Sugar

I realised about halfway through that there was no voice from Kate, I spent about 20 minutes flicking through the chapter headings to make sure I wasn't imagining it!

Since last visiting I have read Harvest by Tess Gerritsen and Anchee Min's Empress Orchid. Will post in the Reading Circle soon. Now reading - Tamar by Mal Peet

Thanks for making me feel better, guys!

I've got Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief, I really want to read it, but haven't gotten around to it just yet. I've heard nothing but great reviews about both of them so far.

I have been sobbing and sobbing! Not cried over any book this year any where near as much as I did over parts of "Anybody Out There?". How daft am I?! A reasonably easy and quick read, but with quite a raw subject matter. Very emotional! It's the latest book in the Walsh Family series that Keyes has written - which includes Rachel's Holiday, Watermelon and Angels. A friend has said that it spoils some of the earlier ones, but not having read them didn't put me at a disadvantage with this. Recommend if you want a light read, but not if you are feeling low (unless you need an escuse to cry!).

Your TBR list looks as long and as eclectic as mine, Essiotrot! Looking forward to seeing your opinions on some of them.

As I have mentioned this in a few other places, I thought I ought to post a review. Although short (at just under 90 pages) this is an incredibly moving novel. Oscar is 10 years old and is in hospital where he has been receiving treatment for cancer. One of the "Ladies in Pink", women who visit the children in the hospital, recommends that Oscar lives 10 years in each of the next 12 days (until the end of the year) and writes to God at the end of each day to tell Him what he has learnt. Oscar's relationship with Granny Rose (as he calls this "Lady in Pink"), his family and fellow patients develop throughout the book. Schmitt writes with a huge amount of sensitivity and it is easy to believe that he is 10 years old. Despite the sad subject, there are many moments of beauty and humour, and I was amazed to find myself laughing aloud on more than one occassion. I first heard about this from "The Bookseller", where it was described as a real tear-jerker. I won't say I went quite that far, but I could understand how it might affect some people in that way. If you are trying to cope with serious or terminal illness, there are many uplifting moments that could really help. This could almost be seen as a self-help guide.

Read "The Cobra King of Kathmandu" by PB Kerr for a work evaluation on my day off today. It was a reasonable read - a little predicatable, but adventure and magic abound! Started the Marian Keyes "Anybody Out There?" as well. Shouldn't take too long, amd then I can start on "Empress Orchid" to join the reading circle.

I thought that the Jane Austen Book Club was very cleverly written - I loved the way that the different novels were discussed in the different hosts settings, with lots of interlapping. I can't remember too much about it, but it was over 2 years ago that I read it, so to remember that much means it must have had something going for it.

I wouldn't see a problem with it. People often leave plenty of less pleasant stuff in library books! I'm sure most libraries would be understanding should they stumble across them, but I'm sure even more won't notice - especially if you put it a few pages in. I also think it's a nice gesture for someone else to discover it.

Isn't it just!

Well Kevin took longer than hoped, partly due to the migraine that I started on Monday, and became full blown on Tuesday. I finished it 2 minutes before I was picked up to go to book club last night to discuss it! But what a book - fantastic. I think I was expecting something Jodi Picoult-ish. Looking at something controversial and making a novel out of it, but it so isn't! Well worth every minute I invested in it. Certainly worth re-reading as well (and I don't say that often!). And a huge hit at book club. Still assembling my thoughts, but I will post about it (or add to existing posts) soon.

My books are mine - hand off! I occassionally bookcross books - but they tend to be books that I end up with duplicates of, or things that were given to me that I didn't really connect with. The dream is to make sure the house that we buy (eventually!) has an extra room to keep my books in!!!

How come you never see the word Pirates in a book title without the exclamation mark?!

Done with the Andrew Rosenheim - very refreshing and scored surprisingly highly on my review. Received 2 review books from work yesterday as well - Stray by David Belbin (another Barrington Stoke publication) and The Cobra King of Kathmandu by PB Kerr (part of his Children of the Lamp series). Read Stray in about 20 minutes today, so going to get on with Kevin. Hopefully finish it by the end of Sunday, then read the Kerr (we are supposed to return them in 2 weeks of receiving them) and then finally read the Marian Keyes from the other review shelf. Then I can read something I want to for a bit!!!!

Am whizzing through the review books - actually finished Cents and Sensibility late last night, so decided that I could fit one more in before I read Kevin. Have started Keeping Secrets by Andrew Rosenheim. It is the one of the 5 I was sent that looks least like a romance / chick-lit novel, so should make a bit of a change.

I've updated the list to reflect which I have read since posting. Didn't want to delete them, as it will make it clear how well I am doing with the pile / not doing, so have coloured them green. I think I will add new books at the end of August and see how it has changed.

Oooh - I really enjoyed this one. I went straight out to get his second novel when I had finished it. The second one is slightly better, imo, as MacBride seems to be more confident. I do hope you enjoy it, Kell!

Read Little Lady, Big Apple. It was alright, vaguely amusing in places and mildly more original than some things I've read but it didn't quite do it for me! I am starting to note how Jane Austen obsessed all these chick lit books are, with their constant references to Mr Darcy / Mr Knightly and plays on words and phrases taken from Austen. Reading one more review book, Cents and Sensibility (see what I mean about Austen!) and then am going to have a break to get on with our Kevin.

Great - my review can now be found here

Just read your opinions on Kevin, and now I have a huge sense of dread as I too have to read it for a book club choice this month. I was really looking forward to it, but not so convinced now. (I managed to avoid the spoilers though!).

This is absolutely fascinating reading. Miranda Seymour has worked hard to piece together the story of H

I've looked at this thread a couple of times and dismissed it as I don't tend to read biography. And I just realised that one of the best books I have read this year was a biography (of course I knew it was a biography at the time, I just hadn't linked it to this thread in my mind!). It is called The Bugatti Queen: Ins earch of a motoracing legend by a much published biographer, Miranda Seymour. I will post a review now, if anyone would like to find out more.

Started and finished Kissing Toads by Jemma Harvey. It was ok, good fun, with lots of literary references, some of which I felt quite clever to have got!!! Going to read another of these review books next - Little Lady, Big Apple. I've got 6 weeks to read them, but I have a real life book club meeting to discuss We Need to Talk About Kevin in a couple of weeks time, so I need to read that too. I also received another book in the post today as a sneak preview, so when I need some light relief I will read that - it is Mr Dixon Dissappears by Ian Sansom. Sent to me because I spent a day with him on a mobile library!

I try to avoid re-reads for the same reason. If I do re-read I listen to things on cassette in the car. I can't listen to something I haven't read as I miss chunks when I go over a roundabout or something. If I know the basics of the story then it doesn't matter so much! In this way, I have "re-read" Jasper Ffordes Thursday Next series a number of times. I have also re-read a couple of Philip Pullman's books (not His Dark materials yet though) in this way. I recently re-read "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore - but as it is only about 30 pages long that's cheating a bit! Just started to re-read "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath - inspired by the Gilmore, both were A Level texts for me - but have had to lay this to one side again to read a load of other things that have just bumped their way to the top of the pile.