chesilbeach

Timstar, I mentioned it earlier in the thread, but This Sceptred Isle might suit you - it covers the history of Britain from 55BC to 1901, and was originally a Radio 4 programme that they then brought out a book of. I have the whole thing on CD, but I haven't actually listened to it all yet, although I used to catch it on the radio driving home from work in the car, and thought it was fascinating - high praise from me, as history is not usually my thing. I'm intending to start it from the beginning after my current batch of audio books, and listen to the whole lot, but I think it'll take me a while! The original series was 28 CDs, made up of 15 minute radio programmes, then the twentieth century was another 15 CDs. There's also a Empire edition, but I think I need to listen to the other two before I splash out on that, as they're not cheap. I can't vouch for the book, but if it's like the radio version, I think it should be a good read.

I finished The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crisp this morning, and I've now started Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver. I've been looking forward to this one, as I thought her Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series was outstanding.

I would agree with some of the ones listed, especially Il Postino, Pan's Labyrinth and Life Is Beautiful. Some of my favourites are: Amelie A Royal Affair Bombón: El Perro The Chorus My Life As A Dog Etre et Avoir

Hello MissGeorgiana, welcome to BCF.

Less than 2 hours to go ...

I started The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin today.

I have read a few of books just under or just under 1000 pages, and in all cases, I was so gripped by the story, the pages flew by, and I didn't even notice how long they were. As to the time it would take to read, it really depends on the book. Even looking at short books, reading times vary depending on how the writing flows, how complicated the storyline is, how much dialogue is involved (I find books heavy in dialogue are quicker to read) and even down to the typeface and if it's easy on the eye, how small it is and the spacing of it. I've read 400 page books in a day, and 400 page books over two weeks, it really does depend on the individual book.

There is a wonderful library in Kenneth Branagh's film version of Love's Labour's Lost which is in a circular tower, with a mezzanine floor and sliding ladders. I can't find any photos of it, but there's a clip of one of the song and dance routines set in the library here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGenbs-RTXM It's still not the best view of it, but if you watch the film (which I can highly recommend) you'll see it all in its full glory.

Elmore Leonard, crime novelist, dies aged 87

Since I last posted, I've read five short stories from Once You Break A Knuckle by D. W. Wilson, a chapter from Can Anyone Hear Me? by Peter Baxter and I've finished Plain Jane by M. C. Beaton

Hej Carelia. Välkommen That's about all the Swedish I can remember from my evening classes about 20 years ago

Are you sure you're not mixing it up with lemon meringue pie?

A lot of procrastinating yesterday meant I didn't finish Road to Rouen until late yesterday evening, so haven't had time to start anything else. Won't have much reading time today, so might just stick to a short story or two from Once You Break A Knuckle when I can fit anything in.

Cooking meals - I can only cope with basic stuff, and I start to panic with more than two pots on the stove at once! Having said that, when I do cook meals, I only cook stuff I know and that doesn't need me to follow a recipe. Timing things to finish cooking at the same time is my biggest problem, which is why most of the proper meals I cook are pasta dishes. Other than that, I can do a huge variety of things "on toast." I'm much more calm when baking, as there's usually no time critical finish, and doesn't require multi-tasking to get everything read in time. It's methodical and I can get everything I need weighed, chopped, whisked, etc. before starting, and I can follow the recipe calmly. And if it fails? So what, it's not like it was all we had in the house to eat!

Frankenweenie - good stuff.

I think one of the other mods has deleted the posts Ian was referring to - there were about 20 duplicates of exactly the same post promoting the same book in various threads, all by a new user.

Do you know what, Janet? I actually think you'll enjoy it more than me, because it's a lot about marriage and holidaying with young children, neither of which are something I identify with! It's not badly written, or anything like that, it's just not for me.

You know if Alan joined BCF it would give him another way to tell you to read Carter Beats The Devil. I can just see it now ... Perhaps you ought to start it now, just in case!

You know me, no hanging about when it comes to reading! Kay's thread is much more interesting (and funny) than mine, so take your time and enjoy. Today, I downloaded an M. C. Beaton book as it was in the Kindle Daily Deal and it'll be a nice treat for the weekend, especially after I finish Road to Rouen which I'm finding a bit of a chore at the moment.

Is the book you're thinking of My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell? Clare Balding actually says she got special permission from the Durrell family to use this as the basis for her title. I'm scared of horses too, but the book is fantastic, and I'd highly recommend it!

http://blog.waterstones.com/2013/08/waterstones-week-in-books-quiz-16th-august-2013/ A reasonable 7/10 for me today

Ali Smith and Simon Van Booy would be top of my list of recommendations. For Smith, I'd probably start with The Whole Story and other stories and Van Booy I'd say The Secret Lives of People In Love, but as far as I'm concerned, you could read any of their collections and find the most beautifully written short stories.

I've enjoyed all the Carol Drinkwater 'Olive Farm' books I've read too, Diane. I've read the first four, and have The Olive Tree and Return to the Olive Farm to get at some point. Think I might save them for the winter months to give me a bit of sunshine in my reading!

I'm reading a short story collection, Once You Break a Knuckle by D. W. Wilson and a travel book Road to Rouen by Ben Hatch, as well as listening to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Erin Boag's treat after Strictly - she looks pretty good on them, so they can't be that bad for you!