Jessi

I think so far my favourite has been Northanger Abbey! I am really enjoying it so far - just over half way through!

Thank you - I hope you do too!!!

Thanks all! That's two recs for Capital - I am definitely going to have to get to that this year! Its funny you picked Mansfield Park, Claire - I am currently in the middle of North and South, but I am pretty sure MP is where I am going next!

Hi Athena, thank you – it’s nice to meet you! I am working in my borough archive, so it is sort of relatively local to our area. It is really good!! My colleagues are great and I find our collections interesting! It has also vastly improved my map reading skills as we hold all the old ordinance survey maps for our area and the ones that came before that! so, while getting to know the maps, I also got to know the development of where I live for the past 200 years, which was a lot more interesting than I realised it was going to be : )

Congratulations on your little one, from one returnee to another! So glad you are feeling better!

Thank you - glad to be back!

Brought 2016... Bryson, Bill: A Walk In The Woods Burge, James: Heloise and Abelard Fennell, Emerald: Monsters Fletcher, Giovanna: You're The One That I Want Gibson, Mary: Gunner Girls and Bomber Boys Grahame-Smith, Seth: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Hay, Daisy: A Strange Romance - Mr and Mrs Desrali Horsfield, Debbie: Poldark Script Book Kareem, Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem and Anna Waterhouse: Mycroft Holmes Malone, Maria: When Harry Met Rose McLain, Paula: The Paris Wife McGann, Stephen: Doctor Turners Casebook Montefiore, Simon Sebag: The Romanov's Smith, Jonathan: The Churchill Secret KBO Tolstoy, Leo: War and Peace White, Karen: Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion And I am ready to go for the new year

