Hayley

Thank you Chrissy and Noll Time for the first review of the thread! I thought I'd try using pictures this year and make everything nice and neat so hopefully it will work out ok... Irish Ghost Stories - Edited by David Stuart Davies Comment: A Good Mix - Suitably Spooky I was mostly drawn to this book by all the famous Victorian names on the front cover, particularly Bram Stoker because although I really liked 'Dracula', I've never read anything else by him. I wasn't disappointed by the Bram Stoker stories included in the collection, ('The Judge's House' and 'The Secret of Growing Old') in fact, I think they are probably the most scary (or creepy, at least) of the stories included. My two favourite stories though were probably 'What was it?' by Fitz James O'Brien and 'The Ghost at the Rath' by Rosa Mulholland and I don't think I've heard of either author before. Looking up the authors I didn't know was actually a really interesting part of reading this book (Mulholland, I found out, was encouraged by Charles Dickens to publish her work) and I do wish that more authors who are a little less well-known were included. There are ten in total and four I would say are well known (Sheridan le Fanu, Bram Stoker, W.B.Yeats and Oscar Wilde). More than half the book is taken up by Sheridan le Fanu, for example, which is understandable in a way because he's famous for his ghost stories but by the time I got to the last couple of his stories I did feel like I wanted to hurry on to something different. Overall though it gave a good mix of styles and it was particularly interesting to me because of the era so I enjoyed it and would recommend it I've started Russian Magic Tales: from Pushkin to Platonov now and so far it seems really good! I also had to add two new books to my 'Acquired 2017' list because I spotted The Devil in the Marshalsea in a charity shop and it's one of those books I've picked up a few times but never bought and then I went into The Works (not for myself, someone asked me if I could see if they had any diaries) and I saw The Impossible Zoo: An Encyclopedia of Fabulous Beasts and Mythical Monsters reduced from £14.99 to £3! I'm justifying buying more books with how good a deal that was so I don't feel guilty

Just wanted to pop in here to say I hope you have a great reading year Athena and I love the way you've laid out the beginning of your thread this year I'm also really interested in the answer to bobblybear's question. The Lover's Dictionary does sound like a very unusual book!

Ouch that is painful, I hope it's feeling a bit better now! Lots of books can never be a negative! Although 'extensive' would be a pretty accurate description of your TBR list too . As for books I've read and really enjoyed on your list... Atwood, Margaret: The Handmaid’s Tale Barrie, J. M.: Peter Pan Burton, Jessie: The Miniaturist (including this because it was really fun to read - I think I stayed up until about 4 in the morning finishing it - but I didn't actually love it in the end. There was something I didn't quite like - I'll be interested to see what you think ) Carrel, Lee Jennifer: The Shakespeare Secret (#1) Dickens, Charles: David Copperfield (my favourite Dickens book so far) Dickens, Charles: Oliver Twist Dickens, Charles: Little Dorrit Fforde, Jasper: The Eyre Affair (#1) Kostova, Elizabeth: The Historian (It's been a really long time since I read this, I actually did an essay on it for my a-levels but I remember loving it) McEwan, Ian: Atonement (when I put this down I was just amazed at how brilliantly and cleverly written it was!) Mosse, Kate: Labyrinth (#1) Pratchett, Terry: Wyrd Sisters (#6) Pratchett, Terry: Hogfather (#20) Swift, Jonathan: Gulliver’s Travels Tracy, J. P: Dead Run (#3) (I genuinely did not know this was part of a series until I saw your list! I picked it up randomly on holiday and couldn't put it down) And books I also really want to read: Anonymous: The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 1 Austen, Jane: Mansfield Park Bronte, Anne: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Clarke, Susanna: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Dickens, Charles: Bleak House Doyle, Conan Arthur: The Complete Sherlock Holmes Dumas, Alexandre: The Three Musketeers Eliot, George: Middlemarch Hardy, Thomas: Far from the Madding Crowd Hardy, Thomas: The Woodlanders Hardy, Thomas: Under the Greenwood Tree Hardy, Thomas: Jude the Obscure Hardy, Thomas: The Mayor of Casterbridge Hugo, Victor: Les Misérables Ishiguro, Kazuo: The Buried Giant Maurier, du Daphne: Jamaica Inn Perry, Sarah: The Essex Serpent Thackeray, M. William: Vanity Fair Verne, Jules: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea There are a few more on there that I've looked at in the past and thought of adding to my wishlist but this is getting long . So anyway I'll be looking for all the above books in your thread with interest this year! I hope you've enjoyed Wyrd Sisters. I thought the Shakespeare jokes were pretty good in that one

