Hayley

Is it possible that it’s the same book but you’re looking at a different edition? Maybe the original hardback had a different cover?

I just looked at it, it sounds really good! Not quite as ‘these are my sort of themes’ as The Devil and The Dark Water, but still a very intriguing concept!

I don’t think that’s cheating! And I’m glad you liked The Frozen Deep

I tried asking my sister, who reads a lot more romance than me, but she wasn’t sure either! I would say that being in Sainsbury’s doesn’t necessarily mean it was popular - so bestseller lists might not be the place to look. Supermarkets usually have big name/celebrity authors (so still always pretty popular, just maybe not bestseller popular!). I hope someone else can help more!

I’ve heard great things about Celeste Ng but never actually picked anything up by her. Maybe this would be a good place to start!

Finally, it’s time to do the final update of my 2023 reading so I can begin the exciting task of setting up my 2024 reading log Since The Whale Rider, I read… The Fascination by Essie Fox (4/5) I find Victorian entertainments, especially the fairground and ‘freak’ show, really interesting… fascinating, you might say… obviously part of that fascination stems from the fact that it was, in general, a pretty horrific practice. This book feels like that - fascinating in a this-is-so-horrible-I-can’t-look-away sort of way. I wasn’t really expecting just how horrible it was going to get! And yet there’s also an element of camaraderie and hope as the members of the ‘freak’ show come together to save one of their own. I’d definitely recommend this one but with the warning: be prepared for it to get dark. The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman (4/5) I felt like I needed something lighter after The Fascination, so decided to go for the first Sally Lockhart book. These are just really good. The characters are brilliant, the mystery is intriguing and it’s a pretty quick, gripping read. The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman (4/5) Then we got to this one… ok, it is still brilliant for all the same reasons as above but WOW is it sad. I did actually shed tears at one point . The Mad Women’s Ball by Victoria Mas (4.5/5) One of the other things I find interesting about the Victorian era is the approach to ‘insanity’. This book is set in the infamous Salpetriere Asylum in Paris, as hypnotism is being trialled on the ‘insane’ women at the institution. We get to see a a few women’s stories (which gave a great overview of the different reasons women could be ‘put away’ in those places, while still feeling like an immersive part of the story rather than an explanation) but we mainly follow one character who’s there because she claimed she could see and speak to the dead. This new patient makes one of the nurses question everything she believed about the asylum. I highly recommend this one, it was a brilliant book. Again, quite a dark one. It does deal with subjects like rape and self harm/ attempted suicide. The ending wasn’t exactly what I expected and it turned out to be quite a thought-provoking book.

I love that picture. The dog also looks just like my dog!

Oooh, The Frozen Deep by Wilkie Collins and Dickens? I got The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights, so I’ll definitely be reading that collection as part of this challenge!

Yay! As France said, get all of the rest you can now and look after yourself

We miss you too! I hope you will be totally better and home very soon!

Ok, as we don’t have a decisive outcome, I’m going to throw my hat in with the theme of Winter, which should give everyone a fairly big selection to choose from! What’s everyone planning to read? I’m not sure what I’ll choose yet!

I like this one too! (also very happy that people still want to do the group read this year… I was starting to get worried 😂) If anyone else has suggestions for themes could they put them in here by Sunday and then we’ll decide?

A (slightly belated) Happy New Year everyone! May it be filled with wonderful things for all of you ❤️

It’s great to have you back Angury! I love your idea to keep a writing log alongside your reading log. Looking forward to following your progress this year 😄

What kind of books do you usually enjoy? I really like The Lord of the Rings collection, read by Rob Inglis

This plus plenty of gothic tropes sounds good to me - adding to wish list 😄

I really enjoyed the book club group reads in 2023, so I’m really hoping that some of you will join me for more in 2024! Just as we did last year, if you have any suggestions for the first group read theme of the year (lasting for the first three months of 2024), please post them here! My own suggestion is: Folklore and Mythology This could include non fiction books on the subjects, modern retellings, poetry etc.

Hi William, welcome to the forum! I asked my sister about this (she’s a much bigger romance reader than I am) and she immediately said Maurice by E.M Forster!

Hi Emmanuel, welcome to the forum! What kind of books do you like? Are you looking for fiction?

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I’ve never noticed that either! That’s just not right 😂

I’m still reading In A Glass Darkly but I couldn’t sleep a couple of nights ago, so wanted read something light and grabbed ‘The Diary of A Nobody’ by George and Weedon Grossmith. It’s nothing like anything I’ve read before. Some of the ‘entries’ are literally about things like getting the house painted, or booking a holiday, but it’s strangely compelling!

I agree with Brian regarding translations. I’d definitely read the originals if I could! I hope you’ll share your reading journey with us too, I’d love to hear about it 😄.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard that one before! It’s lovely and very relaxing.

I hope that went well Virginia, and that you’re calmly looking forward to Christmas now! I like all the classics too. I think if I had to pick one favourite at the moment, it would be God Bless Us Everyone by Andrea Bocelli, which is from the soundtrack for A Christmas Carol (the one with Jim Carey as Scrooge). Not only does he have an amazing voice, the soundtrack music was by the incredible Alan Silvestri AND it’s a Dickens reference. That’s also probably my favourite Christmas movie 😄