1 - 36: gained in 2009 or before 37 – 80: gained in 2010 81 - 105: gained in 2011 106 – 148: gained in 2012 149 – 177: gained in 2013 178 – 224: gained in 2014 225 – 303: gained in 2015 Books in blue - finished in January to March Books in red - finished April to June To Be Read List ~ 1. Campbell, Christy: Band of Brigands 2. Foreman, Amanda: The Duchess 3. Garfield, Simon: Our Hidden Lives 4. Gristwood, Sarah: Elizabeth and Leicester 5. Guy, John: My Heart Is My Own 6. Massie, Robert: Nicholas and Alexandra 7. Rees, Laurence: Behind Closed Doors 8. Williams, Stephanie: Olga’s Story 9. Weir, Alison: Henry VIII 10. Anderson, Hans Christian: Anderson’s Fairy Tales 11. Austen, Jane: Mansfield Park 12. Boyne, John: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 13. Dunant, Sarah: In the Company of the Courtesan 14. Fforde, Jasper: The Eyre Affair 15. Furnivall, Kate: The Russian Concubine 16. Gaskell, Elizabeth: North and South 17. George, Margaret: Helen of Troy 18. Gee, Sophie: The Scandal of the Season 19. Gregory, Philippa: The Queens Fool 20. Gilbert, Henry: Robin Hood 21. Grahame: The Wind in the Willows 22. Lawrence, D. H: Lady Chatterley’s Lover 23. Lee, Harper: To Kill A Mocking Bird 24. Lewis, Hilda: I, Jacqueline 25. McIntosh, Fiona: Royal Exile 26. Montefiore, Santa: The Swallow and the Hummingbird 27. Montefiore, Santa: The Butterfly Box 28. Montgomery, L.M : Anne of Green Gables 29. Nesbit, E: The Railway Children 30. Ryan, Robert: Early One Morning 31. Sheers, Owen: Resistance 32. Sittenfeld, Curtis: American Wife 33. Steel, Danielle: Silent Honour 34. Thomes, Rosie: Isis and Ruby 35. Tolkien, J.R.R: The Silmarillion 36. Tolkien, J.R.R: Unfinished Tales 37. Adams: The Letters of John and Abigail Adams 38. Brands: Traitor to his Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt 39. Byatt, AS: The Children's Book 40. Burstein, Andrew: Jefferson’s Secrets 41. Campion, Emma: The King's Mistress 42. Cheek, Mavis: Amenable Women 43. Clark, Mary Higgins: The Christmas collection 44. Deighton, Len: SS – GB 45. Didion, Joan: The Year of Magical Thinking 46. Duff, David: Alexandra: Princess and Queen 47. Dunant, Sarah: Sacred Hearts 48. Erikson, Carolly: Great Catherine 49. Erickson, Carolly: The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette 50. Figes, Orlando: Natasha’s Dance 51. Follett, Ken: The Pillars of the Earth 52. Furnivall, Kate: Under A Blood Red Sky 53. Gill, Gillian: We Two 54. Gordon Reed, Annette: The Hemingses of Montecello 55. Harrods-Eagles, Cynitha: Anna 56. Hibbert, Christopher: Victoria – a Personal History 57. Hosseini, Khaled: The Kite Runner 58. Kerr, Judith: Out of Hitler Time 59. Lieven, Dominic: Russia Against Napoleon 60. Lovell, Mary S: The Mitford Girls 61. Lukyanenko, Sergei: The Day Watch 62. Mantel, Hilary: Wolf Hall 63. McCullough, David: Mornings On Horseback 64. Mitchell, Margaret: Gone With The Wind 65. Morrow, James: The Last Witchfinder 66. Motley, Annette: Men on White Horses 67. Norton, Elizabeth: Jane Seymour 68. O’Brien, Stacey: Wesley 69. O’ Grady, Paul: At My Mothers Knee 70. O’Toole, Patricia: When Trumpets Call 71. Pakula, Hannah: An Uncommon Woman 72. Plaidy, Jean: Plantagenet Prelude 73. Quinn, Kate: Mistress of Rome 74: Smith, L.J: The Night World 75. Snyder, Maria V: Storm Glass 76. Van Der Kiste, John: Queen Victoria’s children 77. Weir, Alison: Katherine Sywnford 78. Weir, Alison: The Captive Queen 79. Weir, Alison: The Lady in the Tower 80. Withey, Lynne: Dearest Friend 81. Adornetto, Alexandra: Halo 82. Atkinson, Kate: Case Histories 83. Chamberlin, E. R: Everyday Life In Renaissance Times 84. Fraser, Antonia: Love and Louis XVI 85. Graham, Laurie: The Importance of Being Kennedy 86. Gilbert, Elizabeth: Eat, Pray, Love 87. Greene, Graham: Brighton Rock 88. Harris, Charlaine: The Sookie Stackhouse Guide 89. Lewis, CS: Mere Christianity 90. Lovell, Mary S: The Churchill’s 91. Montefiore, Santa: The French Gardener 92. Newman, Janis Cooke: Mrs Lincoln 93. Nicholas, Katie: William and Harry 94. Obama, Barack: Dreams of My Father 95. O’Connell, Tyne: A Royal Match 96. Orzel, Chad: How To Teach Quantum Physics To Your Dog 97. Patch, Harry: The Last Fighting Tommy 98. Parsons, Tony: Starting Over 99 Pasternak, Boris: Doctor Zhivago 100. Perry, Tasmina: Kiss Heaven Goodbye 101. Richman, Alyson: The Lost Wife 102. Sanderson, Jane: Netherwood 103. Sebba, Anne: That Women 104. Tremlett, Giles: Catherine of Aragon 105. Trotter, Janet MacLeod: Never Stand Alone 106. Adams, Douglas: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy 107. Angelini, Josephine: Starcrossed 108. Bach, Richard: Jonathan Livingston Seagull 109. Brown, Kate Lord: The Beauty Chorus 110. Cast, PC and Kristen: Hidden 111. Carnarvon, Countess of: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey 112. Carter, Aimee: The Goddess Test 113. Clare, Cassandra: City of Bones 114. Clare, Cassandra: Clockwork Angel 115. Collins, Suzanne: The Hunger Games 116. Dickens, Charles: Great Expectations 117. Doyle, Arthur Canon: The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection 118. Edward. Anne: Matriarch 119. Harvey, Greg: The Origins of Tolkien's Middle Earth 120. Follett, Ken: Winter of the Worlds 121. Foster, RF: Randolph Churchill 122. Goldman, Lisa: The No Rules Handbook for Writers 123. Hardy, Thomas: The Mayor of Casterbridge 124. Holt, Maggie: A Nurse at War 125. Huth, Angela: Land Girls 126. Jackson, Nancy: The Cook's Tale 127. Jones, Nigel: Tower 128. King, Stephen: 11.22.63 129. Kerr, John: A Dangerous Method 130. Magorian, Michelle: A Little Love Song 131. Magorian, Michelle: A Spoonful of Jam 132. Magorian, Michelle: Cuckoo in the Nest 133. Massie, Robert K: Peter The Great 134. McInerney, Monica: Those Faraday Girls 135. McKay, Sinclair: The Secret Life of Bletchley Park 136. Moyes, Jojo: The Girl You Left Behind 137. Newman, Michael: Socialism 138. Plaidy, Jean: The Merry Monarchs Wife 139. Plummer, Rosemary: The Maids Tale 140. Powell, Margaret: Below Stairs 141. Prentis, Evelyn: A Nurse and Mother 142. Prentis, Evelyn: A Nurse in Time 143. Rice, Anne: Interview with the Vampire 144. Stachniak, Eva: The Winter Palace 145. Stockett, Kathryn: The Help 146.Townsend, Sue: The Secret Diary of Afrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 147. Tsaraidze, Alexandre: Wife Before God 148. Wilcock, Penelope: The Hawk and the Dove 