Kell

This has now been updated to include all the more recent additions & can be found here: http://www.discworldmonthly.co.uk/gfx/readingorder.jpg

Blitz Cat is about a cat who travels extensively all over England during the Blitz ... I am sorry I can

Although I like cats, they're not really animals I'd consider having as pets, even if I weren't allergic - I have a thing about them climbing on counters etc - LOL! However, I do like the occasional cat book & I thought of a few of them I'd like to mention: The Unadulterated Cat by Terry Pratchett The Unadulterated Cat is becoming an endangered species as more and more of us settle for those boring mass-produced cats the ad-men sell us - the pussies that purr into their gold-plated food bowls on the telly. But the Campaign for Real Cats sets out to change all that by helping us to recognise a true, unadulterated cat when we see one. For example: real cats have ears that look like they've been trimmed with pinking shears; real cats never wear flea collars ...or appear on Christmas cards ...or chase anything with a bell in it; real cats do eat quiche. And giblets. And butter. And anything else left on the table, if they think they can get away with it. Real cats can hear a fridge door opening two rooms away ... Devil on the Road by Robert Westall John Webster should have listened to his instincts: instead, he stays on in the Suffolk village where chance has taken him. Something is wrong here, and he finds himself with unanswered questions. Why is Derek so keen for him to stay on in the barn? Why are the villagers behaving so deferentially? Was it Fate or Chance which brought student and biker John to the deserted barn in rural Suffolk? An abandoned kitten provides the link with the dangerous past. The Cats of Seroster by Robert Westall In medieval France, huge, powerful cats and a magic dagger help Cam, a young English jack-of-all-trades, through a series of unusual and dangerous adventures.

Yes, that was a sad loss, but he's still there in spirit, in a way, as the characters obviously miss him, which was a nice touch - too often in kids' books, characters that are gone are also forgotten, but not this time!

"If you get me the camp number. They do have telephones on the Isle of Man, don't they? I've never been there, but I hear the Manx are a little backward -" ~ The Secret Purposes by David Baddiel (which I'll be reading very shortly for the reading circle...)

You can definitely do a joint in there - it's the thing I've used it for most often. Just seal the joint in a pan (takes just a moment), then bung it in the slow cooker with a little water (just a very small amount). Stick it on low & you can leave it while you're a t work. My beef joints have always been very juicy & tender when they're done & you can use the water, which will have the meat juices, for gravy - delicious!

It's the only time i've ever cried for a spider! And you're welcome.

The Angel Stone Author: Livi Michael ISBN # 0141319323 Publisher: Puffin First Published: 2006 380 pages Rating: 7/10 The Blurb: In every generation there are those who believe eternal life is the one way forward for humankind...Manchester, 1605 and Simeon is torn from his mother to sing at the cathedral school. In the here and now of modern Manchester, Kate's father has mysteriously vanished. Suddenly Simeon and Kate's lives are bound together by the power of the cathedral's Angel stone. One of them must make a terrible sacrifice. But who will it be - and at what cost to their future? And their past? The Review: Much as I love historical fiction, I have to admit, this was a little confusing in places, due to the switching between modern-day Manchester and the Manchester of 1605

The Abortionist

The Black Tattoo Author: Sam Enthoven ISBN # 0385609655 Publisher: Doubleday First Published: 2006 488 pages Rating: 7/10 The Blurb: Jack doesn't know what he's got himself into. One minute he and his best friend Charlie were up in Chinatown having crispy duck with Charlie's dad (and Jack was having to listen to Charlie shouting at his dad for leaving his mum) - then next minute they were in a mysterious room above a theatre, with some of the strangest characters they'd ever encountered. And they were about to take The Test... and something very, very weird was about to begin. The Test transformed Charlie - leaving him with the distinctive markings of the Black Tattoo - and with a temper that seemed out of control. The boys' meeting with Esme, a young girl with the most impressive martial arts skills this side of Bruce Lee, her huge and hairy father Raymond, and the mysterious Nick seemed to have swept Charlie and Jack into a world they had no idea existed. And it was only going to get stranger...This epic tale of good and evil, demons and hell, vomiting bats and huge battles marks the debut of an incredible new talent for children's books. Drawing on influences such as comic books, computer games and Eastern martial arts, The Black Tattoo is a book no self-respecting teenage boy will want to miss. The Review: Although I loved the dark, broodiness of The Black Tattoo, I can

