Kidsmum

I fell off the wagon this morning, i couldn't walk past the charity shops without going in for a little look - i came out with Sacred Hearts Sarah Dunant Orley Farm Anthony Trollope Ralph The Heir Anthony Trollope Castle Richmond Anthony Trollope The Trumpet- Major Thomas Hardy They were just too tempting to leave behind

Thanks Steve & Paula

Looking forward to hearing what you thought of it Kylie, i really enjoyed The Uncommon Reader but then i just love Alan Bennett Good choice I finished Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont , such a good read i shall definitely be reading more of Elizabeth Taylor's books I'm also nearly finished Longbourn Jo Baker, only 80 pages to go

Well i have to admit i'm burning with curiosty as to where 'There' is, sounds like the darker side of book forums

Great review Kay ..... i could hear Bright Eyes as i was reading it

thank you, Little Pixie

Hi Claire & welcome you'll get lots of recommendations on here to broaden your reading

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont Elizabeth Taylor The story of Mrs Palfrey an elderly lady who moves into The Claremont Hotel where she hopes to live out her remaining years in relative comfort. She shares her new home with a group of elderly residents who like Mrs Palfrey are all on a budget, hoping there health will hold out so they don't end up in a nursing home & looking forward to infrequent duty visits from various relatives. Then one day Mrs Palfrey meets a young aspiring author called Ludo & they become friends..... This is a sad story of aging, loneliness, keeping up appearances & dependency but it's so sensitively written that it steers clear of being depressing & there are some lighter moments as well, like when the residents are all trying to outdo each other as to who's had the most operations & who's was the most serious. So far this is my favourite book of the year, i know that's not saying much as we're only in January but i shall be adding more Elizabeth Taylor books to my wishlist 6/6

I've never heard of Larry McMurty so had a quick look on Amazon.I thought those old cowboy books had fallen out of fashion but i like the look of The Last Picture Show i shall await your reviews of his other books though before i add it to my wishlist One of my girls got Miss Peregines Home For Peculiar Children for Christmas & she's already read it & added Hollow City to her wishlist

It was really good Laura, if it wasn't for Willoyd mentioning A Month In The Country on the forum i don't think i would of come across the author at all

Trying not to fall behind with my reviews like i usually do The Harpole Report J.L.Carr Written as a series of journal entries, official log book recordings & letters between various characters the book tells the story of George Harpole appointed temporary Headmaster of a small primary school in the East Midlands. Harpole has his own ideas on how to improve the teaching in the school & sees his appointment as a step on the way to greater things but he encounters trouble at every turn from staff, petty officials & parents. After reading & enjoying both A Month in the Country & Carr's Biography i really wanted to try some of his other books, The Harpole Report is a very funny book with great characters - Mr Theaker the caretaker who is an ever present thorn in his side & the Widmerpool family with their 11 uncontrollable children were my favourites. It would be interesting to know how much of it was based on real life as Carr worked as a primary school teacher himself for a number of years. 5/6

Good luck with the challenge Poppy

I agree the Finnish title is better & i think that in a way the group themselves were like gods as they kept themselves aloof from the rest of the students & thought themselves superior because they were Julian's chosen few & as you say they certainly behaved like gods when they decided to take Bunny's life. I have to say my only experience of boarding schools is reading Enid Blyton books to my youngest daughter & i don't think they're all that realistic but the thought of sending any of my children away to school & only seeing them at the holidays makes me feel ill. I know when we took our eldest to her accomodation with all her stuff when she went to Uni it was really hard to leave her there & i think i was more worried about it than her.

I like the sound of Agnes's Jacket, Frankie, sounds like an interesting read & i've heard of The Women's Room but never read it

Good idea i shall recommend it to her, i read it a few years ago after Ruth reviewed it on her book log & it did make me look at Mrs Bennett in a different light

