Janet

Thanks, Gaia

Thanks, Bobs. We sometimes watch films of books we've read at book club and then discuss both. I'm sure we'd have done so with this if it was out on DVD already. I'll probably take a look when it's shown on television.

I hope you enjoy it. I borrowed a friend's copy (she read it in one sitting whilst she was stuck at Charles De Gaulle airport for bad weather last year and immediately rang me to tell me she was going to lend it to me! ) and I thought it was great fun. The book is gorgeous. Ewww! I'm listening to Don't Tell Alfred by Nancy Mitford, read brilliantly by Emilia Fox. It's not a patch on Mitford's other books featuring these characters but I'm enjoying it, largely due to the narration. I'm also reading Max Gate by Damien Wilkins. I haven't read much recently as I've not had much time.

I'm sure you'll come to the right decision for you - I hope it doesn't take too long to work out what's right for you. Your trips away looked lovely We've got a busy time ahead too. We're away next weekend for Peter's birthday (he doesn't know where we're going) and then I'm away in Swansea with some friends - coming back on Sunday and being picked up from Bristol by Peter and then we're heading to Kent overnight for a friend's funeral and then the following weekend we're away again for a week! I'm very pleased you enjoyed this. I'm *so* behind with my reviews. Every so often I come to one which I struggle with, and instead of either just writing a short review or moving on with the next one (for some reason I hate doing them out of order. ), I keep opening the file, I stare at the screen for ages and then go and do something else! Peter and I listened to The Sign of the Four in the car at the start of May. I haven't reviewed it yet (I expect it's one I'll struggle with) but we also commented about the racist nature of it.

Book 19/22 Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl The ‘blurb’ Six of the best-loved nursery tales, retold with surprising and sometimes disgusting twists! Wicked beasts, brazen crooks and a ghastly giant star in these hilarious nursery rhymes with BITE. So if you thought Cinderella married the prince and lived happily ever after, you'd better think again... This is one of Dahl’s books aimed at very young children – he takes famous children’s stories and puts a dark spin on them in rhyme form. The book features versions of tales including Cinderella, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and the Three Little Pigs. The book is amusing, but of course, I’m not the target audience. I expect I’d have enjoyed this when I was five or six and if I’d read Dahl as a child I’m sure I’d have read this to my own children. However, it didn’t really do much for me. I wish I’d read these last ones at the beginning of my challenge rather than at the end. At least I still have one of his older children’s books left to try! The paperback edition is 48 pages long and is published by Puffin. It was first published in 1982. The ISBN is 9780141350370. 2½/5 (I quite enjoyed it) (Finished 10 April 2016)

Thanks, all. I had heard of the book but I have to say I probably wouldn't have read it if it wasn't for Book Club. I don't even know if the author has written much else - I'd better go and Google!

Room by Emma Donoghue The ‘blurb’ Jack is five. He lives in a single locked room with Ma. This book was one of two books suggested for Book Club by the person whose time it was to choose. It went to a vote and the alternative won, but as I had read the chosen book before I decided to read it anyway. Although I’d seen the book around lots, I had managed not to read anything about it so I came to it with no preconceptions. The very short ‘blurb’ above is all it says about it on the back cover – and I can see why it doesn’t give too much away. As a result, my review will be behind a spoiler tag. It’s a fast paced story about a little boy and his mother who are looked inside a small outbuilding. SPOILERS AHEAD Going back to Book Club – it turns out that we’d all read it as well as the chosen book so we had a double discussion! The paperback edition is 401 pages long and is published by Picador. It was first published in 2010. The ISBN is 9780330519021. 4½/5 (I really enjoyed it) (Finished 7 April 2016)

I've started Max Gate by Damien Wilkins. It's a bit of an odd one, but hopefully it'll pick up. I'm also listening to Don't Tell Alfred by Nancy Mitford on audio book, but the weather turned so I wasn't able to walk to work on Friday or today (boo) so I don't know when I'll get to listen to some more. I'm only on disc 2 of... it has 8 discs, I think.

