chesilbeach

I finished High Tide by Hugh Hastings this afternoon - pretty good, but had a feeling of nostalgia reading it, felt a bit like I was a kid reading The Famous Five all over again. Enjoyed it though. Have started a quick in between read - Our Songbirds by Matt Sewell. Charming little book with a short description of each of the songbirds found in the UK, alongside a charming little painting of the bird being described. Cheeky descriptions and lovely illustrations, and I'm absolutely loving it. I had a look at your wishlist and I can only see Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith on it - that's a story set around a single apartment building in London, that was written in the style of Charles Dickens with each chapter being published in a newspaper on a daily basis, then the whole lot collected into a single book at the end of the story.

I don't think he has a series relating to books? TSPC is part of a series centred around Isabel Dalhousie who is the editor of an academic journal on ethics, and in each book she solves a (usually fairly minor) mystery, but because of her background in ethics, there is a lot of contemplation on the moral implications of the people who are involved in the mystery as well as her own actions in solving it. Alongside that, there is the story of her every day (rather privileged) life. Very gentle reads, but humorous and I find them rather thought provoking.

I love Barbara Pym. Sorry to tempt you into spending more money, but her books are excellent!

The Diving World Championships - the view of Barcelona in the background makes it look like they're diving off the top of the world!

^ That's a great episode - I love the bit where he switches back on in the car and makes Leonard almost crash!

Water

Hello! I've not come across Education of a Wandering Man before, but I've just looked it up, and it sounds very interesting. I'm guessing it's set in the early 20th century, but not sure exactly which period? How are you finding it?

Hello! Although I haven't read many, I have enjoyed most of the spy novels I have read (except the Bond novels, despite loving the films) - can you recommend some books or authors I should try? I've found it difficult to know where to start, as they tend to get mixed up with crime and thriller novels, but I'm not a fan of detective and crime stories generally. I'm a bit fussy as I don't like anything too violent, but I like the intrigue, mystery and deception in spy fiction.

Hello! How are you getting on with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry? I finished it a couple of weeks ago, but only just got around to writing up my thoughts in the Reading Circle discussion (although if you haven't finished the book yet, probably best not to read the thread as it does contain spoilers).

Hello!

Hello Kay! What are you reading at the moment?

I've only seen the film of Les Miserables and it's put me right off reading the book! I wanted them to stop singing for just a minute to give me a break There are quite a few reviews of Nicholas Sparks books around the forum, but I don't remember seeing one of this book - are you enjoying it?

Hello Monyx! Hope you'll find some inspiration for some new books to try around the forum.

Hello You'll find lots of fellow fantasy and science fiction fans here, and I'm sure you'll end up with plenty of recommendations for new books to read too!

Hello Alexander! What books do you enjoy reading, other than those about magic?

Hello Peter!

When I was in Waterstone's (I refuse to lose the apostrophe, no matter how they brand it) the other day, I noticed they had an offer on for 'Buy One Get One Half Price' - interesting, as they were adamant when they were sold off from the HMV chain a while back that they would not continue the '3 for 2' offer as they didn't want to just sell books cheaply, they wanted to cultivate their service as booksellers, and would not be doing the discount as such, but marketing at set price brands instead, but this is almost the same offer back again! (Effectively, rounded up, it's '4 for 3' instead of '3 for 2').

Glad to hear you're enjoying them, Karen, I like that series too. You should also try (if you haven't already), the Isabel Dalhousie books he writes, starting with The Sunday Philosophy Club, which are my favourites of the books he writes.

Thanks, that's useful to know. I'm not a fan of watching stuff on YouTube though, and even with the extra 10 minutes or so, I still think there would be too much missing for me. I'll stick to the books, I think!

Sorry I'm so late in replying! I read the book earlier in the month, but for some reason, I've been quite behind in my reviews, and I'm only just catching up now. Here's my answers to the questions, but I haven't read what everyone else has had to say yet, so I'll be going back to read the rest of the thread now. 1. Who was your favourite character? My favourite was actually one of the minor characters, Martina, the Slovakian doctor. I liked her story and her attitude, and felt so sorry for her in her situation. Her story stuck with me long after others had faded. 2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest? I did enjoy the opening, and how Harold's pilgrimage started. It felt quite believable, and I think it set up the rest of the story well. 3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/ by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? I'm not really sure what genre I would categorise this as, other than general fiction, and I read plenty of that already. As far as the author goes, although this was her debut novel, her second novel has recently been published, but if I'm honest, it's not made it onto my wish list, and unless I see some glowing reviews from other people here, I'm not sure it ever will. 4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? Not particularly. It was a fairly straight forward story, and if anything a little predictable. 5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Um, it was okay. It started well, and I liked the start as I've said, but as it progressed I found it rather unexceptional, and I could guess what was going to happen as the plot unfolded, so I was waiting for developments such as the "revelation" that Harold's son had died. It wasn't bad, and it wasn't great, but just a bit ordinary. 6. How important do you think the girl in the garage was? I think she was a catalyst to keep Harold going, and she was a fixed point in Harold's mind of why he kept to his pilgrimage, so from the point of view of the story, she was actually quite critical. That said, she was an off the page character, and made only two brief appearances herself, it was mostly just the idea of her that was important in the book. 7. Why do you think strangers who met Harold wanted to help him? I think there's something in the British psyche that loves ordinary people who do extraordinary things, and as individuals, I think we are also generous to others and want to help those in need of it when we can. 8. Are there any morals to be drawn from the other "pilgrims" who joined Harold? The other pilgrims were one of my least favourite developments in the plot. They felt a bit of a cliché, as if the author felt that Harold had to meet these type of people who jump on the bandwagon, and they were the least convincing of all the characters in the book. To me, they felt like another tick in a box of the elements of human nature that the author wanted to include in the story. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's just what it felt like to me. 9. Did he help Queenie in the end at all? It wasn't really about helping Queenie, though, was it? It was about Harold himself coming to terms with his own actions and accepting the sacrifice that Queenie had made for him. That said, it obviously did affect Queenie, as it seems she was determined to hold on until Harold finished his journey, but I think essentially, the story was about helping Harold, not Queenie. 10. Was Harold's Pilgrimage all in vain? No. As I said in the previous answer, I think that Harold had his own demons to come to terms with, and through his walk he did, and I believe that both he and Maureen were able to finally put the death of their son behind them, rebuild their relationship and face the future together.

