chesilbeach

Run ....

The Great Air Mystery

Rutland Water - Tango Siempre

Under The Bridge - All Saints

Up 'n' Under

Cream ...

Wollongong, Australia

The History Of Love - Nicole Krauss

Thanks! It's one of many excuses I use after I get home from shopping

Finished Three Men On The Bummel last night, and started Burnt Offerings.

The Greatest Show On Earth

Ukhta, Russia

Pencil. Eiffel Tower or Blackpool Tower?

A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian - Marina Lewycka

^Fantastic! Love, love, love Kirsty MacColl All the Way Down - Etta James

Facts ...

*runs away from evil odd numbered volume*

Bumping up this thread, and adding my own review: There are so many interesting things about this book, I don't know where to start! I guess the first thing that struck me when I finished the book was the narrative. Although told in the third person, the focus is always on either Lewis or Kit, and while they never directly speak to the read, you always feel as though you're seeing their unique perspective on the story and it results in a very personal and close relationship with the reader. I usually prefer linear plots, but this one starts at the mid point of the story for the prologue, then jumps back to the beginning and follows the rest of the story in the traditional chronological order. This actually add to the story for me, as you know what has happened and you gradually come to understand why it has happened and the ongoing fallout from the tragedy. The claustrophobic society of the village, the lack of communication between family members and the repression of emotions are all indicative of the 1940's and 1950's before the advent of the idea that people need to share feelings and talk about traumatic experiences to get comfort from each other. This leads to one of the characters starting to self harm, something that while I'm aware of it, I know very little about. I thought the descriptions and explorations of the feelings of the characters involved, and also those of the people who eventually find out what has been happening were compelling to read. This is not a pleasant read, but I have to say, it held my attention and I savoured reading it, taking care to understand an unusual subject matter. Well written with heart and feeling, and a very worthwhile read.

Hooray! I'm finally up to date with my book reviews, and will be settling down to finish Three Men on the Bummel this evening, which has been mighty entertaining so far

Title: Spirit Bound Author: Richelle Mead Publisher: Puffin Books Rating: 3/5 Synopsis (from book cover): Again, I've taken the unusual step of spoiler tagging the synopsis, because if you haven't read this far into the series, this gives away a very big plot point from the previous book, so please beware. Review: The fifth Vampire Academy sees Rose back at St Vladimir's, trying to put her life back together. While I can see where the story is going and what I think will happen, I find these books fantastic entertainment and as the series goes on, I like them more and more. I love that the story is building so that as Rose and Lissa grow up, the society around them is changing, and you get the dynamics of teenagers becoming young women and a reforming culture, together making an interesting story more exciting.

World Cup: Brazil v N.Korea.

Felt ...

Title: Dead In The Family Author: Charlaine Harris Publisher: Gollancz Rating: 3/5 Synopsis (from waterstones.com): If you think your family relationships are complicated, think again: you haven't seen anything like the ones in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Sookie Stackhouse is dealing with a whole host of family problems, ranging from her own kin (a non-human fairy and a telepathic second cousin) demanding a place in her life, to her lover Eric's vampire sire, an ancient being, who arrives with Eric's 'brother' in tow at a most inopportune moment. And Sookie's tracking down a distant relation of her ailing neighbour (and ex), Vampire Bill Compton. In addition to the multitude of family issues complicating her life, the werewolf pack of Shreveport has asked Sookie for a special favour, and since Sookie is an obliging young woman, she agrees. But this favour for the wolves has dire results for Sookie, who is still recovering from the trauma of her abduction during the Fairy War. Review: The Sookie Stackhouse series continues with a battle weary Sookie recovering from her injuries at the end of the previous book, but it's no longer a case of a quick glug of vamp blood to cure our Sookie, and it's taking it toll on her mental well being too. I don't know why I like this series so much, but even when our heroine is feeling down, she always makes me smile, and we always have the ever gorgeous Eric to dream about! It's probably not the best book in the series, but a great Saturday read for me, and I'm already looking forward to the next.

Yes, and I prefer the books! There's a whole thread on them here: http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=7342

Title: Blood Promise Author: Richelle Mead Publisher: Puffin Books Rating: 3/5 Synopsis (from waterstones.com): I've taken the unusual step of spoiler tagging the synopsis, because if you haven't read this far into the series, this gives away a very big plot point from the previous book, so please beware. Review: The fourth in the Vampire Academy series takes a different direction with . And it's an interesting direction indeed, with Rose spending the majority of the book in Siberia, with some new characters and the introduction of the mysterious Zmey (although I figured out who he was the moment he gave Rose his name I liked the book as much as I have the others and although I don't usually read author's Q&A sections at the back of books, I did notice that Mead says the Rose story will finish at the end of book six, and will be followed by another series of six VA books with a whole new set of characters. I'm glad to hear that, as I like when an author has a whole story in mind for her characters and isn't afraid to say when the instalments need to stop. A good read; I'm enjoying this series more as it gets towards its conclusion.