~Andrea~

Woo - hoo got my copy of Les Mis tonight so will start reading that later. It's like a housebrick, lol.

Our cat Cuddu (pronounced Kithie) ETA - yikes they're huge - sorry, should have resized them first I guess.

I've actually been reading some Guy de Maupassant short stories that I've had on my shelf for years. I've been pleansantly surprised. The first, "On the River" was actually quite a spine-chiller which I wasn't expecting, (I don't know why not because I knew very little about the author)

Sure Abby

Now THAT is a great idea I think I will Thanks

Well I loved Chris's autobiography. He really is a dynamic character and his book is fast-paced, funny and very interesting. He comes across as a warm, enthusiastic individual with a real zest for life. He eats plenty of humble pie in this book, and is very honest about his mistakes, and actually comes across as someone of great depth. I always liked/wanted to like chris evans, but found his huge ego really annoying. In this book his ego is somewhat deflated, and I found myself liking him as much as I'd hoped I would. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable read. Now I am in a bit of a dilemma for my next book. I had hoped to acquire a borrowed copy of Les Mis by now but unfortunately my plans didn't quite work out and I probably won't be able to get it until next weekend. So do I start another book in the meantime? Les Mis will be a long read, so if I half-read something, there will be a huge gap before I come back to it. I suppose I could carry on with Turning Points of british history and maybe some short stories in the meantime.

Aw sorry to hear that Chrissy. It's devastating when you have to let them go.

Have you read any Ben Elton? I loved Stark but read it years ago - remember it being a real page-turner though. Dead Famous is good too.

Couldn't agree more! :-( that would drive me insane! That would too! My pet hate: people who talk over you when you're trying to say something - and interrupt you and talk louder than you to try and drown you out Grrrr!!!

Your fairy is called Gossamer Moonshimmer She is the moon goddess's messenger. She lives in spiderwebbed wonderlands and insect grottos. She is only seen when the first flowers begin to blossom. She wears tiny black spiders on her dresses. She has beautiful blue butterfly wings.

Wowzers Kylie! Nice Haul :-)

Univerze - Jamie's gorgeous, a right handsome feller

Welcome Tumper. I like King too

Perfect sense and wonderfully put. Lovely post Eliza, in what is a very curious thread lol.

Ian, your saying that reminded me that I think Linda Gillard does that too in Star Gazing.

Really enjoying Chris Evans auto-biography, much more than I expected to. I really ought to read more auto-biogs as I always seem to really like them

Yea Quantum is one of those books that while rewarding does take a bit of effort to get through.

Glad you enjoyed Codex - I did too. I thought it was quite well written and fairly original. Did you ever finish Quantum?

I like both. If done well, first person can really connect you to a character. I love the Adrian Mole books for instance. I always write in third person, (except occasionally in short stories) as I would find it very difficult to sustain a convincing first person voice for a whole novel. I think first person is hard in longer length pieces. Sometimes it doesn't work at all - which is what I found with Nick Hornby's The Long Way Down and also Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. The risk of first person narrative is in putting the reader off if they don't warm to the character. That's what happened to me in both those books. I couldn't stand Holden's whining voice, or that of the teenage girl in The Long Way Down. At least with third person you can show the characters at a distance - and if a character is supposed to be annoying, you're not shoving them in the reader's face.

Haha! Not sure about today's - I mean I like the picture and I like Agatha Christie - but the word "Google" is too obscured. I like the logo to still be readable.

Ooh that sounds good! Might have to give it a try.

The history book is quite good, but a little dry for bedtime reading. I'm not sure I can face another chapter tonight to I'm going to pick up Chris Evans - It's Nnot What You Think to interweave with it. Hopefully that'll be a lot more readable. I'm not very good at absorbing facts when I'm tired.