chesilbeach

Kidsmum, I understand your decision, but this is only the third children's book out of 21 counties we've chosen books for so far, and one of those has an adult alternative listed for it, so as it seems to chime with others too, I think it's okay to add this one to the list. Of course, as I've always said, you can choose to read something other than the book listed if you want to. Can someone who knows the book answer Janet's question? If it can be read out of order, we'll go for The Nine Taylors and if not, Porterhouse Blue seems like the next best for Cambridgeshire. Or, should we put both on, with a warning that The Nine Taylors is not the first in the series of books? While we're waiting for the outcome of that, here's what I've found so far for the next two counties: Cheshire: Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell Derbyshire: The Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker Peveril of the Peak by Sir Walter Scott The Toll-Gate by Georgette Heyer

I guess then it must be Dickens? No idea which book if it is though!

Thanks Janet - yes, it is a children's book, it's actually the second in a series, but it doesn't matter which order you read the first two books in, and my OH has raved about the series for years - they even made a film version of The Dark Is Rising a few years back with Christopher Ecclestone. Another famous book for Cambridgeshire! Those pesky Oxbridge counties New list ... Cambridgeshire: Case Histories by Kate Atkinson Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce Waterland by Graham Swift The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers Porterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe

Thanks According to the article I read, Lark Rise is Oxfordshire and Candleford is Buckinghamshire, so it could fit in to either, if we needed it. For me, The Dark Is Rising is my most famous book for that county anyway, so that's one the two of us agree on, let's see what the others think. So that makes the nominations ... Cambridgeshire: Case Histories by Kate Atkinson Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce Waterland by Graham Swift The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers

Well, in my first absolutely, completely, selfish decision so far, as a Bristolian and an Austen fan who has never heard of Evelina or Fanny Burney - and although I didn't ask 3000 , I did do a straw poll of a handful who also hadn't, but some had heard of E H Young (and yes, I know it's the book not the author, but like I said, I'm being selfish on this one, and I personally feel any of her books are more famous than Evelina) - so I'm having the deciding vote and settling on The Misses Mallet (a.k.a. The Bridge Dividing) by E. H. Young for Bristol, since it is available in paperback (and also in ebook from Project Gutenburg) which I hadn't realised and had put me off nominating it in the first place. I'm also happy to go for The Two Sisters by H. E. Bates for Bedfordshire, so we'll mark that one up as well. So, the next two counties up for discussion are: Buckinghamshire: Lark Rise To Candleford by Flora Thompson (may again suffer from fame due to TV adaptation) The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper Enigma by Robert Harris In The Springtime of the Year by Susan Hill (I've seen this on a list for the county but struggling to find evidence?) Cambridgeshire: Case Histories by Kate Atkinson Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce I've just come up with these from a quick internet search, and were all books I'd heard of, so there may be more famous ones out there - anyone got any other suggestions, or can provide more information to exclude any of them?

Sorry I let the conversation tail off a bit towards the end of the month, but I think there's been a pretty good discussion up until then, and I think nearly everyone enjoyed the book, so I hope this has been a good reading circle for everyone. Thank you all for taking the time to read the book and come along and join in here. Of course, there's nothing to stop the conversation continuing, and if anyone else reads the book, feel free to leave your thoughts and answer the questions later on.

According to the Sky Planner, the one tomorrow morning is an episode from last series. The repeat of the first episode of the new series is on Sunday night/Monday morning at 01:50, so hope you get the right one!

Sounds like a great idea - I might have to treat myself too!

Oh Kay, it's Thursday night not Friday. I wish it was Friday, as work would be over for the week! Glad you're enjoying Newes from the Dead, it's such an unusual and interesting story. EDIT: Oh, you corrected yourself just as I posted!

I've not heard of that one, Kay, but Hotwells is definitely in Bristol, so it would be suitable for nomination Thanks Janet, The Misses Mallett is actually E. H. Young, the same author as The Curate's Wife but I didn't realise any of her books were still in print. This one also has the alternate title The Bridge Dividing but it doesn't make it any easier to find a copy! I've just looked up the synopsis for A Respectable Trade and it looks eminently suitable, is definitely famous despite being a fairly recently published book, and it sounds like it would certainly give a good feel for Bristol. I'd be happy to go with that one.

It seems like Wind in the Willows gets most peoples vote, so we'll check that one off for Berkshire. I'll wait for any more opinions about Bedfordshire, but we'll get the next county started. For any new readers of the thread, the list of counties we've decided on so far can be found in the first post on this thread --> http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/12146-the-english-counties-challenge/?p=365027 Bedfordshire: My Uncle Silas by H. E. Bates The Two Sisters by H. E. Bates Bristol: Junk by Melvin Burgess Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer I'm struggling with Bristol as the book I most associate with Bristol is The Curate's Wife by E. H. Young, but all of her books are out of print, so I don't feel I can nominate it. Of the other two, I've only found out their association by browsing the web, and since I grew up in Bristol, you'd think I know better, but I just can't find any books set there.

