Kidsmum

It was a great read Alexi, with some really good twists that took me by surprise

I felt like that about The Goldfinch Donna Tartt, i wasn't really in the right frame of mind & had a lot going on when i read it & so i didn't enjoy it as much as i thought i would. Anyway i've hung on to it with the intention of rereading it at some point in the future Poppyshake - good to hear you enjoyed it so much, i'm sure i'll get round to reading at some point myself, probably when it starts appearing in the charity shops

Great review Julie, did the book have pics in? It would be interesting to see what a prison library looks like; is it like a public library or just a room with a few shelves in?

I know it's one i'm going to want to read again so it's gone back on to the shelf rather than into the charity bag, at this rate i'll never get that book mountain down I've had the Tey on my wishlist for a long time, can't remember now how i heard about it now but good to hear you liked it That's great to hear Bobbly, the name seemed really familiar but i wasn't sure why but i'm glad i took a chance & bought it as i would have been kicking myself if someone else had snapped it up

I had a really lazy weekend & spent much of Sunday just reading so i've got less than 150 pages to go in Life After Life Kate Atkinson which has so far been a really good read.

Nearly forgot to mention i bought a few books yesterday..... for a change The Daughter of Time Josephine Tey - i've had this on my wishlist for a long time so was really pleased to find it in a charity shop for 99p A Clash Of Kings George R.R Martin - well i've got the first book & i'm expecting to enjoy it so why not buy the second as well. A Kiss Before Dying Ira Levin - the title sounded familiar so i bought it in case it's a classic & it was only 99p

Yay, lucky you i never seem to win competitions I finished The Sea John Banville last night, review on my reading log. Also got a call from the library to say that the book i'd reserved was ready for collection, thought it was going to be On The Beach but turned out to be Life after Life Kate Atkinson which had quite a long waiting list when i first reserved it so either it's a quick read or lots of people got fed up with it & didn't finish it Anyway making it my next read so i guess i'll find out if it's any good

i haven't read The Waves but i do have Mrs Dalloway on my TBR pile, so i shall approach it with some trepidation after your comments on Woolf I do admire your perserverance with Henry James though i can't see myself why he's so highly acclaimed

Sounds like the Stronger Than Stress book was a great find Athena

Congratulations on your new job I've seen Shock Of The Fall in all the shops so look forward to hearing what you think of it

Sorry your having to go through this Devi, i hope they can find out what exactly the problem is & treat it so you can get on with your life. Try not to let it drag you down

I like your style Pontalba.......the book & the movie in one fell swoop

Look forward to hearing your thoughts on The Elegance of The Hedgehog, Janet, as it's on my TBR pile ( what isn't these days)

The Sea John Banville Amazon Synopsis When art historian Max Morden returns to the seaside village where he once spent a childhood holiday, he is both escaping from a recent loss and confronting a distant trauma. The Grace family had appeared that long-ago summer as if from another world. Mr and Mrs Grace, with their worldly ease and candour, were unlike any adults he had met before. But it was his contemporaries, the Grace twins Myles and Chloe, who most fascinated Max. He grew to know them intricately, even intimately, and what ensued would haunt him for the rest of his years and shape everything that was to follow. Firstly thanks very much to Pontalba who recommended this book i might never have read any John Banville if she hadn't. This book was a wonderful read, Banville's writing is a joy to read. Unlike my previous book Child 44 it's not a book that's all about plot it's Banville's descriptions, the small details that make the story & his characters so real. I loved this book from start to finish & the ending was so moving that i had to read it twice. This is a book that will be staying on my shelves as i know i'll want to read it again. 6/6

Child 44 Tim Rob Smith Amazon Synopsis In Stalin's Soviet Union, crime does not exist. But still millions live in fear. The mere suspicion of disloyalty to the State, the wrong word at the wrong time, can send an innocent person to his execution. Officer Leo Demidov, an idealistic war hero, believes he's building a perfect society. But after witnessing the interrogation of an innocent man, his loyalty begins to waver, and when ordered to investigate his own wife, Raisa, Leo is forced to choose where his heart truly lies. Then the impossible happens. A murderer is on the loose, killing at will, and every belief Leo has ever held is shattered. Denounced by his enemies and exiled from home, with only Raisa by his side, he must risk everything to find a criminal that the State won't admit even exists. On the run, Leo soon discovers the danger isn't from the killer he is trying to catch, but from the country he is trying to protect. I first heard about this book on Radio 4 in an interview with the author about his new book The Farm; i don't normally read at lot of thrillers & only buy them when other people recommend them to me but this story sounded so interesting not least because it was inspired by a real-life investigation that i felt compelled to buy it when i spotted it on a charity shop trawl. I would say for the first couple of hundred pages i was enjoying the story, the author certainly does a good job of portraying the fear & paranoia that people lived with under Stalin's regime but about halfway through the book the story just takes off & i was utterly gripped, couldn't put it down & had to stay up late into the night so i could finish it. I would definitely put this as one of my favourite reads this year. 6/6

Hi Bobbly - i read Pet Semetary when i was younger & really enjoyed it also went to see the movie adaptation but didn't think much of it

Interesting review of Henry James,Willoyd. Much of what you said is how i felt when reading The Ambassadors & imo if a book is hard work to get through then it's not a pleasure to read.

Thanks Steve Yes, it is an impressive haul & as i don't have anywhere left to store them i've had to stack them up next to the bookshelves where i can admire them all Thanks Athena, i'm sure i will Thanks Marie, i do love Alan Bennett so Smut was an exciting find

Good to hear Ian as Game Of Thrones recently made it's way on to my TBR pile Lots of book activity today; after finishing Child 44 last night, brilliant read which i will get round to reviewing on my reading log, i decided to make a start on The Sea John Banville . Recommended by Pontalba this was already on my TBR pile & as it's this months book on Radio 4's Book club i decided to bump it up to the top, so far i've only read about 30 pages over a coffee in Waterstones but already i'm loving his writing. Spotted the new Sarah Dunant book Blood & Beauty which according to Waterstones is comparable to Wolf Hall in terms of quality of writing, so tempted to buy it especially as it was part of the buy one get one half price offer as is Life after Life Kate Atkinson another i want, must have book on my wishlist but managed to resist. Also dropped into the central library & got a copy of A Very Long Engagement Sebastien Japrisot for next months Reading Circle & i've also reserved a copy of On The Beach Neville Shute so hopefully that'll come in the next couple of days & i can catch up with everyone else who's already read it for this month. Tonight is my bookgroup meeting at the local library, The Songs Of Willow Frost Jamie Ford , is the book we're talking about this time which i didn't enjoy at all so hopefully next month's book will be a better read

I spent most of yesterday reading so i've nearly finished Child 44, great read, really gripping

Well it's now moved from my wishlist to my TBR pile as it was one of my Mother's Day pressies so there's room on my wishlist for the Unclassed now

I agree very restrained..... well done

Now i can't resist a comment like that ..... it'll just have to go on the wishlist

I bought The Colour Of Magic years ago as i wanted to see if i'd like Pratchett's books but so far i haven't got round to reading it yet Maybe just as well because if i did enjoy it then i'd have to add all the other books to my wishlist

It's quite awhile since i read it but i did really enjoy Snow Falling On Cedars ...... 13 books for less than 20 dollars sounds like a great deal