Janet

Oh gosh not - not pernickity at all. It would annoy me too. I don't know where I got those smileys from, Noll. I've got loads saved on my computer that I found years ago but I didn't bookmark the site and I haven't been able to find it for years.

I think they're a bit big for board emoticons. I've saved them to Photobucket.

Congratulations on making so many posts! Until I hit 'Post' when I finish typing this, I have absolutely no clue how many posts I've made. It could be 4,000, it could be 7,000 - I don't suppose it's anywhere near 10,000! Edit: 8,750 - not too shabby!

I think it unlikely but the only thing I can come up with is Dead as a Scone by Ron and Janet Benrey? Chesilbeach is our resident book detective so she may have some ideas.

Thanks, Kylie

I went to Haworth many years ago but didn't do anything to do with the Brontës at the time so it's definitely on my 'to do' list.

I started Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy yesterday. I've loved both the books of his that I've read previously, and this one is shaping up to be excellent too.

Get more vegetables on FB I say! Congratulations, Sari. Very well done.

I finished it about 30 minutes ago. Will try to post some thoughts (in spoiler tags) tomorrow.

I tried to donate through Paypal but I can only do that if I link a credit or debit card to it - I can't pay with my Paypal balance for some reason.

Phew - I'd hate to upset you. And please, don't stop recommending books. I'm on p144 now and it's so clever - all that wonderful wordplay. I am enjoying reading it - I just don't love it. I know for certain that had I read it as a child I would have loved it - and I can see why people say it reminds them of Alice in Wonderland. I dare say if I read that for the first time now I wouldn't enjoy that half as much as I do having loved it as a child.

I can't help it - it's an illness!

I missed this thread when it was originally posted somehow - but I'd have picked And Then There Were None for first place (I've recently listened to an AWESOME audio version), closely followed by The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

Are you still speaking to me?

I'm scared to answer! I've made several attempts at a reply, so here goes! I was actually discussing it with my Mum earlier today - I said to her that it was your favourite book and that the two other people who had reported back so far hadn't loved it - and that I was worried you'd be upset if I said I didn't love it either. However, I cannot tell a lie so I shall be totally honest when I've finished. What I will say now is that I'm not hating it by any means, but I'm not loving it either. However, I'm not very far in - 70/256 pages - so there's still plenty of time. I do agree with Noll that what I've read so far is clever. (Sorry it's not a more enthusiastic post )

I've started it. I'm on p70.

I hope there will be a third book. I Googled when I finished book #2 but I couldn't find any information to suggest there would be another sequel. Thanks. I hope you enjoy it.

Stig of the Dump by Clive King The ‘blurb’ Barney is a solitary little boy, given to wandering off by himself. One day he is lying on the edge of a disused chalk-pit when it gives way and he lands in a sort of cave. Here he meets 'somebody with a lot of shaggy hair and two bright black eyes' wearing a rabbit skin and speaking in grunts. He names him Stig. Of course nobody believes Barney when he tells his family all about Stig, but for Barney cave-man Stig is totally real. They become great friends, learning each others ways and embarking on a series of unforgettable adventures. This is one of those books that I always meant to read as a child, but never got round to doing so. My Mum bought me this lovely edition which contains drawings by one of my favourite illustrators, Edward Ardizone. When Barney goes to stay with his grandparents he is warned to stay away from the quarry in case the chalk gives way and he has an accident. But Barney is a curious boy and when he goes exploring the inevitable happens and Barney falls into the pit. Fortunately he has a lucky escape when his fall is broken by shrubs, and when he opens his eyes it is to see a strange ‘Something’ standing in front of him. The Something turns out to be a caveman called Barney and together, despite the language barrier, they have many exciting adventures… There are some children’s books that I have read for the first time as an adult that I have absolutely loved - sadly this wasn’t one of them. I enjoyed some of the stories but I just didn’t really warm to any of the characters. Obviously I appreciate that I’m not the target audience, and I’m sure that had I read it when I was eight or so then I would have enjoyed it more but it didn’t really grab my attention. I’m not sure how it would be for today’s eight year olds but as it’s still in print I’m sure it must be a firm favourite for many of them. In summary, I quite enjoyed it but I didn’t love it. The paperback edition is 272 pages long and is published by Puffin. It was first published in 1963. The ISBN is 9780141354859. 3/5 (I quite enjoyed it) (Finished 27 July 2015)

