~Andrea~

My reading has stalled again, however I've picked up Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb. I'm going to give myself a deadline. It's about 650 pages long and I've read about 50 so I'll attempt to complete it in 6 weeks, which will take me to 7th August. That's only 100 pages a week. Even I should be able to do that!!

Thanks both! I'm definitely going to look out for more from him.

I wasn't keen on How To Be Good either. It was just annoying, and seemed to miss the point. I liked High Fidelity and loved About A Boy but I haven't read any Hornby since The Long Way Down which I also didn't rate much. You're right though, About A Boy is different to the film, and a lot better (even though the film is pretty good). I read and enjoyed Ender's Game but for some reason never got to any of the sequels.

Take No Farewell by Robert Goddard When Geoffery Staddon reads in the newspaper about a murder at Clouds Frome, the beautiful country house he designed as a young architect, a past he thought he'd left behind rises to meet him once more. The beautiful Consuela has been accused of murdering her sister-in-law and niece and of attempting to take the life of her own husband. Unable to believe that the woman he once knew is guilty, he finds himself embroiled in the hunt for the real killer, and the skeletons in his own cupboard start to fall out and threaten to turn his world upside down. I picked this up at a jumble sale, never having heard of the author before. I really enjoyed it. From the outset I just liked the writing style, and settled comfortably into the story, which turned out to be rather gripping. It's set just before and after the first world war (although the war doesn't feature much), and the writing style suited that era perfectly. My only criticism was that some of the dialogue was occasionally a little jarring, but it didn't spoil my overall enjoyment of the book. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Love the review of 'I am Pilgrim' Will. That's definitely one to avoid then

Mine too. It's freezing at night as well. I've had to put my big fleece blanket back on the bed! Last weekend I was barelegged in skirts and summer-tops!

I just sent a request! Will be lovely to see your pics! Thanks! Thanks Gaia. Molly is much better thanks. Everything is ... um ... nice and solid now and no more accidents!

Oh that sounds lovely. I want to go on holiday now! My next trip isn't until October though so I've a bit of a wait. I'd love to go back to Croatia, and Montenegro sounds very appealing based on your description too.

Montenegro will be lovely June. I did Croatia a few years back and loved it! The temperature sounds perfect too! Not too hot. Great news about the job and Penny Noll. So sorry to hear about her accident. I've only just caught up with everything. I had a lovely weekend in Essex last weekend, catching up with family I hadn't see for over a decade! And we had such beautiful weather in a really lovely part of the country. My new cat Molly is back now (she stayed with her former owner while I was away) and is causing me grief with her upset tummy. I think it's all the moving around she's done lately stressing her out. But the cleanup operations first thing aren't fun!

Oh you poor thing. I hope you feel better soon. That's no fun at all. I like the sound of those books though, The Bette Davies club and Caravel. Especially Caravel!

I was kind of enjoying the Robin Hobb I started (although it's a bit slower than her other ones) but I've been a bit stressed with various things this month and felt I needed something more gripping to lose myself in so I've picked up Robert Goddard's Take No Farewell which I'm enjoying so far. And it certainly seems more absorbing than the other book, which I need right now.

I think people have asked for this before and people have been beta readers (IIRC) so I don't think it's out of scope (but someone can correct me if I'm wrong). You could try the writer's forum perhaps, though as you say - you're not looking for writers to read for you. Maybe a mod will come along with a better suggestion.

Aw congratulations Frankie. I only just caught up with your news re 'mising in action'. How lovely

Ooh I've not heard of that one. It sounds good!

The Woman in the Window by A J Finn Anna is an agoraphobic who lives alone, drinks too much and spends her days on the internet or spying on her neighbours, especially the perfect new family opposite. But one day she witnesses a crime from her window and discovers things are not quite as they seem. I enjoyed this. It was very gripping and I liked the central character however I did think it was a bit over-hyped. While I found it to be a page-turner and quite well written, it was a bit formulaic in places and seemed a little rushed in others and there is a huge info-dump at the end. The writing, while good, was a bit too simple for my liking and I think some richer prose would have been welcome (and I'm really not one for overly wordy writing). Still, overall I did enjoy it, but it's certainly no masterpiece. When I started it I thought I was going to love it, so I was slightly disappointed when it didn't quite hit the mark.

It's completely understandable that you're reading slips when you're studying. There's only so much concentration the brain can take. Maybe you need to find some trashy novels to replace the trashy TV And don't be too hard on yourself. Good luck with the studies, and the reading! I hope you have a good break.

I read The Handmaid's Tale a year or so ago and really enjoyed it. I did find it a bit OTT in places and don't usually like preachy books or books with too much of a message but I felt THT stayed just the right side of the line and was so well written and engaging that I really couldn't complain! I didn't catch the TV show which I'm a bit disappointed about.

Thanks Gaia. It was certainly an improvement!

Grinny by Nicholas Fisk When Tim's Great Aunt Emma comes to stay, he and his younger sister Beth soon grow suspicious of her, and discover a sinister side to the relative that no-one seems to clearly remember. This was another nostalgia read, a book I first read when I was about eleven. I could remember more of this than I did of the awful Nancy Drew I revisited recently. I had higher hopes for this one as a) I could remember a few little things from it, and b) it was in the school library and that was how I came to read it. It was a MUCH better experience than the Namcy Drew. I can understand why I loved it so much as a youngster. It's written in a chatty diary format which makes it easily accessible for a youngster, and the plot really draws you in, as the sinister reality of who or what Grinny is, becomes increasingly apparent. It's a short read, and aimed at a young audience, but I found it an enjoyable visit to an old childhood favourite.

Oh I loved it BB! I hope you do too

Well I just discovered I answered the poll as age 34! That was TEN years ago So I'm now 44! (How did that happen?)

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis A series of letters from senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew Wormwood, who is engaged in his first duty in the infernal civil service of securing the soul of a young man who has recently converted to Christianity. I enjoyed this a lot. It was a re-read; I first read it almost twenty years ago (only a few years after my own conversion actually), and I enjoyed it a lot more this time round. The first time I found it incredibly heavy going, but this time for some reason I pretty much skipped through it. It is a little verbose and detailed in places, but not nearly as bad as I remember so I was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps part of the difference is just that I've lived a bit more, and I'm a lot more aware of my human weaknesses now, and that recognition just made it more relevant and interesting. The book is really, theology delivered through fiction rather than a straight piece of fiction per se, and while it specifically addresses Christian challenges, I think it speaks to the human condition in a more general sense as well. I didn't always agree with the theology or share Lewis's opinion on every count, but found enough of it struck a chord to make it an enjoyable and useful read.

I saw I, Tonya last night. I thought it was brilliant. I don't know how factual it is on every single count, but it was certainly illuminating and a great watch, darkly comic and tragic at the same time. It will stay with me for a while I think.

Oh that sounds like a really cool course! I can just really imagine playing and enjoying a game like the one you describe, especially the world war one! And I loved The Book Thief, it was really insightful and helped me understand what living in Germany might have been like with the Nazis in power. But whatever option you go with I'm sure it will be awesome! Good luck with it.

I like the idea of the history game. What masters are you doing? Does it have to be a computer game?