similar remarks about Jasper in this book mum, you would enjoy it. I've already had my tissue warning from a kind lady at work though.....

[Lilywhite]

I'm going to have to call this one finished for now as I can't get through the last bit for the tears. I don't want to read any further at the minute as I know what's coming.

Still absolutley loved this book though, a great way to start the year :)

[Lilywhite]

Now I'm going to start one of my birthday pressies Gregory Maguire ~ Wicked

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

[Louiseog]

I liked this, straight away after I was a bit hmmm, but six months on its moving up and up my favourites list. Still thinking about it

[Purple Poppy]

It does sound very good! might add it to my TBR list...saw a copy in the bookshop today, but didn't get it. Might pick it up next time I go out.

[Kell]

I have it on my own TBR pile, so you can borrow mine any time you like PP. :)

[Lilywhite]

I've also had a quick look at his web page and there are a few more on there I wouldn't mind getting my mits on :)

[Lilywhite]

I'm about a quarter way through Wicked now and I'm quite enjoying it. It wasn't anything like I was expecting but it is a really great story idea and it's easy reading at the moment.

[madcow]

Have you not finished the Marley one yet??????

Go on get it done, you know you want to :lol:

[Lilywhite]

I'm considering it finished because I can't physically get to the end at the minute, it's just too sad.

[madcow]

Aww babes [___] here's a box of tissues for you :tong:

[Lilywhite]

Managed to finish Wicked today at work as it was quiet. A great book and a wonderful insight into a well known 'bad guy' It sometimes felt a bit of a slog to get through and it was definately written for the stage but still a good yarn :)

[Kell]

I have Wicked waiting to be read and am rather looking forward to getting to it, but other books just keep getting in the way - LOL!

[Lilywhite]

I managed to get Gregory Maguire ~ Son of a Witch today, which is the follow up to Wicked. I'm going to make a start on that one this week.

Ten years after the publication of Wicked, bestselling novelist Gregory Maguire returns to the land of Oz to follow the story of Liir, the adolescent boy left hiding in the shadows of the castle when Dorothy did in the Witch.
A decade after the Witch has melted away, the young man Liir is discovered bruised, comatose, and left for dead in a gully. Shattered in spirit as well as in form, he is tended by the mysterious Candle, a foundling in her own right, until failed campaigns of his childhood bear late, unexpected fruit.
Liir is only one part of the world that Elphaba left behind. As a boy hardly in his teens, he is asked to help the needy in ways in which he may be unskilled. Is he Elphaba’s son? Has he power of his own? Can he liberate Princess Nastoya into a dignified death? Can he locate his supposed half-sister, Nor, last seen in shackles under the Wizard’s protection? Can he survive in an Oz little improved since the death of the Wicked Witch of the West? Can he learn to fly?
In Son of a Witch, Gregory Maguire suggests that the magic we locate in distant, improbable places like Oz is no greater than the magic inherent in any hard life lived fully, son of a witch or no.

[Lilywhite]

I have finished reading KW's book, Dancing With His Heart today whilst O's was playing on the computer. It was very very good, and I'm not just saying that because she reads the threads ;) I loved how descriptive the dancing and colourful oufits where and not to mention the down to earth side of Lauren and her family life which made you like her even more. Good Job KW and I look forward to reading more. :D

[Lilywhite]

I'm about half way through Son of a Witch as it's a much easier read than Wicked. Just as good story wise though and very entertaining. It's a definite recommendation if you've read and enjoyed Wicked. I love Gregory Maguire's style, wit and story telling ability.

[Polka Dot Rock]

Ah brilliant, thanks for the recommendation Kat. I did enjoy Wicked.

Is Son of a Witch meant to be set in Oz when the Gnome King and Princess Nombi are ruling? Or has it nothing to do with it?

[Lilywhite]

It's set straight after TWOO so basically the place is in chaos as the wizard left and nobody is really ruling it. Hope that makes sense Amy :)

I was very very very naughty today and bought 3 books in Waterstones. I blame O's as he was buying books too. He left me alone to pay for his and 3 books just jumped at me and begged to be taken home as they were desperately unhappy sitting on the shelf..... what's a girl to do?

