chesilbeach

Watched The Decoy Bride​ last night. It's only ok, but it does have David Tennant

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Synopsis (from www.amazon.co.uk): During an eventful season at Bath, young, naïve Catherine Morland experiences the joys of fashionable society for the first time. She is delighted with her new acquaintances: flirtatious Isabella, who shares Catherine's love of Gothic romance and horror, and sophisticated Henry and Eleanor Tilney, who invite her to their father's mysterious house, Northanger Abbey. There, her imagination influenced by novels of sensation and intrigue, Catherine imagines terrible crimes committed by General Tilney. With its broad comedy and irrepressible heroine, this is the most youthful and and optimistic of Jane Austen's works. Review: I think this is Austen's most obviously funny book, and has always to me felt reminiscent of a modern chick-lit novel. Catherine is a charmingly naïve heroine, her country vicarage upbringing being honest and loving, but her head has been filled by the thrilling stories of gothic novels. I love how Austen leads her down a wrong turn with her initial friendship with Isabella Thorpe, but shows her sensible and good nature by insisting she maintains her friendship with the Tilney brother and sister. Henry Tilney is probably my favourite Austen hero (it's a close tie with Darcy, and they tend to swap places at every re-read!), as he's both charming and sensible, and has a gently teasing sense of humour. Always one of my favourite re-reads. Henry Tilney's Diary by Amanda Grange Synopsis (from www.amazon.co.uk): Growing up in an abbey with an irascible father, a long-suffering mother, a rakish brother and a pretty sister, Henry Tilney's life bears more than a passing resemblance to the Gothic novels he loves to read. And yet although Henry is undoubtedly cut out to be a hero, he cannot find his heroine - until, that is, he meets Catherine Morland. With her refreshing innocence and love of reading, Catherine is the perfect match...unless the scheming of Henry's father and the scandalous behaviour of his brother destroy their happy ending. Review: This has been my favourite of the Amanda Grange diaries of the Austen men, and I thoroughly enjoyed looking at Henry and Eleanor's life away from Catherine, and seeing how Grange thought their story developed. I have loved reading these diaries as it's like reading your favourite novel from a different point of view, and I think Grange captures the spirit and tone of the Austen novels and creates the alternate histories with the same wit and style, without becoming a pastiche.

Modern Family marathon

Amazon have regular Kindle sales, usually 12 days of Kindle at Christmas, then there's often a spring, summer and autumn sale as well, so that's four big sales per year. Plus, there is the Daily Deal offer, where one (or more) books is significantly reduced - usually to between 99p and £1.99 - but for one day only from midnight to midnight, so it means you have to check it on a daily basis to make sure you don't miss out on a bargain on your wishlist! In addition to that, some publishers will put some of their own books at a special offer price, but these can be trickier to find, although if they're a real bargain, they often show up in the best seller lists, as people spread the word and they sell lots more copies. I often go through the top 100 best seller list (you can see it on the right hand side of the screen when you're at the Kindle books main page) to see if there are any books on special offer there. Hope that helps!

Watched my favourite film EVER last night - Strictly Ballroom and now I'm watching Rebecca.

Hollow Pike by James Dawson. Synopsis (from www.amazon.co.uk): Something wicked this way comes... She thought she'd be safe in the country, but you can't escape your own nightmares, and Lis London dreams repeatedly that someone is trying to kill her. Lis thinks she's being paranoid - after all who would want to murder her? She doesn't believe in the local legends of witchcraft. She doesn't believe that anything bad will really happen to her. You never do, do you? Not until you're alone in the woods, after dark - and a twig snaps... Hollow Pike - where witchcraft never sleeps. Review: What a refreshing change this book was! I bought it after reading Michelle's review, and have been following James Dawson on Twitter, so I had an inkling I would like it anyway, but I was very impressed with this British YA book. It was great to read a story with a supernatural edge, but that was firmly based in a reality I know, the life of a British schoolgirl. Lis was a great heroine, and I loved how Dawson dealt with peer pressure, the cliques and the outsiders, and there was no shying away from the nastiness of teenagers. This was a book full of suspense, and the murder mystery that evolves is cleverly done - I never saw the end coming, so it was a success from that point of view too. A cracking read, and another author I definitely want to read more of!

