Kate

I'm listening to this - up to chapter 11 and I think it is bizarre too! There are parts I don't like - thanks for the warning Frankie - but I keep listening because I'm intrigued by this novel

There are only 2 I've read out of order I think. I've just found this: The Discworld Cup! http://www.discworldcup.co.uk/ Vote for your winner...! Love it!

Synopsis: After thirty years of marriage, Wilson Lewis, son-in-law of Allie and Noah Calhoun (of The Notebook), is forced to admit that the romance has gone out of his marriage. Desperate to win back his wife, Jane's, heart, he must figure out how to make her fall in love with him... again. Despite the shining example of Allie and Noah's marriage, Wilson is himself a man unable to easily express his emotions. A successful estate attorney, he has provided well for his family, but now, with his daughter's upcoming wedding, he is forced to face the fact that he and Jane have grown apart and he wonders if she even loves him anymore. Wilson is sure of one thing--his love for his wife has only deepened and intensified over the years. Now, with the memories of his in-laws' magnificent fifty-year love affair as his guide, Wilson struggles to find his way back into the heart of the woman he adores. As the synopsis states, this is the follow up book to The Notebook. At first, when I saw that there was a sequel, I was unsure as to how that would work (if you have read The Notebook I'm sure you will understand my questioning) but I was satisfied with this book. The story does not follow Allie and Noah, but their son-in-law Wilson. He is hard-working , to the point where he has seemingly neglected his family. He wanted to provide them with a great life, but that meant he missed parties and sporting events, and worked very late most days. This seemed fine until he forgot his wedding anniversary. This woke him up to the fact his marriage was strained and his wife was sad. This caused him to try and change his ways - and is helped by his daughter announcing that she is getting married. This gives him an opportunity to repair his marriage. The more Nicholas Sparks novels I read, the more I love him as an author. However, this is not my favourite of his works. I found this book started slowly, and it took a while to get going. By halfway through though, I had warmed up to Wilson and I loved all he was doing for Jane. The surprise at the end was gorgeous, and I sat there with a warmed heart and a smile on my face. I did like Jane, and felt sorry for her and felt her pain; although I did think that if she was unhappy she should have spoken out. I took some time to warm up to Wilson but I started to like him the more I read. I thought their relationship was sweet - especially in the beginning when Wilson was shy and sensible. This might be heresy to say, but I preferred Noah in this novel than I did in The Notebook. He was wise and loving in this novel, whereas I found him a bit desperate in The Notebook. This is a lovely romance novel. It is not a long book and worth reading if you like a heart warming, satisfying story. Nicholas Sparks is a great writer and I will be reading more of his novels.

Like Noll, my tastes haven't changed, just expanded. I have read a lot of different books since joining, and a lot more books. Book rings and recommendations have caused me to read books I probably wouldn't have otherwise picked up. I used to just read romance, now I'll read anything

I'm going to read Plan B by Emily Barr this morning - I have read it before but I need to read the section set in Brighton again for my dissertation

I've read both Burning Bright and The Girl With the Pearl Earring, and although I preferred the latter, I enjoyed both

It is true. This week has been insane for reading! Since I last updated, all of 4 days ago, I have finished: Meg Cabot: Size 12 is Not Fat Nick Hornby: The Complete Polysyllabic Spree Alice Hoffman: Incantation Wendy Virgo: Life Issues Stephenie Meyer: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

I plan to read this too - what are you thinking of it?

I have just finished Bree Tanner, and it got better as it went on. I've posted my thoughts in the Twilight thread but I did enjoy it

Synopsis: Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion. I love the Twilight Saga and therefore I was excited and sceptical about this novella. This story follows Bree, a girl we meet at the end of Eclipse as she is prepared to go into battle against the Cullens. This means that we don't see Edward, Bella and co. until the end of this story. Is that a problem? At first yes, but once I adjusted to that fact even though this is Twilight we wouldn't read about the original characters the story picked up. This novel is more gory than the others. We do read about the odd blood bath, which we don't get with the Cullens. That surprised me but didn't put me off the book. I found myself liking Bree. Riley, her coven's leader was trying to keep the new vampires stupid and away from Victoria, but Bree, even though a newborn was intelligent. She kept herself hidden in the coven's hideout and was able to see the truth in the situation. I liked Fred as well. He was also in the coven, but he had powers which meant he could repel others and make himself invisible. He protected Bree and I liked reading about the way he made people gag if they got too close - that made me laugh! I can't say I'm a fan of the ending - although having read Eclipse I did know what was going to happen to Bree. I did love meeting the Cullens and Bella though. The first sighting we get of them is with Carlisle, and he is showing compassion, which reminded me why I love his character! I read this in a day and did enjoy it. I can't say I was gripped like I was with the other novels in the Twilight saga but I do recommend it to Twilight fans. The effect of the book is I now want to re-read all the Twilight books and I cannot wait for the film. It has ignited my Twilight spark but I would have preferred a novel about one of the main characters. I'm still hoping Meyer will finish writing Midnight Sun. I think I would have enjoyed a novel about the Cullens or Jacob more, but this is still a good read. I read this online at: http://www.breetanner.com/ It is free until 5th July 2010

I plan to multi-task - watch the football whilst reading I've been reading The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer online as its free!

Ooo I want to read this. How are you finding it? I went to the library again today (yes that is three times in four days!) and took out: Alan Bennett: Untold Stories Lauren Liebenberg: The Voluptuous Delight of Peanut Butter and Jam I have just finished reading Incantation by Alice Hoffman. I cannot believe what I have just read: the UN thinks that summer reading lists are a violation of human rights: http://wp.me/pJBhQ-mT absurd.

