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Since the end of October, I have also: Finished Angel Isle by Peter Dickinson Read: The Rainbow Bridge by Aubrey Flegg (thanks Kell!) Hot Six by Janet Evanovich I don't know what I am going to pick off the shelf next. It is my RL Book Club a week on Thursday so I need to read Small Island by Andrea Levy for then, but I want to read something else light first. Off to raid the TBR shelf and then to bed. Night all!

Notes on a Scandal Zoe Heller This Booker Shortlisted novel (2001?) was the choice for my Book Club read this month. It tells the story of a naive NQT who embarks on a relationship with one of her 15 year old students. Told through the eyes of a fellow teacher, Barbara, more is revealed about the narrator than those featured in the storyline itself! As a self confessed Booker hater, I was very reluctant to read this. However, it was much easier to read than I expected and while not a comfortable read, I could almost say I enjoyed it. The writing style is of high quality and the plot is well constructed. It was impossible to like the characters but this was clearly all part of Heller's plan. Certainly a good book for discussion, and this was borne out in the fact that there were more members of Book Club turned up for the meeting than ever before, and we had all finished it! The Navigator Eoin McNamee This is a debut novel for Young Adults, from an accomplished Irish adult novellist. The novel stars Owen (a play on the pronunciation of Eoin, perhaps?), an ordinary boy from an ordinary town. One day, Owen witnesses - although he doesn't realise or understand it - the starting of the Puissance and his life changes. A whole community awakens from within the Old Workhouse, and a centuries old war is restarted between the Resistors and the Harsh. Soon it becomes apparent that time has been damaged, and this is an alternative reality. Owen has an important role to play to restore life, one that he has inherited from his Father. Through trying to save the Resistors, and ultimately the world, Owen learns more about his own history and his own strengths. The novel is action-packed, and there is plenty to get your teeth into. However, McNamee works too hard to explain the complications of time-travel and the numerous gadgets invented by the loveable Dr Diamond. Unfortunately, as a result at no point does the scenario seem entirely convincing. The ending is weak, seeming a little too convenient and tidy. This said, there are lots of great ideas here that could have been developed further and a good backstory. Junior fans of sci-fi will enjoy it. Oranges in No Man's Land Elizabeth Laird At about 100 pages, this new book from Elizabeth Laird is aimed at a younger readership than expected. Set in Lebanon during the troubles of the 70's, Laird brings to life the feelings of confusion and loss that would be felt by an 8 year old child in these situations. As Ayesha struggles to come to terms with her country's fight with itself, she is shown that the world is not all evil in the help and warmth shown by her fellow refugees. For such a short novel, this is high class literature which will be easily accessible by 8-11 year olds. A strong read that will bring tears to the eyes of even a hardened reader. Out of My Depth Emily Barr When 30-something Susie plans a reunion for her school friends, she knows that there is more to her motives than showing off. The 4 friends have a dark secret that has never been discussed between them and was the cause of the demise of their friendship. Barr interweaves the 2005 France where Susie lives, with the story of their English Private School in the 1980's. There has clearly been a lot of thought into how the events of the 80's will impact on the characters in later life, but despite this the girls are never truly likeable or manage to escape teenager cliches. While this novel isn't going to set the literary world alight, it will be good for beach reading! Damian Dreuth, Supersluth: Spycatcher Barbara Mitchelhill An easy to read adventure spy story for 6-8 year olds or those beginning to gain confidence in reading alone. Damian Drooth is once again on the trail of crime, and is using the opportunity to train his friends in detective skills. The vocabulary is simple and the characters believable. The plot is plausible though clearly planned to reach a nice finale. Small Steps Louis Sachar This sequel to the much acclaimed Holes follows on the story of Armpit and X-Ray after they are released from Camp Green Lake. Armpit is trying to go straight, and has found himself a job with a landscape gardener (digging holes!) while he does a day-release college course. X-Ray isn't quite as focussed and wants to focus on making a quick buck. he persuades Armpit to part with his savings to buy tickets to a Britney Spears-esque Pop Concert with the intention of selling them on for profit. Suffice to say, things don't go exactly to plan and Armpit ends up in the middle of a fraud and murder plot. While as enjoyable to read as Holes, Small Steps add's little to the characters and is no where near as cleverly plotted. It is also very topical, and will appeal more to teenage girls than the wider audience of Holes. Kiss Me Quick Julie Highmore Light and fluffy rom-com. Useless life coach, Tim Downer, unknowingly becomes the feature of a journalist's research into his job. He doesn't suspect a thing, but his ex-wife and daughter know immediately there is more to Debbie than meets the eye. Told in first person diary-style chunks, the lead is switched between about 6 of the main characters which makes it hard to follow who or what is going on. That said, Highmore seems to know her characters well, and does give them each their own voices which become more distinctive as the novel develops. Welcome to the Real World Carole Matthews More light and fluffy rom-com. This time set in the music industry. Struggling bar girl / bar singer, Fern, gets a temping job as the PA to mega-star, opera singer Evan David. At the same time she gets through the first stages of X-Factor style TV Show, The Fame Game. When her 2 worlds start to collide and collapse around her ears, desperate measures are called for. Matthew's is a confident writer, who writes with a natural sparkle. Her characters seem real and their plight's understandable. Another one that would be good for the beach, or a long train journey! Road of Bones Anne Fine Anne Fine's latest novel is a complete departure from her normal style. Road of Bones is set in a Soviet like state where every one is afraid of the "Leaders" and their spies. When 12 year old Yuri makes a throwaway comment, he endangers the life of not just himself but also his family. On the run, this is the tale of his survival. Bleak and cold, this is obviously a story that Fine needed to tell. Perfectly plotted and developed, although a fable the environment seems like it could become real alarmingly easily. Definitely one of the best children's novels of the year, and a strong contender for many Children's Book Prizes. Killing Orders Sara Paretsky A VI Warshawski novel. VI is asked by her estranged aunt to clear her name when the monastery she works at is found to have a number of forged stock certificates. Typical Paretsky, gripping to the end. While at times the novel hasn't aged well, this is still worth reading for the crime fans. Four to Score & High Five Janet Evanovich I'm whipping through the Stephanie Plum books. The more I read, the more I need! Both these novels have the characteristic traits of a good Evanovich - Stephanie in top form as the worlds most unwilling and inept Bounty Hunter, Rex the Hamster surviving all kinds of injustice, Joe Morelli trying his best to bed Stpeh, and Grandma Mazur not wanting to miss out on anything. Great for light relief, and laughing out loud. I'm lovin' it! Cat Among the Pigeons Julia Golding Another sequel, this time to last year's Ottakar's Children's Book Award winner, The Diamond of Drury Lane. Cat Royal, orphan and ward of the Royal Theatre, is in trouble again. She needs to go hide, and in the process ends up acting as a school boy and a serving girl. Another lively offering, with all the elements a great children's adventure books should have. There are baddies galore, fights, intrigue and a satisfying ending. Clearly set up to support another sequel, but one I am looking forward to reading. Forged in the Fire Ann Turnbull Yet another sequel, this time to No Shame, No Fear which will be seen on stage in the Jermyn Theatre next year. It is 1664 and Will and Susanna have not seen each other for 3 years. Will has now achieved success in London and has written to Susanna to ask her to marry him and come to live with him. As the weeks go by, Will does not arrive, and as tales of the Plague reach Shropshire she begins to fear for his life. She sets off to London to find him. Turnbull has clearly done a lot of research into Quakerism and their way of life in both rural and urban England of the 1600's. It seems unbelievable that even in the grip of Plague, Quakers were being persecuted and imprisoned for their beliefs. Not having read the first book, I was concerned that this would affect my reading of this one, but that was not a problem at all. Enough background is given for the story to make sense, without making it patronising for those who have read No Shame. Will and Su stay with you long after finishing the book, and their story is so vividly told that images of the book come to you when you least expect it. Another wonderful novel that I am sure will do well in Children's Literature circles.

