chesilbeach

Of course it's not terrible. I'm lucky, I have some good bookshops locally, and I can afford to travel there, browse and buy books on offer or at full price if I want to. Some people don't have that luxury, or simply prefer to buy online. Personally, I don't think it matters. As long as people are still buying and reading books, that's all that counts.

We had a pretty good curriculum at school, but we never had summer reading lists. The class read the books and plays together during term time and that was it. I'm not sure how much it's changed since then, but I know they still have to read Lord of the Flies which I loathed, so I guess probably not much has changed! We read Shakespeare's A Merchant of Venice and compared it with more modern plays such as A Taste of Honey (I can't remember who wrote that). Novels included a couple of Steinbeck, Cider with Rosie and Brave New World, but not much of it actually inspired me to my own reading tastes - most of that I've developed myself as I always read outside of the curriculum anyway. The one book that I've kept and re-read is a play called Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw, and I loved it so much, it did encourage me to see any of his plays when they were performed in my area.

Neither have I. I've never eaten a curry.

Hello Siobhan! I loved American Wife when I read it last year, and I'm a big fan of Curtis Sittenfield. Have you read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke? If you like Jane Austen and J. K. Rowling, this could be right up your street

Rules ...

Mayhem ...

I Hold No Grudge - Nina Simone

Love Is In The Air - John Paul Young

Steven Hall

Hi Becki! Seen you post a bit already, so you're obviously settling in nicely I know what you mean about being around people you don't know, friends I've known for ages can't believe how shy I am around someone I've never met before!

Stella Gibbons

Sorry to double post, but just wanted to add that it is such a joy to see a coach/manager who loves the game of football. How can you be anything other than inspired with someone like that in charge. He may have had problems in his career, but Maradona is a legend, and it's lovely to hear the respect for him from all the pundits.

Victim ...

Francesca Kay

Loved all these as a child, but recently re-read some of the Chalet School, and they are definitely period pieces now! Don't get me wrong, I loved this book (she's one of my favourite new authors) but it's not going to make you think "oh god I want to be at this school". I remember reading these when I was about 6 or 7, and while I absolutely adored them as a young child, they are really for younger readers.

Thoroughly enjoying the Greece v Argentina game - Messi is absolute class, and can't wait to see him against a team who actually want to play and not just shutdown the game as Greece are doing.

Howard Jacobson

Hello Clare!

Violin ...

Greece v Argentina - is it really bad that I'm loving commentators and pundits (esp. Mick McCarthy) stumbling over pronunciation of Papastathopoulos

Tie ....

Patrick Marnham

Hmmm... sounds like someone's putting off trying to get their mojo back in gear I've read some more of Brooklyn which I'm completely in love with, and I picked up City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare and Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead from the library.

Neil Strauss

William Boyd