Kell

I read two other novels by the author last year (The Secret Garden and A Little Princess) and this is just as good so far.

WWW Wednesday What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading? Susan Hill – Howards End is on the Landing A year of reading from home, by one of Britain’s most distinguished authors. I thought this might inspire me to read more from Mount To-Be-Read, rather than buying new books at random, although with all the freebies available for the Kindle, grabbing freebies may well become my new obsession. Still, I’ve been looking forward to reading this… Frances Hodgson Burnett – Little Lord Fauntleroy Both the novels I read by this author last year were 5-stars for me, so I thought I’d read a few more of her books. This one is a free download on my Kindle. What did you recently finish reading? Anne Brontë – Agnes Grey (e-book) - 4/5 Anne Bronte has become my favourite Bronte sister. Both her novels, but especially this, have a quiet kind of passion, and Agnes Grey displays a very reserved longing for love without showing any expectation of it. Based on Anne’s personal experiences of being a governess, I wonder how much of this novel is based on fact and how much is fabrication, but either way, Anne’s deft handling of the characters and situation, in my opinion, outshines the ability of both her sisters, giving a much more natural and realistic impression of life and love at that time. Patrick deWitt – The Sisters Brothers - 4/5 I’m not exactly sure what it is about this novel that I liked so much – I only know that I enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps it’s the simple eloquence of Eli Sisters’ narration that belies the complexities of character in both him and his brother. Perhaps it’s his dispassionate approach to killing juxtaposed by his wish to finally settle down and find a chance at love and redemption. Or perhaps it’s just that it’s a great story with great characters and the writing is superb. Whatever it is, this has awakened in me a desire to try more westerns when, before this, I had no interest in them at all. Philippa Gregory – The Women of the Cousins’ War - 5/5 This non-fiction study of the three women (Jaquetta of Luxembourg, Elizabeth Woodville, and Margaret Beaufort) portrayed in the Cousins’ War series is absolutely fascinating! I was aware that women have been marginalised throughout history, but I never stopped to think how those who did make it to the pages of the history books might have been so horrendously misrepresented. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, especially of the period of unrest known as the War of the Roses, irrespective of whether you are a fan of Gregory’s novels, I think you’ll find this interesting. Marissa Meyer – Cinder - 4/5 A cyborg Cinderella? Count me in! This is one of the most innovative twists on the Cinderella story I’ve encountered so far. I was intrigued by the cover when I saw it on a blog and reading the reviews confirmed it as something that would most likely appeal to me – it certainly lived up to its promise! I absolutely loved the character of Cinder – her mix of cool machine and emotional person made for a great combination and she was both believable and sympathetic. The setting could have been anywhere, if I’m brutally honest, as there was very little in the way of actual description or mention of traditions in New Beijing that might link it to old Beijing, but I get the feeling it’s a set up for the rest of the series, so I’m more than willing to let that slide ni the hopes that it’s developed further in the subsequent novels. I’ll certainly be looking out for the next book when it’s published. Caroline Hanson – Bewitching the Werewolf (e-book) - 2/5 A fun, slightly sexy little paranormal romance short story. It could have done with being a little sexier, and even though it’s very short, I would have liked a little more character and romantic development. That said, for the short length, it’s entertaining enough and fills a half hour or so nicely. What do you think you’ll read next? Stuart MacBride – Birthdays for the Dead Not set in Aberdeen and not about Logan McRae or any of this colleagues, but it’s by Stuart Macbride and that’s more than good enough for me! I love his books!

The way I think it went is like this: I have to admit, I shed a few tears when Sherlock was on the roof, shedding tears of his own. This was my favourite episode yet, despite the fact that I do not like how Moriarty has been portrayed as a giggling psycho in this series (I've always pictured him as being as cool and calculating as Sherlock - the psychopath to Sherlock's sociopath, if you will). The giggling just didn't do it for me. However, that's pretty much my only complaint. There just HAVE to me more episodes coming!!!

I have Birthdays For the Dead by Stuart MacBride as of today!

Bought the latest Stuart MacBride novel with the points on my Waterstones card (fabulous! Now I remember why I bought everyone books for Xmas!) and am now in the library with Xan. Catching up with all my internet stuff here as the computers are unplugged at home while Dale lays the new laminate flooring in the living room.

Last Sherlock tonight at 9pm on BBC1, folks! Who's going to be watching? I know I am!

Ham and pease pudding sandwich. My sister was visiting family in Northumberland and brought back some pease pudding from the butcher shop at the end of my Grom's street. They make THE best pease pudding inthe world - it's the only stuff Ill eat.

Are you enjoying The Stand, Karsa? It's one of my all time favourites.

I tried one by Allende a while back - Daughter of Fortune - after hearing loads of rave reviews of it. I wasn't impressed and only rated it 2/5.

