Hayley

Finished The Ruby in the Smoke! I think I’ve mentioned somewhere here before that I read the third book in this series (The Tiger in the Well) when I was much younger, with no idea that it was part of a series. So now I finally know how it all starts! I might go straight to the second in the series now, The Shadow in the North.

I’d like it to be The Moonstone by Willie Collins, which does have a scene just like the one in the picture and is Victorian and gothic. I think it might be Five Red Herrings by a Dorothy Sayers from the written clue though... unless the clue is a red herring… 🤔 😄

I’m adding both of these to my wish list. The first sounds very interesting from a psychological perspective and I actually love magical realism, but have never read anything that sounds quite like Pedro Páramo!

A puzzle from Folio Society: what do we think this new book is going to be? The image was posted to their Twitter with the message ‘Discard a shoal of red herrings to discover Folio’s next brilliant limited edition! Set your alarms for 2pm 2 November to reveal all...’

I really liked it but I think it probably is the slowest Dickens book I’ve read, despite it being one of the shortest!

The Odessa File by Forsyth was the first spy novel I read and it does have that fast-paced action of a thriller. So I second this 😄

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. As others have said above, we’ll all be thinking about you. Keep us updated when you can ❤️

Finished The Fascination! It’s very aptly named - it really is fascinating. It’s also a lot darker than I expected it to be! A very good book. I will post a full review soon. I think I’ll choose something a little lighter for my next read though. Maybe The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman.

Oh that’s annoying . At least they can’t do it to anybody else! I think you have a good point about only buying things that are low price.

You’re definitely not, think we’re supposed to feel confused because it’s a very confusing situation for Peter. The last book kind of made Lesley make a bit more sense to me but hopefully we can talk about that when you get to it 😄

I finished Treasure Island (and really enjoyed it - it got me thinking about how many adaptations there have been of Treasure Island and how it’s interesting to note which things get changed or left out). I decided to start The Fascination by Essie Fox as my next one. It seems very promising so far! It’s (at least partly) about Victorian fairgrounds and ‘freak shows’, which I find really interesting.

Have you tried AbeBooks?

Oh wow, that was a good find! This has really been the thing that made me reluctant to try Vinted. It seems as though it would be quite easy for a seller to misrepresent something and I believe it’s just up to the individual if they accept returns? Although the site seems popular enough that it can’t be a huge issue.

I’m sorry the book was terrible but your review was brilliant and actually made me laugh 😂

Thought inspired by @France: how does everyone feel about the simple life idea and clothing? A lot of clothes just aren’t made to last now. @France mentioned using Vinted in another thread (I’ve never actually tried that one myself but I’ve heard others say it’s very good). A while ago I saw an article that mentioned a new website (called ‘everything5pounds’) which would aim to reduce fast fashion waste by selling old stock at very reduced prices. I did give them a try, buying a jumper for £3 and a dress for £2.50. It still seems silly that there’s so much waste to begin with, but at least those things won’t end up in landfill.

That is very true. There are many hours of joy from just a couple of books That is so lovely of you. You all help me not to be sad by being here and talking about books with me 😄❤️ Another good point. I very rarely spend money on anything but books. Speaking of Vinted has just given me a thought for another thread…

Well I told myself I wasn’t going to buy any more books this year (we’re supposed to be saving money ahead of Christmas and a planned trip in the new year) but one of my favourite indie’s posted about having a bad day (as two people had cancelled orders, putting them at minus profit) which made me sad. And I was already sad, so I decided to buy books to help both situations… so, for the group read, I got: The Tumbling Girl by Bridget Walsh and The Turnglass by Gareth Rubin. The latter especially was a book I really wanted as soon as I saw it being announced! My sister also surprised me with a book that will fit the challenge (and which I’ve had on my wish list for ages!) - The Mad Women’s Ball by Victoria Mas. As a lot of you know, I’m very into Victorian things, so I do tend to buy any books I see in charity shops that have Victorian settings. Which leads me to this confession… these are the books I took from my shelf that would fit the challenge. They don’t include my ‘for work’ books (I keep them on a different shelf), so there aren’t many actual Victorian novels. It did make me feel quite guilty for buying more 🙈.

I’ve heard that chilled pea soup is nice for hot weather but I’ve never actually tried it! I have had vegetable soup this year but it was from a can… if that counts 😄.

Hi Simon, welcome to the forum. Is this a specifically book-themed party? Because Alice in Wonderland cupcakes with ‘Eat Me’ iced on the top would be my choice, if so.

