Kate

I hate it when that happens. I go for a book I've had for ages if I can't decide. I started The Flying Troutmans yesterday and am currently listening to The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

You should definitely read her books, very enjoyable. 131. Boozy Brighton by Rose Collis 7/10 132. Brighton and Hove Murders & Misdemeanours by Janet Cameron 5/10 133. The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett 8/10 134. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham 8/10 135. The Chimes by Charles Dickens 8/10

Synopsis from Amazon.com: The second of Dickens' Christmas Books, The Chimes recounts the tale of a poor day laborer, Toby Veck. Like Scrooge, Toby is guided by a specter through the scenes that refocus his views of Victorian London with all its "stern realities." This is not as well known as A Christmas Carol, and not as popular either back when Dickens was writing. I can see why, and actually I preferred A Christmas Carol too - however, that is not to say this is a bad book. It is not by far. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It is another short story, one which I read in a day. In this story we meet Toby Veck. For the first half of the book he is looking for work and listening to those in wealth speak and seeing just a glimpse of their life. In the second half, he sleep walks up to the Great Bells, where their chiming guides him through a life where is dead and has left his daughter Meg to struggle through. This book would act as a good historical source because Dickens is not scared to write London as the poor see it. He is explicit in the hardships he portrays - things such as death, drunkenness and of course, poverty. It was heart wrenching to read of these horrendous lifestyles, but that was how it was in Victorian London if you were on the lower end of the wealth spectrum. Dickens writes in a magnificent way. He is descriptive and captivating. The words flew off the page at me and I was sucked in to what he was writing. I was gripped. I did think that Dickens spent too long on the introduction of Toby's life however. He writes lovely characters too. I loved Toby. He was an old man struggling for work, and when he saw the hardships Meg had to endure his heart broke - and I really felt his anguish. And I loved Meg. She was bubbly and caring - and their relationship was very loving. Although not as famous as A Christmas Carol, this is a very enjoyable Dickens novel. It is short, fast-paced and gripping. 8/10

I've heard of Moomins but never seen it. Great review - I will look out for it

I wasn't sure where to post this, please move if necessary Waterstones Synopsis Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That's just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they'll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; they won't be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren't even going to have a tree. They won't need one, because come December 25 they're setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences - and isn't half as easy as they'd imagined. A classic tale for modern times, Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that has become part of our holiday tradition. I have only read a couple of John Grisham books, which I have enjoyed, and even though this is not his 'classic' work, I really enjoyed this book too. In Skipping Christmas Grisham looks at the madness that Christmas has become - throwing huge parties, drunkenness, spending heaps of money, and the ridiculous decorations. He looks at the idea of just not participating in this game, and the reactions people have to that idea. And he did it so well. This book is very funny. From a practical sense I can see why someone would be tempted to miss out the celebration - especially in the case of the Krank's, when they were paying over $6000 on the holiday. I think Grisham is writing a brave book here because people do spend a large amount of money and he seems to be questioning if that is OK. I think he did it very well - although as lovely as the ending is I think he wimped out a bit. That said - parts of the ending were just hilarious, especially the incident with Frosty... I liked the Krank's, I found them very likable and enjoyable to read. I found myself feeling very sorry for them when they were seemingly victimised, especially by their neighbours. I also laughed along with them, and panicked when the phone call from their daughter came. I really connected them, and that made the book even more enjoyable. This book is 200 pages long, and I read 150 pages in one sitting. It is quick, funny and hugely enjoyable. This is a really good Christmas novel. With a slightly different ending this would get tops marks. 8/10

I finished Holidays at Brighton this morning. Currently tackling On the Brighton Beat, but finding it a bit dull, so writing reviews instead! In case you're interested, I have a new review site: http://bookreviews.me.uk, although most of the reviews come on here too

Synopsis from www.terrypratchett.co.uk: SAM VIMES IS A MAN ON THE RUN. YESTERDAY HE WAS A DUKE, A CHIEF OF POLICE AND THE AMBASSADOR TO THE MYSERIOUS, FAT-RICH COUNTRY OF UBERWALD. Now he has nothing but his native wit and the gloomy trousers of Uncle Vanya (don't ask). It's snowing. It's freezing. And if he can't make it through the forest to civilization there's going to be a terrible war. But there are monsters on his trail. They're bright. They're fast. They're werewolves - and they're catching up. The Fifth Elephant is Terry Pratchett's latest instalment in the Discworld cycle, this time starring dwarfs, diplomacy, intrigue and big lumps of fat. This is number 24 in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. This book features The Watch, vampires, were wolves and dwarfs. Again, Sam Vimes finds himself leaving Ankh Morpork to go to foreign parts. There is a dwarf coronation set to take place, but things are not right. There are murders, stolen scones, and Vimes gets himself arrested. This was another enjoyable Discworld novel. Again, not one of my favourites but still a good read. There were times I found myself laughing out loud - especially in regards to the dwarf who made contraception, but there were times when I was losing concentration. One thing I love about Pratchett however is he always pulls me back in to the story. I found myself enjoying the fight scenes, laughing at the vampires and being annoyed at the were wolves. I loved Vimes' wife Sybil. I think I laughed every time spoke - but I particularly liked her at the end when she got angry. I was sat cheering her on. I loved Captain Carrot too, and was really sad when he got hurt. And to have Colon in charge of the Watch was genius writing; but I did think Pratchett could have added in more Colon parts in the story. I recommend all the Discworld books, and although this is not the best in my opinion I still enjoyed it and would recommend it. This is just an awesome series of books. 8/10

I'm now reading Holidays at Brighton - very easy read at the moment

I have just finished The Chimes by Charles Dickens Hoping to finish Joanna Trollope's Second Honeymoon today as well

I am an old man in Victorian London who works as a porter

I am the same. Sometimes I have success, other times I don't. I love reading books by new authors, especially if they are recommended on here

I preferred the book although I did like the fact that However, it was the film that made me cry not the book

I'm reading an e-book version of Charles Dickens' The Chimes. Saw a post by Janet saying she was going to read his lesser Christmas work and that has inspired me to do the same

I've finished Skipping Christmas - what a good little book. Now sat slowly writing my reviews

I'm reading Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

I agree with both of those comments Catwoman. I've been supporting Chris and Ola for the whole series - I love them! I don't think Laila should be in next week even though I like Anton. Question: there are suppose to be three in the final, but since Jade has left there are not enough people, what will they do?

I've been reading The Flowing Queen today and my Mum gave my Shadow Baby by Margaret Forster

The first Kathy Reichs book is deja dead, if that helps. Have you tried Ian Rankin or maybe John Grisham?

I finished The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett earlier. Now reading Death by Love by Mark Driscoll

What you studying and where? I do that too - look for books I can read quickly. Although part of that is I lose concentration with big books

Yeah I am too. So many challenge opportunities!

I'm listening to The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett at the moment