Ooshie

I had loved Stephen King's books up until Misery, and after that didn't enjoy most of them much. I quite enjoyed Duma Key and Under the Dome, and I'm looking forward to 11/22/63 - another one for my wishlist! I have the first 5 Nesbo books published in the UK, but have only read The Redbreast so far. I will have to try and remember where I have put the rest!

Wow. I'm going to have to read more Zelazny now, amn't I?! Onto my wishlist it goes!

I enjoyed all King's books until Misery, but found his writing very patchy after that. I have quite enjoyed Duma Key and Under the Dome recently, and would like to read 11/22/63. I look forward to hearing what you think of it

Hey, that is a good deal! But you're right, it feels very strange to pay so much for postage for a book costing 1p

Hi Delilah The only one I have read is An Unsuitable Job for a Woman - it was years ago, so I can't remember anything about it except that I enjoyed it! I enjoyed the North and South miniseries too, and keep thinking of trying the book but haven't yet. I have a set of Anne Radcliffe books, but haven't read any of them; it sounds as though I will have to be in the mood to concentrate when I begin one! Hope you enjoy your reading in 2012

Thanks, Weave, I always think they look a bit short but my mind starts to go blank as soon as I start typing! Oh yes, and I didn't have any trouble finishing it; I think part of the trouble was probably that everything I had read about it had been so positive that I was expecting a heck of a lot from it. It really was just the ending I was disappointed in. Better luck with my next SF/fantasy choice, eh?

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick Synopsis - from back of book Philip K Dick's acclaimed cult novel gives us a horrifying glimpse of an alternative world - one where the Allies have lost the Second World War. In this nightmare dystopia the Nazis have taken over New York, the Japanese control California and the African continent is virtually wiped out. In a neutral buffer zone that divides the rival superpowers in America lives the author of an underground bestseller. His book offers a new vision of reality, giving hope to the disenchanted. Can other, better worlds really exist? I had mentioned to my son that I usually only read the story in a book, I don't spend time thinking about subtexts etc, and he recommended this book to me as an example of how boring a book could be if more thought isn't given to it. Well, I didn't exactly find it boring, I found some of it quite enjoyable (particularly the bits involving the I Ching, and also the subtleties of the Japanese ways of behaviour). But, in the end, I found it a bit ... pointless. After I finished it I read up on the book on Wikipedia and can't actually identify anything I didn't pick up on. Thinking about it, it is actually the end of the book itself I found pointless. Maybe it was meant to be thought-provoking but I found it a poor ending. Karsa Orlong, I apologise for my heresy! I do realise I am talking about an SF classic here

I did wonder whether I was judging it a bit prematurely! I'm just over half way through now and still enjoying it. Thanks for the definition - I knew Alternative World wasn't going to be right, it made it sound as if they were living on Jupiter or something!

MB being Madame Bovary I take it? See, I'm such a huge hoarder that I still have my copy, even though it is one of the books I have hated the most! And I'm another one who has had to buy lots of books again after I got rid of them That's my excuse for my hoarding!

I'll Never Be Young Again by Daphne du Maurier Synopsis - from Amazon 'The iron of the bridge felt hot under my hand. The sun had been upon it all day. Gripping hard with my hands I lifted myself on to the bar and gazed down steadily on the water passing under...I thought of places I would never see, and women I should never love. A white sea breaking on a beach, the slow rustle of a shivering tree, the hot scent of grass...I breathed deeply and I felt as though the waiting water rose up in front of me and would not let me go' As far as his father, an accomplished poet, is concerned, Richard will never amount to anything, and so he decides to take his fate into his own hands. But at the last moment, he is saved by Jake, who appeals to Richard not to waste his life. Together they set out for adventure, jumping aboard the first ship they see and working their passage to Norway and around Europe, eventually to bohemian Paris, where Richard meets Hesta, a captivating music student... I very rarely give up on a book, but I really wasn't enjoying it at all by the way I was around half way through and was about to call it a day and start something else. However, at that point the story moved to Paris, and I enjoyed that part of it enough to keep going. By far my least favourite of the du Maurier books I have read so far. I'm glad it wasn't the first I had read, or I would never have tried any more of her writing.

Glad to be helping your wish list along, Steve

I have just started The Man in the High Castle as my son said I should read it, I am enjoying it so far although it is a bit more "alternative world" and less "science fiction" than I had expected. In fact, if I only read science fiction, I think I would probably be disappointed. Although I am probably just defining science fiction wrongly to myself!

I haven't read any Roger Zelazny except the Chronicles of Amber, so I look forward to hearing what you think of it

I haven't had a look at all the books on it yet, but it led me straight to one of my favourite books (Neuromancer) so I'm impressed! I thoroughly recommend "Amber" - when I have been mulling over my favourite books/series in the last couple of days, this was one of the first I thought of.

Thanks vodkafan and Sofia, I just need to decide how scared I want to be now! I'm meant to buy things off my wish list after I finish reading everything on my TBR? So that's where I've been going wrong

Hi charmer Weaveworld is one of my favourite books, here is the synopsis from Amazon: Cal Mooney is mysteriously drawn towards an old house in Liverpool. There, in the form of an old carpet, he witnesses a world of rapture and enchantment by which he is beguiled. Unbeknownst to Cal, this is 'Weaveworld', created decades before by the Seerkind, a people more ancient than man, gifted with magical powers. Threatened with annihilation in the last century they wove themselves and their culture into a carpet for safekeepng. Now, with the last of their human caretakers dead, the Weaveworld comes to life. Dark forces are alerted by the awakening: a desperate battle is about to begin. Weaveworld is a book of visions and horrors, a story of quest, titanic struggles, of love and hope. Barker weaves a spell of enchantment around his readers, encapsulating a world that is at once terrifying and miraculous, magical and monstrous, impossible to resist and heart-breaking to leave. Hope you enjoy whichever one you try next!

