Hayley

I don't know of any genre specific ones, but you could use a list like this and only make note of the crime novels? Best-Selling Books in the UK in 2020. Book Best Sellers in 2020 Are you challenging yourself to read the bestsellers?

Hi. I think this would be a very difficult thing to work out (although interesting!). There's a lot of variables and there might not be accurate sales information for very old books. Could you maybe narrow the time frame down?

I am very pleased to tell you all that Raven has agreed to be a forum moderator! With the team we have now, alongside the server move which should work out any technical issues, we should be able to keep things running super smoothly over here, even while we're making planned changes . Thank you Raven!

I think the meaning is usually explained though, isn’t it? At least, I don’t remember ever having to look up some Latin while I was reading!

No, not everyone can edit titles but I've fixed this one now

I can't actually think of any examples I've read other than French and Latin but I picture Latin phrases as mainly being at the beginning of a book and not within the actual story (or explained within the text, which I don't mind either). I'm not too bad with French words and phrases, but I've never been particularly good with languages. Although, thanks to the French teacher who wouldn't let us do anything if we didn't ask in French, I can always remember how to ask if I can take my jacket off .

Can you remember what the book was about?

I think it was your review that made me want to read it in the first place! I have started reading it and so far I have to agree with you about the language! I have to admit, I don't think I'd heard of it before this book! It's nice to know that it's as interesting in real life

I definitely think Dickens influenced society with his writing, very intentionally so. I think the divorce reform conversations happening in the 1850s are an interesting example. Dickens was publishing other people's articles on the subject, well as his own, in his periodical Household Words for a while. Then he wrote about the unfairness of divorce laws in Hard Times and just a couple of years later the Bill was finally passed. The conversation would have happened without Dickens, but he reached a lot of people with his publications and used them to generate empathy for working-class people trapped in unhealthy marriages because they couldn't afford to get divorced. I definitely think he would have changed a few minds on the subject

I enjoyed the chapters that weren't about the technical aspects of whaling. If those parts could be edited out I think I'd have really liked it!

I think I've read 25 (I can't remember if I read all of Heart of Darkness or not!). There's a couple I read a bit of but didn't finish. Funny (or, maybe more weird than funny) story: I was meant to read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood for university but, even though reading violent scenes doesn't usually effect me, I was nearly physically sick after reading the beginning. I had to put it down and go get some fresh air. I think it was a mixture of knowing that those things actually happened and the very brutal/blunt and descriptive way that Capote tells it. Knowing that Capote was sympathetic to the criminals also made me feel uncomfortable about the book and I just couldn't bring myself to read it all. There are a few books on there that I really do want to read though! Me either to be honest (I also agree with you about Moby Dick!).

I opened a book and in I strode. Now nobody can find me. I’ve left my chair, my house, my road, My town and my world behind me. I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring, I’ve swallowed the magic potion. I’ve fought with a dragon, dined with a king And dived in a bottomless ocean. I opened a book and made some friends. I shared their tears and laughter And followed their road with its bumps and bends To the happily ever after. I finished my book and out I came. The cloak can no longer hide me. My chair and my house are just the same, But I have a book inside me. I Opened a Book - Julia Donaldson [I hope it isn’t cheating to change a word from the plural because I really like this one ]

I love this game! (And Lewis Carroll!) … You say, O Sage, when weather-checked, "I have been favoured so With cloudless skies, I must expect This dash of rain or snow." "Since health has been my lot," you say, "So many months of late, I must not chafe that one short day Of sickness mars my state." You say, "Such bliss has been my share From Love's unbroken smile, It is but reason I should bear A cross therein awhile." And thus you do not count upon Continuance of joy; But, when at ease, expect anon A burden of annoy. But, Sage this Earth why not a place Where no reprisals reign, Where never a spell of pleasantness Makes reasonable a pain? -The Child and the Sage by Thomas Hardy

It was way back in 2015 (and in a book blog ). It should show up in a search, although I see that it doesn't so thank you for noticing that! I'll bring it up with Invision. My review was: 'I think I mentioned earlier that I found this book in a charity shop. The blurb describes a section of the police force which deals with the paranormal and this instantly reminded me of the Peter Grant novels by Ben Aaronovitch, which I loved. I then realised it was set in the Victorian period so then I just had to get it . While there are obviously some similarities with the Peter Grant novels though I was surprised at how different they were. I don't want to give too much away but the supernatural theme is dealt with very differently. I liked the characters, although the narrator has some qualities which make him quite unlikable at times they fit with his background and don't become distracting. I also liked the setting, it felt real and not over exaggerated. In some novels set in a specific time period (like The Interpretation of Murder!) the author seems to feel the need to shove random historical facts at you that are irrelevant to the story but that is absolutely not the case here. There are references to contemporary issues but they're very subtle and well placed. I found out after I finished the book that it's the first in a series called 'Frey and McGray' (the two main detectives) and the next book, Fever of the Blood is set to release in February. I'm definitely planning to get it. I have a feeling that the series will only improve as the characters develop further.' I'm pleased to note that I was right about the series improving . For context, I had recently read The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld and thought it was terrible. I was clearly still feeling a bit disgruntled about it .

I'm so glad you enjoyed this! I love this series and I actually think they get better as they go. The backstory of McGray that you mention gets really interesting.

Yay! That's excellent news! I hope you'll still pop in to see us though

Thank you Brian!

Fingers crossed you do like this one more

Aww, thank you Ok, so then in that first introduction you just sort of tell them 'feel free to revive old threads'? I know your situation is much different than ours was but if you think there's any chance that a moderator might be able to take over BGO I'd be happy to talk about what we had to do for that here. You probably already thought of this but maybe you could get your current admin to send you copy of the files and databases, so if one of you was in a position to run the forum in the future you could just restore the site as it is now? That way BGO wouldn't really be gone, it would always be there if someone could put it back online.

I've had this sitting on my shelf for an embarrassing amount of time. Maybe I should take this reminder as a sign to just try it! I do love the nineteenth century and folklore/superstition.

I absolutely loved this book (I think I was hooked from that early moment with the monster and the frying pan...) and it started me off on Terry Pratchett. I was about 13 when I read it, so I might find more issues with it now, but I read the other Tiffany Aching books a lot later so I'd happily second Chrissy's recommendation to try those. If this one put you off though, maybe try one of the Discworld books in the Witches series (the first one is Equal Rites) as they have a lot of similarities but are for adults .

I just wanted to echo what Brian said. If you don't want your past book logs to be on here they're easy to remove but you don't need to worry about them taking up space on the forum. The space used when you make a thread is really, really tiny.

Oh, they were from Postmartin! That makes sense, I remember wondering who the footnotes were being written by but I sort of forgot about it by the time I wrote my review. I like the idea that these accounts suggest something happening in the future of the main series where different organisations are sharing information about magic. Maybe it's a hint for something to come as well as a convenient way to explain slang terms? That could be overthinking it though. It's been a long day .

When they post their introduction? Yes, I think I agree with that. We do get a lot of traffic from guests who don't end up staying. I also agree with this but people might get scared if I start chasing them when they leave . ... I have a funny story for you at a future date. And that's all I'm saying about that for now This is a very good point. I don't really have anything to add, but it's always worth remembering that some things are just the nature of a book forum (and forums at this moment in time). I think it is in exactly this way that the mix of ideas would work.

I hadn't really thought about them but I can't remember there being much of point to them either. Maybe just to let us know who's meant to be reading Abigail's account? Me too! I love Abigail's connection with the foxes and the fact that she can get into situations the older characters wouldn't.