Kidsmum

What a lovely surprise pressie & so nicely wrapped I've yet to read any John Wyndham although i do remember watching The Day of The Triffids when it was on the TV, i suppose it would seem really dated now though especially with modern special effects

The Jena Pincott sounds interesting Athena, actually i don't eat chocolate anymore so it definitely wouldn't be my preference

Hopefully i'll get round to it sooner rather than later Alexi Good to hear you enjoyed it Janet, i think that's one of the advantages of book clubs you get to read books you might not normally pick up

I've found that with secondhand shops it's just luck really some days i go in & there's nothing but the same old titles that turn up in all the shops like Fifty Shades Of Grey & the Twilight series & then other days i'm quickly grabbing books from the shelf before anyone can get them before me I so know what you mean about badly organised books, my pet hate is when they just dump them in a big tub on the floor i mean who's going to bother digging around in that lot I do hope you enjoy The Little Friend second time round. I really loved it but i wasn't blown away by her latest one The Goldfinch but i've kept my copy so i can reread it at another time & see if my opinion's changed. I'll be interested to hear what you think of Bonfire of The Vanities, i heard that the film wasn't very good but the book is supposed to be much better. I'm totally lost as to the size of my TBR pile, i did count up all my books at the beginning of the year but like you i've read some & bought a lot since then. Maybe it's better not to know I read & enjoyed Lola Rose, all my girls loved the Jacqueline Wilson books & my youngest boy who's only 7 likes the stories as well which i find quite funny as he's very much into Star Wars & army toys so i wouldn't have thought they'd be his sort of book but he loves them, his Dad reads them to him at bedtime & he's always full of questions about the story

I think it's a good idea not to leave too big a gap between books Athena i've a few series on the go but i just haven't been keeping up with them & other books have demanded to be read first so really i could do with rereading some of them from the beginning as i'm sure i forgotten quite a bit

I do have another of hers on my TBR pile but haven' t read anything she's written before, i know that Willoyd really rates her & i do enjoy historical fiction myself so couldn't resist snapping up the books when i saw them in the charity shop I have another of hers on my TBR pile; A Place Of Secrets, i didn't intend to buy this one till i'd read the one that i already had but for 49p i couldn't leave it on the shelf

Wow!!!....i'm impressed Totally agree with the Amazon charging for postage being annoying, on the plus side though it means i'm more likely to buy from other sellers now

I read Killing Floor & enjoyed it but for some reason i haven't bothered with his others, i think maybe it's because there are so many i don't want to get hooked into reading another series as i already have quite a few on the go & don't seem to be getting any nearer to finishing them

Ooh!!!...... going to have to check out the Dresden Files

Wow Athena, looks like you cleaned out the bookshop & the book fair, were there any books left for anyone else I see you got a lot of books by Robin Cook, i've never read any of his so will be interested to hear what you think of them. Yay for Wolf Hall, i loved it & it's sequel, Bringing Up The Bodies

Well as long as you bounce back..... that's what's important Re: the kindle, now that would never happen with a tree book ( smug mode)

I forgot to mention that we were away in York last weekend where there are lots of good charity shops. i bought: In The Company of The Courtesan Sarah Dunant The Untouchable John Banville The Loss of Eldorado V.S. Naipaul Agent 6 Tom Rob Smith The American Boy Andrew Taylor A Gathering Storm Rachel Hore The last two i keep seeing in the charity shops so in the end i gave in & bought them

I'd say that Vanity Fair is more about the characters than the plot, Dobbin is definitely the good guy but imo Becky Sharp is the most interesting character although i wouldn't fancy having her as a friend I'm impressed that you picked such a big book as your first English classic & i hope at the end you feel that it was worth the time & effort you've put in reading it I did really enjoy The Slap & after i'd finished reading it i listened to the question & answer session with the author on radio 4 which was really interesting Your right it would be awful to have to read Rushdie if i hated it especially as it's not a book to read over a few days, there's such a lot to take in My sister was the same started it a couple of times but just couldn't get into it. I think it's very much a marmite book Anytime in June Anna You'll be able to whizz through your next book after Vanity Fair, Frankie I seem to be stuck at the 100 page mark with Midnight's Children, hubby's got a week off work so i don't seem to be able to get any reading time in & when i do pick up my book he starts talking to me (sigh!) Need to hang a Do Not Disturb sign round my neck

Thanks for that Pontalba, i've added it to my wishlist

Another vote for Pillars of the Earth, it really hooks you in doesn't it I love Vanity Fair, Becky Sharp is such a great character, hope you enjoy it Frankie It feels like quite awhile since i last posted so i finished The Slap which i thoroughly enjoyed & then made a start on Midnight's Children Salman Rushdie for next month's Reading Circle. I've only got about 100 pages left to go, i wont say too much at the moment but i am enjoying it though it's not a quick read as there's a lot to take in

Thanks Pontalba, i really enjoyed The Slap & it kept me thinking for quite awhile after i'd finished it. i found the casual racism really weird though there was a certain word that i haven't heard people use over here since i was a child i thought it had dropped out of use. Thanks Athena, i certainly enjoyed buying them I've bought a few Isabel Allende's books lately but haven't got round to reading any of them yet

I usually stop adding new books to my Books Bought list at some point in the year as seeing the amount i've indulged my book buying habit makes me feel guilty & a little out of control

Not heard of Tom Winter, Inver but i seem to have read quite a few books lately where the story moves between the past & present so it must be quite a popular writing style. I think sometimes it works well & keeps you hooked but as you say sometimes it can be a bit annoying

Shame about The Radleys, i haven't heard of that book but i've read a few books recommended by Richard & Judy & enjoyed them Good Luck with the studying, my eldest son is in a similar position to you. He graduates this year & is desperately trying to finish his assignments so is spending most of his time at the Uni library, coming home in the early hours of the morning & living off junk food & coffee.

My teenage daughter is a big fan of the Divergent series as well Vixen. Did you go see the movie?

Nearly at the end of The Slap, it's certainly proved be to be an interesting read & i think it would make a good bookgroup choice as there's plenty to discuss in the story I've been out & about the last few days which inevitably means books added to the TBR pile. They are........ Loving,Living, Party Going Henry Green - Three novels in one, Henry Green is a new author to me but i'm a sucker for those Vintage books so couldn't resist Skippy Dies Paul Murray - i seem to remember Poppyshake recommending this one so added to the pile. The Life Of Charlotte Bronte Elizabeth Gaskell - i've never read a biography about the Brontes so this seemed like a good book to start with The Redeemer Jo Nesbo - might as well add this to my growing collection of Nesbo books of which i've read the sum total of one City of the Beasts Isabel Allende - i didn't realise when i picked this up that it was a children's book so will probably get my teenage daughter to read it first.

I'll be interested to hear what you think of the movie Pontalba That's interesting about the amnesia, i hadn't heard of that before; the mind & the way it works is amazing really when you think about it. Hope you can dig up the afterword somewhere imo it's definitely worth a read.

Still reading The Slap Christos Tsiolkas less than 150 pages to go & really enjoying it.I've got my bookgroup meeting tonight & we're having a visit from a local author Rebecca Muddiman, looking forward to it

Good to hear your both being so proactive & rising to the challenge hopefully this will mean that all your efforts will soon be rewarded. I'm still keeping my fingers & toes crossed for you both