Hayley

I'm a couple of days late posting this, I've been having a pretty hectic week. I finished The Watcher in the Shadows a couple of days ago. It was really good but I won't review it here since it's not part of the challenge. I looked back through my bookshelf and decided to try Cell by Stephen King as my next challenge book. I don't know why but I find scary books much more frightening than scary films. I think I find it harder to get into films, so I end up thinking practical things like 'I wonder how they got that effect', or quite a lot of the time 'why on earth would the character do that!?' But I suppose when you read a scary scene in a book it becomes as frightening as your imagination can make it. The Watcher in the Shadows was pretty freaky, so I thought I would be well prepared to start some Stephen King (although the cover suggests this is a thriller, rather than horror, I can confirm there are some pretty horrific images just in the first couple of chapters!) Blurb for Cell... The event which propels civilization into its second dark age is known as The Pulse. The virus is carried by every cellular phone operating in the world. Within hours, those receiving calls will be infected. Clayton Riddell, a young artist, knows he has to reach his son before the young boy switches on his phone. And time is running out... I'm not that far into the book yet but so far it's good. It's quite like a 'zombie apocalypse' theme. I think what makes Stephen King so good is that he writes genuinely believable worlds, which stay believable even when crazy things start happening. This one is a fairly thick book so it might take me a while to finish, but I'll update before then anyway

I don't really watch Eurovision, but I turned the semi-finals (I think) on the other day and saw a woman pull her ponytail off mid song. I don't know if it was supposed to represent something but it was so random it did make me laugh

Just had a quick search and the series seems to be 'coupling', the episode Alison King featured in was called 'the man with two legs' http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupling_(UK_TV_series)

That's so sad. That it's possible for a child to feel there's no way out but suicide is heartbreaking. I don't know what else to say Virginia except I hope you and your daughter are ok, and know that everyone here is thinking of you and wishing you well.

well that was rude! (I love the Black Country Museum, I think that should be included, it's basically a whole Victorian village, it's brilliant!) I live in Birmingham, which (like the Black Country... since it's next to it) has a really industrial past. We apparently have more canals than Venice, which was pretty useful for transporting goods at the time. Quite a few famous people came from Birmingham actually. The ones that come to mind are Black Sabbath and UB40 (and I think Led Zepplin, but possibly not the whole band) and Julie Walters. There is actually a 'Walk of Stars', I'll link the wikipedia page for it in case anyone's interested in seeing the others... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Walk_of_Stars We have the Cadbury factory too, which is great but I was slightly disappointed to discover they don't actually use waterfalls to mix chocolate. J.R.R Tolkien lived here, and you can see lots of the places he was inspired by in his writing. For example Sarehole Mill seems to be the direct inspiration for the Old Mill in Hobbiton, and Mosely Bog (which is next to it), Fangorn Forest. They have Tolkien Festival there once a year which is really good. I know W.H. Auden lived here too, but I don't know as much about that

Thanks Athena, I really did enjoy it more, Paper Towns was amazing! I actually don't think I have any negatives for it. It is so well written I don't know where to start complementing it. It's a brilliant portrayal of friendship, emotion and how we view the world and people around us. But it's also incredibly gripping and fast paced, as well as funny in just the right amount. The characters were just excellent. There were times when it's pretty easy to figure out some of the 'mysteries' before the main character, but it just does't matter, because you feel the truly important thing is his discovery, and what it will lead him to do next. It was just a beautifully written book, and I would absolutely recommend it to anybody. I have a little confession to make about my next read... my sister bought me two books I really wanted for my Birthday last week ('Possession' by A.S. Byatt and 'The Watcher in the Shadows' by Carlos Ruiz Zafón) and I actually can't wait so I'm going to read The Watcher in the Shadows quickly before moving on to my next challenge book I'm not sure which challenge book to go for next, I was thinking maybe Look to Windward but I'm not sure. Any suggestions for the sci-fi/fantasy category?