I managed to get
Ken Dornstein ~ The Boy Who Fell Out Of The Sky
Kevin Brockmeier ~ The Brief History Of The Dead
John Boyne ~ The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

The bottom two were recommended in the Guardian this morning and instead of putting them on my Want to read pile, they get to go on my TBR pile :) (And No, I'm not affected by advertising in any way shape or form)

[madcow]

(And No, I'm not affected by advertising in any way shape or form)
Yeah right! :lol:

[Lilywhite]

Went to Borders today with my mum and O's and bought two books that were on special offer. So I'm very pleased with my bargains. I got Sam Enthoven ~ The Black Tattoo and Markus Zusak ~ The Book Thief

I also managed to finish Son of a Witch as there was nothing on TV. So now I'm going to make a start on one of my new books Ken Dornstein ~ The Boy Who Fell Out Of The Sky

On December 21, 1988, David Dornstein died in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland. He left behind a younger brother, Ken, desperate to understand his death, and pick up the pieces of what he left behind.
But far from being a simple rescue mission, Ken's quest became a labour of love, an obsession, and an emotional journey to much stranger places than he ever could have imagined...

[Kell]

I got Sam Enthoven ~ The Black TattooI was given this one to review by CBUK when the site was still going - I rather enjoyed it. I think the review is kicking about on here somewhere, but if not, it's certainly on my On the Shelf blog (which you can find through my signature). I hope you'll enjoy it.:readingtwo:

[Lilywhite]

I have finished the Borgia Bride now, I got through the last of it lounging in the bath after a particularly hard day at work. Very good book, along the lines of Gregory and her historical fiction books, very likeable main character and some interesting history in there too.

Still making progress with The Boy Who Fell To Earth

[madcow]

Can I borrow the Borgia Bride now you've read it????? ;)

[Lilywhite]

Of course, I will pop it aside for you.

[Angel]

The Borgia Bride was a great read - you'll love it Madcow. It's definately up there with Philippa Gregory

[madcow]

Thanks Angel, i'll look forward to reading it, just got to find time to get over to Kats' to pick it up.

[Lilywhite]

I have another of her books to read, the burning times i think. picked it up on the car boot a while back.

[Lilywhite]

I got another book yesterday from one of the charity shops in town, I forget which one now. It's called The Girls He Adored ~ Jonathan Nasaw, I saw these books in Borders but was good and walked away, but you can't turn your nose up at 99p. :)

[Lilywhite]

I'm going to make a start on Emma Darwin ~ The Mathematics Of Love at work this week, I should be reading OU stuff but it's not as interesting as the other books on my TBR pile :)

Remember this moment. These moments are rare. You are about to discover your favourite book of the year, the book you will give to all your friends, the book that will linger in your thoughts long after you've turned the final page. You are about to discover "The Mathematics of Love." From the gentle Suffolk countryside to the battlefields of Waterloo and the ports of Spain, this is an extraordinarily moving account of war and the pain of loss, the heat of passion and the redemptive power of love.

[Icecream]

Naughty.

You know you'll never get that work done like that;)

[Lilywhite]

I know, I was good all last week and read a chapter a day, only one more chapter to read and I have a week to do it in. I promise I will get it done on time :D

[Icecream]

Well, that's OK then!;)

Sounds like a good book. I hope you enjoy your break with it..

[everydayxangels]

I got an ARC to The Mathematics of Love and the synopsis on the back made the book seem wonderful, and I started to read it, and it was just DULL. the synopsis was incredibly twisted, exaggerated and embellished from what I was reading. Though I do hope that you found something that I didn't.

Happy reading :smile2:

[Michelle]

I got an ARC to The Mathematics of Love and the synopsis on the back made the book seem wonderful, and I started to read it, and it was just DULL. Though I do hope that you found something that I didn't.

Well a few of us are getting a copy of this one, so we'll let you know our thoughts.

[Lilywhite]

At the minute I am agreeing with Everydayxangels. I read it for most of the day yesterday and I haven't found anything that as gripped me yet. I put it down when I found myself purposely skimming the pages.

[Michelle]

Aww, that's such a shame when a book disappoints.

[Lilywhite]

On the other hand though, I took Maggie O'Farrell ~ The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox to work today and have almost finished it. It's a great book and nothing at all like I was expecting. Definately recommend this one.

