Alexi

I keep looking at Wonder, yet somehow haven't read it yet. Your review makes me want to bump it up a bit!

Sorry to read this Anna.

Hi Flip I read a lot of sport books for work, but I'm yet to read some of the ones you've mentioned here. I have The Football Men on my pile though. Frustrating about the updates, that would bother me too. I'm currently reading Up There by Michael Walker, which is excellent. It talks about the culture and history of the North East, and how that impacted/s football. As a Liverpool fan you might find it interesting given the huge North East influence eg. Bob Paisley!

Nina is Not OK sounds very interesting. Certainly a premise I've not really read much about. Will have to add that one to the list. Hope you're doing ok Frankie

That sounds like a really interesting read. Another for the wish list!

I think we had two alternatives for Isle of Wight - Wyndham and England England by Julian Barnes. I hadn't decided between the two but your recommendation for the former will likely swing it!

The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett Synopsis: A man is walking down a country lane. A woman, cycling towards him, swerves to avoid a dog. On that moment, their future hinges. There are three possible outcomes, three small decisions that could determine the rest of their life. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: Seen Sliding Doors? This is a similar premise, but better for being in book form rather than a cheesy movie. Plus less annoying Gwyneth Paltrow. Eva and Jim are students at the University of Cambridge in the 1950s when they have a chance meeting, Eva on a bike swerving to avoid a dog. From there, there are three possible outcomes from that incident which determine the rest of their lives. In one, they meet and get together, in one they don't really meet properly, and in another they meet but Eva is forced back to her original boyfriend. And so we see the rest of their lives unfurl in each scenario for the next 60 years. How differently their lives turn out, and how love ebbs and flows in each scenario. This book took me a long time to get to grips with, because ultimately the timeline becomes very confusing. Each chapter is a different scenario, and we jump forward in time with each chapter as well, so by the time you get back to version 1, for example, you've got to remember where you were, what's happened, and what happened in the other versions but not that one. Phew. That really affected my enjoyment of the book for the first half, before I got my head around each scenario. However, once in I couldn't escape these characters. When I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about the book and the two leads really got under my skin. Always the sign of a good novel, in my book. However, love and roses this isn't and it left me feeling very down for long periods! Do not follow my lead and read in the month before you get married!! 4/5 (I really enjoyed it)

The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Synopsis: Holmes and faithful Dr. Watson are summoned to a country house by a coded message. They arrive too late to save a life, but pursue the trail to unmasking the murderer. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: I had forgotten much of this story (read in August, curse review back log), but fortunately Amazon was there for me with a dull description of the tale in the synopsis(!). Do not read the synopsis if you are yet to read this tale. Please. Anyway. This isn't one of my favourite Holmes. Apart from the Hound of the Baskervilles, I prefer the short story collections to the novels like this one, but there we are. I have now read the entire canon and feel the richer for it. This one is in the style of A Study in Scarlet, with the first half of the book showing Holmes deciphering the clues, and the second half taking us back in time to explain how it all fit together. The first half is what you've come to expect, but the second, while a very good yarn, doesn't feature Holmes at all and therefore feels a bit disconnected. Still, it's Holmes, so glad I read it to complete the full series. 3/5 (I liked it)

