Kidsmum

1. Who was your favourite character...?t Maria was my favourite character I thought she was clever , brave & loyal but I also liked the Lord Lieutenant who I thought was very funny 2. ...and your least favourite? I didn't really dislike anyone in particular, Miss Brown & the vicar were obviously the baddies but they were too hopeless to really dislike 3. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest? I liked it when Maria first went to the island & spotted her first lilliputians I could just imagine how exciting that would be, also when she was leading Miss Brown & the vicar astray when they were trying to follow her & of course the escape. 4. Was this the first book you've read in this genre / by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? It is the first book I've read by the author I wouldn't say it's encouraged me to read more by him but it hasn't put me off him either. 5. Have you read Gulliver's Travels? ....... a. If yes, did it make this a more enjoyable experience? ....... b. If no, has this book inspired you to have a go at Swift's masterpiece? I haven't read Gulliver's Travels but I would like to read it so I guess the book has inspired me to do so although I'll probably get it from the library rather than fork out any money for it. It 'd be interesting to see how it differs from the film version which probably has lots of bits missed out. 6. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? I found the history of the house quite boring also the story of how the Lilliputians ended up on the island was a bit dull. 7. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Even though I found bits of the book boring overall I'd say that I enjoyed the story. 8. Would you recommend the book and if so to whom? I can't think of anyone I'd recommend the book too certainly not any children 9. The book was first published in 1946 - has it stood the test of time? No I don't think so, I originally bought it to read to my youngest daughter who is 8 but her eyes glazed over before we'd even got through the first chapter. I thought the basic storyline was very good but there was too much that had to be explained to young children yet any older children who might have a better understanding of the vocabulary wouldn't be interested in the storyline. 10. Maria treats the Lilliputians quite badly when she gets over her initial shock at finding them. Why does she behave this way towards them? I agree with everyone else on this one because she was a child, I kind of liked the fact that she behaved in this way though as it meant that she wasn't too nice & so imo it made her more likable. 11. T H White was an atheist - do you think this comes across in his writing at all? No I don't think so, vicars, religious groups & the like are often portrayed in a bad light in books & films. Really interesting reading everyone's opinions on the book I wish I'd put my thoughts down as soon as I';d finished it though as it's been a struggle to remember a lot of the details. I'll have to be more organised for next time I join in.

I guess her writing style isn't everyone's cup of tea but personally I like books that are a little bit different so I'll keep my eye out for Carnivale Hope you enjoy it VF

The Book of Human Skin Michelle Lovric Amazon synosis The Book of Human Skin" is a large volume with many pages of villainy writ upon it. There are people who are a disease, you know. 13 May, 1784, Venice: Minguillo Fasan, heir to the decaying, gothic Palazzo Espagnol, is born. Yet Minguillo is no ordinary child: he is strange, devious and all those who come near him are fearful. Twelve years later Minguillo is faced with an unexpected threat to his inheritance: a newborn sister, Marcella. His untempered jealousy will condemn his sister to a series of fates as a cripple, a madwoman and a nun. But in his insatiable quest to destroy her, he may have underestimated his sister's ferocious determination, and her unlikely allies who will go to extraordinary lengths to save her. This book was recommended to me by a friend and is the first one I've read by Michelle Lovric, initially I didn't think I was going to enjoy it as I found the writing style difficult to get into. The story is told by five people in short excerpts so I couldn't get into the characters till about 100 pages in but then I was hooked & couldn't put it down. Minguillo is a truly horrific person with no redeeming features his sister Marcella almost his exact opposite, it's Minguillo's relentless determination to destroy Marcella that makes the story so gripping, will he or wont he succeed? I was a little disappointed in the ending which was a bit too neat & tidy for my liking, I felt it was such a strange story that it should have had an equally strange ending but overall a good read. 3/5

I finished Mistress Masham's Repose & The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest I've just started one of the books I got for Valentine's day Peril by Thomas H. Cook.

Good to read your thoughts on it Ruth I know I'll get round to reading it at some point. I love watching Cary Grants old movies but have never read anything about him I finished The Book of Human Skin last night, over all I did enjoy it but was a little disappointed with the ending. I'm still reading Mistress Masham's Repose.

