Ruth

The Virgin in the Ice sounds FAB, Frankie!! I have added it to my wishlist:) Great review!

Yes, I agree. Heck, I've bought loads of books which I've not enjoyed as much as I hoped. It's not the bookshop's fault, and I certainly don't expect them to refund me for it!! (I wonder if she would take a DVD back to a shop if she didn't enjoy the film?!). I hate bad manners anyway. There really is no need or excuse for it, and it certainly doesn't get you any further. When I was working in pubs, while I was at college, I used to make a point of not serving customers who were known to be rude or abusive. If people have a genuine complaint (which this woman in the bookshop most certainly did NOT have), fair enough, but they still don't have to be rude about it. I don't know why people imagine that it's going to get them the result they're hoping for. Good for you Katrina, for standing your ground. She was probably hoping to intimidate you into the refund, and I'm glad that she wasn't able to.

Thanks Ben:)

Oh Frankie, thank you so much for such a lovely message - I really am touched:) I hope you enjoy The Stepford Wives - I liked both the book and the film (I've only seen the original, although I'd like to see the remake at some point). Janet, I enjoyed The Woman in Black. It didn't creep me out as I thought it might, but it was a great story - very atmospheric. Next read is something a bit light hearted - The Best A Man Can Get, by John O'Farrell. I have read (and enjoyed) his non-fiction before now, but this is the first novel I will have read by him.

I enjoyed The Stepford Wives quite a lot. It's outdated now, but still a good fable. About to start The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill.

Finished A Walk to Remember - it was...okay, but very formulaic and somewhat preachy. Still, it was an undemanding read with a touching story at it's heart. Next up is The Stepford Wives, by Ira Levin.

It's officially 2010 - Happy New Year everyone! So when I wake up tomorrow, I will be starting A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks.

January 1. A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks (2.5/5) 2. The Stepford Wives, by Ira Levin (3.5/5) 3. The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill (3/5) 4. The Best A Man Can Get, by John O'Farrell (5/5) 5. The Scent of the Night, by Andrea Camilleri (4.5/5) 6. Dissolution, by C.J. Sansom (4.75/5) 7. Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin (3.5/5) 8. The Glass Painter's Daughter, by Rachel Hore (3/5) 9. Cherry, by Matt Thorne (3/5) 10. Divisadero, by Michael Ondaatje (2.5/5) 11. Carrie, by Stephen King (3.5/5) February 12. Dead Simple, by Peter James (3.5/5) 13. God is Dead, by Ron Currie (5/5) 14. Dear Fatty, by Dawn French (3/5) 15. True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole, by Sue Townsend (2.5/5) 16. The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, by Eva Rice (4.75/5) 17. Property, by Valerie Martin (3.75/5) 18. Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years, by Sue Townsend (4/5) 19. The Kalahari Typing School For Men, by Alexander McCall Smith (4.5/5) 20. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (4.5/5) March 21. Gringa in a Strange Land, by Linda Dahl (4/5) 22. Incendiary, by Chris Cleave (4.5/5) 23. The Vesuvius Club, by Mark Gatiss (4/5) 24. Ford County, by John Grisham (4/5) 25. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, by Winifred Watson (4.75/5) 26. 1989 The Berlin Wall: My Part in it's Downfall, by Peter Millar (4.25/5) 27. The Ice Queen, by Alice Hoffman (2.5/5) 28. Rounding the Mark, by Andrea Camilleri (4.5/5) 29. Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen (4/5) April 30. Lucy's Child, by Shaun Hutson (2.5/5) 31. The Vanishing, by Tim Krabbe (3/5) 32. Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult (5/5) 33. Hawk, by Brian Neary (3/5) 34. Home to Big Stone Gap, by Adriana Trigiani (5/5) 35. Slights, by Kaaron Warren (3/5) 36. 84 Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff (5/5) May 37. Country Pursuits, by Jo Carnegie (3/5) 38. Tricks of the Mind, by Derren Brown (4/5) 39. Excellent Women, by Barbara Pym (3.5/5) 40. The Patience of the Spider, by Andrea Camilleri (3.75/5) 41. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (4/5) 42. The Good Thief, by Hannah Tinti (3.5) 43. Traitors of the Tower, by Alison Weir (3/5) 44. The Pursuit of Love, by Nancy Mitford (2/5) 45. After You'd Gone, by Maggie O'Farrell (4.5/5) June 46. Heart Shaped Box, by Joe Hill (3.5/5) 47. The Dare, by John Boyne (3/5) 48. The Equivoque Principle, by Darren Craske (3.5/5) 49. Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott (4.25/5) 50. The Eleventh Plague, by Darren Craske (3.5/5) 51. Like Bees to Honey, by Caroline Smailes (4.5/5) July 52. Completely Unexpected Tales, by Roald Dahl (3.5/5) 53. Carnevale, by M.R. Lovric (3.5/5) 54.The Ballroom on Magnolia Street, by Sharon Owens (2/5) 55. e squared, by Matt Beaumont (3.75/5) August 56. The Interpretation of Murder, by Jed Rubenfeld (3.5/5) 57. If I Stay, by Gayle Forman (5/5) 58. Disobedience, by Naomi Alderman (3.5/5) 59. Bone by Bone by Bone, by Tony Johnston (3.5/5) 60. After You, by Julie Buxbaum (4/5) 61. Dracula, by Bram Stoker (1.5/5) 62. Second Hand Heart, by Catherine Ryan Hyde (2.5/5) September 63. The Birthing House, by Christopher Ransom (0.5/5) 64. A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry (5/5) 65. Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg (3.5/5) 66. American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld (5/5) October 67. Undead on Arrival, by Nick Smith (1/5) 68. The Bronze Horseman, by Paullina Simons (3.5/5) 69. Mr Chartwell, by Rebecca Hunt (5/5) 70. War On The Margins, by Libby Cone (4/5) 71. A Tiny Bit Marvellous, by Dawn French (3.75/5) 72. The One I Love, by Anna McPartlin (3.75/5) 73. Micka, by Frances Kay (4.25/5) November 74. Soul Catcher, by Michael White (3.75/5) 75. Few Are Chosen, by M.T. McGuire (3.5/5) 76. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (5/5) 77. What Was Lost, by Catherine O'Flynn (4.5/5) 78. Blacklands, by Belinda Bauer (3.5/5) 79. By Fire By Water, by Mitchell James Kaplan (4/5) December 80. The Tapestry of Love, by Rosy Thornton (4/5) 81. Continent, by Jim Crace (2/5) 82. The Shining, by Stephen King (3.25/5) 83. The Revenge of Captain Paine, by Andrew Pepper (3/5) 84. Memoirs of a Master Forger, by William Heaney (4.25/5) 85. Kill-Devil and Water, by Andrew Pepper (4.25/5)

