vodkafan

I have done this many times in my life Frankie. In general I can say that once a book has gone I don't miss it, because a little bit of it always stays with me and I can remember what I liked about it. You have to be brutal though. It is fatal to open a book up and flick through it-you will end up keeping it.

Frankie you really owe it to yourself to learn to swim. I used to be afraid of water too, I didn't learn to swim until I was 28, because I wanted to be a diver. Now I love it. It is only your fear that is stopping you. Once you get over your fear, swimming is just moving your arms and legs. Anybody can do that. Remember there has not been a human born yet who can breathe under water. Sorry I just realised I am digressing off topic

I always get confused between US and British dress sizes. I think British size 12 is size 8 in America? But I could be wrong. So are we talking British or US here? Because a US size 12 would be about an 18 here.

Hi Pontalba, no I had not heard of that one. I think possibly my first was Plague Ship or Sargasso Of Space. Then Judgement On Janus and Victory On Janus.

I can't say for sure which sci-fi book was the first but I know the author was Andre Norton (who is of course really Mary Norton). I read one of her books from the library when I was 10 or 11 and it lit a fire, I read every single one of hers on the shelf and then every other sci-fi book there before moving onto the sci fi in the adult section. At the time I didn't like fantasy, I can't remember reading any. I have never read LOTR . First horror book was one of those Pan book of Horror stories that was going around school , I was probably 13 or 14 then.

Well I did squeeze a couple more into June. At the moment I am half-way through The 19th Wife. This was not off my TBR pile just an impulse buy from a charity shop as usual.

OOh I read this in 2009. Will await your review with interest.

pontalba, I think you make a fair point here; I have known a couple of women in my life who built up a defensive "shell" like this, using articles of appearance. But for me, with Smilla's background, it didn't make sense for her to be one of those people. I would be interested to see if your opinion on anything has changed after your second reading

2. How do you feel about a male author writing from the point of view of a woman? How successful was Peter H�eg in portraying the inner life of his heroine, Smilla? I think he had a fair stab at it but it didn't work for me. This last year I have been intensely interested in reading a lot of women authors; Sarah Waters, Margaret Atwood, Joanna Briscoe, Jane Austen, to name a few. Hoeg just comes up short against these in my opinion. It is extraordinarily difficult for a man I think. A man thinks in terms of: she does this, she did that . He cannot help it. A woman writer would be: she feels this, she felt that. (ladies, please feel free to take me to task if you feel insulted; not my intention) 3. Is Smilla devoid of feelings or is she merely hiding them? What are the causes of her antisocial behavior? Nobody is devoid of feelings. I thing Hoeg tried to disguise his inability to write a woman convincingly by making her character complex, and an outsider to the culture she was in. But Smilla had so many inconsistencies she did not make sense. 4. Discuss Smilla's relationship with her father. What are the causes of the rift between them? Do you feel he deserves the poor treatment he receives from Smilla? Is there some degree of reconciliation between them in the course of the novel? Yes there was reconciliation between them. But her treatment of him did not make much sense. The ballerina girlfriend was another cardboard cutout.

It is always interesting (and rare) to see an authors reaction to something one of us has written about his/her book. Pixie look what you have done-I am going to have to read this now!

I just finished reading The Night Watch and enjoyed it. I read it much quicker than I expected, only two days. I may read something else or I may have a rest for five days until July.

I bought this from a charity shop last week. I will read it soon because it looks interesting. Will let you know whether I love or hate it then! (I have children)

(shudder) seen far too many of those already this side of the pond than is good for my mental health

I would watch that game Abby. That would be cool. Would the US team have cheerleaders? The World Cup Final is the only footie game I ever watch, and then only if we are in it.

Looks good Rob. I haven't read a history book since January, and I work with lots of Lithuanians and Latvians, who are very friendly. Might give this a go if I can find it cheap . Thanks

This looks well interesting. Thanks.

Hi i just finished reading this today.. It is written by a Sikh journalist looking back on his childhood growing up in Wolverhampton. I guess you could put this into the category of "culture-clash" biography. My wife is also Punjabi Sikh and a lot of his early experiences she also went through. He was in his twenties, outwardly successful but unhappily living a double life in London having white girlfriends which he could not tell his mum about. he decides to write her a letter....but then discovers his family has a secret so devastating that he cannot face it for five years....this book is his catharsis and his family's redemption. There should be more books like this. In spite of the subject matter it is full of humour. Anybody who is part of an Indian family (even by marriage) will love this book.

My pleasure Kylie! Emphyrio is OK but not my favourite. If you want a stand alone Vance book I would say my favourites are The Blue World *, The Dragon Masters, Slaves of The Klau*, Showboat World or The Languages of Pao. (In that order) The Lyonesse trilogy is his fantasy masterpiece, I wrote a little about that in my reading blog. Planet Of Adventure* is more scifi, that is actually 4 books but they are quite short even if you buy the version all together it is not too long a read. The Dying Earth series are also very good, and doesn't matter what order you read them in. *= means the story has a subtle romance included. Hope this helps!

At the moment I am collecting all the Jack Vance books again that I read years ago but this was one of the few that I had never read . It is set in the far future. Science has discovered immortality but they cannot give it to everybody because of population pressures. So it has to be earned with a lifetime of acheivements, and only a small elite gain the coveted prize. The Jacynth Martin is one who has earned this right. Her aged mind has been reborn into a new, beautiful 19 year old body. However, she accidentally uncovers the true identity of Gavin Waylock, criminal: a murderer who will stop at nothing to cheat his way to eternal life. It is then a dangerous game of cat and mouse, as both become obsessed with the other. Who will win? And, more importantly, who is right if society itself is immoral? I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down.

Yes it is quite a nice idea, and more plausible to me than some religious things I have read....I am not in a hurry to find out what really happens though I can wait.

My TBR pile is only one tenth the size of yours though Kylie....that would stress me having so many.

I finished this a little while ago. I enjoyed it because it was a quick read (about 3 hours) that was just enough to do justice to his idea, it was quite structured and the ending was a proper ending which tied everything up and made sense. (I had been quite dissatisfied with the ending of Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow)

Well not quite half way through the year and I have got through 31 books, many of which I would never have thought of reading before I got here. I am well placed to beat my target, which is 52 books for the whole year (1 a week) How is everybody else doing?

Good for you Karsa, I look forward to hearing what you think of it.

I honestly don't remember! Much of my early childhood seems as if lost in fog. But I remember enjoying storytime at infant school, we used to sit outside on the grass and have a book read to us. I was always bookish and liked drawing whereas my younger brother liked to play sport. My parents didn't have time to read to us.