The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss The ‘blurb’ Lucifer Box is the darling of the Edwardian belle monde - society's most fashionable portrait painter is a wit, a dandy, a rake, the guest all hostesses (and not a few hosts) must have. But few know that Lucifer Box is also His Majesty's most accomplished and daring secret agent. And so of course when Britain's most prominent scientists begin turning up dead, there is only one man his country can turn to. When Jocelyn Utterson Poop from the Diplomatic Service is murdered on duty, artist and undercover spy Lucifer Box is asked to continue his investigation. With only a scant message from Poop – “VERDIGRIS SASH. MOST URGENT. DETAILS FOLLOW” - to go on, he finds himself first in a shady-looking London undertakers’ shop and then in Naples, where he, and a sidekick called Charlie Jackpot that he picks up along the way, soon find themselves in a race against time to work out what the dead agent was working on and then to prevent a power-crazed despot from killing 1000s of innocent people. I have struggled to review this book. I really enjoyed it, even though I probably shouldn’t have! It’s not high literature by any stretch of the imagination! In fact, I started by thinking I wouldn't be able to finish the book at all. Mid-way through I was enjoying it but thought I wouldn't bother with the second and third books in the series. Towards the end I couldn't put it down! Why not 5 stars then? Well, it's bawdy with an unbelievable cast and a far-fetched and frankly silly plot, a main character who should be thoroughly dislikeable and a series of names that surely Dickens himself couldn't have come up with! And yet it was great fun! If Oscar Wilde had written a comic James Bond style book then this steampunk novel would be the result! Gatiss has proved himself as a screenwriter and as an actor (I adore his Mycroft ) and his writing ability shines through in this riotous romp. So if you’re a fan of a good adventure story with an extraordinary cast of characters, are not easily offended and are prepared to suspend your disbelief then maybe you might enjoy this! The paperback edition is 240 pages long and is published by Simon & Shuster. It was first published in 2004. The ISBN is 9780743483797. 3½/5 (I really enjoyed it) (Finished 4 April 2016)

Do any of these covers look familiar?

Thank you. I hope you enjoy it when you read it.

I must confess to being drawn to a pretty cover! It doesn't always pay off! There are so many books out there that if you feel like that then definitely don't bother.

Copied from my blog: The novel is said to centre on Sarah Burton, who takes on the role of Headmistress at Kiplington High School, but in reality it features a large cast of colourful and beautifully written characters all with their fair share of virtues and flaws. There’s Robert Carne, a gentleman farmer, strong and proud but now facing financial ruin. He married for love and is steadfastly faithful to his poor wife who has lived for many years in an Institution. There’s his daughter, Midge. She’s a selfish teen who has lead a cosseted life and lacks discipline. She is sent to the High School where she struggles to fit in. There she clashes with Lydia Holley – a girl from a slum area called The Shacks where she lives in a railway carriage with her parents and siblings. She gets a scholarship to the High School where Sarah Burton quickly sees her potential. There is Mrs Beddows - a female Alderman who is based on Holtby’s own mother – a matriarch who cares a great deal for Robert Carne… the list of characters goes on, and each of them has their own part to play in this vibrant and brilliant story. I absolutely adored this book. It’s a saga that spans quite a few years and had me absolutely gripped. The characters are so well developed and there are lots of plots within the book, but it is never confusing. I really liked the way the characters linked together through the story. I think it’s possibly my favourite of the English Counties books so far, although there are many other great books to choose from. I listened to it on audio book and it was brilliantly narrated by Carole Boyd and she really helped to make this novel come alive – I think she’s one of the best narrators I’ve listened to. It definitely made me want to get out and walk just to listen to more. This is another book that I doubt I would have picked up if not for the challenge – I’m so glad it was chosen. I will have to check out Holtby’s other works – and also see what else Carole Boyd has narrated.

