Alexi

#10 Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier Synopsis: Stark and forbidding, Jamaica Inn stands alone on bleak Bodmin Moor, its very walls tainted with corruption. Young Mary Yellan soon learns of her uncle Joss Merlyn's strange trade here - but does he deal in blacker secrets still? (From Amazon) Thoughts: Wow. I've been missing out by not reading Du Maurier before now. What a scene she sets! We meet te heroine, Mary Yellan, as she is travelling across Cornwall, from her farm in Helford up to Jamaica Inn in North Cornwall, after the death of her Mum. I was drawn in straight away, by the descriptions of the wind, rain and desolate moors that set a tone for the rest of the book. Du Maurier can certainly write! The house she arrives at is grey and forbidding, with such a horrible reputation that the coach will not usually stop there and races away as soon as he dropped Mary at the side of the road. Her uncle is a large and scary man, and Mary soon discovers he is engaged in rather dodgy business. But is that enough to explain her aunt's terrified looks and constant fright, or is there more going on? The author has a great skill in giving the tale a growing sense of foreboding and building up towards a crescendo. Reading this for Cornwall in the English Counties Challenge, I thought it was a perfect choice, with the book really giving me a sense of the desolation of the moors, including the fog and mist and marshes that can kill a man, but also giving you a sense of the changing nature of the county. Where Mary comes from in the south, the geography is quite different, and I thought that was conveyed very well. I really liked the character of Mary and how independent she was, and how it was easy to see she might struggle being born as a woman in the 1800s - she would have fitted in perfectly in the modern times I suspect. She was brave and courageous, even if you could see a chink of her armour exposed when she was quick to trust a couple of stranger she had barely met! The above is why I deducted half a mark for: I would thoroughly recommend this. 4.5/5

The reducing by one challenge is not going well at all at the moment But people keep giving me books, so what is a girl to do?? I think the 1970s film is closer to the book, so I might have to look it out at some point. I shall be following your progress Kylie, to see which books I should bump up my TBR A couple of reviews from me, because I have fallen behind a bit #9 A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle Synopsis: Doctor John Watson is looking for a new place to live when he is introduced to Sherlock Holmes, a peculiar man who happens to be looking for a roommate. Watson soon finds himself fascinated by Holmes’ numerous eccentricities—including the ability to deduce information about people without ever speaking to them. When a body is found next to the hastily scrawled word “RACHE,” Holmes’ scientific study of deduction is put to the test as Dr. Watson joins him in what will be the first of many thrilling investigations. (From Amazon) Thoughts: This is probably my least favourite Holmes book to date. I haven't been reading them in order, and this is the first one, and there is a noticeably different style to the writing (and the solution to the crime). I did enjoy reading about Holmes and Watson meeting, and Doyle has a great ability to make the reader feel like they are in the heart of London watching the action. The crime is clever, as usual, but for me the usual style of watching Holmes solve the crime and suddenly getting the solution was lost, because halfway through the novel we are taken back in time to watch the reasons ourselves (and the names used make it obvious that is what is happening). I's obviously just a different style to what I am used to from Doyle and his Holmes stories, and if I had read them in the correct order rather than jumping around, I'm sure it would have received a higher mark from me. I have just two novels and one short story collection to go until I have read all of them, and I shall be sad when I have nothing left of Holmes to read, so I shall make an effort to spread them out. 3/5

I feel exactly the same! Both times I have read Dickens I have adored the books and urged myself to read more, but then he becomes intimidating again! I am determined to try my first Austen this year though.

If anything, kindle is a help. Much easier to buy a paperback twice as you get no notification of that!

Thanks Athena I had a tidy up of my lists at the start of the thread and must confess to forgetting to add 7 of last year's acquisitions - all seven Jo Nesbo - to my TBR. So at the start of the year it stood at 223 and must be at 222 by the end of the year. Not doing well. I have read nine already this year, but have acquired 21. Not sure how on earth that has happened to be honest... Most were kindle daily deals or presents, so I haven't spent any more than £10 or so, but the length of the pile is starting to get silly now.