[Michelle]

Excellent to hear.. I'm looking forward to that one, I like her style.

Stay tuned, people.. there are rumours of competitions to win a copy of this one.. ;)

[Lilywhite]

we like those rumours :lol:

[madcow]

we like those rumours :lol:
we certainly do :lol:

[Lilywhite]

As previously 'blogged' I finished Maggie O'Farrell's book, and it was great. I've never read anything by her before but will definately be making an effort to pick up a few more by her.
Since then I have been reading A Brief History of The Dead ~ Kevin Brockmeier which is another book that has turned out to be nothing like I thought it would be. I am really enjoying this one too. So far it is along the lines of Mitch Albom's TFPYMIH, although not too similar if you get me. And i haven't cried once yet as the story is so interesting :)

This spellbinding story about our lives, loves, and memories will be one of the most talked about novels of 2006. Laura Byrd is in trouble. Three weeks ago she and her friends found themselves alone in one of the coldest, most remote places on earth. Her friends set out in search of help, and now Laura realises that they are not coming back. So she gathers her remaining supplies and sets out on an extraordinary journey. Meanwhile in another city, more and more people arrive every day. Each has a different story to tell, but their accounts have one thing in common - it was their final journey. For this is the city of the dead. And the link between this city and Laura's journey lies at the heart of Kevin Brockmeier's remarkable novel. "A Brief History of the Dead" tells a magical story about our lives - about our place in the world, our connections with each other, and what happens to us all after our deaths. It is a story of spellbinding power and imagination, which resonates long after the final page.

[madcow]

Sounds interesting.

[Lilywhite]

It was a great book, I'm glad I picked it up. Now I'm reading Wee Free Men ~ Terry Pratchett as it was given to me by a friend at work and it was sitting there looking at me today after I finished the last book.

[Kell]

Ooh, enjoy Wee Free Men - I'll look forward to hearing what you think of it. I'm going to lend the Tiffany Aching booksto Purple Poppy next time we get together - she's been dying to find out about the Nac Mac Feegles!

[Lilywhite]

I'm about a quater way through it already and I'm really enjoying it. Trying hard not to laugh too loud at work in case they thing I'm weird(er)

[Lilywhite]

I finished Wee Free Men yesterday at work. The ending was definately some of the funniest stuff I've read in a while. I keep finding myself talking with a Scottish accent though :lol:

Now I'm reading The Constant Princess ~ Philippa Gregory


This is a splendid and sumptuous historical novel from this internationally bestselling author, telling of the early life of Katherine of Aragon. We think of her as the barren wife of a notorious king; but behind this legacy lies a fascinating story. Katherine of Aragon is born Catalina, the Spanish Infanta, to parents who are both rulers and warriors. Aged four, she is betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, and is raised to be Queen of England. She is never in doubt that it is her destiny to rule that far-off, wet, cold land. Her faith is tested when her prospective father-in-law greets her arrival in her new country with a great insult; Arthur seems little better than a boy; the food is strange and the customs coarse. Slowly she adapts to the first Tudor court, and life as Arthur's wife grows ever more bearable. But when the studious young man dies, she is left to make her own future: how can she now be queen, and found a dynasty? Only by marrying Arthur's young brother, the sunny but spoilt Henry. His father and grandmother are against it; her powerful parents prove little use. Yet, Katherine is her mother's daughter and her fighting spirit is strong. She will do anything to achieve her aim; even if it means telling the greatest lie, and holding to it. Philippa Gregory proves yet again that behind the apparently familiar face of history lies an astonishing story: of women warriors influencing the future of Europe, of revered heroes making deep mistakes, and of an untold love story which changes the fate of a nation.

[Angel]

Ooh enjoy! This one made me realise just how little I know about this queen and my cavernous lack of knowledge regarding Spain! LOL!

[Lilywhite]

So far so good Angel :)

I read one last year by Jean PLaidy on Katherine of Aragon and it's amazing how completely different the stories are even though they both used the same facts. Another unputdownable book by Ms Gregory though.