Thanks Kidsmum and Janet. I'll add Wind in the Willows to the list for Berkshire, but I'll remove The Big Over Easy and Solar as the other two are obviously more well known. My personal opinion would stay with Three Men In A Boat, I'll add The Two Sisters to Bedfordshire, so we've got the choice of the two. Anyone else have a preference between the two H. E. Bates? I'm happy to go with The Two Sisters as I know neither book, so either one will be an interesting read. Janet, of course it's okay if you don't want to read all the same books, and I'm pretty sure I'm probably going to read more than one book for some counties, the one from the list, and maybe others I also associate with the county either already in the nominations, and possibly some more modern ones that didn't count as the most famous, but which I think are also synonymous with the place. New lists then ... Bedfordshire: My Uncle Silas by H. E. Bates The Two Sisters by H. E. Bates Berkshire: Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame

I did look at Wind In The Willows but it doesn't seem to be specifically Berkshire, although mostly the Thames Valley, and I read a few articles on it, and there were suggestions of Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and even part of Cornwall being the inspiration and setting. I didn't partlcularly enjoy it and have sort of blotted it out of my mind, and I didn't even think of it for the county, but I'm happy to put it in and see what everyone else thinks So, the updated list is: Berkshire: The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde Solar by Ian McEwan Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (part of the river journey is through Berkshire) Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Thanks Kidsmum! I've put Dracula as the main choice with All Creatures Great and Small as an alternative, and it's a clean sweep for both South Riding and Watership Down

Thanks Janet. I'm still keen on Dracula for North Yorkshire, but I'm happy to agree that this can be another county with two books, so we'll go with both Dracula and All Creatures Great and Small, and it seems it's a unanimous decision for Hampshire, so that's another county ticked. For any new readers of the thread, the list of counties we've decided on so far can be found in the first post on this thread --> http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/12146-the-english-counties-challenge/?p=365027 I don't think we've got any more outstanding suggestions, so time to look for two new counties, so might as well start from the top of the list. Bedfordshire: My Uncle Silas by H. E. Bates This was the only book I could find that I'd heard of for Bedfordshire, any other suggestions? Berkshire: The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde Solar by Ian McEwan Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (part of the river journey is through Berkshire) Berkshire looks like it'll be up for debate, I think! Other suggestions welcome.

You should also thank the lovely Janet who sent it to me in the first place We're almost too lovely for our own good, aren't we?

Thanks Kay. I couldn't remembered who'd read it, although I knew someone had, but I can't remember anything I've read about it, so I've no idea where it's going at this point.

I've just realised the new series started this week on ITV2 in the UK. Fortunately the first episode is repeated on Monday at 1:50am, so I'll be able to catch it then. Annoyingly, they're in the middle of repeating the last series too, so if you're in the same situation as me, make sure you record the right episode! The first episode of the new series (series 5) is titled "I Know What You Did Last Summer".

I started The Misremembered Man today, and I like it a lot so far. It's got such a lovely set up, and a gentle softness to it, but with darker undertones peeping through. Smashing so far, so let's hope it continues!

I actually dreamt about this thread last night - I dreamt I'd come to it this morning and everyone had discussed all the other counties without me and completed the list!

I think I wait and see if anyone else has any thoughts, so why don't we move on to another couple of counties.... East Riding: South Riding by Winifred Holtby For anyone who's not sure of the region (me included, so I've looked it up! ), it's on the north east coast of England, north of the Humber Estuary and the three largest towns are Kingston Upon Hull, Bridlington and Beverley. I've not heard of the book willoyd has mentioned, but I'm struggling to find any others. Anyone else know of any? Hampshire: Watership Down by Richard Adams The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins I think I can already guess what certain people will be choosing, but perhaps there are some other suggestions to ponder?

*deep breath* Ok, I think we're all agreed on Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines for South Yorkshire, despite a lack of choice, at least we all know it and agree, so I'll update the list with that one. Looking at the debate for North Yorkshire, let's take them one at a time. I think A Month In The Country probably isn't famous enough, so we'll put that one aside. Now, if the only other option was Dracula, as I haven't read it, but it was me who put it through, I'll explain my reasoning. I had no idea how much of the book was set in the county but, I've always seen it associated with Whitby, and I've read at least three books over the years which have been set in Whitby (or fictional places which could be taken as Whitby) that have been inspired by Dracula, so these have only increased my perception of the association of the book with that county. Since then, we've also had Behind the Scenes at the Museum, which I read when it first came out and don't remember it having a particular sense of place, and wouldn't have been able to say where it was set if you'd asked me. So, I'm ruling that one out myself. On the other hand, how could I have forgotten All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot? I wondered if it suffers from the same argument about Oliver Twist in that it's more famous because of the television series, but I did borrow all the audio books from the library for my dad a few years ago, so the popularity must still be high for the library to keep them in the system, and it seems like a valid choice to me. So, that leaves us with the choice of All Creatures Great and Small or the controversial Dracula? Despite willoyd's point that very little of it is set in North Yorkshire, I've explained why I still feel it's a justifiable option, so I'll leave it up to everyone else. As we didn't have the James Herriot option initially, please can you let me know which you'd prefer. If necessary, we'll have another county with two alternatives. What do you all think?

I think we picked it up and looked at it in Waterstone's last time we met up, Kay. I do intend to read it at some point, but then I'm still only partway through Death Comes To Pemberley! I'll probably wait until it comes down in price a bit before I get it.

Yes, he probably did, so he does share some of the blame I guess, and he maybe could have put less in and choreographed it differently, but any *puts on best Len voice* "messin' around" is still annoying and takes away from the dancing as far as I'm concerned, and I think that's down to the producers wanting props to be included.

Accidents and breakdowns closed lots of lanes tonight, so my journey home, which normally takes about 25 mins, took me 2 hours and 20 minutes tonight!!!! But, I'm home safe and sound now, so I guess I shouldn't moan too much.