Determined effort to catch up on reviews today. Here's the first one: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Synopsis (from www.amazon.co.uk): The Joy Luck Club was formed of four Chinese women recently moved to San Francisco who meet to eat dim sum, play mah-jong and to share stories. Forty years on they and their daughters tell wise and witty tales of hope, loss, family and history. Spanning pre-Revolutionary China to 1980s San Francisco, the women talk as secrets are spilled, mothers boast and despair and daughters struggle with tangled truths. Review: I was really keen to read this after having read Amy Tan's The Opposite of Fate, which is a memoir and in it she often talks about this book, her first novel. It didn't disappoint! It was a lovely book, and could almost be read as a collection of short stories, but all told the stories of the four women and their daughters, and their experiences as either young women in China or as immigrants in the United States, or the stories of their daughters as they grew up trying to fit in to American society while living with the Chinese cultural background at home. I couldn't put it down once I'd picked it up, and found humour, sadness, honesty, hurt, melancholy and love among the pages. A wonderful book to read, and I will definitely be looking to read more of Tan's books in the future.

Lots of great books on your TBR Ben, although some I disliked too! I've been meaning to ask you, have you found how you read books has changed since you started university? I've often heard people say that studying English made them so analytical of books that they found it hard to read for fun afterwards, and I wondered if you found the same?

Thanks Ben, and although I keep a record, the numbers really don't bother me. One day I might make the 150 mark, but I don't really care. 2012 was spectacular for me just for getting that TBR down to zero, but it's starting to creep up again already. I want to keep on top of it, but other than that, it'll just be business as usual, and read whatever I fancy! Thanks Kylie!

I tend to just look at my favourite authors on http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk or search book sellers such as Amazon and Waterstone's to see upcoming new releases by my favourite authors. Other than that, it's only if I come across books mentioned in newspaper articles - there will probably be an article in most papers in the next week looking forward to next year in publishing, so I'll be scanning those for new books too.

Strictly Ballroom on BBC Four - my favourite ever film!

Since quite a few of us have started planning our reading lists for next year, I thought I'd start the annual thread about the books being published in 2013 that you're most looking forward to. Mine are: Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld This will be Sittenfeld's fourth novel, and I've enjoyed reading her first three, so this one features high up on my wish list, especially as it's been three years since American Wife was published The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons Another author whose books I've enjoyed so far, Solomons will be publishing her third novel in 2013, and I am very interested to read this one too. I'm sure I'm come across others as time goes on, but these two, both published in June, are top of my wish list at the moment. What books are you looking forward to?

Ah, you've trained them well.

Fantastic organisation skills Laura! I really like how you've only included the books on your TBR from the challenges, and your priority reading list. I found that really helped me reduce my TBR last year, and I ended up reading some of the best books I've ever read. Hopefully you'll have a fabulous reading year in 2013 too.

Actually read a couple of chapters last night! First time since last week. Off to visit the Kindle sale in a minute to see what's been added today

Happy reading in 2013! You've got some great books coming up, particularly would like to recommend A Fine Balance.

Thanks everyone! Bree, their website has more info, as they do their own mail order direct from the shop. http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/ordering-info/

Midnight Run this afternoon - so funny! Hadn't seen it for a few years, but it's one of the few films I like Robert De Niro in, and I think it's one of those films that went under the radar a bit, but definitely worth watching, even now!

Haven't done any reading for a few days, but I did buy some books on the Kindle 12 Days of Christmas sale today. They will be adding at least 50 books each day, so I'll be checking them every day and may end up buying some more yet!

HI Warwick, there are a few threads already about films adapted from books, but this one matches your question: http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/3084-worst-ever-film-from-a-book

I haven't written my review for this, but I read it a couple of months ago based on Michelle's review, and really enjoyed it. It was a bit nerve jangling at times, but I loved that it was firmly based in the real world, with just a touch of supernatural. I was disappointed in this one too. I read it for the reading circle, but I agree that it was a bit too immature.

The first thing I did was pass it straight on to my OH saying, "You MUST read this!" I love it when a book does that to me - doesn't happen that often, but when it does it's a joy.

Watched Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol again yesterday - my sort of action film, over the top ridiculous, not too much blood, and a bit funny as well. Oh, and Tom Cruise.

I love this series too, chaliepud, but I would say that the women are made strong by being coupled with one of the brothers, but reach their full potential after meeting them. Even if the boyfriend wasn't around, they'd still be much stronger after having met them, and they just find out how powerful they are from the brothers. I really like them though - the thrilling adventure story is the most important thing, not the romance, but that's good too! Have you tried the Gallagher Girls and the Heist Society series by Ally Carter? I think you'd like those too.

Thanks willoyd, we've got that on the shelf too - OH has also recommended it!