Alexi

I've got the first three as well so will definitely read those and then see how I feel. I'm expecting them to be quite quick, easy reads!

Oooh, me please!!

I have had to remove some of those naughty emoticons... Thanks Interesting to see you felt the same, and I think Willoyd did as well if the recesses of my memory can be counted on I would definitely have galaxy every day if I could, but I'm on a diet ahead of June's beach holiday. Haven't had one of those for a few years, we bought a house in 2013 and since then have done city sightseeing and winter holidays. So now I have to get back into a bikini for the first time since 2012 Motivation is a whole week of reading books in the sunshine! Thanks Kylie. Nine isn't too bad, but it's only 20 days into the new year so I am acquiring at nearly a rate of one every two days! Given there isn't any way I can get through 175 books before the end of the year, that has to decrease... Thanks Gaia I'm halfway thought Rebecca. I'm really enjoying it but don't seem to have time to settle and read in long periods at the moment

Wow the jar is testing you Really interesting review of Iris Murdoch... I really want to investigate her further, but maybe should begin with something a little easier!

#4 The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie Synopsis: Gerry Wade had proved himself to be a champion sleeper, so the other house guests decided to play a practical joke on him. Eight alarm clocks were set to go off. But come morning, one clock was gone, and the prank had tragically backfired. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: I'm slowly working my way through all Agatha's books. It's my comfort reading, like having a massive slab of galaxy after a bad day. After a disappointing ending to my previous book (see previous review!) I started this, knowing that Christie has never previously let me down in that department. All the familiar elements are here. The dastardly society intent on robbery and willing to murder to do it, the man and woman working together to track them down yet more are being bumped off, the love interest, the detective who will give little hints but let the amateur sleuths work it out their own, etc etc. Yet the story and set-up isn't vintage Christie. It feels a little clunky and takes awhile to get going - even though the first death happens extremely quickly! But as usual she has a solution that has me (and hopefully most or I feel rather stupid!) totally hoodwinked. It's not good for the diet to have galaxy every day, but I do enjoy it! 3/5 (I liked it)

#3 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald Synopsis: In 1959 Florence Green, a kindhearted widow with a small inheritance, risks everything to open a bookshop - the only bookshop - in the seaside town of Hardborough. By making a success of a business so impractical, she invites the hostility of the town's less prosperous shopkeepers. By daring to enlarge her neighbors' lives, she crosses Mrs. Gamart, the local arts doyenne. Florence's warehouse leaks, her cellar seeps, and the shop is apparently haunted. Only too late does she begin to suspect the truth: a town that lacks a bookshop isn't always a town that wants one. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: To be honest, I wasn't sure quite what to make of this read. I picked this up cheap on kindle because it's for the English Counties Challenge - although books about books/bookshops are always welcome so I think I might have picked it up eventually anyway! However, having not studied the synopsis before reading I was in for a surprise. A nice little tome about an English village bookshop in Suffolk? Well, no. Instead, we are introduced to the delightful Violet Gamart, who has her eye on the building for an Arts Centre and when Florence pushes ahead anyway she is determined to drive this "newcomer" out of town. The newcomer thing did make me laugh, so typical of small English villages - anyone who has lived there less than a decade is a newcomer, while those who are "lifers" claim some misguided superiority! This is a short read (my copy came in at 156 pages) and yet Fitzgerald does manage to squeeze plenty in. I did feel like we got to know the characters, and I really enjoyed the interaction between Florence and her 10--year-old assistant. However (and I feel you all probably knew this was coming!), the ending rather ruined it for me. Having packed so much in previously I suddenly came to the end with a start of surprise - really, that's it? sort of feeling. Yes, the writing was good and the character interaction well plotted, but she was telling a story and therefore I demand an ending that doesn't just flop down like she ran out of steam, which is what this felt like. Characterisation good, writing good, plot decent, but the lack of proper conclusion to a story arc was disappointing given such a strong build-up. 3/5 (I liked it)

Thank you! Same to you x Ah...About that... *whistles* *just off to update the books acquired list* Aw thanks Frankie, I'm glad I'm never sure about reviews when I've enjoyed the book. Sometimes I feel like I've rambled on and actually only written two paragraphs, other times I think I need to say more and have actually written an essay

Oh dear. My wishlist has just grown again... So many positive reviews of The Humans - must get hold of it.

