Madeleine

I think the Lewis Trilogy is better than Coffin Road, and probably thought the opposite to you! I agree Coffin Road isn't as well written as the Blackhouse, if you do read the rest of the trilogy then events in the first book come back in the 3rd one, and it sort of comes full circle.

Quite cloudy but still fairly bright.

It's a shame you gave up after getting about 3/4 of the way through. I did start to watch the TV version but didn't like it so only saw the first part, and it didn't make me want to read the book.

As rumours have been going on for years about this, it's good to see that it's finally coming out! I enjoyed the first 2 books but wasn't too keen on the last one.

Glad you enjoyed it, Inver, it is bleak but I thought it was a bit different to the usual crime novels, and I loved the way in which the island was pretty much a character itself. The next two books follow a similar structure, The Lewis Man focuses on Fin's teenage years, and The Chessmen (which is my personal favourite) goes onto his 20s, he's certainly had an eventful life! Hope you like the other two books, I thought the Lewis Man was the weakest one but it still wasn't bad.

Dreary and wet yesterday, bit brighter today.

I hope your blackbirds come back, have you got somewhere else you can put the food? The gap must look horrible but I suppose you'll get used to it, would you put something else there, or maybe something in a tub if you can't plant anything, to fill the space? thanks for your good wishes everyone, it's a bit better but still coughing and spluttering!

Invisible Sun - The Police

Our local paper sometimes prints old pictures of my town which are interesting, but as for the history I don't think there's anything particularly outstanding, although Winston Churchill was a local MP at one time (there's a statue of him), and there are associations with Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and various stories about them visiting the area, - my favourite is the rumour that Elizabeth I rode a horse up the stairs of a local hunting lodge - the building is from that period and she may well have dropped in but sadly there's no proof of this story. And the nearby forest (what's left of it) was a royal hunting forest in Tudor and Elizabethan times and they're rumoured to have hunted there.

If you gave up after 600 pages, how many pages were left?!

Yes it was my first, we had to read it for A Level which probably didn't help when you have to study something intricately, we also did Persuasion which I liked a bit better, and do intend to re-read. I've since read Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, both of which I enjoyed, and Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey, both of which I was bored by. Not sure how Emma would fare on a re-read!

I think I prefer the film version (Gwyneth Paltrow) of Emma to the book, I did it for A Level and hated it!

Everywhere

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

The sun always shines on TV - A-ha

Thanks Chesil. That's a shame about the tree.

Hi Katie, I've read a couple of his books but I'm not a huge fan of the genre. I'm sure you'll find plenty of reading suggestions here!

My sore throat has come back, and now seems to be developing into a proper cold, haven't been able to sleep well due to the tickly cough, although I bought some different throat pastilles on the recommendation of a work colleague, and they seem to help quite a bit, clear the sinuses too!

Cold last night, bit milder today.

Into the Wilderness - Sara Donati

Yes me too - Bran was lovely wasn't he!

We have fat balls here, and suet cakes too, a similar thing but in a block, they do them with mealworms but I'm a bit squeamish about those

HI Mandy and welcome, good luck with the Masters. Ditto re the tbr pile, but I'm past caring now and don't stop buying! Happy reading!

I couldn't cope with that heat either! Sunnier today and a bit warmer, quite pleasant in fact compared to the weekend.

No not Danny Dyer, cant' stand him either!