Sugar

Heya Jo - I read this at the end of last year and it is completely outside of my normal reading too. But I really enjoyed it, I'd never really thought about that time just after the 2nd world war - I think it gets a bit forgotten in novels and history!

Is it "The Priates of Pompeii"? If you visit her website http://www.romanmysteries.com/ you can sign up for an email newsletter that looks quite good.

Shifted the lurgy, went back to work for 2 days and then had a weeks holiday. Went for my annual visit to my Nan's armed with a pile of Bookseller magazines, librarian journals and books. Read through all the mags which was great cos I didn't have to bring them home with me, and could sit in the kitchen and chat without having to worry about losing the plot! Didn't read so many of the books I wanted to though. Since I've been back (2 weeks) things have been getting more stressful at work and my reaction seems to have been to sleep. Trying to read has just encouraged me to doze off! Getting there now though, and hopefully will be online to fill you in on what I've been reading a little more frequently! See my first post to see what I have been up to reading wise. Most exciting book event was attending the launch of Pauline Francis first "proper" children's novel, The Raven Queen at the Globe in London on Thursday. Telling a fictionalised story based on the true life of Lady Jane Gray, I can't wait to read it.

You do, although she wasn't a headteacher, but the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. To aid my failing memory, I am currently listening to this in the car, and although I have just started tape 8 almost everything that I remembered has happened already! Can someone help me out, please? Which book was the Night Bus in? Was it Prisoner of Azkaban? I thought it was later but having listened to Goblet of Fire and the start of Order of the Phoenix recently, I know it's not them.

For any young Lucy Daniels fans around, if an RL Stine fan taunts you about "her" books - you can let them know that he is also a company - the copyright is always credited to RL Stine Inc! Thanks for the article - I've always known it happened but to read about it in such details is fascinating indeed! Further book suggestions from myself include: For the 12 year old: If she likes historical fiction, I went to the launch of "The Raven Queen" by Pauline Francis on Thursday night - it's tells the fictionalised story of Lady Jane Gray, written for young teenagers. Unusually for historical fic it's fast paced and action packed, and is due out later this month. For the 10 year old: The Grk series by Joshua Doder are proving popular. The film rights have been sold as well, and if this happens then I can see it going from strength to strength. This is also where I can plug Cornelia Funke - one of my favourite children's authors. The Thief Lord and Inkheart are two of the best crafted and lyrically told books I have read. I'll also mention Cat Weatherill and her Ashenpeake novels, Barkbelly and Snowbone. Equally lyrical and well imagined, but a little wordy in places! For the 5 year old: I am currently loving reading "Who's in the Loo?" by Jeanne Willis and Adrian Reynolds. Set in rhyme, it discusses all the animals and what it is they are doing that is casuing the queue. However, it has children in laughter and teachers a little confused until you get to the unexpected and morally endearing ending! You can't go wrong with Giles Andrea either - his new offering of "All afloat on Noah's Boat" is a comical retelling of the bible story, and "Come to Tea on Planet Zum-Zee" is one of my favourite read aloud books.

I've released half a dozen books "in to the wild" but none of them have been caught. I have "caught" a couple and re-released them, the first one I didn't bother registering, I just moved it and left it somewhere completely different. That one did get caught, the lady was new to book crossing, and sadly it doesn't look like she ever did anything with it afterwards.

Feeling a lot better now, but for the first time in my life, quite bored with reading! 3 days in bed doing not much other than read seems to have tired my eyes! I am now off work for a week, and going away to my Nans for the week. Hopefully that will encourage the reading back.

I had a few days off sick last week, and Johnny and the Dead was the perfect read for being in bed. It was light, funny but still with that slightly satirical edge that Pratchett is famous for in his Discworld books. I don't think this is an instantly memorable book, but it is good fun. Anyone else read it yet?

Thank you, Liz! I do too!

Hi Carole - I'm sure it won't! I regularly read audio in the car - I love my Jasper Ffordes, and am working my way through the Harry Potter series - Stephen Fry is wonderful! I'm just annoyed that I'm going to have to re-read His Dark Materials in book format now before the film comes out in December!

I don't think an authors name would actively discourage me from reading something, but I agree that it can help where it will be placed on the shelf! Children's author, Zizou Corder, is actually the psudonym of a mother and daughter team - apparently when they were choosing a name they opted not to use their real surname - Young - as the daughter felt it would be hidden too far along the shelf. Doesn't seem to have harmed Jacqueline Wilson much though!

I started trying to listen to Northern Lights by Philip Pullman yesterday. I had high expectations as it said on the front it was read by Pullman himself. What it didn't advertise was that each character had a narrator of it's own for dialogue. I only got as far as hearing Lyra and Pantalaimon and realised there was no way I could sit through 11 hours of it.... I'm really disappointed!

I read this one a couple of years ago. I really liked the fact that Anita Blake seems seated in reality - after all is IS impractical to fight a vampire in high-heels, and why do they always catch you on the way to the loo?! I read Laughing Corpse too, but then stopped. Not sure why, just didn't find it quite as gripping and realistic as Guilty Pleasures.

Thanks PP. I'll try not to pass my germs onto you with that hug!

My copy of Johnny and the Dead arrived today, and there was a note to say that Phillipa is trying to find me a copy of ..and the bomb. What a lovely lady. Thanks also to Michelle!

I see your pretty, and I raise you very! I did enjoy it though! Not been very well this weekend, and spent most of the last few days in bed. Good for reading now as I don't feel up to getting up, but I'm not tired any more! Going to tackle some more of those books I've had languishing on the TBR heap for ages.

I can't really help with recommendations, Kell, as I only ever "re-read" on audio. I didn't like Gabrielle Kruger doing Jasper Fforde for ISIS, but I much prefer her to Emily Gray on the Clipper versions. Libraries are getting more on CD now - in fact some of the publishers no longer produce them on cassette. Although, interestingly, one Visually Impaired Reader told me recently that he only wanted cassettes as on CD he found it really hard to find his place. With the advances in technology, CD players now remembering where you stopped it, I'm sure that's not going to be an on-going problem but many of our older members can't keep up with the equipment!

I think it is partly the parents, but also there are a lot of children who like to read series - and the fact that there are so many series by Blyton really helps - she complements the likes of RL Stine, Lucy Daniels, Daisy Meadows (and the rest of the pseudonym collectives)!

Thanks, Michelle. Will do so right away!

Sorry to hijack your thread, Jules, but I though Dupin might like to download some "Literary Guilty Pleasures" covers from http://www.costabookawards.com/reading/literary_guilty_pleasures.aspx.

Finished At Swim-Two-Birds yesterday, and am none the wiser what on earth it was all about! There were 3 or 4 different settings, and I did quite enjoy the bits about the main narrator in Dublin, the rest were a little too steeped in Irish Legend and Myth so lost something for me.

If only I hadn't missed out on these earlier! I would love a copy of Johnny and the Bomb, and Johnny and the Dead!

Snap, PDR! I think we were almost identical, although I did love Enid Blyton. I came to them quite late, my brother (4 years younger than me) started reading when he was 8, and was reading them to me in the evening. I then went on to read almost all of EB's books, in between adult classics and teen horror! Enid Blyton - Famous Five and Secret Seven especially - do still issue really well from the library. I will leave them in stock for longer than I would like to quite often, because although they fall apart they have maybe 15 issues a year. They go out especially well in the summer as part of the Reading Games.

I'm just over half-way through At Swim-Two-Birds and although I finally know what the title means, I'm not sure about much else. Odd, very odd....

Ever since I went to Germany and attended a wine festival, I've always been partial to German Reisling! It brings back so many memories...