Hayley

I couldn’t sleep so I finished Loch of the Dead. It was so good but it hasn’t really helped me to feel sleepy! I didn’t make any plans for what I wanted to read this read-a-thon, other than Loch of the Dead, so I’m not sure what to go for next.

Happy reading! I have noticed the tagging issue but I’m not sure what’s stopping it from loading, I can only assume it’s a coding issue, and I’m still waiting to get a price and date from the web developer. Hopefully it’s not too annoying in the mean time but it is on the list to be fixed!

Wow, that's a tongue twister! I'm reading Loch of the Dead by Oscar de Muriel. It's brilliant so far but I haven't had as much reading time as I'd have liked this week. Hoping to finish it over the read-a-thon weekend

My 14 year old niece also finds serial killers (or anything scary, really) fascinating. I can't think of a non-fiction book off the top of my head but I'll ask her if she knows of any when she gets back from school .

Yes, do it . We've extended the read-a-thon to a Monday before, starting a day earlier isn't really different to that!

Hi Molly, welcome to the forum!

Multiple answers are allowed if you can’t choose just one

Extra reading is never a bad thing though. I agree with moving it to the 11th-13th

Recursion sounds very interesting! I find the concept of false memory fascinating but also very disconcerting! It’s a shame there were so many two-stars in that last lot of books. I would have found disliking the first Viking book particularly disappointing as it’s so hard to find a whole series in a charity shop! Fingers crossed that the next one is better though.

Going on a Summer Holiday (Sort Of...) The summer giveaway for Patreon supporters is finally here and this time we're doing something a little bit different. I want supporters to tell me where you would go on holiday, if you could go anywhere. The winner will receive a bookish prize based on their answer! Please post your ideal destinations below Terms and conditions are as usual. Patreon supporters will be automatically entered into the giveaway and selected at random. As we're a little late this year the draw will be held on the second weekend of September. If you aren't currently a supporter but want to be involved in the giveaway you can sign up to support us here: https://www.patreon.com/bookclubforum

That's absolutely fine too. I love starting a new reading log at the beginning of every year . If it makes you feel better about your reading goal, mine was 50 too and I've only read 16 so far!

That does make sense now that I think about it. It's weird though...

I always remember a teacher I had once saying 'we were never meant to read Shakespeare's plays, we were meant to watch them'... which is a good point really. I would vote for Macbeth next, to see how it compares to your memory of it from school!

Hi Paul, welcome to the forum. I'm very sorry for the loss of your friend and I'm glad you found some comfort in books! Can I just check, is this group read for any short story, not just those from Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine?

Hi Noll! It's good to 'see' you again! I would say 37 so far is a lot. I am only on my 17th book! It did take me about a month to read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but it was worth it.

I definitely read it differently... I think I actually need to re-read the last two! I thought... Yes I definitely felt like I was missing a lot of context from not reading the first book. I wish there had been something to suggest it was part of a series! I just felt like Anna was so unnecessarily unkind to Shilly, it's put me off getting the first one to be honest, even though I know it might all make more sense then. By the end I was kind of hoping... There was a point where I wondered whether Anna's bad teeth were a sign of her bad childhood, rather than her age, but there are a couple of times when Shilly actually says she sometimes forgets how much older Anna is than her. I did like the other-worldly feel, that's really what attracted me to the book in the first place. I also thought the way the magpies connected various elements of the story was clever.

Kirk's reply: It is extremely tough to imagine a time different to our own. The Victorian world, on the surface, doesn't look too dissimilar to today but the separation of class is all to clear, this divide makes it easier to distinguish the difference between a good life and a poor one. My research into the life of a maid made it clear that it was difficult, and many were trapped in this employment as the alternative was to live on the streets, and being a women meant you could only find work in a few select places. Throughout The Girl That Wasn't There, I tried to give Lucy the feeling of being trapped by her location, by her job and by holding her tongue to those above her station. This way of life gives a writer a lot of freedom to test a character and to see how much they can handle before they can break, which ultimately was what happened to a lot of women that left the employment of a maid. In The Girl That Wasn't There I've simply added the ghost element to push Lucy beyond all other pressures. So fingers crossed the pressure of Victorian life comes across.

Oh! But... Maybe I do need to re-read False Value!

