Kylie

Great review! I've seen Reynolds' books around quite often but never stopped to look at them for some reason. I'll be adding this to my wishlist.

I've read a few more pages of Wheelmen, and I received Patricia Highsmith's This Sweet Sickness in the mail.

Sorry to hear you've been having a stressful time, Andrea. I hope things get better for you.

This sounds like an interesting read. I've added it to my wishlist, thanks. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who didn't enjoy this. I felt like I must have missed something, as so many people seem to love it. Like you, I thought it was dated and not funny at all (although I do love Ricky Gervais and Diary of a Nobody). Now this surprises me! I never would have pegged you for a fan of Big Bang Theory! I love everything Stephen Fry does, and I enjoyed this show when I saw it a few years ago. I'd be keen to read the book one day.

TV is the main reason why I don't read enough. There's always another series I want to watch (or rewatch). I love the excerpt!

I'm quite jealous of his ability to think so quickly on his feet and just make stuff up as he goes along. I know, right?! There's another part related to this that I'll point out when you've finished. Yes, I remember! I went back and watched it again while reading the book to remind myself about it. I love the woof quotes too! He explains a bit more about it later on. It's so cute when he says/writes it. I checked out his blog yesterday and he even signed off one of his blog posts (see link below) with 'woof'. Speaking of his blog, I was looking up information about his guitar work with KISS, and I found this great blog entry that shows photos taken around the time that he was writing about. Haha, yes! I wonder if any of them started doing what he suggested.

I finished reading John Elder Robison's Look Me in the Eye. It was an excellent memoir. Thanks for giving me the nudge to read it, Frankie! I also received Paul Clifford by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in the mail. This is the book that starts with the infamous opening line 'It was a dark and stormy night'. I've always been curious about this book.

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted in this thread! Did you hear that Alexis Bledel had a baby last year with her husband? They kept that secret very well! I can't wait for the new show. I think it's supposed to be airing near the end of the year.

Cool, thanks. I just wondered because of the teenagers. I wouldn't have a problem with it being YA, but I'm even more interested in it knowing it's for adults (and therefore hopefully spookier ).

Great review, Michelle. I like the sound of this. Would you say it's a YA horror book, or is it aimed more towards adults?

Just catching up on your blog. I'm intrigued by this review and have added it to my wishlist, thanks! I hope all is going well with you.

I'm loving John Elder Robison's book! I'm up to chapter 13 (p. 125). My favourite parts so far: Chapter 10: Chapter 11: Chapter 12: I've really enjoyed everything up to chapter 10 too, of course. The above stories just struck me as particularly funny. I also really like the parts about his relationship with Augusten when Augusten was very small....the hijinks they got up to! Poor little Augusten just went along with his big brother. It's also interesting to read about Dr Finch and John's parents from his perspective. Those poor kids had a rough childhood.

Thanks for that info. You must have read nearly all of the books by now? I once turned on the TV in the morning and saw a Geronimo Stilton cartoon. I immediately thought of you. Wow, you have a very organised system.

No worries. Yes, it recently came out in the edition I wanted to (which I guess is the same one you want). I've started reading this too....because you made me. I'm up to page 44. It's going very well so far. He's a good storyteller, isn't he?

Good choices! (Well, I haven't read the new Kasasian yet, but hopefully it was a good choice! ) I've read around 40 pages of Wheelmen. I received a new book in the mail on Thursday: The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett.

Very well said, Noll. I agree with all of it.

I love this! Thanks for sharing. The cat with thong video is possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen. I never get sick of it. I just watched it about 20 times in a row and laughed until I cried.

I've been way behind on your thread, but I've just caught up. I hope you enjoy all of your new purchases. How many Geronimo Stilton books are there? I keep seeing that name pop up. Also, I'm not sure if you've mentioned this before, but do you shelve all of your new purchases straight away (well, after cataloguing them)? Or are you like me, and leave them in piles around the place and then shelve them when the piles get too big/messy?

Hello my dear! Sorry I've been neglecting you lately. I've just had a lot on. I hope you're enjoying your summer holiday. Your comment about the JT Leroy book intrigued me so I went and looked it up. Doesn't sound like my cup of tea either. Did you know about the scandal involving the author?

I've read 26 books so far (bang on track to my target of 52 for the year). I've only rated one book a perfect 10/10: Dead Wake by Erik Larson, which is a non-fiction book about the WWII sinking of the passenger ship, Lusitania. I've rated nine other books 9/10, including four non-fiction books: Bill Bryson The Road to Little Dribbling John Hersey Hiroshima Sarah Murgatroyd The Dig Tree Jon Ronson So You've Been Publicly Shamed and five fiction books: Matt Haig The Boy Called Christmas Patricia Highsmith Strangers on a Train David Mitchell Slade House Emily St John Mandel Station Eleven PG Wodehouse Jeeves in the Offing I haven't had any clunkers at all. Yay me! Also, I've read 11 books from my priority reading list, which I'm pleased with, as it's on a par with how many I'd read at this time last year. I'm not actively participating in any challenges.

Ooh, I didn't know he did plays. I haven't read anything by Saki yet, but the others above said that his humour is Wodehouse-esque. Are his plays the same? I'd love to put on a Wodehouse play with my local theatre group, but it doesn't seem possible. Could Saki be a good alternative? ETA: Oh, I just saw Marie's response: I guess that's a no to humorous plays then?

Wow, great progress, Gaia and Noll! I've been working all weekend on a job so haven't been able to join in. However, I've been snatching all possible moments to read some of my current book, Death Descends on Saturn Villa. In a way, I've read more this weekend than I usually would! I expect to finish the book tonight, which means I will have read around 200 pages this weekend.

Egads! It seems like just yesterday that we were excitedly setting up our new reading logs for 2016, but now we're already halfway through the year! Seriously...did someone wind the clocks forward? Where did the past six months go, and what I have been doing all that time?! (Not reading enough, that's for sure. ) Anyway...it's time for the annual 'best/worst so far' thread! What are the best books you've read so far in 2016? Have there been any clunkers? And let's take it one step further...how are your personal reading challenges going? Have they fallen by the wayside, or are you making good progress?

The first one that springs to mind for me is Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I'm not sure that 'comfort zone' is the correct term for it, but I really wasn't interested in reading it. I only really bought it because I'd heard so many great reviews. All I knew was that it was about a hermaphrodite. The subject itself didn't bother me, but I guess I tend to avoid more 'real life' type stories (I have no interest in reading about more recent wars or other topical issues). I guess I like my fiction to make me 'escape' more. Anyway, I couldn't have been more wrong. Middlesex totally blew me away. It was a gripping story of a family spanning multiple generations. I underestimated it so much.

I just found North by Northwest on TV, so I'm watching the last hour of that. Then I'll switch to the election coverage (we voted in our federal election today) and later I'll be watching the start of the Tour de France.