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Kell

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  1. W... W... W... Wednesdays * What are you currently reading? * What did you recently finish reading? * What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading? Maria V. Snyder – Magic Study (Study 2) See yesterday’s Teaser Tuesday for a taste of this novel! JK Rowling – Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone (Harry Potter 1) This is a re-read for me and I’m reading it right now purely because Xander picked it up and asked me to read it to him. For one so young, he certainly appreciates a good story, so I’ll continue to read it to him (it may take some time) and, depending on how he enjoys it, may well continue with the rest of the series. He’s a little young for it really, but he enjoys hearing me read aloud to him and I’m not going ot tell him “no” when he requests I read a children’s book to him! What did you recently finish reading? G. P. Taylor – The Ghost Diamonds (Mariah Mundi 2) Having read the first in this series last year, and finding it rather average, I thought I’d give the series a second chance. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this installment any better. The plot seems to be all over the place and as a result, the pace is fragmented. I also remain unenamored of the characters and unimpressed by Taylor’s writing style. So, after a second try, I think I’ll steer clear of the rest of this series and also other works by the author – they’re just not for me. What do you think you’ll read next? Barbara Ewing – The Mesmerist I picked this one up for £1 in Asda (I’m a sucker for a bargain!) and loved the cover, so it found its way into the shopping trolley. Well, can you blame me? I figured this will bridge the gap till I can get to the library again and get the next in the several series I’m currently reading…
  2. I might have to add this to my "must get" list for when I go to the library...
  3. TEASER TUESDAYS 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My teasers: - page 79, Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder - page 159, Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder This is the second in the Study trilogy by Maria V. Snyder (starting with Poison Study and ending with Fire Study), following the fate of Yelena Zaltana. I enjoyed the first book back in 2009, when I picked up a copy for £1 in a shop. I spotted the second one in the library and remembered how good Poison Study was, so I thought I’d pick this one up and continue the story to see if it was as good. I’m not very far in, but so far, it’s promising to live up to my expectations, so I’ll most likely get hold of the third one from the library too when I next go.
  4. Hi Alen. I removed the link you left ni your post on the True Blood thread. Please read our rules regarding links. Thank you.

  5. BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY What, if any, kind of music do you listen to when you’re reading? (Given a choice, of course!) Actually, I don’t tend to listen to music while I’m reading – I prefer things to be as quiet as possible, although if there is background noise, I’m pretty good at filtering it out. The two places I most often find time to read are in bed and in a cafe before I start work three evening a week. In bed, my hubby tends to have the radio on quietly, so it’s Talk Sport I tune out. At the cafe, it can be anything, but more often than not, it’s a combination of easy listening and soft jazz. Either way, I’m so focussed on my book that I don’t tend to take any notice of it. The thing is, if I’m actually listening to music, I can’t resist singing along to it, which would distract me from my reading.
  6. I'm going to get hold of the books and read them at a rate of one each month so I can spread it out a little. I think there are 6 books in teh series, so if istart reading them next month, that will take me to the end of the year, and then I'll only have a few more months to wait till season 2... I wonder if anyone else would be interested in a reading circle based on that..? ETA: Argh! There are only 5 books!!! That would take me to November. Maybe I'll start reading in August... ETA: I've set up a poll re this HERE.
  7. That is AWESOME! Well done to him, taking on the big guys himself and winning!
  8. W... W... W... Wednesdays * What are you currently reading? * What did you recently finish reading? * What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading? G. P. Taylor – The Ghost Diamonds (Mariah Mundi 2) I read the first book in this series and it was about average, but I thought I’d give the second one a chance to see if it improves, because the title character was quite interesting. Let’s see how it pans out… What did you recently finish reading? Malinda Lo – Ash Ash is an enchanting and unusual retelling of the Cinderella story. It’s at once haunting and achingly beautiful, Malinda Lo has captured the well-known fairytale and transformed it into something completely original and surprising. The characters w all know and love from Cinderella are all present and correct, but there are some changes that mean you won’t expect all that will unfold. Philip Pullman – The Shadow in the North (Sally Lockhart 2) I didn’t enjoy this second Sally Lockhart book quite as much as the first one, but it was still good enough for me to want to continue with the series. Sally isn’t a particularly likeable character, but she softens a little during the course of this novel and I’ll be interested to see where things go from here. What do you think you’ll read next? Maria V. Snyder – Magic Study (Study 2) I read the first book, Poison Study, two years ago after buying it on impulse when I saw it for £1 in a shop. It turned out to be a very good read, so I’m continuing with yet another series in the hopes that it will be another one I enjoy!
  9. I'm completely skinto at the moment, so even though I have a big pile of books waiting to be read, I've been visiting the library a lot lately. I also dontate all my books that I'm finished with and not keepiing to my old school library (which is also a public library, as they had all their funding for new books cut several years ago. I've already donated about 200 bokos to there and have another dozen or so waiting to be taken there. I love the thought that I'm helpnig out a library that meant so much to me growing up (I spent all my breaks and free periods in there as it was nice and peaceful and I wouldn't get bullied in there - LOL!), even though I don't live there any more (it's a small town just south of the city where I live).
  10. TEASER TUESDAYS 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My teasers: - page 37, The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman - page 131, The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman This is the second book in the Sally Lockhart series and although I haven’t enjoyed it quite as much as the first one, it’s still pretty good, and certainly good enough for me to want to continue with the rest of the series. I’m almost finished, so these teasers make far more sense to me than they might to someone coming to them out of context, but they do both give you a bit of the book’s flavour. Both teasers are from very theatrical moments in the plot – the first at a spiritualist meeting, the second at a music hall show, both of which play a significant part in the proceedings…
  11. April??? We have to wait till APRIL??????? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  12. Watched the final episode last night - what a great way to end it! I can hardly wait for season 2 to start - I wish I knew when that would be!
  13. Kell

    Google Today

    Sheesh! It looks kinda freaky to me! Not a fan of that style at all, so I'll be avoiding Google for the rest of the day, I'm afraid!
  14. Try your local library - you'd be able to listen to it for free if they have it!
  15. I've removed the link from your post. Please read the rules regarding posting links. Thank you.

