Chrissy

Oh, I do like the look of this challenge! Variety and lots of scope with each. Do you know the books you will be reading? Do you want suggestions?

Cussed worse than a drunken sailor? I definitely think they deserved it!

Thanks Chesilbeach, I hadn't realised either the name change of the book, nor about Misty Falls. Bobbly, TOATEOTL is a good, quick and absorbing read. Neil Gaiman has that way of weaving a tale that grabs you in such a gut wobbling way until the last page finally lets you go. It's not a heavy read at all, but for me the story touched on the notion of what home is, where and with whom one feels safe. These are often simultaneously the simplest and most basic of things, and the most important issue of all. < I'm not making sound any less heavy am I? Neil Gaiman does that to me I'm afraid. Thanks Weave.

41) Sins Of Eden by SM Reine Having bought (14 books ago) for 77p the first book in her Descent Series, I became hooked on SM Reine's storytelling on the life, friends, adversaries and adventures of Elise Kavanagh, kopis, exorcist and god-slayer extraordinaire. This book completed her story. A fitting and satisfying end that had me gulping back tears, griping my kindle and sighing with hope. This is NOT a stand alone novel, one would have to have read the previous books to understand ANY of what was going on, and why. As a summing up of the two series (and the additional 'alongside' books) they include a story of Adam, Eve and Lilith, and a story of creation. We have demonic overlords and underlings, Angels, werewolves, aspis and kopis (witch 'shield' and warrior 'sword') and varied governmental interference. There are dimensions godly, angelic and demonic and vivid characters galore. There are battles, both physical and magical, and the pages are frequently awash with blood, sweat and ichor tears. Alliances are formed, friendships made. Betrayal, desire and ambition claw their way through the characters, yet Elise remains a constant with her devout loyalties, aspirations and aims. The books wouldn't appeal to every reader, and if you feel any discomfort in constructs that go against your belief system, then these are not for you. They are imaginative, fast paced and frequently graphic. 42) Paper Towns by John Green I have read 'The Fault In Our Stars', 'Looking For Alaska' and now 'Paper Towns' by John Green, and I continue to be surprised and delighted by his writing. Paper Towns centres on Quentin 'Q' Jacobsen and his borderline (and often actual) obsession with his neighbour Margo Roth Speigelman. It opens with them in childhood but jumps quickly to them as teens preparing to graduate from school, with the final third of the book a road trip. Green has a way of writing about relationships, from the daft conversations that mates have about the day to day stuff, through to the intense exchanges that can take place when a revelations break the surface of a repressed relationship. I enjoyed the book and the buoyancy of the unfolding quirky story. The characters are mostly endearing, and I found myself frequently chuckling at their exchanges and antics. The characters are believable in the reading, but on reflection don't remain realistic, but this just doesn't matter. For want of a better expression, 'the journey' of the reading of the story carries any minor quibbles away.

In my wise way I decided that it would be a great idea in the run up to my holiday, and for the 8 days I was away, to re read a favourite series of mine, Angie Sage's 7 Septimus Heap Books (Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren, Darke and Fyre). What I hadn't quite anticipated was that I would get so engrossed in the series again that I would fly through them BEFORE I left home. . Therefore I darted about a bit to find enjoyable reads that suited my tired-in-the-evening-but-want-to-read holiday mood. Here I go with the last few of weeks; 32) Magyk, 33) Flyte. 34) Physik, 35) Queste, 36) Syren, 37) Darke, & 38) Fyre by Angie Sage From the moment I discovered the first book, Magyk in a shop in Oban, Scotland on the first day of a holiday 9 years ago I have been in love with the characters, the stories and the setting. Original, visual and a compelling story well told I will ALWAYS come back to Septimus Heap and his adventures within the pages (paper or otherwise) of this wonderful series. 39) Struck by Joss Stirling I am a big fan of YA fiction, and Joss Stirling has written a few good reads that I have enjoyed in recent years, so when I saw her name on this book I didn't think twice about buying it. A good decision made. (From fantasticfiction.co.uk) Behind the ivy-clad walls of an exclusive boarding school, lurks a sinister web of corruption, scandal, and conspiracy. American student Raven Stone has noticed something is horribly wrong. First there were the unexplained disappearances. Then there were the teachers' lies. And now the death threats ...Also entangled in the disturbing turn of events is the enigmatic Kieran Storm. Fast paced story, with witty dialogue and well drawn characters combined to make this a great holiday read for me. It evoked all the right reader responses from me, from laughter, to angst at the danger faced by the central characters, to edge-of-seat (or occasionally hotel bed) anticipation. If you have enjoyed previous books by the author, you will most likely enjoy this one too. A great start to a new series (damn it, not another series!! ) 40) The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman I started reading this on holiday, but stopped a third of the way in. I was so tired in the evenings I couldn't quite cope with the dilemma the central character found himself in and had fretful sleep because of it. As soon as I was home I dived back in to it. Mr Gaiman's books are always so inventive and compelling, I can only really describe the books in terms of the emotions evoked, rather than reviewing it in any reader-meaningful way. It's a story felt viscerally, ancient and new with peril and rescue and redemption. It is about the nature of home that stays with us all through our years, and the very powerful evocation of what always was, what always is and what always will be. Amazon describe it thus, THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE is a novel about memory and magic and survival, about the power of stories and the darkness inside each of us, created by the unparalleled imaginative power of Neil Gaiman. If you are in any doubt about whether it would be something you would want to read I recommend reading the many reviews on the site, and you will see how enormously difficult it is to tell you what the book is actually about, as it appears so personal to each reviewer. Neil Gaiman is a writer I read with hope in my heart and such a bone aching admiration for the imagination he shares so freely. City Of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare When Mr Gaiman left me fretting in my hotel bed, I thought it best to jump away in a re read of a recent book, noted here only a few months ago. I will not count it as it was an emergency read rather than a concentrating re read. I have my rules!

