Athena

Welcome here !

Welcome here ! I don't know much about the Tudor period and plan to read up on it, any particular historical fiction books you'd recommend? (Currently the plan is to read a lot on Wikipedia about the history of Britain XD)

I hope things improve for you, Heather!

^ I have to agree on that, Raven. We saw a few Studio Ghibli films and a Futurama film, Bender's Big Score. I believe that's all the films we saw during our holidays in the UK. I really enjoyed all of them. We went to the cinema twice, once to see Monsters University and once to see Dispicable Me 2. I liked both but thought Dispicable Me 2 was a bit childish and over the top at times, overall I prefer Monsters University (that was excellent).

I've been watching quite a bit of British TV while I was on holidays in the UK. We saw several QI XL episodes (I love QI!) and several episodes of Top Gear. We also saw an episode of Grand Designs and a few episodes of Man Vs. Food Nation. We also saw Have I Got More News For You once. At my boyfriend's house we watched an episode of Jonathan Creek, I just bought the DVD of all the seasons plus Christmas Specials, however my suitcase was heavy so I couldn't bring it with me to the Netherlands and left it at his house instead. We may have seen a few other things too but these are what I can remember, atm.

I've made a commitment with myself that, sometime in the near future, once I'm a bit rested, I'm going to make an exercise schedule for myself (and then try to stick to it, of course). The schedule will include, walking, jogging, running, dancing, steps and perhaps other exercises. Not all at once, of course. I plan to start really slowly and then work my way up, so to speak. Also, today I walked for ~40 mins with the dogs. EDIT: Awww frankie, don't lose motivation!

Some lovely shelves there ! I rearranged a few of mine not too long ago but it would appear I didn't post here (I think I may have posted them on facebook, but I'm not sure). Unfortunately due to the double rows you'll only be able to see the front rows. I think I might do a bit of cleaning up though before I make/post some photos.. (my TBR-soon books are on the table, but I could make a photo of those too).

I'm more afraid of bugs that can sting than of spiders, but if they're particularly big or if they're close to me or my bed, I want them out! Preferably put them outside alive, I do think many spiders are useful creatures.

I own several of his books, I've read three of them and six are on the TBR (with a seventh on the way..). The rest of his books are on my wishlist. I really liked the ones I've read so far, they are The Notebook, The Lucky One and The Wedding. I've seen two films based on two of his books and own several films that I haven't watched yet.

x Unfortunately, this is true for many things. P.S. I got the first book for free, may or may not read it at some point. I'm not sure if I could put up with all the erotic scenes or not. It's definitely not a book I plan to read any time soon, there are too many other ones that I'm more excited to read.

This book is on my TBR, I haven't read it yet. I'm glad to hear you liked it, though sorry to hear it didn't stand out for you. I'll have to try and find this thread and post in it when I get around to reading the book.

Sounds good . It'll go on the wishlist once it's listen on GoodReads.

x I've read the first three books but not the rest of the series yet. I own a lot of them in Dutch and am now slowly buying them in English. My brother and sister have both read this series (in Dutch), and really liked it.

x Hmm, I think I hadn't posted here yet! I've read a few, for example Jodi Picoult - Short Pieces and stories by Susan Hatler. Another few short stories are on my TBR. Generally I prefer bigger books as opposed to short stories, because I feel there are much more details in a novel. My favourite short story collection is Arthur C. Clarke - The Other Side of the Sky (science-fiction, I also own an omnibus with all his short stories but haven't read that one yet). I also really like Susan Hatler's short stories (they're chicklit-romance type stories). I have some classic short stories or short story collections on my TBR as well.

This is a very interesting topic, however all of the children's picture books in this house are in Dutch and I don't know how most of them are/were translated.. (I don't remember the authors of most of them, though one day I plan to open up the box and have another look in there!) I recognise some of the titles here but not most of them. P. S. Have fun with your little one!

Anna Sewell - Black Beauty Genre: Literature Format: Paperback Pages: 201 Synopsis (GoodReads): A horse is a horse of course unless of course the horse is Black Beauty. Animal-loving children have been devoted to Black Beauty throughout this century, and no doubt will continue through the next. Although Anna Sewell's classic paints a clear picture of turn-of-the-century London, its message is universal and timeless: animals will serve humans well if they are treated with consideration and kindness. Black Beauty tells the story of the horse's own long and varied life, from a well-born colt in a pleasant meadow to an elegant carriage horse for a gentleman to a painfully overworked cab horse. Throughout, Sewell rails - in a gentle, 19th-century way - against animal maltreatment. Young readers will follow Black Beauty's fortunes, good and bad, with gentle masters as well as cruel. Children can easily make the leap from horse-human relationships to human-human relationships, and begin to understand how their own consideration of others may be a benefit to all. My thoughts: I read this book for the read-a-thon. I really liked it! They may say it's a children's book but I think I would've found the language difficult. I don't know some terms related to horses, in English, so sometimes had to guess what it really meant. I'm unsure if I would've known these terms in Dutch, either. I'm actually allergic for horses and thus hardly ever go near any. I've never been particularly fond of horses, they frighten me, maybe because I've never been near them. I've had friends who were really into horses, at least when we were children. I've always liked smaller pets, cats and dogs. Anyway, the book was really good! I loved reading about the horse, and the horse's perspective really added to this. I'm glad I enjoyed this book. After the previous classic I read (Truman Capote - Breakfast at Tiffany's) I was a bit hesitant to read another one. I'm glad I did! I learned a lot about horses and how they were treated back then (depending on the people). I even learned some history about the Crimsean War, I'd never heard of this English term (never having encountered it before), so I looked it up (curious to see if there was a Dutch name to match etc). All in all I'd definitely recommend this book, I really enjoyed it. Rating: ***** (9/10)

