Book Fiend

I LOVE Margaret Atwood. She is officially my favourite author. I read The Handmaids Tale for A Level, and although I did enjoy it, it was spoilt slightly by having to over-analyse it and memorise huge chunks! I think if I were to re-read it I would probably enjoy it much more. I've also read The Blind Assassin and Cat's Eye (my review for that is here) and they are two of my all time favourite books. I just think she writes sooo beautifully.

I learnt that the girl from Scooby Doo with the orange jumper and glasses is called Velma not Thelma as I previously thought!

I got Guernica by Dave Boling, Wicked by Gregory Maguire and Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I've never heard of the last one before but it looked good. I bought some jeans too, which I need to return so that could involve another trip to the book section! I think I'm going to have to have a clear out and get rid of some books I've had for ages. The pile of books next to my bookcase is getting ridiculous! It's in serious danger of toppling over

Oh I've been a very bad Book Fiend! :blush:I went to Asda today - who knew they had such a good book section?? I ended up buying 3 books, and only one was from my wishlist. In my defence though, they were only

I agree so I've decided to stop taking my herbal remedy until I've checked it out with the doctor. I hope I'll be ok to start taking it again though because it really does seem to help with my PMT!

Is anybody watching / following the Australian Open? (I have to mostly follow it on the internet because of the time difference ) I think the men's draw is pretty open this year. Who do you think will win? Personally I'm hoping for another Federer-Nadal final, with Federer triumphing this time! Revenge for last year! Having said that I think Djokovic, Del Potro, Davydenko and (grudgingly) Murray are all in with a shot. Should be interesting!

Yay! Another Rossi fan!

I'm 26 and I've been having them since I was about 13. You sound quite similar to me. I've had 2 migraines since christmas, and 7 since the 17th September! I've just got back from the doctors and he has given me some beta-blockers to be taken every day to try and stop my migraines, and some other tablets to take for when I get one. The headaches I get aren't always that bad, they just make me feel generally awful and incredibly tired. My dad took beta-blockers for a while and he had to stop because they made him really tired and lethargic. The doctor has given me a months worth to see how I get on, then I have to go back. When I left the doctors I wondered whether I should have mentioned that I had recently started taking a herbal rememdy (Agnus Castus) to help with PMT, as I started taking it just before my migraines got worse. However, a quick google search has suggested Agnus Castus to HELP relieve migraines so maybe they're not connected

Is anybody still watching this???? I got to about episode 7 I think and I've kinda lost interest. If it wasn't for my friends insistence I would have given up ages ago! I'm trying to decide if I can be bothered to watch the 3 episodes I haven't seen on the internet before it starts again on TV, or whether to just call it a day!

I sympathise with all of you I've actually got an appointment at the doctors tomorrow about my migraines. I started getting them when I was about 13 but I only ever got about 6 a year, since September though I've been getting about one a fortnight (I even had one chistmas day ) I thought it best to get it checked out (actually my mum made me....) They're not always really bad, but even the not-so-bad ones make it impossible to work. I used to go home from work whenever I had one, but I can't really go home once a fortnight!! The problem is even the next day I feel so grotty.

I couldn't get to the library so I borrowed a book off my mum instead! It's a crime thriller, not the sort of thing I usually read, but just what I fancied I just feel a bit bad because it's actually a book I bought her for christmas which she hasn't even read yet . She swears she doesn't mind though, she's not funny about books like I am!

My reading mojo has gone awol. I finished my last book on the 31st December, and now there isn't one single book I fancy reading on my TBR pile. I don't know what to do for the best - force myself to read something or just wait until my mojo returns. I don't want to spoil a good book by reading it when I'm not in the mood, but I have a target of 20 books to read this year so I need to be making some progres!!!

I must admit The Da Vinci Code nearly got red-highlighted when I was writing this list!! I bought it years ago but now can't bring myself to read it following all the hype. I've seen and read so many things about it I'm sick of it already! I've also developed quite a dislike of Dan Brown, despite having only seen a few minutes of interviews with him. Just something about him.... I only bought Twilight a few months ago, just to see what all the fuss is about. I'm going to save it for when I want something nice and easy to read.