[Lilywhite]

The Constant Princess ~ Phillipa Gregory Loved it Loved it Loved it!! What more can I say, brilliant book

Now moving on to Jed Rubenfeld ~ The Interpretation of Murder

Manhatten 1909
On the morning after Sigmund Freud arrives in New York on his first - and only - visit to the United States, a stunning debutante is found bound and strangled in her penthouse apartment, high above Broadway. The following night, another beautiful heiress, Nora Acton, os discovered tied to a chandelier in her parents' home, viciously wounded and unable to speak or recall her ordeal. Soon Freud and his American disciple, Stratham Younger, are enlisted to help Miss Acton recover her memory, and to piece together the killer's identity. It is a riddle that will test their skills to the limit, and lead them on a thriolling journey - to the darkest places of the city, and of the human mind.

[Lilywhite]

I finished this one on Thursday and really enjoyed it. I probably wouldn't have picked it up without the encouragement I had from here but I'm glad I did, it was interesting in it's setting and very descriptive. With characters that grow on you, you find yourself encouraging them to solve the mystery within.

Out of nowhere I've decided to give an Oprah Winfrey recommendation a go, The Deep End Of The Ocean ~ Jacquelyn Mitchard

'Watch your brother,' says Beth Cappadora to her seven-year-old son Vincent. Only minutes later she turns again and asks, 'Where's Ben?' It's the moment that every mother fears: for three-year-old Ben is gone. And no one can find him. Despite a police search that becomes a nationwide obsession, Ben has vanished, leaving behind a family that will be torn apart with anguish. Until, nine years later, the undreamed-of happens: a twelve-year-old boy knocks on their door - a boy who does not know them, but will irrevocably twist their lives a second time...

[madcow]

Oh sounds really good (mental note to add to wish list!).

[Lilywhite]

Was slightly naughty today and got 3 new books but they were 3 for £5 in the Works. I bought Elizabeth Chadwick's The Greatest Knight, The Champion and The Marsh King's Daughter.

Not so bad and at a fraction of the cost of the books I bought from Borders yesterday, the cost of which I won't divulge in case we have some faint hearted people around.

[madcow]

What are you like.....a daughter after my own heart :lol:

[Lilywhite]

I stayed up late last night and finished The Deep End of The Ocean, I was a bit worried when I started it that I wasn't going to enjoy it as the first few pages where a bit long winded, but after the first 100 pages I was really into the story.

A good read, but it is quite long at just over 500 pages. At times, it's not one you can read in small bursts but the story is simple enough that it doesn't take a lot of mental capability to follow.

[Kell]

A good read, but it is quite long at just over 500 pages. Nip along and register it as a CHUNK! ;)

[Lilywhite]

Ooops, forgot to update this one. I started reading William Broderick ~ The Garden of The Dead about three days ago. I've nearly finished it, although I still don't have an opinion either way yet. It's an OK story but I don't feel I'm getting anything from reading it.

[Lilywhite]

Right, well. I finished garden of the dead but didn't really enjoy it that much, the story was OK but it just felt like it was lacking in depth. A bit of a no brainer really.

I did make a start on Brother Grimm ~ Craig Russell which I am enjoying but I had to do some OU work for the past week and a half so no 'real' reading got done. The OU work is done though and all handed in so now I can get back to my ever-growing TBR pile.

Whilst I have been working away, thr following books have found their way onto my bookshelves Strait ~ Kit Craig, Beautiful Child ~ Torey Hayden, Dead Witch Walking, The Good, The Bad and The Undead, A Fistful of Charms ~ Kim Harrison and Heart-Shaped Box ~ Joe Hill

Brother Grimm ~ Craig Russell
A girl's body lies, posed, on the pale sand of a Hamburg beach, a message concealed in her hand. 'I have been underground, and now it is time for me to return home...'
Jan Fabel, of the Hamburg Murder Squad, struggles to interpret the twistged imagery of a dark and brutal mind. Four days later, a man and woman are found deep in woodland, their throats slashed deep and wide, the names 'Hansel' and 'Gretel', in the same, tiny, obsessively neat writing, rolled tight and pressed into their hands.
As it becomes clear that each new crime is a grisly reference to folk stories collected almost two hundred years ago by the Brothers Grimm, the hunt is on for a serial killer who is exploring our darkest, most fundamental fears. A predator who kills and then disappears into the shadows.
A monster we all learned to fear in childhood.