Here is the link to my 2009 thread: http://bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=7421 There's no way I'll be reading any more this year, so it can be closed whenever you like - thanks:)

Just finished The Bad Mother's Handbook, by Kate Long. It had been languishing on my shelf for at least a couple of years, and I didn't really fancy it. Picked it up on a whim, and ended up enjoying it a lot. So there it is - my 2009 reads. Looking forward to seeing what new authors and books I will discover in 2010:)

I thought the US Life on Mars lacked the heart of the UK one. Jason O'Mara, who played Sam in the US version is not a bad actor, but he doesn't seem to bring the sense of injustice and bewilderment that Jon Simm did. (In fact, watching the 'new' Sam Tyler made me realise just how good Simm was in that role.) And sorry, but there's only one Gene Hunt, and it's not Harvey Keitel!! Philip Glenister owns that role. Also, no offence to Keitel, who is a great actor, but he is just too old for that role. He would be retired by now - where as Glenister is about the right sort of age. Although I haven't seen the finale of the US one yet, I do know how it ends. I haven't told hubby because I want to see him peel his jaw off the floor when he sees it. I love the UK version of The Office. Only watched one episode of the US version and didn't enjoy it, although a friend who lives in the States said that it did get much better. (The episode I watched was the pilot).

Just finished reading Catch Me When I Fall, by Nicci French. A good read as always, but a disappointing ending. About to start The Bad Mother's Handbook, by Kate Long.

About to start reading Catch Me When I Fall, by Nicci French. I have enjoyed a lot of her books, but not read any for a long time, so hopefully this will be a good read too.

I have just finished A Dog Named Christmas, by Greg Kincaid. A lovely, undemanding read, perfect for the time of year (and it made me feel all warm and mushy inside)!

I was pleased that RATM is number one for Christmas. I hated Cowell's sense of entitlement to the Christmas number one, and the fact that for the last few years we have known what the number one will be before we even know who the finalists are, who the winner is or what the song will be. Nothing against Joe of course - good luck to him. I do think the X Factor PR team have done a terrible job though. First Cowell said that the RATM campaign was "bullying' - which seems a bit hypocritical coming from a man who made a name for himself by publicly humiliating and criticising people. Then Cheryl Cole came out saying that she didn't want an American band as the British Christmas number one - forgetting the fact that even if Joe had been number one, The Climb is still an American song. Then Joe himself did a piece where he slagged off the RATM record, which just looked like sour grapes. Cowell offered the two people who started the RATM campaign a job with him. They turned him down:)

Brokeback Mountain - I liked the book, but LOVED the film. It's one of my favourite movies. The Devil's Advocate - terrible book, but they managed to make a decent enough film out of it.

I always like to read something Christmassy. This year I am reading A Dog Named Christmas, by Greg Kincaid - it's just a light, festive read. Not sure what I'll read next. I'll just see what takes my fancy when I look at my shelf, but as I will probably finish ADNC tonight, I'll have to decide quickly!

Decided to go for something seasonal and festive, so am about to start A Dog Named Christmas, by Greg Kincaid:)

I have just finished Raven Black by Ann Cleeves. It is the first in a quartet of books set in Shetland (crime fiction). I enjoyed it a lot and have the other three books on my wishlist now!

I've just finished The Rice Mother, by Rani Manicka, which I enjoyed a lot although it took me ages to read! About to start Raven Black, by Ann Cleeves.

Happy to help:)

I quite like this site: http://www.literature-map.com/ If you type in the name of one of your dad's favourite authors, it will bring up a lot of similar authors. Those closest to the name you typed in are those considered most like him/her. Hope this helps:)

Have just finished reading The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters. I loved it, just as I loved the other three novels of hers I have read. About to start The Rice Mother, by Rani Manicka:)

Finished The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. I just loved this book, and can't recommend it highly enough. Definitely my favourite read this year. Now starting The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters. I have really enjoyed the other books I have read by her, so am hoping that this will be a good one!