Ben

Thanks. So am I, really looking forward to reading some of their work this year. Thanks Charm, you too! Hope 2012's a good one.

Hey Kidsmum, best of luck with your reading year too. I might have to push The Gargoyle up the pile a little bit then if it was one of your favourites. I know I'm going to struggle to pick my next reads without recommendations - and this is better than selecting at random. I'm looking forward to reading Hardy, I've heard good things. Had to chuckle with what you said about not being put off, though; I hate it when that happens.

Ah, thanks for the comment Michelle. I had a suspicion I'd be disappointed because I love the series on tv so much, and the books would have to go some to live up to that - but I'll see how I get on.

I've decided to read one of the Doctor Who novels I got for Christmas next - I'm trying to stick to some nice, easy reads to ease me into the new year, until the exams are over. Out of the two I got I've decided to go for Touched By An Angel by Jonathan Morris. Synopsis: In 2003, Rebecca Whitaker died in a road accident. Her husband Mark is still grieving. He receives a battered envelope, posted eight years ago, containing a set of instructions with a simple message: 'You can save her.' As Mark is given the chance to save Rebecca, it's up to the Doctor, Amy and Rory to save the whole world. Because this time the Weeping Angels are using history itself as a weapon. I'm really looking forward to this, as the Weeping Angels are one of my favourite 'monsters' in Doctor Who, and it'll be interesting to read an adventure in novel form rather than watch it as I'm used to doing.

I've never read any of them and I think it's fantastic - just to add my two cents there.

Okay last night I read into the early hours of this morning to finish A Room With A View by E.M Foster - which I found an enjoyable read. Thoughts: E.M Foster's A Room With A View is a delightful little read, as we're swept into a different world from our own and shown the strange intricacies of social etiquette and standing. Foster's style is one which is both wonderfully funny - light in tone with witty, sweeping dialogue that swings back and forth - and fascinating at the same time. He paints the picture of society in Edwardian England, offering a critique as he goes. The author here mediates a battle between radical and conservative thinking, as we follow Lucy Honeychurch as she struggles to act on the subtitles of her heart. The title alludes cleverly to Foster's key theme of rooms and of views; a contrast between characters such as Mrs Honeychuch who is often pictured inside of a room, and the 'outside' characters such as a Freddy represent modernity and forward thinking. Overall then, Foster's novel is a most enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a cleverly written, witty read. 5/5.

Hey Brian I think it's more that I don't have time to read the books that I'd want to read, because I'm too busy with required reading for university. Thankfully, I never feel I need for a break from reading; to me reading never becomes a chore even if I'm studying the text for class, which is a relief. I'm looking forward to getting into some Dawkins - I've actually flicked through The God Delusion before now actually, and it looked to be fascinating and funny at the same time. From what I could gather from the few pages I'd read, at any rate. I will definitely get around to reading some of his work properly this year, though.

Good look with this year's reading. I think with a bit of luck and a steady mojo I could hit 100 this year.

Okay here it is, a new reading year and this time a solid attempt to reduce Mount TBR. This could be a problem as I'm quite sure I'll buy a handful of books from the 12 days of Kindle sale before it's finished. I wish I would have bought them before the new year just so they were last year's purchases, but I never quite got around to it.. Anyway, my first read of the year shall by EM Forster's A Room With A View which I did start last year, but I haven't read much of it yet. It's a relatively short book, and great so far, so it should ease me into the year nicely. Synopsis: Forster's social comedy is a witty observation of the English middle classes as they holiday abroad in Florence. One of these tourists is Lucy Honeychurch, a young girl whose heart is awakened by her experiences in Italy. Well nothing more to it, here goes the first read of 2012 and hopefully the first of many.

It certainly took me by surprise and definitely cheered me up going into the new year.

I most definitely will be; can't wait for this, hope it holds up to the last series.

