Nollaig

Trying to catch up on Doctor Who, I'm a few episodes behind at this stage.

The Martian is great! I hope you enjoy it. I didn't find it too technical, I enjoyed reading about how everything worked. I've started reading The Enemy by Charlie Higson. Liking it so far, not entirely sure how it's spawned an entire series!

I'm seconding A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, amazing book. Also, both Only Ever Yours and Asking For It by Louise O'Neill. Some others: The Death House - Sarah Pinborough The Art Of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson Dante & Aristotle Discover The Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz Fly By Night - Frances Hardinge (childrens book, really, but like 400 pages of fairly dense fantasy prose, worth a look)

The Devil's Staircase - Helen Fitzgerald Synopsis: Bronny, a young Australian, finds herself down and out in London. She's a sweet girl who has spent her teenage years in a fearful, cautious bubble. She's never taken drugs, had sex or killed anyone. Within six weeks she's done all three. A group of backpackers break into an abandoned London townhouse seeking a rent-free life of debauchery. They don't realise someone's already there: a terrified woman bound and gagged in the basement. The Devil's Staircase combines a chick-lit voice and a dark crime noir environment. Not for the faint-hearted, The Devil's Staircase is funny, sexy and disturbing - it will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. *** Review: During my October reading slump, I decided to pick up yet another Helen Fitzgerald. My third or fourth this year, Helen is rapidly becoming a regular go-to for a reliable fix of thrillers. This one moves a little differently than her previous ones. A significant portion of the novel is focused around the actual drama facing Bronny, who has run away to London, and the people she encounters there. All of the characters were pretty interesting, even if the relatively good fortune of Bronny's situation in finding a safe space and people willing to help out is a little difficult to believe. I enjoyed it, but I did find myself starting to wonder if this novel was going to be a radical departure from her other books. Nope. Once it kicks in, it *really* kicks in. This might be the most violent and depraved material I've read by Helen yet. I'm impressed! I'm also impressed by the recurring theme of strong, but not flawless, female characters in her work. Seriously though. I don't know where the author gets this stuff from, but it is absolutely brutal. As is the ending, actually. I didn't find this the easiest of her books to read; I'm not sure why, it was very very good. Might just have been my lack of reading mojo, so I'm not going to take any marks off for that. I am taking a mark off for the extended teen runaway drama at the beginning - it was good, but it wasn't what I was looking for in this novel. Not sure I'd agree with the 'funny/sexy' assessment of the synopsis. All the same, a solid installment in Helen's work, not to be missed. Rating: 4/5

The Rabbit Back Literature Society - Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen Synopsis: Only very special people are chosen by children's author Laura White to join 'The Society', an elite group of writers in the small town of Rabbit Back. Now a tenth member has been selected: Ella, literature teacher and possessor of beautifully curving lips. But soon Ella discovers that the Society is not what it seems. What is its mysterious ritual, 'The Game'? What explains the strange disappearance that occurs at Laura's winter party, in a whirlwind of snow? Why are the words inside books starting to rearrange themselves? Was there once another tenth member, before her? Slowly, disturbing secrets that had been buried come to light... In this chilling, darkly funny novel, the uncanny brushes up against the everyday in the most beguiling and unexpected of ways *** Review: Well, this was unexpected. I'm not really sure where to begin with this one. I know I enjoyed it, but trying to articulate the precise reasons why is about as easy as explaining half the unsolved mysteries in the story. I love any book based around books, libraries, reading, book clubs and literature societies. The idea of a group of world-famous authors who can barely stand to be in the same room as each other intrigues me. Naturally, indoctrination into the society along with its newest, tenth member seems the obvious way to learn about it, and so I read Ella's story. There's a lot of mystery in this book, which makes it a real page turner, but there's also a lot of questions that don't really get answered, particularly those related to the usually undertoned but occasionally overt magical realism throughout the novel. Normally, that's something that would really irritate me, as is the very presence of unexplained magical realism, such as the rearrangement of words in novels as per the synopsis. But whatever it is about how this book is written, I absolutely loved it. The characters are, largely, not particularly likeable. But they're interesting. Their stories, the history of the society, and the previous tenth member, are all extremely intriguing. 'The Game' is very surreal and, in the most literal sense, incredible, but I didn't find myself scoffing - rather, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Parts of the novel are very dark, at least one scene is horrendously graphic and (in my opinion) utterly unnecessary, but like everything else contained here that would normally put me off, something about the writing and how it all gels together just really works. There are also certain passages which are essentially mental soliloquies of Ella's which are quite thought-provoking. This review sounds relatively lukewarm, and yet I'm giving the book 5 stars. I can't explain it. I hate that I can't, because for me the entire point of a review is to explain why I did or didn't like a thing. There's probably a whole thing in it somewhere about how we perceive reality and possibly even construct it with our perceptions but I chose to skim the surface rather than thinking too much. So, all I can say is, it's a head trip and it's fun to get lost in. Don't expect answers, just run with it and immerse yourself in the writing. I think that's it actually; the writing itself. Great book. Rating: 5/5

