Kidsmum
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My local library is starting a new book reading group in June & i'm considering joining as i love to talk about books with other people. I know that a few people on here are also in book groups & so wondered how much you enjoy your book groups, do you feel you get to read lots of varied books which you wouldn't normally have come across or do you get stuck with books you don't like a lot of the time? I can't make up my mind wether to take the plunge or not, on one hand i like to talk about books but on the other i have a huge book mountain of my own to get through. I'm hoping that hearing other peoples opinions will help me make up my mind.
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Anything with the word Salem in it reminds me of both witches and vampires running amok so I certainly would have noticed if that one was there; thanks for the tip. Is it you Kidsmum who collects the Sharpe books? Odd juxtaposition of fave authors there. Which is great!
Yes it's me who likes Sharpe, actually i haven't read any in awhile keep thinking i need to get back to the series but i have to be in the right mood for a Sharpe book
Definitely no witches or vampires in Mrs Oliphant's books. Speaking of the work of the devil though if you have a kindle i'm sure Janet said she was able to get Mrs Oliphants books for free 
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I have Daughter of Time on my wishlist Poppy so it's good to hear you enjoyed it .
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Happy Belated Birthday Chaliepud , sounds like you had a good one
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I know i have a Delafield book somewhere in my book mountain, i tried digging around to see if i could find it but can't seem to locate it at the moment
Anyway i'm hoping that it's this one as it sounds like my sort of bookThanks for the review Janet
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I finished The Reavers George Macdonald Fraser which was a bit of a barmy read; i hope the Flashman novels are better as i've collected quite a few already
I reserved Bring Up The Bodies Hilary Mantel at the library & was surprised to get a copy quite quickly as there was a waiting list so i'm halfway through it already & really enjoying it
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7. Why does Cromwell dislike the Catholic clergy? What are his motives for helping Henry marry Anne Boleyn and sever ties to the Pope? What larger goals does he hope to achieve in helping? Are they selfless...or selfish?
I'm a bit late replying to these questions i know but i just seem to be have been so busy lately i've only had the time to pop on now & again. I don't have any recollections of Cromwell being strongly opposed to the Catholic clergy but i sgree with Pontalba that he wanted religion to be more open to the masses. I felt that Cromwell's only motives in helping Henry marry Anne were to do the kings bidding & so make sure his own position was secure. Under Henry's reign your only safe as long as you are able to get the king what he wants & Cromwell knows this, a bit like being a football manager i suppose your only as good as your last success
8. What are your feelings about Cromwell after having read this book?
I really liked Thomas Cromwell, i knew nothing about him before i read the book but by the time i'd finished it i felt i knew him intimately. I gather from what i've read since that he's often seen as a bit of a Tudor thug but i thought that Mantel showed that there was much more to him as a person & he was actually quite a compassionate person.
9. In your opinion, did this book deserve the Man Booker Prize? Was it an enjoyable read? Will you be reading the sequel - Bring up the bodies?
Absolutely this deserved to win the Booker, i know it's a bit of a cliche but for me she brought this period of history to life & i now have a new found interest & enthusiasm for finding out more about the Tudors. I've already started reading the sequel Bring Up The Bodies & i'm enjoying it even more than Wolfhall - looking forward to watching all the programmes that are coming on the TV over the next few weeks about the Tudors & i've also bought The Winter King by Thomas Penn.If only history could be have been taught in this way at school i might not have spent so much time staring out the window instead of listening to the lesson.
This has been one of my favourite reading circle books so far & i've enjoyed reading everyone elses thoughts on it too
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I finally finished The Pursuit Of Happiness Douglas Kennedy, not a bad read but not a great read either. My next book is going to be The Reavers George Macdonald Fraser.
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I loved reading Roald Dahl to my youngest daughter, two of my favourites were Esio Trot & The BFG but you could pick any one of them really as they're all good imo
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I finished a Murder Of Quality John Le Carre yesterday, it was a good read & i look forward to reading The Spy Who Came In from The Cold which i bought at the same time. I've started The Pursuit Of Happiness Douglas Kennedy, my sister asked me to pass it on to her when i'd finished with it & as she's coming to visit in a couple of weeks i thought i better make a start on it.Not sure if i like it yet though.
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Lovely to see you back again Poppyshake you've been missed
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Kidsmum, the Mrs Oliphant book I found is The Perpetual Curate. It is a good thick one about 540 pages. I have no idea what to expect. Extraordinary that I have not heard of her before; apparently she wrote 100 books.
I have to go back to the recycling plant soon; there were many original Victorian books there. The place is one of the best hunting grounds for books I have ever been in.
I have that one as well it's book 3 or 4 in the Carlingford Chronicles, all her books are out of print now but when you go back i'd look for Salem's Chapel that's a really good read
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Janet, although it's been years since I read it, I absolutely adored The Diary of a Provincial Lady! It's long been a book I've been meaning to revisit, so I hope you enjoy it too.
