chesilbeach

No, it's a US sitcom with Zooey Deschanel

Coffee

New Girl

I gave up on one free ebook but started another which is much more promising - Branded by Keary Taylor.

Just to explain it a bit more ... pubs, bars and restaurants are "licensed premises" in that they are licensed to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises. Off licenses were traditionally the shops which were licensed to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises, but as the supermarkets have changed over the years, they've become bulk buyers of alcohol, and along with their ever extending opening hours, most off licenses can no longer compete, hence the disappearance from UK towns. When I was a kid, my parents would most commonly have gone to the "offie" when friends or family came to visit on a weekend and stayed for the evening, so Dad would have popped out for a few beers and a bottle of sherry or port and some soft drinks for us kids, as my parents never really kept alcohol in the house.

I finished a novel and a couple of short stories today - all free eBooks. The novel, A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter is the first in a series, and was actually pretty good for its genre - a paranormal mystery with a bit of romance in the mix, and I'd like to read the next one at some point. The two short stories weren't bad, but were only half an hours reading each, but both a bit light and fluffy.

Hooray! Someone who agrees with me - don't worry Janet, you're definitely not alone on this one! Also, I have downloaded Killer Twist as one of the freebies I found while trying to save money, but you have just saved me a bit of time in reading this one - I can't bear it when authors try to write speech in dialect or try to phonetically(?) write someone speaking for whom English is not their first language. It's one of my least favourite things to find in a book, and it can often put me off reading it completely, and the examples you've described are definitely helping me delete this one off my Kindle now.

I have - it's brilliant! Never have I ever been a cricket umpire

Thanks, Janet. I added it to my wishlist based on recommendations here, I think chaliepud has read it too, so when I saw twas only £1.97, it seemed too good an offer to refuse! I've had it on my wishlist for a very long time too. I think I first saw it at Mr B's a few years ago, and again, another offer too good to miss out on, when I saw it was down to £1.79 today.

I hope so too - I bought it today as I noticed it was only 99p, so it fitted my budget perfectly! I've read all Chris Stewart's books, and they all have the same charm about them, so I'd definitely recommend you look up the others too, if you've enjoyed Driving Over Lemons

I'm not a huge fan of spiders, but whenever I come across them in the house, I get a glass and a piece of cardboard - put the glass over the spider, slip the cardboard under the glass so that he's trapped inside, and then put him outside to live another day, and hopefully he'll get the message that he's not welcome inside!

Cheese omelette

The Secret McQueen series by Sierra Dean: 1. Something Secret This Way Comes 2. A Bloody Good Secret 2.5 Secret Santa 3. Deep Dark Secret 4. Keeping Secret 5. Grave Secret Synopsis: (From the blurb for the first book in the series, via sierradean.com) Some secrets are dangerous. This Secret is deadly. For Secret McQueen, her life feels like the punch line for a terrible joke. Abandoned at birth by her werewolf mother, hired as a teen by the vampire council of New York City to kill rogues, Secret is a part of both worlds, but belongs to neither. At twenty-two, she has carved out as close to a normal life as a bounty hunter can. Review: I came across these books while searching for paranormal books on the Amazon Kindle store, and thought I'd give the first one a go, and ended up reading them all within a week! Smart, sassy heroine, good supernatural society living hidden within the human world, romantic triangles, and fantastic thrilling adventures to boot. I like how the author puts a warning on each book, so you know exactly what to expect - here's the one for the first book: Warning: This book contains a sarcastic, kick-ass bounty hunter; a metaphysical love triangle with two sexy werewolves; a demanding vampire council; and a spicy seasoning of sex and violence.. Loved the series, and will definitely continue to read more. A word of warning - Amazon have the numbering for the series incorrect, so if you are planning to read them, check the authors website to find the right order, as some are short stories that fit in the series in a certain place, and it's a good idea to read them in the order intended.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Synopsis: (from amazon.co.uk) Orphaned Jane Eyre grows up in the home of her heartless aunt and later attends a charity school with a harsh regime, enduring loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds a position as governess at Thornfield Hall. However, when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving the man she loves? Review: This was my second reading of Jane Eyre, and I enjoyed it more than the first time I read it. I'd completely forgotten how long the book was (my Kindle edition said 557 pages), I was surprised how much of the book is set in Jane's childhood. For such a long book, it rarely feels slow, although yet again, I found the period with the Rivers dragged on a bit. Jane is such a wonderful heroine who defies her upbringing to strive to become an independent, educated woman, with strong beliefs and morals, but still spirited, passionate and loving. We read this for my reading group last month, and one of the group commented that Rochester's proposal is too long and drawn out, but I think that adds to the drama and emotion of the scene, and I think we sometimes forget that life was so different in those days, with fewer distractions and activities for the wealthy, and with such strict rules for social interaction, I imagine that all events of this nature would have been more considered and contemplated than nowadays. A thoroughly enjoyable book, and one I know I'll revisit again in the future. I'm also going to re-read Wide Sargasso Sea at some point, which I actually liked more than Jane Eyre and think it was an excellent companion piece.

It's odd, because towards the end of his era, I was critical of RTD, and only had glowing praise for Moffat's episodes. I think I also felt more connected with the programme in his era, because of Doctor Who Confidential and the podcast commentaries, which gave that added dimension to the stories. Whatever his faults may have been, RTD understood how to put heart, humour and emotion alongside the action of the adventures, and knew that as an audience, our way into the Doctor's world was through the companion, and to make that believable, they had to ground that on Earth with their family and friends. Moffat's episodes in the RTD era, were always some of the best (along with the awesome Paul Cornell), and seemed to fit perfectly under RTD's direction. Whenever we go back and watch the first couple of series, I have nothing but affection for it, even the weaker episodes are still enjoyable, even with their flaws.