Ones I've read prior to this challenge: A Study in Scarlet The Sign of Four The Hound of the Baskervilles A Scandal in Bohemia The Adventure of the Red-Headed League The Adventure of the Speckled Band The Adventure of the Dancing Men The Adventure of the Six Napoleons I've possibly read others too, but these are the ones I recall reading and remember the plots. If I've read others, I'd have to re-read them to properly remember...

Finished reading: Philippa Gregory - The Women of the Cousins’ War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King’s Mother - 5/5 Marissa Meyer - Cinder - 4/5 Caroline Hanson - Bewitching the Werewolf (e-book) - 2/5 Currently reading: Susan Hill - Howards End is on the Landing Frances Hodgson Burnett - Little Lord Fauntleroy (e-book)

I got 9/10, but took 10931 seconds because the daily update thingie started while I was taking it and wouldn't let me submit my answers till later - LOL!

I recently downloaded the entire Sherlock Holmes collection, so I may well take up this challenge.

Oh, I LOVE that cover!

Are you enjoying The Child Thief, Paula? I'll freely admit I adored it, but then I love all Brom's work. I really fancy the look of this one.

I've been downloading more freebies for my Kindle: Dee Henderson - The Witness Derek Keyte and Danielle Keyte - Compromised Caroline Hanson - Bewitching the Werewolf Eric Meyer - Killing Faith Richard Crawford - Soul Mate Richard Sanders - The Phoenix Conspiracy Jude Ryan - The Afterlife Club L J Sellers - Dying for Justice Tim Ellis - Jacob's Ladder Kealan Patrick Burke - The Turtle boy Kealan Patrick Burke - Underneath S A Hunter - Scary Mary Aiden James - Deadly Night Lee Goldberg - Watch Me Die Sheri Leigh - Graveyard Games Rebecca Forster - Hostile Witness Homer - The Iliad

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte - 4/5 Amazon UK Anne Bronte has become my favourite Bronte sister. Both her novels, but especially this, have a quiet kind of passion, and Agnes Grey displays a very reserved longing for love without showing any expectation of it. Based on Anne's personal experiences of being a governess, I wonder how much of this novel is based on fact and how much is fabrication, but either way, Anne's deft handling of the characters and situation, in my opinion, outshines the ability of both her sisters, giving a much more natural and realistic impression of life and love at that time. Great for fans of classics and of the other Bronte sisters and Jane Austen.

Finished The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt last night. Very good.

Finished reading Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte this evening. Loved it. Am also on the verge of finishing The Sisters Brotehrs by Patrick deWitt. Loving it too.

Friday Finds What great books did you hear about / discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS! By following links to blogs taking part in various memes, I’ve heard about so many great books it would be impossible to list them all. I’m also a regular visitor to our local library and am always eagerly awaiting newly published books by my favourite authors. However, here are the ones that really stood out for me this week and for which I’ll be looking out on future book acquisition expeditions: Mary Robinette Kowal – Shades of Milk and Honey Mary Robinette Kowal - Glamour in Glass Robert Arellano – Curse the Names Ella March Chase – The Virgin Queen’s Daughter Ella March Chase – Three Maids for a Crown Daniel Coleman – Hatter Daniel Coleman – Jabberwocky They’ve all gone onto my wish list!

