Alexi

I never understood what their fascination with condensed milk was

Just reading back the thoughts on Enid - I loved her books as a child, read Famous Five, Malory Towers and St Clare's, and never noticed any snobbishness! But then, the last time I picked one up I was probably 11! Not sure if I should go back to them and see what you mean or live in blissful ignorance

I've just bought The Old Wives Tale on the back of that information!

Nearly halfway through The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst for the reading circle. Really looking forward to discussing it - quite a few talking points I think!

I would normally say read it and find out but I don't feel I can in this case!

I enjoy reading everyone's reviews, but I do particularly enjoy the negative ones!

My thoughts exactly! Not nice at all. Yes, I enjoyed the bit in your spoiler, I hadn't worked that bit out I think my next one will be Pride and Prejudice for the challenge, but I might not get around to it for a while. I've been on holiday during January so had more reading time - back to work now! I'm now reading The Line of Beauty for the reading circle.

#5 An Awfully Big Adventure by Beryl Bainbridge Synopsis: It is 1950 and the Liverpool reporatory theatre company is rehearsing its Christmas production of Peter Pan, a story of childhood innocence and loss. Stella has been taken on as assistant stage manager and quickly becomes obsessed with Meredith, the dissolute director. But it is only when the celebrated O'Hara arrives to take the lead, that a different drama unfolds. In it, he and Stella are bound together in a past that neither dares to interpret. (From Amazon) Thoughts: Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I would have long since abandoned this book were it not for the Counties Challenge. It took me 5 long days to get through, despite being a mere 198 pages long, and I can find little to redeem it. Until O'Hara arrives (well over halfway in!), there is little to tempt the reader in terms of plot. The writing style rather overeggs the pudding at times with the descriptions, and it's difficult to see where exactly the story is going. We are introduced to Stella, a 16-year-old girl living with her aunt and uncle in working class post-war Liverpool. Concerned her only career choice is Woolworths, her Uncle Vernon gets her a place at the local theatre. She becomes infatuated with the director, Meredith, which is evidently a doomed love from the beginning. Then come endless descriptions of rehearsals and performances with little indication of any significance to a paper thin plot. Stella is a difficult character, which makes her difficult to root for at certain points in the story, and the supporting cast are rather vacuous individuals. The story does improve marginally towards the end, but it's too little, too late for me I'm afraid. MAJOR SPOILER BENEATH THE TAGS. Still, two positives. a) One more book completed for English Counties Challenge b) I took it out of the library, so at least didn't waste any money on it! I think this may be the first time ever I have stuck with a book that merits just a single mark, but records are there to be broken as they do say. 1/5

My wish list is split between Amazon and the notes section on my phone/iPad. I find the Amazon wishlist really helpful and easy to add/subtract books, plus I examine it frequently to take advantage of price reductions! But my phone wishlist is helpful when I'm in Waterstone's/the library browsing. I don't feel pressure to keep my wishlist at a certain manageable length - I don't own the books, so what's the problem? I'm trying to reduce my TBR, but my wishlist isn't costing me money, book space or increasing the pile of books TBR, so I don't stress about it. I just add them!

It's next on my pile after my current read, so at least we can natter to each other I'm currently struggling with An Awfully Big Adventure. I'm on page 70 and struggling to see the actual point. It was selected for the English Counties Challenge (so I'm refusing to abandon) so I assume someone must have read it - can you assure me it gets better?!

I have now taken my first step towards reading Jane Austen... I have downloaded Pride and Prejudice! Not sure how quickly I'll get to it, but it's there

#4 Making Sense of the Troubles by David McKittrick and David McVea Synopsis: First published ten years ago, Making Sense of the Troubles is widely regarded as the most 'comprehensive, considered and compassionate' (Irish Times) history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Written by a distinguished journalist and a teacher of history in Northern Ireland, it surveys the roots of the problems from 1921 onwards, the descent into violence in the late 60s, and the three terrible decades that followed. McKittrick and McVea have now fully updated the book to take into account the momentous events of the last ten years, including the disbanding of the IRA, Ian Paisley's deal with the Republicans and the historic power-sharing government in Belfast. (from Amazon) Thoughts: This is the second book on the history of Northern Ireland I have read in the last 12 months. I find it incredible that as children (or at least, when I was at high school) they banged on and on about the Tudors but didn't tell us history was being made in the UK! I was doing my A levels in 2004 when some of the historic deal brokering was going on, and I knew little about it (although I do remember Gerry Adams being on the news quite a lot and not really understanding why). I grew up in Manchester, and therefore (understandably I think) the IRA were synonymous with evil. I'm old enough to remember the bomb in Central Manchester in the 1990s and the devastation it caused (my Mum was in the area at the time). We are also not far from Warrington, where the two children were killed. But we were never, ever told about the whys and wherefores, and how history and politics had developed. I've begun educating myself, because I made friends with a lot of Northern Irish at university and I couldn't imagine the world they had grown up in. Back to the book then, and I think this is an excellent, accessible text on the troubles. It focuses on themes, and the timeline of events. There are plenty off facts in the book but understanding the causes of feelings and events is the main purpose of the text rather than a bombardment of figures and dates. The numbers killed are always mentioned, because it is so important to recognise the suffering and fear that went on, particularly at key points in the last 50 years or so. The writing style is smooth and flowing, and the authors guide you seamlessly from the 1960s through to the present day. There is little blame attached to either side, at least not overtly. Last year I read a history of the IRA, and I thought although the author made concessions to them it was easy to see he disapproved of them. These authors clearly abhor violence, but the violence on both sides is depicted in the same manner. I'd definitely recommend this text, and I think I shall now go and read more on specific events in the troubles to deepen my knowledge. 4/5

Good luck! Looking forward to comparing notes.

