chesilbeach

I love that film. I'm a sentimental romantic at heart, and it's just so charming. I've never managed to get into The West Wing … I watched the first episode of the first series, but it didn't really grab me. I have watched Sorkin's The Newsroom (although not the last series, we've got them saved to watch at some point) and thought that was good, except that some of the female characters were poorly written at times.

Are there seven books in the series now???? The last one I definitely remember reading is Shopaholic Ties The Knot but I may have read the next couple after that as well … their plots look vaguely familiar, but I can't honestly remember where I got to. I actually prefer her standalone novels, and have given up on the Shopaholic books now.

Read some more of Heap House today. It's fine, but it's not really grabbing me at the moment, but I'm still only a little way in. Didn't really feel in the reading mood at lunchtime though, so maybe that's the problem too.

I don't think of it as multi-tasking, Ian, as it's really just a way to drown out the ambient noise around me. I rarely actually listen to the music that's playing, but it's always something very familiar to me, so that my brain doesn't focus on it, and I can concentrate on the book I'm reading.

I've been listening to the audiobook of Soulless again today.

You've intrigued me with The Man in the Window … but it doesn't seem to be available over here.

Very windy, with a few spots of rain here and there

We've never bothered with Easter Eggs - we're hot cross bun people. Dad always used to make us toasted hot cross buns for Good Friday breakfast, and I've kept the tradition up, although now they're available from January, we start early! On Easter weekend, OH usually tries to bake fresh ones, which taste amazing. So hopefully, my read-a-thon weekend will started with those for breakfast to accompany my first reading session of the day.

The Little Black Classics have proven very popular - I saw one author publish a clipping from the bestsellers top 10, and the Tolstoy book was the number 10 bestselling paperback last week, and Waterstone's show two of them in the top 20 at the moment. There's also an interesting article today about what message it sends to publisher -> http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/29/little-black-classics-carry-penguin-to-new-heights

I'd never thought of that! I guess not having a bath, and therefore never reading in one, I'd never considered that steam would be an issue.

I can't deny, I'm a bit disappointed for NZ as they've also been fantastic throughout the competition, but you were very worthy winners on the day. I only saw the end of the NZ innings before I had to go to work, so I haven't seen any footage of the Australia innings, but I think the bowlers had done such a great job, it would have needed an incredible bowling attack from the NZ team to win. Like you said, it's a lovely way to finish the summer after all they've been through, and dead chuffed for the players, and Clarke in particular. I'm now watching one of my favourite Doctor Who episodes - Blink

I've also just been reminded that we have the next book in Middlemarch to read in the next couple of weeks, so I might try that next weekend too.

It's 12th April, Janet. I've updated the first post in the group read thread now

I've just come home from work, and it's turned into a lovely afternoon! Bit blustery, but sunny and warm. British weather, eh?

I'd forgotten Half Wild was out now … hope it lives up to the first book!

I watched Easy A again last night. I like this film a lot, particularly the family scenes with Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci.

Thanks for the recommendations, Tiger. I've added The Sea Inside to my wish list, and also Gerald Durrell's The Corfu Trilogy which doesn't include The Aye-Aye and I, but I feel like the trilogy is where I want to start with his books, as I don't know why I haven't read them before now.

It all really began, all the terrible business that followed, on the day Aunt Rosamund's door handle went missing. Heap House by Edward Carey

I prefer a shower to a bath, but I think even I could enjoy a soak in this bath! https://twitter.com/TheBookPeople/status/581893626273275904

I bought a couple of books yesterday to get ready for summer holidays. I know they're a long way off yet, but never to early to start planning! I tend to like travel memoirs, romcoms and catching up with books in series I'm reading I bought the next Daisy Dalrymple book, and I already have the two next books after that already, as I'd previously bought them when they were on sale, plus an M. C. Beaton regency romcom, because again it was on sale. I whittle down the list from the Kindle Spring sale, so I just need to have a think about whether they fit in with holiday reading or not, but I think over the next week I'll buy a few more. These books will be put in a separate collection on my Kindle, so I'm not tempted before we go away!

The final of the cricket world cup, Aus v NZ. NZ need to pick up the pace if they're going to post a decent score.

What I like about the musician in the article is that what he's aiming for is: Like I've said, I use music to drown out other noise in public places such as cafés, and at work during my lunch break … I've tried ear defenders and noise cancelling headphones and they don't work, I can still hear ambient noise enough that it distracts me. But it can be difficult to find the right music. I've got a small collection that I can match to some books, but I would like more choice, and to have music specifically to create the mood of a book, but without having dramatic changes in intensity or volume would be ideal.

I think Kay means because it'll be Easter weekend, so everyone will have their chocolate Easter eggs to eat … are they a traditional Easter gift where you live? Our clocks went forward this morning, so we've got an hour less today. Not ideal when I've got to get up early anyway … 6:30am is really 5:30am, and a bit of an early start for a Sunday! At least it won't affect the read-a-thon next weekend.

It's pouring down this morning

It's always very satisfying to finish a book you thought was going to be a challenge … well done you! Campari for Breakfast looks very promising … can't wait to hear your thoughts. As for my reading, Celia is too big to fit in my bag, so I took Heap House out with me this morning and made a start on that. Promising, but I've only read a handful of pages so far … Starting to plan for holidays in the summer, and there are a few interesting books in the Kindle Spring Sale, so I've wish listed the ones I was interested in and will whittle them down later on, so I'll probably buy a few bargains this afternoon.