Kidsmum

1- Who was your favourite character? Were there any characters whom you disliked? I liked quite a few of the characters, Mrs Ross, i admired the way she screwed her courage to the sticking post & went with Parker first to search for her son & then to find the murderer & so prove his innocence. William Parker though i'm not sure why as he didn't really have a voice in the story i suppose because he took Mrs Ross with him & he did seem to care for her at the end. Also Maria because she was intelligent & had much more depth to her character than her prettier sister Susannah. I did like Donald although he was a weak character & i was sorry when he was killed at the end & my heart went out to Francis when it described his rather torturous relationship with Laurent. I disliked Line very much i thought she was a selfish & devious person who thought more of her own needs than that of her children & indeed Espen's wife & children whom she persuaded him to abandon. Espen i despised for being weak & deserting first his family & then Line & her children. 2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest? I liked the whole book but the parts that stand out the most were when they were at the company post i felt there was a real tension to the story as i kept expecting something to happen as they got closer to the truth. Also at the end when Stewart turns up at the cabin , my heart was in my mouth not knowing who'd been shot & who was going to survive. The way Elisabeth Birds true identity was revealed was good as i wasn't expecting that at all. 3- Did you like the writing? What did you think of the way the story was told (partly from Mrs Ross's point of view, partly third person omniscient narrator?) I liked the way the story was told with more than one person having a voice & i felt it gave the characters more depth. I also liked the way bits of the past were hinted at & only revealed gradually i thought this helped to keep the story interesting. I thought she captured the harsh conditions & the isolation of the different communities very well . 4- Was this the first book you've read by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? Here's a link to Penney's second novel The Invisible Ones. Yes this was the first book i've read by Stef Penney & i would definitely read more as i enjoyed the book very much. 5- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with I struggled a bit with the ending i finished it last night just before i went to bed & so spent a good few hours puzzling over it . At first i thought OMG is Mrs Ross really Amy Seton but i went back & re read some parts & realised it couldn't be as Mrs Ross was in an asylum in Scotland & only came to Canada with her husband. Then i kept thinking about how she said Parker had said her name often but couldn't think of anyone he'd mentioned a lot then it came to me she must be called Lucie like his dog but that seems a bit silly so unless i'm being a bit thick & have totally missed the point i don't know what the ending means.Also the bone tablet seemed to be a bit of a red herring in the story, i thought all would be revealed at the end but it wasn't the reason for Laurent 's murder so wasn't of any real significance or again maybe i'm missing something. 6- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? I really enjoyed the book & am so glad it was my first read of the year .

How lovely to have that family connection to a book much better than having family silver to pass on

That's true staying out of charity shops keeps my book buying to a minimum as i don't often buy brand new books

So glad you liked The Book Thief it's one of those books that stays with you long after you've put it down. The Victorian Time Traveller sounds interesting VF

Less than 100 pages to go in The Tenderness Of Wolves i'm resisting looking at the Reading Circle posts in case i see something that gives away the ending

Quite a few interesting sounding books but the stand outs for me are Ghana Must Go Taiye Selasi Kith Jay Griffiths Life After Life Kate Atkinson The Roundhouse Louise Edrich And The Mountain Echoed Khaled Hosseini

I think we're all lost causes when it comes to keeping our book buying down to a minimum

Othello is my favourite play Andrea. I'm planning on going to see the opera with friends in February. Good luck with your reading this year in 2013

Yay, Result !!!!

Hope you enjoy Replay, i bought it after reading Steve's review & wasn't disappointed it's a great read Happy reading in 2013 Timstar.

Hi Dex, lots of authors i've never read on your TBR list so i'll be interested to read your thoughts on them. Good luck with your reading this year

Had to laugh when i read the bit about keeping up with your book reviews that's so like me i always intend to keep up with them but inevitably fall behind & then the back log starts to feel like unfinished homework. I do love reading other peoples reviews though so this year i am going to try harder to keep on top of things & keep a tidy book log You've got some great books on your list Jessi. Happy reading

I see you have The Handmaids Tale & Gone With the Wind on your TBR both great reads especially Gone With The Wind which was so much more than i expected. Good luck with your reading this year Anisia

Yes it's very good but frustrating not being able to read it as much as i'd like at the moment

I'm halfway through The Tenderness Of Wolves Stef Penney it's hard to find the time & the peace & quiet to read at the moment with the children still at home from school but really enjoying this book so far

Hope 2013 is a good bookish year for you & your mojo Chrissy

She's already read a couple of the TrueBlood books so i might get her some Stephanie Plum books that way i get to read them as well & i'll check out the Amelia Peabody series. Thanks VF

If i had the power to mess with your mind & move three of your books to the top of your TBR list they'd be Rebecca, I Capture The Castle & The Guernsey Potato Peel one.... Mwahaha !!!! Happy Reading in 2013 Chaliepud whatever you decide to read

Had a look at your classics list Willoyd & have quite a few of the same books Wuthering Heights, Tom Jones, North & South, Catch 22 & Of Human Bondage, i've read & enjoyed. Villette & The Mill On The Floss i didn't like in fact i couldn't even finish Villette. Desperate Remedies, Possession, The Deptford Trilogy, Midnight's Children & The Gormenghast Trilogy are all on my TBR pile so i look forward to reading your thoughts on these when you get round to them. I'm embarrassed to say i confused The Deptford Trilogy with The Deptford Mice bought it for the children & didn't realise my mistake till i got it home Happy Reading in 2013

Hi Ruth, i've heard only good things about The Snow Child so look forward to reading your review Happy Reading in 2013 i look forward to dropping by & reading your bookish thoughts

I find that with Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series, i absolutely love the books but i couldn't read them one after the other as they're too similar & it would spoil my enjoyment of them.

OMG Laura that is some amount of lists don't know how you manage to keep up with them all you must be mega organised I see you've bought The Tenderness of Wolves, i'm about halfway through it at the moment & really enjoying it probably would have finished it already if Christmas hadn't got in the way Happy Reading in 2013

Very nifty little bookpile you have there Brian, i can see why you couldn't resist the TinTin Collection. I have a few Henning Mankell books as well but haven't got round to reading any of them yet, The Return Of The Dancing Master is one of them i think, kind of sticks in the mind as it doesn't sound like the title of a crime book Good to read that The Snowman is your favourite Nesbo as i have that to read as well i love it when you can't guess whodunnit. So far i've only read The Redbreast but i did enjoy it

I've never thought of noting down when i bought a book but it's a really good idea, some of my books i know i've had for years but always seem to choose others ahead of them poor things I hope you enjoy Far From The Madding Crowd Thomas Hardy it's one of my favourites of his but i didn't like Tess of the D'urbevilles.I like the sound of Journals Of A Somerset Rector did someone recommend it to you or did you pick it up on a whim ? Best of luck with all your reading challenges in 2013 Janet

I have 10 of the same books as you on my TBR list Sophie's World The Beach Miss Similia's Feeling For Snow The Line Of Beauty The Swan Thieves Her Fearful Symmetry The English Patient Midnight's Children We Need To Talk About Kevin I really enjoyed reading The Crimson & The White, The Kite Runner & i loved all the Stieg Larsson books so hope you enjoy those too. I have to say I thought The Alchemist was awful & i didn't like The Suspicions Of Mr Wicher either but i did like one of her other books i read in the summer The Queen Of Whale Cay. Best of luck with your reading & book challenges this year Noll & i look forward to reading your reviews