Nienna

D: I never understand this. In relation to what?! Other galaxies? What are they travelling in relation to? Surely if there is nothing in space then you can't travel relative to nothing?

So the calorie counting isn't entirely working - I keep lapsing! Willpower failure. I have been good during the week but on Monday nights we have a big family dinner and on weekends I tend to go out so aaalll my work is ruined! To remedy my lack of determination I've decided to look at joining a Slimming World class. I've heard nothing but good things about these guys. A lot of my colleagues have joined and all seem to have lost weight, averaging about 10 pounds. I also had a look at the booklet you get when you join up (it's currently a

Just turned 24 about a month ago.

Yeah, this is pretty much what put me off the fantasy genre. I loved loved loooovveedd LOTR and The Hobbit. I read them when I was about 12 or 13 and they were really what got me into reading. After that I looked into other fantasy books but they all seemed to just follow the trend, especially The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. People tell me the series ends up a lot different to LOTR but my god, if ever there was a Tolkien carbon copy it is that book. Terry Pratchett is a good refuse if you enjoy fantasy and Philip Pullman is the first truly original fantasy writer I have come across since Tolkien. His Dark Materials trilogy is absolutely wonderful - one of the best fantasy writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Apart from that, though, it is a fairly stagnant genre! :S

I love books because they are such an inspirational way to convey ideas, opinions and experiences. They explore characters, scenarios etc. and are able to place us inside a story to share the experiences of the characters. They take us away from ourselves and our inherent narcissism and let us experience a little bit of the lives of others.

I also noticed (but forgot to post up ) that there are a load of Penguin Classics all for the same price! Click here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=penguin+classics or just do a search for "Penguin Classics". Also note that not all of them come up with the search for some reason. I noticed that when I added books to my basket the "Users that bought this book also bought..." section brought up some which didn't come up in the search! o_O

I have to admit that I'm not great at guessing plot twists or endings. I think it's because I don't think to try, though. Usually I'm too focused on the current part of the book that I'm reading that I forget to think ahead. However, I do also constantly read spoilers - especially because I tend to read introductions to classic books before I read the book - but then when I get to that point in the story, I forget that I even knew about it! Maybe I'm just forgetful. Either way, predictable books don't really bother me, because I'm not good at predicting. More to the point, however, I don't especially read for storylines. I tend to enjoy more exploratory books, for example those that explore characters and opinions, with the story as more of a catalyst for ideas, rather than the whole point of the book. That's not to say that I don't enjoy a good plot twist either, though. A novel's story must be good to convey opinions with force and, to some extent, conviction, and also to leave an impression upon you. Unpredictable books are definitely preferable for this reason, but like I say, it doesn't bother me much!

There is a definite need for a revamp of the "chick lit" genre. I think I picked up a Marian Keyes book once because it came free with a magazine, read the first couple of pages and already knew what the whole book would be about. It's just not worth reading them. Middle-class fashionistas are not the only type of woman, nor do they even represent the average young woman today. Personally I'd like to see the alleged intelligence and wit accredited to the heroines of chicklit applied to a more reasonable, stronger and less man- and material-driven woman. A woman that thinks about more than shopping, for example, and works hard for reasons other than "to afford that new pair of Manolo Blahnik's." Also, the ghost stories is a great suggestion. I'm currently reading Frankenstein and the thing which drew me to it is that I've never really read an horror novel. A throw-back to the 19th century gothic novel, for example, would be fantastic.

I was going to suggest this. I haven't actually read it myself but have heard very good things about it! Karsa: where did you get your copy? I noticed that it's a series but I'm a bit confused because everyone refers to the book by the title A Song of Ice & Fire, but I've only seen A Game of Thrones really. Unconfuse me!

I really do try very hard to get into a book before I discard it in favour of another. I very very slowly managed about 1/3 of Ivanhoe before I really had to give in. It just wasn't enjoyable at the time, so back on the shelf it went! But yeah, I think some books take a little while to pick up, so I like to give them the chance. Recently, though, I've had bad luck with a few in a row, which hasn't really happened to me before. Found a good one eventually, though!

Also, I did the same when I unpacked my books from the attic! Noticed I had a missing Harry Potter. Looked EVERYWHERE for it! Still haven't found it. Despair.

I used to be very picky about the condition of books and begrudge lending people them because I knew they'd come back with bent spines! I wouldn't even open a book properly in case it creased the cover. Now, however, I've relaxed a lot. It's really a case of resigning myself to the fact that books will get bent and dog-eared if you carry them about at all or want to read them with the pages actually open. Most of the books I've read in my collection are pretty tattered because, unless they're HUGE tomes (see: Wolf Hall ), I carry them to work and back in my handbag. I do, however, still have one peeve: when I order new books from Amazon etc. and open the package to find an ALREADY CREASED COVER. Urrghhhh!

Next episode of Luther tonight!

I'm a pioneering adventurer exploring far northern seas and have just found a stranded man on the ice, frostbitten and close to death, who has begun telling me the story of his life and how he got there.

Read the introduction, prefaces and opening "Letter" chapters of Frankenstein. Now on Chapter 3! Excellent so far.

Following the election, probably via channel 4 - I do like a bit of Brooker! Also, I watched Luther on Tuesday night and my word it was awesome.

Agreed that the system is unfair, but remember this is a Daily Mail article! Quite sure it's been jazzed up in order to hatemonger, in as shameless and undignified a manner as only the DM can manage. It is really a paper I steer very clearly away from. The DM bugs me!

One of the better Austen's, although I'm not a great fan of hers generally. I do like the Gothic vibe! Enjoy!

Book Fiend, don't feel like you're alone! I'm the same. 500+ pages takes me forever! If I feel like I haven't read a paragraph properly it nags at me until I have to go over it again to make sure I've taken in every bit of it. D: And nope, I can't read with distractions either, although a background murmer (like on the train, for instance) helps! I'm very picky. :s

Finished The Professor by Charlotte Bronte. Verdict: not as good as her other works, but then this could sort of be regarded as a practice run for her later novel Vilette. Less feeling and felt a bit more forced, but still all the style, dignity and brilliance of a Bronte. Started Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Quite excited about this one!

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 2. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman 3. Moondust by Andrew Smith 4. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien 5. Hamlet by Shakespeare Tried to get a good variation on genres in there!

I mostly read classics, too. I wonder if this contributes... I guess they tend to be a bit more verbose, so it could generally take longer to parse older-language books, although because I'm so used to 19th Century writing now I'm not sure it would phase me much. I probably just like taking my time! Also, for those who mentioned Twilight: this is probably the quickest I have ever got through a book. Painfully boring writing (in my opinion with a sort of heart-quickening teenage romance plot, which was really it's only hook. Once I finished it my main thought was, "Er... what was the point of that, then?" I don't get it!

Rugby players (you mean for the legs right?) Flora or fauna?

Sarah Waters

Haha, sounds like a good life! Busy, but lovely. I think a big part of my slow reading does come from having no time, too. I used to read a lot at bed time before I started working but now, when I get home I go to see people or have my boyfriend round or watch something on TV I've been waiting for, then dinner, shower, and anything else I need to get done usually takes me up til about 11pm and I'm ready for sleeeeep. I try to stay awake sometimes to read 'cause I get frustrated by not having the time to, but it's hard to concentrate with sore eyes, and my comfy pillow usually gets the better of me!