bobblybear

Thanks, I shall check out poppyshake's review.

I found the same thing. The illustrated version helps but with most science books, as much as I think I understand them at the time, I couldn't begin to explain it to anyone else.

This is a problem I have, and why I keep telling myself to make notes when I read, but sometimes I just get too immersed in a book, or I can't really think what to make a note of. Usually when I'm writing my review I tend to refer to Wikipedia to refresh my memory as there's bound to be something I missed. Of course, there's also the problem of sometimes enjoying something but being unable to put your finger on why. I've just bought it. For £2.39 it's silly not to, especially when it's been on my wishlist for so long. I've spent over £30 on books this month. Hopefully next year I'll show some more restraint.

How to Be A Woman sounds interesting. I've added it to my wishlist.

...And I'm the one who recommended it. Either way, if people have strong opinions, then they're usually more likely to have something to say about it.

^ Oooh, that looks like something I'd enjoy, but I'd probably prefer it with raw onion rather than cooked. I love raw onion.

Dog On It has now been added to my wishlist. Interesting thoughts on The Sisters Brothers. I've read a few books where I know I really enjoyed them, but can't remember a thing about them, even though I only read them a month or so ago. Usually Wikipedia triggers my memory. I think it's partly to do with how many books I read and that I tend to go straight from one to the other. Maybe it had a very complex plot and you can't remember the detail? It's one I've had on my Wishlist for a while now, mainly because it got good write-ups on here but also I really like the cover. It's so eye-catching. I don't actually know why I haven't bought it as it's quite cheap on the Kindle. I think it's the Western theme that makes me hesitate.

Sounds like a good idea. I counted them a month or so ago, and it was 70-something, so I thought it best to not count again. I hope you enjoy it. It seems to have divided a lot of people, with strong opinions on both sides of the fence. Hopefully you'll be one of the ones to like it!

I may be able to squeeze another book in before 2012 is up. I'm going to make a start on Hollowland (The Hollows, #1) by Amanda Hocking.

The Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney Synopsis from Amazon: 1867, Canada: as winter tightens its grip on the isolated settlement of Dove River, a man is brutally murdered and a 17-year old boy disappears. Tracks leaving the dead man's cabin head north towards the forest and the tundra beyond. In the wake of such violence, people are drawn to the township - journalists, Hudson's Bay Company men, trappers, traders - but do they want to solve the crime or exploit it? One-by-one the assembled searchers set out from Dove River, pursuing the tracks across a desolate landscape home only to wild animals, madmen and fugitives, variously seeking a murderer, a son, two sisters missing for 17 years, a Native American culture, and a fortune in stolen furs before the snows settle and cover the tracks of the past for good. In an astonishingly assured debut, Stef Penney deftly waves adventure, suspense, revelation and humour into a panoramic historical romance, an exhilarating thriller, a keen murder mystery and ultimately, with the sheer scope and quality of her storytelling, one of the books of the year. My Thoughts: I'll keep this brief and spoiler free as I want to save my comments for the Reading Circle thread. I first read this a couple of years ago when it was initially released, and thought it was brilliant. Re-reading it, I've enjoyed it just as much and have noted a few things that I didn't pick up on before. I love the way it is written - some of the turns of phrase Penney uses are so emotive. I've been reading the reviews on Amazon and it has really divided readers, with so many saying that the story was dull and boring. Not for me; I liked everything about it - the author's descriptive writing style, and the plot - with a few mysteries running through the story. I do love a slow reveal, and there are a few sentences sprinkled here and there that have you guessing as to their meaning, and if they are meant in the way you have interpreted them. It's written in a mix of first and third person. Some chapters are told through Mrs Ross' eyes as she goes on her journey to find her son, and other chapters are told third person and cover all characters. There's only one question I have about certain characters and their involvement in the story, but I'll save that for the Reading Circle thread. 9/10

Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson (unfinished) Synopsis from Amazon: After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson took the decision to move back to the States for a few years, to let his kids experience life in another country, to give his wife the chance to shop until 10 p.m. seven nights a week, and, most of all, because he had read that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, and it was thus clear to him that his people needed him. But before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire, Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around Britain, a sort of valedictory tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home. His aim was to take stock of the nation's public face and private parts (as it were), and to analyse what precisely it was he loved so much about a country that had produced Marmite, a military hero whose dying wish was to be kissed by a fellow named Hardy, place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey and Shellow Bowells, people who said 'Mustn't grumble', and Gardeners' Question Time. My Thoughts: I love Bill Bryson; he's funny, with a natural curiosity that makes the stories he tells very interesting. Except.....I didn't like this one. It started off well; I liked him starting his final journey around the UK from the same port that he first arrived in twenty years earlier. I thought it was a clever way to begin his trip. Unfortunately for me, it was pretty much downhill from there, aside from a few interesting anecdotes and light-hearted moments. There seemed to be no distinction between the different cities and towns he visited. I felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over again, and even his usual joviality and light-hearted sarcastic comments started to grate on me. I recall the same when I first read this book many years ago, but I thought that I would feel differently this time around. Not the case, unfortunately. Though in his defence (I have to say something nice about him!) I've loved all of his other books and would recommend them whole-heartedly! 5/10