I found this shop on etsy, there are some absolutely amazing things made from recycled books https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MalenaValcarcel?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav

I found The Dubliners a bit disappointing when I read it too. It's a really interesting book to study though, you can find loads of interesting interpretations on the stories. I think because it's little snippets of different lives without any complete story, when you get to the end of the book without having read a story it feels quite strange! I hope you enjoy Anna Karenina more, I've never read anything by Tolstoy so I'll be interested to see what you think

You can buy books by the foot!? That's really strange but I now really want a foot of Victorian books

I finished Cat's Cradle last night. Anybody I have on Goodreads may have noticed already I gave it two stars, or 'it was ok'. I found it quite difficult to rate really. I think with books that have been categorised as 'classics' you always have a slight sense that there must be something amazing about it, maybe it's just you missing it. But if I'd picked the book up not knowing anything about it, I think two stars is what I'd have given to it. I'll get negatives out of the way first. It really wasn't my kind of book. The whole thing is basically ironic satire, with a general message that humans are stupid, everything is pointless and then you die. At times it's almost fairly funny, these are the best parts, but there aren't enough of these to say the book is really humorous. A technical negative was I found that although the main character was often relatable, there were other times, particularly towards the end of the book, where I just felt that was lost and I didn't really understand what he was thinking any more. My final negative is that I felt there were multiple occasions where the author was poking fun at religion. I don't think it's ever ok to mock what other people believe and I didn't think it was funny, it just made me feel uncomfortable. But there were positives. The characters were interesting, often very over-the-top but it fitted with the book. I liked the layout of the book, it's incredibly short sections made it easy to read. The concept of the weapon was interesting, so was the exploration of the use (or misuse) of science. And you can definitely say it's unique. It's one from the bestsellers list now and I've decided to go for Paper Towns by John Green based on Chaliepud's recommendation Blurb... 'Who is the real Margo? Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificent, adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she opens his bedroom window late one night and summons him to join her on an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to find that Margo has not. Always an enigma, she now becomes a mystery and Q soon learns that there are clues to be followed in his search for Margo'

I'm planning to go classics, bestselling, sci-fi/fantasy. Until I run out of classics. But To Kill A Mockingbird can certainly be promoted to my next 'classics' read if it comes that strongly recommended I'm hoping to finish Cats Cradle soon. It's a really short book and I probably would have finished it by now but I've had quite a hectic week (which included my memory stick breaking, although hopefully I'll be getting the files back from it this week). It is quite a strange book, but nowhere near as strange as Endgame, so I was quite pleasantly surprised there. I at least don't have to read a chapter 3 times to make sure I know what's actually going on! But I'll be able to say more once I've finished, so back to reading...

Charles Dickens –vs-- Neil Gaiman Vladimir Nabokov –vs-- Terry Pratchett George Eliot –vs-- Edgar Allan Poe Paulo Coelho –vs-- JRR Tolkien E M Forster –vs-- Jane Austen Edward Rutherford –vs-- Oscar Wilde Leo Tolstoy –vs-- Gabriel Garcia Márquez Fyodor Dostoyevsky –vs-- Donna Leon Stephen King –vs-- George Orwell Peter F Hamilton –vs-- Franz Kafka

Great thread This might be a bit of an obvious one, but the British Library have an online shop with some interesting bookish things http://shop.bl.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/BritishLibrary/_87295/1/New-in I love the Alice in Wonderland one! What an interesting idea! I really wish I could afford some of those sets, they're beautiful!

I'm a bit late but I just remembered the name of that book, it was The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry. I had in my head that it was the scarlet something and it was throwing me off . Oh well maybe it can be an option if you re-visit Ireland later

I wish I would dream about books or being in a library, they were good dreams! I have quite a lot of weird dreams. My mom used to say it's because I read too much . I also have those dreams about being chased sometimes. I had one a couple of weeks ago where I was chased by giant, climbed an enormous set of drawers to hide in the top one and then realised it wouldn't open far enough for me to fit in when I got there. As I said... weird dreams

You'll love them, they missed so many good bits out of the film! I also didn't get the anti-religious theme. I was quite surprised when I heard people talking about it to be honest. There's a part, I think it's in the third book, where it describes all the particles of someone who has died going back into the earth to make rain and flowers. I thought that was beautiful, and not at all anti-religious. And isn't the daemon basically like a soul? Maybe I need to read them again, but I really don't see the anti-religion.

Thanks Athena I did like Storm Front, I finished it last night. There were a couple of negatives... firstly I worked out who the killer was pretty much at the beginning, and I thought it did seem a bit unlikely that the main character took so long to figure out that link. It also always annoys me slightly when fantasy (or sci-fi) books continuously bring up over-the-top sexual themes. I think I've had that rant before so I won't start again, but I just don't think that's what the fantasy genre should be about. But there was actually a purpose behind most of the sexual themes in the book, it at least fitted in with the story, so it didn't put me off too much in this case. And it was a good mystery. Even though I'd already worked out the killer, there were still some good twists and the last half of the book really had that 'just one more chapter...' appeal to it. It wasn't anything mind-blowing, but it didn't try to be either, it was just a fun-to-read murder mystery with a fantasy twist, and it did it's job I think I'm going to go back round to classics now and read Cat's Cradle. Here's the blurb... 'Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to humanity. For he is the inventor of ice-nine, a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. Writer Jonah's search for its whereabouts leads him to Hoenikker's three eccentric children, to an island republic in the Caribbean where the religion of Bokononism is practised, to love and to insanity. Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction is a funny and frightening satire on the end of the world and the madness of mankind' This is only a short book, and I'm hoping it won't be too heavy-going. I had a look at the introduction and it compared the book to Samuel Beckett's play 'Endgame', which I didn't get at all and to be honest didn't like. So hopefully they aren't that similar