Gosh darn you Janet, I must move this up the TBR!! Great review, and I have been a good girl and not peeked at the spoiler.

I've now read four books (so behind by two reviews!) and so rewarded myself by buying I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. Now 4 read, 6 acquired. I'm not really getting the hang of this.

Thanks Gaia. It's my kind of fantasy I guess I know I will end up reading the whole series one day...when Martin has written it all! Hope you enjoy it if and when you acquire it! Thanks Noll. I've added it to my wishlist based on your recommendation, I'd definitely like to read more of his work! Thanks BB! Must get to Pillars of the Earth this year..it's just such a doorstopper! Thanks so much Chrissy. Thanks Claire! Should be a good 'un, and hopefully a new group read too.

I saw in Tescos yesterday Pamela Cox writing St Clare's sequels as well. Disgraceful and unnecessary! I loved Malory Towers as a kid, tempted to join in the readalong if we manage one

Nice review of The Future of Us Gaia Anna, you know my thoughts on 13 Reasons Why, but I really enjoyed this one - much better execution IMO. Maybe he should write all his stuff with Carolyn Mackler

I'd like to echo the thanks to Janet and Claire - I really enjoyed the experience of the group read, and this seemed to fit perfectly as it felt like we were getting the experience of Dickens' contemporaries when the book first came out. I don't know why I get intimidated by Dickens, but I do. I've read two previous novels, A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist, but have acted in adaptations of both on the stage. This was to be my first foray into "unknown" Dickens, although as Willoyd says, the name Wackford Squeers is a familiar one even to those who haven't read Nicholas Nickleby! To the book itself then, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dickens is wordy, and will happily use 12 words and six commas when two words and a full stop would easily have done the trick. But he brings his characters and Victorian cities brilliantly to life and I feel as if I am stood at the sidelines watching all the action unfold. The Squeers family are wonderful villains, Nicholas an well drawn hero, and the supporting cast are marvellous. In particular, Mrs Nickleby with her eccentricities was simply marvellous. I did enjoy the comedic value of everyone pandering to her thoughts as well. I was wondering if there was a point to the Crummles(es) but there didn't really appear to be one, except to provide us with more entertaining writing and situations. They contributed little to the overall plot but did present a very readable diversion. As a choice for the English Counties Challenge I wasn't especially sure this ticked the boxes. Like WIlloyd I was very surprised to learn Nicholas departed Dotheboys Hall so early in the novel (even if we, if not Nicholas, do return their briefly at the end) and it did feel more like Yorkshire than County Durham in feel as well as name! However, I thoroughly enjoyed this and as the ECC pushed me into reading it I think I will forgive this, as the challenge was all about broadening my reading into classics I feel I should already have read. It's especially interesting that the novel, as well as standing the test of time to be regarded as a classic in today's literature, had such a strong impact at the time in terms of closing Yorkshire schools. The idea of a work of fiction having that effect now seems rather far fetched - it might have to be turned into a movie first. The ending is predictable but somehow that doesn't really matter, we've been on such a journey with these characters it's almost required to see them get their happy, cheesy ending, and the evil Squeers get their comeuppance! Superb stuff.

Smack sounds intriguing Brian, especially as a YA read. Loving the pot of fortune as well!

Thanks Kylie I do love a good Christie - I want to read them all eventually. They are great when not well or mojo is fragile! Your quote amused me. I clearly didn't proof read my post "I'm quite never out" nervous was what I meant!

