Hayley

Thats good to know because I imagined it would be fairly fast paced! Glad you enjoyed Sawkill Girls, I don’t usually go for creepy reads either but I read a few last year and loved them all! I randomly really felt like reading Terry Pratchett yesterday, so instead of The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock I read 111 pages of Sourcery (and it was SO good, I forgot how much I love that book!) I’m pretty happy with my progress this read-a-thon

Yay I’m so happy this one’s going! I’ve been dying to talk about this book with someone!

We already have threads to post amazon/kindle offers, so I thought it might be nice to have an indie bookshop version. Their books are obviously not going to be as cheap as amazon, but I think they're more likely to have interesting bundles, signed editions etc. This was partly inspired by something I really wanted to share. Bert's Books (which I've ordered from a couple of times now and it's brilliant, if you haven't heard of it) are doing a crowdfunder to open a physical bookshop and some of their rewards for donating are amazing. Some of them are really expensive but they're things like going for a walk with Patrick Gale, getting to name a character in a book (a few authors are doing that one) or getting a handwritten Bronte Mysteries short story by Bella Ellis. There are quite a lot of signed books (and bundles of signed books) but they are still between about £40-£60. But even if you just donate £5, you get 15% off from Bert's Books for the next six months! I've gone for the discount and I really hope they make enough money to open the physical shop (even though it will be too far away for me to visit, the world needs more bookshops!) The crowdfunding page is here if anyone wants to have a look https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/bertsbooks . (I've just realised, when I went to get that link, that they only have 1 day left, so not long to get the rewards!) Another interesting thing I discovered at Christmas, which I can now share here, is that the Big Green Bookshop has signed copies of 'Get Good' by Tyler Blevins. If any of you are into Fortnite streams, he's better known as Ninja. It's one of only two places in the world you can get a signed copy of this book (the other is in New York). My nephew is a huge fan, so I got him the book for Christmas. I don't think any of you are particularly interested in Fornite, but I'm sure you know others who are, so here's the link if you're interested http://www.biggreenbookshop.com/signed-copies/signed-get-good-by-tyler-blevins-aka-ninja-/prod_1009.html .

First of all, a quick note of apology for how quiet this thread has been. I had no idea just how busy the end of 2019 (and the beginning of 2020) was going to get. But, to make up for it, I have three books ready to be adopted... [Adopted!] The Book Collector by Alice Thompson. This book has only been previously owned by me, so is obviously in excellent condition because I take care of my books . If you saw my review of this last year you'll know that I finished it in one sitting and felt genuinely stunned afterwards. I fully recommend it. Blurb to help you decide: In Edwardian England, Violet has a fairy tale existence: loving husband, beautiful baby son and luxurious home. She wants for nothing. But soon after the birth of her baby the idyll begins to disintegrate. Violet becomes obsessed with a book of fairy tales her husband has locked away in a safe. Paranoid hallucinations begin to haunt her and she starts to question her sanity. Meanwhile, vulnerable young women are starting to disappear from the nearby asylum. Soon Violet herself is interned in the asylum for treatment only to discover, on coming out, that her husband has hired a nanny while she has been away, the beautiful, enigmatic Clara. The brutality of the asylum is nothing compared to the horrors that now lie in wait. Award-winning novelist Alice Thompson turns her attention to the fairy tale in this uncanny gothic nightmare of murder and betrayal within the confines of a seemingly perfect family. Help the Witch by Tom Cox. Can I start by apologising for the quality of this picture! 'Tom Cox' is done in a shiny pale gold and I must have got a shadow across it as I took the photo. But anyway, this book has, again, only been owned by me and is in perfect condition. I haven't reviewed this one yet (I only finished it in January) but it would be good for anyone interested in modern takes on folktales and quirky fiction about the landscape of Britain. The blurb: As night draws through the country lanes, and darkness sweeps across hills and hedgerows, shadows appear where figures are not; things do not remain in their places; a new home is punctured by abandoned objects; a watering hole conceals depths greater than its swimmers can fathom. Riddled with talismans and portents, saturated by shadows beneath trees and whispers behind doors, these ten stories broaden the scope of folk tales as we know them. Inspired by our native landscapes and traversing boundaries of the past and future, this collection is Tom Cox's first foray into fiction. Funny, strange and poignant, it elicits the unexpected and unseen to raise our hackles and set imaginations whirring. This is a fun one, What Would Alice Do? subtitled 'Advice for the Modern Woman' with a foreword by Lauren Laverne. This little square hardback is actually new, but I ended up with two of them, so one needs adopting! Inside there are a number of illustrations and quotes from Alice in Wonderland, which are very funny alongside snippets of advice for modern life (like 'never criticise the person doing the catering' or 'if all else fails, leave'). If you like Alice in Wonderland this is a great book to flick through and cheer yourself up.