Glad you enjoyed it Dawn I plan on starting this after I've finished Mistress Masham's Repose it's nearly a year since I read the second one so thought it was about time I got round to finishing the trilogy.

Finished The Book of Human Skin last night will put my thoughts on it down when I've got more time. I'm halfway through Mistress Masham's Repose so I'll finish that before I start anything else. On the book buying front I've done really well I haven't bought any books so far this year & am gradually chipping away at my TBR mountain

Not sure if it's something that would appeal more to girls but my daughter really loved the Enid Blyton books The Magic Faraway Tree, The Wishing Chair & any of her short story collections. Also the Captain Underpants series was a big favourite with my children.

I've got quite a few series/saga's on the go at the moment . I'd bought nearly all the Sharpe books by Bernard Cornwell before I got round to starting the first because I kept seeing them in charity shops & adding on to my collection, good job I l liked them otherwise it would have been a bit of a waste of money. I usually wont read a whole series in one go even if I'm really enjoying it as I like to vary the books I read unless it's all in one big volume & then I'll read it from start to finish.

Me too , I bought it because I liked the front cover but haven't got round to reading it yet. I'm halfway through The Book of Human Skin it took me awhile to get into it but I'm really enjoying it now. I've also started Miss Masham's Repose.

Our house is rarely quiet usually the TV is on, someones on the computer & there'll be music playing upstairs so it's hard to find a quiet space so I usually put my ipod on & listen to some classical music while I'm reading & that blocks out everyone else's noise. Now that my youngest is in school I do get time to myself in the day & I like to read in silence while I'm having my lunch.

Thanks for the list Poppy I like the sound of The Age of Miracles & Panopticon.

Finished Sharpe's Triumph Bernard Cornwell last night & started a book recommended by a friend The Book of Human Skin Michelle Lovric.

Another thumbs up for Shadow of The Wind I've had Angel's Game for ages but haven't got round to reading it yet. 9 books is very impressive VF don't think I could manage so many in one month

Sharpe's Triumph Bernard Cornwell The second book in the Sharpe series another tale of derring do. I enjoyed this as much as the first book although I did struggle with the pronunciation of some of the Indian place names. The final battle was hugely exciting & Sharpe of course is a great character, rough & ready but good guy at heart. 4/5

I finished One Day David Nicholls and have started Sharpe's Triumph Bernard Cornwell I'm determined to finish the Sharpe series this year as it will leave a huge amount of space on my book shelves.

One Day David Nicholls Synopsis from back of book - 15th July 1988. Emma & Dexter meet on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? This book was totally different from what I expected. I thought it was going to be a kind of Jennifer Anniston type comedy romance but it's much better than that. It's funny I found myself smiling all the time I was reading it & there were some genuinely laugh out loud bits but it was very moving as well a timely reminder not to take what you have for granted because you don't know what life is going to throw at you next. 4/5

Thanks Ruth

The Mammoth Hunters Jean M. Auel The third book in the Earth's Children series it continues with Ayla's story, having settled with the Mamutoi she finds her relationship with Jondalar is threatened by the dark master carver Ranec. After finding Valley of the Horses a bit slow I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get into this book but I enjoyed it as much as Clan of the Cave Bear. The detail that Auel goes into when describing the domestic life of the mammoth hunters I find really interesting everything from how they constructed their shelters to what plants they used for food & medicinal purposes nothing is left out & she obviously did an awful lot of research while writing the story. 5/5

I finished The Mammoth Hunters a few days ago & was tempted to carry on with the next book in the series but in the end I went for One Day by David Nicholls which I'm enjoying very much

It was a great read Bobbly not one I would have come across myself so thanks for the recommendation

I think you'd like it though, it's a real page turner Incidentally I saw Linda 's post on your thread & thought her recommendations sounded good if you get round to trying them out I'll be interested to hear what you think of them. It was really good Ladymacbeth a great book to start off the new year

:giggle2: That just made me nearly spit my tea out over the keyboard, judging by the look of him his bum wouldn't be big enough to keep letters in unless it's somehow like Doctor Who's tardis

Very nice, what a great find. Will you be going back & buying more books to fill them with ?