I need to get better at doing lists! I usually need a bit of a lie down when I think of starting one (especially a tbr list, that would just terrify me, I much prefer just kind of knowing books are there waiting for me) but a list of some of my favourite books shouldn't be too hard, should it? Just googled Sheri S Tepper and I'm pretty sure I haven't read any of her books either, I will be interested to see what you think of it - the blurb looks intriguing! Have you read either Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury or The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood? I'm nearly finished my current book, and they are both contenders for my next read.

I like lots of the same books as you do, Steve; I have read and enjoyed: Maybe I should just use the rest of your list as a wish list!

I'm a big Stephen King fan, but don't think I have read Just After Sunset yet, it looks a great read! I'm off to add it and any book by Linda Gillard to my wish list, thanks for the reviews Weave!

I have Birdsong on my shelf to read, and haven't been quite sure if it would be my thing, thanks for the review Inver - it has helped me decide that it is!

If I remember rightly, Flowers for Algernon and A Scanner Darkly were both BCF Reading Circle books, if you are interested in reading what other people thought of them

1. Who was your favourite character...? My favourite was probably the Lord Lieutenant - I loved his eccentricity. 2. ...and your least favourite? Well, actually, Maria was one of my least favourite characters. While thinking it awful the way Miss Brown and Mr Hater (my other two least favourites) treated her, I just couldn't like her. 3. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest? I enjoyed the beginning of the book and Maria's discovery of the Lilliputians, and also the bits near the end with the Lord Lieutenant really made me laugh! 4. Was this the first book you've read in this genre / by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? I have always had a hankering to read The Once and Future King, and might well do that, but I can't say that Mistress Masham's Repose has made me want to read more of T H White's work. I will probably read more classic children's literature in the future. 5. Have you read Gulliver's Travels? ....... a. If yes, did it make this a more enjoyable experience? ....... b. If no, has this book inspired you to have a go at Swift's masterpiece? I haven't read Gulliver's Travels, it has never appealed to me, and this book hasn't made me any more inclined to give it a try. 6. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? For some reason I found the capture of the pike really offputting, and I didn't enjoy the tale of the Lilliputian airman which came just after it either, and after those I never quite enjoyed the book as much again. 7. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Do you know, I can't quite decide! I enjoyed some of it very much, and disliked some of it very much. The edition I have has really lovely illustrations, though, so I think I will read it again some day and hopefully enjoy more of it. For some reason, I would the capture of the 8. Would you recommend the book and if so to whom? I don't know any fans of classic children's literature, and can't think of anyone else I would recommend it to. 9. The book was first published in 1946 - has it stood the test of time? Probably not, in that I'm not sure whether modern children would enjoy it. 10. Maria treats the Lilliputians quite badly when she gets over her initial shock at finding them. Why does she behave this way towards them? I agree with the others that she was just too young to properly appreciate the consequences of her actions. 11. T H White was an atheist - do you think this comes across in his writing at all? No, I can't think of anything in the book that would have indicated that to me.

Mistress Masham's Repose Synopsis - from Amazon Ten-year-old orphan Maria lives in her ancestors' crumbling mansion, with warm-hearted Cook and the eccentric Professor as her only friends. Exploring the grounds one day, Maria discovers a wild, half-forgotten island in the middle of a neglected lake - and an extraordinary secret. For the island is home to a community of tiny people - the Lilliputians that Gulliver first met on his famous travels. But as Maria grows closer to her new friends, her own life is in grave danger. Her wicked governess and the cruel vicar are plotting to steal her rightful inheritance - and they will stop at nothing. How can Maria keep the Lilliputians safe, while protecting herself? I hadn't heard of this book before it was made a Reading Group choice, and I hadn't read Gulliver so I wasn't sure what I would make of it. I would say I enjoyed it more than I expected to, very much in some places. For some reason, though, the pike hunt (which was only a few paragraphs long) really put me off and, as this was followed by the tale of the tiny airman which I also didn't enjoy, my enthusiasm never quite recovered itself. However, the edition I have has some really lovely illustrations, so I think I will read it again some time and hopefully enjoy the whole book more.

Treason's Harbour by Patrick O'Brian Synopsis - from the Folio Society "I must tell you that the service is not designed for those that wish to gather beetles and henbane on some far coral strand and that grow snappish and petulant when desired to mind their duty." No amount of such teasing can dent Stephen’s delight in his diving bell, and during a perilous mission to stop a French bribe reaching the ruler of Mubara in the Red Sea, Jack will be very glad of it. It is a mission which seems to have been betrayed, however. The French have many agents, and having a long score to settle with Stephen Maturin, they will stop at nothing to infiltrate his intelligence network. There are spies not only amongst his friends but in the highest echelons of the naval command itself, and this book marks the beginning of an intricate and deadly battle of wits. The ninth book in the Aubrey-Maturin series, this was as usual a really good read - lots of humour, adventure, intrigue and battles, and affairs of the heart.