Kidsmum

I didn't find this very spooky but i did think it was a really good read - Hope you enjoy it I've less than a 100 pages to go in Titus Groan if we don't get too many trick or treaters i might even finish it tonight

Okay so my vote is still for Dracula because although James Herriot was hugely popular back in the day, i know my Dad read most of the books & we watched the TV series as did most families, it's certainly not known by the younger generation (gosh that makes me feel old) whereas Dracula is, so for me that makes it the more famous of the two choices. I'm happy to go with South Riding - i watched the TV production with the lovely David Morrisey & so it'd be interesting to see how the book differs from the drama. Now the Hampshire options are more difficult but i'm going to go with Watership Down.

Yes i think Kestrel For A Knave is a good choice as well & although i love A Month In The Country my vote goes to Dracula as i think it's certainly the most famous of the two books.

I finished it the other day & it was so good i couldn't put it down & so i'm looking forward to discussing it at my book group meeting Hi Lilradish, welcome to the forum I really liked The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society when i read it, it's one of those books you could recommend to anyone it has such broad appeal. Little Women is a book that i feel i aught to have read but i've not gotten round to it yet so i guess it's on my to do list I've just started next months Reading Circle choice Titus Groan Mervyn Peake, it's definitely out of my reading comfort zone & initially i thought i wasn't going to like it but i'm really starting to get into the story now

Lovely book pic Athena I haven't read any of them myself so look forward to hearing what you think of them

Thanks Claire for explaining that it makes sense to do it that way Sorry i did mean to come back to the thread sooner but we're decorating the hall & everything is in chaos at the moment. For Durham my choice would be Nicholas Nickleby but that's because i'd rather read Dickens than Cookson so for Greater London although i'm tempted by Oliver Twist for the sake of variety my choice would be Sherlock Holmes. For Dorset from the options i'd plump for Far From The Madding Crowd & Staffordshire, Old Wives Tale because although AOTFT is set wholly in the county OWT is more famous. I think the suggestion to offer people a choice for the more difficult to resolve counties is a good idea as well .

Oh my goodness just catching up with the thread & it's making my head ache, so much to think about. If someone could just clarify who is allowed to express a preference for the nominations, anyone or just the people who are involved in setting up the challenge and if it's anyone do we choose by which book we think is the most famous or the one we'd like to read the most. Sorry i'm not trying to be arsey i'm just not sure & don't want to step on anyones toes

I thought of the The Old Wives Tale as it's on my Christmas wishlist but as it does end in Paris i thought Anna Of The Five Towns would be a more fitting choice. I did hear Sanghera talking about his book on the radio & thought it would be interesting to read both books . I hadn't actually heard of Arnold Bennett till Deborah Moggach mentioned him when she was interviewed at the Hay Festival & i got AOFTFT for my birthday, it was such a good read that i'd be quite happy to read any of his books if he's picked for the challenge

At the moment i'm reading The Red House Mark Haddon for my bookclub; nearly halfway in & i'm really liking it.

Three books in a row is a real mojo killer i'd be tempted to opt for a safe bet for my next read. I haven't read any Jim Grace but i do have Being Dead on my TBR pile & i have Mrs Dalloway as well

Hi Dex your posts are always so cryptic i always feel like your operating on a different plain to me

Oh dear.....my user name is Mumsdik backwards which doesn't sound very nice at all. I don't know about being in a novel but it certainly sounds like something that should be in a documentary or on pay per view channel

Thanks for the review of Others Of My Kind Pontalba i just checked the library catalogue & my local library has a copy so now i'm thinking do i have time to get down there today & grab it before any one else get there

Hi Julie A Short History... sounds really funny . What's Pinky's reasoning behind his choice of the bald one over the fat sister does the book tell you ? I had a quick look on Amazon but they don't have it so i'm guessing it's no longer in print so be sure to hang on to your copy

Can i make a suggestion for Staffordshire Anna Of The Five Towns Arnold Bennett. Bennett was born in Staffordshire & a lot of his books are set there so i think he ticks the right boxes

Oh dear well i'm glad i didn't put you off it , you'll probably read it & think what was she waffling on about it's nothing like I Capture The Castle

It's been a bit of a struggle again this month to find the time to read but even so i've not done too badly. I started the month off with Sharpe's Gold, as usual Cornwell never fails to disappoint with his Sharpe tales. Then came The Dangerous Fortune Ken Follett, i really thought i'd enjoy this as it was set in the Victorian era but unfortunately there was quite a bit of smutty sex ; i guess Follett was trying to show that the Victorians might have been all strait laced on the outside but underneath they were a seething lascivious cauldron of lustful desires but The Crimson Petal...... does it a lot better & so it kind of put ma off the story which also came across as a bit silly, a shame as i normally enjoy Follett. After that i read Sexing The Cherry Jeanette Winterson which was very different from the other books i've read by her, the story didn't seem to follow any kind of logical path but there were some great lines in it one of which i noted down so i wouldn't forget it " Every journey conceals another journey within its lines; the path not taken & the forgotten angle" i love that. Any way although it was a strange book i did enjoy it but i was glad it was only short as i might have lost patience with it if it had been any longer. Another short book for my next read The Greengage Summer Rumer Godden, i loved this book, a child's narration of an eventful holiday in France it reminded me of I Capture The Castle Dodie Smith, this is definitely one of my 5/5 reads of the year & although i'm trying to reduce my book mountain this one's for keeping. So at the moment i've just started The Red House Mark Haddon for my book group i always like to leave these books to the end of the month so i don't forget what i have to say about them