Damn i spotted this in a charity shop & didn't pick it up
I'm so going to go back & look for it 
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The Blackest Streets is on my wishlist now too. My copy of Bleak House had a very interesting introducton & historical context chapter about what life was like for the poor in London in Dickensian times & it's definitely made me interested to find out more about this time period.
I'm so jealous of your Mrs Oliphant find for 20p - is it her biography - i've read a few of her books & it gives you a potted biography of her life at the front ; she comes across as a very strong & resourceful woman so i'll be interested to hear what you think of the book.
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I'll be interested to hear what you think of Life Class, Kidsmum. I read it recently, and still can't make up my mind about it! We're discussing it at my book group in a couple of weeks, and I can't wait to find out what the others made of it.
I loved The Enchanted April, it was just wonderful. There's a film adaptation of it that I keep meaning to try and find, but I just loved the book.
Also love the Rumpole books - they are so funny, and I love Rumpole's sardonic wit and turn of phrase.
Life Class i remembered from your reading log Chesil & as i haven't read any of her other books( even though i have some of them on my TBR pile) & it's only a short book i couldn't resist snapping it up
The Enchanted April & The Birds Fall Down are both published by Virago, i've read & enjoyed quite a few books they've published so i always buy them when i see them in the charity shops. That's good to hear you thought it was wonderful, it does say on the back that it was a major BBC dramatisation but i don't remember having seen it.
I'm really looking forward to reading Rumpole i never watched the series but i do recall seeing clips of it - not sure why i haven't picked up any of his books before really as they do sound very good
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Bleak house is very good, do you like it kidsmum?
I really enjoyed it itsmeagain but i must admit it felt like a marathon read
Yes, it was one of the first things I noticed because I always have a look to see how long a book is when I start reading it. It's quite bizarre so far.
I do that as well so then i'll know when i've reached the halfway mark
Almost at a 1000 pages! Hallelujah! Only like 300 pages left. This series will be the death of me.
Well done you, your in the home stretch now
I finished Bleak House last night, i enjoyed it very much but definitely need a shorter book for my next read so i've made a start on A Murder Of Quality John Le Carre
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I really enjoyed The Night Circus once I got past the first third, not sure why so will be interested to hear what you think of it.. It's definitely unique!!
That's good to hear Charliepud, I've had it on my wishlist for quite awhile so was really pleased when i spotted it in the shop
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I haven't read many true crime books but i did enjoy The Perfect Victim by Christine Mcguire & Carla Norton.
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On the book buying front i had a major splurge today & bought 13 books
On the book reading front i've only got 30 pages to go in Bleak House
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The 5th Wave sounds like something my daughter would enjoy so i've added to my wishlist.
Thanks for the review Michelle
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Alan & i went to Otley today, we did all the charity shops & then found a lovely little secondhand book shop up a side street. I came home with....
Life Class Pat Barker
The Enchanted April Elizabeth von Armin
The Birds Fall Down Rebecca West
The Reavers George Macdonald Frazer
A Murder Of Quality John Le Carre
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold John Le Carre
Last Orders Graham Swift
My Cousin Rachel Daphne Du Maurier
Parrot & Olivier in America Peter Carey
The First Rumpole Omnibus John Mortimer
The Sea John Banville
Flashman & The Angel Of The Lord George Macdonald Frazer
The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern
That's a lot of books isn't it
I need to stop buying books for the next 5 years 
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My favourite Dickens so far, and one of my all time top half dozen. Glad you're enjoying it so early. He can take a bit of getting going, and it helps if you go for his descriptive prose (that first chapter on London fog is superb IMO), but the interweaving of its multitude of strands and Dickens's masterly juggling of one of the biggest cast lists I've ever come across take some beating. If ever a book stood for a genre, this stands for the big Victorian novel (although one or two others could, I admit, challenge for the part!). All it needs is time!
I'm enjoying his characters, Mrs Jellyby & family & Mrs Pardiggle, the philanthropist & her five disgruntled sons. When i'd attempted to read Dickens when i was younger i'd found him to be a bit of a waffler but i guess i've become more patient as i've got older as i'm enjoying his writing style this time around.
I look forward to read how you get on with this one. I haven't read any Dickens yet, I'm intimidated by the size and complexity of the novels. I was going to try Oliver Twist first, because I know the story of that a bit (I saw a play/musical on it once) and because it's one of the shorter novels. I hope you have fun reading Bleak House
.I know what you mean Athena i've always found Dicken's novels to be a bit intimidating but i'm enjoying Bleak House very much.
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Coincidentally i was listening to a programme on the radio the other day & a boy was talking about what it was like to be bullied at school because he had a facial disfigurement. He hadn't realised he was different from other people till he went to school & was singled out by the other children.
I've added this one to my wishlist.
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I have a couple of the Lord John books on my shelves i'm still working my way through the Outlander series though so might be awhile before i get round to them
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thank you Chesil & Elenora that's really helpful i think i will give it a go, as you say if i don't like it i can always stop going it's not like i'm signing up for life. I like the idea of alternating between a classic & a contemporary book Elenora that sounds like a good idea.
When you discuss the books does everyone just say what they think or do you have set questions?