~Andrea~ Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 (edited) Previous logs: 2017 (10) 2016 (9) 2015 (10)2014 (19)2013 (21)2012 (19)2011 (17)2010 (19)2009 (23)2008 (26)2007 (21) Completed: How to be Champion - Sarah Millican The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold The Witch Tree Symbol - Harriet Adams as Carolyn Keene The Screwtape Letters - C S Lewis Grinny - Nicholas Fisk The Woman in the Window - A J Finn Take No Farewell - Robert Goddard Shaman's Crossing - Robin Hobb Conclave - Robert Harris Beneath the Bleeding - Val Mcdermid Love is his Meaning - Keith Ward Forest Mage - Robin Hobb The Baby Laundry for Unmarried Mothers - Angela Patrick The Keeper of Lost Things - Ruth Hogan - abandoned Locke and Key, Welcome to Lovecraft - Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez Currently reading:Secrets in the Dark - Frederich Buechner The Philosopher and the Gospels - Keith Ward The Memory Game - Nicci French Edited December 30, 2018 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted December 30, 2017 Author Share Posted December 30, 2017 (edited) Acquired pre 2018 Minnette Walters - The shape of snakes Logic - A very short introduction Wilkie Collins The Woman in White Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales (modern translation) The Essential tales of Chekhov A Winter's tale Othello The Merchant of Venice Julius Caesar Twelfth night Collected works of Tennyson The Four Loves - C S Lewis Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan The Trial - Franz Kafka (audio) Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings - Edited by David Chalmers Godric - Frederick Buechner Ian Rankin - Watchmen Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities JoJo Moyes - The Girl You Left Behind The Road Less Traveled The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold My Favourite Wife - Tony Parsons C J Sansom : Dark Fire Joanne Harris - Five quarters of the orange Val McDermid - Beneath the Bleeding Robert Goddard - Take No Farewell Sarah Millican - How to be Champion Ronnie Corbett - High Hopes Robin Hobb - Shaman's Crossing Robin Hobb - Forest Mage Robin Hobb - Renegade's Magic Begin year size: 31 End year size: Books acquired 2018: Harriet Adams (Carolyn Keene) - The Witch Tree Symbol Nicholas Fisk - Grinny A J Finn - The Woman in the Window Robert Harris - Conclave End year size: Total Begin year size: 31 Max size: 31 Min size: Current Size: End year size: Edited November 29, 2018 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted December 30, 2017 Author Share Posted December 30, 2017 (edited) The Wish List Aaronovistch, Ben - Rivers of London recommended Ambrose, David - Superstition Alexander, Denis - creation or evolution: do we have to choose? Beah, Ishmael - Memoirs of a Boy Soldier Bradbury, Ray - Farenheit 451 Bradbury, Ray - Something Wicked this way comes Barker, Clive - Weaveworld Brother Lawrence - The Practice of the Presence of God Buechner, Frederich - The Book of Bebb Bugan, Carmen - Burying the Typewriter Burton, Fiona - The Widow recommended Challis, Sarah - Footprints in the sand Chamberlaine, Diane - The Midwife's confession recommended Cohen, Jeff - The Question of the Missing Head recommended Conran, Shirley - Savages Coupland, Douglas - Microserfs/JPod Coben, Harlan - Six Years recommended Du Maurier, Daphne - Rebecca Du Maurier, Daphne - The House on the Strand Dunant, Sarah - Transgressions (recommended) Dick, Philip K - A Scanner Darkly Faber, Michael - The Crimson petal and the White recommended Foster, Richard - Celebration of Discipline Gaarder, Jostein - Sophie's World Green, John - Turtles All the Way Down recommended Greene, Grahame - Brighton Rock Greene, Grahame - The Third Man & The Fallen Idol Haig, Matt - How to Stop Time recommended Haugen, Gary (IJM) - Just Courage Highsmith, Patricia - The Talented Mr Ripley Hinton, Susan - Rumble Fish Hobb, Robin - Fool's Assassin Hobb, Robin - Fool's Quest Hobb, Robin - Assassin's Fate Hodgson, Burnett Frances - The Secret Garden Hodkin, Michelle -The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Humphries, Alistair - Microadventures recommended Jerome, Jerome K - My Life and Times Jefferson Farjeon, J - Mystery in White recommended Kasasian, M.R.C. - The Mangle Street Murders recommended (read by Emma Gregory) Krauss, Nicole - Man walks into a Room recommended Koontz, Dean - The Mask Koontz, Dean - From The Corner Of His Eye Koontz, Dean - False Memory Lennox, John - God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? Lennox, John - Seven Days that Divide the World. Lewis, C S - Till we have Faces London, Jack - White Fang Mandel, John - Station Eleven recommended Marion, Issac - Warm Bodies recommended McKinley, Robin - Sunshine Mercer, Jeremy - Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs Mitchell, Margaret - Gone With the Wind Moran, Caitlin - How to be a Woman recommended Moss, Sarah - Night Waking recommended Moyes, Jojo - The Last Letter From Your Lover recommended Neville, Adam - Apartment 16 Scott, Fitzgerald F - recommended Semple, Maria - Where'd you go Bernadette - recommended Phillips, Caryl - A Distant Shore (recommended) Penny, Stef - The Tenderness of Wolves recommended Rayner, Jay - The Oyster House Siege Sachar, Louis - There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom - recommended Taylor, Jodie - Just One Damned Thing After Another - recommended Tremayne, S.K - The Ice Twins recommended Trueman, Terry - Stuck in neutral Trigell, Jonathan - Boy A Verne, Jules - Journey to the Centre