~Andrea~

Oh wow! Totally in awe of your lists and the management that has gone into them! All those books and lists would boggle my mind. Really glad to see The Girl In A Swing on your list of books to read this year. I really enjoyed it though I didn't quite understand it. I'd be interested in your comments and am almost tempted to re-read it in readiness for them

Well I only managed 10 books this year. It's not really surprising though as it's been a difficult year for me and my reading has really slipped. I did manage to finish Dark Places though. It took me an age to read it. I really liked it and love Gillian Flynn as a writer, but it is a little dark so I wasn't always in the mood for reading it given I was sometimes in my own dark place. I didn't manage to finish The Book Thief but I got very close so should finish it soon.

Goals for the year Read at least 2 books from pre 2011 TBR including one Shakespeare Finish Philosophy of Mind Finish Clean Code Finish Godric Read more than 10 books which is all I managed last year! OK Let's try and aim for 15 this time! TBR pile should shrink not grow like it did last year

The Wish List 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 Bugan, Carmen - Burying the Typewriter Challis, Sarah - Footprints in the sand Chalmers, David J - Philopsphy of Mind - Contermporary and Classic Readings Chamberlaine, Diane - The Midwife's confession recommended Chesterton, G K - Orthodoxy 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 Greene, Grahame - Brighton Rock Greene, Grahame - The Third Man & The Fallen Idol Haugen, Gary (IJM) - Just Courage Highsmith, Patricia - The Talented Mr Ripley Hinton, Susan- Rumble Fish 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) Kempis, Thomas - The Imitation of Christ 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. 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 - Me Before You Moyes, Jojo - The Last Letter From Your Lover recommended Neville, Adam - Apartment 16 Semple, Maria - Where'd you go Bernadette - recommended Phillips, Caryl - A Distant Shore (recommended) Pargeter, Edith - The Heaven Tree 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 Tolkein - LOTR Tremayne, S.K - The Ice Twins recommended Trueman, Terry - Stuck in neutral Trigell, Jonathan - Boy A 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

Unread books on the bookshelf: Acquired pre 2011 Minnette Walters - The shape of snakes Logic - A very short introduction Wilkie Collins The Woman in White Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales (modern translation) The French Lieutenant's woman The Essential tales of Chekhov A Winter's tale Othello The Merchant of Venice Julius Caesar Twelfth night Collected works of Tennyson Begin year size: 12 End year size: Acquired 2011 Clean Code - Robert Martin Blodwen Jones a'r aderyn prin - Bethan Gwenas (a novel for welsh learners) Begin year size: 2 End year size: Acquired 2013: The Four Loves - C S Lewis Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan The Trial - Franz Kafka (audio) Begin year size: 3 End year size: Acquired 2014: Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings - Edited by David Chalmers Godric - Frederick Buechner Begin year size: 2 End year size: Books acquired 2015: Ian Rankin - A Cool Head Ian Rankin - Watchmen Pam Rhodes - Letting Go Susan Hill - The Various Haunts of Men Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities JoJo Moyes - The Girl You Left Behind The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak The Road Less Traveled Philosophy of Science. A very short introduction. Begin year size: 9 End year size: Total Begin year size: 28 Max size: 28 Min size: 28 Current Size: 27 End year size:

Previous logs: 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 Read: The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak Fool's Fate - Robin Hobb The Pursuit of God - A W Tozer Celebration of Discipline - Richard Foster Simply Christian - Tom Wright Evil and the Justice of God - N. T. Wright Ian Rankin - A Cool Head Spectacles - a memoir - Sue Perkins A Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood Currently reading: The Various Haunts of Men - Susan Hill

LOL. Oh Claudia. Why?? So glad to see Carol go this week. About blooming time. I love Carol as a weather presenter, but really, this is a dance competition not a popularity contest. I like Jeremy too but will soon start to resent him if he gets in the way of better dancers. So glad to see Jamelia safe this week. I hope it gave her a little boost although I don't think she'll last that much longer. I hope she beats Jeremy though! There were some great dances this week. Loved Peter - though the syncing was nowhere near as good as Kellie's Charleston. Also loved Anita's jive. Thought Jamelia did well this week too actually. It's getting interesting now. I hope Jeremy goes next though!