Hope you have a great reading year Noll and good luck with your challenge

Sorry to hear about your fall Ben, I hope you didn't hurt yourself too badly! Your TBR list for this year looks great. There are a few books I've really enjoyed and some that I really want to read too. I absolutely approve of including Terry Pratchett for when you need a break, his books always cheer me up. Knots and Crosses sounds good, I think I'll keep a look out for it! Hope you have a great reading year, it definitely seems as though it's off to a good start!

Hope you have a great reading year Chaliepud! The place you work sounds great! Personally I love seeing unique and local items in independent shops. I'm much more tempted to buy things that I know are helping small businesses that have put a lot of love into their products. A student discount sometimes sways my decision too . I've taken my niece to Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park a few times and she always instantly runs to the pocket money toy section they have in their gift shop (which I can't find a picture of!) so I definitely think that's a good idea. It sounds exciting anyway, I hope you have fun with it

You have quite a few books on your TBR that I want to read too so looking forward to seeing what you think of them! Hope you have a great reading year

Your cat is so cute, that was such a well timed picture! The Book Thief, Neverwhere and David Copperfield are three of my favourite books, I hope you'll like them! And hope you have a great reading year getting through your tbr pile! Although, I don't think a house of book tunnels sounds like a bad idea... that looks awful! So glad it was a happy ending!

Thanks everyone! I am really looking forward to the Jasper Fforde books, The Eyre Affair was so brilliantly crazy I need to see what he's going to write next I haven't had access to my laptop for the last few days (which is why it's taken me so long to reply!) because I ended up going on a spontaneous camping trip to Snowdonia. I did bring a book with me but I was so tired at the end of each day I just fell asleep without reading any so, although it was a lovely trip, I'm looking forward to getting back to my books now

Ok, first update of 2017 The reason I'm particularly excited about the books on my shelf (actually quite a few of them are stacked on the floor while I try to make room...) is this... (I have no idea why it's sideways... it was the right way up when I started ) These are my new books for 2017! My sister bought The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch for me and the others I ordered with some money I was given for Christmas. They're mostly sequels to books I've already read, apart from the two Neil Gaiman ones which are short story collections (which I've wanted to read for ages!) and The Big Over Easy which is the first book in Fforde's Nursery Crime series. I just had to try it after The Eyre Affair which was so crazy and fun, hopefully it will be as good So lots to be excited about starting this year's reading! I'm not far from finishing Irish Ghost Stories now and I'll still be reading the books borrowed from my friend before I start on the new stack but I'm really looking forward to getting started on it

