ladymacbeth

I'm a die hard Twilight fan and still didn't think much of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.

That looks like a great book.

I love Johnathan Strange and Mr Norell. Awesome book - hope you enjoy it.

Baby Macbeth is due in 2 weeks and reading has slowed down. Recent books I have read: The Thirteenth tale by Diane Setterfield Synopsis from Fantastic Fiction: Vida Winter, a bestselling yet reclusive novelist, has created many outlandish life histories for herself, all of them invention. Now old and ailing, at last she wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. Her letter to biographer Margaret Lea - a woman with secrets of her own - is a summons. Vida's tale is one of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family: the beautiful and wilful Isabelle and the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline. Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida's storytelling, but as a biographer she deals in fact not fiction and she doesn't trust Vida's account. As she begins her researches, two parallel stories unfold. Join Margaret as she begins her journey to the truth - hers, as well as Vida's. This was a fantastic read. The book follows the biographer Margaret who is writing Vida's life story and it's a goodie! There was enough foreshadowing so that I was dying to know how Vida's story worked out but the author expertly managed to keep the suspense up making the book a real page turner. I did not spot the twists and turns coming until the last minute. Margaret's feelings about her own background and her puzzlement over where Vida's story was going added to the suspense. I highly recommend this story. 5 out of 5 stars. Daylight by Elizabeth Knox Synopsis from Fantastic Fiction Brian 'Bad' Phelan, a New Zealand policeman and bomb disposal expert, likes to live dangerously. Bad is an expert climber and caver and, while on vacation on the French/Italian border, he helps bring a body out of a rocky, wave-swept cove. Curiously, the dead woman bears striking similarities to a young woman he met years ago, shortly before she disappeared in a flooded French cave. Haunted by the strange connection, Bad is compelled to investigate. In following a series of increasingly eerie leads, Bad learns the story of the Blessed Martine Raimondi, a World War II resistance heroine and martyred nun. He also meets Eve Moskelute, the beautiful widow of a celebrated French artist; Daniel Octave, a Canadian Jesuit who investigates miracles; and most surprisingly, Dawn Moskelute, Eve's twin sister, who just may be a vampire. Sensuous and heavenly, Daylight combines Elizabeth Knox's greatest gifts: her wildly imaginative storytelling and her clear eye for atmosphere and place. Daylight is set in one of the most beautiful regions on Earth, from the unspoiled beauty of the Cinque Terre to the antiquities of Avignon, yet much of the action takes place in a world the tourist never sees, a world of caves and secret passages, of hidden cloisters and the rooms behind doors in the vaulted tunnels of medieval streets. It is in this 'world beneath the world' that Bad Phelan finds himself face to face with history and myth, with phantoms whose hearts are still beating, and hungry, and able to break. This is a vampire book for adults without the romanticised "good vampire" ideal of Twilight and other young adult titles. In fact the vampires are pretty human, some good, some bad with the same flaws as most of us. The book follows a priest Daniel Octave - he has investigated the late Martine Raimondi's miracles and claim to sainthood. He begins to doubt his recommendation for sainthood as he finds out more, something strange seems to be going on in this story. He starts to find himself at risk the more he investigates. The second character followed through the book is Brian Phelan who stumbles on knowledge of the vampire Dawn. The two men do meet in the book but really their stories are completely separate. The subject matter was interesting but I did become a bit sick of reading midway through the book as I couldn't really see where the story was going. I had no sense of tension in what was going to happen to the characters and the arc to the story was really unclear. Even at the end of the book I felt a bit let down. A feeling of "is that all that was about". This is a shame as I have read other books of Elizabeth Knox's which I thought were brilliant (The Rainbow Opera and Dreamquake) and The Vintner's Luck and then this book and Black Oxen had the same meandering problem where I lost interest. I'm not sure whether I want to read any more books by the same author. Probably not I'm sad to say. 2 out of 5.

Sounds excellent lauraloves. I will have a read if I see the book around.

Blood Feud sounds good. Can I say I hate the cover art. The girls' hips are narrower than her shoulders - the proportions are just wrong. I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover but honestly I wouldn't buy the book for only that reason.

Has anyone read any other of Emma Donoghue's books? I looked her up online and Slammerkin looked interesting.

