chesilbeach

I've got a database application installed on my computer and have created a database to keep a record of all the books I read - I started it at the beginning of 2006. For each book I record the title, author, cost (or if it was a library book, borrowed from a fried, or a present), the year I acquired it, the start and finish daters, the format (i.e. book, Kindle ebook or Apple iBook) and the rating out of five I gave it. Currently stands at 1,021 books.

Today I will be eating homemade hot cross buns (toasted) for breakfast, reading Timeless by Gail Carriger, appliquéing stars onto my quilt top, avoiding the forecast rain, and generally just enjoying my Sunday. Hope you all have a lovely day too.

Finished Heartless by Gail Carriger yesterday, so just one book left in the series to read now - Timeless - which I bought yesterday. I read the first book a few years ago, last week listened to the audio book of it to remind myself what happened, and have then read the rest of the series this week. Love being able to do that.

I've just finished the third book in the Parasol Protectorate series, having had a lovely start to the bank holiday with a reading day. Have now downloaded the fourth book, and am contemplating downloading Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier, so that I can read it before the new BBC adaptation starts on Monday evening. I read the first few pages in the book shop this morning, and it sounds good, but it's whether I'll have enough time over the remainder of the weekend to read it all … decisions, decisions!

I've been listening to Matthew Halsall all afternoon - gorgeous jazz, perfect accompaniment to a reading session

I finished reading the YA book Angel Fire by L. A. Weatherly yesterday, and also finished listening to Soulless by Gail Carriger, and for the first time this year, I actively went and sought out the next book in the series, Changeless, to download and start immediately. All my other purchases so far have been either from the daily deals, or second hand books for the English Counties Challenge, or books bought on visits to bookshops, but this was the first time all year I actually decided I wanted to buy a specific book and went straight away to download it. And, it was only £3.95 to boot, so a bit of a bargain, and I'm already a third of the way through.

Bon voyage!

Amazon Kindle in the UK have a selection of Children's and YA books on sale for one week only, includes some popular authors such as Patrick Ness and Cassandra Clare. Sale ends 21st April (which is actually a bit over a week). http://www.amazon.co.uk/b/ref=s9_hps_ft_brwse?_encoding=UTF8&node=4535062031&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-5&pf_rd_r=00N7ZXNVK8RQW4VFWGKQ&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=484281987&pf_rd_i=1000577623

I did read a bit more of Angel Fire by L. A. Weatherly last night, but have just realised it's over 700 pages long! That's the drawback of a Kindle book, unless I actively remember to check when I start, I often don't realise how long a book is. It wouldn't normally matter, but I don't have much time for reading at the moment, so I've been trying to avoid long books or those that require dedicating time to, and thought this would be a good one to pick off my TBR, but looks like I'll be sticking with it for the rest of the week now. Been busy all day, so have been listening to an audio book as I couldn't sit down and read. I've been meaning to read more of Gail Carriger's The Parasol Protectorate series after really enjoying the first one, Soulless a few years back, and thought it would be nice to refresh my memory of it by listening to the audio book. A new narrator for me, but I have to say, Emily Gray had done a great job, and I'm enjoying it a lot!

Couldn't resist buying a book while browsing in Waterstone's today - it's one from the travel writing section called The Book Shop That Floated Away by Sarah Henshaw. Looks exactly like the sort of book I enjoy reading.

I'd definitely be interested in the link, thank you

For Spain, I'd recommend Jason Webster's non-fiction, and I can't decide which is my favourite between Duende all about his attempt to learn flamenco guitar and the journey that takes him on, or Sacred Sierra where he and his partner restore a farmhouse in the Sierra mountains, but he writes about the countryside, the people and some of the folklore of the region too. One which fits in with both Spain and Portugal is The Stone Raft by José Saramago, and although his style of writing doesn't go down well with everyone and requires you to really focus on the book, I thought it was an outstanding read. For India, julie has already mentioned A Fine Balance which would have been one of my choices, but also in the fiction vein, I'd recommend A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth and Eclipse of the Sun by Phil Whitaker, plus anything by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala For a bit of lighthearted fun, you could vicariously take a trip to Ireland with Tony Hawks Round Ireland With A Fridge - great fun! Hope that helps. Enjoy your travels!

Hi Clare! Welcome to BCF from another Claire I started re-reading the Chalet School series a few years back collecting the series as the publisher seemed to be re-issuing them all, and got about 12 books in and the publishers stopped releasing any new ones. I never found the rest in the library, so I gave up. I'll have to try again at some point, as I loved them when I was a girl. Can't beat a good boarding school book, eh?

I do often listen to an audiobook while sewing, so I have listened to Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice while sewing my quilt!

Sorry to hear about your accident, poppy, but thankfully it sounds like you're on the road to recovery. I hope you manage to get a more enjoyable flight on a helicopter at some point!

Are you looking for novels, or can I recommend non-fiction as well?

Thanks - I'm guilty of not keeping up with this thread, so don't worry that you haven't come across the thread before now! My reading has taken a back seat to sewing this year, but this last week I've had a bit more time, and am starting to build my reading up again, so hopefully there might be an attempt to catch up on a few reviews soon too. I still haven't managed to watch North and South yet, but Richard Armitage definitely deserves the four question marks.

I finished Storm and Stone by Joss Stirling yesterday, and today I've started A Croft in the Hills by Katharine Stewart, and I'm enjoying it even more than I thought I would - I love it when that happens

I've actually managed to get some reading in over the last few days, although I'm anticipating not having much time for it for a few weeks yet, so I didn't start anything requiring too much dedication, and have finished Those Endearing Young Charms by M. C. Beaton, and reading a YA thriller, Storm and Stone by Joss Stirling.

I'm tempted by some of the other sequels too. I have to say though, that the originals stand up to re-reading, and I found them just as enjoyable second time around as I did the first, so you never have to let them go! I think I'll have a full re-read on holiday later on in the year.

We've had the first two series in the UK, and I've enjoyed watching it a lot, although initially, I did think the female characters weren't written as well as the male characters, but I got caught up in it anyway, and really loved it. We tend to record the whole series, then watch it over a short period of time, sort of like watching it as a box set, and I find it works better like that.

Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed the Mapp and Lucia books, poppy. And to read all six … I love that Benson changed the setting to bring in a new batch of characters and a breath of fresh air to the series part way through. I've read another of his books, but it didn't quite do it for me, as it was more dramatic yet still with some humour, but it didn't quite hit the mark. He was a prolific writer (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/e-f-benson/) so I may search out some more to try in the future.

7/10 http://www.waterstones.com/blog/2014/04/waterstones-week-in-books-quiz-4th-april-2014/

There are some guidelines for discussing television shows on the forum here -> http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/2141-tv-shows-spoilers-etc/

NZ were 60 for 9 (one batsman had to go to hospital after dislocating a finger while fielding) losing to Sri Lanka by 59 runs. I love an underdog story too, and it'd be great to see The Netherlands in the final.