Sorry to hear your not feeling well Janet , Autumn does seem to bring on all the nasty bugs it seems. I just finished reading The Greengage Summer Rumer Godden & remembered that you wanted to know what i thought of it as it was on your TBR pile. Well just to let you know it was brilliant a 5/5 book. Iff you enjoyed I Capture The Castle Dodie Smith then i'm sure you'll enjoy this as well as it's the same kind of childs view of the adult world. In fact i'd go as far as to say it's the ideal book to curl up with if your feeling under the weather

Just reading through the thread , i think it's a great idea for a reading challenge. I second Willoyd's choice of Melvyn Bragg I just finished reading The Hired Man last month & it's one of my best reads of the year so i'd definitely be up for reading more of his books. I'd also like to voice my support for Lorna Doone

Your so lucky to have the literature festival right on your doorstep Willoyd i'm very envious. I discovered that they have a literature festival in Morley, this is it's second year, so i went across to listen to Jo Baker talking about her novel Longbourn , it was very enjoyable but it was an hour there & back again on the bus which is a bit of a schlep & although i would have liked to go to more events it just wasn't possible. Just out of interest what kind of people go to these events in Ilkley? At the one i was at it seemed to be mainly old ladies

Thanks Frankie, the forum is my most favourite place to hang out Thanks Athena, it is lovely getting books as pressies & i already know what i want for Christmas

Thanks VF, i think i'm on the mend

Oops!!! Nearly forgot my birthday books Anna Of The Five Towns Arnold Bennett The Pyschopath Test Jon Ronson Them Jon Ronson The Heretics Will Storr Travels With My Aunt Graham Greene The Land Of Decoration Grace McCleen The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers The Narrative of Frederick Douglass An American Slave 1845 So far i've read The Pyschopath Test which was good , i like Ronson's writing he kind of reminds me of Louis Theroux same non aggressive & amusing interviewing technique & also Anna Of The Five Towns which was very good & ranks as one of my best reads of the year. When i finished it i went straight on the library site & reserved another of his The Grand Babylon Hotel which was also a good read though not in the same league as AOTFT & i've added The Old Wives' Tale to my Christmas Wishlist

Coming right up Athena Great idea! I'd invite you all for tiffin & get cook to make some of her best cakes all served by our faithful butler on dainty little plates Absolutely , goodness knows what i'd get if my OH couldn't consult the wishlist - probably monogrammed hankies or a frilly bed jacket - i dread to think

I haven't been on for so long i had to dig my reading log up from the very depths it's going to take me a long time to catch up with everybody's news I promise i haven't been avoiding you all & your very tempting book reviews it's just that life has been so busy since the summer holidays i seem to have been meeting myself coming backwards & it's just been one thing after another but at the moment i'm full of cold so have been forcing myself to take things a bit easier for the time being . I have really missed coming on the forum & chatting books with my friends Claire is definitely a shining example to us all & i shall endeavour to follow her lead when trying to curb my book buying compulsion. Actually i've been doing quite well in that department since i was last on, i haven't bought any books myself although i did get a pile for my Birthday of course but they don't count as they were bought for me not by me I even managed to visit the charity shop & although i did pick a couple of books off the shelf i resolutely put them back & i must say i felt fantastic when i got home empty handed for a change It is just the space that's the problem if we were to win the lottery & could by a house the size of Downton Abbey i would have my very own library complete with roaring fire & comfy reading chair but till that day i shall just have to rein myself in Thanks Athena , i have been doing well & am feeling suitably smug about it at the moment I read Emotionally Weird quite a few years ago & although i seem to remember that i enjoyed it at the time Case Histories was the more enjoyable of the two I think i enjoyed it because it was different from your bog standard crime novel & i shall get round to reading her other books sooner rather than later Thanks for your encouragement VF swopping books is a good idea i've also borrowed a few from the library rather than buying them which means i read them straight away rather than leaving them to gather dust on the old book mountain. I do like to browse on Amazon but instead of buying i've been adding them to my wishlist instead so i know i will eventually get them even if i have to wait till Christmas When i've halved my TBR mountain i shall be able to turn back from a browser into a buyer Pontalba I admit though it is hard to be strong when with just one click of your mouse finger a new book can be winging it's way to you Thanks Chaliepud , that is my aim to get all my books fitting on my bookshelves instead of being stuffed in boxes under the beds or stacked up at the side of the sofa in precarious piles Thanks guys i had a lovely birthday, i got some really nice books ( i'll post a list of them later ) & went out for a meal with all my lovely family. I'm hoping that next year i can become a year younger instead of older this time