ian

Well, I'm re-reading all the Harry Potter books at the mo (currently at Order of the Phoenix),and I generally have a re-read and classic head on at the mo. Of course, that's all very good in pronciple, but by the time I finish the HP, it'll be pushing up to Christmas, people will ask me what I want, and a whole load of new books will be waiting under the tree for me come the 25th (hopefully!)

1. Pride & Prejudice 2. Mansfiled Park 3. Emma

I can't keep up with the man, he's writing books at such a pace these days! Plus, he certainly has his mojo back; Dr Sleep and 11/22/63 are top ten SK in my opinion.

Well, lets hope non of the members of that book club are on here, cos you're going to be found out!

My answers: 1. Read only trilogies or stand alones? I think if I was forced to choose, I would plump for stand-alones. Sometimes, trilogies can start to tail off on the final book. I have found some, where the middle book just feels like filler, making up the number for the final. If I was forced to only read trilogies and this happened, I would get a bit fed up. 2. Read only female or male authors? I agree with Athena above; there are certain genres that are very male dominated, so if you put a gun to my head, I would probably choose male. I'd probably have to cheat on this one, and keep a secretive stash of female-authored books! 3. Shop at a book shop or online? Book shop. I love the convienience of shopping online, but I love bookshops too much to stop going in them 4. All books become movies or tv shows? They can fit more of the story into a TV show, so I'd go for that. 5. Read 5 pages per day or 5 books per week? There is no way I could retain information reading 5 books a week, and that to me sounds more of a chore than a pleasure, so 5 pages it would have to be. 6. Be a professional reviewer or author? I don't have the talent or the patience to do either in reality, but I don't remember ever dreaming of being a reviewer! Author all the way. 7. Only read your top 20 favorite books over and over or always read new ones that you haven't read before? It would have to be new books. I couldn't exist reading the same 20 books for the rest of my life, no matter how much I like them. 8. Be a librarian or book seller? The idea of having a job that involves sitting in a room full of books all day appeals greatly to me! Librarian probably just edges it, as I suspect it's a slightly more relaxed job. 9. Only read your favorite genre, or every genre except your favorite? I read so many different genres of book, and I don't think I could pick one as my favourite. 10. Only read physical books or eBooks? Ooh, difficult. On the one hand, I love physical books. But on the other hand, I have very little space in the house for them, so I don't tend to keep them, whereas as e-books, that isn't an issue obviously. So, with regret (as Lord Sugar would say), I'm going with ebooks.

This is a very interesting idea. I can't believe it's not something I've thought of looking into before, seeing as I do this all the time with music. Had a look at the Wikipedia page for 1970, but couldn't find much there that inspired me to read - with the exception of Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl! Further investigation necessary!

They're all pretty nasty, but I picked my worst four

At the beginning of the year, I promised myself a re-read of the Harry Potter books. Well, I got a bit distracted by a certain Mr George RR Martin, but I'm finally back on track. I already read Philosopher's Stone (actually it was the American edition so Sorcerer's Stone) and I've started Chamber of Secrets. I probably won't bother reviewing them as I re-read them, but write something at the end of book 7.

I only drink coffee at work, and usually when I out - let's face it, there's a coffee shop on every corner these days. At home, I mostly drink tea, although I've switched to de-caff for both (except when I'm out) as I found it really gives acid indigestion. When Ruth was pregnant with Amy, she completely went off tea, and would only drink coffee. As soon as she was born, she was given a cup of coffee, tasted it, said it was revolting and went straight back onto tea!

Thanks for this, Athena. I knew about some of these sites, but it's always good to find a few more!

The Never List by Koethi Zan NEVER GO OUT ALONE AFTER DARK For years, Sarah and Jennifer kept the Never List: a list of things to be avoided at all costs. NEVER GET IN THE CAR But one night, they broke their own rules – with horrifying consequences. NEVER TAKE RISKS Sarah has spent ten years trying to forget her terrifying ordeal. But it seems the killer has not forgotten her… NEVER TRUST ANYONE My Thoughts I thought this was a very interesting idea - starting a story from its normal finish point - after the protagonist has escaped from their abductor. And there were some good points. The story zips along at a very fast pace. I always wanted to read on. But, there were very few surprises. Sarah suffers from a paralysing fear of going outside, but seems to manage just fine as long as the plot demands it. When it doesn't, she goes back to being paralysed. And there was one huge case . of Deus Ex Machina that did make my roll my eyes. I think this is this writers first novel, so I don't want to appear too negative. Oh well. 3/5

Hmm. I was going to try to be funny and suggest books about building rafts etc so I could escape, but then I realised that you are offering me the chance to read, undisturbed , 5 books, so actually I wouldn't want to escape! So..... Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien The Many-colored Land - Julian May Different Seasons - Stephen King The wind in the willows - Kenneth Graham Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

I've not read any of his book as yet, but I would like to read Extinction Game.