I finished reading Black Beauty, pages 96-201, total time: 1 h 20 mins. Totals for the three days (so far at least): Books read: 4 Pages: 634 Time read: 5 hours It's not a lot for me to be honest, but I've been busy with other (also fun) things .

frankie, that's quite a story!! You must've felt uncomfortable, though. I once had a similar problem with my jeans, at school.

Yesterday I read 93 pages in Anna Sewell - Black Beauty, total time 1h 20 mins. That's less than what I read on some 'normal' days. I spent a lot of time with holiday preparations, swimming, cooking, spending time with my brother (and with my boyfriend, but that's usually a given when he's here ).. I don't expect to be reading a lot today, I'm trying to mainly rest. But who knows . The most important thing is that to have fun in your holidays, imo.

I'm glad to hear you really enjoyed No and Me ! Nice to hear about your experiences with Maeve Binchy. The novels I read were The Copper Beech and Evening Class (in one omnibus). I remember one of them having a vicar in it and being a lot about religion, I didn't really enjoy it that much. There were a lot of different characters to keep track of. I have to admit, I don't remember a lot of these two books, I only remember one of the two at the moment . Nice that your daughter likes manga, which ones are her favourites? Thanks for your kind comments .

Nice list . I own a lot of the books from it. I'm currently reading Black Beauty, I hope to be finishing it today. I'm really enjoying it so far (I'm about half way through I think).

Beautiful photos !

Nagaru Tanigawa and Noizi Ito - The Misfortune of Kyon and Koizumi Genre: Manga Format: Paperback Pages: 160 Synopsis (GoodReads): Boisterous, impulsive Haruhi Suzumiya commands the spotlight wherever she goes! But the SOS Brigade chief wouldn't be any kind of chief at all without a supporting cast of club members to command as well. And there's no one she loves ordering around as much as Kyon! In this collection of short comics and illustrations by various artists, the boys of the SOS Brigade will at last have their moment to shine! My thoughts: I read this book for the read-a-thon. It's an anthology of short stories written and drawn by different authors. I really liked some short stories, they were excellent and seemed to fit in well with the world of Suzumiya. I didn't really care for a few short stories, they confused me or seemed out of place. I didn't make specific notes of each short story and what I thought of them (like I did with State of the Art, in retrospect I could have, some stories were only a few pages so I didn't feel like bothering at the time, it'd take me a lot of time). Recommended if you like Haruhi Suzumiya (though the book focuses mainly on the two guys and their interaction with her). Rating: **** (8/10)

Roald Dahl - James and the Giant Peach Genre: Children's Format: Paperback Pages: 160 Synopsis (GoodReads): James's aunts call him names, beat and starve him and make his life a misery. If only his parents hadn't been eaten by an escaped rhinoceros, he wouldn't be in this mess. But one day he meets a man who gives him a bag of magic crocodile tongues and so begins the adventure of his dreams. My thoughts: I read this book for the read-a-thon. I love Roald Dahl's books, and liked this one as well. The story was really good and the illustrations were beautiful. I really liked most of the characters. I have read this story before, in Dutch, but I didn't remember as much from it as I did from The Witches, Matilda or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I think because I didn't read this one as often as I did the other three I mentioned. I liked this book, it was quite good. Rating: **** (8/10)

Maeve Binchy - Full House (QuickReads) Genre: Contemporary fiction Format: Paperback Pages: 117 Synopsis (GoodReads): Rosie moved out when she got married, but it didn't work out, so now she is back with her parents. Helen is a teacher and doesn't earn enough for a place of her own. Anthony writes songs and is just waiting for the day when someone will pay him for them. Until then, all three are happy at home. It doesn't cost them anything, and surely their parents like having a full house? Then there is a crisis, and Dee decides things have to change for the whole family... whether they like it or not. My thoughts: I read this book for the read-a-thon. It's part of the QuickReads series, so it has big letters and is easy to read. I thought the subject matter was quite interesting. I've read one/two other books by Maeve Binchy (it was an omnibus) and have to say I liked this book a lot more! This was a great read and well written. The characters were interesting, though I liked some more than others (but that's usually the case). Rating: ***** (9/10)