Kell

Well, from the ones you haven't yet read, I'd go with either The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro or Moby-Dick, Melville.

Ouch! Painful situation there, Blossom! I always have quite a large TBR pile (hence Mount TBR!) - it's currrently sitting at around 60 books. Have you thought of joining a swap site like Book Mooch? you only pay postage on the books you send out and the books you get from Mooching are absolutely free - a nice way to top up your supplies of unread books while making space for them by getting shot of the old books you won't read again.

I watched a documentary about Trek fans last night, called Trekkies. It's a light-hearted look at the convention-going fans of one of the most influential sci-fi franchises in TV histoory. To be honest, I found some of the fans a little scary in their intensity, and there are tales of fans who really can't quite separate fiction from reality, but most of them come across as regular Joes who are just a little eccentric. The makers don't poke fun at the fans (mostly the fans do that themselves - LOL!) and it's entertaining enough for anyone who's ever had even the slightest interest in any of the Star Trek canon.

I'm about 50/50 with buying new and buying/swapping 2nd hand. There are certain series by aithors that I collect and keep, therefore I buy (or get them given to me as gifts) new, preferably in hardback. I often get book vouchers, so I spend those in places like Waterstones or on Amazon. I also buy cheao new books from discount stores like The Works, especially for classics. For buying on a budget, I tend to go for Green Metropolis - if I'm getting hold of a book for a reading circle and it's an untried (for me) author, I'd rather pay a cheaper price and 2nd hand is fine (although I still try to get them as new-looking as possible - LOL!). I also swap some books through Book Mooch. I used to use Read it, Swap it, but I got sick of having to choose books from lists where nothing really grabbed me as unmissable when someone wanted a book from my list - the points system of Book Mooch appealed to me more. I have been known to use the library too, but a it entails a trip into town if I want a decent choice (the smaller branches usually have pretty much nothing that grabs my attention) and another trip back into town to return them (usually on horribly busy Saturdays), I only really go when I'm after a specific book on a temporary basis and I think they'll have it. I used to use the library a lot more when I lived literally around the corner from a very decent branch library a few years back. I went in roughly every other day and the assistants knew my tastes so well that they would keep books back for me that they thought would interest me, as they knew I'd be in within another day! I also donate books to charity on occasion... The thought of ever just throwing a book out in the trash makes me feel physically sick! I used to keep ALL my books, but I ended up with hundreds and hundreds of books in storage, never being read again, whereas some got read in rotation time and time again. I decided I needed more room for books I hadn't read and for new books I wanted to read, and that keeping hold of old books I knew I'd never read again, I had to find new and loving homes for them all! That was when I started selling and swapping them. I've sold nearly 100 books on Green Metropolis (and others via other means), swapped about the same amount and donated piles of them to charity shops, just to clear some space.

This sounds rather interesting. I don't tend to read much non-fiction, but I may well be tempted on this occasion as I'm a bit intrigued here!

Yup, you can find the discussion HERE.

Some of the books we've read at Posh Club are: Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon My Sister

You could always specify that each month has a theme, that way you ensure that you get something different each time and don't get stuck in a single genre...

I'm almost completely up to date on this series - I have the 8th (and most recent) one waiting to be read. I've loved them all so far!

I'm proud to say I've managed to whittle my pile down to just 62 (from around 150 not so long ago!).

Good advice there - libraries are always a good place to start. You might also like to think about a few things before you advertise though: 1. What kind of books will the group be reading? Will it be a specific genre or author? Or will it be something different each time? 2. How often will the group meet? Will it be weeky, fortnightly, monthly or other? 3. Where will the group meet? Will it be at someone's home? At the library? Elsewhere? Will the location be fixed or will it change from meeting to meeting? You might also like to think about how many people would be ideal, for example, if you'll be meeting in each others' homes, a smaller number would most likely be better. Also, a few ground rules might be a good idea - have a few in mind for the first meeting and then ask other members for input too (things like who chooses the books? Do you take turns? Or do you nominate several and take a vote? Do you take turns providing refreshments or does everyone bring/buy their own?). Also, once book groups get past a certain number of members, it can get TOO big. Having 30 people all trying to talk at once about the same book can mean that not everyone hears all the discussion or that several smaller discussions are all going on at once and some of the shyer members can become intiidated. Just a few things to consider there. Best of luck getting your book group off the ground! ETA: You might also find THIS helpful.

I don't think I've ever mourned finishing a book. If I love a book that much I know I can look forward to rereading it in the future and that's something to which I can look forward.

They could also design ther own Deepwoods creatures - that would be a good one! It's only right to point out there are about 9 books in the series - all excellent, but I suggest starting at the very beginning with The Curse of the Gloamglozer.

There are a few activities actually on the website - I was just checking them out. They could also design Sky Pirate Ships and come up with their own Sky Pirate names...

The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell might be suitable for that age group and they're certainly very exciting. Check out the official website HERE.