happyanddandy

Yes I have been known to covet a new author. I wait longingly for Anne Tyler books. I was so sad when Carol Shields died as there wont be any more of hers to be published . I have a large collection of Monica Dickens books, Fay Weldon books. I would always read Joanna Trollope as soon as she publishes and the most recent author I have to wait for is Jennifer Haigh who wrote 'Mrs Kimble' and 'Baker Towers'.

In front of the kids I call it lentil soup and don't tell them has cumin, coriander and asafetida in it otherwise they wouldn't eat it

Snap Fand C - I have just made Massoor dhal and we shall have it like soup with French bread

It is a great film!

I would agree wiithyou on these 3 and also KA at the top

Welcome Lizzie, your A level choices sound really interesting. A mixture of science and arts. Look forward to hearing your opinions.

Hello and welcome - I have read 3 Jodi Picoult's - very enjoyable but formulaic (if that's the right word for a bit samey!)

Lamb stew with mashed potato

Amazing!! I think you take the prize for the most readin 2007

I prefer Librarything. I have a Shelfari account but it seems to have fewer editions of my books and I don't like that. I haven't used Shelfari in a while and I will probably close it down soon.

I have invited you to be my friend

I had a good browse in Waterstone's where there is a whole display given over to R and J's 2008 collection. I bought 'Mr Pip' in the buy 3 for 2 offer.

Turkey burgers of course!!! Minced up with sweet pickle, eggs and onions but shhh! Don't tell the children about the pickle as they wont eat them!!

Not sure - OH has read and saying categorically he doesn't want to see based on Guardian reviews and discussion - I won't go otherwise. How about you?

Ok here goes; The Island - Victoia Hislop After you'd Gone - Maggie O'Farrell The Distance Between Us - Maggie O'Farrell My Lover's Lover - Maggie O'Farrell The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd The Friday Night Knitting Club - Kate Jacobs The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini Mercy - Jodi Picoult A Place Called Here - Cecelia Ahern The Republic of Love - Carol Shields The Winds of Heaven - Monica Dickens Love Over Scotland - Alex Mc Call Smith The Book Thief - Markus Zusak - finished 27/1/08 Runours of a Hurricane - Tim Lott - finished 15/2/08 The Simple Rules of Love - Amanda Brookfield - started 25/2/08, finished 15/3/08 Reading in Bed - Sue Gee - started 16/3/08, finished 23/3/08 Breaking the Trust - Lucy Clare - started 23/3/2008 The Surgeon - Tess Gerritsen - started 8/5/2008 - finished 14/5/2008 A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian - Marina Lewycka The Self Preservation Society - Kate Harrison Breaking the Trust - Lucy Clare - finished 30/3/08 The Private Lives of Pippa Lee - Rebecca Miller - finished 5/4/2008 Mr Pip - Lloyd Jones - started 5/4/2008 - finished 11/4/2008 Nick Hornby - Slam - started 11/4/08 - finished 14/4/2008 South of the River - finished 1/5/08 The Battle for Big School - Sarah Tucker - started 1/5/2008 - finished 8/5/2008 The Stepmother - Carrie Adams - started 14/5/2008 - finished - 21/5/2008 Worldwide Adventures in Love - Louise Wener - started 21/5/2008 - finished - 27/5/2008 My Favourite Wife - Tony Parsons - started 27/5/2008 - finished 4/6/2008 Friday Nights - Joanna Trollope - finished 10/6/2008 The Ingenious Edgar Jones - Elizabeth Garner - started 10/6/2000 - finished 22/6/2008 Second Chance - Jane Green - started 22/6/2008 - finished 29/6/2008 At a Loss For Words - Diane Schoemperlen - started 20/6/2008

Yes - use tags and you can use more than one tag for a book eg, if you have a library book that you read in 2007 - you can tag it 'Read 2007, library loan' ie put a comma between tags and it will appear in both categories

By the time 1st Jan comes around I will have read only 29 books in 2007 My favourites were; Andrea Levy - Small Island Black Swan Green - David Mitchell Notes on a Scandal - Zoe Heller The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean Auel The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox The House at Riverton - Kate Moreton

Roast pork, apple sauce. patates boulangere (care of Delia), sweetheart cabbage followed by homemade syrup sponge and cream. Mmmmm....

So glad you enjoyed Anne Tyler - she is I suppose my fave author and I have them all and have read them all. Accidental Tourist was made in to reasonably good film although they couldn't quite capture Macon and his systems very well

Thanks for this - I have this book in waiting to be read

Beef stew

Oh yes - I am up to about 50 and since I have only read 30 this year - thats a good 18 months worth of books to read and of course I pick up more at the library and Hospice shop regularly. I try not to let it stress me - I look upon it as a really good personal selection - also OH, friends and family do borrow and read from mount TBR as well

Get your tissue box ready!

I would agree with you - it was difficult to like any of the characters. I thought the book was well written with depth. I saw the film recently - it was excellent

Finished 'How to Talk to a Widower' - an excellent read. It brought tears to my eyes on several occasions. Doug the main character, not wholly likeable is moving through the many facets of bereavement and the descriptions of despair are particularly moving. His close family is full of unique characters especially his father who has a degree of brain damage following a stroke. He leaves a lump in the throat on several occasions as he cannot retain the information that Doug's wife has died. Very well written - you can just see it as a real tear jerker film from which you will emerge puffy eyed - I can't wait!!