The Wolf Wilder - Katherine Rundell Synopsis: Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora's mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans. When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run. What follows is a story of revolution and adventure, about standing up for the things you love and fighting back. And, of course, wolves. *** Review: This book reminded me somewhat of another book I loved as a child and still occasionally re-read - "Sasha and the Wolf Cub". The Wolf Wilder is aimed at a slightly older audience, but has the wolves, the Cossack dancing and the Russian setting of one of my beloved childhood favourites, so I was already a little biased going into it. The third book on my current 'Middle Grade' binge, it is, like the others I've read, of good length and of sufficient complexity and detail to hold the interest of even adult readers, despite the intended age group. Katherine Rundell is a wonderful writer (if this novel is anything to go by) and I have every intention of checking out her other work. Right from the outset, The Wolf Wilder comes across as a more mature childrens book, which does not shy away from including a dose of reality amidst the childish fun and fantasy that also features. Being historical fiction, it contains broad references to Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and while nothing is explained in any great detail, it might be enough to get kids thinking and wondering about history. There were some elements of the book I did not like - I felt the pacing was a little off, and that the complete incredibility of some of the events compared with the realism of others made it teeter between purely childish and a bit more mature, without ever properly settling into one or the other. That said, it's impossible not to love pretty much all the characters (Sergei is an absolute little legend!) including the wolves, and it's a positive story featuring a strong female protagonist and many exciting adventures. Definitely a great one for the kids, if not the grown ups. Rating: 4/5

It's actually a lovely bright morning here, cold enough but not freezing. Lovely Winter morning

Finished The Wolf Wilder. Mojo definitely back on top form. Now reading In Darkling Wood by the same author that wrote Frost Hollow Hall. Not very far in but liking it so far.

Hahahaha definitely the Forks from Twilight, but hey forks are grey, the sky is grey... it could be a thing!

Wahey! I'm so glad to hear Obi is feeling better

Grey and thickly overcast. Looks like Forks.

I finished The Rabbit Back Literature Society - absolutely LOVED it. One of the first books containing A) magical realism, B) open-endedness and B) unresolved plot points that I actually didnt mind any of those things in, because it was written well enough to leave me satisfied with what answers I got. Full review to follow. Currently reading The Wolf Wilder, a MG (Middle-Grade) book suggested to me by Chesilbeach. About halfway through and I'm loving it. Reminds me of Sasha & The Wolf Cub by Ann Jungman - a book which, it seems, has only TWO ratings on Goodreads! That's tragic (It has three now!) - which is a childrens' book that I absolutely adored as a child and still re-read occasionally. I think I may actually be back on track to hit 120 books by the end of December, even though I only read 2 in October! Yay for shorter, kids books

Whey, thanks for those. The Rundell and Fennell ones particularly sound like my kind of thing.

Oooh okay didnt realise that! Doesn't read like its for that age... but it's a long time since I was that age so I could just be out of touch! If you can recommend any similar authors/novels you think I might like in that category, I'd love to know!

Hi Paul, welcome to the forum. I've removed the link to your website as we don't allow new members to advertise/promote their products or websites.

The clock, ticking down the minutes to the weekend!

Reading The Rabbit Back Literature Society. Really enjoying it!

Yeah I'm not sure either, I suspect it's a wrong thread hehe! In Noll-related news (!) I'm now reading The Rabbit Back Literature Society by that Finnish person named Pasi whose name I can't spell offhand and clearly it was easier for me to type all this than open a new tab and do a quick search. I loved Where The Trains Turn by the same author, and so far am loving TRBLS. Such lyrical writing.

I just looked them up, and they're free on Kindle Unlimited, so I grabbed them

Finished reading Frost Hollow Hall by Emma Carroll - loved it, so perfect for this time of year! And next am moving onto a short novel by the same author called The Snow Sister.

Frost Hollow Hall - Emma Carroll Synopsis: Tilly's heart sinks. Will's at the door of their cottage, daring her to come ice-skating up at Frost Hollow Hall. No one goes near the place these days. Rumour has it that the house is haunted . . . Ten years ago the young heir, Kit Barrington, drowned there in the lake. But Tilly never turns down a dare.Then it goes horribly wrong. The ice breaks, Tilly falls through and almost drowns. At the point of death, a beautiful angel appears in the water and saves her. Kit Barrington's ghost. Kit needs Tilly to solve the mystery of his death, so that his spirit can rest in peace. In order to discover all she can, Tilly gets work as a maid at Frost Hollow Hall. *** Review: Ooooh how I loved reading this! I was looking for something supernatural and wintry and this absolutely fit the mold perfectly. It's a young adult novel, so as historical fiction goes, it is very easy to read and not too dense. I do love a ghost story set in Winter - there's something so cosy about curling up in the warm and reading a book like this in the period between Halloween and Christmas. What I loved most about this novel is that, although it is MG (middle grade), it does not pander. The main story revolves around Tilly attempting to uncover the long-held secrets at Frost Hollow Hall, supplemented with the subplots of what did happen 10 years ago at the house, and another regarding Tilly's mother, father and sister. Naturally, following the death of a young man, there is going to be some sadness in the story, and what I love is that the story is complex, full of tragedy, guilt, and regrets - but nothing black and white, no obvious rights and wrongs, only actions and their irrevocable, sometimes tragic consequences. The reality of this is paralleled with some poignancy in the story of Tilly's family. I loved the characters - Tilly is not flawless, Will is a likeable rogue, Gracie will elicit protectiveness in the reader. Kit perhaps could have had a little more personality to him, but he is also dead, so I'll forgive him that (!). The writing beautifully captures the feel of a Victorian winter ghost story, and I think I've said all I need to about the story itself. If this sounds like it *might* be your kind of thing based on what I've said, you should definitely pick it up. Well worth reading. Rating: 4/5

Ahhhh can't wait for the Christmas forum. I have a job this year, a 5-week-month of pay coming up, and I cannot WAIT. Christmas is gonna be so good this year. Love your tree Gaia, it's beautiful!

I remember you saying that, which is largely why I'm thinking I'll give it a go!

Muahaha I approve!! It is a bit early, but meh! Go for it! I passed a house last night (student housing I think) which had decorations up, so I can confirm you are at least the second person in Europe to do so

Absolutely, its one of those genres that doesn't have to be amazing to be a bit of aul fun I'll probably actually read at least the first novel. Awww Gaia that's really sweet! Thank you!