vodkafan

Looks cool so far. Just how big is your TBR pile?

I got one too Ben. Didn't have time to look at it until yesterday, registered it and downloaded 9 free books. I need to get a case too. Heard the Amazon ones are cheaper on ebay.

Gonna play with my new kindle in a minute. The food is going down steadily. Turkey and red cabbage sandwiches are my boxing day favourite. I was bought 1 proper book too; Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. Hope yours went well Kylie! I cannot imagine Christmas during summer....

Merry Christmas to everybody here at BCF. I look forward to talking to you all again next year.

Hey Vinay, these are really great reviews, I have missed all these till now. Anyway Merry Christmas and belated Divali. Have you worked out who I am on facebook yet?

I vote for Black Like Me. Once you start reading you won't be able to stop.

Wow serious cheating or what

120!! Wow impressed....

A bit of both . They write lists but then put nice things in as they see them going around. I am not too worried about my target. I don't like to rush books just for the sake of getting them read. I have about 40 pages left of "Dina's book" I should finish that comfortably.

Thanks for the update Kylie! Hmm my eldest son likes reading Bill Bryson. Maybe I should see what I am missing. My 13 yr old daughter likes vampire books. I have brought her several but I worry they have slightly too adult an undercurrent. Some I have left on the shelf on the bookshop that looked too overtly racy or violent.

It only saves you space Frankie if you get rid of one of them!

Don't think I am going to make my target of 52 books this year.....I am reading 50 and 51 together but will probably only finish one of them..just too much to do in preparation for Chrimbo. Not too worried though 50 books is still a goodly amount considering the year I have had ! Christmas trivia: Today we took all the kids (except the grown up one at uni) to the supermarket and did our traditional thing..we let them put any special food they like to eat for Christmas in the basket with no arguments. It came to £207 !! We don't mind though. We started this family tradition years ago back when we did not have very much money, but we always saved some so they could have this one freedom.

That is quite funny...probably not for your dad though

Hi missy shame you didn't note all your books down on here-it is nice to look back on your personal list and remember them. Maybe next year eh? Only read one of Mr Kings I think...Pet Cematary and didn't like it...but I still think he is a pretty decent writer..it was just that story. Merry Christmas

Standard old fashioned fairy lights are wired in series- that is the voltage has to go through each and every bulb to complete the circuit. So if any one bulb fails to light the whole thing does not work. You have to find the one that doesn't work and replace it. Sometimes the bulbs are OK, one has just come loose is all. Sometimes the first bulb nearest the plug is a fuse bulb, it is white coloured and different to the others. That is designed to fail first, you should have spares of this and should always check this FIRST. Some of the new sets of lights that are in like sheets to cover windows have different wiring and are controlled by thyristers and things so they flash on and off and do fancy things. I could probably work these out but I am too lazy- when these go wrong I save some of the bulbs , bin the rest and buy a new set instead. Next year I am going to buy sets of LED lights instead they are more reliable and use less power. Here endeth the lesson

Hangs head in shame...no reading today or yesterday...been so busy fed up of cheap Christmas fairy lights that keep failing..no fun when you have to check every bulb of a 100 bulb line.

No reading today as yet! I am half way through Dina's Book by Herbjorg Wassmo. Kinda weird....

OK Australian Mistress of Books how can I refuse?

Yep I know you are right Frankie. See you around !

Thanks Chrissy and Kidsmum. Nice to know someone is still reading my blog. I will try to get into it and write some reviews of the last few books I have read.

Hi fellow readers. I just finished Marianne Dreamsthis is a children's book by Catherine Storr. It had special significance for me. I had not read it before but I know the story from a long time back. It was made into a TV series way back in the 70s when I was a kid. I only recently found out it was a book so had to read it. The book was better though. That was book number 49. Only 3 more to go to reach my target. It has been a hell of a year for me. I have enjoyed it on here but I feel a bit of a stranger here now.

Just finished Mrs Kimble. Very interesting book, trying to get my wife to read it. The first couple of pages (sort of a prologue) were a real hook, then the following first chapter was a bit slow but it soon got very engrossing and un-putdownable.

I am seriously thinking about getting a Kindle, the latest one is only £109. The space saved at home by throwing out 100+ physical books would be well worth it. This is my own personal collection of books, I would still like my kids to grow up with physical books all around them.

Just finished Courtesans by Katie Hickman. Took me most of the month because I have had hardly any time for reading. But it was a superb book.

I am with Stephanie on this one. Just can't understand what the appeal is.