Alexi

Thanks Athena I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!

Your review inspired me to choose Life After Life as my next read. It's a bit weird so far! It's keeping me entertained though.

Great reviews must move Game of Thrones up the pile...

I've started Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. The prologue intrigued me sufficiently to keep going, but it's all a bit weird so far...

#20 The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith Synopsis: When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case. Strike is a war veteran - wounded both physically and psychologically - and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger . . . Thoughts: as everyone knows, Galbraith is a pseudonym for J K Rowling, and I only bought this after learning that. Curse my fall for a marketing gimmick! Of course, before that I didn't know the book existed so couldn't have bought it anyway. The perils of marketing. I did wait until it was under £2 on kindle though! Ahem. Anyway. I actually really enjoyed this. It was a slow start for me, going from an action-packed prologue to a girl on the bus (who I took an initial dislike to and thawed over time), but when it picked up I was gripped. It's a classic detective novel - who to trust, who not to, and fitting everything together, but I found Strike very likeable which helped matters greatly. I didn't guess the solution, which always pleases and frustrates me in equal measure, and is was left thinking I would probably read the second in the series (when it is less than £2 on kindle). 4/5

#19 The Hacienda by Peter Hook Synopsis: Peter Hook, as co-founder of Joy Division and New Order, has been shaping the course of popular music for thirty years. He provided the propulsive bass guitar melodies of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' and the bestselling 12-inch single ever, 'Blue Monday' among many other songs. As co-owner of Manchester's Hacienda club, Hook propelled the rise of acid house in the late 1980s, then suffered through its violent fall in the 1990s as gangs, drugs, greed and a hostile police force destroyed everything he and his friends had created. This is his memory of that era and 'it's far sadder, funnier, scarier and stranger' than anyone has imagined. As young and naive musicians, the members of New Order were thrilled when their record label Factory opened a club. Yet as their career escalated, they toured the world and had top ten hits, their royalties were being ploughed into the Hacienda and they were only being paid £20 per week. Peter Hook looked back at that exciting and hilarious time to write HACIENDA. All the main characters appear - Tony Wilson, Barney, Shaun Ryder - and Hook tells it like it was - a rollercoaster of success, money, confusion and true faith. Thoughts: I grew up in Manchester, but I'm too young to remember the days of the Hacienda - it closed when I was 11 years old. I do know of its history and the part it played in the Manchester club scene though - impossible to grow up there and not do, so I was interested to read the take on it from Hook. The sub title is 'How not to run a club' and this really is a 101 of everything not to do. I'm not a business woman by any means, but I do understand the point of budgets, expenses and profit - the key being b does not exceed c! It makes you despair reading about the money they threw down the drain - especially when you realise they weren't seeing even 10% of their own royalties. This is an enjoyable journey from the mid 80s when no one came to the hacienda, though to the glory days of acid house and the (almost inevitable) decline through drugs, gangsters and violence. And what violence! Jesus, no wonder people stopped going as gangsters that couldn't be controlled by security or police ran riot. Easy, enjoyable read. Just don't go into business with them. 3/5

That's very kind of you J, but I have no idea when I would get to it - judging by the state of my TBR it could lie untouched for some time. I really appreciate the offer though.

Glad to see you enjoyed Game of Thrones Ian! I have the first one on my TBR but am reluctant to start it for some reason - length and the hype over the TV show I suspect! I would definitely want to read all the books before tackling the TV series.

Great news on not repeating the class Frankie! Good luck on thesis ideas - my thesis was a bit different to yours - more a project than an essay - but I think the key for any sort of thesis is an idea that your passionate about and want to explore further. Whether you love or loathe it!

That sounds really interesting J, I love social history like that.

Thanks Ian! I shall have to look out for another and hope it lives up to the first!

The Blackest Streets is on my wishlist - heard great things about that one.

I forced myself through the whole of LOTR and hated it. I refuse to read the Hobbit. I was forced to sit through all three LOTR films (we watch a film every Xmas Eve as a family and they were released every year. URGH.

I'm not sure whether I shall bother with the film - I enjoyed the book and it seems a shame to potentially ruin it. Plus I hardly ever watch films! I shall definitely look out for more of his work after enjoying Set in Stone and the positive comments from you guys. It was a really unusual approach to a thriller type story I thought. I've finished The Hacienda by Peter Hook - full review to follow but an enjoyable read, although I wanted to throttle them all at one stage or another! Now starting The Cuckoo's Calling by J K Rowling Robert Galbraith.

I didn't know they were on the list J! The English counties challenge will do wonders for my 1001 reading I'm on 42!

