chesilbeach

I think I've still got a few of the Mallory Towers books somewhere, although at least one of them has a broken spine and pages falling out, if I remember rightly. I'm going to have to have a look for them, and see if I can get the missing ones and replacements for the one(s) that is falling apart, as I'd like to read them again.

I'm so glad you're enjoying it. I would heartily recommend Quartet In Autumn by the same author, although it is slightly more melancholy and poignant in tone.

Well, if we're talking Persephone Books, then can I also recommend Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson. A completely joyous book.

Looks like I'm in the minority then ...

I hope the mods don't mind this off-topic, but sort of related, post in this thread, but I've always been curious about the role of an editor in the publishing of books today, and as Maggie has commented about agents and editors feeling their readers dislike prologues, and I came across a blog entry on the Guardian website relating to an award for the unsung editors. One of the comments to the post is from an editor, and I was intrigued to see him say this: Trying to get back on topic, I wonder if it is the agent/editor who think the prologue is disliked by readers, or whether their experience of trying to represent books with prologues to the marketing/publishing departments is that they don't like them. I don't think I've ever come across anyone as a reader, who has specifically said they don't like a prologue in a book. I've been going to my library reading group for over three years now, and discussed probably 50 or so books, and I don't think the issue of a prologue has ever come up. I think we may have once discussed the inclusion of an epilogue which was felt unnecessary, but I can't remember a single comment about a prologue.

Thanks, it's going well so far! (60 pages in)

Count me ... out The Da Vinci Code was dreadful, so badly written it almost made Twilight look like a masterpiece! Thankfully, I had to read it for my library reading group, so I didn't have to pay any of my own money for it, but that did mean I had to read it all to be able to talk about it fully

I finished re-reading Chocolat this afternoon, and I was pleased to find out it was just as enjoyable an experience as the first time I read it. Having seen the film far too many times, it also meant I'd actually forgotten a lot of the details of the plot and what happened to the various characters. I love the way the story of the priest develops throughout the book, in fact, I think the development of all the characters is well done. I particularly like that there are some things that are never fully resolved and left for the reader to make up their own mind about.

I've always wanted to read Moste Potente Potions (where Hermione found the Polyjuice potion). Years ago, I was doing an Harry Potter quiz and someone thought they would catch me out with a tricky question, asking which book Hermione found the Polyjuice potion in, and because I'd listened to HP books on CD read by Stephen Fry, I'd absorbed this piece of info by osmosis. It's always stayed with me since then, and I've wanted to read the whole book to see what else can be achieved with the use of the strongest potions available to the magical world.

I'm curious to know whether they only object when the author actually calls it a prologue? I've seen some books, for example, where the prologue is simply headed with a date or a year, then when it switches to the next section of the book, it starts with another date or year, or is titled PART ONE, or something similar (sorry if I'm rambling, but I'm finding it difficult to explain!). Would editors and agents also class that as a prologue and have the same objections? Either way, I always read a prologue, and it certainly doesn't bother me it there is one in a book. I'm more often bothered by an epilogue, which I sometimes think are unnecessary, but authors (or maybe even editors/agents) think are required in order to tie up loose ends they haven't managed, or haven't needed, to finish within the main body of the story, but even then, I would still always read them.

Looking at my bookshelves, I've just remembered another one of my favourites, Mary Wesley. Jumping The Queue was the first book I read by her, and it's a great read, and is about a recently widowed woman. Quite a few of her books tell the story of women either when they're older and looking back at their early adulthood, or tell of their entire life, rather than just concentrating on one particular episode.

We came on the wind of the carnival. Chocolat by Joanne Harris

I've learned to accept it as a completely different entity to the book, and I'm quite happy to watch it as a diversion on a wet, wintry Sunday afternoon! I know, I can't believe how quickly the time goes! Found my original first edition copy on the bookshelf this morning, and I'm about 80 pages in so far, and I'm enjoying it as much as the first time I read it. I'd forgotten how menacing Monsieur le Cur

Yes, I read Elegance and liked it, and also her second book Innocence (particularly swayed into buying by the cover design in both cases!). The Flirt is an entertaining book, I particularly liked the idea of a company providing a service of professional flirting, which was quite unique. There are more characters and plot threads than I remember in her other books, so it kept the story rattling along quite nicely. A good, entertaining read, and still love the cover designs!