The moderators are Athena, Nollaig (who I think is the lady from Ireland you're thinking of), Kylie and Janet. Obviously, as admin, I can moderate too. So can Michelle, actually, as you'll see if you go to her profile she still has admin status. You are right that Nollaig, Kylie and Janet haven't been here for a long time. There were a few members who never came back after Michelle announced that the forum would be closing. I try not to take it personally... but seriously, it is understandable. There were months where everyone was finding alternatives to the forum, not believing it would be around for long (me included!). And I know there were people who believed that the forum was on the verge of dying out anyway. Although I know that a lot of time has passed now and those moderators probably aren't ever coming back, it just never seemed like the right time to take that moderator status away from them. Maybe though, now that you've bought it up, now is the time. As far as active moderators go, Athena is absolutely brilliant and between us (and with the help of all your reports!) we have never come close to being overwhelmed by any issues. On the other hand, if anybody would like to volunteer to be a moderator it would be nice to have one or two more. The more of us there are, the better chance we have of picking up issues as they appear. Obviously I'd only be able to approve long term members who I trust, because moderators do have more power to change things on here, but the technical aspects are quite easy to pick up when you're familiar with the forum anyway. If anybody is thinking about it just send me a message .

Ah, I had forgotten about that! You did say it in your review, I remember reading it now that you've said it. I was glad it wasn't just me being picky! I think using the names of computing pioneers would actually have made far more sense, given the context. Reviewing this later did change my rating. I always just leave a star rating on Goodreads to add the book to my 'read' list and I gave it five stars at the time. You have a point about re-reading. I really don't know if I'd feel like it was five stars again if I did re-read. If I look back at the first book and the last though I definitely feel differently about them. As you say, False Value felt a bit like an in-between, as though it was just laying the groundwork for the next book(s). It looks a lot more impressive when you save them all up for six months I agree with Raven that you could skip Moon over Soho and go straight to Whispers Underground. I really liked the third one and I don't think you'd miss anything that would make it confusing.