I always feel excited starting a new book blog I have a good feeling about my reading this year, with some great looking books on my shelf to start me off (but more on that in the next post...) I've set a Goodreads goal of 50 books this year (again) because eventually I will actually reach it On My Shelf: Abercrombie, Joe. Best Served Cold Abercrombie, Joe. Half a King Abercrombie, Joe. Half the World Abercrombie, Joe. Red Country Adams, Douglas. The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy Adams, Douglas. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe Adams, Douglas. Life, The Universe and Everything Adams, Douglas. So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish Ballantyne, R.M. The Coral Island Banks, Iain. The Bridge Banks, Iain M. The Algebraist Banks, Iain M. Consider Phlebas Banks Iain M. Excession Banks Iain M. Feersum Endjinn Banks Iain M. Inversions Banks, Iain M. Look to Windward Banks Iain M. Matter Banks Iain M. The Player of Games Banks Iain M. Use of Weapons Beckett, Simon. Written in the Bone Breverton, Terry. Breverton's Phantasmagoria: A Compendium of Monsters, Myths and Legends British Myths and Legends vol. 1: Marvels and Magic. ed. Richard Barber British Myths and Legends vol. 2: Heroes and Saints. " British Myths and Legends vol 3. History and Romance. " Butcher, Jim. Summer Knight Byatt, A.S. The Children's Book Carrell, J.L. The Shakespeare Curse Christie, Agatha. Murder on the Orient Express Dickens, Charles. Bleak House Dickens, Charles. Nicholas Nickleby Dickens, Charles. The Old Curiosity Shop Dickens, Charles. The Pickwick Papers Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Sign of Four Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Return of Sherlock Holmes Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Valley of Fear Doyle, Arthur Conan. His Last Bow Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes Dumas, Alexandre. The Three Musketeers Eco, Umberto. The Name of the Rose Fasman, Jon. The Geographer's Library Faulks, Sebastian. Birdsong Galbraith, Robert. The Silkworm Gaylin, Alison. Into the Dark Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows Grossmith, George and Weedon. The Diary of a Nobody Hardie, Titania. The Rose Labyrinth Hardy, Thomas. Under the Greenwood Tree Harkness, Deborah. A Discovery of Witches Irish Ghost Stories ed. David Stuart Davies le Carre, John. A Most Wanted Man Marston, Edward. The Excursion Train Marston, Edward. The Frost Fair Marston, Edward. The Iron Horse Marston, Edward. Murder on the Brighton Express Marston, Edward. The Railway Detective Marston, Edward. The Railway Viaduct More, Thomas. Utopia Morton, Kate. The Distant Hours Mosse, Kate. Citadel Owen, Lauren. The Quick Peake, Mervyn. Titus Groan Peake, Mervyn. Gormenghast Peake, Mervyn. Titus Alone Paterson, James. Witch and Wizard The Penguin Book of English Short Stories Ed. Christopher Dolley Russian Magic Tales from Pushkin to Platonov ed. Robert Chandler Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men Tolkien, J.R.R. Tree and Leaf, Smith of Wooton Major, The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Verne, Jules. Five Weeks in a Balloon Verne, Jules. From the Earth to the Moon Verne, Jules. Round the Moon Verne, Jules. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Wells, H.G. The Time Machine Wells, H.G. The Island of Dr. Moreau Wells, H.G. The War of the Worlds Wells, H.G. The First Men in the Moon Wells, H.G. The Invisible Man Acquired 2017: Aaronovitch, Ben. The Furthest Station Aaronovitch, Ben. The Hanging Tree Atwood, Margaret. Alias Grace Birch, Carol. Jamrach's Menagerie Brontë, Anne. Agnes Grey Brontë, Anne. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Brontë, Charlotte. The Professor Brontë, Charlotte. Shirley Brontë, Charlotte. Villette Butcher, Jim. Blood Rites Butcher, Jim. Dead Beat Butcher, Jim. Death Masks Butcher, Jim. Proven Guilty Caine, Rachel, Ink and Bone Clarke, Susanna. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell De Muriel, Oscar. Mask of Shadows Fforde, Jasper. The Big Over Easy Fforde, Jasper. Lost in a Good Book Fforde, Jasper. The Well of Lost Plots Gaiman, Neil. Fragile Things Gaiman, Neil. Smoke and Mirrors Hardinge, Francis. The Lie Tree Hodgson, Antonia. The Devil in the Marshalsea Ishiguro, Kazuo, The Buried Giant Macrae Burnet, Graeme. His Bloody Project Miéville, China. Kraken Miéville, China. The Scar Perry, Anne. Bedford Square Pulley, Natasha. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street Pratchett, Terry. I Shall Wear Midnight Pullman, Phillip. Lyra's Oxford Ruickbie, Leo. The Impossible Zoo: An Encyclopedia of Fabulous Beasts and Mythical Monsters Taylor, Jodi. A Trail Through Time Taylor, Jodie. A Second Chance Taylor, Jodie. A Symphony of Echoes