of the Earth - recommended Wheatley, Dennis - The Haunting of Toby Jugg Winter, Tom - Lost and Found recommended Wyndham, John - The Kraken awakes Watson, S J - Before I go to sleep Ruiz Zafon, Carlos - The Shadow Of The Wind Ruiz Zafon, Carlos - The Angel's Game Ryan, Carrie - The Forest Of Hands & Teeth Wroblewski, David - The story of Edgar Sawtelle Zevin, Gabrielle - The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry recommended Edited July 25, 2018 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 Welcome to my thread, which is now open So far so good 2018. Three books on the go, all very different, but enjoying each one. Happy reading in 2018 everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 I wish you a great 2018, Andrea ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Happy Reading in 2018, Andrea ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Farenheit 451 is a brilliant read and I also have Something Wicked This Way Comes on my shelf unread. Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Happy reading in 2018, Andrea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 Thanks everyone I was hoping to get at least one book finished by the end of the month. Not sure if that'll happen though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 (edited) How to be Champion by Sarah Millican I finished Sarah Millican's How to be Champion a few days ago and I loved it. I found it entertaining and inspiring. It's part autobiography and part self help book, as it's peppered with little pearls of wisdom throughout. Not only is it laugh out loud funny and a real joy to read, it's quite serious and poignant in parts too. I've always quite liked her stand-up, even if it is a little rude (as is this book) but after reading this I think I've upgraded to proper fan. She talks about her anxieties and self image problems, which I hadn't known much about prior to this, and comes across as a thoroughly decent human being (as well as being hilarious). Edited February 14, 2018 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 7, 2018 Author Share Posted February 7, 2018 Wow. I just went through my previous reading years and totalled up my books for the year. They've really tailed off the last three years! I guess that's not that surprising as the last three years have been fairly stressful one way and another. My LTR ended three years ago so I guess the pattern is more than a little to do with that. Probably initially it was the stress but more generally it's just been a massive routine change. I no longer read Saturday mornings for example and only sometimes read before bed (I stay up late instead watching TV instead!) Plus there was the odd audio book in some of those years (which I used to listen to in the car, so in parallel with my actual reading) and there hasn't been in the past three, but still, not enough to warrant such a big difference. I think a three year slump is enough. I need to get back on track! I'm going to aim for 15 books this year, which is not as many as pre 2015 but would be a step in the right direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 1 hour ago, ~Andrea~ said: I think a three year slump is enough. I need to get back on track! I'm going to aim for 15 books this year, which is not as many as pre 2015 but would be a step in the right direction. I second the motion, a three year slump is enough indeed! Here's to a brilliant reading year in 2018, Andrea!! I hope life's treating you well these days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Good luck Andrea!! I wish you a great reading year in 2018 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 8, 2018 Author Share Posted February 8, 2018 Thank you both When I was going through my old threads to add the totals to each year, I noticed that at some point the emoticons have changed. So for example what was initially (I assume), a now shows as a and what must have been originally a scared one like now shows as It makes some of those conversations look unintentionally sarcastic or aggressive!! It did make me smile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 19 hours ago, ~Andrea~ said: When I was going through my old threads to add the totals to each year, I noticed that at some point the emoticons have changed. So for example what was initially (I assume), a now shows as a and what must have been originally a scared one like now shows as It makes some of those conversations look unintentionally sarcastic or aggressive!! It did make me smile. We had some issues with emoticons when we upgraded the forum. I have no idea though why they have changed like that! That's kind of weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 14, 2018 Author Share Posted February 14, 2018 (edited) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold From the blurb: "My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." In heaven, Susie Salmon can have whatever she wishes for - except what she most wants, which is to be back with the people she loved on earth. In the wake of her murder, Susie watches as her happy suburban family is torn apart by grief; as her friends grow up, fall in love, and do all the things she never had the chance to do herself. But as Susie will come to realize, even in death, life is not quite out of reach . . . I liked this. It took me a while to get into it because when I first picked it up I found I wasn't in the mood for such a heavy topic, and kept avoiding this in favour of other reads. However as I got into it I found it wasn't particularly