Oh I think Weave will really like it. I think I read it when I wasn't in the right mood.

I finally got round to buying this and reading it. I'm in the same boat as Chesil - Not quite as enamoured of Matthew as everyone else.

50 Ways to Find a Lover by Lucy-Anne Holmes "I feel like a failure. It's now been 351 days since I had sex. That's a carnal drought. If Bob Geldof knew about it he'd hold a concert." Sarah Sargeant has been single for three years and nine months. She has just spent five months plucking up the courage to ask out a balding man with a paunch who works in her local pub. The gentleman in question informed her that he would rather stay in and watch the "Narnia" movie on DVD. Her pride has not just been bruised, it's been disembowelled. And she vows it's the last time she will ever reach out to a member of the opposite sex. But her family and friends have other ideas. They enter her into a reality TV show against her will, persuade her to go speed dating and even more radically, they encourage her to start a blog. Suddenly Sarah Sargeant is on a mission. A mission to explore 50 ways to find a lover. Blurb from Fantastic Fiction I got this book out of the library while looking for easy, happy reads. It is definitely one of those. And the romance was believable - the main character did not date any complete 'ooh, that's rude'. Hooray. 3 out of 5 stars.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness When historian Diana Bishop opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library it represents an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from a long line of witches, she is determined to remain untouched by her family’s legacy. She banishes the manuscript to the stacks, but Diana finds it impossible to hold the world of magic at bay any longer. For witches are not the only otherworldly creatures living alongside humans. There are also creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires who become interested in the witch’s discovery. They believe that the manuscript contains important clues about the past and the future, and want to know how Diana Bishop has been able to get her hands on the elusive volume. Chief among the creatures who gather around Diana is vampire Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist with a passion for Darwin. Together, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the manuscript’s secrets. But the relationship that develops between the ages-old vampire and the spellbound witch threatens to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between creatures and humans—and will certainly transform Diana’s world as well. Blurb from Deborah Harkness' website. I read this book as a result of excellent feedback which it got on this forum. I thought it was well written and the characters engaging. It's definitely one of the best books I have read in the supernatural romance category which I've been heavily reading this year. Despite all the things I liked about the book I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have expected. A common theme I find amongst these sorts of books are the two main characters often seem massively attracted to each other and fall into a relationship with no particularly good reason. And often despite obstacles that make the characters somewhat unlikeable. For instance Matthew Clermont is a vampire and which I think makes him slightly unsuitable dating material. Admittedly people have levelled the same charge against other series which I have really enjoyed eg Twilight. I do wonder if I am just getting romance fatigue. I still have alot of chick-lit and supernatural romance type books on my TBR but I really do intend to try branching out a bit in terms of genre to see if I can shake off this scepticism. 3.5 out of 5.

I wonder when I will stop "Settling In". 2 years and 395 posts has not been long enough. Oh well.

CIRCUS OF THE DAMNED by Laurell K Hamilton I won't include a blurb as this is 3rd in a series so it is likely it would only be read by those who already read the first 2 books. This didn't grip me as much as the 2nd book in the series. For some reason the books always leave me with a slightly icky feeling like I've touched something dirty. However when I am back in the Anita Blake mood I will pick up the 4th book. 2.5 out of 5.

Sounds excellent Chesil. Definitely on my wishlist - I tried to order it through the library but they haven't got it in yet. If I see it on special I will buy it.

Yeah I only got through 2/3 of the God Delusion. To be honest I am a christian and just read the book to see what the fuss was about. The arguments in it didn't really wash with me so eventually I felt I had read enough.

I started Robinson Crusoe when I was a keen teenager but found it so dull after 2-3 chapters I gave up. However I loved 1984 which I read recently. The psychological element really got me going - there was no horror or overt gore but I still found it one of the scariest reads of my life.

Happy birthday! Hope the books are good.

Thanks for the recommendation Bobblybear.

Echo I have read this thread before but only just commenting - congratulations on finishing college!!!!!! It is very liberating to have freedom to read what you want and time to do it. I remember my first 3 years at university I didn't pick up anything except a textbook. I haven't read anything on your TBR list sorry but I see you gave The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 5 stars so I might need to read this one eventually.