I've finished the Dickinson! At last! It was a real slog. I read about 3 more books in between starting it and finishing it! Have updated first post with list of what read. Going to copy in a post I made on http://boards.fool.co.uk about this months reads as I don't want to go through them all again! Edit - have done so, but needed to cut 600 characters out as it was over 10000 characters long! Wow!

We had this at our book club last month, and there were more people at the meeting than ever before! Even better we had all finished it! There was so much for discussion! I can't say I liked any of the characters, but I did enjoy reading it.

I'm not a "younger reader" so I'm not sure if I should answer! And I haven't read this one... I have read other Goosebumps books though, and think they are so good for introducing horror to children! I read 3 or 4 at uni for a module I took about children's literature, and I was terrified!

I love Quentin Blake's stuff, and this appeals to me. I am going to print it and stick it on the wall at work tomorrow! Thank you!

I read all of this - but only because I was being paid to! I thought it was a great idea for a book, but it jumped around so much, and didn't really answer any of the questions it set out to. I'm really glad I read it as it taught me loads about the space race, but I don't think I would read any more of Andrew Smith's writings.

I love to read series - especially for light relief. I am currently whipping through the Stephanie Plum books and loving every second of it. It's so nice to retreat into a world that is familiar, and to meet those friends you made earlier, while having all new adventures with them, don't you think? I tend to find if I read too much of an author's stuff I get bored, so I often drop off half way through a series. Series I have read are: Most of Enid Blyton's - famous five, secret seven, *** of adventure, mallory towers, st clares, noddy, basically - you name it! Tess Gerritsen - Maura Isles / Jane Rizolli Janet Evanovich - to Steph Plum book 6 so far Alex Kava - first 5. Harry Potter! Alex Rider Girls in... by Jacquline Wilson Jasper Fforde Lucy Daniels - Animal Ark (the first 30 or so as a young teenager) Ann Digby - Trebizon Lois Lowry - Anastasia Elinor M Brent-Dyer - The Chalet School A series called Cheerleaders the Point book - Horror, Romance, Crime and Fantasy. Sweet Valley In fact - most of these were as a child or teenager.