2011 Reading Review Okay, I won't be finishing any more books this year, so that means Inheritance acts as my 52nd of 2011, and leaves me with a nice even 'one per week' conclusion. It's not a bad total, even if I feel I could have read quite a few more if I would have stuck to being productive and not wasted my time on things that were pointless, when I could have been reading. I had a slow start to the year with only 11 books read in the first five months of the year; which was ultimately very disappointing. I did have some good reads however, Alex Connor's The Rembrandt Secret - a fantastic blend of art and culture with murder and betrayal - being a particular highlight. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess I also found incredible. However, as July hit and the summer began, I had a burst of reading that was assisted of course by the nice, light-hearted, enjoyable Southern Vampire Mysteries reads by Charlaine Harris. In July alone I read the first seven in the series, as well as finishing the eight the month after. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and Love In The Time Of Cholera byGabriel García Márquez, were both fantastic reads, and August was another good reading month, highlighted I feel by Rosamund Lupton's Afterwards which was a haunting tale of a mother's love for her daughter and a desire to find the truth. September was a slip back to a slower reading month, but through October and November that picked up dramatically as I started my English literature course at university. Although the course provided me with some challenging reads (particularly my 18th century fiction module), and some not very enjoyable texts (Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders ring a bell), I also enjoyed some good reads. Samuel Richardson's Pamela was a fantastic read, as was Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie; a great children's tale, under-layered with much more meaning than on the surface level. Much of the two months were also taken up by the reading of short, ghost narratives, which was different for me, but an enjoyable change. The close of the year has been a steady reading month, where I've enjoyed Stephen Fry's laugh-out-loud new instalment The Fry Chronicles, along with some more Lee Child who is an author I can always trust to give a good fast-paced tale with his Jack Reacher novels. I've also read Brisingr and Inheritance during this month to wrap up the Inheritance Cycle which I talked about in the above post. Overall, then, it's been an interesting reading year as I've diversified my reads due to studying literature at university. I'm happy with how the reading year has gone and next year I aim to read more books than I have done during this; onwards and upwards. Best of luck to everyone in 2012, a happy new year from me, and I wish you all the best with your reading in the new year.

Just finished Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, the last book in the series, and I'm going to attempt to write some thoughts below, as I don't have the time for a full-scale review. Thoughts: As I turned over the last page in Inheritance not so very long ago, I had that feeling I often get when I finish a good series: in the same sense that the journey has come to an end for the protagonist, it often seems like the readers' personal journey has come to a close also. I only read the first in the series, Eragon, at the close of last year, so in comparison to those that have read and enjoyed the books since 03', the sense of a journey coming to an end is obviously much smaller for myself. In any case, in the final instalment in this now world-wide popular, Eragon must finally face and confront his arch-nemesis, who has so far simply watched from afar; the evil magician Galbatorix. Paolini's writing in my opinion has transformed and matured over the sequence of the books, since Eragon, and I am happy he decided to split the final book into two books, to allow for further character development. The novel addresses some of the important questions I had before I turned over the first page, while in some cases answering nothing at all. I won't say the conclusion was a disappointment to me, as it was cleverly executed, but Paolini hasn't made it feel like the end; leaving the option for spin-off books if he pleases. Perhaps this is a good thing though, as I'd certainly welcome more of the action-packed happenings of Alagaësia. Overall then, I feel the series on a whole is a solid, enjoyable one, and that Inheritance wraps it up nicely. I'd recommend to anyone that likes a fast-paced, action-packed tale of love and hate, magic and strength, and of course ultimately, a battle between good and evil. 4/5.

Good luck with your 2012 reading Chrissy, hope it's a good year.

Not fully decided yet, depends if I finish Inheritance by Christopher Paolini before the new year. If I don't, that will be my first read of 2012, if I do then it will be A Room With A View by E.M Foster. Either way I'm quite excited for next year, and hopefully even though I have exams in January, the first month of the year will be a good one.

Great bonus find. I must say Lee Child for me was really worth the read. Killing Floor is the first of the Jack Reacher books as I'm sure you already know, and it was my first read this year. I wrote some vague thoughts here if you're interested, but the basics of the review was that it was a fast-paced, enjoyable read. I've gone on to read the next two in the series, Die Trying and Tripwire and also enjoyed them too. I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on with Child when you get around to him.

I'm seriously fighting a losing battle with this twelve days of Kindle sale. I've already marked at least four books of interest, and that's without looking through all of them yet. Plus there's only been three days so far. It's hopeless, I know it. Maybe I should cave before the new year so they don't get counted as 2012 acquisitions.

Spent the best part of the early hours of this morning reading Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, as it was enthralling and I simply could not put it down. I'm about 350 pages into now, and I'm really enjoying it.

Best of luck for the reading year ahead Tunn, hope you have a good one.

It's frustrating how little will-power I know I have. Anyway, impressive looking lists/challenges and I wish you the best of luck with your 2012 reading. I look forward to reading your thoughts.

Drat I remember hearing that this was on but didn't realise it was on tonight. Definitely seems like one worth catching up with on iPlayer though.

That Amazon thing sounds neat, I'm guessing you'd have to be one of the 'top reviewers' of some sorts. It's interesting because I reviewed this one just of my own accord (as opposed to a new author sending it to Michelle), but because I linked it on the BCF reviews page, it's credited as that. As a result, it'll be 'BCF Reviews' that would be in the page, which would be awesome. I'm not holding my breath, but we'll see eh.

Funny thing is I bet it's been there a while and I've never seen it. What would be amazing is if she's included it in the front pages of her new book, like some authors do. Now that would be pretty cool.