~Andrea~

Thanks Chrissy. I've never read any by them before so had nothing to compare it to. I thought the writing was great in it though, and I believe it was their first novel. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!

Hello Welcome to the forum. I hope you enjoy!

The Memory Game by Nicci French When preparations for a new summer house in the Martello family's estate unearth the skeletal remains of the family's youngest daughter who disappeared twenty-five years ago, her childhood best friend, recently divorced from the deceased's brother, becomes obsessed with digging up the past and trying to solve the mystery of who killed her. I enjoyed this. It had a slowish pace and certainly wasn't a page-turning thriller but I quite liked that about it. I enjoyed getting to know the characters as the story unfolded. There was a lot of psychology in the book as the main character goes through therapy to get over her divorce and talk about the discovery of her childhood friend's body and I enjoyed that aspect of it.

Secrets in the Dark by Frederick Buechner This is a wonderful little book that I've been dipping in and out of for the past year or so. It's a book of sermons, which sounds tedious, but these are quite wonderful, beautifully written, warm, gentle, inclusive and non-preachy little gems of spiritual hope and light. I've loved dippng into this book by this Pulitzer prize nominated author whose writing in this book is an absolute delight.

That's interesting. I've always avoided The Wasp Factory because I'd heard it was unpleasant and dark but I'm actually tempted to give it a go now.

Happy reading and writing in 2019 Angury! (Do you know I've always read your name as Augury and only just now realized it's Angury!!)

That's twice as many as me. I've given up setting goals. Happy reading this year.

Oh no!! I'm pretty sure I bought that recently - only secondhand though.

Ah, I read my first Robert Goddard this year and really liked it, so it's a shame to hear about the disappointing endings! (I can't remember the ending to the one I read). I'll look out for Sea Change though.

Locke and Key - Welcome to Lovecraft - Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez Synopsis from Amazon: "Locke & Key" tells of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them, and home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all! I had this for Christmas. I've been wanting to get into graphic novels for a while, as for some reason, lately I've just been fancying a comic book format. I think sometimes I want a lighter read, with a bit of a different experience. I found this series recommended on here in the graphic novels thread. I enjoyed it, however I didn't realize it was going to be quite so dark and violent. I think I will read some more of them but I'm still on the lookout for some graphic novels I can escape into.

The Wish List Aaronovistch, Ben - Rivers of London recommended Ambrose, David - Superstition Alexander, Denis - creation or evolution: do we have to choose? Beah, Ishmael - Memoirs of a Boy Soldier Bradbury, Ray - Farenheit 451 Bradbury, Ray - Something Wicked this way comes Barker, Clive - Weaveworld Brother Lawrence - The Practice of the Presence of God Buechner, Frederich - The Book of Bebb Bugan, Carmen - Burying the Typewriter Burton, Fiona - The Widow recommended Challis, Sarah - Footprints in the sand Chamberlaine, Diane - The Midwife's confession recommended Cohen, Jeff - The Question of the Missing Head recommended Conran, Shirley - Savages Coupland, Douglas - Microserfs/JPod Coben, Harlan - Six Years recommended Du Maurier, Daphne - Rebecca Du Maurier, Daphne - The House on the Strand Dunant, Sarah - Transgressions (recommended) Dick, Philip K - A Scanner Darkly Faber, Michael - The Crimson petal and the White recommended Foster, Richard - Celebration of Discipline Gaarder, Jostein - Sophie's World Green, John - Turtles All the Way Down recommended Greene, Grahame - Brighton Rock Greene, Grahame - The Third Man & The Fallen Idol Haig, Matt - How to Stop Time recommended Haugen, Gary (IJM) - Just Courage Highsmith, Patricia - The Talented Mr Ripley Hinton, Susan - Rumble Fish Hobb, Robin - Fool's Assassin Hobb, Robin - Fool's Quest Hobb, Robin - Assassin's Fate Hodgson, Burnett Frances - The Secret Garden Hodkin, Michelle -The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Humphries, Alistair - Microadventures recommended Jerome, Jerome K - My Life and Times Jefferson Farjeon, J - Mystery in White recommended Kasasian, M.R.C. - The Mangle Street Murders recommended (read by Emma Gregory) Krauss, Nicole - Man walks into a Room recommended Koontz, Dean - The Mask Koontz, Dean - From The Corner Of His Eye Koontz, Dean - False Memory Lennox, John - God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? Lennox, John - Seven Days that Divide the World. Lewis, C S - Till we have Faces London, Jack - White Fang Mandel, John - Station Eleven recommended Marion, Issac - Warm Bodies recommended McKinley, Robin - Sunshine Mercer, Jeremy - Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs Mitchell, Margaret - Gone With the Wind Moran, Caitlin - How to be a Woman recommended Moss, Sarah - Night Waking recommended Moyes, Jojo - The Last Letter From Your Lover recommended Neville, Adam - Apartment 16 Scott, Fitzgerald F - recommended Semple, Maria - Where'd you go Bernadette - recommended Phillips, Caryl - A Distant Shore (recommended) Penny, Stef - The Tenderness of Wolves recommended Pye-Smith, Charlie - Land of Plenty recommended Rayner, Jay - The Oyster House Siege Sachar, Louis - There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom - recommended Taylor, Jodie - Just One Damned Thing After Another - recommended Tremayne, S.K - The Ice Twins recommended Trueman, Terry - Stuck in neutral Trigell, Jonathan - Boy A Verne, Jules - Journey to the Centre of the Earth - recommended Wheatley, Dennis - The Haunting of Toby Jugg Winter, Tom - Lost and Found recommended Wyndham, John - The Kraken awakes Watson, S J - Before I go to sleep Ruiz Zafon, Carlos - The Shadow Of The Wind Ruiz Zafon, Carlos - The Angel's Game Ryan, Carrie - The Forest Of Hands & Teeth Wroblewski, David - The story of Edgar Sawtelle Zevin, Gabrielle - The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry recommended