I have been told many times that when my mum was pregnant with my brother (I was 3) I read most of the Mothercare Baby Book. Looking back I can't really believe it, but I obviously spent a lot of time looking at it. I could read quite confidently when I started school, but as they felt everyone had to go through all the books, I had to work through the reading scheme. They were boring, and I'm glad they didn't put me off. I would completely understand now if they had!

True - but there seems to be a recurring theme in the top few -

I've not read them, but there is a series by Erin Hunter called Warriors all about cats. I hadn't realised there were so many in the series until I just googled them. They seem very popular for 8 - 11 year olds.

Still ploughing through Angel Isle. I've read about 150 of the 600, and I'm slowly beginning to work out what is going on. It doesn't help that it's a sequel and I haven't read the first book, The Ropemaker. I picked up another book from work today, Forged in the Fire by Ann Turnbull, and I need to get that read by Wednesday, so Angel Isle may have to go on ice for a couple of days.

I love soup - not just in the winter, but also as a light meal in the summer. I know it's naughty but Pret A Manger do great thick soups, which I always get if I am in meetings in London or out for the day (fortunately for my bank we don't have a Pret anywhere near where I live!). They also do a bargain "Soup Bread" for 20p, which is basically yesterday's left over baguettes, but are still very edible and perfect for dunking in soup! Their roasted vegetable one is particularly warming.

Charlotte's Web must make almost everyone cry - we had it read to us at school, and I think most of the class were sobbing by the end (boys as well as girls!)! I had to reread the book at home to see what I missed and must have read it 5 or 6 times, crying every time. I also cried at the film!

Brilliant book - one of the best from Morpurgo for a few years. Very moving, and lots of atmosphere. Also very clever, but I won't say too much for fear of giving away the end!

Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine. Aimed at younger readers who are just becoming confident, there is lots of humour in the most simple ways! A colleague would swear by Lillian Brauns The Cat Who detective novels. I must try one - would anyone else recommend them?

I've read speculation that there might be a 14th book - as The End had 14 chapters, and all the rest had only 13! They may answer your questions yet!

Someone pass the Valium, please? (I wanted a smilie showing I had the shakes, this is the closest I can find at short notice!)

Finished Cat Among the Pigeons. Very much like The Diamond of Drury Lane which it is the sequel to, and very enjoyable. Proper, traditional children's literature with all the adventure and excitement that it should have. I am sure that Golding has set it up for a 3rd book though.... Next, I have been putting off a book for work evaluation - Angel Isle by Peter Dickinson. It is bound to be fantastically well written and gripping, but I always find Dickinson to be so worthy, and at about 5 inches thick, I can't seem to enthuse myself to pick it up. I must though, so it is next.

I have tried in the past to keep diaries, real ones or reading ones, but I end up getting behind and forgetting to add things. I now have an msn space created with a couple of friends and we all put the details of our reads on there. I list the title, author, a rating and the date I finished it. As I tend to only read one book at a time, and then as soon as I have finished one I start the next the end date is really the only one I need to keep. Of course, this years version of this info is now in my book blog on here as well, and I quite often add comments about the books as well, so I am getting better!

I can almost forgive you the dustjacket - I have been known to do that on a slim hard back, but...but...but...fold down the corners? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I agree! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (well, when I first get up. A few hours later, I am sure that LUNCH is the most important meal, and then by evening, DINNER is!). I love the choice, and I think I must be a much bigger pig to you, Susanna. I have been known to have something of nearly everything in a hotel brekkie! Normally, I have a bowl of cereal and a glass of water. The blessing of cereal is that once I get bored of one brand I can switch to another. Current choice is Rice Crispies. On Sundays, we usually have something a little more exotic as a brunch - porridge, and then a sausage and egg sandwich, or small bowl of cereal and then a big fry up! With lots of juice and tea and coffee.

Thanks, Michelle - I thinks it's the weather! I hope you feel better soon as well.

I hadn't relaised that this was one of October's reads. If I had, I would have retrieved my copy of my Dad when I saw him a couple of weeks ago, and then impressed you all with my insight and intelligence. To clarify, I studied old Frank at uni as part of a "Writing Women" module. Unfortunately, my addled brain cannot remember any of these insights without the annotated copy in front of me! Nicky - my copy was one of those £1 Penguin classics - might be worth looking out for as it will certianly not be changed and is also cheap!

I've just realised I read 2 more books from this list in the last few weeks! Very impressed with myself! Don't think I will have completed by Christmas, though!