Can you please close my old thread here http://bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=10276 and if possible change the title to 'Book Fiend's 2009 Book List'? Thank you

Thoughts and ratings on books read in the year. The Fields of Grief - Giles Blunt This isn't usually my sort of book, but I really enjoyed it. It's about a detective whose depressed wife has apparently committed suicide, however he suspects she may have been murdered.....Nice and easy to read, and just what I needed to help get my mojo back! Fool's Errand - Robin Hobb Robin Hobb is my favourite fantasy writer of all time, she writes the most beautiful books with characters that you love and care deeply about. She also makes me cry a lot! I loved this book so much!! The Dice Man - Luke Rhinehart Erm, I don't really know how to describe this book! Basically it's about a psychiatrist who is bored with his life so decides to shake things up by making all of his decisions based on the roll of the dice. Sounds straight forward enough, however the main character is a complete lunatic, and some of the options he gives the dice are, erm, interesting! I only decided to read this book because of all the fuss my mum made about it. Not good fuss either, she hated it, but it sounded so bad as to be intriguing. I didn't hate it, in fact I quite enjoyed it, but maybe I'm a bit twisted! The Pillars of Creation - Terry Goodking The 7th book in the Sword of Truth series, and I have to say not my favourite! I thought it started a bit slow, built up nicely in the middle, but then just sort of fizzeled out in the end! I hope the next one is better! The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold I thought this started really well, and I thought I was really going to enjoy it, but I just completely lost interest about half way through, and I found the ending very disappointing. Carrie - Stephen King Brilliant. How can such a short book be so good?? Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris I had to read this for my book club, and I absolutely loved it! A brilliantly gripping page turner. Life of Pi - Yann Martel Beautiful, shocking, imaginative and completely original, I really loved this book. It's definately one of the best books I have read in a very long time! The Golden Fool - Robin Hobb This is the middle book in the trilogy and as such I felt it was slightly lacking in plot. It was still good, but it was mostly about getting everything in place for the final book, which I expect to be amazing!

Oh dear here we go..... Guernica - Dave Boling (This was on my wish-list so I'm allowed it!) Wicked - Gregory Maguire (This wasn't on my wish-list but I've been meaning to add it. Heard lots of good things about it in various threads) Graceling - Kristin Cashore (OK I admit this was a complete impluse buy. It has a nice cover and the blurb sounded good.....) Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde Lord of the Flies - William Golding Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold (Unfortunately I had to get the film tie-in version!) The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris Life of Pi - Yann Martel The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory The Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood The Year of the Floord - Margaret Atwood

I'm going to try my hardest to resist impluse buying and only buy books off my wish list this year. Wish List - Books Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte Purchased 02.02.10 The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde If This Is A Man - Primo Levi Guernica - Dave Boling Purchased 19.01.10 Generation Dead - Daniel Waters The Vampyre - Tom Holland Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel Purchased 09.03.10 A Lifetime Burning - Linda Gillard I, Lucifer - Glen Duncan Handling The Undead - John Ajvide Lindqvist Wish List - Authors (I'm allowed to buy any books by these people!) Philippa Gregory Margaret Atwood Neil Gaiman

