Books do furnish a room

Just finished "The Brutal Art" by Jesse Kellerman. A strange mixture of a book; part detective, part family history, some love interest with a dash of dysfunction and thriller. Put like that it sounds like a hit; not really for me though. It is about an art dealer who "discovers" a new artist. The artist is absent but the work is made available. In the course of research by the main protagonist all the above come into play. I found the ending a let down and just too swift. It felt like too much was thrown into the pot. It was an easy read with some interesting twists and turns, but the book didn't seem to know in which direction to go. Six out of ten. Have started a collection of short stories by Stephen King; Just After Sunset.

Having thought about this overnight; it is interesting to contrast the attention Elizabeth gets with the other female monarch who preceded her; Mary. I know she was on the throne for much less time, but she was a female monarch. Elizabeth gets a much better press and it's interesting to ask why. Elizabeth was Protestant and Mary Catholic, but they both did much the same thing to the opposition. Mary's biggest "failure" was not to produce an heir, something Elizabeth turned to her advantage (The Virgin Queen). History likes a victor and they get to write the books. something to ponder.

Hi Katrina; you might try the writings of Allison Heisch who wrote about Elizabeth from a feminist perspective in the 70s and 80s I seem to remember.

I started the elephant keeper by Christopher Nicholson with some scepticism. It was recommended but I was not sure I would enjoy it. However it was a really good read; a gentle and touching slow paced story about boy and elephant set in the 18th Century. Never judge a book by your prejudices. A letter learnt I think. Scored it at 7 and a half out of ten. About to start The Cider House Rules

Judy Teen; Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel

Been book shopping today; my favourite pastime. Picked up a couple in a charity shop; The Cider House Rules was one. The other was the Ceylon Daily News cook book. There are some great curry recipies in there, but also some rather off the wall ones; fish custard anyone? I also bought The Small Hand by Susan Hill and have just read it in one sitting. Very good ghost story in the tradition of her earlier books. Creepy and gothic with some nice twists. A good one to read in low light late at night; waiting for that small hand in yours.... A proper old fashioned ghost story.

The obvious one that springs to mind is Ayslums by Goffman. A more personal account is "The Quiet Room" by Lori Schiller. There are also plenty of histories of the asylum system out there as well. It depends whether you are looking for something personal, historical or academic and theoretical.

Difficult one; I have fond memories of the Peter Wimsey novels, but I still think Sherlock Holmes is the best. But I still enjoy modern writers like Gerritson and Cornwell.

Hi Andrea; I manage to read so many at once because I compartmentalise; so when I leave one book I forget it until I return to it at a later time. It's something I learnt to do in a previous job. War and Peace is hard work but enjoyable, I'm still in 1805. White Teeth is a wonderful book and very funny. Just finished Vanity Fair. A book on my TBR list for years. I found the narrator a little annoying, but I'm a sucker for a happy ending; just wish they'd got round to it sooner. Becky was at least consistent and a wonderful character; wouldn't want to know her in real life though. A good read. Decided to start another of those books I've been meaning to read for years; Middlemarch; I read The Mill on the Floss earlier in the year and didn't really enjoy it; but I'm willing to give this one a try.

Thanks Poppy. I know what you mean about TBR lists; mine gets longer every day. Just finished The Resurrectionist by James Bradley. Mixed feelings about this. The story of a boy who is apprenticed to a surgeon. As the title suggests it all goes horribly wrong. There is a lot of gore and violence; much of which left me cold. It was easy to read because the chapters are short. If they had been much longer I might have struggled. There is a dream like redemptive second part which I found unconvincing, especially given what the main character had done in the first part. I'm supposed to be an old "liberal" who believes in redemption and rehabilitation, but this was unconvincing and I didn't believe it. There is a strong gothic element and it was atmospheric. As you can maybe tell I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Next dilemma; do I score the books. I think so; for comparison's sake. For this one 4 out of 10 Forgot to add; I'm starting a book to replace the one just finished; Tokyo by Mo Hayder

I've never done a blog before; here goes; I want to record what I've read and how I feel about it. I read avidly when young, often to escape the world and finds worlds different and more humane. The habit stuck and over the years has waxed and waned. Some of what I have read is academic course related and some job related, but mostly fiction. I read a lot of religious books for a number of years, but that has changed and now I read more or less anything. I have accumulated many books and I am making an effort to read them. The death of my mother two years ago was something of a catalyst in setting off my current more organised reading; so many books so little time. This is what I am reading at the moment; Vanity Fair; Thackeray White Teeth; Zadie Smith Anthony Burgess; Roger Lewis The Elephant Keeper; Christopher Nicholson A Group of Noble Dames; Thomas Hardy War and Peace; Tolstoy The Resurrectionist; James Bradley The Brutal Art; Jesse Kellerman I try to read a little of each every day; sometimes a particular book will take over. I have just finished "A Case of Exploding Mangoes" by Mohammed Hanif It was a good read and reminded me of Catch 22; set in the Pakistan Army. It contains a well hidden love story between 2 cadets, but there are lots of comic moments with some completely bonkers characters. A well drawn satire on military life and dictatorships in general. Reading is a very personal thing; I don't know if anyone will ever read this. Even if they do not I think expressing and explaining how a book has affected me will be helpful. Early this year I found a site called Bookarmy and on there you can record nall the books you have ever read. I found trying to remember all I have read difficult (it gets more difficult as you get older)but immensely interesting as I recalled books and authors I had long forgotten. I'm rambling on as usual; time to go back to real life!!

Has to be Ulysses and also War and Peace (though I've just started that for the second time)

Yoda (I used the force)

I absolutely hated American Psycho; just too much pointless violence much too in your face. Whatever point was being made was lost; just too nihilistic for me.

I am also becoming quite fond of Rawdon who is turning out to be quite a decent chap! That has surprised me.

Just started White Teeth by Zadie Smith

The Man who sold the world; David Bowie

What about Stereophonics; Local Boy in the Photograph. I seem to remember that fits the bill.

I lost interest after about an hour and a half and went to bed

Just finished Cash, interesting autobiography of Johnny Cash.

Some great books suggested here. I love Anna Karenina and Wuthering Heights. Could I also suggest Far From the Madding Crowd by Hardy. That has always stood out for me. On maybe a more blokey level maybe, the love story in For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemmingway? On a more off the wall note, The Elephant Keeper by Nicholson (forgot his first name) is also a love story. One last thought; The Human Stain by Philip Roth; an interesting and moving story.

More books for the reading list! I loved Drood, so I will give these a try too. Has anyone else read Drood; if so what did they think?

I have a variety of bookmarks I use. One favourite, given to me by my dad is part of a balloon which in the 1930s broke the then altitude record.

Football; Of course!!

I do wish Dobbin would tell the woman how he is feeling