At the Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper Synopsis: It is 1665 and Hannah is full of excitement at the prospect of her first trip to London. She is going to help her sister, Sarah, in her candy shop, 'The Sugared Plum'. But Hannah does not get the welcoming reception she expected from her sister, because the Plague is taking hold of London. However, Hannah is determined to stay and together the two young women face the worst-with the possibility of their own demise, growing ever closer. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: A young adult read about the plague? This sounded like it was going to trivialise the issue, dumb it down or gloss over large parts. But it doesn't do that at all. Hannah, our heroine, is an excellent starting point. It may be 1665 but we can recognise the teenage Hannah nonetheless, desperate to get out of her rural existence and head into the big city, find excitement, find love and escape boredom and her parents. Pity the bubonic plague gets in the way... The author does very well to bring us in the sights and sounds of London, as well as illustrate the constant fear people lived in - but the need to carry on to make money to buy food. All the small details are there to really bring the period to life for the reader, and she fits in a good yarn as well into what is a quick and easy read. Hooper does not ignore the horrors of the plague either, with characters we come to know falling victim to the plague as well - this isn't a case of only 'strangers in the street' dying. I also liked how our protaganists had a cat, which the author neatly uses as a way to explain how it was thought that cats carried the plague. Knowing what we know now, it does make you shudder - killing all the cats let the rats run amok! This may be aimed at teens/young adults but the story is good and there's definitely enough in it for adults to enjoy as well - including this one! (I originally read this in August and gave it a 3.5, which is interesting given all my memories of it are positive ones....!) 3.5/5 (I enjoyed it)

I have just finished Watership Down for Hampshire. A slow start but after that, thoroughly enjoyable. Good four star read, which I was not expecting after 50 pages! I'm not sure what to read for Isle of Wight yet, but I also read Dracula for Notth Yorkshire. I didn't particularly enjoy it as well as finding it not particularly linked to the county. However, before reading it I would have said the only thing I knew about it was that Whitby was important! So can see why we chose it.

I hope you all enjoy it when you get around to it! It really is a wonderful book, thanks Mr King for the recommendation. I've still not read Replay, even though I Keep thinking I must.

I think the way children/teenagers are taught English (mainly at year 9 and at GCSE level) leaves many authors of classics with a bad rep. Certainly the way I was taught English put me off doing it at A Level even though it was my best subject, and I refused to touch any classics for years afterwards. Certainly since, I've found Austen an author people think they should read but rarely have. Interesting point about TV serials - I noticed a while ago that Tesco were selling War and Peace in the book charts with a new cover from that serial, so they evidently do have an effect on some book sales! As you say, she's often at the top of these lists but I find among friends/peer group, most of us haven't read her unless she was covered at school. Having read two now, I certainly think she's very accessible and will read the other four novels at some point.

Thanks J! I'm working odd hours at the moment but hoping to get some reading time on Wednesday. I haven't read much Dickens, but what I have I've loved. Glad to see another hit awaits me!

I have been doing some reviews, but sill have 12 to go to get up to date. The reviews are becoming steadily shorter and shorter... I have just finished The Giver by Lois Lowry, which I really enjoyed. Lowry packs so much into 180 pages I was left feeling like I'd read something longer, but surprised at how quickly I'd read it! Now starting Watership Down. Never read it in my youth, so not sure whether I'm the target audience now, but intrigued to see!

I then read the ABC Murders by Agatha Christie. I was going to review this by simply telling you how I felt at different points of the book.., then I realised that in itself could spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet. So all I will say about this one is Christie doesn't let you down.

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris Synopsis: Paris, 1895: an army officer, Georges Picquart, watches a convicted spy, Alfred Dreyfus, being publicly humiliated in front of a baying crowd. Dreyfus is exiled for life to Devil's Island; Picquart is promoted to run the intelligence unit that tracked him down. But when Picquart discovers that secrets are still being handed over to the Germans, he is drawn into a dangerous labyrinth of deceit and corruption that threatens not just his honour but his life... (From Amazon) Thoughts: I love Robert Harris as an author, and this caught my eye after reading Paris, by Edward Rutherfurd, earlier in the year in which Alfred Dreyfus is mentioned. In that book, the Parisians are reacting the case, and it's hugely divisive - given Dreyfus was a Jew in a Europe very much prejudiced against them. However, the exact details aren't really mentioned given it's just dinner table conversation, and the characters would have known the case intimately. So, when I discovered Harris had taken his historical narrative to the story, I immediately sought it out. So, to the story. It really helps Harris that this case was so controversial and there were so many twists in it, but as ever he makes the most of it. There's a witch hunt, deceit, prejudice, spies, intrigue, the lot, and Harris brings all to life beautifully off the page. It is dramatised - so personal details are invented, and some characters from the timeline removed, but it largely remains faithful to real life events. The way this was put together meant the pace just kept going and I was hooked. I can't remember exactly how long it took me but I basically inhaled it because I never wanted to stop reading it. But the way the characters interact, think and behave, plus the fact the narrator is Piquart rather than Dreyfus himself, means I think you would get a lot out of it even if you had more knowledge of the case than me. As well as the events of the case itself, Harris weaves in the culture and society of the time - bringing the themes of politics and social issues into play to create a brilliant story. It was a long book (it comes in at over 600 pages) and yet it still left me wanting more. And more. Brilliant stuff. 5/5 (I loved it)

