chaliepud

My TBR pile, in no particular order, updated 25th September... I Capture The Castle - Dodie Smith The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society - Mary Ann Shafer, Annie Barrows The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier Nights at the Circus - Angela Carter Generation Dead - Daniel Waters Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende The Pain Merchants - Janice Hardy Ordinary Dogs, a story of two lives - Eileen Battersby Emma - Jane Austen The Hare With Amber Eyes - Edmund De Waal The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz - Denis Avey The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer The Shadow Wife - Diane Chamberlain Eats, Shoots and Leaves - Lynne Truss The Blue Door - Lise Kristensen A Dog 's Purpose - W. Bruce Cameron When Nights Were Cold - Susanna Jones The Good Father - Noah Hawley The Light Between Oceans - M.L Steadman Hollow Pike - James Dawson One Dog and His Boy - Eva Ibbotson Divine Evil - Nora Roberts Message in a Bottle - Nicholas Sparks Brass Ring - Diane Chamberlain Mortal Chaos - Matt Dickinson Hollow Earth - John and Carole E Barrowman How I LIve Now - Meg Rosoff My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece - Annabel Pitcher Mr Rosenblum's List - Natasha Solomons The Last Family in England - Matt Haig The Rescue Man - Anthony Quinn All These Things I've Done - Gabrielle Zevin Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut A Street Cat Named Bob - James Bowen At The Sign of the Sugared Plum - Mary Hooper The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster The Horse Dancer - Jojo Moyes Home Front - Kristin Hannah A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness Dewey - The Small Town Library Cat Who Changed The World - Vicki Myron Between A Mother And Her Child - Elizabeth Noble Paranormalcy - Kiersten White The Two Week Wait - Sarah Rayner The Villa - Rosanna Ley In Defence of Dogs - John Bradshaw The Tree That Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith Safe Haven - Nicholas Sparks American Gods - Neil Gaiman The Peacock Emporium - Jojo Moyes The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest - Stieg Larsson Bitten - Kelley Armstrong I Know This Much Is True - Wally Lamb Seeking Crystal - Joss Stirling

With only 4 days to go until 2012 I'd better get started on a reading log before I get left behind by everyone else! In 2011 I read approximately 40 books which I am pretty happy with, but I'd like to aim for nearer 50 in 2012. I'm not too worried about numbers though, what I would like to do is diversify my reading a little more, in 2011 I read less crime and chick lit than ever before and have read much more contemporary fiction and and YA books which have pleasantly surprised me with their quality of writing and interest level. My Top 6 (tried for 5 but I couldn't narrow it down!!) books of 2011 - The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon Night Road - Kristin Hannah A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness A Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini The Blasphemer - Nigel Farndale So, my aims this year (without getting too regimented and scaring my mojo away) are - * To buy less books, read from from TBR pile and use the library (it's being threatened with closure though ) * Spend more time reading and less time trawling for new books. * Less TV, more books! * Explore some new genres, especially non-fiction and a biography or two, maybe I'll have a go at Kell's Genre Challenge. * I'd also like to try Julie's Take A Chance Challenge, but I need to get my TBR pile down first!!! So, here goes!!!

Angel Amazon or book shop?

Club Tropicana - Wham!

I have All Hell Let Loose on my wishlist too, I'm looking forward to reading it

Only one word comes to mind - Biffy Clyro

Need a nice easy read so have started The Search by Nora Roberts, I find her books very reliable and they don't tax my brain too much!

Christmas dinner with all the trimmings mark one!

Happy Birthday Dawn, and congratulations on the kindle!!

Homemade pizza and salad was yummy, now onto the mince pies!!

Into the last 50 pages of The Midwife's Confession, it's very good, I just need more time! Got Anna Gavalda's "I wish someone were waiting for me somewhere" out of the library today which I'm really looking forward to reading, but I also need to get started on "The Bloody Chamber".

Your favourite read of the year? A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness Your favourite author of the year? Carlos Ruiz Zafon Your most read author of the year? Carlos Ruiz Zafon Your favourite book cover of the year? The Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? - The Return of Captain John Emmett- Elizabeth Speller (this really was a shame as it was advertised to be better than Birdsong. The book that most disappointed you? Grace Williams says it loud - Emma Henderson The funniest book of the year? I haven't read anything funny, that needs to change for 2012!! Your favourite literary character this year? Scout (To Kill A Mockingbird) Your favourite children's book this year? If this includes YA books then Stealing Phoenix - Joss Stirling Your favourite classic of the year? To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee Your favourite non-fiction book this year? None, this needs to change too, I have lots on my shelves... Your favourite biography this year? None, but I WILL read a Bill Bryson and/or a Stephen Fry next year. Your Favourite collection of short stories this year? I wish someone were waiting for me somewhere - Anna Gavalda (have only read a couple but enjoying so far) Your favourite poetry collection this year? None Your favourite illustrated book of the year? None Your favourite publisher of the year? Not aware of publishers Your favourite audiobook of the year? I can't concentrate on audiobooks, I always forget I am supposed to be listening to them!! Notable mentions - Night Road - Kristin Hannah The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Blasphemer - Nigel Farndale The Midnight Palace - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Welcome Vicky

Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain - Jace Everett

Sounds like a good plan Julie! What's the punishment if we come out on the minus side?

Memoirs of a Geisha is a beautiful book, definitely in my top ten of all time!! :-)

I enjoyed all three of the books but I did feel they the second book was a bit of a bridge between the first and final book, with a bit of fluff to fill it out...

How are you finding it VF?

Little Black Dress - Jace Everett

For me there's three, tip has to be True Bloods theme tune as I am a big fan of Jace Everett. The other two are from The Littlest Hobo which was one of my fave childhood shows, and also Cheers which was very popular in my teens, I loved that show :-)

A mash up song is a medley of different songs, kind of mixed together, could a mash up book be a mix be a mix of different books??

There are free delivery codes knocking around for The Book People, probably wouldn't work for the Netherlands, but if someone wants them let me know and I'll PM them, can't guarantee they work, but worth a try!

I just picked this up today when I sneaked into the book room at my daughters christmas school fair (we were just setting up for tomorrow). It's been on my wish list for a while and it looks great, I get a feeling it could be a similar writing style to Kristin Hannah who wrote one of my favourite books, Night Road, I hope it is!!! Thanks for a great review!

Thanks Weave

There's a sequel?