Chrissy

Hey Pipread, I was thinking of you this morning - you must have heard my thoughts! You've read a few books of late then?

My big bro sent me a signed copy of 'Ghosts Of The Past' by Aussie band Eskimo Joe . I drove a 20 mile detour this morning just so I could listen to it properly. Such a good cd. I may not be listening to it right now, but one of the songs is yet to leave my head ~ does that count?

Quite a few classics are free Pickle, so maybe peruse one or two of those?

Damn it all to hell C! You can't go a'wandering about your own thread posting reviews followed by such statements as this. 'White Cat' will be with me next week ~ I decided to go for a tree read rather than a kindle read. *wanders off muttering book obscensities*

May I nominate Claire as BCF Book Finder Supremo 2011? All in only five minutes, ONLY 5 minutes! We bow to thee Supremo...... as we ponder thy mighty skills.

Dorothy L Sayers and her wonderful Lord Peter Wimsey series are definitely worth reading. They are brilliantly written stories, with strong and well drawn characters. You will adore Lord Peter, his family and friends, and I defy you not to wish you had a friend like Harriet in your life.

Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series of books was laden with meals, and food scenes casually included throughout. She co-wrote a recipe book and links each recipe to scenes in her books; 'Food To Die For- Secrets from Kay Scarpetta's Kitchen''

OK, this may just be something that COMPLETELY passed me by, but did anyone else know that Sophie, the owner of Stars Hollow Music was Carole King - THE Carole King? I didn't have a clue! I knew the theme tune is one of her songs (she sang this for the opening titles with her daughter), but didn't have a clue about Sophie.

Dennis Franz? What a fantastic actor. There are scenes from NYPD Blue that are still with me because of his exceptional acting talent.

Let's be careful out there! Brilliant line, delivered impeccably each week by Sarge. Once he had departed, the line "Let's do it to them before they do it to us." never quite got me in the same way - far too antagonistic in my view.

I am lucky enough to live near some fab walking areas, and my biggest gripe here is when people have gone to the bother of bagging their dog poop, but then go and hang the bag on a tree or somesuch! I mean, you've already carried out the worst part by picking the thing up, why then leave it for someone else to have to deal with it! If they hadn't bothered at all the next rains would have dealt with it.

Oh yes, the supreme king of cop shows. I hear ya sister! How could I have forgotten Spaced? Fan-blooming-tastic! And one should never leave Slack Bladder off any list!

Those two clips are great! Thank you. I'd also rate 'Out Of gas' as one of my favourite episodes, even thinking about it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

I am a huge Joss Whedon fan, and therefore love/d 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', 'Angel', 'Firefly' and the film 'Serenity'. I have really got into Doctor Who this year, as well as Torchwood. Aside from these Science Fiction and Fantasy favourites, I love 'University Challenge', 'Only Connect' and 'Pointless', all quiz shows. My absolute total favourite is 'The Big Bang Theory'. It is so beautifully scripted, with a fabulous balance between pathos and humour. It istruly wonderful television.

