Hayley

What a great book haul! I wish my local library was as good as yours! On the rare occasions mine has books for sale there's probably about 30 books and they're mostly unpopular ones with bad reviews! I really want to read something by China Mieville, I've heard good things about him so I'll be interested to see what you think!

I hate it when you order a book and get a different cover from the picture. Unless the cover you get is prettier... then it's fine I'm going to start reading Fly By Night now actually, I'm really looking forward to it! But first a quick review of... The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie - Gruesome, gripping and full of personality The main thing I really liked about The First Law trilogy was the detail of characters. You're not just following one 'good guy' hero, you see all sides of the story, from the various views of very unique and detailed characters. This, if possible, was done even better in this book. Although the book is pretty long the whole thing is actually only set over about three days of war, but so much happens in those three days and you end up caring about the fate of so many characters you just can't stop reading. One difference between this and the original trilogy is that this is definitely the more gruesome book. It's used to good purpose, we're supposed to be seeing the horrific reality of war, but it did actually make me feel slightly sick at times. I would point out to anyone thinking of reading this that, although it is advertised as a standalone book set within the First Law world, it would be very hard to follow what was going on if you hadn't read the original trilogy first. It does directly follow events from those books, with mostly the same characters. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and I'm definitely going to be looking out for the others set in the First Law world! and now on to Fly By Night

I don't think it's free here either, sadly! I'm definitely adding it to my wishlist still though

It does seem like a ploy to get votes from people's curiosity, but if it's genuine then surely the less secret files the government keeps from the public the better, even if they don't prove anything at all.

Your new books look great! It is odd that the The Long Utopia is such a different size! I really want to read something by Philip K. Dick. I'm glad you enjoyed the last book of his you read, even though it didn't quite match the first two

I did used to skim read texts I didn't like in my first couple of years at uni. Like when I couldn't deal with reading another chapter about the technical aspects of whaling (Moby Dick) or when we started modernist poetry and I decided I'd had enough after the line 'sugar is not a vegetable' (Tender Buttons). But that was for the sake of my sanity so I think it should be allowed

(I got this idea from a twitter post I saw earlier and thought it would be fun to do here!) You have been transported into the book you are currently reading - where are you? Personally I'm in the middle of a battle in the Valley of Osrung (The Heroes - Joe Abercrombie) - it's pretty gruesome So, where are you?

​The Philosopher's Apprentice ​by James Morrow might be a good one. It's definitely very different and thought provoking. It has strong psychological themes as well as philosophical. I really liked it ​

I'm just over a quarter of the way through The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie and hoping to get a lot more reading done this month!

Thanks for the cookie . I would never have picked up Radiant based on the synopsis but your review makes it sound brilliant so I'm now adding it to my list!

Oooooh, the hardback is pretty! The 'banned' cover is really difficult to get hold of isn't it? I don't think my edition is anything unusual, it's the first one that comes up on the bookdepository ( http://www.bookdepository.com/Fly-by-Night/9780330418263). Although that picture does make it look a bit like the border is yellow, it is actually gold.

If it's not a word, it should be Linley Sambourne's house looks really interesting! I haven't been to the back to backs, which I know is terrible because I live really close to them, but it's just one of those things I never got round to doing! Have you been to the black country museum? I think it goes up to about the 1940's but a lot of it is Victorian. I haven't been for years but I used to love it. Since you're interested in everything about Victorians, I can recommend another book I got last year - Victorian Entertainment by Alan Delgado. It's actually a really fun, easy read and some of the pictures are great (there's a mixture of illustrations and early photographs). Capturing Jack the Ripper sounds good. To be honest I would have assumed from the title that it did try to make sensational claims about the identity of the murderer and for that reason probably wouldn't have picked it up. I can't believe Scotland Yard disconnected their phone because people kept calling them

Thanks, I thought it was your review I'd read but I wasn't sure Mine doesn't have 'banned' on the front but it still has a pretty twisty pattern around the edges in gold, with keys and locks and feathers twined into it, which I love! Thank you I have a load of work to get done this week so not nearly enough reading time but hopefully I'll be able to get round to them soon! Good, I hope you enjoy them! Yes!

Well Victoriana is a subject I'm always happy to talk about Are there any (Victorian) topics you're particularly interested in? Have you seen 'Victorian Things', 'Victorian Cities' and 'Victorian People' by Asa Briggs? I've only read the first one so far but that's really good. It's literally packed with information which does make it quite dense, I probably wouldn't recommend just reading it in one sitting, but a great reference book. You can also get the three in a really, really pretty folio set for £20. I've actually just realised (by going to check if you already had Briggs on there) that you have a section in your 'to read' list specifically for books set in the Victorian period so I'm going to go and steal some of those ideas now

I didn't realise how many forum members did love it so much! I'm still reading The Heroes but I've just come back for a small reading update. I was tidying some books away today and realised I had missed a book from my 'Owned Books to Read' list - The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - because it's little and was on a different shelf (only some books will fit on the little shelf - I don't actually organise my books by size!) So I've edited the list and added it in. Second book related confession, I may have bought 2 books even though I've only crossed 2 off the list of books already on my shelf... I now have Breverton's Phantasmagoria: A Compendium of Monsters, Myths and Legends by Terry Breverton and Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge In my defence, Fly By Night was only £1 and it was for Marie Curie. It's also pretty and I remembered reading a really good review of it on here. And Breverton's Phantasmagoria was on sale, is a pretty little hardback book and I was ordering a book for someone else at the same time, so I saved on postage! I always liked mythical creatures and I also just like the word phantasmagoria I'm going to be reading Breverton's Phantasmagoria alongside my other books since it's in small sections, like a dictionary, rather than one long text. I think I need a purse that shouts at me when I try to buy more books... or maybe a howler from Harry Potter that screams "YOU MUST NOT BUY MORE BOOKS" when I enter a bookshop. Probably still wouldn't work

