chesilbeach

The Ode Less Travelled - Stephen Fry

The Portrait Of A Lady

Inside I'm Dancing

I read this a couple of years ago, and I have to say, I don't remember there being that much of either the swearing or the sex. What I remember is a moving, funny yet truthful story. It was quite emotional and I remember crying a few times throughout the book and I found it a great holiday read. It was memorable enough for me to remember I was sitting on the harbour in Padstow reading it on a lovely, sunny day!

The Old Man And The Sea

The Road Home - Rose Tremain

Thanks Fi :eek2: I really need to get through my shelves full of books I haven't read before I think about buying any more (who am I kidding? I know I'll be buying more sooner rather than later), but Banks is another author added to the list for when I do start buying more books. I've finished Untamed today. It's the fourth in the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast. They are pretty predictable, but they're entertaining enough for a lazy Sunday.

Kell, I love cheese scones! It's one of the few things I remember baking at school in home ec classes, and I also remember they went down very well at home as well I love baking when I have time, in fact, I'm a much better baker than cook! My favourites are chocolate fudge cake, apple and almond cake, shortbread and fruit scones. The only problem is I don't have enough time to bake very often, and with only two of us in the house, I end up eating far too much of anything I bake. I'd really like to try my hand at cake decorating, but I'm such a perfectionist, I know my efforts would never be good enough for me.

Finished Untamed this afternoon, and have either The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong or Hunted by P.C. and Kristin Cast to follow on with, although I also have a book I've been asked to review to read as well, but it's a weighty beast and I can't face it at the moment!

I'm waiting for the sixth one to come out in paperback, although I very nearly broke down and bought the hardback yesterday.

Hey Alexia Always good to get another Twilight fan on the forum!

I'll also check out The Times online book section as well - they do a good weekly paperback round up - but I'm not so keen on the layout of the pages, and I usually have a look once a week or so.

I was a wreck when Rose left (the first time, anyway), and I was a wreck when Donna left, so I have no doubt I will be distraught when my beloved Doctor leaves.

It's supposed to be in November some time and is The Waters of Mars and I don't believe has The Master in it. There will then be a two-part farewell to the tenth Doctor on Christmas Day and New Years Day.

They are available on iTunes though.

I usually read it online, but there's definitely a books section in the Saturday edition which is the only day I buy a newspaper, if I bother at all.

Finished The Steep Approach to Garbadale this evening. Most enjoyable.

Well, after having very little reading time for a few weeks, and only getting half way through The Moonstone, I thought I'd better pick up one of my reading group books since we meet next week and I haven't read either book So, I started The Steep Approach to Garbadale by Iain Banks on Monday, and I've just finished it this evening. I haven't read an Iain Banks novel since 1989 (Espedair Street), and I'm not sure why. I remember reading a few of his early books (not the Iain M. Banks ones) and enjoying them, and I don't know why I was mildly concerned about reading another one now, but there was something niggling in the back of my mind suggesting that I wasn't going to like it. In fact, I thought it was a cracking good read. I hadn't read any of the blurb on the back or any reviews, and I had no idea what the book was about, and I was quite surprised to find it was a family saga of sorts. I loved Banks' writing, and there are some beautiful phrases through out the book which I suspect are probably Scottish in style, for example, "The waters run on away beneath them both". I've seen and heard Iain Banks interviewed a lot over the years, and when I read this sentence, I felt I had to read it with his voice in my head for it to sound comfortable, but once I did that, it seemed beautiful and lyrical. There was also a paragraph where the main character Alban recollects his gap year travels, and Banks writes a hugely long sentence punctuated with hyphenated asides, multiple "ands" and seemingly endless commas to keep the thought going for the description. I thought this was so clever, as it's captures the essence of the process of remembering a particular episode in your past, when all the event come rushing on top of each other, and crashing into one another, as if once the brain has opened that particular memory it has to keep presenting the information to your conscious thoughts as quickly as possible, in case there is a time limit that the door to that memory can stay open before it slams shut again. Anyway, I'm rambling on a bit here - I thoroughly enjoyed the story, engaged with the main character, and loved the writing. The only complaint I have is that I did guess what the ending would be, but even then, after all the build up to it, the closure seemed a little bit rushed. This is a very minor quibble though, and I think I will probably go back and have another look at Banks' back catalogue and read some more of the novels he's written since I last read one of his books.

Don't worry, I was gobsmacked the first time I heard someone talking about Jim Dale reading the books, thinking "No, no, Stephen Fry reads these, I'm sure that's right?"! It is a shame you can't hear the Stephen Fry version. I've heard lots of parents say it's wonderful for the kids to listen to in the car or before bed, as although he does express the excitement and thrills of the story and characters, he's got a very soothing voice to listen to, and captivates the children keeping them captivated The various excerpts of Jim's reading I've heard were a bit manic and overpowering, and seemed to have completely the opposite effect that Stephen's version does.

Looks like a good selection of favourite books you've got there! Can I be cheeky and ask you to tell us a few you've disliked or not enjoyed this year as well? Just curious, so don't feel pressured if you don't want to.

Stephen Fry reads them for the UK versions, while Jim Dale reads them for the US versions. I have the CD's for all the books read by Stephen Fry, and the man has the most wonderful reading voice, and makes even the worst parts of the books seem great. I have heard excerpts of Jim Dale reading the books, and I'm sorry to disagree with you Katrina, but it was truly awful compared to the magnificent, mellifluous Mr Fry.

Yes, it is. They have to use household items and try and make it look like something The Doctor could have put together himself, and it'll be made for the show and they'll get the chance to visit the set and meet the new Doctor as well. Unfortunately you have to be aged between six and twelve, so I'm just a smidgen too old

Glad to be of service Just to let you know how I found it, I'm an avid reader of the Guardian book pages, and I thought it the Mail on Sunday had reviewed it, the Guardian or Observer probably had as well, so I went to the book page, then Reviews, then History genre and scrolled down to see the reviews for the same week as the date you'd said you'd seen it.

I've read another 100 or so pages of The Steep Approach to Garbadale today. Not at all what I was expecting of an Iain Banks novel, and it's very good so far.

I think it might be The Three Emperors by Miranda Carter. Here's the Guardian review: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/19/three-emperors-miranda-carter-review