Haha, thanks everyone yes, I have been very lucky and even though most of the friends I physically see don't read, I get to come and talk about books with all you lovely people, so I'd call that a win/win situation! The Railway Children by E. Nesbit - A Beautiful Message This was such a lovely book to read. At it's heart, and perhaps when read by a child, The Railway Children is about adventure, the kind that three children can have playing in the countryside and meeting new, very different, friends. That is basically what I was expecting and it's true that the story is made up of a series of adventures the three children have. But as an adult, there is so much more going on. Nesbit has quite delicately managed to include messages about freedom of speech and political exile, the importance of imagination and of storytelling and, most of all, the power of honesty and kindness. The narrative voice has that comforting tone of a parent reading you a story. It's also quite subtly funny at times and has a conspiratorial edge, as though you as the reader are being let in to a secret. The way it portrays the thoughts and emotions of the children is brilliant and just feels very honest. It was, overall, just a beautiful book to read I think I'm going to go with Irish Ghost Stories next. It has stories by ten different authors, some very famous, like Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde and others I've never heard of. I sort of wish I'd had this at Halloween when it would have felt more appropriate though

The Shakespeare Secret by J.L. Carrell - Well Researched Literary Thriller A friend recommended this book to me years ago, she absolutely loved it so I found a copy but then didn't get round to reading it until now . I think I was worried that it could just be wildly inaccurate for the sake of making the plot more exciting but it actually seems very well researched and the author includes a section at the end explaining the origin of the facts and stating where she altered them for the story (which actually isn't that much). The plot itself I really liked, it was definitely gripping and had a lot of unexpected twists and tense moments. The way various Shakespeare plays get twined into the plot was quite interesting and clever too. As far as negatives go there were a couple of moments where things started to get a bit clichéd and, particularly in the few sections which went back into the past, there were sometimes so many characters which had been only briefly mentioned and therefore didn't have anything very defining about them, it got a bit confusing. Enjoyable to read overall though. I've actually had a really interesting week when it comes to books! First a friend gave me a load of Iain M. Banks books, which had been given to them originally but they don't read. Then I went to a different friends house, got into a conversation about books (which turned out to be really awkward when I discovered I was the only person in the room who read for fun!) and my friend opened a cupboard which was literally full of boxes of books they had bought but never read! They told me to borrow whatever I wanted and started piling books into my arms (I have good friends ) so since I last posted here I now have: The Railway Children by E. Nesbit Irish Ghost Stories ed. David Stuart Davies Written in Bone by Simon Beckett Russian Magic Tales from Pushkin to Platonov ed. Robert Chandler A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and by Iain M. Banks: Matter Excession The Algebraist Feersum Endjinn Use of Weapons The Player of Games Inversions Consider Phlebas I've never read anything by Banks before so I'm really hoping I like him now! I also can't fit them all on my bookshelf so I'm going to have to try and sort out some books at some point! Since my shelve are probably going to change a lot between now and the end of the month I'm going to leave my list on this thread as it is and add these in to the new one I'll start for next year. Because the first lot of books are borrowed I feel like I need to read those first so I can return them as soon as possible. I've started with The Railway Children. I know I watched the film when I was younger and used to like it but I can barely remember anything about it now. It shouldn't take me too long to read, it's only a small book so I should be back soon

It's from a nursery rhyme: 'Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross, to see a fine lady upon a white horse; with rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, she shall have music wherever she goes.' When I was little my nan and grandad would sit me on their lap and bounce me on their knee (sort of like you're riding a horse) to the rhyme. Assuming that is the tradition and not just them, that's what I always thought the part in Dombey and Son meant