[Lilywhite]

OOpppps, just found two more books hiding on my shelf that have yet to be added to the TBR Mountain. Raider's Tide ~ Maggie Prince and Childhood Interrupted ~ Kathleen O'Malley

[Liz]

I've got Brother Grimm waiting on the shelf. Looks like it may be moved up the list. :)

[Louiseog]

I read and enjoyed Brother Grimm and have Blood Eagle on mount tbr.

[madcow]

Brothers Grimm sounds great, might have to 'borrow' that one from you babes :mrgreen: .

Kat also has my copy of 'An Open Vein' by KW to read (I dropped it off yesterday!)

[Lilywhite]

oh yeah, I forgot about that one too :lol:

[Lilywhite]

I managed to finish Brother Grimm today, mostly whilst at work (tee hee). I really enjoyed this book, I especially liked the intricacies in the plot, the twists and turns to keep you on your toes.

Just going to make a start on J.M. Warwick ~ An Open Vein (http://www.anopenvein.com/index.html) by our very own K.W. Looking forward to this one :)

He's a doctor, of course I trust him. Or I did, once.
I haven't eaten since yesterday. He had scrambled eggs and toast fro breakfast. The smell seeps at me from beneath the locked door. The gnawing in my stomach never goes away but it's not from lack of food. Up until yesterday, I've been able to eat. Until yesterday, I was able to do almost anything I wanted within the two thousand square feet of this place.
Things are different now.

[Michelle]

Don't forget that although Katherine's month finished, because she's a regular here, she's often around. So, if you want to ask her anything about the book, that thread is still open. :)

[Lilywhite]

Well, due to the monumentally busy day I had at work I managed to start and finish this one today. I was impressed with this book, although I did think it started a bit slow. The story did progress well and I love the way you end up almost as confused as the character about Kane's motivations. Very tense and a great page turner.

Not sure what I will pick up next, will decide in a bit.

[KW]

Thanks for reading, Lilywhite!

KW

[Lilywhite]

You're quite welcome KW, just keep on a writing them and I'll keep on reading :lol:

[Lilywhite]

So, an update I think. Whilst I have 5 minutes to spare.

Friday I read An Open Vein ~ J.M.Warwick
Saturday I read Guilty Pleasures ~ Laurell K Hamilton
Anita Blake may be small and young, but vampires call her the Executioner. Anita is a necromancer and vampire hunter in a time when vampires are protected by law--as long as they don't get too nasty. Now someone's killing innocent vampires and Anita agrees--with a bit of vampiric arm-twisting--to help figure out who and why.

Trust is a luxury Anita can't afford when her allies aren't human. The city's most powerful vampire, Nikolaos, is 1,000 years old and looks like a 10-year-old girl. The second most powerful vampire, Jean-Claude, is interested in more than just Anita's professional talents, but the feisty necromancer isn't playing along--yet. This popular series has a wild energy and humor, and some very appealing characters--both dead and alive.

Sunday I read The Laughing Corpse ~ Laurell K Hamilton

Harold Gaynor offers Anita Blake a million dollars to raise a 300-year-old zombie. Knowing it means a human sacrifice will be necessary, Anita turns him down. But when dead bodies start turning up, she realizes that someone else has raised Harold's zombie--and that the zombie is a killer. Anita pits her power against the zombie and the voodoo priestess who controls it. Notice to Hollywood: forget Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Anita Blake is the real thing.

Monday I read The Circus of The Damned ~ Laurell K Hamilton
The third novel of Hamilton's Anita Blake series has the petite necromancer fighting a giant cobra and a rogue vampire, Alejandro, who wants her for his human servant. Anita is still resisting the advances of Jean-Claude, St. Louis's master vampire, but she does need him on her side, if not in her bed. Anita's reluctant involvement in the odd goings-on at the supernatural Circus of the Damned introduces her to Richard, the werewolf of her dreams, and Larry, her powerful but nervous partner in zombie-raising.

