Scarlette

These days I just grab a handful of promotional bookmarks at the counter of my local bookstore - they're free and I can throw them away without feeling guilty.

Agreed. No Mills & Boon or historic romances with panting heroines for me. I simply cannot take them seriously. I also dislike chick-lit in general - although I'm open to suggestions - and science-fiction. Authors I will never give another chance are Jackie Collins (she should try using her imagination to come up with something other than filth) and Danielle Steele (I know you love her, gran, but she's a bit over-sentimental for my tastes).

I started Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, today. I'm about 20 pages in at the moment, so it's too soon to post an opinion. I'm having trouble concentrating while reading lately, though... Maybe the ol' Mojo is taking a dip...

Hello and welcome! I love your username. I used to be a morbid hermit myself, but these days I try to be... perky... *shrugs* Others find it entertaining, I think..

We have a new thread already? Wow, I've missed out on a lot, haven't I? Let's see... I've been reading Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, now busy with One, Two, Buckle My Shoe. And I bought today, Train to Triste by Domnica Radulescu and The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. *deep breath*

I finished reading Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott, last week. I loved all the historical info and speculation - a very good read, I highly recommend it! I am now reading Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.

This is an interesting topic. I have to say that Disney's versions of classics have never made me feel cheated out of a more accurate version of the story. I realized very quickly growing up that what Disney had in its colourful, jolly films were lightyears away from, say, the cut-off-her-toes version of Cinderella my gran used to tell me. I love the orginal slightly gruesome versions of Disney's tales, but the musical fluff is greatly entertaining, too.

I badly wanted to read this novel as soon as I learned that Niffenegger has put pen to paper again.... but I think I should rather give it a pass. It doesn't sound very impressive, unfortunately.

I have a very strange desire to read the Harry Potter series, lately. I suppose the hype was bound to catch up with in time. I'll look into this strange inclination on my next visit to the bookstore.

I'm ten chapters into Rebecca Stott's Ghostwalk, now and I'm very impressed. It's a very interesting read, especially since I know very little about alchemy and this book has triggered my interest.

I didn't know she has a new novel out.... *googles* Ooh, and it sounds interesting, I wonder when it will arrive at my local bookstore.

Oh, no... I have this on my TBR pile... I'm continuing with Ghostwalk. Things are getting quite intriguing.

I agree with that, although I am all in favour of a well-placed "muttered", "whispered", etc. In general, though, I prefer dialogue to be as uncomplicated as possible. I feel that if a flowing dialogue is suddenly interrupted by a "said" or "joked", it's distracting. I also feel that punctuation, if well used, can be very effective in describing emotion, etc - why waste paper writing "he exclaimed", when this little guy "!" can do the job for you?

Although I haven't read The Dante Club, I'll throw in my two cents worth of what I do know. I own (the yet to be read) The Poe Shadow - by the same author - and while looking about online for reviews of said novel, I soon came to the realization that I might have bought the wrong novel... What I should have bought is The Dante Club, which according to reviewers is brilliant. I doubt this rambling has helped you in any way at all, though...

I've never owned a record - they were made in "the good old days", so I'm told. But the first CD I ever owned was the soundtrack to Grease. Those summer nights.... *sighs*...

I don't think thick books are really a new thing. There have been many classic epic novels written that look like you need a wheelbarrow to cart them around. We just notice the thicker novels more these days since everything else in general has become so much smaller.

I finished Agatha Christie's After the Funeral this past weekend - another brilliant murder mystery. I am now reading Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott.

Did you not notice Edward's elaborate hair-do? Hair gel doesn't fall from the skies, you know.

We've had a spat with our neighbours about just that. And not only did their dogs do their "business" in our yard, they also tried attacking me in my own yard. Said neighbours also have no fence or wall around their front yard, which means the dogs are free to walk about as they please. I suppose what really bugs me are our neighbours.

Hello, Holly and welcome to the forum. I see that you're currently reading The Cider House Rules - I read that a while ago and loved it (despite the very long chapters).

I've finished Agatha Christie's The Mystery of the Blue Train and am now moving on to After the Funeral - I'm very much in the mood for murder mysteries lately.

If something mentioned in a book - whether it be a place, person, and era, etc - interests me, I'll do a bit of research on the subject. But I don't think I will ever be so influenced by a novel that I'll want to change my lifestyle, I like being me, so I simply won't allow it.