Acquired pre 2018 Minnette Walters - The shape of snakes Logic - A very short introduction Wilkie Collins The Woman in White Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales (modern translation) The Essential tales of Chekhov A Winter's tale Othello The Merchant of Venice Julius Caesar Twelfth night Collected works of Tennyson The Four Loves - C S Lewis Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan The Trial - Franz Kafka (audio) Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings - Edited by David Chalmers Ian Rankin - Watchmen Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities JoJo Moyes - The Girl You Left Behind The Road Less Traveled My Favourite Wife - Tony Parsons C J Sansom : Dark Fire Joanne Harris - Five quarters of the orange Ronnie Corbett - High Hopes Robin Hobb - Renegade's Magic Books acquired 2018: The Philosopher and the Gospels - Keith Ward The Memory Game - Nicci French Rachel's Holiday - Marian Keyes This Charming Man - Marian Keyes Books acquired 2019: Christian Theology: An Introduction - Alistair McGrath The adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle Introducing Psychology a graphic guide - Nigel Benson Introducing Psychotherapy a graphic guide - Nigel Benson, Borin Van Loon The Psychology Book - Nigel Benson Cassandra Darke - Posy Simmonds Gemma Bovary - Posy Simmonds The Well - Catherine Chanter Frenchman's Creek - Daphne Du Maurier

Previous logs: 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: Secrets in the Dark - Frederich Buechner The Memory Game - Nicci French The Philosopher and the Gospels - Keith Ward Rachel's Holiday - Marian Keyes Introducing Psychology, a graphic guide - Nigel Benson High Hopes - Ronnie Corbett Introducing Psychotherapy a graphic guide - Nigel Benson, Borin Van Loon Gentleman Jim - Raymond Briggs Vortex Butterflies (a Dr Who graphic novel with David Tenant's doctor) Locke and Key, Head Games (book 2) - Joe Hill Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin Cassandra Darke - Posy Simmonds Back when we were Grown-ups - Anne Tyler Renegade Magic - Robin Hobb Gemma Bovary - Posy Simmonds The Well - Catherine Chanter Frenchman's Creek - Daphne Du Maurier The Fault in our Stars - John Greene Currently reading: Christian Theology: An Introduction - Alistair McGrath

She was living in or near London, England, but her family was from Ireland and were strict Catholics. It's amazing how times and attitudes have changed. I would definitely recommend it. It was so interesting, and really well written.

