SueK

I don't know if this author has been discussed before but I'm ashamed to say I haven't read any Kingsley Amis. I will always have a stack of books to read for the rest of my life but I would like to ask what your opinion is of this author and do I make way for him. Any ideas on what to read of his? I have fancied the look of "That Uncertain Feeling". Thanks

I picked this up this week and am absolutely engrossed. I remember having it read to us at school but I had almost forgotten it. She wrote this after the success of Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and it centres around Menabilly where Du Maurier lived in Cornwall which was fictionalised in Rebecca as Manderley (unnamed in this book). It has the same brooding atmosphere of Rebecca but this is more a novel of suspense right to the last page. Philip Ashley has lived with his older cousin Ambrose for years in the grand house in Cornwall and both are devoted bachelors. Every winter Ambrose travels to warmer climes due to bad bouts of rhuematism. This time he travels to Florence where he meets Rachel who is a distant cousin. Totally unexpectedly, he marries her but never returns to his beloved Cornwall as he dies in sudden circumstances. Philip has to convince himself that Rachel had no hand in his death ..... Needless to say, Daphne du Maurier's descriptions of the Cornish coastline and by contrast, the Tuscany landscapes, are just wonderful and the plotline is excellent.

I've finally finished the Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths. For those who aren't aware of the series, these are books about an archeologist, Ruth Galloway, who lives by herself in an isolated area by the sea in Norfolk. There are about 3/4 books so far in the series and The Janus Stone is the second. The first is The Crossing Places. I've read the first two and will settle down to the next one, The House at Seas End, probably over Christmas. I enjoy Elly Griffiths work as she has a sense of humour in her writing and Ruth is a loveable character who happens to find herself in danger when finding dubious bodies when she is on a dig. Definitely worth pursuing. I'm a sucker for books with an archeological flavour anyway, hence my love of The Dig by John Preston. I'm now going to make a start on The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan which I picked up from Netgalley.

I've finally finished The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths. Been a bit slow with my reading lately. I'm now going to start The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan.

The plan is that the Military will bring back the Democratic vote once they are fully happy the factions involved in the politics leading up to the Coup don't happen again. They forecast that to be in about a year's time. It has happened many times before so I'm hopeful. Coups are extremely common in Thailand as it has a history of political instability. We're not talking of a Mugabe-style or even a Burmese junta type of government there. For what it's worth, we thought it was good news that the Thaksin government was brought down as corruption was so rife. .When we were there during the coup we hardly saw any military so they didn't come in "guns ablazing" - they just stood around some of the main central squares. When we were there, we saw them dinking coke outside McDonalds and they were having their pictures taken with tourists!

I'm not going to get embroiled in Thai politics here HOWEVER, as some of you know I'm married to a Thai so have a bit of inside knowledge of the political scene there. When the Coup came in May this year, it was viewed as a positive move for Thailand as up to then there were violent protests between the Thaksin regime (whose younger sister Yingluck was PM) - the Red Shirts - and the anti Thaksin regime - the Yellow Shirts. There was an impasse so the Military did what they felt was best. It was a totally bloodless coup (I was there when it happened) and apart from a curfew it went quietly. The General in charge is a hard-liner but very fair and he has obliterated much of the corruption bought on by the Thaksin Government. He has effectively "killed off" mafia run businesses and cracked down on a lot of crime. It's not perfect by any means and the item mentioned above doesn't make for good reading BUT most people welcome the change and it for the most part better than before. I Just wanted you to get a picture of what is happening out there since the coup.

hi Pontalba yes I had forgotten that Philip Kerr was her husband. I love his Bernie Gunther books. I hope you enjoy The Girl on the Train it's a great read.

I finished Inflicted by Ria Francis and will shortly make a start on the Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths - I hope it is as good as her first book Crossing Places.

I'm really enjoying this. Each episode seems to throw up a new suspect. We're half way through and I still have no idea what happened to Oliver. James Nesbit is so compelling and I love the French Detective, Julien - great performance.

I've just finished Inflicted by Ria Francis. It is a debut novel and it well written. My only comment is I'm not sure what audience she was trying to capture. Some suggest it is targeted at YA and others as a crossover. If YA then I think it should be read as it charts a young woman's time in Theresienstadt concentration camp and it is extremely emotional. Her story is told to a young boy (in present day) as a sort of springboard but the boy's story is very incidental and doesn't actually add much to the storyline, in my opinion. Still, as a debut novel I think it is very promising. Next on the list is The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths.

Another one for the list is The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald One of her typical unassuming books set in a seaside village in Sussex. It is odd in some respects but I'm a fan of hers so I liked it.

Well, I guest top of my list would have to be Conan Doyle. I can't get enough Sherlock But other authors I have devoured are: H E Bates J B Priestly Georges Simenon (Maigret in particular) Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael series) Daphne du Maurier Guy de Maupassant Barbara Erskine more to come probably .......

I finished The White Russian by Vanora Bennett. It was OK. I loved her other book - Midnight in St Petersburg - but this didn't quite come to the mark for me.

Hi all Right! so I didn't realise it was this long since I'd been on here and to be honest I haven't kept up my plan to read as many WW1 books as I had hoped. It can be a very depressing subject after a while as I found after finishing Solzhenitzyn's August 1914. So I will summarise some of the books I have read and enjoyed this year starting with the WW1 related books: The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear - I'm up to about Book 5 or 6 now and really enjoy them . Although not strictly set in WW1 there are implications relating to the investigations that Maisie delves into but I like the storylines - undemanding but good reads. The Storms of War - Kate Williams not a great lover of saga style books but it had an itneresting premise with the family living in England with a German father. Various Penguin Short stories of WW1 - always good to pick up. A Month in the country by J L Carr - short but exquisitely written Moving on to later times ..... The Inspector Maigret series - Penguin released updates of these and publish a new one every month. I have now read the first 6 and love them. I've also read The Engagement by Simenon which is non Maigret book and very different to the series. Well worth a try I think. The Flowers on the Grass - Monica Dickens - first time I've read her and love her style of writing. Simple plots, beautifully told. This House is Haunted by John Boyne - very atmospheric Gothic ghost story - should be just the job for Christmas Black Roses by Jane Thynne - tense novel set in Berlin before the war which centres on a young English girl's friendship with Magda Goebels - well written and looking forward to the follow up. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins - best read of the year for me so far. It's due for release early next year I think but should be a big hit. Well written with fabulous characters - it is not what is seems is all I'm saying. The Dig - John Preston - atmospheric story of the people who discovered the Sutton Hoo treasure in the mid 30s in Woodbridge, Suffolk. It is a fictionalised story but absolutely lovely read. Ok those are the main reads for me - I have interspersed these with lots of short stories and various other reads that have been quite forgettable. I'm now starting a new book called Inflicted by Ria Francis - it's a debut novel so will come back on here about that soon. Thanks for reading this ........

I've just started The White Russian by Vanora Bennett. I loved her first outing "Midnight in St Petersburg" and this look like being just as good. This one takes in Paris before the outbreak of WW2 so lots of possibilities to expect here.