Apologies for taking so long to reply Frankie, i don't know how to split up your quote so here goes As this was a reread for me i already knew how things worked out with Julian so i disliked him right from the beginning but i think the first time i read it i didn't feel that he was a bad person till the very end when he shows his true colours. He isolated the group from the rest of the college making them solely dependent on him for their education & emotional welfare & then when he finds out what they've done he just deserts them & quite literally runs away with devastating consequences especially for Henry. To me he seemed like a very shallow person with only superficial charm & no real substance to him.... a Skindeep ..... as the Stranglers would say & a coward. The letter thing was so tense i was holding my breath, it's funny isn't it even though they'd committed murder i didn't want them to get caught, although i still feel that they paid for their crime as their lives just unravelled afterwards. I don't think it was the murder that was postponed but their regular dinner appointment because of the murder... i guess killing someone spoils your appetite But yes when the murder was mentioned it was like it was just a common place event not something of huge consequence. I was really surprised after i'd read The Little Friend to hear that so many disliked it as i enjoyed it so much. I think again for me it was the characters that made the book, initially i disliked Harriet but as the book went on i really started to admire her strength of character & tenacity she really did have a horrible homelife. Also there's some great scenes in it that i still remember but i wont mention them as i don't want to spoil the story. Some books you can enjoy but then you forget plot lines etc.after awhile but i can still remember lots of TLF & it's definitely up there in my Top Ten favourite books, I gave away my copy but wish i hadn't now as i would like to read it again I hope you'll give it another chance Frankie.

Yes you could be right about The Ambassadors although i'm sure i remember hearing somewhere that he thought it was his best work. Have you read The Golden Bowl as i still have that on my TBR pile ? I think £2.49 is a good price for a book you want & i'd be happy to pay that especially if it was in good condition but i think your more likely to spend more if the books are cheaper as your more likely to take a chance on a book that your not sure about, there's a St. Gemma's near where my Dad was living that had all paperbacks for 49p i'd regularly come out with a stack of books whereas if the price was higher i'd be more selective in my choices..... which of course is how i've ended up with such a huge TBR mountain...... i can't resist a bargain when it comes to books I shall take you up on your offer of lend of the book Claire, thanks, as i know it's not available on the library site

I'm about 100 pages into Longbourn at the moment & really enjoying it. The friend who leant it too me said that she couldn't feel the same affection for the Bennetts after reading it so maybe it should come with a warning on the cover

Thanks Devi, i appreciate that Thanks Marie, it's a difficult time but my OH is very supportive so it really helps.

You have some fantastic books on your list, i read my first Austen when i was in my teens so i'm quite envious of you discovering them for the fist time. Happy reading in 2014 BSchultz

Good luck with your reading this year Claire, i hope you have more 5* books than last year I can recommend The Harpole Report having just finished it , very amusing & one that i know i'll read again. Interesting reading everyone's thoughts on The Turn Of The Screw ,i'm quite tempted to pick it up myself now just to see what i think, like Kay i loathed the Ambassadors but as you've read & enjoyed other Henry James novels perhaps i should give him another chance. The Bates book was a great find, well done to your OH for spotting it, my hubby would have been too busy looking at the music section to notice anything else. I find Oxfam a bit pricey when it comes to books & only buy from them when i see something i really want. There's a branch not too far from us in Headingley that sells just books but some of the prices are ridiculous i'm sure they'd be cheaper to buy new online.

Happy Reading in 2014 Noll

Thanks Athena, it was a treat to go book shopping

Thanks Kay, one of my sisters is over at the moment so she's helping with the hospital visits hence the day off & we've asked for him to be moved to a nursing home as near us as possible because i don't drive so i'm relying on Alan to take me to the hospital everyday after he finishes work which of course is very tiring for him though he's very good & never complains about it so at least if he was nearer i could get there on my own steam. I think your right about it being too soon to lose your parents whatever their age . Re Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont - i picked it up with the intention of just reading the introduction but ended up reading the first 70 pages, your right it is beautifully written & Mrs Palfrey is a wonderful character Thanks Janet & Chrissy we're just trying to take things one day at a time at the moment. Thanks Chaliepud, i hope i have done the best i can. If only i'd known this was going to happen i would have appreciated our time together more but i guess that goes for everyone in our lives you think they'll always be there & so take them for granted. I'm enjoying Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont very much so i'm sure to read more by her, we'll have to compare notes Thanks Pontalba & Inver it's nice to hear kind words at this time Thanks Julie, it was good to take a break, it's been a help having my sister over for the past few days. My dad has been quite sleepy & confused when we've been to see him but i know from my own time in hospital a couple of years ago visitors are your only connection to the outside world, i suppose as he gets closer to the end he'll sleep more & more but i hope that he'll still be able to hear us talking & know we're there & he's not alone. I probably wouldn't have even posted about my Dad if he was going to recover but somehow it seemed wrong to keep posting & not mention it as though there was nothing going on & i'm glad i did as it's been really helpful to read only your kind comments so thank you all

That's really interesting info Frankie i hadn't thought of Julian as a father figure but it explains so much - will be back to reply in more detail when i get a chance