Thank you! It felt a bit weird not stacking them with the biggest book at the bottom but I wanted them to be in reading order! To continue the list: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - 4/5 This book has sentimental value to me because my great aunt gave it to me when I was little. It has a local newspaper name on the inner fold of the dust jacket, so I think she probably saved coupons from the newspaper to get it. Sadly she passed away a few years ago after suffering from dementia, but I have lovely memories of her. One of the things I loved about going to her house was playing in the garden. She had a long garden with a stream at the bottom, which was where (the adults told us) the fairies lived. So this book doubly reminded me of her, as the little animals navigated their boat around the streams and the big river. I expected it to be a very simple and potentially not very entertaining book as an adult, but I was very pleasantly surprised! The loveliest thing was the language and Grahame's descriptions of the natural world and changing seasons. It is really beautifully written and I can see now why it's considered a classic. So, thanks auntie Peggy Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - 5/5 I would put this book alongside my all time favourites. It was brilliant. It's also huge (I think around 800 pages), which put me off for a while because I knew it would take me a long time to finish it and I thought that it would probably require a lot of concentration (which this year has not been great for!). I needn't have worried though. I often put this book down for a few days, even a week at a time, when I wasn't in much of a reading mood, and it was very easy to dip back into. There is always something happening in this book. Every chapter is exciting. Yet it's also so easy to read and to follow, because you're absolutely immersed in the world every time you pick it up. There's just nothing wrong with this book. It's incredibly well written, the plot is intricate but easy to follow, the characters are great, the whole concept feels original yet familiar (probably due to the fairy tale / folklore references and the very believably constructed nineteenth-century world). I would fully recommend it and I can't wait to read more from this author. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - 5/5 If anybody ever doubts the importance of books to a society they should be made to read this book. It's quite hard to talk about the specific things I liked without spoilers but I thought it was very powerful and emotional, as well as being a very gripping story. The dystopian world Bradbury created has disturbing similarities to our own and I was particularly impressed by Bradbury's portrayal of human nature, both its good and bad sides. This is the kind of book that stays with you. The edition I had was an anniversary one (my sister bought it for me for my birthday) and I do think it's worth getting because it contains some interesting notes from Bradbury about what he would change about the book and how he imagined the background of one of the characters. Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski - 4/5 This is the first book in a series of thrillers based on the (very clever, I thought) idea of a podcast looking into an unsolved murder. Six different people who had some involvement with the victim are interviewed (these are the 'six stories' of the title) and the reader gradually builds up a picture of what really happened as well as seeing where the stories don't quite add up. It was just a really good book with a clever plot. I had to force myself to put it down and go to sleep, otherwise I would have read the whole thing in a day. I've just ordered the second book in the series so I'm hoping it will be just as good! Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë - 4/5 I was expecting this to be a relaxing read but the families Agnes ends up being a governess for in this novel stressed me out! They're awful! And I think that response is proof of how well this book is written. The characters, particularly the children, really represent all the worst bits of human nature and I think they'll stay in my memory for a long time! This is also definitely, for anyone interested in the nineteenth century, an interesting insight into the experience of a young woman starting work as a governess. The House Without Windows by Barbara Newhall Follett - 4/5 This is such a beautiful book. I will admit I was originally attracted by the cover. The illustrations by Jackie Morris throughout the book are beautiful too and just perfect for the story, which is all about nature and the desire to be part of it. The story itself was written by Barbara Newhall Follett when she was about twelve, and ended up oddly mirroring her life of exploration and her subsequent disappearance. I would like to think that, in the end, she found the freedom she wanted. The story is incredibly well written for anybody, it's easy to forget, while reading, that it was written by a child. The descriptions of the natural world are really beautiful. There was a niggling issue for me, which was that, at times, I found myself not really liking the main character, Eepersip. In her quest for absolute freedom she sometimes comes across as very selfish and fickle. I'm not really sure whether this was intentional, a sort of down-side to freedom, or not. Eepersip is undoubtedly represented as an ideal character, compared to fairies and nymphs, she is absolutely free and all of nature loves her. But, for example, at the beginning of the book we're told that Eepersip's parents build the most beautiful garden for her, to give her everything she needs to be happy. She is happy with the garden for a while, but then she gets bored and just runs away. When her parents start trying to look for her they instantly become the antagonists of the story, nastily trying to trap Eepersip and take her away. She doesn't seem to care about them at all. There are other moments in the story where Eepersip essentially uses a person/animal for her own pleasure but quickly abandons them when they don't suit what she wants any more (and she changes her mind about the things she desperately needs to see/do a LOT). So, as beautiful as the story and Eepersip's love of nature was, there was that troubling element that I couldn't shake off. I think maybe it's best to read the story as a kind of fairy tale and to try not to think of the real-world practicalities of the things that happen. If you do that then it is an excellently written quest for freedom that takes the reader through a sort-of panorama of the natural world. The Magpie Tree by Katherine Stansfield - 3/5 This was... interesting. There's a missing boy and talk of witchcraft, which instantly sounded good to me. We follow two female detectives as they try to solve the mystery and claim the offered reward. The first thing that put me off a little bit with this story was the fact that, although nothing anywhere says that it is part of a series, there is a book before this one. The Magpie Tree refers to people, places and things that happened in this previous book a lot, which made me feel like I was missing something. In the end I looked up the author on goodreads and found that there is a book called Falling Creatures which explains these missing bits of plot and also how these two detectives met. Now, the relationship between these two women was another thing that bothered me and I don't know whether I would have felt differently if I'd read the first book. It's made clear, at the beginning of the book, that these women have had some kind of sexual relationship in the past (I assume in the previous book) although they aren't a couple. The one character, Shilly, is represented as quite a vulnerable person. The woman she loved has died (it's not clear how at first, I had to read about the previous book to make this clear), she struggles with serious alcohol addiction and she's often very childlike. From a comment she makes about another character's age she is supposed to be about nineteen. The age of the other woman, Anna, is never revealed, but it's specifically mentioned that she's older than Shilly. Old enough to have false teeth and creaky knees. It's obvious that Anna likes Shilly and wants to help her to stop drinking, but at the same time she's often unkind and controlling. As part of her detective work (and because she likes doing so) Anna dresses as different people and takes on their personas. One of these characters is a man who she uses to be particularly cruel to Shilly, accusing her of being drunk when she isn't. Moments where Shilly is really grateful for the slightest kindness or affirmation from Anna felt quite sad. This dynamic just made me feel uncomfortable and detracted from the story rather than adding to it. I would much rather have just had Shilly as the detective. I was interested in the outcome of the mystery and there were moments of good tension. I liked the supernatural element but thought more could have been made of it. It was a decent mystery but if I'm honest there are better examples in the same genre (like Things in Jars). And I am up to date! At last! Now to try to keep it that way...

Your review of Moby Dick summarises how I felt about it perfectly. Great start and I'm happy I read it overall but those whole chapters about whaling... I started to dread them. It's great that you've mainly enjoyed every book you've read recently though. 66 books is already a considerable achievement in my opinion! I've only read 16!

