chesilbeach

It's started well … "All books are judged by their covers until they are read" … another of Agatha Swanburne's sayings, just like in your signature!

Well, the one you take back isn't going to able to be sold to anyone else, so perhaps they'll let you keep both?

I never think anyone will be interested in the books I read, particularly after reading my reviews … they seem to bland to me, I can't think I make anything sound worth reading! I think I'm too careful in my criticism, and hate giving away spoilers, which means I often find I don't discuss some of the more interesting points I'd like to, so I'm glad you've found something of interest, frankie! I started it today

I can see why the school felt it was inappropriate for an 11 year old, but reading this article, if the mother's comments are true, it does make me wonder where they should draw the line, with characters such as serial killers and the like also present.

I'm dreading next going to a bookshop where they have them on display … I know I'm going to come away with a bunch of them!

I can't believe you found your bookmark like that! It would make a great entry in the Have you ever found anything inside a book? thread … "My own bookmark in a library book I'd previously borrowed"

Started The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood.

I enjoyed The Kite Runner too, but I thought the ending let it down a little, as it felt a little too hopeful, like he felt it had to have a bit of a happy ending.

One of the books discussed on A Good Read on Radio 4 this week was The Colour of Magic and all three contributors enjoyed it, and despite the fact I've never been even remotely interested in reading any Pratchett, they made it sound really interesting! You never know, I might even try it at some point.

Sorry to hear that, Michelle. I'm thoroughly enjoying my children's and YA stint at the moment, hope you find your mojo soon.

Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill Synopsis (from waterstones.com): freida and isabel have been best friends their whole lives. Now, aged sixteen and in their final year at the School, they expect to be selected as companions - wives to wealthy and powerful men. The alternative - life as a concubine - is too horrible to contemplate. But as the intensity of the final year takes hold, the pressure to remain perfect becomes almost unbearable. isabel starts to self-destruct, putting her beauty - her only asset - in peril. And then, the boys arrive, eager to choose a bride. freida must fight for her future - even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ever known... Shortlisted for the Best Fiction for Teens category of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2015 Review: If you're looking for dystopian, this is it, and blimey, is it bleak. The book is set at the School, and freida the main character is sixteen and in her final year. But this is not an ordinary school. In a world where girls are no longer conceived and born, females a genetically engineered and then raised by the "chastities" in the school, where they are required to aspire to perfection, and their weight and condition is constantly monitored, and the outside world ranks them according to attractiveness. Sound bleak enough yet? Wait … it gets worse. At the end of their final year, the girls will either be chosen by a boy to be married in order to produce male heirs, or become a concubine or a chastity. Their names start with a lower case letter as they are lesser than men. Their lifespan is forty years, when they go on the pyre. As you follow freida's story, you see the parallels between how girls today face the constant pressure about their image, bombarded with photoshopped pictures of unachievable perfection. As the story unfolds, the oppression of the women gets more and more suffocating, and it gets bleaker and bleaker. And I know I've used that word before, but it's really the only word that can describe this book. That's not to say it's not compelling - I found it difficult to put down - but it's so awful to read what's happening, and the little details (like the uncapitalised names) that aren't necessarily explained, add to the oppression of the women in this society, and which as a reader you can see but the characters in their sheltered lives have no idea about. Having said all that, there is so much about the issue of food and weight, but nothing to explain why it's wrong for that to be the focus of your life, and no alternative for the reader to consider. But it's still such a fascinating read, I wouldn't stop me recommending it. A very dark read, and left me with a desperate hope that all girls today have someone in their lives to tell them their worth is not based on their looks.

… well I have just finished it, and blimey, it was bleak. Definitely one to read only if you're feeling cheerful.

I've almost finished Only Ever Yours and it's certainly leaving its mark on me… will hopefully finish it this evening.

I was chatting to my colleague at work, and he refused to let his daughter go as Elsa because Frozen is not a book. He did let her go as Cinderella as she has a Ladybird book of the story Being at work, there's not really enough time to do any celebrating as such, but no doubt I'll try and find a little bit of reading time this evening.

I've read The River at the Centre of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time by Simon Winchester. It was fascinating but a bit dry at times (no pun intended). I think I started The Surgeon of Crowthorne and didn't get very far, but it was a very long time ago, so not sure why!

https://twitter.com/booksaremybag/status/573083273456431106

That's alright then, no pressure. Phew!

No, no, no, no, no!!!! That's ridiculous. I'll have to keep an eye out for all the old covers now whenever I'm out … the last time I looked for the books was in Waterstone's in Oxford last year, and they still had the old covers then.

Thanks Noll, although now I'm feeling the pressure to deliver the goods! Hope you enjoy at least some of the books I recommend!

It was such an easy read, I think I read the whole of it in about an hour. It was fine, and for younger children, I'm sure they would absolutely love it. Thanks Kay. I did love it, but then even if it was only half as good as the first one, how could I not?!

Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill

What a fantastic piece of design. I love when artists go over and above to do something different to add to the whole experience for the reader/viewer/listener.

I started Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill today … a rather unsettling start, but in a very good way. Looking forward to seeing where it goes.

I struggled a bit with my review of The Dynamite Room as well, because I try to avoid spoilers (even putting them in spoiler tags), and it was difficult to express how I felt about it and why I loved it.

Dry and bright but still cold. Got home to find the wood burner had already been lit by OH … thank goodness!