Been ill and not felt like reading, so finished an Agatha Christie - The Seven Dials Mystery. Not her strongest I don't think but the solution is vintage Agatha and it was an easy read which suited my (coughing and sneezing) mood. E Now starting Rebecca, quite nervous because I really want to enjoy this one.

I've added In the Garden of Beasts to my wishlist as well - sounds fascinating.

#2 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom Synopsis: Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer. In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?" Thoughts: I can't remember why I acquired this, but it jumped out on me from my kindle when looking for my next read on holiday. I love reading people's interpretations of heaven, even if I don't really believe in an afterlife. This one is very different. Eddie grew up and died in at the same amusement park, fixing rides and thinking about his departed wife. Then he reaches heaven and discovers his life wasn't quite so meaningless after all. He's a fantastic character, one I could instantly root for. At the start he appears a simple, inherently decent personality. As we go on we discover his layers and his flaws, but I still rooted for him all the way through - nice job, Mitch Albom. I haven't read anything else by the author before, but I did wonder if any of his other works touch on war. Eddie has been profoundly affected by his experiences in the army in the Phillippines, but when men return they don't talk about it. I wondered if that's something the author has been affected by, whether directly or indirectly. The ending is a little abrupt, and the last few pages of the ending a little predictable, but this is a wonderful, feel good book. It left me wondering who my five people would be, and who I would end up speaking to as one of their five. A really good read for my second book of the year and I would recommend it. It's also on the Rory list - I wonder what she made of it?! 4/5 (I really liked it)

#1 Game of Thrones by George R R Martin Synopsis: Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty. The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne. Thoughts: My OH has been on at me to read this for about 18 months, but I don't "do" fantasy, plus the sheer size of this volume - never mind the series - was putting me off. I finally picked it up at the end of 2014 but found it tough going. There are so many characters to try and get to know, and this is further complicated by the fact they all seem to be related and lords of various unfamiliar lands! However, I persevered and once I got to know them all I raced through it. What an epic. We begin life with the Starks, and as the book goes on it's clear these are the people we are supposed to have sympathy for. Eddard, the head of the family, is essentially a good man in a world where such a trait counts for little and leaves him disadvantaged. On the contrary, it is instantly obvious that the Lannisters are the "evil" family in this saga, or at least in this first installment! There's plenty of violence (I actually winced in some places), lots of sex, some incest to contend with and a lot of death, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Sure, there's a fantasy element, but there is more focus on the relationships between this vast cast of characters and the emotions that drive them - fear, revenge, greed and power. I've already bought the next book in the series, but given they average at 800 pages each I might leave it for a while to recover! 5/5 (I loved it)

Interesting review! The premise sounds very good, so a shame the ending was predictable Happy reading in 2015! EDIT: I just wished you happy 2915, so we're all quite old and presumably surrounded by robots

Oh well in that case... It was worth a go, no? I have a few books to go before that happens, but I joined BCF in October 2011 and before then my TBR was approximately 10, so it's growing at a fair rate.... Reducing by one is definitely much harder than it sounds. Thanks for the well wishes and right back at you! ,ay 2015 be super for us all. Thanks Julie! I'm not sure I can do it and my OH is convinced - he has threatened to buy me more books if I look like I'm going to hit it the cheeky beggar. Still, more books, how is a girl to refuse that kind of offer?

Thank you! I want to read everything at once I've read about four Harris books and loved them all so have high hopes for Imperium - but he needs to write faster! Thanks J. I think a few on that list found their way onto my TBR thanks to your recommendations - with the obvious Jonasson exception I'm now reading the majority on my new paperwhite too which I love.

Resistance is for the weak... No, hang on, that's not quite how it goes is it? Happy 2015 pontalba! Will be following along and no doubt adding to the TBR following your reviews!

I'm also keen to hear your thoughts on The Time Machine - it's on my TBR. Although with the amount of books on there, it might help if you said you hated it