Oh wow, this is a good one and I don’t remember it! I think it must have been just before I joined the forum. (Although I do remember Katrina1968! I always loved your avatar). I love the idea of the simple life. Everything just tastes better when you’ve grown it yourself and there’s definitely huge satisfaction in making or mending something, rather than throwing away and replacing it. There are a lot of factors that make it very difficult though. As you said with the solar panels @Virginia, a lot of things require an initial outlay to even become an option. Time is also an issue! I have some herbs growing in my garden and there were three apple trees growing here when I moved in. They’re small and quite wonky, but we had a fair few apples from them last year - this year there’s hardly any. I’d imagine the weather hasn’t helped but I need to do some research to see if I can help them do better next year. I’d also like to try growing chillies next year . When I tried growing cosmos, 1 grew insanely tall, 2 just grew leaves with no flower and the others did nothing. So I’d call that a win 😂

I just bought this, so hoping you’re not about to tell us it’s awful 😅. I felt like this about one I DNF’d years ago but I don’t think Fairy Tale is particularly long. King said in an interview that he wanted to do something different with this one so - fingers crossed!

They are. Thanks Poppy ❤️ Brian recommended the film too! (In the group read thread). If they managed to capture the tone of the book, I’m sure it will be really good

Thanks everyone ❤️

I'm sorry for being very quiet around the forum recently. September was a bit of a difficult month, which ended with the death of my nan. Books have, as always, been a good escape though, so I have a few reviews I finally feel up to posting: The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews 3.5/5 - I liked it! 3.5 almost feels a bit harsh for this book and I did consider bumping it up to four. Set in the seventeenth century with a significant focus on witch trials and suspicion, this slightly reminded me of my last read, The Devil and the Dark Water, only this one had a very different atmosphere. Where The Devil and the Dark Water had deaths and intrigue galore, this one had a more sinister and more mythological tone (partly for this reason, it also reminded me of The Essex Serpent!). We begin with the narrator receiving a letter from his sister, telling him that she has suspicions about a new woman who's come to work for them. He returns to find that all of their farm animals are dying and things are lot more complicated than he first assumed... It's not immediately clear whether the supernatural is going to be real or imagined in this book and it's interesting to consider it from both sides. If something truly supernatural happened, does it make any of the consequences better? The moral wrestling of the main character is the key element of this book, really. He has his own past demons and serious ethical dilemmas arise when some of the women around him are arrested for witchcraft. The narrative jumps between the past and the present, with the present events seeming incredibly strange and really driving you to want to know what led to this point. I did really enjoy the book and would happily recommend it - it's a really interesting read. I found some elements of the plot unsatisfying, personally, which is why I didn't give it a higher rating. Tales from the Depths and Other Strange Tales from the Sea ed. Mike Ashley 4/5 - I loved it I read this while on holiday in Cornwall, with a view of the sea, and that really was the perfect way to read it. It's one of the British Library's 'Tales of the Weird', so you get a selection of short stories from various eras, with a short explanation at the beginning of each one to explain a little bit about the author, the story itself and why it's been included in the collection. All of the stories in this one were good - there genuinely wasn't one I disliked. There was enough overlap between some of the themes to note interesting patterns, but simultaneously they were all individual enough to keep me both intrigued and entertained through every story. I looked forward to finding out what would be next every time I started a new tale. Some of them are genuinely really creepy, so maybe not for those who hate horror, but otherwise I highly recommend . The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern 5/5 - It was brilliant This is the kind of book you can really escape into and, at the same time, a book that was definitely written for people who really love books. In fact - I think it's for people who really love stories in all their forms. It's like a celebration of narrative in every form, wrapped in a magical metaphor. On the surface, the book is about a world you can travel to (if you're the sort of person who can find a door) which is essentially like the most incredible library you can possibly imagine. Only somebody is trying to stop others from reaching this place - and obviously destruction and chaos ensues. We follow one main character, Zachary, for most of the narrative (he's very nerdy and likeable) but his story is interspersed with snippets of things that seem like fairy tales. Those tales weave cleverly into the main plot eventually, but I can imagine them becoming a little frustrating for those who prefer a faster pace. I liked them. Even when they seemed entirely unrelated to what I'd just been reading, they seemed like pieces of a puzzle at their most intriguing, or bed-time stories you could just dip into to distract yourself for a few minutes. I highly recommend this one. It's just pure, crazy, brilliant imagination. And I really wish the place beyond the door really existed, so I could sleep in a library and have cupcakes on demand. The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera 4/5 - I loved it This book is essentially like a modern folk tale, which immediately appeals to me. The author wrote it for his granddaughter, who asked him why the heroes in stories were always boys and the girls were just waiting to be rescued. So, this uses actual Maori mythology and introduces the modern life (well, 80's life) of a family who are trying to maintain their traditions and heritage in a world that's becoming increasingly commercialised and losing the connection between humans and nature. As such, it's partly about equality, partly about respecting the environment, and partly about the importance of cultural heritage. It doesn't feel particularly didactic though. It's short and very easy to read. Interestingly, each chapter begins with a short section following a whale pod on their journey, before returning to the human family. It's beautiful in it's simplicity and it did have me welling up on a couple of occasions. Definitely recommend. I'm now reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Leaves are definitely changing here. I bought a couple of munchkin pumpkins to make my house feel more autumnal too 😄.