It’s been an odd few weeks of reading recently, including some books stemming from Torchwood and Doctor Who which is unusual for me. 27)The Torchwood Archives by Warren Martyn The central premise of this book is that an investigative journalist has got hold of archive documents from the Torchwood Hub, and has brought them together. I really enjoyed this book, looking at the events of series one and two from an outsider’s point of view. It’s composed of notes and archive material completed by Jack and Ianto, with additional ‘bits’ contributed by the other Torchwood characters. Great stuff, and a fab read for a fan! 28) Torchwood ~ Firstborn by James Goss The characters Rhys and Gwen from the television series are in hiding, and end up staying in a small Welsh village. They are a strange lot in the village, and they all seen to show an uncomfortable interest in Gwen and Rhys’ baby daughter. I enjoyed this Kindle read. It was a strange tale with lots of atmosphere and action, but as I already knew the characters of G & R it was easy to slip into the story. James Goss captures the spirit of the two main characters very well, and the banter from the tv series has been ‘transplanted’ to great effect into this book. 29) The Unremarkable Heart by Karin Slaughter This short story from one of my favourite authors was compelling from the start. It is the story of the last day of a dying woman. June is not a particularly likeable person, and carries herself through the story as a martyr. Her sorry tale is told in pieces until we get to the end, when the last sentence slams home a truth. I would recommend this as a great piece of taut and intense writing, that takes the reader from a position of “What a bl**dy cow”, to “Poor love” and back again often in the same paragraph. 30) Doctor Who ~ Dead Of Winter by James Goss What a story this was! I realised early on in my reading of it that I had to just relax into and let it take me where it wanted, otherwise I would just get all confused and uncomfortable. In a remote clinic in 18th-century Italy, a lonely girl writes to her mother. She tells of pale English aristocrats and mysterious Russian nobles. She tells of intrigues and secrets, and strange faceless figures that rise from the sea. And she tells about the enigmatic Mrs. Pond, who arrives with her husband and her physician. (From Amazon.co.uk) Having made that conscious decision to ‘go with the flow’, I became quickly engrossed and had difficulty putting the story down, resented interruptions and felt a tad empty when I had finished. The sign of a good read! 31) Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith Here is what I wrote in the Book Activity thread upon finishing this fabulous book; I finished Ali Smith's 'Girl Meets Boy' today and was frankly blown away by it. What an extraordinary book that is so alive and lyrical and vibrant and textured and compelling. It would be almost impossible to describe this book, as all I can do is list some of it's elements; sisters, family, responsibility, poetry, politics, myths and legends, womanhood and womankind, the modern and the ancient, nature, music, humankind, and most especially it's about love and how it captures us. All I can really say is read this book if you want to be spoken to intelligently by a voice that has a strong tale to tell where nothing and eveything happens, and you are left breathless and reeling from the impact. All this in such a short book (only 161 pages). Chesilbeach, you are wonderful. Thank you so much for giving me this now always to be treasured book. There is nothing I can add to this, other than to say that the story is yet to leave my thoughts and heart. 32) Prophecy ~ Child Of Light by FE Heaton This was recommended by a certain Charm-ing forum member. I am happily about to start the second in this trilogy. A well paced story of star crossed love, prophecies, destinies, trust, mistrust, vampires, witches, werewolves and truth seeking. All the right ingredients for high drama, intense ‘moments’ and demonic romps.

I hope to be listening to this myself soon. That's if you really did get a copy for me!

I love this book! It's probably my favourite stand alone novel of his. There is just something so compelling about the characters, and the origins of the title still send a jolt through me.

Despite many many books ahead of these on my TBR pile, kindle, shelf etc, I have already made a start and a little sigh has escaped me as I have entered the kind of universe I enjoy visiting. Your recommendations remain safe and secure in their integrity.

There's a distinct possibility that I Kindled the three this morning having read your reviews. *walks away whistling*

I finished Ali Smith's 'Girl Meets Boy' today and was frankly blown away by it. What an extraordinary book that is so alive and lyrical and vibrant and textured and compelling. It would be almost impossible to describe this book, as all I can do is list some of it's elements; sisters, family, responsibility, poetry, politics, myths and legends, womanhood and womankind, the modern and the ancient, nature, music, humankind, and most especially it's about love and how it captures us. All I can really say is read this book if you want to be spoken to intelligently by a voice that has a strong tale to tell where nothing and eveything happens, and you are left breathless and reeling from the impact. All this in such a short book (only 161 pages). Chesilbeach, you are wonderful. Thank you so much for giving me this now always to be treasured book.

I am reading, and thoroughly and totally enthralled by Ali Smith's 'Girl Meets Boy'. Claire, you are a marvel!

Congratulations! What was the book?

I saw 'Paul' this week, and absolutely loved it. I laughed so hard, and there are just so many references made to other Sci-Fi and fantasy films I will have to watch it again just to log them all. Loved it, just so daft and chuckle worthy.

Did you see the Kindle copy of 'Angelic' by Kelley Armstrong for under £3? It's a short limited edition book, with only a few tree copies available at ridiculous prices.

Pickle, beautiful, just beautiful. What a talent.