chesilbeach

I'll probably wait a while before getting it, I'm trying to stop buying any more books until I've reduced the TBR list by a lot, but maybe it'll be September/October when I think about adding more books to the already groaning shelves at home! Glad you approve of my Sunday evening choice

I've finished The Three Musketeers this afternoon, and written my review in the Reading Circle thread, but it was a thumbs up from me, and I've added The Count of Monte Cristo to my wishlist as well. I bought a couple of books this morning - my own copy of Dead Until Dark which I shall probably read again before I pick up the second book in the series from the library on Thursday, and The Other Hand by Chris Cleave, which I'd been thinking of for a while, and with a 10/10 from Mac and a buy 1 get 1 half price offer, I couldn't resist. Next up though, I think I'll stick to my current TBR list, and read A Lifetime Burning by Linda Gillard, although will probably wait until tomorrow to start it, and just relax with some more of New Moon - a no-brainer for a Sunday evening!

Charm, I was lucky that when I read the books, I'd never really heard much about them, other than that they were a phenomenon amongst teenage girls, mainly in America, so I had no idea whether or not all the books would revolve around . I think it's just the that makes New Moon my third favourite of the series, because from page 450 onwards, I think it's great!

ALTHOUGH IT SAYS IT AT THE TOP OF THE THREAD - PLEASE BE AWARE THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS POST. 1. Who was your favourite character and why? My favourite character is probably Athos. I think the development and how his story was gradually revealed made him the most realistic character. He had a depth to him, with the strength of nobility creating a worthy, intelligent man, who earned the well deserved respect of D'Artagnan. Having said that, I thought both D'Artagnan and Constance Bonancieux were both very likeable characters, although while reading the book, I thought Constance's death was unexpected and sad, by the end of the book I could understand why it was necessary. I liked the strength of both the male and female characters in the book, and I think the author dealt with a wide range of personalities very well. 2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? I pretty much liked it all, so there was no part that stood out particularly, but what I would say is that I didn't feel there was much increase in the pace of the narrative towards the end of the book. In this style of adventure, I would have expected the author to increase the amount of action and suspense as the book progressed, so that you would be galloping towards the denouement to find out what would become of the Musketeers, but I personally didn't feel that at all. There was only one minor quibble for me, and that was the epilogue, which I felt was unnecessary and an unworthy end to the characters, who we'd spent so long investing in, to have a couple of short pages summoning up their stories. I would have been just as happy to have left it at the end of the last full chapter. I liked the technique the author employed to occasionally talk directly to the reader, as if he was a narrator verbally telling the story, as it made it feel very inclusive, and drew you into the story even more. 3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? It was certainly the first book I've read by Dumas, and as proposed earlier in the thread, I will be on the look out for The Count of Monte Cristo. It had always been on my radar, although never quite made it onto my wishlist, but I will definitely add it now. 4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? I did get a little bit frustrated with the fives days of the imprisonment, which although really delved into the character of Lady de Winter, felt just a little too long. 5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Yes, definitely enjoyable, and a surprisingly fast read for the length and language of the book.

I don't set myself a time limit, but I do think how long it might take me to read, so for example, I started The Three Musketeers on Wednesday, and I realised that at 675 pages, and being a classic, the style of the language can sometimes take longer to read and comprehend, so I was thinking I'd probably finish it by the end of Sunday. If it takes less or more time, it won't bother me, but I sort of set it as a target, so I know when I'm going to be moving on to my next book. My inspiration to keep going with a book, is to have the next book I'm going to read waiting for me. That way, if I'm struggling with something, or I'm not enjoying a book, I can think to myself to keep going because I've got something to look forward to next, or if it's really not grabbing my attention or I have a strong dislike to a book, then I'll stop reading it, and move on to my next book.

Woohoo! Another convert Welcome to the club, Charm. Agree with everything about the writing, and I think everyone's right about the addiction aspect ... I've always said they're intoxicating!

I've not seen them anywhere other than my library (including on the BBC website - they don't seem to mention them anywhere). I can only suggest you try your local library.

I read it a couple of years ago, but I'll keep my opinions to myself until after you've finished it

I've recently been given a selection of postcards the BBC have produced to promote their poetry season, which have a few lines of verse and a lovely graphic design on the front, with either the full poem or an extract from it on the back. Although I freely admit I know nothing about poetry, the postcards are beautiful, and make great bookmarks!

Hi Tim, noticed that one of your favourite is Augustus by Allan Massie. I'm not a particular fan of historical fiction, but I read this about 20 years ago, and still remember it (and remember needing a dictionary to accompany it to help with words outside my vocabulary at the time!). I'd always intended to read the other two in the series, but had let it slip my memory, which you've now jogged, so they've been added to my wishlist!

I read Arthur & George last year and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I hope you both do as well! It was really interesting and it's made me curious about Conan Doyle's writing, so I'll be looking to invest in some of his books in the future.

No rush! I was just curious, as it's the first reading circle I've joined, and I wondered if anyone else was joining in. I was lucky in that I finished a book at the end of June, so I was able to start at the beginning of July.

Just out of curiosity ... is anyone else reading it this month for the reading circle?

Not That Kind Of Girl - Catherine Alliot

It's strange but neither amazon or Waterstones have a paperback version online (although amazon does have used copies!)

Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris

I was happy to buy the hardback because I just couldn't wait to read it, but I would like a paperback copy to read when it comes out as I can only read the hardback at home - it's just too heavy to carry around!

Be Near Me - Andrew O'Hagan

Something Rotten - Jasper Fforde

I'm about fifty pages in, and so far it's quite promising (although 675 pages does seem quite daunting!).

Something I've Been Meaning To Tell You - Alice Munro

Hello Fi

Brilliant! Thanks, ScarletBella

Yes, definitely, and I think it's because I've joined this forum! Since I starting reading everyone else's reviews, it's increased my appetite for books and have read far more than I'd hoped for this year. Loved reading the Mapp and Lucia series at the beginning of the year, and Jason Webster has now become a firm favourite, along with the Oscar Wilde mysteries. I was disappointed with Two Tractors by Marina Lewycka, after enjoying her first book, and also didn't think The Book Thief was as good as I'd hoped it would be. Oops, yes that's me as well! I'd promised myself I wasn't going to buy any more books until my TBR pile was down to 25, which meant I had to read about 70 books. I've actually read 75 books, and my TBR shelf is still groaning with 65 books on it! Can you spend too much time at BCF? I'm still hoping to get through my TBR shelf, and then hopefully, I'll be able to splurge on all the recommendations I've been making a note of from everyone else's reading lists!

At least I know I'm not going mad. I thought maybe it was me just not being able to find a paperback copy. My favourites in order are: Eclipse Twilight New Moon Breaking Dawn Although, every time I read Twilight, I put it back to the top of the list, and then I get to Eclipse again and that goes back to the top!