Ooshie

Thank you so much to everyone who made suggestions - I have put them all in a list at the end of my first post in case anyone else is interested in snowy/wintery books, and I will update the list if there are any additions.

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian This is the first of the 20 volume Aubrey-Maturin series of naval adventures in the time of Nelson, and follows Captain Jack Aubrey and Doctor Stephen Maturin as they meet for the first time and become friends. Set in 1800, the book is full of descriptions of life at sea on a sailing ship and battles between ships, and really brings that way of life alive for the reader. There is quite a lot of humour in the writing, too, and I read most of it with a smile on my face - when there wasn't a joke that was amusing me, then it was pure and simple enjoyment!

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Richard Mayhew helps an injured girl he finds in the street, and becomes involved in helping her escape from killers who are hunting her. He accompanies her on her return to London Below, a place loosely related to the London Underground map and full of strange characters (a real Angel called Islington, the Black Friars etc) and quests. Thank you yet again, BCF for helping me to discover this book and author, neither of whom I had ever heard of before! This is an exciting fantasy, wonderfully well written and imaginative, that I am still thinking about now - several days later and having read another book and a half since. I definitely want to read more of this author - yet more books to add to my wish list...

Yes, this month would be fine, Kylie - I'm looking forward to it already

I have been thinking about reading To Kill A Mockingbird since hearing it is the 50th anniversary, so I would like to join in too, please! I loved the film with Gregory Peck and have seen it several times, but have never read the the book

Hi Isabel, and welcome to the forum I read the first two (The Forsyte Saga and a Modern Comedy) and thoroughly enjoyed them both. I hadn't actually realised there was a third, so I'm glad you posted - what's it called? I will definitely have to get hold of it! Although it is probably about 30 years since I read the first two, so I will have to read them again first

Your fairy is called Feather Saturnglitter She is a trouble maker. She lives in high places where the clouds meet the earth. She is only seen in the light of a shooting star. She wears pale blue like the sky. She has delicate pale pink wings like a cicada.

37.2C? Oh, no, that's too hot! I will stick to my rain I think. When I visited my parents today, they had their central heating on! There must be somewhere with weather that's just ... pleasant? Re the spoiler tag, when you are making your post, if you click on the Other styles box that is up near the top left corner, you can scroll down to where it says Spoiler, if you click on that then a box appears for you to enter the text you want to hide. The only problem was that I couldn't work out how to make my hidden text appear anywhere but at the beginning of what I had already typed, couldn't cut and paste, and so had to type my post again in front of my spoiler! Maybe next time I will do better I think I will probably end up re-reading The Wasp Factory soon now I have reminded myself of it, even if it isn't chosen for the Reading Group.

Summer? I know I have heard that word somewhere, but I can't quite remember what the concept was... I know what you mean about The Wasp Factory, there were bits that just horrified me, particularly the bit where - that gave me nightmares for ages! I think it's definitely a book that makes an impression, whether you love it or are just appalled by it. (Did you see what I did there? Spoiler!)

Thanks for the review of The Woman in Black, Weave, it's one I have often thought of reading, and it looks great! I have only read Susan Hill's Simon Serailler series up until now, and had really enjoyed them but wasn't sure what any of her other work was like.

The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy A book of 22 short stories, this is lovely, easy holiday reading that can be picked up and put down at any time. As always with Maeve Binchy, there isn't anything offensive or hard to cope with in any of the stories; I found them mostly quite forgettable, but if you are in the mood for something nice and gentle to read then this will do the trick.

I know, Rory Gilmore is definitely widening my horizons! (As if you lot on BCF hadn't added enough to my TBR shelf and wish list as it is ) I'm glad you enjoyed Wallflower too, it really is a lovely little book. I am treating myself quite gently this month, I think, and reading mainly things I know I will enjoy! Sometimes I just need a month like that...

Yep, that's Skipping Christmas definitely off the list, frankie, and A Dog Named Christmas definitely on! SaraPepparkaka, you can't beat a ghost story, especially set in winter - I will look out for that one

I had found the Cheshire Cat very creepy in the Disney film, but thought he seemed quite benign in the book, so I enjoyed him much more! I agree, Kell, it would have been fun to have had more of him in the book.