I think the problem was the first couple of stories really got my hopes up and then the last two especially felt like a bit of a let down. Some of the stories in it were good though, if you can get it cheaply I would still say it's worth giving it a try. It's really not scary though so definitely don't get it with that expectation! Yeah actually that is something I really liked about it, it made me more likely to just pick it up and read a couple of pages when I had 5 minutes because that would finish a whole section So, as for an actual review: The Resurrectionist byJames Bradley - Fast Paced but Lacking Two of the criticisms I read about this book before I started was that it was split into annoyingly short sections and that the main character was not likeable. So, first of all I'm going to say I liked the short sections and I completely understand why the author used them and I think it's pretty clear that the reader is not supposed to like the main character. Basically, the book follows the life of a young man apprenticed to a renowned surgeon, written in first person from the view of this young man. As things start to spiral further out of control you do have to read between the lines a little, since obviously the narration is biased and the main character doesn't necessarily see the whole picture. I liked that, I thought it was clever and interesting although sometimes pretty disturbing too, as it was supposed to be. I was literally all ready to give it a really good review and say I don't know why some people rated it so badly until I got to very, very near the end, where I became so confused I literally checked to see if my copy of the book was missing pages. I can't say much without spoilers but there is basically a section at the end of the book that is like reading a completely different book. In a way it was clever, but I don't think it worked and ultimately it made me feel as though we had abandoned the original story and let it fall flat. It also didn't feel very believable. It was a very interesting concept, I enjoyed it probably more than I expected to but I think the last part really let it down. After I finished The Resurrectionist I started reading Only We Know by Karen Perry and finished it in a couple of days because I had to know what happened at the end Only we Know by Karen Perry - A Really Good Mystery This isn't exactly an amazing life changing book and it doesn't do anything incredibly new but it was such a good mystery! It had really good pace, lots of unexpected twists and some good unique characters. It's the kind of mystery that unravels itself a piece at a time, using three different perspectives to gradually open everything up. I would hate to give anything away but if you want a good, gripping, easy-to-read, psychological mystery, this one is worth reading.

I love your cross stitch! Are you going to have it as a decoration? I hope that if you decide to go through with the interview (if if hasn't happened already?) it all goes well. My sister suffers from really severe anxiety, your last post reminds me of the way she can be when a stressful situation is approaching. If it was her I was talking to I would probably tell her don't put yourself through that, especially not to make other people happy, your health is far more important. You're clearly a kind and intelligent person though so if you do go for it, they'd be lucky to have you

Thanks Yeah it has a thing on the front saying 'Richard and Judy's Summer read.' It also has a quote on the front from Marcus Zusak recommending it and I really like his books so I definitely want to give it a chance. When I flicked through some of the reviews it seemed like it was the layout that bothered a lot of people (it's made up of very short sections) but I actually think it works.

I finished The Mistletoe Bride a while ago and then forgot to review it so here's a few quick thoughts... The Mistletoe Bride by Kate Mosse - Psychological Folklore The two words above basically sum up the content of the stories in this book. None of them are actually scary, though there are definitely some creepy moments and all are either based entirely on a story from folklore or are purely psychological exploration. In general, I enjoyed reading this, because I do like both folklore and things with a psychological edge. There were a couple of stories I didn't enjoy - one was the script of a short play - just because I felt like there wasn't anything very special about them. They were just quite boring and flat. Taking those out of the question, I'm glad I read the book, I definitely learnt some new folklore, but I wouldn't say anything in it was really amazing. I don't think anything else by Mosse is going to live up to The Labyrinth for me! I started reading The Resurrectionist by James Bradley and I'm about a quarter of the way through at the moment. It's a book I found in a charity shop, it had a Victorian setting and the blurb sounded interesting, but when I added it to my goodreads list I realised it has some really bad reviews, so I've sort of been putting it off. I will say it's not the most exciting book I've ever read so far but I'm still interested enough to keep reading so we'll see!

I like your challenge idea it is a shame that the e-books don't have page numbers though!

Yeah I think it would be a good one, I've only had time to read the first couple of stories so far but it seems really good, very psychological.

Yes, I didn't realise until you mentioned it but it does have a picture before each story! They all look suitably creepy I'm glad you think it will be good for Halloween! I would agree that Kate Riordan seems like a good writer, I'll definitely have a look at what else she's written I'll be really interested to see what you both think when you get round to it!