148. Wolff, Jurgen: Your Writing Coach 149. Berkowitz, Eric: Sex and Punishment 150. Bower, Sarah: House of Borgia 151. Carpenter, Teresa: New York Diaries 152. Collins, Suzanne: The Hunger Games 153. Dalton, Kathleen: Theodore Roosevelt 154. George, Margaret: Elizabeth I 155. Garcia, Kami and Stohl, Margaret: Beautiful Creatures 156. Garcia, Kami and Stohl, Margaret: Beautiful Darkness 157. Garcia, Kami and Stohl, Margaret: Beautiful Chaos 158. Garcia, Kami and Stohl, Margaret: Beautiful Redemption 159. Green, Graham: Writing for Dummies 160. Harman, Patricia: The Midwife of Hope River 161. Ives, Eric: The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn 162. Lanchaster, John: Capital 163. Marschall, Rick: Bully 164. Northup, Soloman: Twelve Years a Slave 165. O'Neill, Glenda: Our Street 166. Penman, Sharon: The Sunne in Splendour 167. Phillips, Winifred: Mum’s Army 168. Renshaw, Anne: A Grave Inheritance - read in 2014 169. Rogers, Hannah: The Art of Deduction 170. Salisbury, Harriet: The War on our Doorstep 171. Schwalbe: The End of Your Life Book Club 172. Sibley, Brian: The Hobbit 173. Sparks, Nicholas: Safe Haven 174. Sparks, Nicholas: The Lucky One 175. Spence, Jon: Becoming Jane 176. Weir, Alison: Elizabeth of York 177. Wilson, Derek: The Uncrowned Kings of England 178. Adam, Max: The King in the North 179. Ashdown-Hill, John: The Third Plantagenet 180. Canon Doyle, Arthur: His Last Bow 181. Canon Doyle, Arthur: Return of Sherlock Holmes 182. Clare Castor: City of Ashes 183. Conklin, Tara: The House Girl 184. Deary, Terry: Savage Stone Age 185. Deary, Terry: Groovy Greeks 186. Deary, Terry: Cut Throat Celts 187. Deary, Terry: Angry Aztecs 188. Deary, Terry: Incredible Incas 189. Deary, Terry: Villainous Victorians 190. Deary, Terry: Barmy British Empire 191. Deary, Terry: Frightful First World War 192. Eden, Dorothy: Never Calling It Love 193. Follett, Ken: Fall of Giants 194. Hugo, Victor: The Hunchback of Notre Dame 195. Ingelman-Sundberg, Catharina: The Little Old Lady Who Broke all the Rules 196. Larman, Alexander: Blazing Star 197. Lefebure, Molly: Blitz 198. Mantel, Hilary: Bring Up The Bodies 199. Meyer, E J: The Borgias 200. Montefiore, Simon Sebag: One Night in Winter 201. Puzo, Mario: The Godfather 202. Rowell, Rainbow: Fan Girl 203. Spencer, LaVyrie: Then Came Heaven n 204. Taylor, Jodi: Just One Damn Thing After Another 205. Tomalin: The Invisible Woman 206. Wainwright, Robert: Shelia 207. Bolitho, Hector: Albert, Prince Consort 208. Burton, Jessie: The Miniaturist 209. Clements, Rory: The Queens Man 210. Fletcher, Giovanna: Billy and Me 211. Fraser, Antonia: Charles II 212. Gelardi, Julia P: From Splendour to Revolution 213. Graham, Margaret: Easterleigh Hall 214. Holmes, Frederick: The Sickly Stuarts 215. Iggulden, Conn: War of the Roses: Stormbird 216. Jones, Dan: The Plantagenet’s 217. Jones, Dan: The Hollow Crown 218. Langford, Elizabeth: The Oxford Book of Royal Anecdotes 219. Lewis, Damien: War Dog 220. Martin, R R George: The World of Fire and Ice 221. Plaidy, Jean: The Reluctant Queen 222. Plaidy, Jean: Victoria Victorious 223. Strong, Roy: Coronation 224. Tribe, Steve: Sherlock Chronicles 225. Aaronovitch, Ben: Rivers of London 226. Abbott, Karen: Liar, Temptress, Solider, Spy 227. Aronson, Theo: A Family of Kings 228. Austin, Lynn: Candle In The Darkness 229. Batten, Helen: Sisters of the East End 230. Beer, Anna: Bess 231. Bishop, Chip: Quentin and Flora 232. Brellend, Kay: The Windmill Girls 233. Brellend, Kay: East End Angel 234. Bolt, Rodney: As Good as God, as Clever as the Devil 235. Castries, Duc De: The Lives of the Kings and Queens of France 236. Colfer, Chris: A Grimm Warning 237. Crewdson, Dorethea, Dorethea’s War 238. Dumas, Alexandre: The Three Musketeers 239. Dunn, Dot May: Around the Village Green 240. Farthing, Pen: Wylie 241. Farquhar, Michael: Bad Days In History 242. Follett, Ken: Edge of Eternity 243. Gabaldon, Diana: Outlander 244. Genova, Lisa: Inside the O’Breins 245. Graham, Winston: Warleggon 246. Graham, Winston: The Black Moon 247. Graham, Winston: The Four Swans 248. Graham, Winston: The Angry Tide 249. Gregory, Phillipa: The Kings Curse 250. Gristwood, Sarah: Blood Sisters 251. Hadlow, Janice: The Strangest Family 252. Hancock, Sheila: Miss Carters War 253. Hardy, Shelia: The 1950s Mother 254. Hardy, Shelia: The 1950s Housewife 255. Hawking, Jane: The Theory of Everything 256. Henderson, Casper: The Book of Barely Imagined Beings 257. Hibbert, Christopher: The Virgin Queen 258. Hines, Jerri: Belle of Charleston 259. Hobb, Robin: Assassin’s Apprentice 260. Hobb, Robin: Royal Assassin 261. Hobb, Robin: Assassin’s Quest 262. Hyans, Jackie: Frances Kray 263. Hugghes, Kathryn: The Letter 264. Jensen, Marie-Louise: The Lady In The Tower 265. Jones, Andy: The Two of Us 266. Jones, Dan: Magna Carta 267. Kay, Susan: Legacy 268. King, Sophie: Do You Take This Man? 269. Knight, Lynn: Lemon Sherbet and Dolly Blue 270. Lake, Deryn: Pour The Dark Wine 271. Licence, Amy: In Bed With The Tudors 272. O’Brien, Anne: The King’s Sister 273. Maitland, Karen: The Vanishing Witch 274. Marriott, Emma: World of Poldark 275. McCallin, Luke: The Pale Horse 276. McCallin, Luke: The Man From Berlin 277. Meng, Greg: Days 50 278. Montefiore, Santa: Songs of Love and War 279. Mottershead, June: Our Zoo 280. Moyes, Jojo: One Plus One 281. Pemberton, Margaret: A Season of Secrets 282. Pevel, Pierre: The Cardinal’s Blades 283. Pulley, Natasha: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street 284. Purnell, Sonia: First Lady 285. Rees, Tracy: Amy Snow 286. Rees, Peter: The Anzac Girls 287. Ribchester, Lucy: The Hourglass Factory 288. Rothschild, Hannah: The Improbability of Love 289. Sibley, Brian: The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies Movie Guide 290. Smith, Michael: The Debs of Bletchley Park 291. Sparks, Nicholas: See Me 292. Stewart, Mary: The Crystal Cave 293. Sunners, Julie: Jambusters 294. Thomson, Oliver: The Impossible Bourbons 295. Tolkien, J R R: The History of the Hobbit 296. Tolkien, J R R: Children of Hurin 297. Tolkien, J R R: Return of the Shadow 298. Tolkien, J R R: Treason of Isengard 299. Tolkien, J R R: Sauron Defeated 300. Tolkien, J R R: War Of The Ring 301. Wards, Geffrey and Ken Burns: Roosevelts: An Intimate History 302. Wax, Wendy: While We Were Watching Downton Abbey 303. White, T H: The Once and Future King

