Kylie

Welcome to the forum, Whispering Pines!

In NSW, we do the HSC, and I studied (if memory serves): Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta The Harp in the South by Ruth Park Now that I think about it, they're pretty basic texts to study compared to the classics that the rest of you did. We also did poetry by Robert Frost and another Robert whose surname escapes me at the moment.

I hate that too Echo. I'm not sure why they give such large portions. A lot of it gets wasted and many people end up so full from trying to eat it all. All it does is contribute to the obesity problem. If restaurants started giving smaller portions, it would probably help in educating people that smaller portions is the way to go. I always feel guilty when I leave a lot behind but it just can't be helped. I try to make it look less bad by squashing everything to one side of the plate, leaving as much clear space on the plate as possible. Never mind that the food is now heaped a foot high on the side of the plate! I'll also hide as much as I can (under a lettuce leaf or something). If it's looking really bad, I'll just dump some on Mum or Dad's plate to make them look bad instead of me. Heehee! I often think of homeless people going without (especially when you see places like bakeries throwing away heaps of bread at the end of the day - can't they distribute them where needed?)

I like the idea of reading a couple of chapters as well. But then, if you really don't want to read it, there's no point forcing yourself to even start. If you're not looking forward to it to begin with, that might taint your view of it so you'll dislike it regardless. In which case, you could just send it back saying 'thanks, but I couldn't get into it and I have a lot of other books waiting to be read, etc'. And it wouldn't be lying

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my very favourite books, and The Count of Monte Cristo isn't far behind - it's a mammoth read, but it's quite easy and very enjoyable.

I quite like 20/20, but I worry that it will eventually take over and make test (and even perhaps one-dayers) obsolete. Because of India's success with the IPL, a lot of countries will want to do their own version and the game is clearly going to expand and become much bigger than it currently is. Brookvale Oval and Toyota Park... I haven't even been to those places myself. I keep meaning to though... Oh yeah? How long are they on loan for? 20 years? More like indefinitely! And don't get me started on the fact that the Ashes are kept in England full-time regardless of how often Australia keeps winning

Hi Tambo and

I enjoyed your review So far I've only read Neverwhere, but I'm looking forward to reading more of his work. I have Good Omens on my TBR pile so I might read that next.

Hello Niranjan and to the forum. I read Great Expectations recently and really enjoyed it.

Glad I could help, Shelbel I really hope you enjoy the series as well!

I've waxed lyrical about John Marsden's series on here a few times before, I think, Shelbel! I think it's an awesome series as well, and I've re-read it many times. I started with the first book when I was about the same age as your daughters (26 now). We read Tomorrow, When the War Began for English in Year 8 and I recall that everyone loved it (very unusual for a book selected by the school!) and the next couple of books were always in high demand at the library. At that time, it was only a trilogy, but I think it was shortly after that that Marsden released the next book. I'm so glad teens are still enjoying them just as much! Have you considered reading them? I know they're about teenagers but they're the kind of books that are very enjoyable for adults too. I liked that Marsden never clearly stated the characters' ages. This meant that I was able to imagine them as being 15 when I first read the series; the next year when I was 16, they became 16 as well, and it continued that way until I finally left school and had to leave them behind I still re-read the entire series every year or two - the characters are very much like friends to me. Are you aware that John Marsden did another spin-off of the series called The Ellie Chronicles? It's based on Ellie's life after the war and the books are just a continuation of the other series (and just as wonderful). The books are called: While I Live Incurable Circle of Flight

I love cricket! I occasionally go to the games but usually prefer to watch it on telly so I can see all the stats and replays. When I went to England in 2004 I did a tour of Lords, which was excellent! We got to see the player's changerooms and went out onto the little balcony, and into the press box etc. It was one of the best things I did while I was over there. Oh, and I saw the Ashes urn as well, of course! When the Ashes were on in Australia last (the one where we, ahem, won the Ashes back ), I took a lot of time off work so I could stay home and watch it all. The most enjoyable way for me to spend a day off is during cricket season, when I can lounge around and watch the cricket while reading snippets of my book during commercials (or during the cricket itself - let's face, it's not vital to watch every ball bowled during a test!). <sigh> Only 4 or 5 more months until the cricket season starts up again. Until then, I'll have to live vicariously through you, KB!

Oh dear. You're right - that sounds like something straight out of the 1950s. Outrageous!