I nearly bought The Yard last week, I'm glad I didn't now! I don't think I would have noticed the specific inaccuracies in the police department because I don't know enough about it but the dialogue mistakes would have bothered me. I know this is a bit late as well but if you're interested in Victorian paintings there's a good book called Victorian Fairy Painting edited by Jane Martineau. It has seven essays which are all really interesting and then a catalogue of some of the most notable paintings at the back with little explanatory notes next to them. The essays look at the subject of fairies in Victorian literature, music and theatre too, as well as in book illustration. It's quite a large hardback (although not that thick) and very pretty, I got mine really cheaply on ebay, it shouldn't be hard to get hold of, I'd definitely recommend it.

Thank you yes it was! I think it's definitely worth reading for anyone who is really interested in books, particularly Jane Eyre, just because it's so fun. It's not so off the wall that it will leave you scratching your head and wondering what just happened, it's actually very light-hearted. Yay! I do hope this Secret Club is represented by the symbol of a dodo I changed my mind about my next book as well, I've started reading The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie instead

I've been debating whether to read Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children for a while, it does seem to be one of those books that some people think is amazing and others hate. Based on your review though I think I should give it a try!

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde - Brilliantly Fun Literary Madness This book is insane and I love it There are so many crazy features I loved but I don't want to ruin the experience for new readers so I won't go into detail. It's as though Fforde has absolutely no regard for rules and just threw ideas straight from his imagination onto the page and that makes it feel very unique. It is very much a book for the bookish, often making you feel as though you're sharing a sort of 'in joke' with the author which is a lot of fun. The overall plot, which gives us a more familiar detective versus 'bad guy' theme is also very well done, both gripping and unpredictable. I really liked the main character too so I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in the series! I'm not really sure what to read next. I had a chaotic week last week which means I have a lot of work to catch up on now, so I'm thinking something easy to read. I had planned to read Neverwhere but I think I'd rather save that for when I can relax and enjoy it more. I might read The Shakespeare Secret, since it's meant to be one of those 'can't put down' books, someone at university recommended it to me about 2 years ago and I still haven't got round to reading it

Thank you chaliepud and Kylie, I successfully got her in the box today and I even think she's forgiven me for it! Frankie I'm really sorry to hear that but you aren't allergic to all dogs are you? My sister is allergic to some animals (I think it's short haired animals) and that affects her breathing, I know that's horrible for her, she loves animals too.

I thought that was an unusual term to use when I read it! but anyway I read a lot of different genres too, though mostly fiction. Do you have any favourite books or authors?

Great reviews I like the sound of Ancestor, I've never heard of Sigler but I'll definitely have a look now

I hope Mario feels better soon too, poor thing! I actually wondered if anyone could give me some cat-related advice. I've never had a cat but this week I've been helping my friend with their cat, who had a bad tooth (she couldn't close her mouth properly on Sunday and was sitting with her tongue out all day!) It's been a really hectic week getting vet checks, trying to get the money together for treatment and then she had to go and get put under anaesthetic to have the tooth removed (she's 12, so I think everyone was a bit worried she wouldn't deal well with it) but she's had it done now, she's home with antibiotics and seems back to her normal self! But now there's another problem. She has to go back for two check ups and she has become terrified of going in the travel box since the tooth removal. I've had to put her in it twice this week, once to find the problem, once for the operation (my friend was so upset she didn't even want to be in the house when I took her to the vet either time- she's really close to the cat and was convinced she would end up being put down - which is how I ended up saying I would sort everything out). I was meant to take her again this morning but when I came in the room with the travel box she looked petrified and ran before I was anywhere near her. In the end I called the vet and asked if it was really necessary to have another trip so close to the treatment, as she was so distressed. They said I could bring her on Monday afternoon instead. I'm actually dreading having to get her in the box again on Monday. The last time I draped a towel over her and scooped her up inside the towel before placing her into the box (because the first time she put her legs either side of the box so I couldn't get her in!) but I don't know if that will work again, not if she keeps running away from me now (the thought that she is now scared of me also makes me feel terrible!) If anyone has any tips at all I'd be really grateful. I've tried leaving the box in the room with her to see if she'll get used to it but she just acted very anxious and wouldn't stay still at all while it was there.

I know, and my boyfriend said pretty much the same thing when I ranted to him about too but I'm still sad! I just want Lionhead to make single player Fable games with beautiful artwork and demon doors and chicken-kicking forever. I would also really like to see more encouragement for the UK games industry too, which makes losing that studio sad as well. I know we have Rare making a great comeback recently and that's brilliant, but the closure of Lionhead is still a big loss to employment in the industry here. On a more positive note I've just discovered there's a new Deponia game! I thought 'Goodbye Deponia' was going to be the last one, but now we have Deponia Doomsday (which I had no idea was coming out!) so I'm happy about that

Yeah, of course, I'm always happy to talk about books, on any thread