Lilywhite

I have lately been very good at leaving bookshops without books. At one point I had to stop getting books by any means until my TBR pile had significantly decreased. I do allow myself the odd book now and again but I find buying brand new and hardback, especially, a bit expensive if I have no intention of keeping them. It's hard re-training yourself but I think I'm getting better.

I'm just enjoying a glass of a Chilean Merlot Rose I spotted in Somerfield this afternoon. A combination of my three favourite wine types, it's really lovely.

Oooops, I forgot to update this thread. Although I'm sure I did I finished Maggie's Tree but wasn't blown away by it. It was a good story although a bit disjointed and hard to follow. But I suppose that was the point of it. I then picked up Undead and Unreturnable ~ Mary-Janice Davidson Just when Betsy Taylor thinks she's adjusted to her after-life as a vampire queen, fate intervenes. It's bad enough having to view your own gravestone but now Betsy's even started seeing dead people - an assortment of demanding ghosts who are determined to make her do their bidding. Betsy also has some personal stuff to deal with - not least of which is planning her Spring - and midnight - wedding to Sinclair. Meanwhile her half-sister is starting to display signs of inheriting her real mother's temper. And when your mother's the devil, that's a real cause for concern... I think I've read this one out of order because there's some story missing, although I do have another book to read in this series which may be the missing peice of the puzzle for me. Another great vamp/chick-lit book which doesn't take much thinking about. I love Betsy Taylor.

I just had my Special K (which I'm slightly addicted to at the moment, it's yummy)

Hi and Welcome Adam, great to see more guys around and one from across the pond no less

Welcome KirstyKat, Lovely to see you're enjoying it here already I'm also a big historical fiction fan and I'm slowly working my way through the different authors. I love Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick. I highly recommend Posie Graeme-Evans and Lesley Pearse (like my mum, Madcow) if you haven't already tried them.

Hi there Amber, nice to have you here. I was in a similar position to you when I was younger. I've always been an 'older reader'. Although, you're sure to find some similar company here and some great new books to read into the bargain. Hope to see you around.

Hi Kenny, How goes it? What's your favourite Dragon book so far? Mine is Eragon, I just love Saphira.

Hi Hammy, long time no see. Glad you're back though

Wow, she really has written more than I thought. Have you considered giving us some thoughts on the books you've read and maybe a comparison? I've never really known where to start with Margaret Atwood and you seem to be gathering such a wealth of information. Would you care to share a little with those of us who are interested

It feels like it's taken me forever to read this book but the truth is I read it in a few sittings, they were just a while apart. After the initial 75 pages that I found difficult to follow, the story really begain to flow and I really enjoyed this one. A great build up to the end and a few twists and turns to keep you on your toes. I did have slight trouble with the 14thC Italian names and characters kept getting crossed in my mind but I think that was more from being tired and having long breaks between reading. A great book and I recommend it if you are a fan of historical fiction. I'm now reading Maggie's Tree ~ Julie Walters It was supposed to be 'a lovely break'. As their mutual friend Helena is the toast of Broadway, stand-up comedian Cissie O'Brien, who is the nation's darling with her popular television series, decides to take the beautiful and troubled actress Maggie Salt to New York to see her. But Maggie, a destructive whirlpool of a personality, is cracking up fast - 'out of her tree' - and on arrival she suddenly disappears into the freezing February night, no one knows where. As the search for their friend continues, dangerous cracks occur in the lifelong relationships of Cissie, Helena and her stoic husband Mark. Helena has always been utterly self-centred and now Cissie, haunted by the tabloid outing of her relationship with her lover Jenny back home, disappears too. Now, two of the closest of friends are lost separately somewhere in snowbound Manhattan. Meanwhile, Maggie has been rescued by a stranger, Michael, who offers her sanctuary of a highly ambiguous kind. Julie Walters' dark and very funny first novel is as assured as her celebrated work for stage, television and the cinema. It is a brilliant debut.

It has to be Lost for me too and Greys Anatomy Season 4 (plus spin off) Lost isn't too bad, it should be quite soon but Greys will be ages yet as they haven't finished showing Season 3 on Living yet.