2009: Read 48 books 2010: Read 79 books 2011: Read 74 books 2012: Read 92 books 2013: Read 59 books 2014: Read 45 books 2015: Read 49 books Reading Goals ~ To have less than 303 books on my TBR list on 1st January 2017. Unless I am going to begin reading it that minute, make a list of kindle books I want. Don't just download - the only exceptions to this rule is books I want from the Daily Deal. I am still hoping one year I will read 100 books in a year - maybe this will be the one. Read some thrillers! Review every book! Read 2016 ~ J A N U A R Y 1. Days 50 - Greg Meng 2. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas 3. Quentin and Flora - Bishop Chip 4. A Royal Match - Tyne O'Connell 5. A Study In Scarlet - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 6. The Invisible Woman - Claire Tomalin 7. Barmy British Empire - Terry Deary 8. The Sign of Four - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 9. The World Of Poldark - Emma Marriott 10. Sisters of the East End - Helen Batten F E B R U A R Y 11. Billy and Me - Giovanna Fletcher ​12. North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell 13. The 1950s Housewife - Shelia Hardy 14. Liar, Temptress, Solider, Spy - Karen Abbott 15. Doctor Turner's Casebook - Stephen McGann 16. When Harry Met Rose - Maria Malone 17. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle M A R C H 18. Villainous Victorians - Terry Deary 19. The Churchill Secret KBO - Jonathan Smith 20. Poldark Script Book - Debbie Horsfield 21. The Savage Stone Age - Terry Deary 22. East End Angel - Kay Brellend 23. While We Were Watching Downton Abbey - Wendy Wax A P R I L 24. Out of The Hitler Time - Judith Kerr 25. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon 26. Dragonfly in Amber - Diana Gabaldon 27. Voyager - Diana Gabaldon

