vodkafan

Dagnabbit I bought some books. Had a splurge on Amazon. I have no excuse. Out Of Time-Five tales of Time Travel The Rise And Fall Of The Victorian Servant The Life And Loves Of A She Devil Letters To Alice On First Reading Jane Austen Habits Of The House (Love and Inheritance) The Passion Of New Eve The Duties Of Servants

Cool!

Wow! Good luck Laura

I wasn't too impressed either Michelle. Admittedly I have missed the last three seasons of Dr Who apart from the odd episode. This was the first I have seen Clara Oswald I didn't see what she was bringing to the role, she didn't do anything except appeal to the Time Lords for help at the end. The idea of the village where it was perpetual Christmas and everyone in Victorian clothes was too twee and rather naff.

Haven't read all the comments but I did read all the article.... the common male approach to untidiness or dirt is not to see it...I know one guy who rationalised this as "throwing an SEP field around it". SEP meaning "someone elses' problem"

Really interesting review Signor Finzione! I do agree with what you have said, but the reasons that you didn't enjoy parts are the very same reasons that I really did! I think it is because I like a fantasy to to be a fantasy and not like real people stuck in a more or less medieval world, which is what I find modern fantasy to be about. I do hope that you will read the other two books though! The Blue World has much stronger characterisation, it is my favourite stand-alone Vance story.

I saw Never Let You Go last night on TV with the kids. I enjoyed it was a good translation of the book but the general premise seemed even more chilling and inhuman. It's only a step away from what we already do rearing sheep and cows to eat for their meat though.

Your link didn't work for me. Unusual idea.

Good luck Kidsmum. I like the way you have separate Upstairs and Downstairs TBR piles

Thanks Little Pixie good luck with yours too. Your TBR is huge! I was reading it but I soon got overwhelmed by the quantity....

Which basically means you tend to judge any given book a bit tougher than me and give them a one step lower mark !

Hi willoyd that's very interesting that your clustering is virtually the same as mine! If we represented them as bar charts they would be almost identical in shape. A question: Why did you mark The Boy In Striped Pyjamas so low-did you find it overly sentimental perhaps? Letters To Alice sounds interesting.

The Blue World by Jack Vance dex; my favourite Jack Vance book ever. Not so good on Kindle as the footnotes are not an integral part like they are on a printed book.

OK here we go the last 4 years of very best reads The Book Thief Girl Meets Boy Girl, Interrupted London In The Nineteenth Century Jonathon Strange And Mr Norrell Small Island Flowers For Algernon The Star King Nineteen Seventy Nine The Blue World Pride And Prejudice A Scanner Darkly The God Of Small Things The Lovely Bones Tipping The Velvet Five People You Meet In Heaven The Handmaid's Tale A Man Of Double Deed The Forgotten Soldier The Shadow Of The Wind Pied Piper Before I Die Jane Eyre The Windup Girl Lighthouse Keeping Woman's World Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas American Gods The Margarets Before I Go To Sleep The Cloud Walker The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo The Girl Who Played With Fire The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest

I just had an idea....going to go through all my past book blogs and retrospectively rate them all so that I can compile a short list of the very best books I have read in the last 4 years since being on here (I didn't use a rating system till this year) I will announce my results soon

Some more info if anyone is interested....as I used a rating system for the first time this year I might as well use that information. I seemed to be quite happy with my choice of books overall. Out of 98 books I gave: 2 at 1* 16 at 2* 18 at 3* 27 at 4* 25 at 5* 10 at 6* The ten six star books are: The Book Thief Girl Meets Boy Girl, Interrupted The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry London In The Nineteenth Century Jonathon Strange And Mr Norrell Small Island Flowers For Algernon The Star King Nineteen Seventy Nine If I were to readjust the marks in hindsight I would knock The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry back down to a 4 or 5

Some more info if anyone is interested....as I used a rating system for the first time this year I might as well use that information. I seemed to be quite happy with my choice of books overall. Out of 98 books I gave: 2 at 1* 16 at 2* 18 at 3* 27 at 4* 25 at 5* 10 at 6* The ten six star books are: The Book Thief Girl Meets Boy Girl, Interrupted The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry London In The Nineteenth Century Jonathon Strange And Mr Norrell Small Island Flowers For Algernon The Star King Nineteen Seventy Nine If I were to readjust the marks in hindsight I would knock The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry back down to a 4 or 5

OK here are my "awards" Your favourite read of the year? Jonathon Strange And Mr Norrell Suzanna Clarke Your favourite author of the year? Ali Smith Your most read author of the year? Jack Vance (11 books) Your favourite book cover of the year? None jumped out at me sadly.. The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? God Collar Marcus Brigstocke…just rubbish The book that most disappointed you? Inside The Tardis James Chapman The funniest book of the year? Nineteen Seventy-Nine Rhona Cameron Your favourite literary character this year? The servant Childermas from Jonathon Strange And Mr Norrell Your favourite children's book this year? No Children’s books read this year! Your favourite classic of the year? Emma Jane Austen Your favourite non-fiction book this year? Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You Marcus Chown Your favourite biography this year? The Maid’s Tale Rosie Plummer And Tom Quinn Your favourite collection of short stories this year? None read sorry… Your favourite poetry collection this year? Ouch No poetry read Your favourite illustrated book of the year? Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell was the only illustrated book Your favourite publisher of the year? Gollanz for the second year running! Your favourite audiobook of the year? Don’t do audiobooks Your favourite re-read of the year? Up The Line Robert Silverberg (Have to add one here) Best Victorian History book? London In The 19th Century Jerry White

Emelee, you have a point. I think in the end, this is what will kill the series. Another thing is, (not connected to the actual show) I wish the American media would leave Kaley Cuoco alone about her weight. She put on a few pounds last season- so what? She is a normal, healthy girl. Not everyone has to be a Hollywood stick insect. 33% of Americans are clinically obese- have they looked at themselves?

Gobsmacked

Thanks for all the feedback everybody! Julie that that was quite remarkable you going back in time to remember each of those books thanks for that. No problem willoyd, it was an interesting little discussion. Dickens described as Mills and Boony? Love it

Ah Alexi likewise I have seen some goodies on your previous blogs..I shall look out for your 2014 one. Thanks for looking in. About the TBR..go on count it I dare you...

Yeah...for some reason I am really edgy about reading Life Of Pi..

Hey Julie, you have a surprising number of very English 19th century writers there.. what was the attraction for you? Also were they from a much previous time? As ever since I have known you you have been into much more local (American) crime mystery sort of books.

I have read these off your TBR pile Brian...but some of them were a long time ago. They were all good I would happily read any of them again. Emma - Jane Austen A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver Lord of the Flies - William Golding Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift The Help - Kathryn Stockett The Book Thief - Markus Zusak The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys American Gods - Neil Gaiman I have THESE on MY TBR: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley To Kill a Mockingbird - Lee Harper Madame Bovary - Gustave Falubert The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde Oryx & Crake - Margaret Atwood Life of Pi - Yann Martel Lord of the Flies - William Golding (need to re-read) Confessions of an English Opium Eater - Thomas de Quincey