The Universe Inside You - Brian Clegg (unfinished) Synopsis from Amazon: Fascinating facts and mind-boggling science of the human body. Built from the debris of exploding stars that floated through space for billions of years, home to a zoo of tiny aliens, and controlled by a brain with more possible connections than there are atoms in the universe, the human body is the most incredible thing in existence. In the sequel to his bestselling Inflight Science, Brian Clegg explores mitochondria, in-cell powerhouses which are thought to have once been separate creatures; how your eyes are quantum traps, consuming photons of light from the night sky that have travelled for millions of years; your many senses, which include the ability to detect warps in space and time, and why meeting an attractive person can turn you into a gibbering idiot. Read THE UNIVERSE INSIDE YOU and you'll never look at yourself the same way again. My Thoughts: I've had this one on the go for months, but have conceded defeat. I like reading non-fiction for the most part, but I found this one far too dry and uninspiring. Good non-fiction writers have a way of getting you excited about their topic and making it interesting in the way the explain it; I found this one very serious and very textbook-like. Also, I thought the title was a bit misleading. I was expecting a book on how the body works - like the basic biology and all the interesting trivia that must go along with it. However, it was more like a physics book with a very tenuous link to the human body. I find physics a far more demanding subject than biology, and so had to put it aside. Maybe if I'd started it knowing that it was more physics related, I would have been able to persevere but it was 'wrong book, wrong time.' 6/10

I'm just going through loose ends before the year is up, and I have to admit defeat with this one. I hate giving up on it as I really like Bill Bryson, but I just can't force myself to keep reading it when I'm finding it so uninteresting. I recall having this problem with it years ago but I thought/hoped I would feel different this time around. 1.What did you think of Bill Bryson as a narrator? Initially he was quite easy to follow, and obviously very humorous (though I've read books where he is much funnier), but also occasionally a bit contrived. 2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest? It started off well, and I found the story of how he came to write the book quite interesting, and I really liked the idea of him starting his journey in exactly the same way he first entered the country a couple of decades (I can't remember how long) earlier. I was also impressed by the amount of walking he did. There was a bit along the Dorset coastline that he walked along, and I'm sure it was about 7 miles. Maybe I'm a lazy cow who has come to rely on her car a bit too much, but to me that's impressive! 3. Was this the first book you've read by this author and has it encouraged you to read more? It's not the first one, but it's always been my least favorite. I have read the majority of his books (except for the ones on language and Shakespeare), and will always give him a go. I think I prefer when he is writing about varied topics, such as in A Short History of Nearly Everything, and At Home. This one felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over. There seemed to be hardly any variation between the different cities and towns he visited. 4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? Just like I said earlier, the repetitiveness of it all. It's the only travel book of his where it just seems like there is no variation between the places he visited. 5. How did you feel about the Western Australian colloquial and slang words? Did they add flavour to the writing or did they distract you from the story? Didn't notice this at all, to be honest. 6. Were you engaged immediately with the story, or did it take you a while to get into it? I was engaged from the start, but slowly lost interest. I managed about three quarters of it, and the last half has just been a struggle, so I really need to give up on it. 7. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? No, unfortunately. It's my least favorite of the ones I've read by him, and I hate saying that because I love Bill Bryson!! 8. If you enjoyed the book, would you have liked a sequel? How do you think the story could develop in the sequel? No, I don't think it's really relevant to have a sequel. And if there was, I don't think I would read it. Not sure though. 9. Would you recommend the book to others? I'd hate to say it, but probably not. I don't think it gives a necessarily accurate view of the UK, especially not as a travel guide for someone visiting the UK for the first time. In fact, I think it would probably put someone off visiting the UK. As I said before I've loved his other books, and so would recommend those before this one. For his travel books, the first one I'd recommend is A Walk In The Woods. I remember really enjoying that one, and from what I recall it didn't feel all samey-samey like this one did.

I had some barbeque flavored pork chops with new potatoes and sweetcorn, plus some yorkshire puddings. The yorkies didn't really go, but I had to use them up, and they were delish!!

I think I did that this year, where I'm sure I gave loads of books 10/10. It's very easy to be blown away by a book, write an immediate review and give it full points, rather than stew on it for a while. I'm going to try to be a bit more critical in 2013, and perhaps make notes as I'm reading them. I've just realised that the majority of books I've given a 10/10 aren't necessarily ones I would re-read, and I'm a big re-reader, which makes me think that perhaps they should have been given a lower score.

Thanks, and to you. I thought it was you as you were the only one I could find who scored out of 6. But I couldn't find the recent post you did where you explained the reasoning behind it, so I wasn't sure. Thanks Nollaig. Unfortunately for the majority of books on my TBR list, I can't specifically remember anything about them except that I must have either been recommended them, or really liked the blurb about them. I think that's going to make it very hard deciding which ones to read first. Thanks for the recommendation of The End of Mr. Y. I've added it to my wishlist. Happy reading to you to!

I've lost count of how many times I've tried to finish that book. It was massively popular maybe 15 years ago, and from the blurb on the back I thought it would be a brilliant read, but I've tried again and again and I can't get past the first quarter of it. I still have a copy on my shelf actually, and maybe I should make a concerted effort in 2013. It's one of those books that I'm sure I will enjoy, if I am in the right frame of mind, which I why I haven't gotten rid of it.

I think it makes it far easier than rating out of 10. Rating out of 6 is quite unusual, but actually makes sense when I saw your explanation of it somewhere. BTW, I'm a she.

I've just had toast with tomato and raw onion. It's one of my favourite snacks.

Lethal Weapon 4. It's not good.

Nothing yet, but that's only because I just woke up. No doubt I'll be eating loads later, as I have been doing over these holidays.

Less than a hundred pages to go on The Tenderness of Wolves. I don't know what I'll read after that.

The only two I'm looking forward to is: Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell and Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. (Which reminds me, I must re-read The Shining at some point next year.)

It's terrible isn't it?