Aww, the bunny and robin look really cute, I think it's going to turn out well I didn't know you could cross stitch on completely blank fabric, that sounds like it would be a nightmare!

Thanks Athena, I definitely think they're worth trying Well that would explain it! Thank you! Glad the others must be worth reading, if you're up to book 12! I think I'll wait a while before looking for Side Jobs, since I don't want to read ahead and spoil anything! The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan - Enjoyable but Frustrating This is going to be one of those reviews that's difficult without spoilers, so it might be fairly short! The blurb of this book compares it to Kate Mosse, and the similarities are very obvious. The format of one chapter following a character in the past and the next a character later in history, for a start, and also the verging-on-the-supernatural edge. Personally, I really like that and both characters in this case were interesting and had developed, very different, personal stories. There are two key themes in the book. The first is sexism and the position of women (specifically in the late 1800's compared to the early 1930's) the second is mental illness, which is closely linked with the first. As the book progressed I found the haunting psychological aspect really intriguing and started to think I was really going to like this book. Unfortunately, for me anyway, I felt like it never developed the way it could have. It left me feeling that, although the story is all wrapped up at the end, it was anti-climactic. (putting this part in spoiler not because it actually tells you the end but because I think you might find the ending easy to guess from it - if you starting reading the book) So although I enjoyed reading the majority of the book, I just didn't feel it was quite as good as it could have been. I'm not really sure what I feel like reading now. I think I might go with The Mistletoe Bride and other Haunting Tales by Kate Mosse since it seems appropriately Halloween related

I wasn't sure what to think about this. For a minute when I first saw the headline I wondered if it was a different Bob Dylan they were talking about! Music and poetry are, of course, very closely related. There's no denying that the example Chrissy gave above could be read as a poem without any music but, at the same time, don't we have to draw the line somewhere between music and literature? With the vast amount of music awards available, should the Nobel prize for literature not go to someone who's devoted their lives to literature, rather than music? It's a tough one. I think it will trigger some interesting debates on the literary value of song lyrics though.

Thanks Athena I'd love to get a collection of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales in the same style as my Grimm one as well, I'll be keeping a look out! I have seen children's versions of some of the stories before, there were a couple of times while I was reading that I realised I'd read that story as a child, but a version with easier language and less violence! I finally have my crazy week over with! I went to bed early last night, thinking I'd just unwind by reading a few pages of my book and then getting a good nights sleep - then stayed up until nearly 2 in the morning because I had to find out what happened at the end . So, on that book: Grave Peril (Dresden Files book 3) by Jim Butcher - Completely gripping but slightly confusing! Firstly, this really felt different to the first two books. It seemed like other characters were playing a much bigger part, the danger felt more serious and it gave the impression of a main plot that will be carried on throughout the rest of the series (rather than being a single detective case) and those things were all good. On the other hand, it added so much so suddenly, I felt like I was missing something a lot of the time. I seriously wondered if I'd missed a book at one point, but I hadn't. A lot has happened between book 2 and this one that you just have to pick up as you go along. I thought that was a bit weird. And to get all the negatives out the way at once (and I know I've probably said the same thing about this series before) sometimes I just feel like it's being really unnecessarily sexual. When it's part of the plot, that's fine, but the majority of female characters get a detailed description of their breasts at some point and are frequently wearing something either extremely tight or barely there. But, putting that aside... clearly, since I stayed up until 2 in the morning reading it, it was a gripping read. I did think a couple of the things Harry was trying to work out were actually pretty obvious, but there's a lot happening so it's not too bad. There are quite a few very dramatic moments, the kind where you think 'how can they possibly get out of this?' Which is always fun, and it was really nice to see more of the supernatural world (the Nevernever) and learn more about how it works. I definitely feel like this book has set up a deeper story line for the future so I'm interested to see where it's going next! I'm going to save the next Dresden Files book for a while so I decided to give The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan a go. Someone gave me this book because they'd been given it and they don't read. It says on the blurb 'for fans of Kate Mosse' so fingers crossed, it will be good