As soon as I saw Spain I was going to recommend The Shadow of the Wind, I loved that book, but you'd already thought of it Although it was a few years ago I read it, I remember liking Cecilia Ahern's The Book of Tomorrow, that was set in Ireland. There was another really good book I read set in Ireland but I really can't remember the name of it now. If it comes to me I'll let you know!

I was worried about this happening, and I was a little disappointed with the amount of classics books I'd already read, but I did still get some nice new editions. I do think they're worth it, I mean there's so many books in each category, it's extremely unlikely you'll have read every book in the bundle, and the bundle itself is only the price of one paperback, which is pretty good! I finished The Light Between Oceans last night and was slightly traumatised they mean it when they say it will break your heart, the whole theme is just so sad! I think though with this one I did feel a little more that it wasn't 'my kind of book'. There was a point in the middle when I felt like some of the chapters were unnecessary and it was dragging on a bit. But I don't think this was really a flaw in the book, I think it's just because I don't particularly like the sort of book where a lot of attention is given to the everyday emotional side of things, rather than advancing the plot, I find it a bit frustrating. I think it's why I don't tend to like romance books (although it's only fair to point out that I wouldn't actually call this book a romance, even though it is very relationship focused). But for something that's 'not really my thing', I did enjoy reading it generally, particularly towards the final few chapters, I loved the tense mystery side of things, and I'm definitely glad I read it. I didn't like it as much as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, but that was quite a lot to live up to I picked my next book earlier, I wanted to go for something from the sci-fi / fantasy bundle next so I've read one from each, I'm going to try Storm Front by Jim Butcher. Here's the blurb.... 'Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Harry is the best at what he does - and not just because he's the only one who does it. SO whenever the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal capabilities, they look to him for answers. But business isn't just slow, it stinks. So when the police bring him in to consul on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get... interesting.' When I first read 'Wizard P.I.' I thought, oh dear this might be really cheesy. But then I suppose the vampires, witches, werewolves, trolls etc. of Discworld sound cheesy on the surface, but I love those books. So I'm hoping it will just be unique and interesting!

I love the Shadow of the Wind, and I'd absolutely recommend the next two books, The Angels Game and The Prisoner of Heaven. These do get a bit 'heavier' than the first book, The Angels Game in particular is quite dark. The Philosopher's Apprentice by James Morrow is a really interesting one for exploring human behaviour. It gets a little weird at times, but it really makes you think. (The main character in this a 27 year old guy by the way, I just checked ) I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak is also really good, although it's not at all a heavy going book to read it's a brilliant mystery and a really good exploration of human relationships (more so in the way we treat strangers than romantic relationships). The main character is nineteen, but that's only a year out Good luck finding your next book anyway

I'm really debating whether to get an e-reader at the moment. I find it really difficult to read long sections of text from my laptop screen, but so many things seem to be only available digitally now, I usually end up printing loads of stuff out if I need to read it. But the paperwhite is a lot of money, especially considering I know I'll always want paper books if I can get them. I considered the kindle fire because I could do work from that too, it would feel like it was more worth the money... but I read it has exactly the same kind of backlit screen as a laptop, so I probably won't be able to read from that either. And I definitely can't afford both. Can somebody please just tell me there's an e-reader with paperwhite style screen and a notepad (or better yet Microsoft word) function that I have overlooked?

I have noticed a few times that amazon's new books can be cheaper than their second hand ones, very strange!

If I thought there was a chance of getting chocolate I could be persuaded to stay longer anywhere

Moby Dick. I was really disappointed because I expected to like it, but after just a couple of chapters I started to get bored. And I just couldn't understand the point behind having whole chapters of facts about whaling (a subject I found disturbing enough to start with!).

Great idea! It will be really interesting to see who ends up in the last 6! I see Terry Pratchett has already been nominated so I'd like to vote for: Charles Dickens