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson In this third and final book in the Millennium trilogy Lisbeth Salander, recovering from life threatening injuries, is at risk of being locked away permanently in a psychiatric facility as she is being prosecuted for attempted murder. The Swedish state security police are behind this prosecution, and journalist Mikael Blomkvist and Millennium magazine are working hard to discover the truth in time to help Lisbeth. I have enjoyed all three books in the trilogy, and feel very sad that Stieg Larsson died before being able to publish any more work. At 743 pages this book isn't a short read, but it only took me about three days to finish as I found it a gripping read and it kept me reading far too late into the night! I did find a few of the political sections a bit hard going, but they were only a couple of pages long and far outweighed by the enjoyable nature of the rest of the book.

frankie, the weather has been really miserable here for the last couple of weeks - an hour or two of sunshine here and there, but mostly grey, cloudy and wet. And yes, sometimes cold:( So I am trying to hang on to my wintery books, but if the fire has to go on, then maybe the wintery books will have to come out too! I did like the ending to The Lovely Bones - but, like you, I haven't found the spoiler tags yet so can't really comment... I think I will be ok with A Dog Named Christmas, it was just that Skipping Christmas looked like it was about not wanting Christmas because of all the hype etc, and that was part of my phobia! I couldn't bear all the stuff about decorating, sending cards, shop windows etc, it all just seemed trivial and superficial and totally worthless. And I usually love Christmas so it was a few really horrible years. OH did survive, although he is brain damaged and hasn't been able to work since (15 years this November) as he has left side weakness, problems with his vision and various memory/cognitive problems. But his personality remained intact, and that's the main thing!

There are lots of fantastic suggestions, aren't there, Nollaig? After the suggestions slow down, I think I will put together a proper list of them all at the end of my first post (maybe in genres) to make it easier for anyone else wanting to dip into them. They are definitely too good just to be kept to myself! Thanks again, everybody :hug2:

frankie, it was Smilla that started the vague hankering for snowy/wintery books that grew into this real need, you know how I loved that book! But I am going to hang on to them to read all cosied up in front of the fire (which might not be long the way the weather here is going). Some great suggestions, frankie, thanks very much! I haven't read anything by Ellis Peters, although I have thought about buying a Brother Cadfael mystery often, and Virgin in the Ice looks just right. Edit: I read Little Women years ago in my early teens, loved the book and the film with Elizabeth Taylor, might be time for a reread of that! A Dog Named Christmas looks a lovely little book, it's always nice to have something feelgood in reserve for when I need something gentle... Death and a Penguin looks really different to anything else on my list so gets onto it just for that! I wouldn't have left Skipping Christmas off just for being about Christmas, but I had a real phobia about Christmas for years after OH had his brain haemorrhage (after being very controlled and brave for weeks and not crying at all, I finally broke down and sobbed uncontrollably when carol singers came into the ward, poor OH at death's door only able to move his left hand was having to pat my hand and try to comfort me ) so I am scared to try it in case it sends me back into phobia mode! I have read The Lovely Bones and The Secret History a couple of times (particularly love The Secret History) but will remember them for other years - yes, I am intending doing the winter reading other years too... I have never actually read any Agatha Christie, although I have seen and enjoyed lots of the films, so maybe it's time I got started! I love Stephen King, but I have only been able to read Misery once as some of it was just too gruesome for me

I haven't read The Conqueror series I'm afraid, SueK, but if you are interested in a stand-alone novel on Genghis Khan I have recently finished The Earth is the Lord's by Taylor Caldwell and enjoyed it (although it did take me about 70 pages to get into the style of writing).

Echo and Finty, those Prey novels do look good! And I do enjoy a series. I will need to make up my mind whether to start properly at the beginning or just dip in with Winter Prey. lopeanha, I haven't read a Norah Roberts novel in years and had kind of forgotten about her, but I read several a long time ago and really enjoyed them. Northern Lights looks just right. Kell, until joining BCF I had really written off children's books, and had actually been on the verge of taking all my favourite books from my childhood to the second-hand bookshop to see what I could get for them. But I have definitely seen the error of my ways and am planning to read quite a few children's/youth books, so The Snow Spider looks a nice addition to my list. (And thinking of children's books has reminded me of one of my all time favourite books, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which fits very nicely in with my snowy theme )

I find them all pretty similar, Kylie, and I certainly wouldn't say they get better. I tend to save them for when I'm feeling like something easy and "nice" that's quick to read and I won't have to think too much about. If you're not enjoying the early ones much, I doubt whether you would like the later ones any more.

Neither have I. Never have I ever wanted to go to a party (although I do enjoy myself once I'm there!)

Black Dogs - Ian McEwan