Kidsmum

Okay here goes......... book acquisitons since February :- The Stone Diaries Carol Shields Capital John Lanchester Frankie & Stankie Barbara Trapido The Fountain Overflows Rebecca West The Return Of The Soldier Rebecca West Smut Alan Bennett Waterland Graham Swift The House Of The Spirits Isabelle Allende Alys Always Harriet Lane Set In Stone Robert Goddard She Rider Haggard Purge Sofi Oksanen Mr Midshipman Easy Captain Frederick Marryat All In The Mind A Farewell To God Ludovic Kennedy The Death Instinct Jed Rubenfeld The Riddle Of The Sands Erskine Childers Genghis Khan John Man South Riding Winifred Holtby Lark Rise To Candleford Flora Thompson The Night Guest Fiona McFarlane The Tortoise And The Hare Elizabeth Jenkins Strange Affair Peter Robinson Daughter Of Fortune Isabel Allende Child 44 Tom Rob Smith Books received today as Mother's Day presents from my lovely family The Wolf Of Wall Street Jordan Belfort Lucky Jim Kingsley Amis The Odd Women George Gissing A Single Man Christopher Isherwood Bluestockings The Remarkable Story of the First Women to Fight for an Education Jane Robinson Paris Edward Rutherford A Game Of Thrones George R.R. Martin It's a lot isn't it....... i'm never going to get my TBR mountain down at this rate..... i feel guilty ..... but also really happy that i've got so many great books

I know i'm in like minded company when it comes to book bingeing Devi Loved looking at your book pics Hi Athena How are things with you, good i hope? I'll post my book list but it might take me awhile as i got another pile for Mother's Day

I already have The Odd Women on my wishlist after your last review so i guess i'll be adding this one as well

Lovely book pics Devi - I hope you enjoy Pillars Of The Earth when you get round to reading it, it's a big book but once you get into the story you can't put it down - that's what i found when i read it Madame Bovary & The Hare With The Amber Eyes are both on my TBR list so i'll be interested to hear what you think about them if you get round to them first. Hope your feeling better soon

At the moment i'm 100 pages into Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith, not sure wether i like it yet but as it's rated as one of the top 100 thrillers of all time i have high hopes for it

1. Did you like the book? What was it that you enjoyed? If you didn't like the book, what were your reasons for disliking it? I enjoyed the book very much & became totally absorbed in the story. I was most interested in the Atreides family & wether they would survive & regain power. 2. Did you have any expectations about the book before you started reading it, and if so, were they correct? I wasn't sure if i'd enjoy the book as Science Fiction is not a genre that i feel particularly drawn to so i was worried that the book would feel like a bit of a slog so i was pleasantly surprised to enjoy it so much. Which just goes to show that it's good to get out of your comfort zone. 3. Who was your favourite character...? I would say that Jessica was my favourite character, strong, intelligent & wise i think she would have made a much better ruler of Arrakis than any of the men. I also liked Kynes because of his vision for the planet i thought he was a good man who was not just in it for his own interests. 4. ...and your least favourite? Oh.... that would have to be Harkonnens they were definitely the baddies of the story, greedy, untrustworthy & self serving, they deserved to come to a bad end.....Boo hiss!!! 5. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest? I can't say there's one particular part that stands out more than the rest but i did enjoy reading about how they survived in the desert & i thought the sandworms were fabulous. 6. Was this the first book you've read in this genre / by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? Not quite the first book as previous to this i read The Martian Andy Weir but definitely the most enjoyable. I don't think i'm likely to become an ardent SF fan after reading Dune but i would be open to reading more SF especially if someone was to recommend a book to me rather than me just picking pout something myself. 7. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? In the beginning it was the silly names for things, Gom Jabbar for example that i found off putting & some of the dialogue made me cringe but once i got into the story i got used to it. 8. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Yes very much so 9. Would you recommend the book and if so to whom? Yes i would recommend it to someone like me who hasn't read a lot of SF but would like to dip their toe in the water 10. Will you read the sequels/prequels? Yes i will probably get round to reading the sequels if they are as good as Dune

Hi everyone Thanks very much for all your kind messages I can't believe i haven't been on since February but i've just been so busy, first sorting out the funeral & then dealing with all my Dad's affairs & if that wasn't enough a week after the funeral my teenage son & his friends were mugged after a night out, this is actually the second time this has happened to him, about a year or so ago he had his phone & Ipod stolen, so we've been dealing with all that as well. But i'm finally beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel so i should be around more from now on, i've really missed coming on & finding out what everyone has been up to , readingwise & lifewise as well Needless to say even though i've been so busy i've still managed to buy a shed load of new books, not sure what you'd call it, therapeutic shopping or binge book buying, but i'm back on the slippery slope again I shall post a list of my indulgences shortly

Thanks to everyone for your supportive messages about my Dad just to let you all know that he passed away very peacefully on Friday evening. I'm feeling okay, sad that he's gone but glad that he's finally at peace but i wont be on for awhile as i'm organising the funeral & sorting out his affairs.

I left some books in at the charity shop yesterday but couldn't resist the BOGOF deal so i came home with Daughter Of Fortune Isabel Allende Strange Affair Peter Robinson

Reading has been a bit slow over the last couple of days so i'm only up to 300pages in The Goldfinch but thoroughly enjoying it. I went to my book group meeting on Tuesday night & this months book is Fever Mary Beth Kane a story about Typhoid Mary it looks quite good so i'm looking forward to reading it

Hi Kylie i read part way through the Running with Scissors article, it's impossible to say how much of it's true & how much is exaggerated but i did really feel for the family to have all their private family business exposed like that it must have been excruciatingly painful i can understand them being so upset.

Yes i remember now, Jim Carter is his name but from now on he'll always be the butler from Downton Abbey what ever he appears in I've read the first three in your list Athena & enjoyed them all, yes Cousin Phillis was disappointing especially seeing as i enjoyed her other books but i guess all authors have some dud books as well Yes Phillis was a bit of a drip I'm finding The Goldfinch to be a good antidote to a dull book though so my mojo is happy

I would have preferred a hand sewing class, i think it's easier to find the time to pick up & do a bit of work than when you've got to get the machine out & set all up...... more enjoyable too

Must admit the synopsis sounds a bit dodgy...... one man to murder 392 people, it must have been a seven day a week job

Whatever you do don't call it SF Steve gets really angry.........it can be quite scary Steve - What kind of a name is Vernor Vinge ? It sounds like something you'd catch off a toilet seat

Sounds like a done deal

It's really good Kay, i listen to it on the radio on my ipod that way i'm not distracted by other people. I can't remember if i watched the dramatisation back in the dim & distant 80's, it sounds like a really good cast & i always enjoy the BBC's costume dramas so i shall have to check that one out

Hi Julie - i love Cranford does the one your watching have Judi Dench in ?

You weren't eating cheese before bedtime were you ? One of my DD's just finished reading Hollow City & she said it was really good but maybe i shouldn't be telling you that ....... i don't want to weaken your resolve

I'm impressed Claire only 1 book bought this month, your the very model of restraint I went to a quilting class years ago but i didn't stick with it , i still have the fat quarters in a bag at the back of the wardrobe Are you using a machine or doing it by hand ?

Nothing better than a large cappuccino & a good book..... i usually go to Costa though

I thought Malcolm Sinclair made a very good Archdeacon just the right amount of pomposity I listened to the first episode of Barchester Towers, really enjoyed it, i definitely thought Obidiah Slope had a touch of the Uriah Heeps about him though Did you manage to tune in Marie?

Athena - i see you bought a couple of Elizabeth George's have you read any of her books before, i have What Became Before i Shot Her on my TBR pile so would be interested to hear what you thought about her. I also have the Per Petterson thoughmy copies in English of course

Hi Karen..... i must say that although i do find Alan Carr quite funny there is something about him that kind of makes my skin crawl

Hi KidRoberts, welcome to the forum. Did you enjoy The Duel ? I hope you enjoyed your 2 books Hayley..... quality over quantity me thinks 16 books Athena...... your a reading machine The only David Niven i've heard of is the actor but i'm guessing he didn't write the book I'm about 200 pages into The Goldfinch & really feeling like i'm into the story now.