The Baby Laundry for Unmarried Mothers by Angela Patrick and Lynne Barrett-Lee This is the true story of Angela Patrick, who gets pregnant at 19 in the sixties. Coming from a strict Catholic family, and being under the age of 21, she is forced to have the baby in secret and give it up for adoption. This book is in three parts, the first part details her time at the harsh convent, which is more like a Victorian workhouse. This was the hardest part to read as it is so shocking and upsetting. I found it hard to believe the attitudes of society at the time, as well as the harshness of the life at the convent, in what feels like such recent history. Parts two and three cover her life afterwards and were so much easier to read I raced through them in one sitting. It's a haunting story, and even though it ha such a dark beginning, it's not all doom and gloom and there is a lot of positivity in it too. It was a fascinating read (if harrowing at times) and I'm glad I read it, and would definitely recommend it.

Great reviews! I like the sound of The Coffin Path and Ghost Wall. I also enjoyed your review of Poppy Shakespeare which I've wanted to read for a while. I've seen the film with Naomie Harris which I thought was great, if a little confusing.

Interesting thoughts on The Handmaid's Tale Ian. I too struggled a bit but overall really liked it. I found the subject a bit too extreme, but it was so beautifully written I could forgive it that. I was undeniably hooked as I read it, and found it to be the sort of book that stays with you afterwards, which is the best kind really.

That sounds like a big job Kylie! Good luck with it and well done for what you've achieved so far.

Forest Mage by Robin Hobb This is book two of the Soldier Son trilogy. The Speck plague has devastated the city of Old Thares and the Cavalla training academy. Nevare Burvelle, who has made a remarkable recovery from the plague makes his way home for his brother's wedding, only to find a cool welcome awaits. Not only was he infected with the plague, he has also been infected by Speck magic, which leads to uncomfortable side-effects which only exacerbate his problems at home and make him unfit to serve in the army. Eventually he heads East, to the only regiment which will probably have him, and to the land of the Specks themselves. Overall I enjoyed reading this but I did find it very slow, especially the second half. As usual I enjoy the characters and worlds that Robin Hobb creates however I have no idea why this book needed to be over 800 pages long. There aren't enough dramatic scenes and much of the second half of the book seems to focus on the main character's introspection which I found quite repetitive and somewhat irritating. I did wonder if she was writing to a publisher-set page count target as well as a deadline. I didn't love the main character either, I kept shaking my head at his apparent dullness. The reader is given much more insight than the protagonist, and it makes him comes across as stupid at times. The subject matter is also a little odd for me. The magic in this book is somewhat sexual and sensual and there are a few sex scenes which I just found a bit tedious and jarring after a while. So it's not her best book, but I still found it strangely readable and want to know what happens next. So I will be reading the third book, however from what I have heard, I wont get my hopes up.

Ah mystery solved! Thanks Hayley. And welcome AdminBCF

This is an intriguing new user. Who is the mysterious AdminBCF? Is it an existing admin in a new disguise? (Sorry, being nosy!)

We did the chrysalids in school. I remember really enjoying it but don't remember if we read the whole thing or just bits of it. I ought to give it a re-read I think.

Beneath the Bleeding by Val McDermid From Amazon: When Robbie Bishop, star midfielder for the Bradfield Vics, is poisoned by a rare and deadly toxin, profiler Dr Tony Hill and trusted colleague DCI Carol Jordan have their work cut out for them. Robbie was adored, so the public want answers – but the answers aren't coming, and trails are running cold. Then a bomb explodes in the football stadium, causing massive casualties – and another man dies from poisoning. Is there a link between the cases? And what are the motives for these crimes? The clock is ticking for Tony and Carol – and the death toll keeps rising… I picked this up because I really enjoyed Wire in the Blood on TV and this is from the same series. I enjoyed reading it and was engaged and interested in the story, but I didn't find the characters other the two main ones very interesting. They all seemed to merge into each other and I couldn't tell them apart. Like most detective novels I've read, I enjoyed it well enough but it didn't really stay with me. Perhaps whodunnits just aren't really my thing. I think many detective novels are pretty formulaic and I suppose that's the problem I had with this one. If you know what to expect though you'd probably find this enjoyable enough.

The only one that springs to mind is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, though I suspect you're looking for something a bit more recent? There are some lists on Goodreads but I'm not familiar with any of them so I can't comment I'm afraid. Good question though. Are there any that you would recommend?

I'm not loving Jodie Whittaker either, though I do like her as an actor. I also have no problem with a female doctor. (I'd love to see Miriam Margolyes in the role). I find Jodie Whittaker plays a very flustered doctor, always on the back foot and yes a little forced. Hopefully she'll settle into the role though. I loved Capaldi, he was my favourite of the new doctors, so I guess she has a lot to live up to for me.