Vanwa

chesilbeach, that's the first time today I've really laughed. Thank you

I am a part-elven girl trying to understand how my magic is stronger than that of a druid who has lived for millennia.

I want to know how something makes it onto your TBR pile in the first place... Do you hit the book shops and just randomly select? Do you go to your favourite genre section and peruse? Do you go in with something in mind? Is it usually a recommend, review, or new release publicity that makes you select your next read? Personally I just peruse the genres I like most, looking at authors I know. If there is nothing new by them, then it can take me an hour or two, a trip to the bathroom, a cuppa in the coffeeshop and then another hour or two to choose something to read instead.

Raven, where's this review? I'm dying to read it

I hope you're all sitting comfortably! Some of these are mentioned elsewhere, but will collate them all here for your amusement/ bemusement (delete as applicable:mrgreen:). Hardbacks. Jacket carefully removed and put in a special dustbag I have . Book carefully read, without creasing the gaps between the covers and the spine. Jacket replaced after use. I always lift the jacket slightly so the bottom doesn't get bent on the shelf before I put it back. Paperbacks. I read these at an angle. I don't open the book more than about 45 degrees because... I can't bear creases in the spine! Unless it's one of my favourites anyway, because then I have a seperate reading copy, of which I will permit some bending of the spine This is quite embarrassing, I shouldn't have started this post! Ok, there's more of course. I don't eat while I read. Not chocolate, because of smudgey chocolate marks on pages, and not meals, because it's quite difficult to manoevre a knife, a fork, and a book, and the book might get damaged. And I refuse to read in the bath. Can you imagine the state of the book if it actually fell right in the water? I will have a cup of tea while I read, very carefully set back from the edge of whatever piece of furniture it rests on, just in case it falls off. And I either read here in my chair (these days with one eye on the forum), or propped up in bed in my pyjamas with a hot water bottle and a cuppa I think my biggest problem is that a lot of my books are firsts, signed, or limited, or a combination of these.

I don't lend my books out, because if the spine gets bends in it I have to get a new copy. And I don't want someone's grubby fingermarks all over my crisp clean pages. As for borrowing, I once borrowed a book that someone had sneezed all over. There was evidence. Suffice to say, my borrowing is a rare thing these days. I'll only borrow if the lender is a snob. That way no book is coming my way with someone's fluids on the pages.

Or the fact that if there is an accident, at least 3/4 of the cars that drive past will slow to look, and the other 1/4 is slowed by the majority so much that they make use of the time by having a good look as well. I mean for crying outloud, someone could be seriously hurt. It's not there for your entertainment - move along please

I'm personally not religious either. Spiritual maybe, in that I believe it's not all down to science, but not religious. Having said that, I have read the Bible, and have the Koran in my TBR pile. I wouldn't say no to a book that contained content I disagree with if the book was a good one, or reputed to be so. But subjects I tend to avoid where possible are things like abortion. One very good book I read when I was younger, called the L-Shaped Room, is about the dilemma of a single young girl who gets pregnant. It's set a few decades ago when young single pregnancy was very controversial. Her father wants her to abort, and she is very confused about the whole issue. Despite my misgivings about reading books containing content surrounding abortion, I found this to be a thoroughly good read. I guess I just try to be as open minded as possible, with religion, literature, and a combination of the two

Or drivers that think amber means "Stop if you feel like it". Or drivers that get right up your bumper because you won't go 20 mph over the limit. Cut ups on roundabouts. Fully-comprehending teenagers who walk out right in front of your moving car, and then stand in the middle of the road looking at you with a nonplussed expression. People that follow emergency vehicles so that they can weave through traffic. People that ignore emergency vehicles. I think maybe I should stay off road for a while...