South Riding by Winifred Holtby The ‘blurb’ The community of South Riding, like the rest of the country, lives in the long shadow of war. Blighted by recession and devastated by the loss, they must also come to terms with significant social change.Forward-thinking and ambitious, Sarah Burton is the embodiment of such change. After the death of her fiancé, she returns home to Yorkshire focused on her career as headmistress of the local school. But not everyone can embrace the new social order. Robert Carne, a force of conservatism, stands firmly against Sarah. A tormented man, he carries a heavy burden that locks him in the past. As the villagers of South Riding adjust to Sarah's arrival and face the changing world, emotions run high, prejudices are challenged and community spirit is tested. The South Riding of the title is actually the fictionalised district of the East Riding of Yorkshire and represents that county in the Counties Challenge that some of us are doing. The novel is said to centre on Sarah Burton, who takes on the role of Headmistress at Kiplington High School, but in reality it features a large cast of colourful and beautifully written characters all with their fair share of virtues and flaws. There’s Robert Carne, a gentleman farmer, strong and proud but now facing financial ruin. He married for love and is steadfastly faithful to his poor wife who has lived for many years in an Institution. There’s his daughter, Midge. She’s a selfish teen who has lead a cosseted life and lacks discipline. She is sent to the High School where she struggles to fit in. There she clashes with Lydia Holley – a girl from a slum area called The Shacks where she lives in a railway carriage with her parents and siblings. She gets a scholarship to the High School where Sarah Burton quickly sees her potential. There is Mrs Beddows - a female Alderman who is based on Holtby’s own mother – a matriarch who cares a great deal for Robert Carne… the list of characters goes on, and each of them has their own part to play in this vibrant and brilliant story. I absolutely adored this book. It’s a saga that spans quite a few years and had me absolutely gripped. The characters are so well developed and there are lots of plots within the book, but it is never confusing. I really liked the way the characters linked together through the story. I think it’s possibly my favourite of the English Counties books so far, although there are many other great books to choose from. I listened to it on audio book and it was brilliantly narrated by Carole Boyd and she really helped to make this novel come alive – I think she’s one of the best narrators I’ve listened to. It definitely made me want to get out and walk just to listen to more. This is another book that I doubt I would have picked up if not for the challenge – I’m so glad it was chosen. I will have to check out Holtby’s other works – and also see what else Carole Boyd has narrated. The paperback edition is 560 pages long and is published by BBC Books. It was first published in 1936. The ISBN is 9781849902038. 5/5 (I loved it) (Finished 3 April 2016)

The Girl Who Walked on Air by Emma Carroll The ‘blurb’ Louie, who was abandoned at Chipchase's Travelling Circus as a baby, dreams of becoming a 'Showstopper', but Mr Chipchase keeps her hidden, tucked away in the ticket booth. No Death-Defying Stunts for her. But Louie has been secretly practising her act - tightrope-walking - and dreams of being the Girl Who Walked on Air . . . she just needs to be given the chance to shine. And the circus needs her too - Wellbeloved's rival show is stealing their crowds. They need a Showstopper. Desperate, Mr Chipchase reluctantly lets Louie perform. She is a sensation, and gets an offer from the sinister Mr Wellbeloved himself to perform ... over Niagara Falls. But nothing is quite as it seems and soon Louie's bravery is tested not just on the highwire but in confronting her past and the shady characters in the world of the circus... Fans of Frost Hollow Hall will love this epic adventure about following your dreams and becoming a showstopper! I chose Frost Hollow Hall for my Book Club’s Christmas book in 2014 and we all really enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to this. It tells the story of Louie – a young girl taken in by Jasper, the tightrope walker in a circus, after the death of her parents. Although technically her guardian he treats Louie like a daughter and, understandably, she develops a talent for walking the rope too. After he is disastrously injured in accident on the wire, the circus need a new showstopper and Louie knows she will fit the bill, but despite her being a sensation the circus owner Mr Chipchase isn't happy and instead engages the services of a young boy called Gabriel – but all is not what it seems with him. When a stranger called Mr Wellbeloved turns up and entices Gabriel to the USA, Louie’s determination and jealousy sees her stowing away on board the ship too where she hopes to emulate her hero Blondin by walking across the falls, but the reality is that Louie has been lured there by false means and may find her life at risk… Carroll really captures the excitement of the Big Top (and I don’t even like circuses!) and I enjoyed this adventure – although maybe not as much as Frost Hollow Hall. I hate heights and the author’s description of walking on the rope high above the crowds made my feet go all scrunchy! I’m looking forward to next book which is already on my ‘to read’ pile. The paperback edition is 336 pages long and is published by Faber & Faber. It was first published in 2014. The ISBN is 9780571297160. 3½/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 31 March 2016)

Have you read it, Kylie? I've had it on my 'to read' pile since 2013 but I haven't really looked closely at it!

Okay, I'll shift it up the pile! Thanks, both.

Happy birthday, lovely Alex. I hope you're having a wonderful holiday xx

Thanks, Gaia. I'm so behind with my reviews!

Bother, bother, bother - I forgot to buy it!