I read this as a child, so it was a revisit for me, and I remember loving it although many of the salient details had escaped me. My Grandad used to sail on Lake Windemere in Cumbria, and I remember going with him as a small child before he sold the boat, so this also has some ties for me. I agree with Willoyd on society's concept of risk - I grew up in the 1990s and certainly would not have been allowed to camp with my 7-year-old brother and use matches alone on an island! But I think today's kids have even more restrictions than I did sadly so I wonder what my own kids will be able to experience outside the computer screen. This bit of poppyshake's review: Also my adult self couldn't quite get over how well behaved these children were and how well they got on together. No squabbling or punching to speak of, they were all very responsible and little Roger, who was seven, seemed to take it all in his stride when he was told that he wasn't quite old enough to do such and such or go so and so, surely he should have been prostrate on the floor, beetroot faced, kicking and screaming? Once, after learning that he couldn't go on a particular jaunt, he was told that he could lend them his torch and apparently that was just as good! made me laugh, because I agree it seemed a bit odd! Especially because the older two had so much authority over the younger two. I liked Nancy, she seemed like the girl I was a kid - always wanted to do what the boys did, and do it better. (I was crap at sailing though). I found Susan much more annoying and thought it was a bit sexist in parts (although probably typical of 1929!). Susan does ALL the cooking and seems to do a lot of the washing up too - and be far too keen on clean pots and pans! Her memories of the island when they leave are of cooking and keeping camp for a large family - while John and Roger (and admittedly Titty) dream of adventure. The girls all say they can come back and stay forever, but John and Roger will go to sea just like Dad. Grr. Nancy was good though, I liked her a lot. (I realise that this annoys me probably more than it should because I grew up as the only girl surrounded by four boys on every holiday, and if there was a job like that to do we were all told to pitch in, whereas I was told I could do exactly what the boys did. We were obsessed with Just William at the time and used to put on plays scripted by ourselves but using the characters. The boys were told I had to have a go at playing William - the main character - as well regardless of gender!) Willoyd - I never read Swallowdale - I read what I could as a kid from bookshops, gifts and a limited school library selection, I could never go and hunt out books I wanted although I remember desperately wishing to read the sequel. I might go and hunt it out as an adult!

I shall get the ball rolling on this one then! Review copied from my book log Thoughts: There was a lot of reference to Rutland Water, as the house was built next to it and before its construction in 1976. There is also a lot of reference to the history of the house and crime there before the Rutland Water, so I think it was a decent selection for part of the English Counties Challenge. I certainly didn't know anything about the construction of the reservoir before reading this book at any rate! Tony Sheridan is our narrator, and he is telling the story to his dead wife Marina, and the book starts at the time of her death (although Tony is telling the story retrospectively, he know how it ended from page 1 if that makes sense). He goes to stay with Lucy (marina's sister) and Matt (his best friend) in Rutland early on, in their unusual house with an unusual history. The book gets a bit confusing at this point - he starts having very vivid dreams of things that could and sometimes do happen in the future, while there is a big mystery surrounding the death of a woman murdered in the garden of the house decades earlier. I was unsure for the first 100 pages what this book was trying to be - ghost story or thriller? But after that the story picked up and it raced along to a conclusion that kept me guessing and left me unwilling to put the book down. It is a bit weird, it is a bit confusing, but I thought it was great. His characters lie and deceive, but that makes them feel quite real, and the thriller element combined with more than a hint of the supernatural actually worked really well for me once I had reached the conclusion. I struggled at first, but it was well worth the perseverance. I rated it 4/5

#18 Set in Stone by Robert Goddard Synopsis: Recovering from the tragic death of his wife, Tony Sheridan goes to stay with his sister-in-law, Lucy, and her husband.Their home is a bizarre moated house deep in the Rutland countryside, known as Otherways. Disturbed by memories of his wife, and a growing attraction to Lucy, Sheridan is also troubled by weird and vivid dreams. Soon he learns that Otherways is a house steeped in a history of murder and wartime treason. And it seems that these crimes hold an eerie influence over the present inhabitants. Thoughts: I read this as part of the English Counties Challenge - it was selected for Rutland. There was a lot of reference to Rutland Water, as the house was built next to it and before its construction in 1976. There is also a lot of reference to the history of the house and crime there before the Rutland Water, so I think it was a decent selection. I certainly didn't know anything about the construction of the reservoir before reading this book at any rate! Tony Sheridan is our narrator, and he is telling the story to his dead wife Marina, and the book starts at the time of her death (although Tony is telling the story retrospectively, he know how it ended from page 1 if that makes sense). He goes to stay with Lucy (marina's sister) and Matt (his best friend) in Rutland early on, in their unusual house with an unusual history. The book gets a bit confusing at this point - he starts having very vivid dreams of things that could and sometimes do happen in the future, while there is a big mystery surrounding the death of a woman murdered in the garden of the house decades earlier. I was unsure for the first 100 pages what this book was trying to be - ghost story or thriller? But after that the story picked up and it raced along to a conclusion that kept me guessing and left me unwilling to put the book down. It is a bit weird, it is a bit confusing, but I thought it was great. His characters lie and deceive, but that makes them feel quite real, and the thriller element combined with more than a hint of the supernatural actually worked really well for me once I had reached the conclusion. I struggled at first, but it was well worth the perseverance. 4/5

