Janet

George Orwell Are we allowed non-fiction authors? If so; Laurie Lee

I read a Barbara Trapido book years and years ago, and remember loving it at the time, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was called. I like the sound of Juggling.

I want to read both 'Perks', and Pigeon English, Alex. I nearly bought that a few weeks ago but didn't in the end. Sounds like I should have. I'm glad it had a great ending. I think the paperback version had a fab cover if I'm picturing it correctly.

I'm glad you enjoyed this. I read it when I did GCSE English as a mature student a few years ago and thought it was excellent. I haven't read anything else by Steinbeck though. Have you?

I don't know... give him a lick!

Thanks Athena and Alex. I've just had an email to say volume 2 is ready for me to download.

I've got An Innocent Abroad on my kindle. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I don’t mind escapism and books would be dull if they just reflected the mundane aspects of everyday life, but the sections set in the past just seemed completely far-fetched that the whole thing felt absurd. That (from my review of it) sums up my feelings. It was a disappointment as I really wanted to like it.

If you haven't read Danny Wallace before then I think Yes Man is the one I've enjoyed the most. (The film that is based on it is very different from the book). I'd like to read some more of her work. Edith Cavell: Nurse, Martyr, Heroine sounds really good.

More Awkward Situations for Men by Danny Wallace The ‘blurb’ A husband and now a new father, Danny Wallace is a man who struggles to understand the unspoken rules of society... For example, when do you hug? And when do you NOT hug? How do you react when you realise that yesterday's underpants might still be in your trousers? What do you do if you think you might have a man-crush? And what happens when you think you may have accidentally ordered your wife a prostitute for her birthday? Following the bestselling Awkward Situations for Man and based on his incredibly popular columns, Danny Wallace entertains us with more stories from his often embarrassing and bewildering life. No one said it was easy being a man. And Danny is finding it harder than ever. For some reason this book has been rebranded in the UK as What Not to Do (And How to Do It) - I know from reading the reviews on Amazon that some people have tripped up over this and ordered it not realising, although its former title is mentioned on the front cover. It’s frustrating when publishers do that! This is the follow on from Awkward Situations for Men which I reviewed a couple of years ago. It’s more of the same – Danny’s observations of social situations and faux pas. Not as funny as some of his other books but a perfect light read which I enjoyed and it came along at a time when I needed something that didn’t need concentrating on. I’ve said it before, but reading Danny is like chatting with a friend over a pint in your local. I suppose a criticism is that it’s rather 'samey' now, but I did enjoy it and I’m sure I shall read more by him. I haven’t tried one of his works of fiction yet, so maybe I’ll try one of those. The paperback edition is 288 pages long and is published by Ebury Press. It was first published in 2013. The ISBN is 978 0091941314. 3/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 28 February 2014)

Unfortunately I’ve had a few things going on in my life recently which meant I wasn’t able to write areview of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ before it disappeared from my Nook – so I’d marked some passages to mention and now I can’t. I've posted it in the challenge forum anyway.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend Unfortunately the book disappeared from my Nook before I could get my thoughts down so this isn’t a very comprehensive review. Thursday January 1st Bank Holiday in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales These are my New Year’s resolutions: 1. I will help the blind across the road. 2. I will hang my trousers up. 3. I will put the sleeves back on my records. 4. I will not start smoking. 5. I will stop squeezing my spots. 6. I will be kind to the dog. 7. I will help the poor and ignorant. 8. After hearing the disgusting noises from downstairs last night, I have also vowed never to drink alcohol. My father got the dog drunk on cherry brandy at the party last night. If the RSPCA hear about it he could get done. Eight days have gone by since Christmas Day but my mother still hasn’t worn the green lurex apron I bought her for Christmas! She will get bathcubes next year. Just my luck, I’ve got a spot on my chin for the first day of the New Year! So begins Adrian Mole’s diary. Adrian Mole is a similar age to me. His Wiki page has him born in either 1967 or 1968. When this book was first published I was 16 years old and it probably wouldn’t have appealed to me. As an adult I wish I had read it then, because although it’s written from a boy’s point of view there was a lot of it that I probably could have related to – although were paperboys’ wages really as low back then – or was Adrian just badly paid? I can’t remember the amount he earned now (it was one of the passages I’d made a note of) but it seemed an absolute pittance! I guess it must have been accurate but wow, hardly worth getting out of bed for! Anyone who remembers the 80s will enjoy it, but even if you don’t remember that decade it’s still a great read. Some of the challenge books really give a feel for the county they’re set in, whilst others could have been set anywhere. I’m not sure this gives a flavour of Leicestershire, but I’m glad it was chosen to represent the county because otherwise I’d never have read it and that would have been a shame as I really enjoyed it. I have reserved the next volume from the library. The paperback edition is 272 pages long and is published by Puffin. It was first published in 1982. The ISBN is 978 0141315980. 4/5 (I really enjoyed it) (Finished 26 February 2014)

I didn't like the book very much but I *love* your cover!