I finally gave up on Night Train to Lisbon last week, after reading about 100 pages over the Easter weekend, I just couldn't find any sympathy or empathy with the main character. I skipped forward about 50 pages, then another 100 pages, and eventually looked at one of the last chapters, and even at this point I felt that I was still following the story and couldn't find anything to interest me in carrying on, so I decided to give up. This dampened my reading mood, as I hate giving up on a book, but it really made me annoyed with myself for wasting over a week on a book I wasn't enjoying. However, normal service has now been restored, as I've just finished the fantastic Spirit Walker by Michelle Paver. The second in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, I am completely entranced by these books. I think Paver uses language in a brilliant way to make distinctive voices for the characters and to evoke a sense of time and place. On top of that, they're thrilling adventures, full of excitement and peril. I know they're children's books, but I think they are great reads. It was my library reading group this week, and we've just got one book for next month, The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris. This is the follow up to Chocolat which I read in hardback when it first came out 10 years ago, so I'm going to re-read it before starting The Lollipop Shoes, just to properly remind myself of the story (as I've seen the film adaptation way too many times, and I know it has significant differences to the book, and I don't want to be swayed by that, no matter how much I love Johnny Depp).

I loved this book as well. Has anyone read the follow up, Small Steps? It picks up the story of Armpit and X-Ray two years after leaving Camp Green Lake. Although I enjoyed it, I didn't have the same emotional connection to the story as I did with Holes, and I wondered what anyone else thought?

I'm not sure if she's published in the US, but I would definitely recommend Mavis Cheek. I've only read three of her books, but all of them have followed the story of the older woman, and have been very enjoyable reads. I intend to catch up with the rest of her books as well, but I started with Mrs. Fytton's Country Life, and I've also read Pause Between Acts and Three Men On A Plane. You can find out more about these and her other books at http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/mavis-cheek/

I would be absolutely lost without my local library. Not only am I a member of the reading group which meets monthly - more or less the only chance I get to talk face to face with other people about books - but I also rely on it for audio books on CD for my Dad. When he's in the house on his own, he often gets fed up with television, but is quite happy to listen to a book. He prefers the unabridged versions, and gets through about 3 each month, and the library charges

Personally, I can't justify the spend on one of the specialist e-book readers, and having only seen the one Waterstone's sell, I wasn't particularly impressed. Plus, I love the look, feel, smell and emotional attachment of a real book. Having said that, I can see the benefits of having an e-reader of some sort, particularly for holidays and travelling. I know when we go on holiday for a week, I usually take at least 10 books, so an e-reader would certainly save space in the boot of the car!

Hi Maggie, welcome to the forum.

Hi Dreamyflo. Yes, I read it when it came out, and thought it was a lovely, charming read. There is already a thread about it, with other reviews on it here

Hi Maggie - welcome to the forum! I've never actually read Joanna Trollope, but from the information I've read, I would consider her to be part of the chick-lit/women's fiction section, and I would definitely say Elizabeth Buchan is as well. I've read a couple of Jodi Picoult, and I think they're probably more often included in the general fiction area, because they don't have a specific female appeal, especially with regards to the crime and courtroom scenarios in the ones I've read. My feeling for the forum so far, is that it isn't so strictly moderated that threads about specific authors or books would be moved, unless there was a general consensus that they would be more appropriate in a specific genre, or if there was already a thread in a different board already dealing with the same author/book. I think that it's an issue with covers designed specifically to a targeted market, such as chick-lit, and it can be difficult to then get men to even pick up the books to look at, let alone read a book marketed in this way, no matter how good the writing or if the subject might have a broader appeal. The Jodi Picoult cover designs I've seen tend not to be pink or too feminine, so that would account for the male readership, and the inclusion in the general fiction section as well.

I'm so glad you enjoyed Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders. I've read the second book in the series (without realising it was the second!) and thoroughly enjoyed it, and I definitely want to read this one as well. When I start buying books again, it will be at the very top of my list. Arthur Conan Doyle is a recurring character in the books, and if you're interested in finding out more about him, I would recommend Arthur & George by Julian Barnes. On the premise of being a fictionalised retelling of his involvement in a real life criminal case featuring the other title character, George, it is an affectionate look at his life without being a stuffy, strictly factual biography. I read it at my book group, and thought it was completely captivating, particularly knowing it was based on a real crime (and a rather odd one at that).

Have you read any other Barbara Pym books? I read them all about 15 years ago, and then re-read Quartet in Autumn last year. I think she was a wonderful writer and very underrated, so I'll be interested to see what you think about this book.

The auroch appears quite suddenly from the trees on the other side of the stream. Spirit Walker by Michelle Paver