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Yay! I Hope you like it as much as I did.

It's set at Christmas time, but that's about it really. I'm not a massive fan of action films either, but I do like Die Hard. (The man who plays Severus Snape is the villain ) It's mainly just the nativity scene at the beginning, where she kicks the wise men out of the stable. (I'm not a Christian either . . .) Just move the ones you didn't read onto your plan for the new year - I won't tell anyone.

I don't like the Muppets. They gave me nightmares when I was a child, especially the evil pink one. I forgot about Die Hard . . . and Monty Python's Life of Brian, which is kind of a Christmas film.

There's no such thing as off-topic in my reading log. Home Alone is on TV all the time here too (I think it was on a couple of weeks ago, actually ), and I usually do end up watching it at some point. Definitive Christmas films for me are: Love Actually The Holiday Gremlins The Nightmare Before Christmas The Santa Clause (the husband makes me watch it every year!) Elf Lord of the Rings (because all the films were released at Christmas time) Harry Potter (same reason)

Unless I get hit with reader's block. That's a nice idea. I don't have any Christmas themed books, but I usually start watching Christmas movies (the same ones every year!) at some point in November.

Thank you! I'm already working on a new plan for when I've finished.

Updated reading plan (started September 2013): The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss Prince of Thorns - Mark Lawrence (re-read) King of Thorns - Mark Lawrence (re-read) Emperor of Thorns - Mark Lawrence Shadows in the Sand - Michael Diack Hope's End - Brian McClellan The Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch (re-read) Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch (re-read) The Republic of Thieves - Scott Lynch The Lions of Al-Rassan - Guy Gavriel Kay Theft of Swords - Michael J Sullivan Rise of Empire - Michael J Sullivan Beyond the Shadows - Brent Weeks The Curse of the Mistwraith - Janny Wurts Hopefully I'll finish them all in time for Christmas!

It's so frustrating when you've just finished reading everything available by a good author, isn't it.

Oohh, more info on Goodreads.

Ahh, I wonder . . . I do actually seem to remember there being a Red Queen in Emperor (in Vyene - I think we met her?). I wasn't even thinking along those lines until you said that: I'd assumed that, when he said he wasn't going to write about Jorg any more, that meant he was also done with the Broken Empire world. It'll be great if he hasn't.

Seconded! I'll write your next plan for you, shall I? I don't blame you for skipping bits of my review, I've been told that they can be quite spoilery. I can't seem to help myself. I'm looking forward to reading the Lightbringer series next year, once I've bought the second one. It's a shame that the second book is hard for you to get hold of - it's all over the tables at my local Waterstones. Thank you, by the way! I'd never written a review before I started using this site, but I find that it's getting quicker and easier to write them. (My first review - for the Name of the Wind - took me about two hours to write because I was thinking too hard about what I wanted to say ).

Oooohh! Exciting . Amazon's not giving much away about it, though, eh? (I wonder if the second one will be called King of Fools? And the third one Emperor of Fools?)

I only have the first one, but have wanted to buy the second one since I found out it was nominated for the Gemmell Award. Let me know when you've read them! No, I only started writing reviews for books I read after joining the forum last month - sorry. It's been a few months since I read the first two in the series (I didn't buy the third one until recently), which is maybe why I didn't enjoy this one as much - I usually like reading a series all at once. I do seem to remember that the first two were a lot more compelling character-wise, particularly for the characters of Kylar and Logan. You'll have to add them to your next reading plan and let me know whether or not you agree.

They look very pretty on the shelf, don't they? They're worth reading, I was just a bit disappointed with this one as an ending to the series. I'm looking forward to reading his Lightbringer series - it's supposed to be really good.