I've read four of them. Life of Pi and the Unlikely Pilgrimage I did not enjoy (I think I rated both as 2/5). I enjoyed Gone Girl, but I would venture a guess that it was partly such a hot seller because it was very cheap on the kindle. Sir Alex was inevitably going to be a high seller regardless of content, based on reputation. (I enjoyed it though, with a few caveats).

So sorry to read this. Thinking of you.

That book sounds great Frankie. I literally just burst out laughing at the Harry Potter one!

Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs Synopsis: This is the story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of grandeur) gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead ringer for Santa Claus and a certifiable lunatic into the bargain. Suddenly at the age of 12, Augusten found himself living in a dilapidated Victorian house in perfect squalor. The doctor's bizarre family, a few patients and a paedophile living in the garden shed completed the tableau. Here, there were no rules or school. The Christmas tree stayed up until Summer and valium was chomped down like sweets. When things got a bit slow, there was always the ancient electroshock therapy machine under the stairs.(From Amazon) Thoughts: the electroshock therapy machine is probably the least odd thing that occurs under the roof of the Finches! This really is a shocking memoir. Augusten starts off as a boy with almost OCD tendencies. His clothes have to be perfect (he is bothered about the crease in his trousers when he first goes round to the Finch residence) and everything has to be just so. That changes quite quickly as he is forced to adapt to a house where cockroaches roam free and nothing in the kitchen is clean. The story is written very cleverly, as after a while the reader becomes less shocked by what Augusten describes, in the same way as he became less shocked by events in his life. He doesn't go to school, has an affair with a man 20 years his senior and runs around with his foster sister Natalie, who emancipated herself at the age of 13 to go and live with a rich father! Abandoned by both his parents and forced to grow up in squalor without any formal education, most kids wouldn't have a chance. I was thoroughly drawn in by this memoir, and shocking as the stories were I didn't want the book to end. I don't want to say much more for fear of spoilers - just read it! Kylie linked to an article about the "real Finches" which I read after I had finished the book. It seems inevitable they would dispute the facts - they are hardly painted in a very sympathetic light - but Burroughs won the courts case (or they settled) but he won the right to call it a memoir, which is an important factor IMO. Thoroughly recommended. 5/5

Finished Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs and A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle. Now starting Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier. Looking forward to this one, have heard lots of positives about the author.

Interesting list Julie! I have read 12, but I have a load of them on my TBR. I would definitely recommend Cutting For Stone. I read it for my World Challenge, and I got really involved with it and the story has really stuck with me, even though I read it a while ago.

Thanks Marie, Athena and Julie Hotel K has been on my wish list ever since I finished her other book, Snowing in Bali, so when I saw it for 99p on Kindle daily deal, I was a goner! I finished Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, and although it means I shall have rated two books 5/5 already this year, I felt unable to deduct any marks. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it. I shall review it properly tomorrow!

Thanks for linking to the article about the real life Finches, Kylie. I just finished Running with Scissors and now I'm a bit confused over what's real! I read that he won the lawsuit to call it a memoir though... Although their comments he only had a room there for 18 months are interesting.

Oh dear - I rather fell off the wagon today. Three books bought!! The Railway Man - Eric Lomax The Misbegotten - Katherine Webb Hotel K - Kathryn Bonella Excited about them all though!

I've just downloaded The Reaper to my kindle.

I didn't really get on with The Fault In Our Stars. I am 3/4 through Running With Scissors and absolutely loving it. Very, very odd though!

Glad you enjoyed the book - even more reason to avoid the NK movie I had the same reservations J - I could remember little about the NK movie except thinking it was crap! The book is much better - and you definitely won't recognise the ending from the NK movie

I thoroughly enjoyed your review of Sinema BB - will make sure not to touch that one

I have The Art of Racing in the Rain on my TBR, so glad you can add your voice to the recommendations on here that made me download it!

