Marie H

Yes, I've only read the Moomins series books within the last four years, and have only "seen" them as pen drawing illustrations in the books, which I find are beautiful. But I agree with you, I find them really scary in such vivid, psychedelic colours in some of the children's picture books ! Ha ha, it seems quite ironic that I am trying to influence you, a Finn in Finland, into the delights of Tove Jansson's books! (Definitely a case of "taking coals to Newcastle”, (my idiom of the day!) ) I find that her book of short stories 'Travelling Light' is rather good. As poppyshakes says The Summer Book is good too.

A couple of books of his but I liked are: The Consolations of Philosophy, (blurb from the Wikipedia) “In The Consolations of Philosophy, de Botton attempts to demonstrate how the teachings of philosophers such as Epicurus, Montaigne, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Seneca, and Socrates can be applied to modern everyday woes such as unpopularity, feelings of inadequacy, financial worries, broken hearts, and the general problem of suffering." The first book I read about Western philosophy, it's quite light-hearted and mostly in the style of a self-help guide .I think that I was going through something of an 'existential crisis' at that time, when I found this book. It started my interested in ancient Greek and Roman philosophers. Essays in Love (the blurb from The Book Depository) “will appeal to anyone who has ever been in a relationship or confused about love. The book charts the progress of a love affair from the first kiss to argument and reconciliation, from intimacy and tenderness to the onset of anxiety and heartbreak. The work's genius lies in the way it minutely analyses emotions we've all felt before but have perhaps never understood so well: it includes a chapter on the anxieties of when and how to say 'I love you' and another on the challenges of disagreeing with someone else's taste in shoes.” What can I say? I think all of us need some help in problems within relationships. However, whether we admit that we do need help, or take any heed from them is a totally different thing .

Bravo for the review of The War of the Worlds! I now have The War of the Worlds, The Islands of Dr Moreau and The Invisible Man nestling in my ereader for the last few weeks, waiting for me . However, who knows when I will get round to actually reading them is a totally another thing.

Yes, I'm really glad that I bought How Proust Can Change Your Life, as it has made me more interested in Proust's Swann's Way again. I loved Alain de Botton's writing Sofi Oksanen was my 2nd Finnish author, after Tove Jansson (her children's and adult fiction). Tove Jansson is probably the only Finnish author you would hear of in the UK, and only then for the Moomin series. I had a good chuckle about the 'full of beans' idiom . We Brits tend to forget that English isn't the first language of everyone in the world . I hope you will feel more rested and recuperated .

Congratulation . Wow - 98 books this year so far! is in order, I think

Started How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton. The first chapter was How To Love Life Today, and I made remember how much I love the way de Botton writes.

How about Gabriel Garcia Marquez? He has a wonderful style with magical realism, esp. in One Hundred in Solitude, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and Of Love and other Demons.

Malteser Teaser - lovely stuff!

Great haul!!

Orchestra Baobab

Have fun frankie !

Hell0 Foxface, and welcome to the forums

A glass of very nice South African Kumala Merlot/Pinotage 2012, which cost me £3.99 at Home Bargains. Now that is a bargain , and very enjoyable too.

I hadn't read any of Batchelor’s books before, so I had a browse and then bought the ebook of Alone with Others:An Existential Approach to Buddhism, as that sounded very interesting. Thanks for the recommendation . I haven't read any of Shunryu Suzuki work either, so Zen Mind, Beginners Mind is now on my wishlist. I'm very tempted to buy it soon, as The Hive has it at the best price at £8.77, and is in stock at the moment.

Light Horlicks - it's great when you feel cold, and as if a cold is coming on. You pour boiled water on the powder, enough said

I've started reading Girl, Stolen by April Henry this morning, and it seems okay so far. Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - read up to page 68, good book, and I have to finish it for library reading group discussion on 27th.

Welcome to the Forums Mila . You have a great list of 'classics' . I hope you enjoy the forums.

Hello Adam Stormblessed (and welcome to the Forums) Blimey, 500 pages takes me 2 or 3....well, we are talking days rather than hours . At that is when I'm really interested in the book. I think I'm also a slow reader, because I have to have the words sound in my head, I just can't skim read.

Yup, I was very proud of myself , as they were hardbacks in good nick, at a few pounds each! Then I went home, and bought a handful of ebook 'classics' for approx. 80p each! Oh well....I did try.....honestly .

Hello Rasool, and welcome to the Forums.

Yup, a couple of hours of Jeeves and Wooster was a pick-me-up . Purge was a good book, but wow , it was a bit upsetting a few times in the book . But worth it in the end.

Yes, I can understand that, and The Plague is not the easiest or enjoyable book to read at the best of times . Congrats for breaking your 70 books target . Edit: Liked your review of Buddhism Without Belief . I've been interested in Eastern philosophies (mostly Taoism and Zen Buddhism) for a few years. I use the term Eastern philosophies instead of the term Eastern religions with particular care, as I am a non-believer of any belief system.

Hello Jonathan, and welcome to the forums. Hope that you enjoy the forums .

Great review of Portrait of Sepia willoyd . It's in my TBR pile, as Daughters of Fortune was my first novel by Allende, and it was a cracking read. Same for Islands Under the Sea, that was a great book too .

I love to cook, so mostly don't use takeaway food that often. My weakness are desserts.... and chocolate... and biscuits .