Review: 'Beyond the Shadows' by Brent Weeks A new queen has usurped the throne and is leading Cenaria into disaster. The country has become a broken realm with a threadbare army, little food, and no hope. So Kylar Stern plans to reinstate his closest friend Logan as King, but can he really get away with murder? In the north, the Godking’s death has thrown Khalidor into civil war. To gain the upper hand, one faction attempts to raise the goddess Khali herself. But they are playing with volatile powers, and trigger conflict on a vast scale. Seven armies will converge to save – or destroy – an entire continent. Kylar has finally learnt the bitter cost of immortality, and is faced with a task only he can complete. To save his friends, and perhaps his enemies, he must assassinate a goddess. Failure will doom the south. Success will cost him everything he’s ever loved. Beyond the Shadows is the third and final instalment in Brent Weeks’ Night Angel trilogy. The trilogy so far has followed the life of Kylar Stern, a young man who has developed since childhood from an orphan thief to a trainee assassin (or ‘wetboy’), and who has now finally taken on the role of the immortal Night Angel, the embodiment of justice. The most entertaining parts of Kylar’s tale are his interactions with both Durzo Blint (his mentor) and the black ka’kari (the magical item that is the source of his special powers), which are full of easy humour and sarcasm. However, these conversations don’t happen very often, and Kylar’s chapter are mainly focused on his complicated relationships with Elene and Vi. This book also has a wider scope than the others: we see more of the world and its inhabitants. While this gives the book something of a grander scale, I actually miss the focus of the first two books, which were mostly set within the streets of cities. The first book particularly focused more on character development within the confines of the city’s underworld, and I think that approach was actually stronger than that of this book, which mostly seems to be ‘send the characters to loads of different places on loads of flimsy pretexts’. One of the things I do really like about the plot is that there is always something happening: lots of little events occur within the tales of most characters, which helps to make the novel a fairly fast-paced read (although some of the events are a bit contrived). The way the various plotlines finally entwined was fairly well-conceived, and the final battle definitely had a feel of the epic about it. The sacrifice involved in the defeat of evil is somewhat glossed-over, but adds a nice sense of loss and emotion. However, I feel that the payoff was somewhat unsatisfactory, mainly because

If you're interested in Myra Hindley, I think Carol Ann Duffy wrote a poem about her called 'The Devil's Wife'. It's written in first person and is a bit disturbing.

I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's pretty strange after seeing all the films, eh? I enjoyed Dracula even more than Frankenstein, but the epistolary format isn't to everyone's taste. Well worth a read, though. I have a sudden urge to re-read Frankenstein now.

Great review of Emperor, Steve! You seem to have enjoyed it for more or less the same reasons I did. I also figured out the identity of the Dead King really early on in the book (which almost disappointed me), but the actual ending took me completely by surprise. I agree with what you say about it being personal rather than epic, and I think that's why it made me so emotional! I also agree with you about Lawrence knowing when to call it a day . . . but are you not just a little bit sad that you'll never get to read any more about little Jorgy? What did you think about the 'grimdark' elements? Worse than, or just as hard to read as the stuff in KoT?

We'll see how you feel when it comes to it. I'm hoping to read it at some point next year, anyway. I think it would have worked better if they were separate. It would mean a lot of faffing around if you tried to do it, though. I really do think that all the flashback chapters should have been self-contained as a separate novella (with maybe a few of the relevant parts inserted into RoT, as with the previous novels), but then, there wouldn't be much left to happen in the actual novel . . . From what I've read elsewhere, the majority of readers were disappointed with 'Red Seas' but thought RoT was better, whereas I think 'Red 'Seas' is the strongest of the three. I'll be interested to hear what you think when you eventually read it. I read Northern Lights a few years ago and quite enjoyed it (far better than the film!), but couldn't seem to get into the next in the trilogy (Amber Spyglass?). Does he write any adult fantasy, or is it mainly along the lines of YA? Always looking for recommendations.

