Kidsmum
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I have this yet to read so that's good news KM
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, I'm new and I hope you don't mind me joining in on this thread. I love any excuse to talk about books!
I've actually got four on the go at the moment. I used to do this a lot a few years ago and had got quite strict with myself since and was doing well sticking to one, but lately I was having trouble getting in to just one; I think it was because I've been buying a lot of second hand books and had got so many that I wanted to start, I couldn't hold back haha!
So, I'm currently reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, My Sweet Valentine by Annie Groves and Beyond the Call of Duty: Heartwarming Stories of Canine Devotion and Bravery by Isabel George.
I'm loving The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, the style of writing is brilliant and I love stories set in this era. I'm also enjoying Beyond the Call of Duty: Heartwarming Stories of Canine Devotion and Bravery; I love dogs and enjoy reading true stories of their loyalty and bravery. My Sweet Valentine is the 3rd book in the Article Row series by Annie Groves, and I adore her stories, especially this series set in London during World War Two. Little Women is a re-read as I read this when I was younger, but I just got my hands on a Penguin Classics copy and couldn't resist opening it straight away!
Would love to know if anyone has read any and what you thought of them.
Selina
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
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Lovely book pic Athena
I haven't read any of them myself so look forward to hearing what you think of them -
Anyone can nominate books and express their opinions on the books for each county, and the only criteria is supposed to be the book most famous for being set in a particular county. If there are books that are equally as famous as each other, then we can go for two alternatives for that county (like we've done with Surrey) or go with what the majority want to pick.
I'm trying to try and get a consensus on a book for each county before moving onto the next two, so at the moment, we're discussing Greater London and County Durham. (I have made a note of books for other counties that have been mentioned, but I'm trying to keep it to a couple of counties at a time to avoid too much confusion!)
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 .
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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
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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
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At the moment i'm reading The Red House Mark Haddon for my bookclub; nearly halfway in & i'm really liking it.
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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
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Hi Dex your posts are always so cryptic i always feel like your operating on a different plain to me
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Oh, I really didn't like I Capture the Castle.
It hasn't put me off trying the Rumer Godden book though - I'm glad you loved it so much. 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Hiya, happy to have you back on here!
I know life get's in the way sometimes, don't worry. We'll always be here
What a wonderful thing, to be born, and then to have books as presents to show for it
Nice Birthday haul!!Thanks Frankie, the forum is my most favourite place to hang out
x
Nice haul
!Thanks Athena, it is lovely getting books as pressies & i already know what i want for Christmas
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Thanks VF, i think i'm on the mend
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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
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I'm glad to hear you're doing well and that you had a lovely birthday
! We're looking forward to you listing the books.Coming right up Athena
Oh do share it with us if you do .. that is .. invite us round so that we can sit in your squashy chairs and browse your bookshelves
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
Of course I made it public, so husband is able to see it. :innocent: lol
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
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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 I know Claire felt really good when she banned herself from buying books until she'd read all her TBR's so it can be done and I'm sure you can do it
I even walked through Waterstone's and other bookshops with her myself when we were out having coffee and she didn't show the slightest sign of wavering. That's a good ploy to browse when you're purseless We're getting short of space here too and I have too many on the shelves unread but I'm too weak willed (same with cake ) .. I know I'd crumble. I have been buying less and less though and so that's progress of sorts Good luck!!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 
Good luck with your book buying ban! It sounds very difficult, to me.. So I hope you'll do really well
!Thanks Athena , i have been doing well & am feeling suitably smug about it at the moment
Yes I have read Case Histories, One Good Turn , to read When will there be good News (Jackson Brodies)
Behind the Scenes at Museum, which was her first one and the first I read, which was a good read. Still have Emotionally Weird on my shelf (been there for years...lol) to read.
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
That was the one book of hers that I struggled with, and didn't finish, whilst Case Histories was one of my all-time favourite detective novels.
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
You can do it Kidsmum ! But don't forget if there is a book you really want you can always try to get it from someone as a swop, that way the number of books in the house doesn't increase.
I don't agree with browsing books when you have no money though that just makes you feel miserable like you are denying yourself.
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 
I am not a browser. If I browse, I buy. Hands down. What I actually need to do is remove the Amazon quick link from my favorites.......
But it can be done. /sigh/ It really can. It really can. It really can. It really can!
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 
Good luck with getting your TBR pile down KM, I tried to do the same last year, with some success. My rule now is that all my TBR's must fit on one shelf.. It's a crowded shelf but it does limit numbers somewhat.
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
Happy Birthday KM!! Hope you have a lovely day.
Happy (belated) birthday!!
happy Birthday KM!
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
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I'm so happy you like the book!
Coincidentally I checked if the local library would have any Ben Aaronovitch books, and they did! But it was the fourth one in the series
And they don't have any of the others. Why buy one book in a series, and not the first one at that?! Hmph.Thanks Frankie it was a very good read
That's very strange that the library would stock only the last book in a series. Coincidentially at my last book club meeting at the library we were reading Bring Up The Bodies which of course is the follow on book to Wolf Hall, couldn't understand why they'd pick a sequel ; no one else had read Wolf Hall apart from me so surely that would have been the better choice I guess maybe library people are kind of quirky & go there own way when it comes to book related choices Now I am trying to decide what to read next
It's between
North and South - Elisabet Gaskell
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruis Zafon
Gone with the wind- Margerath Mitchell
The Red Queen - Philippa Gregory
I enjoyed your first 3 choices when i read them Carelia, still to read some Phillipa Gregory although i have a few of hers on my shelf. But if i had to choose just one i'd definitely go with Gone With The Wind , a book to lose yourself in . Hope you enjoy whatever you choose in the end
I've less than 50 pages to go in Moon Over Soho, we're going to York Maze today so i'm taking it with me in the hope that i can fit in some reading time on the journey
Other book activity, i've taken 2066 Roberto Bolano off my shelf & it's destined for the charity shop, i decided i have so many good books that i want to read it seems silly to hang on to one that i don't really want to bother with so if any ones interested in it i'd be happy to send it to you
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Hi Carelia , Welcome to the forum look forward to chatting with you
The English Counties Challenge
in English Counties Challenge
Posted
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.