Tuesday I read Twighlight Children ~ Torey Hayden
From the author of the phenomenal "Sunday Times" bestsellers "One Child" and "Ghost Girl", comes a startling and poignant memoir of three people's victimisation and abuse - and their heartbreaking but ultimately successful steps to recovery, with the help of Torey Hayden, an extraordinary teacher. Two children trapped in a prison of silence and a woman suffering in the twilight of her years - these are the cases that would test the extraordinary courage, compassion and skill of Torey Hayden and ultimately reaffirm her faith in the indomitable strength of the human spirit. While working in the children's psychiatric ward of a large hospital, Torey was introduced to seven-year-old Cassandra, a child who had been kidnapped by her father and was found dirty, starving and picking though rubbish bins to survive. She refused to speak, so Torey could only imagine what she'd been through. Drake, by contrast, was a charismatic four-year-old who managed to participate fully in his pre-school class without uttering a single word. Then, there was Gerda, eighty-two, who had suffered a massive stroke and was unwilling to engage in conversation with anyone. Although Torey had never worked with adults, she agreed to help when all other efforts had failed.


As you can see I have been a busy girl :roll:

[Lilywhite]

Today I made a start on Joe Hill ~ Heart-Shaped Box
'Buy my stepfather's ghost' read the e-mail. So Jude did. He bought the dead man's suit, delivered in a heart-shaped box, because he wanted it: because his fans ate up that kind of story. It was perfect for his collection: the genuine skulls and the bones, the real honest-to-God snuff movie, the occult books and all the rest of the paraphanalia that goes along with his kind of hard/goth rock. But the rest of his collection doesn't make the house feel cold. The bones don't make the dogs bark; the movie doesn't make Jude feel as if he's being watched. And none of the artefacts bring a vengeful old ghost with black scribbles over his eyes out of the shadows to chase Jude out of his home, and make him run for his life ...

[madcow]

You were busy at work then weren't you...lol

[Lilywhite]

I will be paying for it next week though :lol: Might as well get the reading in while I can.

[kitty_kitty]

How are you finding the Anita Blake books?

I ahve them all but i think i shall have re read them soon as the early ones are excellent

[Lilywhite]

They were OK, very pulpy. Which was great for me as I wasn't looking for anything too intellectual to get me through the day. Very corny but funny none the less.

[Lilywhite]

Very pleased with myself today as I managed to pick up a copy of Alias Grace on the car boot for 50p, was very good not to root around some more and come back with many many more. :D

[everydayxangels]

Uh-oh! I am reading Deep End Of the Ocean now, and I am enjoying it. I'm about 150 pages in. May I ask what was bad about it, that it was given a 3?

[Lilywhite]

It wasn't a bad book, it just didn't blow my socks off. I reserve a 5 rating for absolutley fantastic books, so a 4 is great, a 3 is ok, a 2 below par and 1 is poor.

I still really enjoyed it although it was slow in places.

Hope you enjoy it too

[Lilywhite]

Just another quick update to the ol' TBR pile. I picked up Fallen Skies ~ Philppa Gregory on the car boot for 50p. (another bargain ;) ) and a couple more swaps arrived today so I'm happy.

As a pennance I did update my swaps list and added a few more books to RISI.

Such a good girl am I.

[Lilywhite]

I have decided to give Margaret Atwood ~ Alias Grace a go seen as everyone else is :)

In 1843, a 16-year-old Canadian housemaid named Grace Marks was tried for the murder of her employer and his mistress. The sensationalistic trial made headlines throughout the world, and the jury delivered a guilty verdict. Yet opinion remained fiercely divided about Marks- -was she a spurned woman who had taken out her rage on two innocent victims, or was she an unwilling victim herself, caught up in a crime she was too young to understand? Such doubts persuaded the judges to commute her sentence to life imprisonment, and Marks spent the next 30 years in an assortment of jails and asylums, where she was often exhibited as a star attraction. In Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood reconstructs Marks's story in fictional form. Her portraits of 19th-century prison and asylum life are chilling in their detail.

[Lilywhite]

Was very very very naughty today and spent :censored: amount of money in Waterstones. Well, the money was burning a hole in my bank account and it is payday this week..... :D

Amongst others I picked up 19 minutes ~ Jodi Picoult which I'm really looking forward to and it was half price too.... bargain. I can't quite remember what the other books were but I'll update my list later.