TBR Pile (roughly by genre) Horror Merrick - Anne Rice Blood and Gold - Anne Rice Pandora - Anne Rice The Mummy - Anne Rice Servant of the Bones - Anne Rice The Witching Hour - Anne Rice Lasher - Anne Rice Taltos - Anne Rice The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - Stephen King The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - Stephen King The Dark Tower: The Waste Lands - Stephen King The Dark Tower: Wizard and Glass - Stephen King Insomnia - Stephen King Dreamcatcher - Stephen King Carrie - Stephen King - Finished 23.06.10 Rose Madder - Stephen King The Green Mile - Stephen King Cell - Stephen King The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King Needful Things - Stephen King The Tommyknockers - Stephen King Bag of Bones - Stephen King Different Seasons - Stephen King The Bachman Books - Stephen King The Talisman - Stephen King and Peter Straub Black House - Stephen King and Peter Straub The Pariah - Graham Masterton The Wells of Hell - Graham Masterton Death Dream - Graham Masterton Charity shopped 24.01.10 Night Plague - Graham Masterton Charity shopped 24.01.10 The Chosen Child - Graham Masterton Charity shopped 24.01.10 The Heirloom - Graham Masterton Charity shopped 24.01.10 Tengu - Graham Masterton Charity shopped 24.01.10 The Devils of D-Day - Graham Masterton Charity shopped 24.01.10 Charnel House - Graham Masterton Charity shopped 24.01.10 The Ghosts of Sleath - James Herbert Charity shopped 24.01.10 The Jonah - James Herbert Charity shopped 24.01.10 Nobody True - James Herbert Once - James Herbert Creed - James Herbert Portent - James Herbert The Spear - James Herbert Charity shopped 24.01.10 Sepulchre - James Herbert Charity shopped 24.01.10 The Chalice - Phil Rickman The Man in the Moss - Phil Rickman Havock Junction - Joe Donnelly Fantasy / Historical The Sword of Truth Series: The Pillars of Creation - Terry Goodkind - Finished 13.05.10 The Sword of Truth Series: Naked Empire - Terry Goodkind The Liveship Traders: Ship of Magic - Robin Hobb The Liveship Traders: The Mad Ship - Robin Hobb The Liveship Traders: Ship of Destiny - Robin Hobb The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray - Chris Wooding The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett Into the Darkness - Harry Turtledove Darkness Descending - Harry Turtledove The Earthsea Quartet - Ursula Le Guin The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud Legend - David Gemmell Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow - David Gemmell The Barbed Coil - J.V. Jones Charity shopped 24.01.10 Last of the Amazons - Steven Pressfield Charity shopped 24.01.10 Patrick - Stephen Lawhead The Pale Horseman - Bernard Cornwell The Lords of the North - Bernard Cornwell Sword Song - Bernard Cornwell Stonehenge - Bernard Cornwell The Grail Quest: Harlequin - Bernard Cornwell Graceling - Kristin Cashore Other Labyrinth - Kate Mosse One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez To Kill a Mocking Bird - Harper Lee The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank The History of Love - Nicole Krauss Catch-22 - Joseph Heller Wild Swans - Jung Chang The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova Our Man in Havana - Graham Greene The Quiet American - Graham Greene The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells One Flew Over the Cuckoo�s Nest - Ken Kessey The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks The First Casualty - Ben Elton Dead Famous - Ben Elton Charity shopped 24.01.10 Chocolat - Joanne Harris The War of Don Emmanuel�s Nether Parts - Louis de Bernieres The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman - Louis de Bernieres Charlotte Gray - Sebastian Faulks Human Traces - Sebastian Faulks Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood The Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood The Case of the General�s Thumb - Andrey Kurkov Schindler�s Ark - Thomas Keneally Perfume - Patrick Suskind The Hippopotamus - Stephen Fry Regeneration - Pat Barker The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini The English Patient - Michael Ondaatje The Night Watch - Sergei Lukyanenko London Fields - Martin Amis The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov Metamorphosis and Other Stories - Franz Kafka The Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdie Fury - Salman Rushdie Charity shopped 24.01.10 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins Doctor Zhivago - Boris Pasternak Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden The Island - Victoria Hislop The Other Queen - Phillippa Gregory The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory American Pastoral - Philip Roth The Plot Against America - Philip Roth Stardust - Neil Gaiman Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman Twilight - Stephanie Meyer An English Heaven - Robert Radcliffe The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown Poppy Shakespeare - Clare Allan Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austin Mansfield Park - Jane Austin Northanger Abbey - Jane Austin Persuasion - Jane Austin Emma - Jane Austin Guernica - Dave Boling Wicked - Gregory Maguire Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde Lord of the Flies - William Golding - Currently Reading Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold - Finished 04.06.10 Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris - Finished 06.07.10 Life of Pi - Yann Martel - Finished 18.08.10 Borrowed Books The Tawny Man: Fool's Errand - Robin Hobb - Finished 11.03.10 The Tawny Man: The Golden Fool - Robin Hobb - Finished 14.09.10 The Tawny Man: Fool's Fate - Robin Hobb The Dice Man - Luke Rhinehart - Finished 05.04.10 Books highlighted in red are books that I bought years ago which I have now gone off and don't really want to read. They may be finding their way to a charity shop very soon (even though I hate giving away unread books).