I agree Agatha should have been represented somewhere - she's an English Classic! I preferred The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - gloriously devious! - but the way she crafts the strands together is marvellous, as you say. I raced through it too.

Pride and Prejudice... I think! will look forward to seeing what you think of NN then!

I'll jump in with this one then I've read a number of Agatha Christie novels and would one day like to complete the full list. this holds up well in comparison to the others - it's a cracker, IMO. As for the challenge, I'm not sure how well it reflects Devon. It is set on Indian Island, a tiny island just off the coast which is cut off during stormy weather. I read the alternative - The Hound of the Baskervilles - recently, and I got a much deeper sense of the rolling moors of the county. Although, having said that I've only been to Devon once, which was to the coast over 10 years ago! Back to the story then, it's a fantastic mystery. We are introduced to the ten participants as they each journey separately to Devon, and it becomes clear not all of them are going to be telling the truth to the rest! I got half the solution but not the full one - I was miles away - even though as the story progresses you think the solution must get easier and be within your grasp (because more and more keep dying...)! I love Christie's ability to tell a tangled tale that actually has an extremely logical solution - once revealed! - and to really put the reader in the time and place of the story. Her pacing is sometimes frustrating - different character discussing the same points for several pages - but I always race to the end, desperate for the reveal. I gave it a 4/5 and really enjoyed it.

I'm determined to read Nicholas Nickleby soonish, but I have marked 2014 as the year I try my first Austen, having knocked down two Dickens!

I think Brian and James enjoyed it, so you may find it to your taste too Marie! I hope so anyway.

Great, thank you muscles ache a bit though My Mum warned me against Tractor but I ignored her. She hasn't refrained from telling me that's he told me so!!

#3 And The There Were None by Agatha Christie Synopsis: Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide. The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again… and again… Thoughts: I read this for the English Counties Challenge, but someday I would like to complete the entire catalogue of Christie works. This is one of her stronger tales, in my opinion. I'm not sure how much it reflects Devon, given it's set on an isolated island off the coast, but it's a fantastic mystery. I got half the solution but not the full one - I was miles away - even though as the story progresses you think the solution must get easier and be within your grasp! I love Christie's ability to tell a tangled tale that actually has an extremely logical solution - once revealed! - and to really put the reader in the time and place of the story. Her pacing is sometimes frustrating - different character discussing the same points for several pages - but I always race to the end, desperate for the reveal. Really good. 4/5

Holidays mean plenty of time for reading (hurrah!) so a couple of reviews... #2 A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka Synopsis: For years, Nadezhda and Vera, two Ukrainian sisters, raised in England by their refugee parents, have had as little as possible to do with each other - and they have their reasons. But now they find they'd better learn how to get along, because since their mother's death their aging father has been sliding into his second childhood, and an alarming new woman has just entered his life. Valentina, a bosomy young synthetic blonde from the Ukraine, seems to think their father is much richer than he is, and she is keen that he leave this world with as little money to his name as possible. If Nadazhda and Vera don't stop her, no one will. But separating their addled and annoyingly lecherous dad from his new love will prove to be no easy feat - Valentina is a ruthless pro and the two sisters swiftly realize that they are mere amateurs when it comes to ruthlessness. As Hurricane Valentina turns the family house upside down, old secrets come falling out, including the most deeply buried one of them all, from the War, the one that explains much about why Nadazhda and Vera are so different. In the meantime, oblivious to it all, their father carries on with the great work of his dotage, a grand history of the tractor. (from Amazon) Thoughts: Putting my tin hat on before we starry because I think this will be seriously unpopular but here goes... Waste of time. Complete waste of a premise and doesn't really deliver on a promise of buried family secrets. Ok, there's one and it's a doozy, but the book jacket promises a delve into secrets, which is why I kept reading in the hope these would be interesting and hold my attention. Shouldn't really have bothered. Ok, let's go back to the beginning. The book starts off well, with a Ukrainian 30something barrelling into the lives of Vera and Nadezhda as she seeks to obtain a visa by marrying their 80 something, recently widowed father. She is a larger than life character, which works very well because the rest of the characters aren't like that at all. The two sisters conspire to break them before the marriage, and seek her deportation once the father goes through with it. So far, so good. And the the story begins to unravel. It's repetitive, it's slow, it failed completely to hold my attention. I didn't find it particularly funny, just a bit sad, in that an elderly man can be manipulated and treated so badly (admittedly, I probably have seen too much of that first hand to find it funny). The secret was revealed, but otherwise the ending was a very damp squib. And the interludes, whichever ere chapters of the father's book, means I know more about the history of tractors than I ever wanted to know... Just didn't do it for me at all. 2/5

Good God Kylie your TBR would make a decent village library. I'm quite envious Happy 2014!

I had similar thoughts about Sir Alex's latest book, Ben. I thoroughly enjoyed Managing My Life earlier this year (in preparation for this) and it failed to reach the high standards of that one, because it felt like a series of disjointed notes rather than an autobiography. I did enjoy it though and also gave it 3 stars.

Oh dear. My next meeting of the Bookaholics Anonymous isn't going to go well... A few acquisitions.... May We Be Forgiven by A M Homes Life After Life by Kate Atkinson Born Weird by Andrew Kaufman Gargling with Tar by Jachym Topol So six books acquired by 5th January. Doing well.

I think it was me who put you off Life of Pi.... Sorry about that!