Booking Through Thursday Interview, part 2 1. What’s your favorite time of day to read? Any time of the day that I can snatch a few minutes to settle with a book is my favourite time of day to read! 2. Do you read during breakfast? (Assuming you eat breakfast.) I don’t get a chance to, as I have breakfast with my 3-year-old son. 3. What’s your favorite breakfast food? (Noting that breakfast foods can be eaten any time of day.) I don’t have either of these very often, but a bacon butty (with the bacon done crispy) or scrambled eggs on wholewheat toast would probably be my favourites. 4. How many hours a day would you say you read? It depends on what’s going on in my day. If I take Xander to a play centre and we don’t have friends with us, then I grab an hour or so of reading then. If I’m working in the evening, I go to the cafe across the road from work and read while I have a cuppa. Mostly though, I read in bed. I’d say I average around 2 hours of reading most days, sometimes a little more, sometimes less. 5. Do you read more or less now than you did, say, 10 years ago? Definitely less. As little as for or five years ago I was averaging 125 – 150 books each year. Last year I hit a grand total of 90, but the years before that were 52 and 58. Since Xander was born, I just don’t have the time for other stuff that I used to, and I wouldn’t change that for the world. 6. Do you consider yourself a speed reader? It depends on how much I’m enjoying a book or get engrossed in it. If it’s a light read, I can zip through it, but some great books take more time and consideration. I do, however, find I read faster on my Kindle than I do physical books. 7. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I have a superpower – it’s called being a busy Mum and still finding a little time to do things for myself once in a while. I am Multi-Task Woman! 8. Do you carry a book with you everywhere you go? Yes. Always. Even on my wedding day I had one of those little gift books (you know the ones with the inspirational sayings for special occasions?) in my bag, just so I wouldn’t be without a book, even if I didn’t read anything that day. It’s even easier now I have my Kindle, as I can carry an entire library with me wherever I go! 9. What KIND of book? ANY kind of book, really! Pre-Kindle, I used to carry a paperback in my bag, now I take my Kindle and it’s loaded up with all manner of things from classics to brand new stuff of every genre. 10. How old were you when you got your first library card? I think I most probably had one pretty much from birth. My Mam’s a big reader and I remember going to the library from a very young age (and I can remember some events as far back as being two-years old!). Xan got his library card pretty much as soon as I took him out of the house the first time and we’ve been regulars at the library since he was tiny. He loves visiting the library – he’s as big a book fan as I am and he’s only three! 11. What’s the oldest book you have in your collection? (Oldest physical copy? Longest in the collection? Oldest copyright?) I still have a copy of The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter which my Dad got me when I was about a year old. It’s tatty and falling apart, but I wouldn’t part with it for the world. Several of my childhood books have survived in very good condition (The Nursery Alice, The Wind in the Willows, Winnie the Pooh, etc) and are now on Xander’s bookshelf. I also have an old second-hand, linen-bound copy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare which was published in 1909. That’s probably the oldest in terms of physical age AND copyright. 12. Do you read in bed? Every night. I can’t sleep unless I’ve read at least a paragraph or two, even if I’m exhausted. 13. Do you write in your books? NO! Never! Not even in those I used for studies at school or college! Writing in printed books is something I find abhorrent. I cannot do it and hate to see it. I once picked up a second-hand copy of a book I really wanted but couldn’t buy it because it was highlighted, underlined and annotated by a previous owner. I was nearly sick with the horror of it! 14. If you had one piece of advice to a new reader, what would it be? Don’t waste time on a book you’re not enjoying. There are so many great books out there waiting for you to read them, and you only have a finite amount of time. It’s alright to ditch a book you find dull. I used to feel guilty if I didn’t finish a book I’d started, but now, if it hasn’t grabbed me by page 50, I get shot of it and read something else instead without a single shred of guilt.

I have The Penal Colony on my Kindle too - my Mam recommended it.

I don't think it's possible. As you're able t ochange the size of font, that would then alter the "page number" but doesn't affect the percentage. Incidentally, if anyone is intrested in finding FREE e-books, I've started a thread for people to recommend the freebies they've read. Kindle Klub.

I was sure we had one of these threads already, but I can't for the life of me find it. If we do find it, we'll merge the two. In the meantime, here's a pic of me taken last month. Forgive the terrible quality, but I took it myself with my phone. Xander insisted coz I was taking pics of him - LOL!

Classics Challenge January Prompt About the Author – Anne Brontë I’m currently reading Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë and am about half way through. Anne Brontë was born in January 1820, and was the youngest of the famous writing Brontë sisters. She spent her youth living in Haworth on the Yorkshire Moors, and at the age of nineteen became a governess and remained so for six years. Her first novel, Agnes Grey (1847), was based on her experiences as a governess. Her other novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was published a year later. Although she collaborated on a volume of poetry with her sisters, she never wrote any other novels, and her life was tragically cut short when she died, aged 29, of pulmonary tuberculosis. Interesting facts: Anne and her sisters considered the possibility of setting-up their own school, but the idea never came to fruition. All three sisters wrote under pseudonyms – Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. Currer was Charlotte, Ellis was Emily and Acton was Anne. Anne’s writing style differs from that of her sisters in that she’s far more realistic in her approach, and less romantic. She comes across as very matter-of-fact and I think I actually prefer this. Although I loved Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights by her sisters, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is my favourite of the Brontë novels I have read so far, and I am enjoying Agnes Grey very much. The opening phrases of Agnes Grey seem to me to be very typical of Anne and are indicative of her down-to-earth style. (See my Teaser Tuesday post HERE). Anne based Agnes Grey on her own experiences as a governess. Although names and events are obviously different and the novel is a work of fiction, it is easy to see that Anne felt quite passionately about her role in forming the minds and opinions of children and was very firm in her beliefs and morals, as well as how that should affect her teaching of those under her charge. Until more recently, Anne seems to have been viewed as the lesser of the sisters in terms of writing, but her novels, although less romantic, are no less passionate and her writing has stood the test of time, meaning she is now seen as a novelist of merit on her own terms, which is only right, as her writing is beautiful, poignant and ambitious.