I managed to finish The Boleyn Inheritance today, taking my 2009 reading total to 16 books. That's really quite good for me!! I'm going to aim for 20 next year!

You may have already read this (and if not you will almost certainly already be aware of it!) but I heartily recommend the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. It's been about 10 years since I read it (really? that long!) so I'm a bit fuzzy on the details, but I remember them being the most thought provoking, beautiful books I've ever read. They are truly the only books I have ever read that I felt actually changed how I feel about the world. Failing that, I recommend The Old Kingdom trilogy by Garth Nix (Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen). These are young adult books so nothing disturbing, and they really are very good. Once again it's been a while since I read them so I can't remember details, but I do remember them being wonderful and magical. Hope you find something you enjoy

I don't have an i-pod but I'm assuming other brands of MP3 player are allowed..... Red Light Indicates Doors are Secure - Arctic Monkeys What She Came For - Franz Ferdinand Uncle Jonny - The Killers Blood, Sex and Booze - Green Day Wipeout from the Dirty Dancing Soundtrack (I hang my head in shame ) Don't Know How to Say Goodbye - The Pigeon Detectives Up All Night - Razorlight Dreaming - Blondie Flathead - The Fratellis Venice Queen - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Oh I do that too! Then turn it off the moment someone walks in! It's my biggest TV guilty pleasure Some more from me: 1. I can't eat bananas as they give me really bad stomach ache (at least I think it's bananas, I stopped getting it when I stopped eating them so thats proof enough for me!) 2. I absolutely love watching Come Dine With Me and once sat and watched 5 episodes back to back on a saturday afternoon! 3. My eyesight is so bad that I now get free eyetests on the NHS! (I'm actually slightly worried because I was told it would stop getting worse when I was about 16, I'm now 26 and still need new glasses every 2 years still!) 4. When I was about 5 I pinned a much bigger boy up against the wall and threatened to cave his head in with a toy car for picking on my brother (who is 2 years older than me) 5. Once when I was babysitting for 2 little girls I got locked in the toilet and they had to go to the site managers office (luckily it was a new estate) and get somebody to come and cut the lock off

Aww thank you so much , I was really worried my review would be rubbish! I know what I think but sometimes I struggle to express myself. Please do read it it's an excellent book. I forgot to mention but it was nominated for the Booker Prize (although I get the feeling this might actually put some people off!!) I now have an urgent desire to go out and buy everything Atwood has ever written, but I'm going to ration her books so that I don't run out too soon!!

Captain Corelli's Mandolin is one of my favourite books, so I was really excited about reading Birds Without Wings. However, I just found it over-long and really overblown, I was very disappointed. I felt like there was a good story in there trying to get out but it was just swamped. I enjoyed A Partisan's Daugther but I didn't LOVE it, it just didn't have that 'wow' factor for me. I have read one of his books set in South America (Senor Vivo and the Cocoa Lord) and that was better (though slightly disturbing). I still have the other two to read. The only other Gaiman novel I have read is American Gods. Am I right in thinking you haven't read this yet? I really enjoyed it, my only compaint was that it's quite long and I felt it dragged slightly in the middle. Overall though it's really good, it's certainly quite an epic! If you read it be sure to let me know what you think I will definately be reading more Gaiman, I love his imagination! (also anybody that has a blurb about the writer as amusing as his deserves to be read ). The only other Gaiman book I have at the minute is Stardust, but I regulary check my local Fopp store for different ones (I'm kicking myself because a while ago they had them all for abour

I have just returned from 2 weeks in sunny Cuba, where (nearly) everyday was spent on the beach reading and sleeping and generally being lazy! Unlike a lot of people I don't read hundreds of books in a fortnight on holiday (because of the aforementioned sleeping and lazing! ) but I did finish Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood, and I'm about half way through The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory. I absolutely loved Cat's Eye (see my review in the fiction section) and I am now officially making Margaret Atwood my favourite authour (a title taken away from Louis de Bernieres for lack of consistency) I'm also really enjoying The Boleyn Inheritance. I highly recommend it to anybody who has read The Other Boleyn Girl. It picks up about 3 years after that ends, just after the death of Jan Seymour. From my history lessons at school I can't quite remember what happened to Katherine Howard, but I fear a bad end may be in store!