[madcow]

baggsy a borrow when you've read 19 minutes babes...lol

[madcow]

Karen Moline ~ Belladonna

I'm sure i've read this one and still have a copy (I noticed it on your wainting to arrive list)

[Lilywhite]

I know I wanted it a while ago and can't remember if I read it or not :lol:

We'll see when it arrives....

[Lilywhite]

Just updated my TBR mountain with the books I bought the other day, Keith Dobohue ~ The Stolen Child, James Robertson ~ The Testament of Gideon Mack, John Connolly ~ The Book of Lost Things There was one more but I can't remember what it's called, I will have to wait until O's finishes reading it.

[Lilywhite]

A couple more to add that arrived from Aromaannie yesterday, Jonathon Nasaw ~ 27 Bones, Fear Itself

I promise to read more before I buy any more books
brand new ones anyway

[Louiseog]

:lol:

[madcow]

I promise to read more before I buy any more books
brand new ones anyway
:lol: I won't hold my breath :lol:

[Lilywhite]

Does winning them count?????

Still reading Alias Grace, it's taking me longer than anticipated as it keeps getting busy at work and I've also been working on some other stuff for the supervisors. Hoping to finish this one this week as I have a mountain of others just begging to be read.

[Lilywhite]

I finished Alias Grace and loved it, I have now moved onto The Game ~ Mandasue Heller as I couldn't take a hardback book in the bath with me. So far so good though, I like her style of story telling.

Mary James is a bright, confident, rebellious teenager who never sticks to the rules. Thrown out of her family home on the notorious Crescents estate, she learns how tough life can be. Then Lynne meets Ali and Raiz, drug addicts desperate for alibis for murder, and Mary finds herself involved in a far more dangerous game.

[Lilywhite]

Doing well, haven't purchased any books since I said I wouldn't. Not even second hand ones, although I have been in Waterstones twice and the Oxfam bookshop. It's very hard though....

Haven't been able to do any reading cuz I'm doin stoooopid work instead :(

[Lilywhite]

Still not bought any books :D

Don't know what to read next though.....

[Lilywhite]

Have decided to pick up Vladimir Nabokov ~ Lolita

So far so good.

[Kell]

Have decided to pick up Vladimir Nabokov ~ LolitaI hope you'll enjoy this one - I loved it!

[Lilywhite]

I finished this one and I did enjoy it. It took a while to get into the style of writing but overall it's quite easy to read. I loved the dark humour throughout.

I'm now making a start on Industrial Magic ~ Kelley Armstrong
After Paige Winterbourne is ousted as leader of the American Coven of Witches, all she wants to do is hide under her duvet for a few months. Let the supernatural world manage without her, see if she cares...But fate, of course, has other plans. A murderer is on the loose - someone with superhuman skills. When Paige learns that the killer is targeting children, she realises she has to get involved in the covert investigation. And so Paige - desperate to protect those she loves - is thrown into a world of arrogant Cabal leaders, drunken necromancers, sulky druid gods and pretentious leather-clad vampires. Luckily, she has a female werewolf and a certain renegade sorcerer on her side...

[Icecream]

Sounds good. I will be interested to know what you think.

[Kell]

Sounds good.It IS good. They ALL are! I highly recommend the entire series, Emma - start with Bitten and work your way through all seven currently available (the most recent one, No humans Involved was just released this month and is excellent too).

[Lilywhite]

I am hooked on this series, Ices. The first book was a bit hit and miss, I could have walked away and not picked up the others, but I'm so glad they did because the characters have developed so much since the start. Maybe I just didn't get along with Elena as a main character?? Unfortunately I've not been able to give this book as much time as I would like, as stupid work keeps getting in the way. I mean, how rude.

[Michelle]

Some people find Elena et al to be their favourites, others prefer the other characters. I loved Dime Store Magic myself, but my new favourite is No Humans Involved! :D

[Lilywhite]

I'm really looking forward to giving exit strategy a go too :)

I liked Dime Store Magic the best so far but I still have a few to read so I'm reserving my decision until I'm better informed ;)

[Michelle]

I'm really looking forward to giving exit strategy a go too :)

Yep, I have that one on order too! :)

[Lilywhite]

I finished this one last night and thought (as usual) it was brilliant. Love the intro to Eve for the next book, I'm looking forward to it already.