I have just ordered In Southern Waters by Ian Merchant and Dead Sight by Glenn Chandler for my dissertation. I haven't done any reading yet today because I've been trying to get some writing done but my plan for the afternoon is to read Yesterday I started Incantation by Alice Hoffman and Life Issues by Wendy Virgo so I'll alternate my reading between those two I think.

Synopsis: When Sara Crewe, the seven-year-old daughter of a rich and loving father, arrives at her new school in London from India, she is nicknamed the Little Princess by her classmates. She has all the comfort and fine things she could want, but she also reveals a kind and loving heart, a lively mind and a rich imagination. When her father dies, bankrupt, Sara is suddenly reduced to a life of poverty and is forced to live in a cold, damp attic, with only her dreams to support her. But will they be enough? I remember seeing this film when I little with my Granny, and I remember really enjoying it (and also it making me cry!) I was excited to read this book, having such fond memories of the film - and I must say, I loved the book! I listened to it - a download from Librivox, and it was well worth downloading. The story is fairly well known: little Sara is beloved by her father but sent to a school in England, away from him. He dotes on her and makes sure she has all the luxuries she needs. That is until he dies and it becomes clear that his latest venture into diamonds had not paid off and he was left bankrupt. Sara soon finds herself an orphan who is living in awful conditions in the attic of the school working as a servant. But her luck is set to change, thanks to her mysterious next door neighbour. This is a touching story of a little girl's endurance. I loved Sara. She included others and made them feel loved. She was able to persevere through life thanks to her amazing imagination and her ability to face whatever is thrown at her. And I loved her friends. Even when Sara was banished to the attic she had girls come up and visit her - she was still a princess to them. They are a lovely bunch of girls. This is a great read. I find that I love Frances Hodgson Burnett and the stories he conjures up. He jumps right into my imagination and I am transported to another world. A Little Princess has love, warmth, hardship, poverty and happiness, it is a real delight to read. This is a children's book and I imagine I would of loved this when I was little, like I loved the film. As an adult, I really enjoyed this story and am happy to recommend it to adults as well as children. Top marks from me! Download: http://librivox.org/a-little-princess-by-frances-hodgson-burnett/

Synopsis: In his monthly accounts of what he's read - along with what he may one day read - Nick Hornby brilliantly explores everything from the classic to the graphic novel, as well as poems, plays, sports books and other kinds of non-fiction. If he occasionally implores a biographer for brevity, or abandons a literary work in favour of an Arsenal match, then all is not lost. His writing, full of all the joy and surprise and despair that books bring him, reveals why we still read, even when there's football on TV, a pram in the hall or a good band playing at our local pub. I enjoyed this book but I found it to be a slow read. The book contains Hornby's columns for the magazine the Believer, where he writes about what he has read. There are a lot of columns and a lot of books read, and although I can remember some of the good ones, I can't remember them all! I found this funny in places, and hard to concentrate on in other places. However, overall my impression of Hornby as a writer is good and I am glad I kept reading. In fact, I already have another one of his books - this time fiction (About A Boy) lined up to read. Hornby is clever and honest. It made me laugh that he wasn't allowed to mention books he didn't like by title or author, but he was happy to say that he had read a book he didn't like. I was pleased he took my reading philosophy: if you don't like a book, put it down - there are too many other books to read to keep struggling through one book! There were some books he mentioned that I have read and didn't like, whereas he did, such as A Complicated Kindness, but that has not put me off reading some of his recommendations. This is a slow but informative read. I found it easier to read if I took a break after each chapter. I liked also how he put in some extracts from books - made them seem more inviting. Overall, a good but not amazing book. Books I Want to Read: Roddy Doyle: Oh, Play That Thing Roddy Doyle: A Star Called Henry Joshua Ferris: Then We Came to the End Charlotte Moore: George and Sam Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis Andrew Smith: Moondust Anne Tyler: The Amateur Marriage I'm sure there were more but I can't remember them!

I have just finished The Complete Polysyllabic Spree Going to read The Bell Jar next

I've been to the library and came away with: Dessen: Lock and Key Sparks: True Believer Hoffman: Incantation Hornby: About a Boy Murakami: What I talk About When I About Running Green: Spellbound Gaimon: M is For Magic Cabot: Missing You I love the library!

This novel is the re-telling of the prophetess Deborah, who is the fourth prophet in the book of Judges in the Bible. She features in from chapter 4 to chapter 6 of Judges. Deborah is a Jew who is living in a time where God is forgotten. She hasn't forgotten Him though and often sits under a palm tree praying and listening to God. She hears from Him that it is time to go to war, and she takes this to Barak, leader of the army. With God on their side they defeat their oppressors and the Jews move back into relationship with God. Wendy will be the first to say that she used creative license although she did base this on the account in Judges. She writes great stories and great books. Deborah is portrayed as a real woman who I could easily empathise with. She faces many challenges, such as losing her husband. It is a good story for Christian women: it shows that women can get close to God and have important roles to play. The message is that women are just as important as men, they just have a different role. This was an easy read. I was gripped and wanted to keep reading. Virgo writes really well and I find her books really readable and well worth my time.

I really want to read this book. Thanks for a great review!

I couldn't sleep last night so I finished Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot. I'm listening to A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett at the moment. Hoping to finish The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby later today

If anyone is interested I have rounded up my May reading: http://bit.ly/bg4A62 The other day I finished The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. This follows on from The Notebook and was a good read. It is not the best of his that I have read but it was nice and got better as the story went on.

I'll try that one too then, thank you!