~Andrea~

I stalled a bit with Babylon. I'm a third way through and I've parked it for now. I've since read Three Wishes by Lianne Moriarty which was her debut. It's not as good as her others but still good - which I suppose is fair enough for a debut. Her others have a bit more of a mystery element to them whereas this was just a straightforward domestic comedy drama. I initially found the characters a bit annoying as their lives seemed too easy and happy - it picked up a lot more when everything started going wrong for them 😆 Now I've started the next in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy which I know I'll enjoy. I wanted to savour the series a bit more and spread them out, but as I'm struggling with my mojo lately I've decided to play it safe.

Aw congratulations Hayley! He's beautiful. There is nothing in this world as adorable as a new born baby 😍 I hope you're getting some decent sleep.

Bagpuss was one of my childhood favourites, along with Me Benn.

Fool's Assassin was, as expected, a thoroughly enjoyable page turner that I couldn't put down. It didn't take me long to read. It's amazing how I can plough through a 600 page Robin Hobb in next to no time whereas I plod along with most other authors at a much more leisurely pace! I am now reading Babylon by Paul Kriwaczek which is a non fiction book, a history of ancient mesopotamia and the birth of civilization. So far very interesting. We're currently in Uruk, the earliest known city (in modern day Iraq note - the very similar name) where lots of modern ideas were born, such as working for wages, mass production and record keeping (to name but a few). I am enjoying it so far although it took me a while to warm up to the writing. More on that when I've finished it.

I absolutely loved the Netflix series and watched it a second time as soon as I'd finished it!! I bet the book is great!

Oh my gosh, how could I have missed this? Massive congratulations on the pregnancy Hayley, how exciting!! And starting a new business as well! All such lovely news. 🎉

Hi Damien - welcome to the forum

I've decided to give up on Saturday by Ian McKewan; I just wasn't enjoying it so it began to feel like a bit laborious. Fool's Assassin by contrast is something I feel unable to put down and find myself reading and reading even when my eyelids are drooping! And I look forward to going to bed early so I have plenty of reading time. Life is just too short to read as a chore rather than a pleasure. I have also started reading in Welsh again, only at the learner level, but I'm going to track that here too. It will only be short stories and short novellas - but they take longer to read so I feel it's a unit comparable with a novel in English. I'm starting with Short Stories in Welsh by Olly Richards. I've read the first one, Yr Empanada Wallgo, an adventure in a Welsh speaking area of Argentina (yes believe it or not there is one) involving an Empanada restaurant! I'm looking forward to getting stuck in to a Welsh language reading challenge this year.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. It started out so creepy I had to read it downstairs (either earlier in the evening or in the daytime but definitely not straight before bed!) I have now started Fools Assassin by Robin Hobb, which is a welcome return to the world of the Farseer trilogy. I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far. These are probably some of my favourite books in the world, and starting a brand new trilogy with old familiar characters is like being wrapped up in a warm blanket.

There was only one Outstanding one really, and that was Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. It really was great - both utterly gripping and superbly written.

Yes it was good. I really did like Watermelon, I just didn't think it was as tightly written as some of her others. My favourite remains Rachel's Holiday. I also really enjoyed This Charming Man. That's a shame to hear that some of the other's aren't as good either. Perhaps as a genre writer there is a lot of pressure to keep churning them out.

I agree with that one. I loved all the adaptations but not the book. Perhaps I attempted it when I was a bit too young (about 10 I think).

Last year was a bit disappointing reading wise, but I have a few good reads lined up for 2025. Santa brought me The Fitz and the Fool trilogy by Robin Hobb, and Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. I've also bought myself Credo by Melvin Bragg which I started reading and loved as a youngster but failed to finish before the library wanted it back. It's been on my wish list for years!

I loved Watermelon, which wasn't the best I'd read by Keyes, although given it was her debut I could forgive any little flaws. It was funny and the characters were great. I sailed through it and thought my mojo was back. Next I read Fingersmith by Sarah Waters was absolutely brilliant, original, gripping, twisty, and cleverly (and expertly) written in the style of the period but with modern pace and drama. I cannot recommend it enough. After came The Husband's Secret by another favourite author, Liane Moriarty. I really enjoyed this one too, a humorously written domestic drama and mystery, with dark themes but a light touch. Sadly after this my mojo really fizzled out again and nothing I picked up sparked my interest. My bedside became a graveyard of unfinished reads. I picked up another Marian Keyes: Is Anybody Out There? in the hope that it would kickstart my mojo again. Sadly it didn't. While it was enjoyable enough it wasn't really matching my mood somehow and I found it a little trivial for what I was in the mood for. It took me forever to read, and after another few non-starters I picked up Saturday by Ian McEwan. I'm enjoying it but finding it a little waffly and tedious in places. I shall persist though. I've received some good books in my Christmas stocking this year and I'm looking forward to diving into those in the new year.

Welcome to my reading log. Feel free to comment. Happy reading 2024 (6) 2023 (14) 2022 (10) 2021 (9) 2020 (7) 2019 (18) 2018 (14) 2017 (10) 2016 (9) 2015 (10) 2014 (19) 2013 (21) 2012 (19) 2011 (17) 2010 (19) 2009 (23) 2008 (26) 2007 (21) Completed: English Hidden Pictures - Jason Rekulak Fool's Assassin - Robin Hobb Three Wishes - Lianne Moriarty Fool's Quest - Robin Hobb Welsh short stories and novellas: Yr Empanada Wallgo (The crazy Empanada) - Olly Richards Antur in Eryri (An adventure in Snowdonia) - Olly Richards Currently reading: Assassin's Fate - Robin Hobb Babylon - Paul Kriwaczek Abandoned: Saturday - Ian McKewan