generalkala

Mine is about 70/30 for fiction and non-fiction respectively. All my non-fiction is based around the same topics too - Elizabeth I, the Tudors, Oscar Wilde or the development of literature. My fiction is a much wider mix!

I refuse to read the 'I was abused as a child and now I want to make some money off it' books as well. I just don't understand why someone would want to write a book of it. I usually stubbornly avoid chick lit. I'll read it if it's a little different to the millions of titles out there, but otherwise I don't bother.

Oh, good thread idea. My pet peeve is when a character is described using a reflection. Eg - 'Hanna looked in the mirror. A blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl of about medium height stared back.' You know what I mean.

What a brilliant idea! So different from the usual challenges. I've learnt a lot from this thread too.

I can give up on it eventually, but it takes an effort! If it's not what I expected or I just don't like it, I will always finish it. If I absolutely detest it, then I'll give up.

You're probably right about it being the publisher, but it doesn't make it less annoying for me! Thing is, I can't leave a part of a book unread. I have to read the full thing - interviews, forewords and all. I do quite like the author interviews though.

Am I the only one it annoys when authors add a section in the back of their book that comprises possible questions for book clubs to discuss? I just read The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. I really enjoyed it, but it just seems like writing their own questions is a form of arrogance, like assuming their book is so good that every book club in the world will want to discuss it. Argh.

I'm a 15 year old German boy who's sleeping with an older woman who helped him when he was ill. I'm really curious about some of the above books now!

It depends on the book. If it's an amazing book that I'm loving, I can whip through it in about half a day. If it's not that good, probably a few days. It also depends how much Uni work I have to get through too!

I have no idea who I am! All I know is that I'm a 15 year old girl who talks to a little stick thing called Pick. I'm only three pages in, so excuse the identity crisis

The Kaiser nodded. 'That must be the epitome of your Waffen SS culture, what you all aspire to. It is the kind of action that wrests victory from the impossible and the effect on the morale of your enemies spreads wider than any individual action.' The Kaiser's Last Kiss - Alan Judd

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 6 The Bible - 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 8 1984 - George Orwell 9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman 10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens 11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott 12 Tess of the D

Hmm. This is on my Wishlist but after reading all the scathing comments here, I think I might borrow a copy from someone instead of buying it. To be perfectly honest, I never even knew what it was about, I just thought I should read it. Ack. Oh well, if I don't like it, I don't have to finish it

I've read it. Not to deter you or anything, but I wasn't overly fond of it. I mean, it's readable and whatnot, it's just not one of my favoured classics. I just found that the plot jumped all over the place and I hated every single one of the characters.

I go randomly, unless I'm reading a series. Then I go through the series in order, as I have to read them all in one go. I'd go crazy if I read them oldest first - I find that the longer I leave them, the more they lose their appeal!

This is a tough one! In no particular order, mine would have to be - Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde

I know it's a bit weird, but my favourite place to read is on a train. When I read at home, I'm constantly thinking of other things I shouldbe doing - like cleaning or studying. On a train, there's nothing else I could be doing so I can just relax and enjoy my book. Does that make any sense?

I used to take notes on every book I read in a little notebook especially for that purpose. I don't know why, but I've stopped. I might start again though - it's good fun to look through and see what you thought of a book the last time you read it!

I've been putting off reading Helen of Troy by Margaret George for a good while now. It looks like a really good book, but it's so long and the font is tiny. There's Emma by Jane Austen as well. I've read the rest and loved them all, but this one just doesn't look as good so I've been avoiding it a bit.

Weirdly enough, I just finished reading this yesterday. I didn't expect to like it because I've always shied away from Charles Dickens, but I adored it. I cried at the end, and that's always the sign of a good book It's definitely one of my all-time favourite books now.

Morning all! I'm new here, but this seemed a pretty good place to start posting, so here we go. I chose these because they've all changed the way I think or the way I see things. 1) A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens 2) The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde 3) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 4) Twilight - Stephanie Meyer 5) My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult