Clare_Star

I buy a lot of second hand books, mainly from charity shops. I check to make sure all the pages are still fixed in but other than that, I'm not bothered about the condition. This might be odd but a cracked spine and yellowy pages remind me of bookshops and trips to the library when I was little, the old dusty smell of hundreds of books stacked on top of one another. I also really like finding books with dedications or names in, it's nice to imagine what the person thought of and why it came to be in a charity shop in the first place. I've brought loads of different copies of Little Women for this reason.

I've just been doing some reading about Matthew Pearl and this really does sound right up my street. Think I'll be on the look out for The Dante Club when I'm next in town. Thanks!

I've just finished my re-read! Once again I really enjoyed it, I had forgotten so many things during the middle of the book, I'm going to have to read it again before the second one comes out! I've put all of this under a spoiler cut because I'm not sure what to do with it at the moment, I'll uncover if the rest of the thread gets spoilerific!

Hello! Just joining in a bit of Historical Fiction chatter. I've not read a lot of historical fiction so reading through this thread has given me some good ideas. I've recently finished reading Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran, I'd also recommend two of her earlier novels Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen also set in ancient Eygpt. I got really carried away with the descriptions of the exotic colours and fabrics and costumes, I also really enjoy the long descriptions of food and the rules or social structures of the time. I'm not sure if this counts as historical fiction but has anyone read any of Kate Furnivall's novels? Set in China and Russia from 1929 onwards. It's epic stuff full of scandal and lots of secretive behaviour! Just spotted on amazon that she has a new book due out in November :-)

I can, brand new books are expensive and I've usually got a couple of books waiting in the wings. I still enjoy browsing in bookshops and often look authors up online when I get back home. It's harder to walk away when I'm in charity shops though, I'll usually come away with something then! I usually buy the latest paperbacks from Tesco so only occasionally go in actual book shops like Waterstones. If i do though i always buy 2 or 3 books,which is why i don't go in there much as my TBR pile is around 15 to 20 high. When i get it down i shall enter Waterstones again .

I'm really excited after seeing the trailer! Also if you check the Empire film website they have a break down of various scenes of the trailer and speculation over which film they will be in.

I've never read any E. M. Forster in part because I'm not sure where to start! I keep picking up Forster novels during my charity shop rumages, but always end up putting them back down again. Can anyone recommend one to start me off?

Last is the door of death. The final resort. Nothing can hurt us after we are dead, or so we are told. The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

Little Women was the biggest shocker for me. I loved it as a child but the religious themes really passed me by! I still love the Little Women (and Good Wives) but I think it's in part because of my childhood fondness of the stories. Louisa May Alcott can be a big heavy handed at times.

Eels! Eels! Eels! *shudder*

I'm watching Firefly (ep2) all part of Tuesday night's Fireflyathon!

Just wanted to join in the GG love in! I've just finished watching Series 5 for the first time (although because I watched on E4 I've seen series 6 and 7 before so technically I've just finished watching them all! This is going to sound very silly but I got into GG when I was having a huge breakdown, I had to take quite a bit of time off work and some days all I was able to do was get up, pour a cup of coffee and watch GG episodes on E4. I swear (along with the support of my family) watching those episodes helped me get through that black period. And with that...

I was really excited about reading this book, I got about half way through and realised I wasn't really enjoying it and have stopped. I don't really know what to do, it's rare that I don't get to the end of a book but I had such high expectations of this and I found myself drifting when I was reading it. Perhaps I was just in the wrong mood for it! Reading through some of the posts here, I feel as though I have missed out on something, perhaps I'll have to pick it up again.

Yay! I'm so glad to have found people who have read Natso Kirino. I read Out a while ago, I'll admit it was probably the first really graphic book I've ever read, totally loved it! (In fact a work collegue borrowed it and never returned it which means I need to pick it up again *shakes head*) Anyway, I've also read Grotesque and can honestly say I don't think I've ever read anything like it. I've never found characters in a book so utterly repugnant yet completely loved the book! I must add this to my re-reading pile so I can say add a slightly more meaningful comment.

Ha! I keeping my fingers crossed that Waterstones will do a deal on the hardback otherwise it's going to be an even longer wait. I'm sure it will be worth it though, with the detail in the first one I wouldn't want the second rushed :-)

Hello! I think I'm one of those that you mention in your post - I read it quite a long time ago. It's not especially clear but I remember that I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. I've been waiting for the next in the series and hadn't seen that date so thanks for posting it! I'm going to add this to my re-read pile so I can have a proper chat with you about it :-) I do remember being particularly gripped during the retelling of his teenage years before and during his university days. I hope to continue this with you and others soon!

I'm a huge F1 fan, totally addicted! Should be a good race this weekend, I know Ferrari are talking themselves up a storm... I'd love to see Alonso win :-) BBC have a good round up of all the new rule changes/clarifications if anyone has missed them - I would supply a link to this but as I'm a new poster I am not allowed!

The Good Wife, well just finished and off to watch some Family Guy.

The first sci-fi novel I remember reading and properly understanding and enjoying was the Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher. It was a a collection my dad had owned and encouraged me to read, he's a massive sci-fi fan and couldn't wait to pass on some of his favourites. I must have been about 11 or 12.

I always feel a little let down that there isn't more contemporary fiction taught in school. Like a lot of the posters here we studied Shakespeare, Emily Bronte (Wuthering Heights and poetry which certainly put me off approaching any Bronte for a long period of time!) and were lucky enough to have a bit of Sylvia Plath thrown in. I know that for some school is the only time they will come across "classic" or highly regarded texts but it sometimes seems like laziness that Shakespeare seems to be the only playwright that children come into contact with! I don't know, am I being too harsh?

Hello! I've been working my way through Michelle Moran's Egyptian novels recently and have really enjoyed them. I'm really interested in the Crusade period and would love to read some more set in that period - I've read Sarah Bryant's Sand Daughter and really enjoyed it - any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone, I'm Clare and here to join the book fun :-) I don't really have a favourite genre of books, I will read anything. One of my favourites is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I've also been rereading a lot of books from my childhood recently (mainly Louisa May Alcott novels). I'm also a bit of a sucker for a historical fiction, especially on a Sunday when the sun is out. Anyway, I won't waffle on, look forward to reading and chatting with you at some point in the future.