Hi everyone! Long time, no post! Its been a while since I have been here and I am so sorry about that! I finished uni, had to find a job etc... life kind of got in the way! But the good news is I am more settled now, working in my local archive and am really enjoying it! So I thought I better reintroduce myself! I am Jessie, am 25 now, and live in the UK I love reading, but have not been doing as well the last couple of years as when I was here so I thought I'd come back and hopefully, get motivated to read more again! I hope you're all well and look forward to catching up with everyone and getting to know you all again!

You definitely should! Well worth a read Reading them made me realize why Holmes and Watson have become as famous and as beloved as they have!

Not yet, but both are on my TBR list

The Sign of Four by Arthur Canon Doyle (4/5) I loved jumping back into Sherlock Holmes this year. I’m not one for crime novels really, but Doyle is the exception to the rule. I would recommend him to anyone. I did not enjoy Sign of Four as much as a Study in Scarlet but all the same, it was great!

The Hobbit Offical Movie Guide by Brian Sibley (4/5) Now this do what it said on the tiny. It gave great insight into the movie, wonderful interviews with the actors and crew and was beautifully laid out. A must for any fan of The Hobbit movie.

Modern Family - The writer of Modern Family (3/5) To be honest when I received this, I was a little disappointed. I thought it was going to give added insight to the show, to give more depths to the characters. I did not realise it was just a book of quotes from the show, with a quick paragraph at the start of each chapter! That said, it was probably my fault for not reading the blurb on Amazon more carefully. And I have read it twice through, both of which times I’ve been laughing out loud!

Thats the plan. I need to keep them in mind throughout this year.

