bobblybear

Nothing at the moment, but I've got a real craving for eggy bread with ham and cheese. Lucky I have all the ingredients, so will be making that in a sec.

I tend to stick to caffeine free drinks, so if I have coffee it's decaf, and if I have tea it's usually Rooibos or herbal.

Oh, I love that film. I have it on DVD but haven't watched it in a while. Can't remember the last movie I saw. It's been a while, though I do have a fair few on my Amazon watchlist.

I have Dark Places on my TBR pile. After the success of Gone Girl, Amazon put all of her books on sale for £0.20 (Kindle). Needless to say, I snapped them up. Alas, like so many others, they still remain on my TBR pile.

Some of these are really tricky! 1. Read only trilogies or stand alones? Stand-alones. I don't read a huge number of series anyway, and I think there are more standalones out there than trilogies. 2. Read only female or male authors? Most of the books that I read seem to be by male authors, so I would go with that option. 3. Shop at a book shop or online? Oooh, tricky. See, I prefer ebooks, so I have to say online. However, if I did prefer physical books then I would say a book shop, as I do like running my hands over a book, especially one with an interesting cover (ie. different material and embossed). 4. All books become movies or tv shows? Movies. 5. Read 5 pages per day or 5 books per week? My first thought was 5 books per week, but in reality I just don't have time for that. So, I'd have to pick 5 pages a day. 6. Be a professional reviewer or author? Reviewer. I would get to read so much variety. 7. Only read your top 20 favorite books over and over or always read new ones that you haven't read before? As much as I love my re-reads, I would choose to only read new ones. As good as some of my favourites are, there's a limit to how many times I can read them. 8. Be a librarian or book seller? Librarian. Not sure why, but it just seems more appealing than a bookseller. Maybe because it's so removed from the business side of things. 9. Only read your favorite genre, or every genre except your favorite? I don't actually have a favourite genre - unless you can classify general fiction as a genre. So, I would choose every genre except my favourite. 10. Only read physical books or eBooks? Due to storage issues, I have to go with ebooks. We live in a small house, and will most likely always do so, so for me it's ebooks.

These look lovely - so full of character. I really like the ones in a van and on a barge.

It's not really a book that I would classify as horror, and I don't recall being scared by it. Mind you, I don't know what genre it belongs to though. I know what you mean about it being a bit dreary - I mean, it was enjoyable while it lasted, but it's also quite forgettable.

I recently finished The Humans, which is the first book I have read by him. I've just written up the review on my Book Log and it's brought back to me how much I really enjoyed it. Does anyone else have any recommendations about which book to read next? I enjoyed the humour and the wittiness, but also enjoyed his engaging, but easy-to-read writing style. I've heard The Radleys mentioned quite a bit, and it appears he has also written quite a few children's books. Anyone else enjoy his books?

The Humans - Matt Haig I wish I’d reviewed this sooner as I can’t remember many details (and there are so many phrases and insights that you want to remember), except that I really enjoyed it. It's the first Matt Haig book I have read and I was impressed by the originality, warmth and wittiness of the writing. Professor Andrew Martin has solved one of the most complex problems in mathematics – the mystery of prime numbers - but to a race of otherwordly beings (the Vonnadorians) it is a step that humans aren’t ready for, so they intervene. One of them takes over Andrew Martin’s body with the intention of finding out if he has shared his knowledge with any other humans. If so, it is then his job to kill them. Andrew Martin, having been inhabited, is already "disposed of". We see the human race from an aliens point of view, and it is a very witty and incisive view, that picks at all of our silly little idiosyncracies and makes you think "Why do we do that?". To start with, the alien is repulsed by our food and our smell, and puzzled by the clothes that we wear. Unfamiliar with our culture, he picks up behavioural tips from reading material (Cosmopolitan magazine is the first thing he reads, unfortunately ), and from observing others (which leads to some amusing moments where he believes spitting on someone is the normal way of greeting them). Slowly though, he begins to enjoy the ways of humans – which is a problem given that he is there to kill some of them – and subconsciously begins to act more and more like them, to the disappointment of his fellow Vonnadorians back home. Beyond the observational humour, there is also a pretty decent story as well as a nice heart-warming message, and I really enjoyed it. I shall definitely be reading more of Matt Haig’s books – and this one will also be going on the re-read pile. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the next one of his to read? 5/6

Started The Crow Road last night. Great opening chapter and first line ("It was the day my grandmother exploded.")

