chesilbeach

I saw last week that Jenny Colgan had won the Romantic Novel of the Year award for Welcome To Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop Of Dreams, and I realised that although I follow her on Twitter and think she's very entertaining, I haven't read one of her books in years, so decided to rectify that. I'm currently reading Welcome To Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop Of Dreams, and it's in the romcom genre, it's fabulous! I was 15 minutes early for work and read it then, and hated stopping reading at the end of my lunch break, so I think I will be reading this all evening too.

backpack

Haven't heard this one in ages, but still sounds great

Any weekend is fine with me, I can find one day in the three to make my read-a-thon day.

Thanks, Kay. I've had it on my wishlist since it came out because I heard it on a radio programme, but it had been a bit expensive, and then tunn300 reviewed it on his reading list a few weeks ago which reminded me of it, and I was checking my wish lists and found it had dropped in price so I snapped it up! M. C. Beaton is probably best known for her series Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin. I've not read the Hamish Macbeth books, something I should probably rectify, but they centre around a small Scottish village policeman, while the Agatha Raisin books (which I've read ALL of ) are humourous crime novels about a businesswomen turned private detective set in and around the Cotswold area of England. Before she turned to the crime genre, she published many, many historical comic romances (completely unbelievable stories, but done with such a sense of fun and making the heroines much more feisty and quite feminist in their own way), all published originally under various different pen names, which are now gradually being reissued under the M. C. Beaton name. They are very light and frothy, but I think they're fun, funny and nice, easy Sunday evening reading (you know when you want something simple to just entertain you without needing to think too much about it ). I've had it on my wishlist since it came out, and like Skios it popped up on my wishlist as having reduced in price, so I couldn't resist!

To fit in with the days everyone can make, maybe we could select a weekend, e.g. Friday - Sunday, and people can decide how which day fits in best with them?

Lovely review, Kay. I don't know much about his life, but this struck me as I remember the Doctor Who episode that Richard Curtis wrote a couple of years ago, and while on one hand it was a story for children about aliens, you could see it as the alien that no-one else could see being an interpretation of mental illness, and there was a genuinely moving moment where the Doctor takes Vincent on a trip in the Tardis to a modern exhibition of his work to show him how important his work became and that he was greatly admired and appreciated after his death.

The other problem when the group gets too large is that side conversations start up and it can be difficult both to hear and be heard - I find it incredibly rude, but some people still insist on it. If they do it when I'm talking, I just stop - even in mid sentence some times - and wait for them to finish in the hope that they get the message.

Thanks, willoyd. We've been round all the bookshelves in the house collecting all the various editions so that I have them all in one place to read!

I've finished Diving Belles by Lucy Wood, which was simply lovely. Have had a splurge and bought the following books: Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaranovitch Lady Anne's Deception by M. C. Beaton The Marquis Takes a Bride by M. C. Beaton The Rising by Kelley Armstrong Heist Society by Ally Carter The Third Day, The Frost by John Marsden Skios by Michael Frayn Peaches for Monsieur le Curé by Joanne Harris The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

A repeat of series 3 of Great British Bake Off

It's still asparagus season, so it's linguine with asparagus and lemon for us.

Well, if nothing else, our discussion has meant you've found a new English expression to add to your ever increasing knowledge of our idiosyncratic language!

I think the idea is that it's up to you what book(s) you decide to read, dex, not that we all read the same book.

Thanks, frankie, I think that cements my decision not to continue with it. Looking at my book list, I've read three other novels and two short story collections by him, and like I said, I've enjoyed them all, so it was a bit of a disappointment to find myself abandoning this one, but I think I'll try the rest of his books at some point - it certainly has put me off.

I sometimes think my life is a read-a-thon! I would be interested in joining in, and a Sunday would work best for me. Looking forward to planning my reading for the day already.

There's actually another thread too: http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/1615-star-wars-books/

We usually average about 12 people each meeting, although we've probably got about 20 people who come regularly, just not every week. While I don't agree with all the choices, I have made a few suggestions in the past and they've generally been well received books - especially proud to have got them all reading The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, a YA book that none of them would have picked up otherwise and was almost universally enjoyed. The only problem I have with the group is that the average age of all the other members is about 65, so I've got a good couple of decades on all of them, and I do feel a bit left out at times. When we do occasionally get new, younger members, they never last more than a few meetings - I'm not sure whether it's due to the age of the group or the choices of books, or just not their thing. I wish I could join a group with more people closer to my age, but I just haven't been able to find another group locally.

Umm, a bit embarrassed to admit this, but when I started reading it on my Kindle, I actually thought I'd selected a different book to start! After I'd read the first chapter, I realised this was not the story I'd read on the blurb, but thought since I'd started, I'd carry on. The trouble is, I'm finding it a very unsettling and it's very different from all his other books that I've read. I'm worried where the story might go, and if it veers into horror then I'm really not going to enjoy it. There's also much talk of humour in the reviews I've read since I put it aside, and I definitely didn't find anything that made me smile, chuckle or laugh in there at all!

I think I read this one a few years back, Diane - wasn't it a Richard and Judy book one year? I know I read it, but other than the storyline itself, I can't remember that much about it.

I think these might divide opinion, as I know some people think books shouldn't be used in this fashion, but I think these book sculptures are just beautiful: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22597417 More can be seen by browsing through the "Book Sculptures" menu at the artists website: http://www.daysfalllikeleaves.com

I'm about halfway through Diving Belles and the stories are very beguiling and unusual.

A hazelnut and orange macaroon

That sounds interesting, Artemis. Thanks for the recommendation.

Woodchuck