Life Class by Pat Barker Synopsis: (from amazon.co.uk) Spring, 1914. The students at the Slade School of Art gather in Henry Tonks's studio for his life-drawing class. But for Paul Tarrant the class is troubling, underscoring his own uncertainty about making a mark on the world. When war breaks out and the army won't take Paul, he enlists in the Belgian Red Cross just as he and fellow student Elinor Brooke admit their feelings for one another. Amidst the devastation in Ypres, Paul comes to see the world anew - but have his experiences changed him completely? Review: This is my local reading group book for next month. I've never read any Pat Barker before, but have only heard good things of the Regeneration WWI trilogy, so was interested to read Life Class. The first problem I had was the synopsis. It basically, and albeit briefly, tells you everything that happens in the first half of the book! Why would you do that, publishers? Now, onto the actual story itself - I just found it confusing. Was it about war? Well, the second half was set in Ypres in WW1, but it focuses more on the injuries treated at the hospital, but with quite a distant feel to it, and I didn't feel that I was reading a book about war. I know Barker was trying to find a different viewpoint of war, from that of the hospital, but I'm not sure I got the sense that it was a war zone, and I couldn't relate it to other depictions of the same period and place. If you want to read about WW1, read either William - An Englishman by Cecily Hamilton (which is excellent) or Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. So, perhaps it was about art, and the impact of war on an artist? I was never really convinced by the art element of the story. There was little description of the art produced by the students and artists before the war, so I had little sense of their work, and then when Paul does finally starts producing pieces during his experiences in the field hospital that I think you are meant to feel that have genuinely inspired him and have meaning, again, there are only brief descriptions of the paintings and little of the emotions that drive him to paint. If you want to read about art that makes you "see" the artwork and feel the emotion and drive of an artist, try An Equal Stillness by Francesca Kay. Then it must have been about love? If only I had felt love between the characters, I might have connected more with the story. I never believed for one second that Elinor loved Paul or vice versa. Elinor is a very composed, almost insular person, and it never felt that Paul loved her as a person, just the thought of her. I never felt an emotional connection between them, and I found it difficult to believe their relationship. I know I'm being really harsh here, as I read it all and there was never a moment when I felt that I wanted to put it down, I wanted to keep reading to find out where the story was going, and how the characters would develop, but when I got to the end, I did wonder what it was meant to say to me. I'm looking forward to my reading group meeting, as I really want to find out what other people thought about it, and maybe find what I missed that would elevate this story. I certainly wouldn't say NOT to read it, as I'd be very interested to hear others thoughts on it, and to discuss why I'm wrong. It is a book that made me want to keep reading, and I still wonder whether I've missed something.

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan Synopsis: (from amazon.co.uk) When Richard Hannay is warned of an assassination plot that has the potential to take Britain into a war, and then a few days later discovers the murdered body of the American that warned him in his flat, he becomes a prime suspect. He flees to the moors of Scotland and a spirited chase begins as he is pursued by the police and the German spies involved with stealing British plans. Review: I absolutely loved this book! What a thrilling ride of a story it was, and I know I've mentioned elsewhere that for the whole of my reading, I had the theme from Dick Barton: Secret Agent running through my head. The action rolls along at a cracking pace, and there are thrills and spills aplenty, but without graphic violence or foul language, and made for an exciting story suitable for almost everyone. I've never seen a film or television adaptation of the book, and from the clips of those I've seen, I'd always assumed it was going to be more staid, but Hannay really has to transform himself at times in order to hide, and there never felt like a dull moment in the entire story. I've downloaded all the other Buchan free ebooks I can find, and full intend to read more.

I've probably said this before on this thread somewhere, but I'm the same, bookmonkey. I did read the first five of the No. 1 Ladies series, but I lost interest, but the Isabel Dalhousie and Bertie books are firm favourites with me.

Oh dear, I really am beginning to find DW less and less appealing. I thought this episode was quite boring, and it's missing the humour again. I agree with Timstar that we're missing the lure of home and the earth based family of the companion (I always did love Jackie, Mickey and Pete ), and although I actually think Jenna-Louise Coleman is a good actress, and I like her portrayal of what she's given to do, her story is leaving me cold. I'm missing the heart and comedy of the early RTD series.

As I've only been downloading free ebooks for the last month, I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on any great offers in the Kindle under £2.99 or less section (where they highlight 100 books at that price for the whole month), so I delved in and bought myself 11 books for the bargain price of just over £13. This should keep me going through until the end of May, when if I haven't spent any more money, I'll treat myself to another batch. I was delighted to find a couple of books I've been wanting for ages in with the bargains, as well picking a couple of others of my wishlist that weren't in the Bargain section, but had dropped in price to meet my less than £2 criteria. Here's what I bought: The Misremembered Man by Christina McKenna Misfortune Cookie by Michelle Gorman Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper Mrs Harris Goes to Paris & Ms Harris Goes To New York by Paul Gallico The Perfect Retreat by Kate Forster Abyss by Tricia Rayburn The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters by Sierra Dean Death at Wentworth Court by Carola Dunn Bella Summer Takes A Chance by Michelle Gorman The Perfect Audition by Kate Forster Under The Skin by Michel Faber

Probably best to just stay out of the thread then! Once it's been on, it's only fair that we want to discuss it

Started an Ally Carter short story called Double Crossed this morning - it's a crossover between her two YA series, the Gallagher Girls and the Heist Society books

Not me! I actually agree with you - I'm old enough that I remember it first hand, and I have a 7" vinyl single of it in the attic. Funnily enough, we were only talking about it yesterday after a Beatles question on a quiz show. Thanks for digging out the video, has cheered me up no end this evening.

I read Trouble in Mudbug today, a light hearted, comic mystery with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. Good fun, and I'll have a look for more by the author.