Alexi

Know a few of us were waiting for Death Descends on Saturn Villa to come down in price - I've just bought it for £1.99

Ooh I didn't realise you were going on a plane J! Sure it will be worth it, Majorca is beautiful. Hope it all goes really well! When are you off? I feel exactly the same about recommendations, but then I also feel guilty when I don't enjoy something someone else has recommended so I can't win

Needed some light reading while I'm on a lot of work trips this month so picked up The Life and Death of Charlie St Cloud which was a little saccharine for my tastes. Now racing through A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor, which is the second in the St Mary's series.

So glad you enjoyed The Rosie Project Janet! And Ghosting has gone on my wishlist - sounds very much my cup of tea.

I've always wondered about that quote - 300 for a 16-year-old who reads as avidly as Rory does always seemed a bit low assuming she was counting all those she had ever read?!

My exact reaction Sorry about your flat woes Frankie Sounds like you're doing really well in Espoo generally though which is awesome

Definitely the hallmark of a good book, that I'm battling through the last 50 pages of Tinker, Tailor... I know it's one you're supposed to love but man it's been a struggle.

Sounds like a great day Janet - with some book presents as a bonus! I've never read Victoria Hislop either although I think my Mum likes her as well.

Super Casino by Pete Earley Synopsis: In this lively and probing book, award-winning author Pete Earley traces the extraordinary evolution of Las Vegas -- from the gaudy Mecca of the Rat Pack era to one of the country's top family vacation spots. He revisits the city's checkered history of moguls, mobsters, and entertainers, reveals the real stories of well-known power brokers like Steve Wynn and legends like Howard Hughes and Bugsy Siegel, and offers a fascinating portrait of the life, death, and fantastic rebirth of the Las Vegas Strip. Earley also documents the gripping tale of the entrepreneurs behind the rise and fall and rise again of one of the largest gaming corporations in the nation, Circus Circus -- to which he was given unique access. In his trademark you-are-there style, he takes us behind the scenes to meet the blackjack dealers and hookers, the heavy hitters and bit players, the security officers, cabbies, and showgirls who are caught up in the mercurial pace that pulses at the heart of this astounding city. (From Amazon) Thoughts: Brian sent me this book ages and ages ago, but it never made it off the shelf. However, I now decided the time was right to crack it open ahead of my US trip, which includes Las Vegas, in September. I'm in love with the USA and would emigrate to New York tomorrow if they would employ me (grrr), and I find the country's history fascinating, including the way the different cities and areas grew up. This book is perfect for both history and Las Vegas excitement. Earley takes us on a ride through the city's history from conception to 2000 via Hollywood, the mob, 'grind joints' and leading right up to the birth of the super casinos, the impressive and gaudy structures which now adorn the strip. He's a great storyteller and it never feels too detailed or boring - although the subject matter, entertainment, gambling, the mob and a little of Elvis certainly helps here! The second part focuses on the Luxor, after the author was granted extensive access of the casino and its staff as they tried to rebuild, redesign and attracted more high rollers towards the end of the 90s. Throughout he introduces us to an extensive cast of characters, ranging from the dealers there for 20 years, the newcomers, the hookers, the showgirls, the bartenders - we hear their stories of what it is really like to live and work in one of the world's busiest vacation spots. Brilliantly done and I can't wait to go now! 4/5 (I really liked it) Phew - up to date with reviews!

Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor Synopsis: Behind the seemingly innocuous façade of St Mary's, a different kind of historical research is taking place. They don't do 'time-travel' - they 'investigate major historical events in contemporary time'. Maintaining the appearance of harmless eccentrics is not always within their power - especially given their propensity for causing loud explosions when things get too quiet. Meet the disaster-magnets of St Mary's Institute of Historical Research as they ricochet around History. Their aim is to observe and document - to try and find the answers to many of History's unanswered questions...and not to die in the process. But one wrong move and History will fight back - to the death. And, as they soon discover - it's not just History they're fighting. Follow the catastrophe curve from eleventh-century London to World War I, and from the Cretaceous Period to the destruction of the Great Library at Alexandria. For wherever Historians go, chaos is sure to follow in their wake ... (From Amazon) Thoughts: I can't remember who recommended this, but whoever it was, thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through history through the eyes of Maxwell, recruited for St Mary's early in the book as a historian - someone who travels through time to observe and record what she sees to make history more authentic. Time travel, history, the odd dollop of romance - it's all in this book that kept me up late to find out what happened next. It's certainly an easy read, but the plot and characters really do keep this one racing along. The humour is undeniably British - the amount of cups of tea if nothing else would tell you that - and Max is a heroine you can root for from the first page, intelligent, witty and with a good line in comebacks. Things take a darker turn midway through the book when we get an insight into the 'evil' that Max and her colleagues are fighting, and we do lose some characters along the way to death and destruction - it's not all light hearted. My only reservations were the jumps in time (haw haw) - in the actual time line of the book, rather than the travelling. For example, we learn Max has been at St Mary's for several years when actually it feels like it should be months from what we've witnessed - the jumps in timeline aren't signposted. My other reservation is a major spoiler - please do not read if you intend to read this book at any point! Hard to explain why I liked this book so much, so I'll just tell you I've immediately gone out and bought the second and third in the series and leave it there. 4.5/5 (I loved it)