Picked up Sophie Hannah - Little Face in the library today, (not my fault, O's wanted to go in there) So I started this one at work as it was looking at me from my handbag.

Alice's baby is two weeks old when she leaves the house without her for the first time. On her eager return, she finds the front door open, her husband asleep on their bed upstairs. She rushes into their baby's room and screams. 'This isn't our baby! Where's our baby?' Her increasingly hostile husband swears she must be either mad or lying, and the DNA test is going to take a week. One week later, before the test has been taken, Alice and the baby have disappeared. Run away, abducted, murdered? The police who dismissed her baby swap story must find out, and as they do they find dark incidents in David's past - like the murder of his ex-wife...

[Lilywhite]

I finally managed to finish this one, it's taken me ages. I was really enjoying the story until the last few chapters when it all came together, I just didn't like the conclusion. I thought the majority of the book was really well written, full of changing opions about characters but, to me, the end was a bit random.

I will be moving on to Stef Penney ~ The Tenderness of Wolves

1867, Canada - As winter tightens its grip on the isolated settlement of Dove River, a man is brutally murdered and a 17-year old boy disappears. Tracks leaving the dead man's cabin head north towards the forest and the tundra beyond. In the wake of such violence, people are drawn to the township - journalists, Hudson's Bay Company men, trappers, traders - but do they want to solve the crime, or exploit it? One-by-one the assembled searchers set out from Dove River, pursuing the tracks across a desolate landscape home only to wild animals, madmen and fugitives, variously seeking a murderer, a son, two sisters missing for 17 years, a forgotten Native American culture, and a fortune in stolen furs before the snows settle and cover the tracks of the past for good. In an astonishingly assured debut, Stef Penney deftly weaves adventure, suspense, revelation and humour into a panoramic historical romance, an exhilarating thriller, a keen murder mystery and ultimately, with the sheer scope and quality of her storytelling, one of the books of the year.

[Lilywhite]

I managed to read Clive Barker ~ The Thief of Always this afternoon. This was a light read, and although aimed at a younger audience it was still quite a tale. If you haven't already, check this one out and join our reading circle discussion.

Mr. Hood's Holiday House has stood for a thousand years, welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles, a blissful round of treats and seasons, where every childhood whim may be satisfied...
There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr. Hood's wonders, does not stop to consider the consequences.
It is only when the House shows its darker face - when Harvey discovers pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadows - that he comes to doubt Mr. Hood's philanthropy.
The House and its mysterious architect are not about to release their captive without a battle, however. Mr. Hood has ambitions for his new guest, for Harvey's soul burns brighter than any soul he has encountered in a thousand years...

[Lilywhite]

Finally, I managed to finish The Tenderness of Wolves, iI didn't quite expect it to take this long but I haven't had much reading time lately with one thing or another.

So, my thoughts on this one. Overall, a fantastic read. The story is slow but steady in it's development and the characters are all down to earth types that you can really get aong with. The story is set in a small village in Canada in 1800's (i think) and the story plods along with the general pace of a village in winter with not a lot to do. It doesn't particularly have many twists and turns but it still keeps you reading right up until the last just to make sure your suspicions were right. :)

Don't be put off by it's size, it is a really good and easy to get along with read.

Not sure what to read next, off to have a look.....

[Lilywhite]

OK, I've gone for the book at the bottom of my TBR pile and that is Vicky Halls ~ Cat Confidential

How much do cat owners really know about their feline friends? Do our pampered pets really want all that food and affection or is that insistant miaow trying to communicate something more complex?
Many cats and their owners co-exist in an atmosphere of polite misunderstanding, with each party blissfully unaware of the wishes of the other. The cat 'says' one thing and the owner hears another, but somehow it works. Until, that is, something goes wrong....
Renowned cat counsellor Vicky Halls has helped hundreds of owners and their problem cats. Why do they soil the house, behave aggresively or pull out their own fur? Cat Confidential answers these questions and many more and will enable all cat owners to reach a far better understanding with their feline companions.
In her fascinating, funny, heart-warming and occasionally tear-