  16. Yes, the film is nowhere near as good as the book (and deviated quite wildly from the original plot in parts whilst completely disregarding others). Read the book, listen to the radio plays, and maybe watch the old TV series because that was brilliant too.
  17. Kell

    Castle

    I was in excited ditz mode and completely missed the posts above the one I was making - I just dashed straight in and posted - LOL!
  18. Kell

    Castle

    If anyone hasn't seen it or would like ot watch from the beginning, Castle starts on Channel 5 tonight at 9pm.
  19. #4 is STILL my favourite. Season 4 of True Blood starts soon and I'm desperately hoping they stick at least roughly to book four...
  20. BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY With the advent (and growing popularity) of eBooks, I’m seeing more and more articles about how much “better” they can be, because they have the option to be interactive … videos, music, glossaries … all sorts of little extra goodies to help “enhance” your reading experience, rather like listening to the Director’s commentary on a DVD of your favorite movie. How do you feel about that possibility? Does it excite you in a cutting-edge kind of way? Or does it chill you to the bone because that’s not what reading is ABOUT? I’ve actually written a couple of articles on the subject of e-readers for The Book Club Forum Blog (Could E-Readers spell the E-nd of books? and E-books Outselling Hardbacks on Amazon…). Personally, I’m not bothered about book trailers, music and commentaries with my books – I like to read in as peaceful surroundings as I can find, so having noise as part and parcel of a book wouldn’t appeal to me at all. If I were to some day have an e-reader, it would be solely to read books and be able to transport a huge library of them with me at all times, so that if I get bored with my current book, I still have alternatives from which to choose. However, I love the heft of a physical book in my hands. I love the smell of the paper. I love the gentle rustle of the pages as I turn them and the texture of them under my fingers. I love to turn the book over in my hands and admire the cover art. With an e-reader, I would have none of that tactile experience that adds to my enjoyment of reading. I’m not saying I’ll never get an e-reader, in fact, I’m certain I will one day have one of my own, but for me, a machine will never replace physical books. There’s nothing quite like browsing in a well-stocked book shop, or losing yourself in the stacks at the library, and downloading a book directly to your e-reader will never be able to replicate that sensation of being completely surrounded by books.
  21. W... W... W... Wednesdays * What are you currently reading? * What did you recently finish reading? * What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading? Malinda Lo – Ash See yesterday’s Teaser Tuesday for a taste of this reworking of the Cinderella story. What did you recently finish reading? Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell – Return of the Emerald Skull (Barnaby Grimes 2) When it comes to tales that will grab youngsters and really keep them gripped to the end, you’d be hard pushed to find another writer/illustrator team that can match up to these guys. Return of the Emerald Skull is dark and dangerous and just gruesome enough to appeal to young lads! Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell – Legion of the Dead (Barnaby Grimes 3) The third installment of the Barnaby Grimes series is every bit as enthralling as the first two. They keep getting darker as Barnaby is thrust into yet more thrilling adventures. I’ll definitely be getting hold of the last in the series… Simon Scarrow – The Legion Yes,I finally found the time to finish this one and it was worth every second! Although this is the tenth novel ni the series, it’s still as fresh and exciting as the first. Scarrow manages to keep the plots and characters cranked right up, and the tension of life in the Roman military is brought sharply to life by an absolute master of historical fiction. Julia Golding – Cat Among the Pigeons Julia Golding isn’t afraid to tackle big themes, even though they’re aimed at a younger audience. In The Diamond of Drury Lane, the story revolved around political activism and freedom of speech; this time it’s slavery. Golding never condescends to her audience and she handles her subject matter with great skill. The characters and situations are all wonderful and incredibly real. What do you think you’ll read next? Philip Pullman – The Shadow in the North (Sally Lockhart 2) I really enjoyed meeting Sally Lockhart, so I’m looking forward to following her further adventures in this, the second in the series…
  22. I've had several - it's easier if you use them with hardbacks, as you can just clip them to the cover and not have to move it each time you want to turn the page...
  23. A 9-y-o boy would LOVE The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell - they're excellent.
  24. TEASER TUESDAYS 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Ash by Malinda Lo My teasers: At night when she sat beside her mother’s grave, wondering if this would be the night that someone – something – came to take her away, as Maire Solanye had warned, she watched the darkness gathering in the nearby trees with equal parts dread and anticipation. What lay beyond those trees? ~ pages 29-30, Ash by Malinda Lo He looked down at her for a moment, the light of dawn seeking out the colour of his eyes and making him look almost human. Then he turned his horse around to go back into the Wood, and she watched him go, feeling as if her world had split wide open. ~ page 134, Ash by Malinda Lo I picked up this novel from the library as I love reworked fairytales and this one explores a Cinderella story. I’ve passed the first teaser, but haven’t yet reached the second one. So far I love it! It mixes the “Old Ways” with a little sprinkling of the Fair Folk and some folk magic in a way that seems far more believable than the traditional tale. Aisling (also known as Ash) is the central character and she’s just a normal girl whose world is falling apart after she loses first her mother, then her father, and is left with a step-mother and step-sisters who mistreat her. But is there more to Ash than meets the eye?
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