Review: 'The Republic of Thieves' by Scott Lynch Locke and Jean barely escaped with their lives from what should have been the greatest heist of their career, in the port city of Tal Verarr. Now they head north, looking for sanctuary and an alchemist who can cure the poison that is slowly killing Locke. They find neither, but with their luck, money and hope exhausted, they receive an offer from a power that has never had their best interests at heart: The Bondsmagi of Karthain. In exchange for the chance that Locke might be saved, the Bondsmagi expect the two Gentlemen B*stards to rig an election in their home city of Karthain. They will be opposed. The other side has already hired the services of Sabetha Belacoros, the one person in the world who might match Locke’s criminal skill, and the one person in the world who absolutely rules his heart. Now it will be con artist against con artist in an election that couldn’t be more crooked, all for the benefit of the mysterious Bondsmagi, who have plans within plans and secrets they’re not telling . . . The Republic of Thieves is the long-awaited third instalment in the Gentlemen B*stard Sequence, and takes place several weeks after the ending of Red Seas under Red Skies. Locke Lamora is suffering from the effects of poison, and he and Jean Tannen must do the unthinkable – work with their worst enemies – in exchange for a cure. I have to start by saying that it’s inevitable that The Republic of Thieves is going to be held up against the standards of the first two books in the series; and I’m very sad to say that it fell somewhat short of my expectations. The first two books – particularly Red Seas under Red Skies – were tense, fast-paced and exhilarating; The Republic of Thieves is fairly slow, plodding and uneventful. It doesn’t have the sense of urgency that characterised the other books, and the characters don’t really seem to have much to lose (or gain). Since the stakes aren’t as high, neither are Locke’s grand schemes as complex and exciting as those that filled his previous adventures in abundance. The Republic of Thieves follows the same format as Lynch’s previous books, with interludes from the past (mainly focusing on the gang’s performance of the play ‘The Republic of Thieves’) dispersed throughout the main story (the election in Karthain). However, the other books had a few short interludes that added to the main story; fully half of The Republic of Thieves is comprised of ‘interludes’, so much so that it’s like reading two separate books alongside one another. While both the past and present tales are good, the parallel tale of the Gentlemen B*stards’ performance of the eponymous ‘Republic of Thieves’ is, for me, the strongest aspect of the story. I would have preferred to see it as a separate novella – it was basically the main focus of this story, but both plotlines suffered (or so I felt) from the constant (and sometimes frustrating) switching back and forth. Both tales are enjoyable, but to have them interwoven in such a way meant that the main plot lost momentum at every turn. I didn’t really appreciate the revelation about Locke’s ‘true’ identity. I thought it came out of nowhere, and felt that it was unnecessary to reveal it in such a manner. I’m also not too keen on how the book ended – I would have liked some closure on the flashbacks (Was Chains pleased with their achievements? What did he do about Moncraine?), but I’m guessing this will be continued in the next books. One other minor thing that really bothered me was the misspelling of ‘stories’ as ‘storeys’ – it really started to grate on me since it’s used quite frequently, although I guess that’s a fault with the editor and not the author. Despite these criticisms, I did enjoy reading The Republic of Thieves. One aspect of the book that I felt did live up to my expectations was the character of Sabetha. She’s very well-written: as cunning and intelligent as Locke, yet much more ruthless, while at the same time possessing a certain charming femininity. She is very likeable, and the gradual unveiling of the history of the tentative relationship between her and Locke is very well done. The fact that she also has a special friendship with Jean is a nice touch, and her devious strategies to try and beat him and Locke are pitiless but amusing. It’s also brilliant to finally see the full complement of the Gentlemen B*stards – Sabetha has always been absent from the flashbacks in previous novels, and her presence changes the dynamics of the group in a fun and interesting way. To sum up, then, I liked the book, but I think it suffered for having such a high standard to try and meet. I’d say the main plotline deserves 3/5, but I enjoyed the flashback tale so much that I’m bumping the overall rating up to 4. My rating: 4/5 (for ‘The Republic of Thieves’ sections rather than the ‘5-year election’ chapters)

Does that mean I win? How many do you have on your Kindle, though? Thanks for liking my review. I'm so jealous of you and your charity shops! I swear I'm the only person up north who reads fantasy - I'm lucky if I can find a single fantasy book amongst all the autobiographies and granny porn. Well, we'll do Dawnthief and then see how it goes from there. Maybe we should all start a fantasy reading club on here, and pick one book a month to try and read.

Thank you. I'm lucky at the moment (well, not 'lucky' - currently unemployed, but you know what I mean) - I have a lot of time on my hands and am using it to catch up on my reading. I have literally hundreds of books I want to read, and it's frustrating not to be able to read them all at once. Wow, I've never seen that before. No wonder you're reading faster!

You might like the Inheritance cycle by Christopher Paolini (starting with Eragon). It's more YA than adult, but I think they're influenced a lot by Tolkien. If you liked the maturity of Lord of the Rings, you might also like Gardens of the Moon or Midnight Tides, both by Steven Erikson (my favourite author!). The Magician trilogy and the Empire trilogy by Raymond E Feist are great, too.

I tend to read about 1-2 books (of at least 500-600 pages each) per week. I think I would feel under pressure and end up reading slower if I tried to time myself. I do know that when I spend longer reading a book (say, 2-3 hours all at once) I get into a groove and read faster than when I'm on a lunch break, probably because I don't have to keep interrupting myself to check the clock. What's an RSVP reader? I don't have a Kindle yet . .

This sounds interesting - I think I'd probably benefit from reading the chapter on procrastination!