Janet

1987?! Suddenly I feel *very* old! The only one from that list that I've read is Sidney Sheldon - Windmills of the Gods and I was only about 21 at the time so I don't remember a thing about it. I haven't read Douglas Adams - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - I must remedy that! ETA: I missed The Shell Seekers until I read Peacefield's post, but I've read that too! Again, I don't remember much about it!

I love your copy of P&P. I can't wait for this to come out in paperback!

This is one of the few books I've read more than once, although I haven't read it for about 10 years.

No problem. And the irony of it didn't escape me either - there are far nicer covers they could have given it!

If you click on the Amazon link on the FF page it takes you to the Collins one with the unattractive cover, not a pretty pink one.

She mostly posts about her book (of course!). http://twitter.com/katherinebhowe

I liked Toast but the sort-of sequel Eating for England was dreadful!

Wow - I nearly bought this on Tuesday! Perhaps I should go back and get it!

How could I have forgotten the wonderful Box of Delights by John Masefield? Illustrated by Quentin Blake - I adore his illustrations.

You've just reminded me that I bought this whilst on holiday in August but I haven't watched it yet! I wonder where I put it...?

Started The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent during a 20 minute wait sitting in my car this morning - I'm only on about page 25 but I'm loving the style so far.

Stephanie - I wanna do your uni course! From one extreme to the other! I love both of those books. I've just started on The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent. I've had my eye on this one for months but have been waiting for the paperback (now

Thanks for the suggestion, but teenage vampire books just don't appeal to me in the slightest. Sorry.

Oooh - she hinted to me on Twitter that someone was interested in the rights to her book. I just hope they do it justice!

If you're in the UK, you can buy it online from Amazon, WHS and Waterstone's. The latter two you can have it delivered to the store free of charge, and from Amazon, the postage is free as it's over

Finished (finally!) An Awfully Big Adventure by Beryl Bainbridge. I've posted my thoughts here.

The 'blurb' It is 1950 and the Liverpool repertory theatre company is rehearsing its Christmas production of Peter Pan, a story of childhood innocence and loss. Stella has been taken on as assistant stage manager and quickly becomes obsessed with Meredith, the dissolute director. But it is only when the celebrated O'Hara arrives to take the lead that a different drama unfolds. In it, he and Stella are bound together in a past that neither dares to interpret. It took me a while to get into this book - I found it to be quite slow at first but it builds gradually and gets much better towards the end! What the author does really well is to convey the feel of the time in which it is set. I really felt as though I was watching the scenes take place in the austere, post-war 1950s - that feeling of drabness but also of change. *Do not read the spoilers if you haven't read the book* Stella is a naïve and somewhat disturbed individual who is on a voyage of self-discovery. We don't really know a lot about Stella's past. She lives with her Uncle Vernon and Aunt Lily in a run-down guest house. Although her relationship with them doesn't seem quite 'normal', it is clear that they care for her a great deal. Stella's mysterious mother is mentioned only once or twice by Vernon and Lily, and although Stella talks to her by telephone, we never hear what her mother has to say - it's only ever "Mother said the usual things". The ending of the book is really quite sad. There was a twist that I didn't see it coming The paperback is 197 pages long and is published by Abacus. The ISBN number is 978-0349116150. 6½/10 (Finished 23 September 2009)

Thanks Frankie. I felt a bit bad that we won't be doing one now after asking for suggestions.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I went with Guernica as suggested by SueK in the end... but when I got to book club, two people had already read it. We ended up deciding on The Woman in Black by Susan Hill instead! I slipped in in my bag at the last minute just in case this happened. However, I like some of the other suggestions made so I'll either keep them in mind for next time I choose or I'll read them myself. I particularly like the sound of the Oscar Wilde Mystery so I'll probably look out for that one. Thanks again all.

If you don't mind books aimed at young people, The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder is a sweet book. I think I gave it about 7/10.