Ooshie

I really liked A Month in the Country when I read it earlier this year, but haven't looked at any other books by the author; I will look forward to seeing what you think of them chesil

What a pity you didn't enjoy 9 Princes more, Steve; I read all ten books maybe about four or five years ago and thoroughly enjoyed them (although I did enjoy the first series more than the second). I did take to Corwyn as a character, though, which probably helped and I enjoyed some of the concepts such as the Trumps. Mind you, I do like a bit of easy fantasy if I am looking for a bit of escapism!

Thanks for your review of Transgressions, willoyd, I have only read one book by Dunant (Sacred Hearts, I think) I very much enjoyed it and will definitely read more. Transgressions looks a good next step

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In My Life - The Beatles

Hopefully 2013 won't be quite as stressful as 2012 has turned out to be, and I will manage to keep my reading list a bit more up to date! January The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney 5/5 for writing, 2/5 for enjoyment The Final Reckoning by Sam Bourne 3/5 Blaze by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman 3/5 The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier 5/5 Consder Phlebas by Iain M. Banks 3/5 February The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks 4.5/5 I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith 3/5 The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt 3/5 The Woman in Black by Susan Hill 4.5/5 Les Liaisons Dangereuse by Choderlos de Laclos 4/5 The State of the Art by Iain M Banks 5/5 March The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory 4/5 Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks 3/5 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel 5/5 March - August Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel 5/5 The Sea Change by Joanna Rossiter 3/5 Gerald's Game by Stephen King 2.5/5 The Zero Game by David Baldacci 2.5/5 Phantom by Jo Nesbo 4/5 Fever of the Bone by Val McDermid 3.5/5 Fault Line by Robert Goddard 3/5 The Winding Road by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles 4.5/5 Stonemouth by Iain Banks 3.5/5 Lisey's Story by Stephen King 3/5 Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov 4/5 Beastly Things by Donna Leon 4.5/5 The House by the Sea by Santa Montefiore 2.5/5 Eloise by Judy Finnigan 2.5/5 The Complaints by Ian Rankin 4/5 River of Destiny by Barbara Erskine 3.5/5 King Solomon's Carpet by Barbara Vine 4.5/5 The Sea Sisters by Lucy Clarke 3/5 Summer by Edith Wharton 4.5/5 The Racketeer by John Grisham 4/5 The Bat by Jo Nesbo 2.5/5 Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell 4/5 Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie 3.5/5 Hotel Vendome by Danielle Stelle 4/5 The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell 3.5/5 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder 3/5 Joyland by Stephen King 4/5 The Red House by Mark Haddon 4/5 The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton 4/5 The String Diaries by Stephen Lloyd Jones 4.5/5 The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain 4/5 As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 4/5 A Gun for Sale by Graham Greene 3/5 Clarissa Oakes by Patrick O'Brian 5/5 Bitter River by Julia Keller 4/5 September The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan 4/5 The Death of Grass by John Christopher 4/5 Tarnished by Julia Crouch 3/5 The Wine-Dark Sea by Patrick O'Brian 5/5 Did You Miss Me by Karen Rose 2/5 The Drowned World by J G Ballard 3.5/5 The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty 3/5 The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith 3.5/5 The Carrier by Sophie Hannah 4/5

I agree poppyshake, it did feel like a good book to be reading at this time of year. And it has left me wishing I knew more about what happened to all the characters, too.

And you were right!

I will look forward to hearing what you think of it, poppyshake, I'm hoping other people's comments will give me a bit of a different perspective on it! I certainly didn't hate it, and can imagine myself possibly reading it again since it is only short.

Overall, I didn't quite know what to make of this little book, as will probably be obvious from my answers! 1- Who was your favourite character and who was your least favourite? My favourites were Minou's father and Priest, as they seemed good hearted folk. 2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest? I enjoyed the descriptions of the sea, the weather and the island. 3- This is Mette Jakobsen's debut novel .. would you read her again? I'm not entirely sure. I enjoyed reading the book reasonably well, but I would have liked more of the plot lines to be tied up tidily at the end so I found it frustrating too. I would probably read another if I borrowed it from the library, but might not buy one. 4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? Not really, I just struggled with wondering why some things were in the book at all 5- Do you enjoy books narrated by children and did you find Minou believable? I found Minou believable enough as a character, and in general enjoy books narrated by children. 6- The narrative is quite sparse and the characters few, did you find it easy to engage in the story? No, I found it quite hard actually. I didn't find the book hard to read, but I did find it hard to feel involved. 7- What did you make of the theme of logical thinking (Papa) versus imagination (Mama) which played a part in Minou's struggle to come to terms with the loss of her Mama? I rather liked that part; I particularly liked Minou's philosopher Papa but think her Mama would have driven me scatty! 8- The dead boy, why do you think the author put him in the story? I have no idea. I kept waiting to find out. I guess he padded it out a bit. 9- Did you approve of the ending? As previously mentioned, I would have preferred things to have been properly explained and tied up at the end of the book. 10- Overall was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Well, yes, it was quite enjoyable - it just felt a bit pointless! 11- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom? I can't think of anyone I would recommend it to.

I read both the Raj Quartet and Far Pavilions about 30 years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed them both. I think Far Pavilions was about 1,000 pages long, so quite a commitment as far as reading time goes! The Raj Quartet probably added up to about the same, but as it was divided into the four separate books it didn't seem as long. I seem to remember the Raj Quartet as being a more serious read, while Far Pavilions was more romantic in tone.

That's great, Inver, I love it!

I finally decided on the M R James Collected Ghost Stories; I have read 6 so far, and really enjoyed them - they are nicely understated and creepy rather than too horrific.

I think that I read Frankenstein last year, and I have half a mind to try Dracula this year but for some reason feel I should read it at New Year, I think because I used to watch Dracula films after the bells! I also have a book of M R James' Ghost Stories, so if I can't bring myself to start on Dracula then I think I will dip into that

I'm doing one for a teenage boy; I had bought a hat/glove/scarf set a couple of weeks ago and was just buying toiletries and a notebook and pencils in Tesco today. A lorry from the Blythswood charity comes here and I have done it quite a few years although I don't think I did last year.

Anna Karenina - I don't usually like films with Keira Knightley in them, but I loved this and will be going to see it again. Very stylised and unusual, but I want it on DVD too as there are some parts I want to be able to watch again and again.

I loved The Shining, and will be very interested to see what the sequel is like. I have been getting back into Stephen King's books again after giving up on him for quite a few years!

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