The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne Du Maurier A classic of alienation and horror, The Birds was immortalised by Hitchcock in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection echo a sense of dislocation and mock man's dominance over the natural world. The mountain paradise of 'Monte Verità' promises immortality, but at a terrible price; a neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree; a professional photographer steps out from behind the camera and into his subject's life; a date with a cinema usherette leads to a walk in the cemetery; and a jealous father finds a remedy when three's a crowd . . . My Thoughts I bought this book primarily because I wanted to read the title story, but having read a fair bit of other Du Maurier, I knew the other stories, there are six in total, would also be worth reading. I wasn't disappointed. I can't remember too much now about the film version of the Birds, as it been a long time since I last watched it, but I do remember that sense of wrongness that runs throughout the film. These stories also have that. Even though each story starts with familiar surroundings, there is a real feeling of foreboding, almost gothic horror. "Monte Verita" possibly loses some of its impact in the final paragraphs, and "The LIttle Photographer" feels a touch out of place amongst the other stories but these are minor quibbles. On the plus side, the ending of "The Old Man" was such a surprise I laughed out loud and had to read the story again. Very clever. Also Du Maurier writes very convincingly as a male protaganist. Very good stuff and highly recommended. 5/5

I have warmed to Peter Capaldi as The Doctor very quickly - he reminds of a Christopher Eccleston / Tom Baker cross, if that makes any sense! Anyway, I like that The Doctor is a bit darker and more alien. Amy watched most of Saturdays episode from behind a cushion on the sofa, which to my mind, is exactly the reaction Dr Who should be getting! And for us geeky adults, lots of question that hopefully will be answered later in the series.

I love the smell of a book. I love the crackle of the spine when you open it, especially for the first time. No matter how stressed out I am from the day, I can always escape into a good, or even an indifferent, book. I always learn something new from any book I read, and that usually throws up other questions in my mind, so I end up reading about something completely unrelated on the internet while mid-chapter. I ilke that conversations can just start up with random strangers because they've caught you reading a book they read last month. And, while I might not get the first two from them - e-books are just as wonderful as well!

Welcome to the site!

When it comes to pubs/ bars, i'm a bit of a romantic, so I like unspoilt, old style pubs - dark, quiet, exposed wooden beams, crackling log/coal fire. Sadly, these type of pubs are getting more rare, so it's always good to find one. Most of these are out in the country rather than the city where I live, but there are still one or two. The closest one to me is The Red Lion in Alvechurch. More of a place to go for something to eat these days, but it does tick most of the boxes above. No Pics I'm afraid!

I fell for it too. I propose we send the author to the Wall for his crimes!

The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith Amateur sleuth Isabel Dalhousie is a philosopher who also uses her training to solve unusual mysteries. Isabel is Editor of the Review of Applied Ethics - which addresses such questions as 'Truth telling in sexual relationships' - and she also hosts The Sunday Philosophy Club at her house in Edinburgh. Behind the city's Georgian facades its moral compasses are spinning with greed, dishonesty and murderous intent. Instinct tells Isabel that the young man who tumbled to his death in front of her eyes at a concert in the Usher Hall didn't fall. He was pushed. With Isabel Dalhousie Alexander McCall Smith introduces a new and pneumatic female sleuth to tackle murder, mayhem - and the mysteries of life. As her hero WH Auden maintained, classic detective fiction stems from a desire for an uncorrupted Eden which the detective, as an agent of God, can return to us. But then Isabel, being a philosopher, has a thing or two to say about God as well. My thoughts It took me quite a while to realise I was going to like this book. I'd read the first book in the No1 Ladies decective series, so I had, probably unwisely, expected something similar. But, whereas the Ladies dectective books (at least the one I have read) is quite exhuberant, and distinctly African in its tone, this book is more sober and considered. More Scottish. And there was my first inkling that I was really going to like this book. You have to admire any writer who is able to make books "feel" that different. Having said that, this book is slow to get going. There are constant references to various philosophers, and the protaganist (Isabel) very often veers off into muses about morals and ethics. The humour here is very dry - so dry I almost missed it, and even now I'm not entirely sure it was there at all. Philosophy isn't a subject I'm very knowledgeable on, so when Isabel spends time thinking about the ethics of privacy, then goes off to follow her niece's boyfriend down the street, is that humour, or am I missing the point? Either way, this is to my mind a slightly different take on the British crime novel, and was very enjoyable. 4/5

I read "The No1 ladies Dectictive agency" and really enjoyed it. I'm about halfway through this one now, and although it's a bit slow, it is quietly funny and thought-provoking.

I had to abandon "Trust your Eyes" in the end. Not only was the pace too slow, but I reached a point where the murder victim changed. Now I realise that this was a device to shock me, but, as I was already struggling with the book anyway, it was the final straw. I really didn't want to take a book on holiday with me that I wasn't enjoying, so I've had to leave it. As it happens, it didn't matter, as I read all of about 10 pages while I was away. There was simply too much else going on for me to concentrate on reading, which isn't something that has ever happened before. I did buy one book though; a collection of short stories by Daphne Du Maurier called "The Birds", the title story of which is the inspiration for the HItchcock film. That's gone on the TBR pile and for now I'm reading "The Sunday Philosophy Club" bu Alexander McCall Smith.

and my personal favourite.... "If it bleeds, we can kill it"

We are going to Cornwall (right down in the South-west of the UK). I'm not sure the weather will be too great, but it will be really good to get away from it all for a week! Thanks, Athena - I hope so too, don't want to be taking a duff book on holiday! I will, there are some fantastic views in that part of the world. I will try to do them justice!