Chrissy

Hello blithe!

You mean to have a proper man? Not the namby pamby moody boy child? Here's an image to leave with you all. Simon Baker in a kilt! Life is good.

Yes, either through recommendation (here!), because I like the look of the book, the name of the author or book, because a book reaches out to me in some way. Sometimes it's because I have some spare cash on me, a bookish urge and a close to hand book shop / charity shop. I have found some of my favourite authors through delving and daring. It's always worth a try!

It's that eye/smile/good husband combi that's the real killer here! Isn't he delish? *sigh*

I've read the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, and think they are wonderful, so I can heartily recommend those. Aside from those, I haven't read any others on your list, although I have heard a lot of good things in different places about The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan.

I read 'We' many years ago, and I would agree that it should be read before the others. A great book. PS Hello Henk!

Hello Shelley!

I read your review, and now reallllllly want to get this! I love the sound of it. Thanks!

Sarah Salway. I am close to finishing her 'Leading The Dance', I have been reading it in bits and pieces as a treat to myself! I plan on getting more of her work. Her style is very accessible, her stories are quirky and surprising without feeling contrived.

Hello Elgin!

'Judas Child' by Carol O'Connell was my instantly re-read book. A stunning and harrowing story. She has a way of depicting children that is breath taking. Another reason I will return to a book is for the comfort of the words. That hugged by a textual blanket feeling. Boyfriends, girlfriends, happiness, jobs, health and homes may come and go, but our favourite reads stay true to us. Our favourite books care not for our weight, looks, status or mood, they just remain both loyal and consistent to us.

"Are you sure you're going to be all right now?" 'When She Was Bad' by Jonathan Nasaw

Hello Emm, and welcome to the forum! Recommedations? Oh you'll get loads just from looking! Enjoy.

I think that Rory is not a lovable trait in anyone. Flora I found to be I'll say no more until you're done Gyre. But wow, what a book this is!

I'm making lasagne tonight. I might wait till the sun stops beaming into the kitchen though!

Oh Gyre, I totally get what you are saying there! It's a "Phew!" read isn't it?

It's a book that is almost impossible to describe, and definitely has quite difficult themes.

We had fritatta. Lots of bits in the fridge to use up, so this is a great way to throw them all together. Yum!

For me I think a good book reveals nuance on a re-read. When you first read a story there is that part of you that dearly wants to find out what will happen, and some aspects can get lost through that enthusiasm to know. If you take the opportunity to read a book again, you can be more receptive to details, subtleties and nuance that were missed on the first read. It 'still works' because it operates on a different level from that first read. On a re-read of EG I will already feel connected to Rose and the others, I will have their back stories. Now I can 'see' in greater detail how they interact, how they move, their appearance, their depths.

Twiglets are a wheat-based snack food shaped like small twigs, originating in the United Kingdom. Their main flavour comes from yeast extract, which often leads to them being claimed to taste like Marmite. Twiglets are also known as "Sticks dipped in Marmite". (wikipedia) They are the kind of savoury snack that people either love or hate!

I love it! Very funny.

I was mooching through some old threads, and woke this one up! I tend to avoid 'fluffy' names, as I feel that will be reflected in the books contents. For me, I like to think that all the words in the book matter, from the story, the blurb, the dedication, and therefore also the author's name. Neutral names that don't have an ambiguous pronunciation, or strikingly unusual names, they will be the ones I go for if I am seeking a new-to-me author from a book shelf. If an author had a name like Tinkerbelle Muchly-Snuggles however, I probably wouldn't read the book! That's what I mean by fluffy!

I read this some time ago. I'll be interested in reading your review.

Yes BookJumper! 'The Big Over Easy' and 'The Forth Bear' are not connected to the Thursday Next series, except a slight overlap that has more relevance to Thursday Next than the NCD books. Lucybird, I love the conciseness of your reviews!

Hello Michael!