For substance and discussion but not too long I would recommend Jodi Picoult. They read easily and are always great discussion starters due to the moral implications of her main characters. My favourite so far is My Sisters Keeper but all her books are a great read.

I've finished Karma today and I really enjoyed it. A fun and light read with a loveable lead character that you can't help but love. Well recommended. I'm going to go back and try and finish Painting Mona Lisa now.

It has to be the bed for me, I love to curl up and read there. I also read in the bath, on the sofa, on the bus, work canteen (because they banned books at desks )..... anywhere I can really.

I'm finding it very slow and hard to get into at the minute. Luckily I read a couple of books previously on the Medici family, so I kinda get what's going on, otherwise, I think I would be a bit lost by now. I have decided to put it on hold for the time being and try something completely different. I've gone for Karma ~ Holly A Harvey from our bookring.

Darn it, I will have to change my mind because that book is not acessible right now. I only have a pile of about six books I casn reach until they put my flat back together again. So I've chosen Painting Mona Lisa ~ Jeanne Kalogridis An intricately woven tale of betrayal, love and loss, which unravels the mysteries surrounding da Vinci's most famous portrait. April 26, 1478. Giuliano de Medici, brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the head of the powerful Florentine Medici family, is assassinated. Ten years later, a young Lisa Gherardini listens to the story of Giuliano's death, unaware of the significance it holds for her future. Drawn into the Medici circle by her passion for the Arts, Lisa meets the Medici's most luminescent friend: da Vinci. Against the turbulent backdrop of Savonarola's Florence, the two become conspirators and eventually each other's saviours in this parallel love story of infinite twists.

I'm looking forward to it, it's been looking at me for a while now

I finished Broken Bodies last night and I quite enjoyed this book. I like June Hampsons style of crime writing and her characters have developed more in the second book. If you like Martina Cole then you will appreciate June Hampson. Now back Close ~ Martina Cole

I picked up June Hampson ~ Broken Bodies at the library the other day on a whim. It's her second book and carries on from the last one (Trust Nobody I think it's called), a great gangster crime novel set in time of the Krays, not unlike Martina Cole. Tears swam in Daisy's eyes. She tried to blink them away. Eddie never had the chance to know about his baby son. Never had the chance to hold little Eddie in his arms. Roy Kemp had seen to that, when he found out Eddie had been poaching on his manor. Daisy didn't even know where Eddie's body was. Only that he was dead. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Determination swept over her once more. She would get Roy Kemp....

We have a thread about him here , feel free to join and add you're own opinion. Welcome to the site too... (Moved to authors section)

I finished Love in the Present Tense today and I'm still a bit unsure about my feelings towards it. It's a great story, written with a lot of feeling but it just didn't run deep enough for my liking. It was more of a fable than a story, with the ingrained moral message running through it. Although the characters were likeable and I liked the way the story moved between them so you got the whole of the story. I would recommend it, just don't expect too much from it.

If I'm honest I only bought it because it was in the 3 for 2 at Waterstone's. I probably wouldn't have tried it otherwise, but then again, I've found a lot of good books that way. Will keep you posted on the progress.

Just done some slimming down of my TBR list and removed a few I no longer wish to read, it wasn't that many though, to be honest. My next read is Catherine Ryan Hyde ~ Love In The Present Tense. My choices are a bit limited at the moment as I had to stack my bookshelves away. This one seems to be a good read so far though. Leonard is an eerily wise five-year-old boy with asthma and vision problems, who captivates everyone he meets. Pearl is Leonard's devoted teenage mother, desperately trying to hide a violent secret from her past. Mitch is Leonard's 25-year-old neighbour, busy running his own company and entertaining the Mayor's wife. Then one day, Pearl drops Leonard off with Mitch and never returns. How do you go on lving someone who isn't there? As truth and fiction, memory and dreams collide, mitch finds himself learning from a surprising source the true, magical definition of love.

I've just finished this one, I read it in 3 sittings. It's not very taxing on the old grey matter but a good crime story. Very Patricia Cornwell, if you're a fan of hers. Good twists and turns as you follow the investigation and enough hints to keep you guessing at the perpatrator.