Thanks, Noll. I'm definitely going to give the audio version a try at some stage.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë The ‘blurb’ Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before: of the intense passing between the foundling Heathcliffe and Catherine Earnshaw, and her betrayal of him. As Heathcliffe’s bitterness and vengeance is now visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past. I downloaded Wuthering Heights onto my Kindle on Boxing Day in 2011. It’s one of those novels that I’ve always felt I should read, but have put off for various reasons, not least because I was rather daunted by it. It being chosen to represent West Yorkshire for the English Counties Challenge meant that reading it suddenly became inevitable. I downloaded the audio book for my recent holiday in the hope that it might prove a distraction on the flight, as I’m a very nervous flyer and hadn’t flown for ten years. The book was narrated by Michael Kitchen, whose voice I very much like. However, having strapped myself in a psyched myself up for the flight, I found that I couldn’t concentrate on the narrative and instead contented myself with listening to music. I took a couple of ‘tree’ books on my holiday which I read fairly quickly and so, on the last day, I decided to try Wuthering Heights in book form and I found I was immediately hooked! A man named Lockwood rents Thrushcross Grange – a manor house in a bleak and isolated area of Yorkshire, owned by an unfriendly man called Heathcliffe. On visiting Heathcliffe’s house, Wuthering Heights, Lockwood becomes snowed in and is grudgingly allowed to stay the night. In his room he notices the name Catherine scratched into the windowsill. He has a nightmare about her and later, intrigued by Heathcliffe’s behaviour on hearing of the dream, Lockwood questions his housekeeper, Nellie Dean about his landlord, and through Lockwood’s account of her reminisces we are told a story of love and betrayal that spans the generations… I’m finding it a tricky book to review because my words just can’t do justice, but wow, what fantastic writing. The book is set in a desolate location on the Yorkshire Moors and Emily Brontë captures that bleakness in her wonderful prose. There is little, if anything, in the book to make one smile but I found myself entirely caught up in the emotions of the characters and, on finishing it I felt wrung out and exhausted! Heathcliffe is such a marvellous character. We’re not meant to love him, of course, but I did feel some slight sympathy towards him at the start and the end of the book. It’s powerful stuff. I definitely intend to reread it at some stage and would like to find a decent adaptation to watch too. I had Kate Bush’s 1978 song going through my head as I read this! I can think of worse songs to be stuck with! 4/5 (I really enjoyed it)

Oh, Sari. I'm sorry to hear that - I hope you're okay. I haven't started yet either - I'm going to finish my current read and then start.

I finished Chitty Chitty Bang Bang yesterday and started The Letter by Kathryn 'somebody'. It's not terribly well-written - it was cheap on Kindle and I suspect it might have been self-published but it's quite an interesting premise so I shall persevere.

WARNING – as this is a sequel, my review will obviously contain spoilers for The Rosie Project, so if you’re considering reading that (and why wouldn’t you – it’s great!) then please don’t read on. The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion The ‘blurb’ Forty-one-year-old geneticist Don Tillman had never had a second date before he met Rosie. Now, living in New York City, they have survived ten months and ten days of marriage, even if Don has had to sacrifice standardized meals and embrace unscheduled sex. But then Rosie drops the mother of all bombshells. And Don must prepare for the biggest challenge of his previously ordered life - while dodging deportation, prosecution and professional disgrace. Is Don Tillman ready to become the man he always dreamed of being? Or will he revert to his old ways and risk losing Rosie for ever? Awww, welcome back Don – I missed you! This is a sequel to the excellent The Rosie Project. I guess the blurb for this book is a spoiler in itself (hence the warning at the top!) but I shall assume you have read the first one if you have got this far. Don and Rosie are now happily married and living life to the full in New York. Don has adjusted reasonably well to married life, all things considered. But when Rosie has some unexpected news for him he goes into a bit of a meltdown and things start going wrong. Can he pull himself together enough to be there for the woman he loves, or will he risk losing everything? Don is such a great character but this book wasn’t as good as the first. It was close, but it loses a mark for Rosie’s portrayal. She just seemed rather… I don’t know – flat, perhaps… compared to the vibrant character she was in #1. However I did enjoy it. Will there be a third? Would it work? Maybe – or maybe it would be just too much of a good thing? One thing’s for sure - if there is another one I will definitely give it a try. The paperback edition is 308 pages long and is published by Pan. It was first published in 2014. The ISBN is 9781405918060. 4/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 18 July 2015)

I really enjoyed part 2 (which was nothing like the first part) and part 1 grew on me. I wouldn't have continued with it if it wasn't for my book club, but I'm glad I did. I gave it 3/5. I'm intrigued as to what the other members of the group thought (one definitely won't have finished it - if she has I'll eat my hat! ).

I have a couple of books by Frances Hardinge on my wish list, Noll - The Lie Tree and Verdigris Deep (which Amazon tells me I added to my wish list on Added 7 July, 2010! ). I'm glad you enjoyed Cuckoo Song. I finished How to be Both by Ali Smith last night! Hurrah! I've been listening to Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie today as I did two x one-hour long bus journeys!