France

Yes, I think he did and he obviously really likes dogs!

Wow! That looks even more alarming than when we get too close to wild boar who are generally shy and stay away - except if something has annoyed them.

The mind boggles a bit! I wonder how they are going to manage to get the science over or if they won't bother to try.

Fairy Tale by Stephen King is a terrific retelling of the old fairy story trope about the young man/prince from far away who saves the kingdom and saves the princess except that in this case our hero is doing it for his dog. Add some distinctly dark elements (this is Stephen King) and you've got a great story. My main caveat is that it's too long in places which made some scenes drag. Stephen King wrote one of the very best books on the craft of writing, one of the things he emphasises is to cut out all extraneous material, advice that he frequently doesn't follow himself. There's far too much back story, some of it repeated - the reader doesn't need to be told once that the school friend who introduced Charlie, the hero, to the books of H P Lovecraft was called Jenny or that she moved to Des Moines at the end of the school year, let alone twice. That said the whole book is so good that the occasional lacunae can easily be overlooked.

As I said earlier the physics got too much for me! I tend to accept worlds in science fiction as I'm not knowledgeable enough to say 'That couldn't be so,' though my daughter who has a degree in chemistry gets very cross about impossibilities!

The Red Notebook by Antione Laurian is very short - as French novels often are, and absolutely enchanting. A woman gets mugged and her bag stolen, next day a bookseller finds a beautiful handbag sitting on a bin with nothing to say whom it might belong to apart from a set a keys and red notebook with daily thoughts scribbled in it. This could have become sickly sweet but doesn't, partly because it is so brief and also because neither Laurent the bookseller or Laure the muggee are needy souls looking for love, they are both content in their own lives. There is one part where Laurent begins to verge on being stalkerish which is creepy but he seems to feel uneasy about that too. All in all, this is a great read if you just want something to lift your spirits.

There are a lot of good books coming out this year, here's just a few: The Mars House - Natasha Pulley The Familiar - Leigh Bardugo Long Island - Colm Toibin The Warm Hands of Ghosts - Katherine Arden (I should think Luna will be falling on this too!) The Last Murder at the End of the World - Stuart Turton The City of Stardust - Georgia Summers The Ministry of Time _ Kaliane Bradley Table for Two - Amor Towles

What type of deer are those MN? They have wonderful ears!

No, they are roe deer and there are loads of them around here.

Yes, I've all of his (my youngest daughter and I hustle each other as to who gets ton read them first!) It's good but not up to Scrublands.

We had this visitor last summer who was definitely not welcome in the garden (though he was rather sweet!).! They do a huge amount of damage

I've just looked out of our window and seen these in the garden (apologies for the poor quality of the photo as it was taken through the window). There were 6 of them. I'm quite happy to have them as lawnmowers but not so keen when they start eating the pansies from the tubs about the house!

I think I've read all of Dorothy L Sayers and don't remember any clues like that. Can you narrow the time period down a bit?

Yes, it wasn't bad but the book was much better, imo!

I so want to read both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame! The paperback of Fourth Wing comes out next month so I might treat myself.

I'm really looking forward to reading this but it's on my Kobo which I lent to someone on my bookgroup so she could read My Sister the Serial Killer. As she's had it for over three weeks now and My Sister is really short I think she must be happily exploring the books I've got on there!

Cover the Bones by Chris Hammer is 99p this month on both Kobo and Kindle. The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurian ditto

Cover the Bones by Chris Hammer is top notch Australian noir. In a small town oasis in the outback a body is found in an irrigation channel. The dead man is a junior member of one of the seven families that have dominated the town since its inception and gradually is becomes apparent that there are secrets that go back a long time. There's an excellent twist that I really didn't see coming. Don't read Chris Hammer's notes to the background to the story until after you've finished because it points to at least one of the murders. Highly recommended and it's 99p on both Kindle and Kobo this month so snatch it up!

I've had a run of really good reads which makes a nice change! The Secret Hours by Mick Herron. This was listed by a couple of book bloggers whom I generally trust as one of their books of 2023 so despite thinking I didn't like Mick Herron I gave it a try. It's a spy caper going between 1990's Berlin and a modern day committee set up to examine just how much the secret service oversteps the mark. I loved it, it's not faultless, but it's funny, zips along, keeps you guessing though any fans of Boris had better not read it or they'll get an apoplexy - I should think Mick Herron''s publishers libel lawyers went over the manuscript with a fine comb. I'll definitely be reading more of his books.

That sounds really good, just what I enjoy.

Walking on eggshells Rags to riches Cherry on the cake

Wear your heart on your sleeve

David Monteath is a superb narrator and has the most delicious Scottish accent!

Top three classics as in the best you've ever read or classics you'd be happy to read again or already have? Dracula, War and Peace and The Three Musketeers are definitely up in the best stories I've read but I have no inclination to pick them up again. But these I'd be happy to read again, (in fact Bleak House is the only one I haven't). Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen Persuasion - Jane again Bleak House - Charles Dickens