Ooshie

I'm about 40 pages into The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and have noticed about half a dozen typos already. Don't buy the Faber and Faber edition!

I like the English title, too. I haven't seen the film yet, as I had enjoyed the book so much that I didn't take the chance that the film would spoil it.

Hi Laura, if you are anything like me you will discover so many new books you won't have time to read them all!

Hi Turin, yes, we say thriller too - and, like you, I enjoy reading them!

Hope you enjoy the forum, Holly

Are you going to be trying Miss Smilla again, frankie, or did your first experience put you off too much? I have read it twice and really enjoyed it both times, and I'm looking forward to reading it again - I found the descriptions of snow really magical and interesting, and enjoyed the storyline too.

Just 50 pages still to go in Bad Blood by S J Rozan, so I will finish that this evening. Still no Nick Hornby book , but The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath has arrived so it looks like I will be starting that next

I had never heard of her (as I found out!) either, but succumbed to the "buy one get one free double pack" in Tesco - they are obviously having a very widespread promotion! I am about half way through now, and am enjoying it, but for some reason my brain is insisting in imagining it in a New York accent, which is somewhat distracting

CaliLily, 69lbs is amazing, congratulations! I just haven't been able to motivate myself to lose any more weight at all this year, but at least I haven't put any on! Like kimmy619 I am usually less hungry in hot weather so maybe if we actually get more than one day in a row which is hot here then that will help.

Hot Stuff by Donna Summer

Hope you enjoy yourself on the forum!

Pathetic? No, never!!! I thoroughly approve of doing nothing but reading

Shadow by Karin Alvtegen A crime novel with a few twists, this follows the lives of writer Axel Ragnerfeldt (now totally paralysed and in a nursing home) and his extended family, their housekeeper Gerda Persson, and Kristoffer Sandeblom (who was abandoned in a theme park when he was four). All of them have secrets of one sort or another which are brought to light as the story unfolds. This book suffered a bit because I had a gap of two or three weeks in the middle of reading it which meant I had lost the thread of the story a bit, but I did enjoy it and would buy another of the author's books if I came across it.

A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve The story of newly married Americans Margaret and Patrick, who move to Kenya, this book is descriptive of the politics and poverty of that country as well as the animals and scenery (of both countryside and city). They make friends with a British couple and join them on a climbing expedition during which there is a fatal accident, with detrimental effects on both themselves and their marriage which are explored throughout the rest of the book. I found this book slightly confusing, as to begin with the language etc made me think the book was set in the 1940s or 1950s, but later there are references which show it was later; I'm still not sure exactly when it was set. Enjoyable enough, I didn't like it as much as I usually like Anita Shreve's writing, although this might be more to do with the fact that I didn't enjoy the change of scene from small town America (where her books are more usually set) to Africa. It certainly didn't make me want to visit Africa.

You are putting the rest of us to shame, frankie! Finished Shadow by Karin Alvtegen, started Bad Blood by S J Rozan.

Well, you have got my 15 year old at it too, now! I woke up this morning to an email from Amazon thanking me for ordering We Have Always Lived in the Castle at 1.35 a.m. Being sound asleep at that time, I was going to cancel it and change my password, but thought I had better check with my son first. Oh yes, he said, he had read a review of it on your blog and thought it looked really good...

We did get post delivered today, but still no Hornby! The joys of living in rural Scotland Still, I will enjoy sitting out in the garden in the sun looking over at the hills to make up for it *thinks - do I have the ingredients for a summer cocktail? Yes!!!*

Or, if you want to stick with horror/fantasy, how about Clive Barker? I found The Books of Blood very scary. (Just a thought, do you picture what's happening in books in your mind? For me, really imagining what's going on can enhance the feelings the writer is trying to create; it's not something I do automatically when reading.)

I would love to listen to audiobooks, but every time I have tried I have just nodded off - too relaxing

Thought my Nick Hornby book might have arrived today, so didn't start anything else last night. But it's not here Hopefully it will come tomorrow and I will be able to make a start! (Still, it has made me rescue Shadow by Karin Alvtegen from the car where it has been sitting half-read for weeks now - I will read that today instead ) Post 4 looks lovely, CaliLily, thank you!

I have read all of Anita Shreve's books, and prefer them to Jodi Picoult as the mystical bits in the more recent Picoult books which I have read have started to irritate me. My least favourite Anita Shreve books are Eden Close, Resistance, Body Surfing, and A Change in Altitude - Light on Snow is indeed a good one.

Definitely just a nasty lot I think!

Yes, c-unt is used for people of both sexes (in England as well as Scotland). In fact, I would say it is probably used more often for males! Regarded as very offensive by most people, of course, not a term to drop into the conversation should you be having a nice chat with any Brits...

Finished A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. Was thinking of starting Possession, but with two books to read for Rory Gilmore and Miss Smilla coming up, I think I will need to choose something quicker and savour Possession after all of those! So many books, so little reading time...