~Andrea~

Thanks Janet. I don't have a kindle but I expect I can get a cheap copy on my Kobo. Don't worry I won't hold it against you if I don't like it

Ooh Journey to the Centre of the Earth sounds great Janet! I'm adding it to my wish list.

Wow you did well in the read-a-thon! Made You Up sounds like a decent read.

Thanks Gaia. Yes I think I feel the same. I liked it but didn't love it.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold From the blurb: "My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." In heaven, Susie Salmon can have whatever she wishes for - except what she most wants, which is to be back with the people she loved on earth. In the wake of her murder, Susie watches as her happy suburban family is torn apart by grief; as her friends grow up, fall in love, and do all the things she never had the chance to do herself. But as Susie will come to realize, even in death, life is not quite out of reach . . . I liked this. It took me a while to get into it because when I first picked it up I found I wasn't in the mood for such a heavy topic, and kept avoiding this in favour of other reads. However as I got into it I found it wasn't particularly dark or depressing, although it is sad in place. However, it's not just sad, but hopeful too. It's well written and very easy to read. I enjoyed the prose very much. It's unusual too, being written from the point of view of a ghost. There was one bit I wasn't keen on but it didn't spoil the novel for me and overall I was glad I read it. I found it quite refreshing to read a crime novel where the focus is not on the perpetrator but on the victim, and the ones left behind, which is kind of how it should be really.

Thank you both When I was going through my old threads to add the totals to each year, I noticed that at some point the emoticons have changed. So for example what was initially (I assume), a now shows as a and what must have been originally a scared one like now shows as It makes some of those conversations look unintentionally sarcastic or aggressive!! It did make me smile.

Wow. I just went through my previous reading years and totalled up my books for the year. They've really tailed off the last three years! I guess that's not that surprising as the last three years have been fairly stressful one way and another. My LTR ended three years ago so I guess the pattern is more than a little to do with that. Probably initially it was the stress but more generally it's just been a massive routine change. I no longer read Saturday mornings for example and only sometimes read before bed (I stay up late instead watching TV instead!) Plus there was the odd audio book in some of those years (which I used to listen to in the car, so in parallel with my actual reading) and there hasn't been in the past three, but still, not enough to warrant such a big difference. I think a three year slump is enough. I need to get back on track! I'm going to aim for 15 books this year, which is not as many as pre 2015 but would be a step in the right direction.

Funnily enough he popped up in an episode of Endeavour last night. He pops up in things now and again. He is a great narrator too. He was Hamlet in my audio version of that! I bet he'd be great reading Jane Eyre. It sounds like you're not enjoying it. I loved it when I read it when I was about 19. I wonder how I'd feel about it now (25 years on!)

How to be Champion by Sarah Millican I finished Sarah Millican's How to be Champion a few days ago and I loved it. I found it entertaining and inspiring. It's part autobiography and part self help book, as it's peppered with little pearls of wisdom throughout. Not only is it laugh out loud funny and a real joy to read, it's quite serious and poignant in parts too. I've always quite liked her stand-up, even if it is a little rude (as is this book) but after reading this I think I've upgraded to proper fan. She talks about her anxieties and self image problems, which I hadn't known much about prior to this, and comes across as a thoroughly decent human being (as well as being hilarious).

The Rivers of London books sound good. Might give them a go.

Thanks everyone I was hoping to get at least one book finished by the end of the month. Not sure if that'll happen though!

Welcome to my thread, which is now open So far so good 2018. Three books on the go, all very different, but enjoying each one. Happy reading in 2018 everyone!

Wow, your blog is so organized! Happy reading in 2018 Frankie!

I finished the Steve Coogan which was OK. It was a straightforward autobiography and not particularly comic. I felt it jumped around a bit and the writing was a little lacklustre. SC says in the book that he always writes collaboratively so maybe this was written by just him. There were some interesting bits though, for example the stuff about the phone hacking scandal of which he was a victim, and I enjoyed reading about his family life and how he got into comedy. However, overall I was slightly disappointed.

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 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 Godric - Frederick Buechner Ian Rankin - Watchmen Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities JoJo Moyes - The Girl You Left Behind The Road Less Traveled The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold My Favourite Wife - Tony Parsons C J Sansom : Dark Fire Joanne Harris - Five quarters of the orange Val McDermid - Beneath the Bleeding Robert Goddard - Take No Farewell Sarah Millican - How to be Champion Ronnie Corbett - High Hopes Robin Hobb - Shaman's Crossing Robin Hobb - Forest Mage Robin Hobb - Renegade's Magic Begin year size: 31 End year size: Books acquired 2018: Harriet Adams (Carolyn Keene) - The Witch Tree Symbol Nicholas Fisk - Grinny A J Finn - The Woman in the Window Robert Harris - Conclave End year size: Total Begin year size: 31 Max size: 31 Min size: Current Size: End year size:

Previous logs: 2017 (10) 2016 (9) 2015 (10) 2014 (19) 2013 (21) 2012 (19) 2011 (17) 2010 (19) 2009 (23) 2008 (26) 2007 (21) Completed: How to be Champion - Sarah Millican The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold The Witch Tree Symbol - Harriet Adams as Carolyn Keene The Screwtape Letters - C S Lewis Grinny - Nicholas Fisk The Woman in the Window - A J Finn Take No Farewell - Robert Goddard Shaman's Crossing - Robin Hobb Conclave - Robert Harris Beneath the Bleeding - Val Mcdermid Love is his Meaning - Keith Ward Forest Mage - Robin Hobb The Baby Laundry for Unmarried Mothers - Angela Patrick The Keeper of Lost Things - Ruth Hogan - abandoned Locke and Key, Welcome to Lovecraft - Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez Currently reading: Secrets in the Dark - Frederich Buechner The Philosopher and the Gospels - Keith Ward The Memory Game - Nicci French

And now I've started Easily Distracted by Steve Coogan.

Thanks both! I'm flitting a bit between the two now but favouring The Lovely Bones. I shall let you know how I get on

I really like the sound of Turtles all the Way Down. I'm going to add it to my wish list!

I started The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold a couple of days ago, but I couldn't face it last night, so I started My Favourite Wife by Tony Parsons. However, I've since discovered a load of terrible reviews on amazon so I'm not too hopeful about that one. We'll see how I get on with these two!

I finished The Gargoyle, which is about the recovery of a porn star who is horrifically burned in a car accident and his relationship with the ex-mental patient Marianne Engel who comes to visit him in hospital and claims to know him from a past life. I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual but gripping story which is half contemporary drama, half historical romantic adventure. It was very well-written, dark in places, humourous in others, and always had me turning the pages. It was Andrew Davidson's first novel, but I'd definitely look out for others by him. An excellent read.

What were they?

I did enjoy 1984 although it struck me as incredibly over the top. It's not a pleasant read (though not a depressing as I'd expected, perhaps because I found it so OTT I couldn't take it that seriously). Still, I doubt I'll read it again. I'm now about half way through Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle and I have to say it's great! Very well written, thoroughly readable and pretty unusual too!

I've given up on the A M Homes and I'm now reading 1984 by George Orwell. It's much better and I'm thoroughly hooked! Never read it before, or even seen the film. Obviously a lot of the ideas in it are familiar to me as they've seeped into popular culture, but I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and seeing how it all pans out.