I've finished The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen and I enjoyed it a lot. Quite a clever premise from the author and a good way to explain some of the characters and scenes in the Jane Austen manuscript she has written herself. Thanks Kay - a great choice! Started High Tide by Hugh Hastings which was a children's book we bought on holiday in Cornwall by a local publisher.

Jasper Fforde is by far my favourite humorous writer. The Thursday Next series are the funniest, but the Nursery Crimes are great too.

I watched Casanova with Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller - not a patch on the BBC Three Russell T. Davies adaptation with David Tennant and Laura Fraser.

Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood Synopsis: (from amazon.co.uk) A very young man with muddied hair, a pierced ear and a blue tattoo lies cradled in Phryne's arms. But sadly it's not another scene of glorious seduction - this time it's death. The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher, beautifully dressed in loose trousers, a cream silk shirt and a red-fox fur has just had her windscreen shot out inches in front of her divine nose. But worse is the fate of the pale young man lying on the road, his body hit by bullets, who draws his final blood-filled breath with Phryne at his side. Outraged by this brutal slaughter, Phryne promises to find out who is responsible. But Phryne doesn't yet know how deeply into the mire she'll have to go - bank robbery, tattoo parlours, pubs, spiritualist halls and the Anarchists. Along this path, Phryne meets Peter, a battle-scarred, sexy Slav, who offers much more to her than just information. But all thoughts of these delights flee from Phryne's mind when her beloved maid, Dot, disappears. There's nothing Phryne won't do to get her back safely. Review: Another cracking story in this historic crime series from Kerry Greenwood. The action starts on the very first page with Phryne's windscreen being shot out, and immediately she is drawn into the world of the Anarchists. Everyone in Phryne's world gets involved, and the danger is very real for her household, including the girls and Dot. I really enjoy immersing myself in 1920s Melbourne with her bohemian, exciting lifestyle, and the juxtaposition of the wealth versus the poverty is evident again in this story. I have now been able to watch one of the television episodes based on the series, as this was the first I'd managed to read and have recorded. Although I did quite enjoy it, with only 40ish minutes to adapt a full novel, there was so much left out or changed, that I felt it lacked the excitement of the full blown story in the novel. I'm even less of a fan of television crime and detective series than I am of the book version, and it needs to be something very quirky to attract my attention, and I don't think I'll be bothering with any more of the television version of these books. I will definitely be continuing with the book series though!

Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood Synopsis: (from amazon.co.uk) A very young man with muddied hair, a pierced ear and a blue tattoo lies cradled in Phryne's arms. But sadly it's not another scene of glorious seduction - this time it's death. The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher, beautifully dressed in loose trousers, a cream silk shirt and a red-fox fur has just had her windscreen shot out inches in front of her divine nose. But worse is the fate of the pale young man lying on the road, his body hit by bullets, who draws his final blood-filled breath with Phryne at his side. Outraged by this brutal slaughter, Phryne promises to find out who is responsible. But Phryne doesn't yet know how deeply into the mire she'll have to go - bank robbery, tattoo parlours, pubs, spiritualist halls and the Anarchists. Along this path, Phryne meets Peter, a battle-scarred, sexy Slav, who offers much more to her than just information. But all thoughts of these delights flee from Phryne's mind when her beloved maid, Dot, disappears. There's nothing Phryne won't do to get her back safely. Review: Another cracking story in this historic crime series from Kerry Greenwood. The action starts on the very first page with Phryne's windscreen being shot out, and immediately she is drawn into the world of the Anarchists. Everyone in Phryne's world gets involved, and the danger is very real for her household, including the girls and Dot. I really enjoy immersing myself in 1920s Melbourne with her bohemian, exciting lifestyle, and the juxtaposition of the wealth versus the poverty is evident again in this story. I have now been able to watch one of the television episodes based on the series, as this was the first I'd managed to read and have recorded. Although I did quite enjoy it, with only 40ish minutes to adapt a full novel, there was so much left out or changed, that I felt it lacked the excitement of the full blown story in the novel. I'm even less of a fan of television crime and detective series than I am of the book version, and it needs to be something very quirky to attract my attention, and I don't think I'll be bothering with any more of the television version of these books. I will definitely be continuing with the book series though!