The King's Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi Synopsis: Lionel Logue was a self-taught and almost unknown Australian speech therapist. Yet it was this outgoing, amiable man who almost single-handedly turned the nervous, tongue-tied Duke of York into one of Britain's greatest kings after his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 over his love for Mrs Simpson. The King's Speech is the previously untold story of the remarkable relationship between Logue and the haunted future King George VI, written with Logue's grandson and drawing exclusively from his grandfather Lionel's diaries and archive. This is an astonishing insight into the House of Windsor at the time of its greatest crisis. Never before has there been such a portrait of the British monarchy seen through the eyes of an Australian commoner who was proud to serve, and save, his King. (From Amazon) Thoughts: I read this about a month ago so excuse the brief review. This book was written around the same time as the film was made, rather than the film being based directly off the book per se. Written by Logue's grandson in collaboration with a journalist, it draws extensively on Logue's personal diaries and tells the story of both Logue and King George VI from birth to death, rather than simply the period they knew each other. I enjoyed reading this but it lacked a certain something - what one Amazon reviewer has described as 'punch'. I'm inclined to agree. Sometimes it got a bit bogged down in detail and at other times it felt like skimming - presumably depending on how detailed the diaries were for that period! I must look out the film soon. 3/5 (I liked it)

The Waterloo readings sound really interesting and particularly timely! May have to look out the library's offerings on that subject.

I've finished Super Casino - really behind in reviews but definitely a 4 star read. Now starting Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which I thought might take me a while but it's very readable and I'm flying through so far.

Welcome! Good to see someone from the north west - unless you mean the New Hampshire version

Not booked yet.... Waiting for some good deals to come up but I'm attending a wedding in the MGM Grand so want something nearish to there I think. Maybe the Aria - some good prices there it seems. Where did you stay? Would you recommend?

I'm halfway through Super Casino by Pete Earley. Very enjoyable but making me wish my Vegas trip was closer than September

I think it'a really interesting that you, Kylie and I all felt the same on this - he's obviously doing something right to appeal to us non book humorists I often find if an amazon reviewer says a book is funny I wholeheartedly disagree! Oh yes, there are definitely some duds languishing on mine Exactly! Can't get down to anything too heavy on a flight, just as you get to the crux of it someone pushes past you go to the toilet or you hit some unexpected turbulence.

That sounds great Noll. Not my usual read but your review has inspired me to put it on the wishlist!

I read a few of them when I was 11 or 12 and recently bought a couple very cheap on kindle to revisit. Are you There is one of the ones I got to revisit! It was a bit dated when I read in the 1990s. I remember being extremely confused by her description of sanitary towels - it didn't sound a bit like the ones in the shops

*wanders in* Congrats to everyone on the weight loss and fitness so far! I'm a couple of weeks into my new plan now and going ok. I'm going on holiday in September and for the first time since 2011 this is likely to involve a bikini (money has gone on house buying and city breaks/winter trips in the intervening years). So I am motivated to shed a few pounds, especially as I am going with my brother's girlfriend who has an amazing figure. Grumble. I must confess to an obsession with daily weighing, but I find that it's the best way to keep me motivated. Our scales are in kilos, so I can see weight coming off in small increments and that motivates me to keep going. I have cut out junk food, carbs (bread, pasta, cereal and potatoes) and am going to the gym three times a week. I plan to let myself eat what I want on holiday but then it will be straight back to it given I am getting married in 15 months and I don't want to look frumpy in the photos

Surely a book with so fabulous a title has to be good?! I've spent today reading the latest instalment of Middlemarch.

It sounds like a very interesting read though and one I would definitely like to read some day. I found the discussion really interesting.

Thanks both Hope you both enjoy it more than I did and it's a 4 or 5 for you! The book box/jar is really kicking a few of us up the arse to read some neglected titles previously languishing on the TBR

Great review - must read this soon! Must. Read. Faster.

*blows dust off thread * Slow progress with this challenge having just read my first one in 2015! Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria). I rated it as 3/5 and the review is in my log, but from the point of view of the challenge I thought it was a great one to choose. It really gave me a sense of the struggle faced by Igbo people during the Nigeria/Biafra civil war. I also forgot to log one book at the end of last year - Diary of a Country Prosecutor by Tawfik Al-Hakim. Given I remember zero about it, perhaps not one to consider That brings me to a grand total of 38 out of 224 books completed. Good job I still have a lot of years ahead of me, eh?