Abcinthia

I've only got a chapter left of A Visit From The Goon Squad. Probably finish it this afternoon.

21. State Of Fear - Michael Crichton State of Fear is a 2004 techno-thriller novel by Michael Crichton concerning eco-terrorists who attempt mass murder to support their views. The book was difficult to get into. I found it slow going and a bit boring for the first 100-150 pages. But once the setting and main characters were established it was enjoyable. The premise of the book was different to anything I've ever read before and it was full of refrences to current and past Science research into global warming which made it seem plausable and added to the excitement (especially towards the end). 3/5

The Stand is one of my favourite books. I am halfway through A Visit From The Goon Squad, 2/3rds of the way through Cleopatra and nearly at the end of State of Fear. Not done much reading today though. Feeling a bit unwell

Hello and welcome! I think everyone has a warn status under their name but you can only see your warn status.

I'm nearly half-way through Cleopatra by Lucy Hughes-Hallett. It's been a really good read so far.

Went to the library and got out: Cleopatra - Lucy Hughes-Hallett Anglo-Saxon England - Sir Frank Stenton A Visit From The Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan The Darkest Room - Johan Theorin

Oh I agree. I read A Child Called It for psychology. I was pregnant at the time and it upset me so much. I hated reading it. I also read Today I'm Alice (again for Psychology). The abuse was written in loads of detail (and sometimes a single incident was repeated several times in varying detail) and it was such an horrific read. I'm never ever going to pick up another book like that again. I just can't bear to read them and can't really understand why people would want to read loads of books like that.

Hello and welcome! And good luck with your hopes of studying medicine. One of my friends is in his second year and is loving it. A lot of hard work but well worth it.

I really enjoyed To Kill A Mockingbird and Lord Of The Flies. A Clockwork Orange is one of my favourite books. I also read it after learning about aversion therapy in Psychology. I also read One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest after studying about institutions in Psychology.

My boyfriend has taken my favourite penguin bookmark. I know use a piece of purple wool and an advert postcard for Chertsey Muesum

University Challenge

I'm about half way through State of Fear. I'm going to the library tomorrow so I'll get some more books to read.

High Windows - Philip Larkin I really enjoy Philip Larkin and this collection features one of my favourite poems of all time (This Be The Verse). It's beautifully written and a joy to read despite the depressive nature of nearly all the poems. I haven't read High Windows since college when I read The Whitsun Weddings (which overall I prefer slightly to High Windows) and High Windows whilst trying to decide which collection to use for my coursework. In the end I chose Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes instead. It was great to read it again. 4.5/5

Ooo I can't wait to this! I really enjoy Weir's books.

Freshly baked cheese scones. Oh it is yummy!!

I've been averaging 3-4 books a week lately.

I've just started High Windows by Phillip Larkin. I haven't read a poetry collection in nearly 2 years, so I figured it was about time to get back into it. I'll have to find the poetry section in the library

Fairytale: A True Story I haven't watched it since I was about 9. My DD absolutely loved it. I think we'll be looking for fairies on our next walk

19. The Gunslinger - Stephen King In the first book of this brilliant series, Stephen King introduces readers to one of his most enigmatic heroes, Roland of Gilead, The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which frighteningly mirrors our own, Roland pursues The Man in Black, encounters an alluring woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the Kid from Earth called Jake. Both grippingly realistic and eerily dreamlike, The Gunslinger leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next chapter. I really enjoyed The Gunslinger. I wasn't too sure what to expect from The Dark Tower series so it has put me off reading it. I finally saw The Gunslinger in a charity shop so bought. I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the plot and the characters (especially Jake) and was hooked right from the beginning. I can't wait to read the other books. My mum has the other books so I've asked her if I can borrow them so I can finish the series The only downside is I thought the writing style was a bit difficult... Choppy in places despite it being a revised edition. I read King's introduction where he says a lot of people have commented on that and that he himself tells people to bear with it because the second book is better. Well if the second book is better, I look forward to reading it. 4.5/5

I agree about Rose Madder. I really enjoy reading it and I can't really understand why some people dislike it so much.

I've just started The Gunslinger by Stephen King. I've never read any of The Dark Tower books before so I'm looking forward to it.

Courtiers: The Secret History Of The Georgian Court - Lucy Worsley (synopsis) Kensington Palace is now most famous as the former home of Diana, Princess of Wales, but the palace's glory days came between 1714 and 1760, during the reigns of George I and II . In the eighteenth century, this palace was a world of skulduggery, intrigue, politicking, etiquette, wigs, and beauty spots, where fans whistled open like switchblades and unusual people were kept as curiosities. Lucy Worsley's The Courtiers charts the trajectory of the fantastically quarrelsome Hanovers and the last great gasp of British court life. Structured around the paintings of courtiers and servants that line the walls of the King's Staircase of Kensington Palace paintings you can see at the palace today. The Courtiers goes behind closed doors to meet a pushy young painter, a maid of honor with a secret marriage, a vice chamberlain with many vices, a bedchamber woman with a violent husband, two aging royal mistresses, and many more. The result is an indelible portrait of court life leading up to the famous reign of George III , and a feast for both Anglophiles and lovers of history and royalty. Courtiers was a wonderful non-fiction book about Courtiers in the early Georgian Courts (George I & II). Sixteen of the courtiers shown in William Kent's Grand Staircase painting at Kensington Palace, are brought back to life in vivid detail. It's almost like they are still alive and their plotting, cattiness and insults are as stinging then as they are now. Worsley's writing style is easy to read and overall, the book reads more like fiction than non-fiction. 5/5

Hello and welcome!

I was the same. I had a TV in my room from about the age of 9 or 10 but I had to turn it off at 8pm on the dot. I could then read, write or draw till as late as I liked. I'm not much of a writter or a drawer (though I used to love drawing pictures of Tudors!) so reading was what I did. As I could read until as late as I wanted, I kept pushing it to try and read until later and later - most of the time I just ended up falling asleep cuddling a book. I'm the same now (though I did go through a phrase during my mid-teens when I just didn't want to read and then just after my daughter was born, I just felt too tired to read). After my daughter goes to bed at 7:30, most nights I turn the TV off and just read until I go to bed

To Kill A Mockingbird is great. I read it at school and expected it to be really uninteresting and boring but it was fantastic.