Madeleine

Daughter of Time - Josephine Tey

Time and Chance - Sharon Kay Penman

I read the first few, and they were good escapism, but after a while I found them a bit repetitive so haven't read any more.

Just started number 38.

I'm not sure about some of the topics either, I don't think I would have put The Tenant of Wildfell Hall under Family & Friendships, and some of the fantasy novels seem to be in a strange category too. But yes it is personal and I'm sure will generate a lot of discussion.

Wait till you read Jude the Obscure.....the reviews were so bad that he never wrote another novel. Under the Greenwood Tree is surprisingly jolly for Hardy, but not much story. The Mayor Casterbridge is probably his other most famous novel, or Return of the Native.

Mainly commuting on the train (can't read on a bus, especially given the standard of driving!), and in bed.

I enjoyed Hound... as well, a good ripping yarn!

Over You - Roxy Music

Hi Munipenny and welcome.

Gold - Spandau Ballet

mail

I think Madding Crowd is probably my favourite of his books, I also read them a lot at school and then left quite a big gap before going back to them, as you say it has a mixture of tragedy and quite a bit of comedy too, and at least a happy ending, eventually! Jude the Obscure is the most depressing though.

The new production is in partnership with HBO. Let's hope they don't mess it up like they've done with the Tana French books! Started off really well but has got into a total muddle now.

Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch

sail

Wild Fire" by Ann Cleeves - this is the last in the Shetland series of novels, which is a shame, but apparently originally it was only meant to run for 4 books, and now we have 8. Jimmy Perez and his team are called in when the local doctor's family nanny is found hanged in the barn belonging to an English family, who moved to the island for the peaceful atmosphere!. The original owner of the house also hanged himself in the same barn but there are no obvious links, especially when it becomes apparent that the nanny was murdered. As usual, it looks as if the clue could be in her past, she had a difficult upbringing and had gained a reputation for being slightly loose, and her host family seem strangely unconcerned at her tragic end. The English family are also finding it hard to settle in, and Jimmy finds himself drawn to the mother, but he has personal issues of his own to contend with. It's another solid well-written mystery, and a shame that the series is ending. 7.5/10

I'd completely forgotten about it! So not very well is probably the answer to that one

I agree with you re My Cousin Rachel, very much a psychological drama, Frenchman's Creek is much lighter than Du Maurier's usual work.

Yes it is well written isn't it.

Not as many as I'd like Muggle, think I'm in the late 30s at the moment, normally I aim for 50 a year so at this point I should be in the 40s, there are others on here who've read far more! Thank you for the compliment though

I agree that she's bent the rules of time travel quite a lot (snapped them in two really!) which also annoyed me a bit as it felt a bit contrived, and sometimes I find it difficult to keep up with the various characters, but they don't pretend to be great literature and it's fairly clear from the cover blurbs that they don't take themselves too seriously - I think they're good escapist fun but agree that the comparison with Aaronovitch and Fforde is a bit lazy, as those writers are much more careful with their plots and Aaronovitch hasn't so far contradicted his story lines, I've only read the first Thursday Next book but thoroughly enjoyed it.

I enjoyed the Patrick Gale book, hope you like it, although I think I felt the ending was a bit "flat"!

Time of the Hunter's Moon - Victoria Holt

Here be Dragons - Sharon Penman