Janet

It's one of my all-time favourite books, Chalie - I'm glad you're enjoying it. Eeep, I hope it's not your mojo. I read this for book club last year - it wasn't what I expected (it was described on the front as being like Birdsong, but I preferred that) although I did enjoy it - it was much lighter than I imagined it would be. I loved the former, and have the latter on my wish list. It's in one of my nearby libraries so I might see if it's still then when I next pass by.

I'm glad you're enjoying I Capture the Castle. Personally I'd be happy to take this into the bath in the hope of dropping it and rendering it unreadable, but I'm in the minority here! I finished Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy today and am about to start Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper - a YA book and the sequel to the excellent At the Sign of the Sugared Plum. ETA: Ooops - I thought this was the most recent post but I managed to miss two further pages of replies!

Hmmmm! I downloaded this recently (well, only 20p so why not?!) but I didn't really fancy it much. I can't say your review has made it any more appealing! I might get round to it at some stage, so I will bear in mind what you say about it getting better towards the end, but with so many books on my shelves (and so many free classics beckoning) I'm not sure it'll happen during 2013!

Thanks. It'll be on Project Guttenberg -- I'm sure they're Kobo compatible files?

Thanks, Alex. It's very bleak! The story is excellent though. In 2011 I read The Mayor of Casterbridge and loved that too. Best of all, the Hardys are free on Kindle!

I loved Chocolat too, Laura. I loathed the film though - they made the character in conflict with Vianne the town's mayor (or whatever the French equivalent is) and the priest a simpering idiot - which completely negated the point of the chocolatier being in conflict with the church. Ugh! ETA: And the turned Pantouffle into a kangaroo - why?!!! Grr!

I finally finished book #1 of 2013! Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented (1891) by Thomas Hardy..... (C)..... 5/5 I loved it! http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/biggrin.png

I'm reading a 'Wordsworth Classics' of the same ilk - it's not abridged but the type is smaller which is why there are fewer pages. They're only RRP £1.99 - this is how they keep costs down.

I'm perfectly certain that's not true, but it did make me chuckle! I don't think I've said happy reading 2013, so happy reading 2013. I can't believe you don't have any books to read - I hope your delivery turns up tomorrow.

It is! Thanks. Thanks. And, well yes, it's not a terribly uplifting story so far - and I don't imagine it's going to have a good ending for Tess! I'm still enjoying it though, although I'm not finding much reading time of late. Shelfari keeps reminding me that I've read 0 books this year, which means you're behind target... Charming!

I hope it lives up to expectations!

Ooooh, Down and Out in Paris and London - love it!

Rumbled!

I'll be interested to know what you think of this one - I read it towards the end of last year. Happy 2013 reading, Diane.

I'm just under half way through Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy - so far, so good. I also acquired my first book of 2013 - Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper. I got it from the library.

Hi, ashleighjane. I had my copy of THYOMWCOOAWAD as a Christmas present from the lovely Kay. I'm not sure about Let the Right One In - I was given it on World Book Night, but it doesn't sound like something I'd rush to pick up...

Ah, Benedict Cumberbatch! I loved him in Sherlock and in War Horse. I didn't see Rites of Passage though. I really couldn't recommend TCITR! On the plus side, I'm going out with a friend for lunch today and I've engineered it (with her blessing!) that we're going to go to a garden centre in Whitchurch on the outskirts of Bristol so that I can pop to Stockwood library and pick up Mary Hooper's Petals in the Ashes. Thank goodness for being able to borrow books from counties surrounding Somerset!

I keep a note of what I'm spending on books in an effort to dissuade me from spending too much money! I haven't seen the film of The Lord of the Flies. I don't really know much about it at all, apart from the basic premise of it. I will have to push it up my reading pile as it's definitely one of those books that divides opinions such a lot, like The Catcher in the Rye, which I loathed! Thanks, Kat.

I did The Prince of Mist for Spain and I really enjoyed it too.

Sorry, but that made me chuckle!

Hehe - prettyful is a great word!

Well, he was such a sweetheart how couldn't he?!

If Greenlandian isn't a real word then it jolly well ought to be! I've gone for a very tentative three this year. I really want to try to get my 'to read' pile down a bit more before I acquire any more books. I will see how it goes though and will probably increase that number.

You're welxome! I must admit I know very little about William Golding - Lord of the Flies is the only one of his I've heard of.