Holy moly. It has been awhile since I updated here and I've read 10 more books. I've been keeping my book list up to date. But I haven't written about any of the books I've read. Just for my own sake I'd like to give them a rating at least. I don't think I can be bothered going into much detail. I've been reading quite quickly as I'm off on maternity leave, have been quite sick hence taking maternity leave early and am waiting for Baby Macbeth to make an appearance although he/she is not due for another month. Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters A sequel to Generation Dead which I read earlier this year and thought was brilliant. The book is about teenage zombies in America and their struggles to fit back into society after they come back to life. This book follows the group of zombie and normal friends from the first book. In the original alot of my focus was on the social situation the zombies found themselves in and the prejudice they met with. This book is more about relationships between live and undead friends. I didn't enjoy it quite as much but there is a 3rd book which I will grab some time in the future. 2.5 out of 5 Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning This is the last book in a series about MacKayla Lane, a young woman who travels to Ireland to find out what happened to her dead sister. She discovers she is a sidhe seer - a person who can see the fae. By this stage in the series the future of the world is at risk as the Unseelie or dark fae have broken free of their prison. MacKayla is tracking the Sinsar Dubh, a living book created by the evil fae king, which contains information to save the world. Unfortunately MacKayla has managed to kill the main person who was helping her Jericho Barrons. OK so the descriptions of fantasy novels always sounds ridiculous as a blurb. However this is a well thought out series, with an understandable plot, a few surprises along the way and this book wraps things up very nicely as an ending. For some reason I had kind of gone off the series though prior to reading it. I think things got rather dark and dire for a while and a happy ending didn't look in sight and this put me off. I would still recommend this for people who like the whole supernatural fantasy scene even though my interest waned after the first 3 books. 2.5 out of 5. Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker An autobiography of John Douglas and how he came to be involved in the genesis of the criminal profiling unit of the FBI. A very interesting read particularly the accounts of profiling famous serial killers and how they then matched their profile once caught. I forget who in the forum recommended this book but I thoroughly enjoyed it. 3.5 out of 5 The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K Hamilton An Anita Blake Vampire hunter novel. For some reason I never enjoyed the first book in the series Guilty Pleasures and thought I would give the whole series a miss. Maybe I didn't really like Anita as a character. In fact I still can't work her out and the stories are kind of gross-out violent. However, while trawling the library I saw this book and thought I would give the series one more go. Well despite the disgust factor regarding the subject matter this was a great book. I thought the plot rolled along at a cracking pace and the whole way through I was dying to find out how Anita would resolve the situation. I really didn't remember anything from book one but despite occasional reference back to events from it I could still understand the story. I am now giving book 3 a go. 4 out of 5. Sophie's Legacy by Lesley Elliott Another non fiction book (unusual for me, yay) written by the mother of Sophie Elliott, a young New Zealand university student who was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend, a lecturer at her university. Sophie was a bright attractive economics student, she had just graduated and was due to travel away to Wellington the next day for her first job. Her ex-boyfriend Clayton Weatherston came to visit her that day at home and murdered her in her bedroom while Sophie's mother Lesley was downstairs. Sophie was stabbed 216 times, and her body was mutilated while her mother tried to get in to stop the attack. Weatherston cut off Sophie's nipples, hair and mutilated her genitals. This is Lesley's account of the awful day the murder occurred, the preceding relationship her daughter had with Weatherston and then the trial in which Weatherston claimed he was "provoked" and viciously attempted to destroy Sophie's reputation. The trial was widely followed in New Zealand with Weatherston becoming a object of loathing. I found the most interesting part of the book the description of the relationship Weatherston had with Sophie and his clear narcissistic personality disorder. 2.5 out of 5 A Fortress of Grey Ice by JV Jones Sequel to A Cavern of Black Ice which I read earlier this year. A fairly straightforward but enjoyable fantasy novel. No major surprises in this volume. The characters are well drawn and likeable. I'm looking forward to the final volume which I will be tracking down next time I'm at the library. 2.5 out of 5. The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes Another of Marian's works where what appears to be light and fluffy chick-lit turns out to have a dark underbelly. It's really a spoiler to reveal that part of the story so I won't. Anyway, I read this in a day and thoroughly enjoyed the characters and events in their lives. I thought it was probably one of my favourite books by the author. However, the darker aspect did give me nightmares and I think it would have been better were I not completely hormonal and heavily pregnant. That is not the fault of the book however! 3 out of 5 To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell Finally some real escapism. No dark side here. Just chick-lit. Mansell is a very humorous author which is why I enjoy her books so much. I'm a committed fan. This book should be read with chocolate. 2.5 out of 5 Fallen by Lauren Kate (reread) Torment by Lauren Kate (reread) Passion by Lauren Kate Passion is the best in this series so far about star-crossed lovers Daniel, a fallen angel, and Lucinda, the human destined to die each time she falls in love with Daniel and be reborn again and again throughout history. I needed to re-read books one and two before starting Passion as I had forgotten what happened earlier. To be honest, Fallen is not the best book in the world. The romance between Daniel and Luce seemed pretty random and unrealistic to me. In particular, why on earth was Luce interested in Daniel when he started off in the book by being particularly rude to her and as far as I was concerned did not improve much. Torment was a little bit better with more being revealed about the fallen angels although I still would have kicked Daniel to the kerb as he gives Luce instructions about staying safe at school while he flits off all over the place. In Passion, Luce travels back through time following her past lives. The relationship between her and Daniel gets some background so improves for me a tiny bit and the origins of the fallen angels is explained. Even though the storyline was engaging and kept me entertained I felt the continuity in the plot between books was very poor. I'm not sure the author really had a full grip on her characters motivations or background before starting the series. There were several examples where it felt like the author was covering her tracks a bit to try to make previous books make sense. So, an enjoyable read and I like the idea behind the novel. However the main male character is not that appealing to me (perhaps teenage girls like him) and the books are not well written. I will read the 4th book but mainly because I feel the need to finish what I've started. I will then be delivering the books to the charity shop. They won't be on my re-read pile again. 2 out of 5 stars.