Born reader. Without a doubt. I remember confronting (very timidly) my first junior school teacher and explaining that Kip, Biff and Chip picture books were far too easy for me, and could I please have something that had some challenge to it (aged 4)? She told me not to be such a snob. At which point my mother haughtily removed me from said school and placed me into a new one, where the kids were taught by a combination of ability and age, and not just age. Yay for mummy because I made some friends who read well, and we were able to work together in class. In the last two years of junior school, bookcases were placed outside the classrooms, upon which books were categorised by stickers. A colour sticker was for lower level readers, while blue stickers with coloured dots on them were for higher level readers, with blue-red dot being the highest. My year 5 teacher suggested I bring in something from the library with a note from mum to permit my choice because blue-red dot wouldn't challenge me at all (her words). I chose Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews as my first "bring-in-from-home" book. My teacher was gobsmacked by the choice, but very excited. And I was the only student who wasn't allowed to read from my book to the class

Green_Shoe, to answer your question: Noooooooooooo! Was there a book in school that you really didn't enjoy? Mine was Ian McEwan's Child in Time. Being forced to read it put me off of it forever. I respect it as a novel, I infact love McEwan's other works, but Child in Time will remain always on my "hate" list. The one thing I would be frightened of here is putting your cousin off of reading permanently if she feels to much pressure for it now. Providing any special needs have been ruled out (I have known some people who really hate reading and writing because they have dyslexia or other special needs), I would say let her come to it in her own time. My younger sister hated reading as a child. And now at the age of 20 she reads as avidly as I do. This may be the case for your cousin. (Also, if it helps to know, my sister owned about 30 playstation games at the age of 12, and used to get up an hour early in the mornings so she could play before school. She used to mute the volume and play through the night as well.)

I can help you there Katrina Jonas Armstrong. 20 episodes Echo? Blimey

These are quite old now and of limited availability at waterstones.com but: My Life on a Plate/ Don't You Want Me? both by India Knight Don't You Want Me? is the funniest of the two, exploring the relationships of a late thirties single mum with her ex-husbands and boyfriends, her latest love interests (including a man over twice her age, who is mostly made of plastic and is the colour orange) and her extremely sexy flatmate. I cried, laughed, and cried with laughter. And now I've written that I think it's going back on my TBR pile as a reread It's only a couple of hundred pages, and each chapter feels like a story on its own, so she could pick it up and put it down as necessary, it's also a nice light read. The stuff chick-lit is made of (and although I don't read chick-lit more than say one every few years, mainly because I'm not a fan of the genre, it remains one of my favourite books to date).

Haha sorry Raven. But it is a really good read. I love Trudi Canavan myself, but Brooks is in a whole different league. Even his own league I think! Besides, think of it this way, if you read Sword and hate it, then you lose a bit of time you could have spent better elsewhere (and you can have the pleasure of telling me I'm wrong). But if you love it, you'll have found another 19 novels to look forward to reading, not including his graphic novel or the short on Shannara. Because so far that's what Shannara is, 20 novels, a graphic novel, and a short. Chrysalis, I'm glad to hear it! Let me know what you think when you get to it

Chrysalis_stage - I've read everything Terry has written in his lifetime, including shorts and non-fiction. Elfstones is the best he has to offer, and he is a genius . He's even admitted it's his own favourite piece as he worked harder on that than anything else he has done in his life. You'll love it if you enjoyed Sword. As for Landover, I have them all and love them. The one thing to bear in mind with them is that they have a slightly more childish approach, almost as if they are intended for a younger generation than Shannara. However, they are still just as magical Raven - move it to the top of the pile, it's fantastic!!! Then pick up Elfstones. By the time you've read Elfstones you'll probably be a fan Blithe - If you've read that far have you read the Genesis of Shannara trilogy yet? It's a whole new take.

Cheers Beef, not entirely sure if I understand but will youtube it later and see if its on there for more. But at least I don't have to suffer unknowingly forever now

Ben, don't make me get all whiney lol. Someone please just tell me!

Are we gonna have to get a Josh Groban thread in here just for the two of us?

Lol please don't wind me up! I'll get enough of that from my sister tomorrow "Didn't you watch it? Oh it was soooo sad and really good, it's such a shame you missed it" That's all I'll get all day

I forgot to watch it Can somebody either post with spoiler tags or PM me with how he did it? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaseeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

It does me Echo, everytime I look in it Is there a "things that make you calm and happy like you're floating in the clouds" thread? If not we should have one, if only to counteract this one....a place people can go after they've been here

I thought "Weeping" with BLM was very cleverly written. I love the way he sings metaphorically about a monster

I'm collecting them