Charm

That does sound like a disturbing book indeed. Usually I would like strange books but I think I'll give this one a miss. Nice review rwemad and definately not a lot of 'self-indulgent nonsense' at all!

I knew you'd say that!! (you've been dying to haven't ya ) True. I never thought of it like that. I suppose your review is what you thought of it after all Now that is weird. But my goodness, what a coincidence! Great story Mac

Wow what a lovely thing to say! :friends0:I'm gald you liked it and that I've maybe helped you chose. I have to agree with you about the responsibility bit though. I sometimes break out in a cold sweat if I've recommended a book to someone and they go and spend good money on it to read. I'm so nervous until I hear what they think of it! Such a responsibility!

Oh please don't be put off by vampires, they are in the story but not to a degree where you're waiting for one to pop out at you around the next page, they help to give the tale a dark, gothic and creepy feel too. Thank you! .. and thank you to everyone again who has commented on it. It's very encouraging. I don't like to be cocky enough to call it review, more just my humble thoughts and I certainly wouldn't dream of comparing it to any of the brilliant reviews on the forum. But again ...

Thanks for the comments Mac Its nice to hear that someone else felt the same about certain aspects of the book. Will you be getting her new one when it comes out?

Only 9/10 today (Beat that Ceinwenn! )

True for both! They always taste much nicer the next day too

I made a huge pot of beef stew, so we've got loads left .

Show off!

Aw shucks Thanks Ceinwenn!

I hope to finish that lot by the end of May! You would probably finish them in a fortnight

No way Frankie! That would not be fair at all But thank you for offering! I'll just have to behave If I've caught up I'll definately join you in The Empty Chair, after I finish The Bone Collector .... The Coffin Dancer...... Dexter in the Dark and Dexter by Design of course!

I finally finished reading The Historian ~by~ Elizabeth Kostova (in my defence, it was 704 pages long and my reading mojo had waned a bit! ). I'm not sure how to describe what I thought of it but here goes: Synopsis courtesy of Waterstones Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters addressed ominously to 'My dear and unfortunate successor'. Her discovery plunges her into a world she never dreamed of - a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an evil hidden in the depths of history. In those few quiet moments, she unwittingly assumes a quest she will discover is her birthright - a hunt for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the Dracula myth. Deciphering obscure signs and hidden texts, reading codes worked into the fabric of medieval monastic traditions, and evading terrifying adversaries, one woman comes ever closer to the secret of her own past and a confrontation with the very definition of evil. Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel is an adventure of monumental proportions - a captivating tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present with an assurance that is almost unbearably suspenseful - and utterly unforgettable. My thoughts: The novel is about a young woman who lives with her father and sometimes travels with him on his business trips, where he gradually tells her the story of his search for Dracula and about how he met her mother. He suddenly resumes his search alone and disappears, leaving the young woman to try to find him. It is mostly written in the form of letters, some of which were addressed to her and some addressed to her father. Most of them she found in his study before embarking on a trip across Europe in search of him. The story of the father's search for Dracula (which is what most of the book is about) unfolded pretty slowly and seemed a bit repetitive to me, which then left me feeling a bit frustrated at times. It was also a bit anticlimactic, with the most exciting bit in the book and the ending all wrapped up in the last few chapters. I thought this was a shame because it had the potential for a far more exciting finish which I was expecting all along. This may all sound a bit harsh, but in all fairness, the book did have its good points too. It is well written and has a kind of dark, creepy atmosphere which I love. Its not too complicated and is easy to follow and the author describes things beautifully, to the point where I found myself wishing I could hop on a plane and travel to the wonderful places immediately. It also appears very well researched, half of the time I felt like I'd just come out of a history lesson! I did have to catch myself on now and then because I kept picturing the main characters in more ancient times, rather than the late 20th century, maybe because of the history element to the book and its main topic, Dracula. I'm giving The Historian a 7/10 because I'm glad I read it and I did enjoy it somewhat, although her next novel would need to be a bit faster paced for my liking. I think I'll wait and see what the reviews on here are like first. If you are into European medieval history then you may enjoy this book. 7/10

I know! I know! They're sooooooo tempting (What can I say? ... I'm easily led )

But I like it here I'll be good .. I won't peek!

Oh you should Stephanie, if you liked the films at all you'll love the books

8/10 today for me I hate this game

Arghhhh spoilers!! Must ..... resist...... tempting......

But he's so charming! After you read it you'll forgive him almost anything