I'm always a little nervous when someone says that based on one of my reviews! I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks, Kay.

I'm sure that will be the case. I have very much enjoyed the two I've read so far.

Murder at Wrotham Hill by Diana Souhami The ‘blurb’ Murder at Wrotham Hill takes the killing in October 1946 of Dagmar Petrzywalski as the catalyst for a compelling and unique meditation on murder and fate. Dagmar, a gentle, eccentric spinster, was the embodiment of Austerity Britain's prudence and thrift. Her murderer Harold Hagger's litany of petty crimes, abandoned wives, sloughed-off identities and desertion was its opposite. Featuring England's first celebrity policeman, Fabian of the Yard, the celebrated forensic scientist, Keith Simpson, and history's most famous and dedicated hangman, Albert Pierrepoint, this is a gripping and deeply moving book. I was sent this by a friend after I commented on a post on his Facebook wall. He thought I might enjoy it, being originally from Kent and not far from where the murder took place. It’s the factual but embellished account of the murder Dagmar Petrzywalski, a quiet-natured private woman who lived in a ramshackle hut on the Hever Estate in West Kingsdown. The estate grew out of Hever Farm which was purchased by an enterprising land agent who carved it up and sold it off as building plots. In the days where planning permission was freely given with little thought to the outcome of such higgledy-piggledy building schemes, Dagmar’s parents had bought a plot and had eventually had a bungalow built on it which they called Houston after the street they had lived on in London. Their daughter, encouraged by her parents, bought a plot next door to their dwelling in 1930 to use as an occasional retreat. However, ill health meant she had to give up her job as a ‘hello girl’ on a London switchboard and she moved permanently to her little hut in 1941, living a frugal life on a small pension. Although she wasn’t particularly close to her parents, she spent a lot of time with her mother after her father’s death. Her mother didn’t venture into Dagmar’s house but Dagmar visited ‘Houston’, and always left a note in her mother’s post box saying either ‘IN’ or ‘OUT’ to let her mother know if she was at home. On the morning of the murder the note said OUT. As soon as Mrs Petrzywalski got to the Stop Press section of her newspaper and read of the finding of a body she knew it was Dagmar – she recognised the description of the distinctive coat that her daughter had made. Diana Souhami takes the facts of the murder and weaves them into a fascinating account, not just of the murder itself, but also of the lives of all those involved in the case and of police procedures in the aftermath of World War Two. This has led to some criticism on Amazon of the book being padded out, but I found the whole book really interesting, even those bits that veered off the original subject of the book. I had not heard of “Fabian of the Yard”, the man in charge of the investigation, before reading this, but he became quite famous as a brilliant detective, even spawning a TV series in the 1950s, considered to be one of the first of the Police Procedural type of TV show that became, and still are, very popular. I would not have read this thoroughly enjoyable book if it wasn’t for a passing comment on Facebook and I’m very grateful to Geoff for sending it to me. The paperback edition is 320 pages long and is published by Quercus. It was first published in 2013. The ISBN is 978 0857382856. 4/5 (I really enjoyed it) (Finished 24 February 2014)

Thanks, Andrea. I've read some good books so far this year.

Thanks - I've downloaded it. I'm okay thanks. Not great, but not bad - so I suppose it could be worse. Hope you and Alan are okay. xx

Well done, Alex. Did it improve for you?

Gosh, you're good. I had thought about giving up crisps but I forgot! I've ordered In the Land of the Long White Cloud - it sounds okay.

First off, huge apologies if you've given up chocolate for Lent! Galaxy chocolate are giving away 10 free Kindle titles when you buy one of their products which is flagged with pink offer information, thus... The titles are mostly chick lit (which is a shame - pity there isn't more choice): Sweet Temptation by Lucy Diamond A Day at the Office by Matt Dunn The Misremembered Man by Christina McKenna The Sisterhood by Helen Bryan In the Land of the Long White Cloud by Sarah Lark, D.W. Lovett Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn Dear Lupin... Letters to a Wayward Son by Charlie Mortimer, Roger Mortimer The Longest Holiday by Paige Toon Agatha Raisin: Hiss and Hers by M. C. Beaton I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk Obviously you need to have an Amazon account. You also need to register the code on the Galaxy Site - they will then give you a second code which you add to your Amazon account before purchasing one title. A code can only be used once. You can also text the code inside the packet to a number to see if you've won a Kindle - but it costs to do that (I'm not intending to so I haven't seen how much the text costs). Codes must be redeemed by 11:30pm on 29th June 2014.

Hi Kay. I read an article in a book magazine aaaages ago about Dear Lupin/Dear Lumpy. I can't actually remember what the article said now ( ) but I'm pretty sure you've read them and I just wondered... I have the chance to get Dear Lupin free - but do I need to have read Dear Lumpy first... and also, is Dear Lupin worth reading? (Does the above even make sense?! )

That was very lucky. I've had this on my wish list. I wonder if we have a UK Kindle deal like Kate had?