Copied from my book log: This is my second Austen, having started with Pride and Prejudice, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Austen can be seen as intimidating, but I think it's often the way classics are presented and taught at school. Although we never studied Austen, any book written before 1900 is presented as terribly "worthy" and not necessarily a fun read. Well, we are doing Austen a disservice, because I thought this was great fun. We have our 'heroine' Emma, who is introduced as someone trying to meddle in all the affairs of the rest of the village. She isn't very likeable given we meet her when she is trying to discourage her friend from accepting marriage from someone who has proposed and she would love to marry in favour of someone who doesn't even like her - but is rich! Yet I did find myself liking her, even while wanting to throttle her! Austen creates a small community of personalities, and I felt hugely invested in all of them - even though, rather like a romantic comedy movie, the ending is obvious from the moment we begin! The language is accessible, and it's a fun read with plenty of layers. Worthy? Maybe, in that it is a classic. But Austen definitely gets a bad rep. Must read more! 5/5 (I loved it)

Emma by Jane Austen Synopsis: Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: Another English Counties read, this time for Surrey. This is my second Austen, having started with Pride and Prejudice, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Austen can be seen as intimidating, but I think it's often the way classics are presented and taught at school. Although we never studied Austen, any book written before 1900 is presented as terribly "worthy" and not necessarily a fun read. Well, we are doing Austen a disservice, because I thought this was great fun. We have our 'heroine' Emma, who is introduced as someone trying to meddle in all the affairs of the rest of the village. She isn't very likeable given we meet her when she is trying to discourage her friend from accepting marriage from someone who has proposed and she would love to marry in favour of someone who doesn't even like her - but is rich! Yet I did find myself liking her, even while wanting to throttle her! Austen creates a small community of personalities, and I felt hugely invested in all of them - even though, rather like a romantic comedy movie, the ending is obvious from the moment we begin! The language is accessible, and it's a fun read with plenty of layers. Worthy? Maybe, in that it is a classic. But Austen definitely gets a bad rep. Must read more! 5/5 (I loved it)

Copied from my book log: I had heard of this book before the English Counties Challenge was devised, but knew next to nothing about it. However, reviews on here persuaded me to bump it up the pile. Having read this some time ago, I'm struggling to remember much of the intricacies of the plot, but the lively characters and brilliantly sparky dialogue are what remains with me. Some of the family elements are larger than life - but most of those are actually autobiographical, even if I was shaking my head going surely not! What a household it must have been to grow up in! The family are determined to seize life and love, and spend their youth dreaming of both. But ultimately, Linda's search for love is littered with pitfalls and really tugs on the heart strings. Mitford shows us an aristocratic world that was being threatened by the imminent arrival of World War II and the politics of the time, which are introduced. But ultimately, it's a funny story about an outrageous family. It's often the ending that lets down books, I find, but this one only enhances Mitford's work. Thoroughly enjoyable and I shall seek out the next in the series. 4/5 (I really liked it)