Dedicated To… compiled by W BB Gooderham The ‘blurb’ Books are amongst the most personal of gifts. The book we choose to give a loved one is informed by our intimate knowledge of their personal histories and their tastes. Often, when we gift books, we love to explain the meaning behind our present by writing an inscription within its pages. Ordinarily, we hope the gift and its message will be enjoyed, placed lovingly on its new owner's bookshelf and treasured forever. This is not always the case, though... W B Gooderham is fascinated by second-hand books and curates a growing collection of those featuring intriguing inscriptions. The messages he finds range from the awkward scratchings of adolescent infatuation, to the resentful recriminations of a love affair gone sour and offer illuminating glimpses into their books' own secret histories. This beautifully presented book will feature the very best from the author's collection of dedications alongside the covers of the works in which they were found. From Animal Farm to Pride and Prejudice, there's something here to please every book lover's taste. I picked this book up in Waterstones from their sale shelf. I was in a hurry and didn’t really look at the book - I confess that I was drawn to cover, which I guess proves that it’s not always wise to judge a book by its cover! It looks and feels lovely - the picture doesn't do it justice. I actually thought the dedications alluded to in the title were going to be ones in flyleaf from author to a friend or family member, but they actually turned out to be personal inscriptions from people to the recipient of the particular book given as a gift. For me, it just came across as voyeuristic and disappointing – as though I was prying into people’s personal thoughts without their permission. I wouldn’t have bothered with finishing the book if it hadn’t been mercifully short - I’m in a minority though, as the reviews on Amazon are pretty favourable with a 3/5 being the lowest score, but it wasn’t for me. I hated it. The hardback edition is 192 pages long and is published by Bantam Press. It was first published in 2013. The ISBN is 9780593072844. 1/5 (Ugh!) (Finished 28 March 2016)

I've had Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café on my 'to read' pile for a couple of years. I have the DVD too but I haven't watched it yet as I prefer to read the book first. Cranford was the first Gaskell I 'read' - I listened to it on audio book which I think made me love it so much. I think North and South is marginally better, but I thought they were both wonderful.

Greenmantle by John Buchan The ‘blurb’ In Greenmantle (1916) Richard Hannay, hero of The Thirty-Nine Steps, travels across war-torn Europe in search of a German plot and an Islamic Messiah. He is joined by three more of Buchan's heroes: Peter Pienaar, the old Boer Scout; John S. Blenkiron, the American determined to fight the Kaiser; and Sandy Arbuthnot, Greenmantle himself, modelled on Lawrence of Arabia. The intrepid four move in disguise through Germany to Constantinople and the Russian border toface their enemies: the grotesque Stumm and the evil beauty of Hilda von Einem. Set during the First World War, Richard Hannay is sent on a mission by the Foreign Office to investigate a possible Muslim uprising as a result of German plot to throw the middle-east into chaos. His adventures take him through the Netherlands and onto Constantinople. Despite many perilous adventures and scrapes with death along the way, Hannay is determined to fulfil his mission and infiltrate the enemy to get to the bottom of the plot… no matter what the personal cost may be. I read the prequel, The Thirty-Nine Steps many years ago, and more recently read Prester John which was my Mum’s favourite book as a child. Although I enjoyed both they are rather of their time, so it’s doubtful I would have picked this up had it not been a Book Crossing book – it was released some time ago, but whoever caught it didn’t re-release it online and it was only by chance that I found in charity shop. The story is, understandably jingoistic so I can understand why it was popular upon release but I probably would have not persevered if not for Book Crossing. I will re-release when I work out a good place to leave it! The paperback edition is 352 pages long and is published by Penguin. It was first published in 1916. The ISBN is 9780141035840. 2/5 (okay) (Finished 28 March 2016)

I think they have a copy in the library where my Mum lives, so maybe I'll take it out one day!

After the Funeral by Agatha Christie The ‘blurb’ The master of a Victorian mansion dies suddenly – and his sister is convinced it was murder…. When Cora is savagely murdered with a hatchet, the extraordinary remark she made the previous day at her brother Richard’s funeral suddenly takes on a chilling significance. At the reading of Richard’s will, Cora was clearly heard to say: ‘It’s been hushed up very nicely, hasn’t it…But he was murdered, wasn’t he?’ In desperation, the family solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery. Another audio book in our quest to listen to as many Poirots as possible! In this one, a family gathers after the funeral of Richard Abernethie and a chance remark by the deceased sister, Cora, the black sheep of the family who has not seen the rest of her family for some time, ruffles a few family feathers when she suggests that her brother has been murdered. The family dismiss the idea as ridiculous, but when Cora is then murdered, the family’s solicitor Mr Entwhistle calls on Poirot to help. As Poirot digs he finds many motives within the family and has to use his little grey cells to discover whether Abernethie really was murdered, and if so, by whom. We both enjoyed this whodunit which had the usual red herrings along the way. We eventually got to the right answer a mere fraction before Poirot which hasn’t happened before! Not our favourite Poirot book but nevertheless it was very enjoyable. The paperback edition is 256 pages long and is published by Harper Collins. It was first published in 1953. The ISBN is 9780007119363. 3½/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 26 March 2016)