Well a lot of things happened since I updated this! I think it's about time I got back it. I decided to go for a bit of a different format, so this update doesn't take too long! Since Soot I have read fourteen books: In reading order (from the bottom of the pile): Sourcery by Terry Pratchett - 5/5 You know I love Terry Pratchett, it was never going to be less than 5 The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar - 3.5/5 This had a very interesting plot, set in the late eighteenth century and based partly on the true story of a merchant ship being exchanged for a mermaid. If you've seen this book on goodreads you might have noticed that it's categorised as 'magical realism' and I disagree with that. There is, maybe, one moment in the book that could be described as magical realism and even that seems more metaphorical than intentionally 'magical'. The mermaid theme runs through the book but it is more about a courtesan (Angelica Neal). There are elements of Angelica's story which are genuinely interesting and there is quite a clever development in how the reader feels about Angelica throughout the book. On the other hand, there were quite large sections of the book where I was just thinking 'where is this going?'. It's definitely not one to pick up if you're looking for a fast pace! I very nearly gave up on the book about half way through, because it seemed as though it was turning into a predictable romance, but I'm glad I stuck with it because I was surprised by the ending. I think the author has a lot to say about sex workers, the nature of desire, the concept of beauty and women's freedom. Unfortunately (and there is a good chance this is just because I wasn't really in the mood for this sort of book) I only really appreciated those things after I'd finished reading and looked back at the various elements of the plot. While I was actually reading the book I felt more like I was constantly waiting for something to happen until about the last quarter. False Value by Ben Aaronovitch - 4.5/5 This series is brilliant and it always feels exciting to meet new characters, find out what's happening with the old ones and discover more about the potential of magic with Peter Grant. I knocked half a start off this for a couple of really small reasons. One contains a spoiler for anybody who hasn't read the previous book, Lies Sleeping, so just in case: The one other very slight thing, which I've heard a few people mention, was all the references to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. There are always 'geeky' references in the Peter Grant books and usually they're quite funny, like sharing an 'in-joke' with the author. There were so many references in False Value though that if you aren't familiar with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy you would be very confused. I have spoken to someone who read the book and didn't understand the references and it just made it seem to them that there was some kind of weird clue that wasn't ever being explained. I understood the references (only because I've seen the film!) but by the end I had started to think they felt a bit silly and (I'm aware this might sound a bit hypocritical when I'm reading a book about wizards in London) made things feel less realistic. I think the latter issue is probably because they act as a constant reminder of the author's presence, which isn't what you want when the narrative is first person, from Peter's perspective. BUT, it's still another great book. All of the good things are still there. I really enjoyed reading it and the ending, as always, left me wondering what's going to happen in the next book. I think I've just talked about all the things I like in this series so much already it's easier to identify the things I didn't like as much . Roots of Corruption by Laura Laakso - 4.5/5 This is the third book in the 'Wilde Investigations' series and they keep getting better. There's a host of really well developed, memorable characters. There's always something new to discover about how magic works and what's possible (a bit like with the Peter Grant books actually!) and I can never guess how the mystery is going to end. This one cleverly explains something that's hinted about in the first book and, in doing so, opens up a whole other aspect of the world to explore. Something I'm sure we'll be doing in the next book. It also made me cry at one point and I don't think I can entirely blame the somewhat stressful state of the world at the time of reading... Things in Jars by Jess Kidd - 5/5 This book had so many of my favourite things; detectives, folklore, my favourite decade (the 1860s). Unlike The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, this one actually could be categorised as magical realism. The main character and detective, Bridie, is a brilliant and very likeable character. The setting and sense of being in the Victorian era is very nicely done. The world feels real and not cliched. There a two separate supernatural elements. One is in the form of a ghost, which I won't say too much about for fear of spoilers, but I loved him just as much as Bridie. The other is a central part of the mystery and where the folklore comes in. This whole element of the story was great. I love reading about the folklore of different places generally and the way it was portrayed for this story was both compelling and believable. Again without giving too much away, part of the supernatural element of this story involves the ability to make people remember things they have tried to forget. This ended up being surprisingly emotional and added a side to the story that I wasn't expecting but loved. It was also just brilliantly written. So 5/5 for this one . Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - 5/5 (This book is actually half the size of the book in the picture, that edition contains 'A Murder is Announced' too). I think I read this at just the right moment. I'd had a bit of a reading slump. I didn't know what I felt like. The world was being particularly mad, as it has been this year, and I just wanted something that would hold my attention but also be quite relaxing. This was just perfect. The narrative voice, practical and assured, is very relaxing and easy to read. The mystery itself is, I suppose, what people call a 'cosy mystery'. Yes there's been a murder, but there's no really gruesome elements and no sense of fear or even real urgency. It's just interesting to find out how Poirot will solve the puzzle. And it was a really excellent puzzle! One day I would love to go on the Orient Express! Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett - 5/5 I'm sure I've reviewed this here before so I'll just repeat, I really love Terry Pratchett. To be continued...

Oooh that's exciting! If you'd rather move the September read-a-thon forward a week to the 11th-13th September, so you have a better chance to participate, that would be fine with me!

Oops I forgot to update on Sunday! I think the heat is melting my brain. After I finished The House Without Windows I read about half of The Magpie Tree on Sunday. I’m really happy with how much I read and it was really nice to focus on reading for a couple of days. I’m glad everyone else enjoyed it too