The order they were published: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Prince Caspian The Voyage of the Dawn Treader The Silver Chair The Horse and His Boy The Magician's Nephew The Last Battle The next one on my list is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader .

I think you and I are reading the books in a different order. I decided to go for the publication order and I think you're reading in chronological order (I believe there's no right or wrong way of reading them.) This means The Magician's Nephew will be the second to last book I'll read and The Horse and His Boy is third last! My book (I have them all in one volume) has them in chronological order, so I'm jumping all over the place to read them. I'm trying to read one every couple of months; that way I can draw them out and enjoy them longer, and at the same time it won't take me forever to read. It would be nice to have all the books as separate volumes. It just so happens I got a voucher for 50% off the boxed set at Borders, but even with that I think it's a little pricey. I'll just stick with my chunky book and read it at home when I get a chance!

Prince Caspian CS Lewis Rating: 8/10 Published: 1951 Number of pages: 107 Summary (taken from Dymocks website): King Miraz can only mean trouble for Narnia, and Prince Caspian, his nephew and the rightful heir to the throne, fears for his safety and the future of his country. He blows the Great Horn in desperation, summoning Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy to help with his task - that of saving Narnia. Comments: I enjoyed Prince Caspian a little more than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, perhaps because I now know more about the world of Narnia and the characters within it. A thoroughly enjoyable story, full of magic and adventure. Good stuff Started: 8 June 2008 Finished: 9 June 2008

I've finally gotten through the first Jungle Book after having a lot of trouble getting into it. I'd like to blame outside influences but I think the truth is that if I was really enjoying it I'd have made more time for it. Having said that, I like to persevere to the end, so I'll be starting the second Jungle Book today - hopefully at this slow pace I'll still manage to finish it by the end of the month! I'm also feeling a little silly because I had everyone's comments about racism in the back of my mind when I was reading it, but I just didn't see much evidence of it and I kept wondering what I was missing? There aren't too many referencese to the Indians at all, and apart from the obvious comment at the end of the last story about how the Afghans must come under English rule, I didn't see much else. Are the animals' stories supposed to be allegories? The male/female seal bit didn't bother me, and I didn't pick up on the 'white' seal being their saviour. I just assumed that because most seals are, well, greyish, another colour was needed to distinguish Kotick (or whatever his name was)? And a white seal is unusual but plausible. Maybe I'm just being naive. And as for the villagers' superstitions about Mowgli etc, I've heard of equally strange superstitions in far more recent times - never mind 115-odd years ago. It might sound strange to us but villages in African countries still burn witches and do goodness knows what else. Why wouldn't it have been the same in an Indian village over 100 years ago? I can't speak with authority on the subject because I don't know enough of India's history, but the whole thing sounded entirely real to me. Like Kell, I'm not much enjoying the poetry bits either. I find them a little difficult to read and they're not particularly interesting. Otherwise, the stories themselves are OK, they're just not gripping me much.

Well, it's in the running to become the July Reading Circle book, although it's a few votes behind. Feel free to cast your vote here. I really want to re-read it too. I enjoyed your review, KB!

I don't think that's sad at all! I reckon for every person who has genuinely read and disliked the series there is another who dislikes it only because it's 'cool' to be different and they don't want to be seen as following the crowd. Maybe they think it's nerdy because they see much younger children reading them, but to me that just shows an incredible feat of story-telling - that the books appeal to all ages. I'm not sure how old you are, but I'm 26 and proud to admit that I love JK Rowling's books! Don't ever let anyone try to make you feel like you're stupid or a nerd for liking certain books. And welcome to the forum!

Not much of a great story. There was a Beatles Festival in Adelaide in 2004 and he and Julia Baird (John's sister) were guest talkers. They both signed their books afterwards. Nice people. Pete Best wrote my name wrong, even after I spelt it to him. A few months later I travelled to Liverpool to Beatle Week and got to see him play live with his band. Pretty cool!

Hi Jonathan and to the forum! I wouldn't mind getting some type of e-reader one day. How do you find the Sony?

I loved all of the above books. I found Crime and Punishment a bit of a hard slog but it was well-worth the effort in the end. Lolita is sheer brilliance.

I've had Vanity Fair on my TBR pile for such a long time. I bought a pretty run-down copy and have since decided that I don't like it and want to buy a brand new one to do justice to the book.