Frankenstein Author: Mary Shelley ISBN # 0192834878 Publisher: Oxford University Press First Published: 1818 239 pages Rating: 7/10 The Blurb: Obsessed by creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, which he shocks into life by electricity. But his botched creature, rejected by Frankenstein and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear. Mary Shelley's chilling gothic tale was conceived when she was only eighteen, living with her lover Percy Shelley near Byron's villa on Lake Geneva. It would become the world's most famous work of horror fiction, and remains a devastating exploration of the limits of human creativity. The Review: I once read an abridged version of this classic novel as a child (I think I was about eight years old) and I remember being absolutely absorbed by the story of a man so caught up in his own quest for knowledge that he crosses a line and descends into a life of pure horror. Picking up the full, unabridged version more than twenty years later for a reading circle was a little daunting

Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony Author: Eoin Colfer ISBN # 0141382686 Publisher: Puffin First Published: 2006 376 pages Rating: 8/10 The Blurb: Ten millennia ago, the fairy people were defeated in a great battle with mankind, forcing them to move underground. Only the 8th family of fairies remained undefeated: the demons. But now one demon has discovered the secrets of the fairy world, and if humans get hold of this information, the fairies are in big trouble. Only one person can prevent this disaster - teenage criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl. The Review: Artemis Fowl has done a bit of growing up since he first kidnapped a fairy in order to gain possession of a fortune in fairy gold, but that doesn

Vampire Beach: Initiation Author: Alex Duval ISBN # 1862301972 Publisher: Red Fox Books First Published: 2005 215 pages Rating: 8/10 The Blurb: Jason and his sister have moved to Malibu, and now live in a town full of very beautiful, very rich, very cool people - who just happen to be vampires. Jason is pretty obsessed with the sexiest girl in town, Sienna Devereux - and has little time to spend worrying about the rest of the vampires. But as Thanksgiving approaches, and Jason's Aunt Megan comes to stay, he realises that there's something weird going on in De Vere Heights. Could Megan be involves somehow? And, when his old friend Tyler turns up too, and starts to mess with the wrong people, Jason starts to understand that they're all playing with something much more dangerous than it first seemed...This is another brilliantly commercial and accessible read, with massive appeal. The Review: This sassy, sexy sequel is just as fast-paced, edgy and cool as the first book, Vampire Beach: Bloodlust – if the characters were any more hip, they’d be perpetually pelvic! Yet, there’s more of a human side shown in the vampires this time round – they might be the cool kids, but they have problems too, and it’s not necessarily the blood-drinkers that cause all the trouble. This is exactly the kind of brash, bold book that teens will love to get their teeth into (if you’ll pardon the pun).

LOL - I got one for Xmas last year, but I've hardly used it! It came with a small booklet of recipes - does yous not have something with it like that? in the meantime, there's a couple of handy sites full of recipes here and here.

I ADORE The Wind in the Willows! I still have a lovely hardback copy I was given when I was very little & it still gets re-read now. Speaking of which, i think it must be coming up to time for a re-read again very soon...

Appropriate reading for the Halloween weekend there - it sounds interesting. Can't wait to hear what you think of it!

That carrot & coriander soup sounds lovely - I'll have to try that. Also like the cound of the leek & potato soup - mmm! Would love the recipe for the mushroom & leek soup though - sounds intriguing! I shall have to hunt out a couple of winter soup recipes too...

I loved this book & also the animated film. There's a live-action film been made too - I believe Dakota Fanning is in it...

*Hyperventilating wildly* OMG! How did she resist jumping his bones????!!!!!

Ooh, enjoy TTW, Kat - it's certainly very unusual & enjoyable. Be sure to nip along to the Reading Circle thread & add your thoughts about it.

Finished The Abortionist's Daughter last night & it was rather enjoyable - definitely recommended for a light read. Although it's easy to read, it still makes you think a bit about ethics & what you might do if you were in that situation. It's more of a character piece, though, focusing on the people & their relationships with one another, & only really looking a the events to see how they effect the various characters as they progress. Very nicely done. Have now moved onto The Angel Stone by Livi Michael, which is proving rather interesting too.

Even if you didn't enjoy it, it would look so gorgeous on your shelf that I'm sure you wouldn't mind all that much - LOL!

I agree - The Stand remains one of my faves, not just of Stephen King's books, but of all the books I've read. In my opinion, it's the most complete of King's novels & it warrants it being that bit longer than his others as you get such in-depth character study - you feel you know the people involved. To top it all off, it's an excellent story too. Definitely worth a read!

I quite liked Firestarter too - I just read it last year. I've never seen the film though.

I bought the beautiful black hardback edition for a friend's birthday earlier in the year, & have the paperback waiting to be read here too. Dying to get round to it!