Ruth

Her voice had that tense, grating quality, like a first-generation thermal paper fax machine that needed a band tightened. ROFL!!! They're brilliant - thanks for sharing:mrgreen:

I'm a frustrated wannabee as well! However, I am married to a very good cook, and he loves cooking, so I dont have to worry about it too much. A friend of mine is the most amazing cook - she says cooking relaxes her, and whenever I taste anything she's made, I'm always determined to try harder myself - but I never seem to get round to it!

To be honest, I just pick the cover I like best!

It's out over here - I have it on my tbr moutain. I recently read Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult, and now want to read Columbine.

Is Charlie Stayt (the newsreader) a weird crush? I think he's lovely. Unusual for me as well, because he always looks so immaculate, whereas I tend to prefer men to look a little bit 'undone' or casual.

She definitely had botox at some point during Scrubs (they even made a joke about Jordan being unable to move her face in one episode). I'm not sure if she still has it now, but I know what you mean about her face barely moving. I think she's great in Cougar Town - she's basically the same character as she is in Scrubs! As both shows are created by her husband (Bill Lawrence), I wonder if there's a bit of art reflecting life there! Courtney Cox is so good in this show. Monica was always my least favourite 'Friend', but in this show, she has proven that she has great comic timing. I like the son as well.

Has anybody else been watching Cougar Town with Courtney Cox in? It's early days, but so far I think it's really funny!

Nineteen Minutes certainly didn't disappoint - I thought it was a fantastic read...very thought provoking as well.

Probably Affinity or The Night Watch. I thought both of these were FANTASTIC!! But Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith are also great reads.

I've read Affinity, The Night Watch, Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith. I thought they were all excellent - full of atmosphere with a terrific storyline. I have The Little Stranger on my tbr, and must get around to it soon. I definitely recommend her books!

Fabulous episode - I just adore Gene! I honestly can't believe that they will make him a bad guy in the end - the fans would go crackers!! I can't wait to see how it will all turn out, but I'm a bit sad that this will be the last ever series. Better to go out while it's still brilliant though.

The Vanishing was an unusual book - very intriguing though, and I would recommend it to fans of psychological mysteries. Next up is Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult. This will be my third book by this author, and I really enjoyed the other two, so hopefully this will be a good read as well.

Well, Lucy's Child was certainly fast paced, but clunky writing, characters who I couldn't feel anything for, and the author's apparent desire to shoehorn explicit sex scenes into the story for no apparent reason, meant that I didn't really enjoy it too much. I'm about to start another book which has been on my tbr for longer than I can remember - The Vanishing, by Tim Krabbe.

I read a book where a main character's name changed halfway through once! Also, in The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, one character is described as wearing trousers, and then within a couple of pages (without changing scene), she was wearing a skirt. I've seen loads of typos and grammatical mistakes in books; it doesn't bother me unless there are lots of them throughout the book.

Pickle, I was aware of a Montalbano series, and would very much like to see it. Like you though, I can't find it anywhere at a reasonable price! I really liked Northanger Abbey. It seems to be the most maligned Austen book, but I thought it was delightful, although on balance I think I still prefer Persuasion. About to start Lucy's Child, by Shaun Hutson, which according to LibraryThing has been on my tbr for about 3 years! So I guess it's time I got around to it!

One of my very favourite books of all time. Very relevant still today, as well.

I'm intrigued by this one, and have nearly bought it many times. I've only read one book by Paulo Coelho before (Veronika Decides to Die), and I really liked that one, so might have to pay a trip to the library for this one now:)

Loved Rounding the Mark - I think this series gets better and better with each book! About to start Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen:)

Oh, I love it when fictional characters are written into historical fact. Although I agree with Kylie that it does worry me that some of these books might be taken as being factual. Other than that, it doesn't bother me at all. As long as the era or event in question is portrayed historically, I actually think it's a good way of getting people interested. (The Queen's Fool, by Philippa Gregory is a prime example - it really piqued my interest in The Tudors, and led to me reading more non-fiction about the period).

I remember certain books vividly - The Handmaid's Tale, To Kill A Mockingbird, American Psycho, for example. Other books fade from memory, and I usually have a vague recollection of the story, but nothing too exact. I do review every book I read though, and when I read my reviews back, it jogs my memory. I do think that some books are meant to be just enjoyed at the time of reading (for me anyway); they're not going to make a lasting impression on me, and nor are they meant to. But some - like the ones I listed above, amongst others - do resonate with me for whatever reason, and linger in the memory for a long time.

I know exactly how you feel. My tbr keeps growing, and I feel guilty when I read a new book, rather than one that I've had for years. I've accepted that I may never read all the book that I own, and while I'd love to finish them all one day, I don't worry about it any more. I have managed to cut down the amount I spend by trying to buy second hand wherever possible, and using the local library to read some books that I would otherwise have bought. As my mom says - if you have to have an addiction, books are a pretty good thing to be addicted to!

Well, there's Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, which is supposed to be a good read. I have it on my tbr, but haven't started it yet. Although on second thoughts, it's non-fiction and isn't really about survival, as the person who it's written about died. (This isn't a spoiler, as it tells you this on the back of the book and within the first few pages). It's about Chris McCandless, who gave his savings to charity, burnt all the money in his wallet and set off to explore the wilds of Alaska. A film was made of it too, but the general consensus is that the film is not up to much. P.S. I loved Lord of the Flies! I didn't like it first time round because I was made to read it at school, but I thoroughly enjoyed it when I read it later, of my own accord. I realise I'm in the minority here though!

Thanks for the review sirinrob. This is a book I've looked at many times, and you've convinced me to get hold of a copy!

I'm in Sicily with the grumpy but loveable Inspector Montalbano.

I was slightly disappointed in The Ice Queen. Never mind though, you can't enjoy every book you read I guess! About to start Rounding the Mark - another book in the Inspector Montalbano series, by Andrea Camilleri.