Most days, and sometimes multiple times a day (usually on weekends). I don't always feel like posting though. I'm often quite tired once I get home from work, and feel a bit brain-dead in the evening.

Updated reading plan: The Ocean At The End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman I Am Pilgrim - Terry Jones Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan Blubber - Judy Blume Deenie - Judy Blume Forever - Judy Blume Capital - John Lanchester The Crow Road - Iain Banks Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops - Jen Campbell I will most likely finish the Gaiman book tonight, so then I have to choose between Capital and The Crow Road. Both are supposed to be very good, so I won't really mind which one I read first.

Ok - I'm 9 reviews behind! Why do I always get myself into this situation! The Emergence of Judy Taylor - Angela Jackson Judy is a part-time music teacher who feels at a cross roads with her life. She is happily married to Oliver and in everyone else's eyes is living the perfect life. But Judy feels she has lost her identity and individualism, and would really like to be able to have a conversation that doesn’t contain "and Oliver". At the start of the book she finds a lump in her breast; fortunately it is benign but propels her into making some drastic changes to her life. When I started this, I thought it was very well written, with a witty and sharp sense of humour. I was chucking to myself quite a bit in the opening chapters. Judy was an interesting and smart character and she carried the story well. However about half way through, my interest started to wane as things just seemed to drag on, without much happening. The most interesting part was the beginning when Judy decides to actively change her life. However, after that it just seemed to be a bit dull, and I don't know if the writing style changed, but I didn't find the remainder of the book as sharply amusing (or amusing at all) as the beginning. Mind you, I don't think it was specifically written to be funny, more just the occasional amusing moment. It was a pretty decent read for the majority but it was let down in the final quarter. It just went downhill into a simpering ending that was quite non conclusive with nothing happening. 3/6

It's quite good, probably the Gaiman I have enjoyed most (as I have struggled with some of his others). I'm about two-thirds through and will probably finish it tonight as it's quite short.

I finished Wierd Things Customers Say In Bookshops. It's a very quick read, probably took me only an hour. Now I've started The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. Good so far.

Just finished I Am Pilgrim, probably the best book I've read all year. Not sure what to pick up next, but I don't think I'll start anything tonight. (Actually, I'm supposed to be studying, but nevermind. )

Nice reviews. I've added The Dog to my wishlist.

Thanks, Steve.

Congrats on the new job. I've heard of Runner before, and must have liked what I heard coz it was already on my wishlist.

Oh no, doesn't sound like you are enjoying it much. IT grabbed me right from the start so maybe it's just not your kind of book. I know you said you will continue with it, so I hope it improves for you. I'm about halfway through I Am Pilgrim. This is such a good book. So, so good!

Did you enjoy it, emelee? I haven't seen it yet - it screens here this Sunday.

I've never been a fan of Koontz, as I always found his novels extremely cheesy and cringeworthy. I have read a fair few of them, and for years I was always willing to give him a go even though I've been disappointed many times. Haven't read him in years, but his books still catch my attention for some reason. As for having his whole library full of his own books......woah, that's just odd.

Sounds interesting. I went to add it to my wishlist, but apparently it was already on there.

Started I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes....what a brilliant start!

TimeBomb - Scott K. Wilson The story is set around three main characters – all teenagers - with the ability to travel in time. Kaz is a Polish immigrant who has left his job and is looking for a place to sleep. He is from the present time - 2013. Dora is a housemaid, only 14 and from Cornwall in 1645. Jana is from 2141 and is being hunted for something she has embedded in her head. All three find themselves thrown together at Sweetclover Hall, with the aid of "Steve" who gives them a bit of guidance. They are told very little, just that they have this power and that their enemy is a woman named Quil. I found all the time movements a bit disorientating, as things move around a lot and the story is very fast-paced. The characters are somewhat superficial, and due to all the action you never actually get to know much about them beneath the surface, and so never really get to connect with them. Still, it was an ok read if you just want something action-oriented. However, it's not a book you can skim through - I found I really had to concentrate to keep track of who was doing what and which era they were in, and I was still pretty confused by the time I got to the end! 3/6