Thanks for the update Julie. I hope that your knee gets a good report at the doctor's appointment. I also hope that the lying dirt bag car non-fixer gets his comeuppance at some stage in his miserable lying cheating life. I HATE it when people take advantage like that. Grrrr.

That sounds like such a lovely day, what a special and personal event for you and Coran. Many (more) congratulations.

On holiday last week we holidayed ourselves out each day, so when we read in the evening before bed we were both super tired. I had started reading Neil Gaiman's The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, but found myself getting quite upset at what a character was having to deal with and had to take the decision to not read anymore of the story until we were home, as on the first night into the story I had not slept for fretting! Lots of books stay with me, and I often read later than I should, especially when I haven't reached a natural break point in the story. If I anticipate a book keeping me up, I try to avoid a bed time read of it, getting in a few chapters earlier on in the evening.

Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd is the one I'd recommend. To give you an idea of what it's about, this quote from Wikipedia gives a pretty good description; Sarum (latterly titled Sarum: The Novel of England) is a work of historical fiction by Edward Rutherfurd, first published in 1987. It tells the story of England through the tales of several families in and around the English city of Salisbury, the writer's own hometown - stretching from prehistoric times to 1985.

Good luck with your Blessing tomorrow June. We were away on holiday last week and husband also has this week off from work so we have been doing some jobs from our 'pending' list. The heat / light has been installed in the bathroom, the giant rug has been laid in the living room (after hours of faffing with it!), and a cupboard has been sourced and prepared for the kitchen. In between we have had long stretches of reading and relaxing. Yesterday we visited a Wildfowl &Wetland centre, walked around it for a couple of hours, fed the birds and ended with a lovely pot of tea. Monday all will be back to 'normal', so I am going to enjoy my relaxed and happy husband while I can!

Signed!

Great photographs. What a lovely day for you all.

Loved the episode. It is new and Capaldi has an edgy unfamiliarity that I find compelling. The episode itself was dark and thought provoking and a good use of Daleks who are always deadly. I think we are off to a great start with our new Doctor. Regarding Clara;

Congratulations YArules, I hope you hang around the forum and let us know what you think of the book (and other reads!).

Congratulations Bobbly!

Mine was from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Your one Anna is truly bugging me. I know I have read that, but for the life of me I cannot place it. '...and another genre.....' ? I am now both stumped and intrigued. Let me go wrack (or perhaps whack) my brain.

Blooming heck Julie, you are being put through the wringer aren't you? Thinking of you and wishing you rapid and positive healing.

I will be recording it, then watching it tomorrow while husband is elsewhere. I am realllllllly looking forward to it.

I am so glad to read that. Often I think people like to separate the 'job' of a person from the 'life' of a person, and suggest that what they do in their private life should have no bearing on their professional life. How can you really separate the two? It's the same person with the same values and morals, be they at home or at work. Well done NFL!

The sense of elsewhere that a book can give me. I'll be back later with more!

No need to apologise, I have always put The Waltons and The Little House On The Prairie in the same basket. I wanted the Waltons house. Living on Walton Mountain was a dream to me. The museum would be a must o visit tif I were ever to travel that way.

Stay safe Anna, and glad to read that you are ok (or at least near to ok). Take care. How lovely your weekend sounds Mrs Talisman. Congratulations!!

I know that there are quite a few fans of the 'Little House On The Prairie' series of books on the forum, and I thought this Guardian (UK newspaper) article was interesting. Entitled Laura Ingalls Wilder memoir reveals truth behind Little House on the Prairie , it looks at the soon to be published memoir from which Laura Ingalls Wilder made her LHOTP series. Interesting article on what I think is bound to be an interesting read.

Although the lower third of the US version is appealing, the UK cover is gorgeous, so I would have to say UK.