Lucybird

I always say the boyfriend lives in Newcastle but actually he lives just outside so yes he's ok.

The Book of Unholy Mischief- Elle Newmark Synopsis (from Amazon) It is 1498, and the whole of Venice is abuzz. Hidden somewhere in the labyrinthine city is an ancient book, rumored to contain thorny heresies and secrets of immeasurable power. Luciano, a penniless orphan, has been plucked from the street and taken on as apprentice to the chef at the doge's palace. While learning the alchemy of cooking, he quickly finds himself entangled in the search for the ancient tome, even suspecting the chef, his maestro, may be concealing valuable information. But lurking in the wings are some of the most powerful, dangerous men in Venice, and Luciano's secret will lead him through a perilous maze to the center of an intrigue that will test his deepest desires and loyalties. Review I did enjoy this book, it was quite well written and the idea was good (if a little Dan Brownesque) . It was kind of slow though, it was intriguing enough to keep you going, and peppered with enough action type moments to keep you going to the next one, but at the end it felt like all the action had been crammed into a small section. Personally I don't like all action type books, they seem to lack substance, and I can't say this did that, so although it did go slow that was ok. I wouldn't say I would recommend this book specifically but maybe if it was an option that someone was thinking of buying I'd tell them it was enjoyable. 3.5/5

I really enjoyed The Secret Scripture. Sue. Finished The Book of Unholy Mischief yesterday, and started The Path to the Lake.

Series 2 (New) Dr Who disk 2. David Tennant's first series.

I got into it thanks to the reruns on E4 too, when I was stuck at home with a broken leg and nothing to do.

*wikis* Well at least he's not as old as Hugh Grant, doesn't seem so wrong...

I just got tennant's first series on dvd and am really enjoying it. He is my favourite Doctor.

That was fantastic! And very clever. Generally though I didn't think this series matched up to the Tennant series, and although I had no specific problems with Matt Smith's Doctor he wasn't anything special either.

I am so at the BBC messing round with schedules. I missed Dr Who yesterday and just went to watch it at its normal spot on BBC3 only to find out that this week it's not on till Friday I can't wait that long, off to watch it on iplayer.

Oh I forgot Wicked 3.5

I need to get my hands on The Dirt, I had a quick look in Waterstones and couldn't spot it, it is on Amazon though, but I'd rather borrow it than buy really.

Sounds like you enjoyed this more than me Poppy. I haven't read The Wizard of Oz either, just seen the film, but I did start it once and couldn't get into it.

Yes that goal was definitely past the line *shakes fist* More of our players sand the national anthem than German players sang theirs.

That's a bit more like it!

oh no!!!

A Matter of Death and Life- Andrey Kurkov Synopsis (from Amazon) Marital troubles? Sick of life? Suicide the answer? Why not get yourself a contract killer? Nothing easier, provided you communicate only by phone and box number. You give him your photograph, specify when and where to find you, then sit back and prepare to die. Murdered, you will be of greater interest than ever you were in life. More to him than met the eye will be the judgment. A mysterious killing lives long in the popular memory. Our hero meticulously plans his own demise, except for one detail: what if he suddenly decides he wants to live? This darkly funny tale is Kurkov on top form. Review Having read Death and the Penguin and Penguin Lost in the past I just couldn't resist this book when I spotted it. And I wasn't disappointed. It was certainly on par with Death and the Penguin, possibly even better. It made me chuckle in quite a few places I really liked the main character (and narrator) and felt he could be real. Comparing this suicidal man to the woman in The Bell Jar there were actually quite similar in ways but the tone of this book was completely different and a bit of light relief. It's interesting to see how two different authors can deal with the same subject in different ways. Great book. 4.5/5

Almost sounds like Junk...except the guy in that was called Tar...

Ooops I forgot about that. The Bell Jar 4.5/5 The Complete Polysylabbic Spree- 4.5/5

Pixie that was a beautiful review. (I know you were worried about writing one but that was lovely).

Finished A Matter of Death and Life this morning and started The book of Unholy Mischief- Elle Newman on the bus.

Have now started A Matter of Death and Life- Andrey Kurkov

I will Kate, shall have to get it from the library myself.

Oh do, it's well worth it!

Have now finished The Bell Jar. I really enjoyed it (if enjoyed is the right word) and the writing was amazing. I've put a review up on my blog and my thread.

The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath Synopsis (from Amazon) Esther Greenwood is at college and is fighting two battles, one against her own desire for perfection in all things - grades, boyfriend, looks, career - and the other against remorseless mental illness. As her depression deepens she finds herself encased in it, bell-jarred away from the rest of the world. This is the story of her journey back into reality. Highly readable, witty and disturbing, The Bell Jar is Sylvia Plath's only novel and was originally published under a pseudonym in 1963. What it has to say about what women expect of themselves, and what society expects of women, is as sharply relevant today as it has always been. Review. This book was really beautifully written, almost poetic. I felt I could really see into Esther's mind, or almost like I was her. It was really clever in that I didn't really feel sympathetic for her because she was so matter of fact about it, it was like I didn't feel I should give her sympathy I found some parts fascinating but they were also quite hard to read. I liked how the story was open ended and that the reader could almost pick what happened in the end. 4.5/5