France

Navy blue eyes are such a cliche too! Just like violet eyes which often pop up in romantic fiction. And I've never seen anyone with eyes of either colour unless they're wearing coloured contacts.

I'm particularly fond of the luggage. I've always found Terry Pratchett a bit uneven, I started with The Colour of Magic when it came out and have read most of his books, some of them are very, very good indeed (like these two, the ones with the witches, the one with the vampires), others like Going Postal I thought dragged on a bit.

This is our new friend Ragnar (Rags to his friends) whom we adopted a couple of months ago. Strangely enough it turns out he's the 5 X great-grandson of our Jez whom we adopted in 2001! We needn't have worried about how Dino, our senior Spotty would react, there was an instant Bromance and they adore each other, Your Ball, No, it's My Ball is the very best game!

As I've never studied it I'm not sure but the reasoning behind it being in the curriculum for everyone, including the scientists, is that it teaches critical thinking.

I would disagree with you utterly about the lack of need to teach literature or history Kev (my daughters all did bacs here in France so i do know a little about them). We need to go on teaching literature because no matter what is in bookshops or libraries children or young adults are not likely to go far out of their comfort zone if they aren't guided. How many people would bother to read Shakespeare or go to one of his plays if they hadn't been introduced to it in class? Yes, it leaves loads of people cold but there's also a lot who have had their horizons broadened by a decent teacher. Also, middle class children might not suffer much if they aren't taught literature, their parents can introduce them to authors and can afford buy them books (libraries aren't what they used to be) but what about those who grow up where there are practically no books with no encouragement to read? Likewise with history, it's not the battles that are so important as knowing the events and attitudes that shaped them. Particularly in the country that you're living in. The present becomes a bit of a vacuum when you don't know how you got to this point. The whole point of the bac is that you get a broad spectrum of education with a certain amount of specialisation depending on wich bac you're doing (here you do more Science and maths if you're doing the science bac) and everyone studies Philosophy!

We read this for our book group an few months ago, one of our members is French, married to a Scot and they split their time between here and where he comes from near Inverness. She said this book has had a huge effect on their Scots friends who feel that the book encapsulates what it means to be Scots, both the quixotic yearning and the pragmatism of getting on and living a life. It isn't surprising she knows how to tell a good story - it's in the genes, Alistair Maclean was her uncle.

I've been forgetting to post mine! Here gooes - The Last Murder at the End of the Word -Stuart Turton (terrific!) The Cautious Traveler's Guide to the Wastelands - Sarah Brooksn (I really enjoyed this though I don't think it's everyone's cup of tea) Killing with Confetti - Peter Lovesey (As ever, a smooth enjoyable read) One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson, (Just as good second time round, especially as I'd forgotten the very last surprise.

That's what prompted me to do some re-reading!

A lot of the books I read fall loosely into this category! I'm near the end of One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson which describes itself on the cover as a 'Jolly Murder Mystery'. I read when it first came out (nearly 20 years ago) and am happy to say that it's every bit as enjoyable the second time around - good writing usually is.

Have they ever discovered dead badger? That takes truly disgusting smell onto another level.

I knit but can't get my head around crochet at all.

I'm not sure that I'd necessarily compare Barbara Pym to either Jane Austen or EH Benson apart from happily re-readiing all three of them when I need a comfort read. I've introduced Barbara Pym to several people and the usual reaction is "Why haven't I read her before?" and "Have you got any of her books for me to borrow?" which is why I can no longer find my copy of Excellent Women.

Apart from the sex scenes - too many, far too,detailed! Everyone I know who has read the book agrees even though they loved everything else about it.

I enjoyed the Thursday Murder Club too MN! Shin, I was absent from the form for about 12 years I think, it was s nice that it was still here when I came looking! I've only tried one Karin Slaughter and it was so gory that I've never been able to read another but Fourth Wing is terrific (my daughters adored it too).

Currently reading Clara Reads Proust by Stéphane Calier simply because I couldn't resist the title! Enjoying it too.

Me too. Doesn't stop me adding to it though!

And what's wrong with that?

I'm enjoying it a lot, I've worked out some of what is causing the strangeness but not all.

Oh terrific!

I couldn't agree with you more! I learnt so much and it's so enticingly written - my one frustration was that I had it on my Kobo (an impulse buy because it was 99p and looked "quite interesting" which shows why buying ebooks on a whim can be a good thing) and I had to keep on stopping to look up the pictures she was writing about on my phone. I'm definitely going too buy a proper copy to savour.

The Mars House by Natasha Pulley. Oh what a dire, dragging disappointment this was! I loved Natasha Pulley's first books where she delves into a slightly whimsical alternative world; her last one which was based on Russian nuclear experimentation in the 60's less so but it was still enjoyably off beat in places and the characterisation was great. The Mars House is set in the future with a Chinese colony on Mars and Earth gradually being destroyed by climate change and a war between America and Russia. January, a ballet dancer, leaves behind flooded London to go to Mars as a refugee where as an immigrant he does the menial jobs that the native inhabitants of Mars don't do. The earth immigrants have grown up in a far more powerful gravity than the Martians so are much stronger - dangerously so and can inadvertantly cause serious injury. The only only way Earth refugees can become actual citizens is by having a highly dangerous procedure to make then less muscular so so less lethal which can cripple them and certainly shortens their lives. Citizens are gender neutral while "Earthstrongers" have gender specific pronouns. There is a movement among Martians to force all Earthstrongers to have the procedure whether they want it or not... Goodness it all got tedious. She says in her acknowledgements that her London publisher refused to take the book and I'm not surprised. What does surprise me is that she found another one to take it.

I'm currently reading The Cautious Traveler's Guide to the Wastelands which is fantasy/alternative history and most definitely weird and quite mysterious too so I think it counts! I like the look of The Retreat and I also have Stuart Turton so I think that's me sorted!

Oh dear! I've got this and am planning to start it fairly soon.

One of my favourite books of last year. I recommended it to my book group and one member said she thought it was bland! Not sure she'd read the same book as the rest of us!

A mayor in Normandy has issued a decree that there is to be no more rain. He's also ordered all the local priests to intercede with God and send prayers upwards.