So I've decided to review my reading goals every two months this year... 1. The TBR pile should be 176 or less on 1st January 2014 - I say it every year, but I must try and get it down - I have so far brought 8 (read 3 of them) and Read 10 off my TBR list - Meeting this goal. 2. Unless I am going to begin reading it that minute, make a list of kindle books I want. Don't just download - the only exceptions to this rule is books I want from the Daily Deal - Note quite met, but it doesn't matter too much at this point. 3. 100 books has been my goal for three years running and it is staying for a fourth year. I came so close in 2012 - a Little behind, but could still make it. 4. Make an effort to get half my 2009 books read - 21 throughout the year is doable - 2 read so far. 5. Keep up with reviews! I tailed off in March/April last year... opps - slipping behind, but can make it up.

Aww, thats sweet!

I begun The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory today - based on reviews, I didn't think I'd like it but so far it seems good.

War Horse by Micheal Morpurgo (4/5) This was such a touching story which I really enjoyed. Following Joey the horse from birth to the end of the war, we see the events of 1914 - 1918 through the eyes of one of the brave animals who went through the war. We see him come full circle in a way, going through various hands and going through no man’s land and behind enemy lines. A very emotional book with loses as well as triumphs that made me teary.

One Pair of Hands - Monica Dickens (3/5) Monica Dickens memoirs of being in service during the 1930s should interest any fans of Downton Abbey. Social history has become of increasing interest to me over the past few years and I enjoyed this. Monica wrote about the families she served (with various degrees of affection) and the jobs she did (with varying degrees of success.) perhaps due to her own status (Monica came from a well off family) I could not help but feel she was a little patronising towards those she worked with at times and came off as pleasant enough, but with an ego. An interesting read though.

A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin (4/5) Epic is a word that is overused these days, but if it applies to any book series, I think A Song of Fire and Ice is one of them. The latest edition, A Dance with Dragons is no exception to this rule. It remains as complex and rich as ever. Well over 1000 pages put together, Martin reunites us with the characters we did not get to see in A Feat for Crows and gives us glimpses of those we did. Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen lead ADWD as the two of them both get used to the power (and indeed more comfortable with how to wield it) while they continue along their own journeys. Arya returns, but not as well know her and the Dorne becomes more prominent than before. Victarion Greyjoy launches his own bid for the Iron Throne and Dany’s hand. (In fact, part of me thinks ‘Marry Me Daenerys’ would be a more appropriate title for this book.) It only offers a glimpse of Kings Landing (which I missed - I love to read Cersei’s POV). That said, Tyrions chapters were a constant surprise - I did not see what was coming for him (I had no idea what to expect - but this wasn’t it!) he gave me my fill of the Lannisters though. Theon Greyjoy also plays his part - and for all his sins in previous books, I just so felt for him. I love this world: I love the cultures and the customs: I love (and love to hate) the characters. But every time I pick up these books I am reminded they are not for the weak stomached. This is a truly dog eat dog world and puts the evil in medieval (doesn’t really work I know, but I’m going with it) from time to time, in fact, chapter to chapter. The fantasy element of the book is never lost. The dragons, the white walkers, the wildlings and the magic keeps you on the edge of your seat. I don’t know whether it is a fault of mine or the novels (probably the former) but the only complaint I have is I sometimes find the cast a little too big and am always flicking to the back pages for reminders of who is who. The core characters are firmly entranced in my mind - but the smaller ones are easy to lose track of. I am going to have to have a reread of the entire series before the Winds of Winter is published - 2015 seems so far away! And now my wait begins... I’d recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy - but would warn them not to get too attached to anyone!

6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Chronicles (4/5) Ok, so I got this book for myself as a late Christmas present. I loved the Hobbit when I went to see it and was a complete geek for the LOTR when I was younger (whom am I trying to kid, I still am!) and had some Christmas money to spend so thought why not and I am so glad I got this book. It basically takes you behind the movie into all the concept art that went into it. From the original designs to what we saw on screen, we are taken across the whole journey and the result is a really, really beautiful book. The art department and the whole Weta team are just so talented and I love that this book came out so that they can get the credit they deserve. It also gives you quotes from the actors as to how costume and design helped them to approach their characters which are really interesting. A must have for any big Hobbit fans.

I really enjoyed Tess too. Glad you liked it too great review!!! Looking forward to what you make of Wildfell Hall. I‘ve not read that one yet.

I shall have to bump the American Wife up my tbr list after your review