It is so windy here today and I know it’s worse further north, stay safe if you have to travel today!

Is it because you have so much choice now or is nothing grabbing your attention at the moment? Either way I hope you find one to settle on! What are you reading at the moment?

What do you think of The Seven (1/2) Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle so far @Athena? I finished Soot on Friday and (after spending ages trying to decide what to read next) started The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock last night.

I really want to read The Five, I've only heard great things about it! Folk vaguely reminded me of Angela Carter too, I think maybe the main difference being that Angela Carter (I'm thinking specifically The Bloody Chamber) is inspired by fairy tales, while Zoe Gilbert really focuses on the folk tale (and I think she captured the essence of the folk tale really well!) Where the Poppies Blow sounds really interesting (although also very sad), I've never heard of it before.

Happy reading both! I’m not at home today but I’ve optimistically bought both my book (Soot by Andrew Martin) and my kindle, in case I can finish it. Looking forward to treating myself to a LOT of reading time this weekend!

I definitely think other people suffer with that. As Madeline says, I think there have been studies to prove it recently. I remember reading once (I can’t remember where, unfortunately), that while the news used to be something you’d see or hear at a particular time of the day, on tv or on the radio, we’re now constantly plugged into it. Add to that the fact that the overwhelming majority of what we see is negative (in part because dramatic and scary article titles are the ones that get the most clicks) and it’s unsurprising that it causes anxiety. I hope your resolution will help your sleeping and anxiety!

Thank you @Athena, those are perfect!

I’ve only seen the trailer but I did think it looked good. I wanted to wait until I heard reviews of it before I decided whether to watch though. So far, so good!

I’m hoping you’ll all be able to help me with this. My friend is a year five teacher (so the children are all about 10) and he’s trying to find some good books to encourage them to read (the school seems to basically just have Michael Morpurgo). The only thing I could think of off the top of my head for that age is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. So I’m hoping you’ll be able to help me put together more of a selection! Preferably looking for more recently published books, rather than classics, and it’s fine if it features sad or difficult themes.

It’s literal translation is ‘seize the day’, isn’t it? I always thought it just meant we should make the most of every day, but it does also make sense to interpret it as ‘focus on the present’. As you say though, that is a bit more problematic. I have come across people who have that mentality (that you should do whatever makes you happy in the moment and deal with the consequences when they come) and I find it really frustrating!

I started reading Soot by Andrew Martin yesterday. I wanted something fairly fast paced and to start on a book that I was less likely to want to keep (because I really need to make space on my shelves), so I thought this mystery would be a good fit. It’s not quite as fast paced as I hoped so far but I have a feeling it will pick up. I hope you managed to read some more today @Athena

I like that one! I was actually just about to start a thread asking for middle grade recommendations, so I’ll add small spaces to the list! (Although it does actually sound quite scary!)

Thank you! I have The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle on my kindle, I hope you enjoy it

I know it’s not January any more but last night I finally finished Help the Witch so I just wanted to add that in here .

Welcome to the forum Filip Has your friend already read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie? It's not exactly a hidden gem, but it is notoriously difficult to work out who the killer is.

I love the Winternight trilogy! I've never heard of Small Spaces though, I'll have to look it up. What is the difference between a cat and a comma?

I have much higher hopes for my reading progress in the February read-a-thon! I've barely read anything at all in January because I've been finishing a huge piece of work, but it's done as of today so I'm looking forward to really getting back to reading! Do you already know which book you're reading @Athena?

Only because all the others are so good though, I still enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities

Thank you! Actually, you're right! I don't have too many books, I have a perfectly respectable number of books but too little shelf space! I am particularly looking forward to The Essex Serpent. Sarah Perry's Melmoth was one of my favourite books last year and if it's even half as good as that I know I'll love it! Of Mice and Men is one I've had for a really long time. I'm always slightly put off picking it up because I know it's going to be really sad. I've only heard great things about The Name of the Rose and am fully expecting to love it. This year will have to be the one I read Ann Bronte in, as it's her 200th birthday year!

I have that Earthsea collection too, I’ve just got the last one left to read but I’ve loved the first three. They really have something special about them don’t they? Looking forward to reading your review!

Well I was going to read the Ian M. Banks books in order anyway (although I know you don’t need to) so Player of Games will be next! And now I’m much more excited about it! I haven’t read War of the Worlds (actually none of the books on my list are re-reads) but it’s one of those books I’ve wanted to read for ages and just never got round to (luckily I missed the tv series!). The same goes for all the H.G Wells books. Those were a present from my sister, so my huge list isn’t all my fault...