Will definitely be interested to hear what you think about WH. I loved it but it was years ago that I read it.

I like Jeremy too though I hope the likes of Jeremy and Carol don't stay in at the expense of other better dancers. LOL

Aha!! Awesome explanation Claire. It all makes sense now! Thank you

Yes! I find him incredibly irritating. Aww - I really like Jamelia. I think it's really unfair that she's been in the dance-off so much when there are much worse dancers than her getting through. I don't blame her for saying people don't like her. I would feel like that in her position. Haha yes. How does the voting work? Does it all go on the phone vote or do the judges' scores also count? If so how?

Yes I'm watching. I will miss Dara too. And totally agree about the mankini! Not a pretty sight. I think any of the three could have gone tbh but probably the right person went. I didn't warm to April. She seemed very proud of herself for being able to make decisions. Shame that they weren't very good ones! Brett was so annoying with his rigid approach to the rules. I wonder how they will both develop as the series goes on. Yes Dan was very likeable, alas not particularly capable on this task. I thought it was funny how Ruth advised him to use a hook and not just say "Can I interest you in some salad," but he just didn't change tactic at all!

That's interesting. I had heard about the Patrick Ness book and was intrigued. Not sure whether I'll bother with it though.

I thought it was OK. Like you I kind of lost sympathy by the end. I was glad it was over actually, although in spite of its many flaws I did enjoy watching it. It could have been so much better though!

Haha I just had a look at the POV message board and I agree with a lot of those comments. I do feel a bit like I am ploughing on rather than loving every minute. Only one more episode to go. I wonder if it will be worth it!

Ooh nice!

I have to say last night's episode annoyed me. The scene where the older doctor is looking for her on the beach was ridiculous. One minute you see him calling for her on an empty beach and looking all around and then the camera angle changes and there she is standing on the edge of the shore about 5 or 10 metres away! Why could he not see her a second ago? And her melodramatic swim left me rolling my eyes. Also they are dragging the story out unnecessarily: this could easily have been a 3-parter rather than a 5-parter.

Oh congratulations on the move Frankie. I'm glad it went smoothly. Enjoy your new pad

I really like it but I am finding it a little slow. I hope things come to a head soon!

Wow Kylie I am so behind on your thread and all you've been up to!! It sounds like you've had an amazing few months! The theatre stuff sounds so awesome. Do you think you'll do any more stuff like that? In any case well done it sounds like no mean feat and I'm glad it all went well. And well done for speaking up at the drinks thingy. That is a big deal when your not used to it. It's good to do things you find a bit scary sometimes though huh? And how nice of N to help you with all your renovations!! It's great to get things like that done quickly! Haha I love what you said about hard work. Work hard for an hour and then take the rest of the day off. Hmm sounds a bit like someone I know. me!! P.S. Glad your mojo is back too.

Anything by Gillian Flynn may be good. Patricia Highsmith would also fit the bill. This Sweet Sickness is superb.

Aw you wouldn't have sounded like that Frankie You know lots about lots. And to a noob like me you're a dating guru Oh wow Yes what a bloomin nerve!! That's quite funny though. I'm glad you put him his place. 'Incredibly' indeed!! Yes you may well have dodged a bullet there.

Lol. Aw Frankie shame you don't think the date went your way but your attitude is great. I agree with not being too optimistic. That is exactly what happened to me last month with my first internet date and it wasn't nice. Hopefully I'm a bit more savvy now. Here's to more and better dates! I think internet dating does encourage an expectation for that 'instant click' which isn't always realistic and why I'm going to think very carefully before I write someone off now. It's a funny old game! Love the yeast infection analogy. Classic

Hehe I'm a bit like that too Kylie

Yes I suppose it must be quite nerve-wracking to go on a jury, all the responsibility etc. Maybe not getting a case was a good thing in some ways!