bobblybear

Ooh, Runner sounds brilliant. Have added it to my wishlist.

Finished Sycamore Row by John Grisham. It was a relief to get that one out of the way. Now I've started A Discovery of Witches, which has been on my TBR pile since 2012.

Oooh, you've never tried Marmite?! I love it, but can see why so many don't. The Dinner is on my wishlist. I've heard many mixed comments about it and the plot sounds interesting. It hasn't tempted me enough to buy it yet, but it is on my list.

I take it back! On my new Kindle, it doesn't look like I can read horizontally. On my old Kindle Keyboard I definitely could. World Without End is quite good, but not as good as The Pillars of the Earth. I have The Cuckoo's Calling on my TBR pile, and I really want to read it this year. A Time To Kill is good (but avoid the sequel), and I loved She's Come Undone. Looks like you've got some interesting reading ahead of you!

Mostly on here!! Occasionally, something on Amazon will catch my eye or I may read an article on a book that sounds interesting, but for the most part, my recommendations for new authors come from here.

^ Who could that be? Hope you finish it soon. It's not fun to be struggling with a book. Speaking of struggling.....Sycamore Row is taking it's toll. I'm 65% or so through it, and I will finish it, but it's just dull. Now I remember why I stopped reading John Grisham. The story is so unexciting, and there seem to be pages of filler. Oh, and I just don't care about any of the characters - they are very one-dimensional and personality-free.

I intend to start A Discovery of Witches soon. In fact, I may make it my next read.

I don't really know how to describe his books. Drama, I suppose? I have only read two of his books (not actually sure how many he has), and they are both about individuals who are suffering through some kind of personal conflict and trying to see their way through. I Know This Much Is True is a mammoth-sized book, and the one I enjoyed most, but She's Come Undone is pretty darn good too. If you want to start off with one of his, I would suggest She's Come Undone (only due to the size), but some of his other books may be even better (which reminds me, I meant to look on Amazon to see what else he has done, but completely forgotten - must do that now! ).

I can read vertically or horizontally on my Kindle. I prefer reading vertically (ie. Kindle is the longest up and down - not left to right). I have tried reading horizontally but it just doesn't feel right.

Oh no, sympathy on the glasses! I'm a glasses wearer, and would be blind without them. I'm lucky in that I don't need them to read up close, but I need them for everything else. I hope you get them fixed soon.

I hope you read I Know This Much Is True, Anna....it's a brilliant book. Sycamore Row is good so far. It's been a while since I've read any John Grisham. I was a big fan years ago, but for some reason just stopped reading his newer stuff. A Time to Kill is a great read, but brutal subject matter. Sycamore Row doesn't seem to be a strict sequel; it has a separate storyline, but the same main character. I'm going into it a bit blind - I didn't bother reading the synopsis; I bought it based on a recommendation - but so far it does look like it will develop into a 'courtoom drama'. I'll let you know how I get on.

Thanks Julie, I shall look into them once my TBR pile becomes more manageable.

Last night I finished I Know This Much Is True. Fantastic book. I'm kind of glad to have finished it though, as reading a 900 page paper book was difficult after getting so used to the Kindle. I've now started Sycamore Row by John Grisham, which is a very loose sequel to A Time to Kill.

Yeah, it is a very low rating, but I just couldn't get into it. It's the only Rushdie book I have attempted so I don't know if his style is similar throughout his other books. Julie, when you do start it, the first 20 pages was an absolute struggle. After that it picked up a bit, but then just dropped off (for me, anyway). No, I haven't read anything by Rohinton Mistry - is that books of a similar genre? I don't like giving up on books, even if they are freebies as well, which is probably a bit silly. But sometimes, a book is so bad that you just don't have any choice but to give up.

Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie As I’m reading a book I try to make some rough notes, because it can be quite a while between finishing a book and writing a review. It’s very telling that the only note I made for this one was “Rambling nonsense”, so forgive me if this isn’t a very good review, as I don’t remember many of the details. Saleem Sinai is the narrator, and he tells us the story of his life, from childhood through to the present time. The main thread of his tale is his life growing up in India, and being one of the Midnight Children – that is, born on the day of India's independence at a few minutes past midnight. The many children born at this time, are all bestowed with special powers – Saleem’s is the gift of telepathy. I struggled so much through this, and in the end I gave up with only a few chapters to go. It wasn’t all bad – there were some sections that I really enjoyed, but a lot of them – the majority – were just a struggle for me. it seemed like there was no consistency, and the story moved from one thing to another and rambled on. Some of that was the way it was written and some of that was the story itself. The characters were numerous, and not very appealing (to me, anyway), which made it even more difficult. This is definitely a marmite book; I’m one of those who didn’t enjoy it, but I can still see why some do. 1.5/6

That's really interesting, as I assumed that all library borrowings were free. Here in the UK it is free (you need a library card), though if you borrow a CD or DVD you have to pay (I think about £3, but it's been a long time since I borrowed a DVD so things may have changed).

It's a pretty easy read - the characters are easy to keep track of and the writing flows - but it's a long book. I prefer it over She's Come Undone - but that was still a good read.

Hope you enjoy it. I read Thinner years ago, and would really like to read it again. I remember the basic storyline, but not the finer detail. I do remember enjoying it though.

I'm just over halfway through I Know This Much Is True. I wish I had more time to read, but these hot days just seem to sap the energy from me, and I end up nodding off.

It depends on which ones you read. Not all of them are horror - think of The Shawshank Redemption for instance. He writes a pretty wide range of novels....I'm sure there will be something you'd enjoy, rather than be scared by.

I've read another hundred or so pages of I Know This Much Is True. It's so good. Julie, it's been a while since I read She's Come Undone, but I get the feeling that I Know This Much Is True is a deeper and more complex novel than his first one. I look forward to the last paragraph....I can't tell where the book is going or how it will end, though I suspect it will be quite dramatic.

Nice reviews. I've struggled with a few of William Gibson's books and have never managed to finish one. I haven't completely given up on him though, and he still manages to grab my attention whenever he is mentioned. It could be that I was too young to understand his kind of books.

The Distance Between Us is my least favourite Maggie O'Farrell book. It's a shame you didn't enjoy it. Have you read any others by her?

I'm reading I Know This Much Is True and just loving it. I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner (I've had it for probably about 15 years). I don't know why I put off reading it, as I loved She's Come Undone. I will most likely look up his other books when I've finished this one.

When I first read her books (when I was about 14 and everyone was talking about Flowers In The Attic), they all had 'Virginia Andrews' on the cover. Years later, it seems they have been changed to "VC Andrews" - I remember seeing that, and being slightly puzzled by it.