#17 Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome Synopsis: It is the wholesome story of four young children, John, Susan, Titty and Roger, who set out in their boat (the Swallow of the title) to an island of adventure. All seems well until they encounter their enemy. At first they are angry at the invasion of their peaceful haven by these Amazon pirates, Nancy and Peggy, who claim ownership of the land. But in time a truce is called and the Swallows and Amazons become firm friends. Camping under open skies, swimming in clear water, fishing, exploring and making discoveries is the stuff of dreams which serves to make this so charming a tale. The author manages to capture the innocence of a time when all this was real and possible. Swallows and Amazons will transport children to a fantastical place where they can play safely and roam freely, without an adult in sight. Thoughts: This was selected for Cumbria as part of the English Counties Challenge. I read this as a child, so it was a revisit for me, and I remember loving it although many of the salient details had escaped me. My Grandad used to sail on Lake Windemere in Cumbria, and I remember going with him as a small child before he sold the boat, so this also has some ties for me. It's a simple story of an arguably simpler time - set in 1929. No iPads here, just four kids and a boat and some tents. (I did wonder if they ever got bored, which probably a sign I too am a modern child, but I admit I didn't think they took enough books!) The four children are given permission to go and camp by themselves on the island, and they get on remarkably well for siblings who employ a hierarchy system, with the older ones having the authority to tell the younger two what to do. They settle in on the island when they are "attacked" by Nancy and Peggy, and the two boats have a "war" before forming an alliance to take on Nancy and Peggy's Uncle Jim, who has ignored them all summer. It's an enjoyable read, although written very much for children in style, there is a lot of "he said, she said, he said, she said". But the story is a good one and I enjoyed the revisit. A couple of things: it does feel a bit sexist in places. Susan, the eldest girl, does all the cooking for them and often washes up as well - grave error there Susan. When they leave the camp, her memories are of "making camp and cooking for a large family" while the others remember swimming, or adventure (admittedly including the younger girl Titty - not sure you'd get away with that one in a modern book!). (I realise that this annoys me probably more than it should because I grew up as the only girl surrounded by four boys on every holiday, and if there was a job like that to do we were all told to pitch in, whereas I was told I could do exactly what the boys did. We were obsessed with Just William at the time and used to put on plays scripted by ourselves but using the characters. The boys were told I had to have a go at playing William - the main character - as well regardless of gender!) It is 1929 of course, but the girls are expected to stay home, while John and Roger who know they will one day go to sea (like Dad, who is in the navy). Nancy and Peggy are much better, girls with adventurous spirits, so it's not THAT old-fashioned, but it did grate a bit. 3.5/5

Thanks VF I haven't seen the film, so I don't know how it compares, but I wasn't sure how well it would work as a film. One of the charming aspects of it for me was the epistolary nature of the novel - particularly as it is a boy trying to fit in. Who is he writing too? Why do they never write back? And also we see the story entirely from his point of view - we don't know how everyone else reacts except through what he is telling us. Or it just might be more my sort of book/film than yours I suppose I would guess Emma Watson plays Sam, one of the seniors who befriends freshman Charlie and who Charlie "falls in love with" I didn't find that the interesting part of the story, which is why I didn't really mention her in my review! Whoops! She is a main character in the book, and I guess they might have made even more of her in the film. I was just hoping no one would notice

I must admit I haven't logged when I bought my books, but I intend to start now I'm keeping a record of books acquired in 2014. (I'm trying to read pre-2014 books before I get to them too!) But there are a few i know have been cluttering up my shelf for a long time. I know the oldest is 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' by Victor Hugo. I got it for Christmas about 5 years ago but it intimidates me for some reason!

The Library of Unrequited Love sounds like a great read - another one for my poor wish list!

Nice idea! I'm doing a Round the World challenge (which is going to take me years to complete the 224 books!) so I shall be following this with interest to see if you unearth some gems. I do it by where the author was born, although obviously I try to get it set in that country too!

I've just finished that! I enjoyed it, but it's a bit weird. For the first 100 or so pages I wasn't sure where we were going or what genre of book it wanted to be! Stick with it though

I'm not a movie watcher either. I have seen very few movies, although my movie-fan boyfriend is trying to change that! I did watch and thoroughly enjoy Shawshank though. Def in my top 3 movies of all time... but it's a long'un!