I will be reading the series. Might order the books from the library though so it will take a while.

I do think this book is similar to Terry Pratchett's style of humour. Unfortunately I don't like either. However my husband's favourite book of all time is Hitchhiker's so go figure. I will say he really doesn't read many books though. Maybe 4 a year if that.

THE EYRE AFFAIR by Jasper Fforde In Jasper Fforde's Great Britain, circa 1985, time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection. But when someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Brontë's novel, Thursday is faced with the challenge of her career. Fforde's ingenious fantasy-enhanced by a Web site that re-creates the world of the novel--unites intrigue with English literature in a delightfully witty mix. Blurb from Fantastic Fiction There are lots of fans of Jasper Fforde on this forum which inspired me to give this book a go. I thought it was enjoyable enough but it didn't really tap into my sense of humour. Just an average read for me. 3 out of 5 stars TAKE A CHANCE ON ME by Jill Mansell Cleo Quinn doesn't have the greatest track record when it comes to men, but now Will's come along. Handsome and attentive, he could be her Mr Right. Things are definitely looking up for Cleo... apart from one small problem with a rather large ego. Johnny LaVenture, sculptor extraordinaire and her personal childhood nemesis, is back in Channing's Hill and tormenting her as if he'd never been away. Meanwhile Cleo's sister Abbie has a problem of her own - husband Tom has become distant and withdrawn, and she's determined to find out why. But will the shocking truth mean the end of their idyllically happy marriage? The sisters are about to discover that the past can come back to haunt you, and that love can flourish in the unlikeliest of places... Blurb from Fantastic Fiction I love Jill Mansell as usually her chick-lit is funny and uplifting. This book isn't as good as alot of her past novels but it's such a relaxing read. I was sick in bed for the day while reading it so it was perfect for what I needed. 2.5 out of 5 stars

29 books left on my TBR after a massive book cull. That feels much more manageable - and I am halfway through a couple of the non fiction ones. Making room for Baby Macbeth in around 10 weeks time. Now I'm going to start buying children's books!

Today I've had a massive cull of my book shelves to make room for the new baby - ie moving all my books out of his / her room. It was very satisfying. I don't like to have too many books I haven't read lying around. If I haven't read them after a while I probably won't.