The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford Synopsis: Nancy Mitford's most famous novel, The Pursuit of Love satirizes British aristocracy in the twenties and thirties through the amorous adventures of the Radletts, an exuberantly unconventional family closely modelled on Mitford's own. The Radletts of Alconleigh occupy the heights of genteel eccentricity, from terrifying Lord Alconleigh (who, like Mitford's father, used to hunt his children with bloodhounds when foxes were not available), to his gentle wife, Sadie, their wayward daughter Linda, and the other six lively Radlett children. Mitford's wickedly funny prose follows these characters through misguided marriages and dramatic love affairs, as the shadow of World War II begins to close in on their rapidly vanishing world. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: I had heard of this book before the English Counties Challenge was devised, but knew next to nothing about it. However, reviews on here persuaded me to bump it up the pile. Having read this some time ago, I'm struggling to remember much of the intricacies of the plot, but the lively characters and brilliantly sparky dialogue are what remains with me. Some of the family elements are larger than life - but most of those are actually autobiographical, even if I was shaking my head going surely not! What a household it must have been to grow up in! The family are determined to seize life and love, and spend their youth dreaming of both. But ultimately, Linda's search for love is littered with pitfalls and really tugs on the heart strings. Mitford shows us an aristocratic world that was being threatened by the imminent arrival of World War II and the politics of the time, which are introduced. But ultimately, it's a funny story about an outrageous family. It's often the ending that lets down books, I find, but this one only enhances Mitford's work. Thoroughly enjoyable and I shall seek out the next in the series. 4/5 (I really liked it)

Thank you for your well wishes Janet and Athena. He is slowly recovering now, but it's a tricky road, especially for someone as athletic as he is. He's used to daily exercise, but after a week in hospital, he's struggling to get off his couch at the moment! I have four months worth of reviews to catch up on... so here is my attempt at doing at least some of that. Might skip some/do some half assed. Let's see. Time and Again by Jack Finney Synopsis: Si Morley is bored with his job as a commercial illustrator and his social life doesn't seem to be going anywhere. So, when he is approached by an affable ex-football star and told that he is just what the government is looking for to take part in a top-secret programme, he doesn't hesitate for too long. And so one day Si steps out of his twentieth-century, New York apartment and finds himself back in January 1882. There are no cars, no planes, no computers, no television and the word 'nuclear' appears in no dictionaries. For Si, it's very like Eden, somewhere he could find happiness. But has he really been back in time? The portfolio of tintype photographs and sketches that he brings back convince the government. But all Si wants is to return ... (From Amazon) I hadn't heard of this book before Stephen King's recommendation as part of 11.22.63. I loved that book and I do enjoy time travel stories - when not rooted too far in fantasy, if that makes sense. They are all fantasy to an extent, of course, but I like them to fit in to to our own reality rather than introducing other fantasy elements. As far as that one goes, this fits the bill entirely. The government believe there are certain places and circumstances in the world where someone can travel back in time and Si Morley is a suitable candidate. Instantly intrigued, he realises he can solve a 19th century mystery that has been puzzling him and his girlfriend by travelling back to 1882. What makes this story stand out is the unravelling of the mystery, which is played perfectly, and the meticulous research which brings New York to life in 1882. The city has a fascinating history and Finney has made full use of that to make a rich timeline that adds so much to what otherwise would "merely' be a well-constructed time travel mystery. Finney admits to one change (the Dakota, where Si stays, wasn't constructed until 1885 but it takes him back to 1882) but everything else appears accurate and it's extremely well done. One of my favourite reads of the year so far. 5/5 (It was amazing)

I've also been putting off The Miniaturist - despite multiple good reviews! It still lies untouched on the bookshelf next to 1Q84...

I still have to write a review of Another World but it will be very similar to yours! Promised so much yet totally failed to deliver. I was left wondering what the point of the painting was in many ways it felt so unfinished and unexplored.

I'm still catching up on everything after so long away, but thank you all for your nice wishes I had a fantastic day (despite all the worrying I wouldn't!!) and the honeymoon was amazing My heads still spinning from trying to get back on track and I've got a brother in hospital at the moment which doesn't help. He doesn't live near me either so visiting him requires some organisation (although reading time). I think about 15 reviews behind and I'm so behind on everyone's blogs!

Ooh, thanks J!