Hi Julie - I think 6 in a month is pretty good too. Hope your roll continues! I went to the library today and took out four more books, and now I feel a bit pressured with my TBR, so I think I might make a real effort to decrease it to below 200 by the end of the year. Not going well - still acquired more than I've read so far in 2014!! First book for February: #7 The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin Synopsis: The women of Stepford are not all that they seem... All the beautiful people live in idyllic Stepford, Connecticut, an affluent, suburban Eden populated with successful, satisfied hubbies and beautiful, dutiful wives. For Joanna Eberhart, newly arrived with her husband and two children, it all seems too good to be true – from the sweet Welcome Wagon lady to all those cheerful, friendly faces in the supermarket checkout lines. But just beneath the town’s flawless surface, something is sordid and wrong – something abominable with roots in the local Men’s Association. And it may already be too late for Joanna to save herself from being devoured by Stepford’s hideous perfection.(From Amazon) Thoughts: This is a very short read - mine was 116 pages plus introduction, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I thought the length was perfect. Joanna and Walter move to Stepford, where Joanna has just one friend - Bobby - because the rest can't possibly socialise as there is too much housework to do. Meanwhile, the men all go (seemingly every evening!) to the mysterious Men's Association. After a while, Bobby becomes convinced something is drastically wrong with Stepford. The women are too perfect, and all seem to "change" after a few months in the town. I thought the mystery was really quite cleverly constructed. You go on a journey with Joanna as she discovers more background about the town's inhabitants and begins to have real fears about what exactly the men are doing at the mysterious association. But is she right, or is she merely going mad? I remember vaguely seeing the 2004 movie adaptation with Nicole Kidman, so after finishing the book I looked up the movie on wikipedia. Wow. They changed everything that made the book so good - no wonder it got panned! The ending was entirely changed, and it ruined the whole message of the book. AVOID. AVOID. As for the book, I would definitely recommend it. I agree with the introduction though, it doesn't criticise Women's Lib at all, rather the opposite. It criticises men who seem to want nothing but perfectly docile beings who will do nothing except their bidding! 4/5

I read The Stepford Wives earlier and have now started Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. I've now read 7 books this year, but I had my Christmas holidays in January so I'm not sure I will maintain that pace

I did enjoy The Line of Beauty. Most of my thoughts are in the Reading Circle thread, but I rated it a 3/5. It lost points for being over long (I thought it could have been condensed because it did feel a bit repetitive in places) and the pacing was a bit too slow at times. I really enjoyed the last part of the book when the pacing picked up - although none of the characters are very likeable! I finished that on Friday, so I read 6 books in January. Getting less reading time now, though.

Are the Babysitters books expensive, Athena? I have the first one on kindle, but reluctant to start because I know will want to read them all and then will be spending £££s!

Hi Julie, Love the Bingo card idea! Will be following your progress. I have also added The Bottoms to my wish list.

I'm just going to throw my thoughts down in a haphazard manner rather than follow the questions if that's ok! I would rate the book as a 3/5. I enjoyed it, but felt it was overly long and therefore dragged in some places. Like Janet, I enjoyed the last section of the book the most when the pace was at its fastest. Most of the characters in the novel were wholly dislikeable. I was born in the mid-80s, so I don't remember the decade. I know the book probably reflected attitudes of the time, but it was still jarring to here gay people almost blamed for getting HIV/AIDS, as well as the prevalence of it in Nick's circle. One thing I didn't understand - if he had a test, was negative and then careful, the chances of him getting it then must have been minimal, no? The Feddens' treatment of Nick was disgusting, frankly. He was invited into their house, spent years there, and yet they kicked him out apparently for being exposed in the papers as being gay. None of the rest of it was his fault - they should have looked at their own treatment of Catherine rather than Nick's, I would suggest. It wasn't his fault Gerald was a sleazy politician, and it wasn't him who exposed that. Nor was Catherine's illness his fault. I agree - they preferred not to think about Nick's sexuality! I think my least favourite character was Wani, though. He didn't seem to care for Nick in the early years and then refused to acknowledge their relationship and treated him as an employee paid for sex on the side!