dark or depressing, although it is sad in place. However, it's not just sad, but hopeful too. It's well written and very easy to read. I enjoyed the prose very much. It's unusual too, being written from the point of view of a ghost. There was one bit I wasn't keen on but it didn't spoil the novel for me and overall I was glad I read it. I found it quite refreshing to read a crime novel where the focus is not on the perpetrator but on the victim, and the ones left behind, which is kind of how it should be really. Edited February 14, 2018 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 Nice review! I'm glad you enjoyed this book. I liked it though I didn't love it. It was definitely a different sort of crime novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 15, 2018 Author Share Posted February 15, 2018 Thanks Gaia. Yes I think I feel the same. I liked it but didn't love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 (edited) The Witch Tree Symbol by Harriet Adams (writing as Carolyn Keene) Blurb: When a neighbor asks Nancy Drew to accompany her to an old uninhabited mansion, a new mystery opens up, and danger lurks on the second floor. Nancy finds a witch tree symbol that leads her to Pennsylvania Dutch country in pursuit of a cunning and ruthless thief. This was a nostalgia/curiosity read as I used to read loads of these when I was young, but I can't remember them at all. I picked this one as I remember particularly enjoying it and reading it on holiday in Greece (my first holiday abroad) when I was eleven. It was awful! I'm amazed I was able to read so many of these, though it certainly explains why I couldn't remember any of them! It's little more than a (rather ridiculous) plot told in very basic, functional language with no characterization. It's all told, not shown, there's a silly cliffhanger at the end of each chapter that immediately gets resolved on the following page and a massive infodump at the end. OK that's quite a harsh review and perhaps unfair. I did read it to the end (it only took a couple of hours), and I did find it quite unintentionally amusing (and interesting since I devoured so many of them as a child). I can kind of see the appeal it must have had for me. The language is quite simple and easy to read (I was always put off by over-flowery language at that age) and I guess it was those silly cliffhangers that I enjoyed and which kept me reading. They are what they are I suppose. At least they got me reading, and with this one I'd have learned a little bit about the Amish. I wonder if I'd find the famous five and secret seven books the same if I read them now too. Edited February 19, 2018 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Shame the book wasn't as good as you remembered. I guess that happens sometimes with favourites from our childhood . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 2 hours ago, Athena said: Shame the book wasn't as good as you remembered. I guess that happens sometimes with favourites from our childhood . I wasn't expecting it to be brilliant, but I was surprised at just how bad it was I'm almost tempted to try another one, perhaps by a different ghost writer, just to confirm that wasn't just an unlucky strike. But I'll probably only be disappointed again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 On 8.2.2018 at 2:18 PM, ~Andrea~ said: When I was going through my old threads to add the totals to each year, I noticed that at some point the emoticons have changed. So for example what was initially (I assume), a now shows as a and what must have been originally a scared one like now shows as It makes some of those conversations look unintentionally sarcastic or aggressive!! It did make me smile. That's hilarious It would make for a really odd reading of older threads!! I'm glad you like The Lovely Bones! Like you, I liked the unusual narrative and focus. As for the Nancy Drew book... I read a bunch of them when I was a kid, too. I reread a few favorites in my early twenties and it was semi painful But they make a great nostalgia trip. I would assume that the Enid Blyton books fair better in this respect: they ought to be still more enjoyable, at an older age, than the Nancy Drews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeleine Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 I used to love Nancy Drew, not sure what I'd think of them now though! Apparently a lot of writers wrote them using the name Carolyn Keene, so maybe some writers are better than others? Two of my favourites were The Haunted Showboat and The Mystery of the Dancing Puppet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 20 hours ago, frankie said: As for the Nancy Drew book... I read a bunch of them when I was a kid, too. I reread a few favorites in my early twenties and it was semi painful Yep, that sounds about right Quote I would assume that the Enid Blyton books fair better in this respect: they ought to be still more enjoyable, at an older age, than the Nancy Drews. Well I have some more nostalgia reads planned, so who knows, maybe I'll throw in some Enid Blyton too! 16 hours ago, Madeleine said: I used to love Nancy Drew, not sure what I'd think of them now though! Apparently a lot of writers wrote them using the name Carolyn Keene, so maybe some writers are better than others? Two of my favourites were The Haunted Showboat and The Mystery of the Dancing Puppet. Well that's what I wondered, so I'm slightly curious to try another writer, maybe the original writer, Midlred Wirt Benson. However I think I'll leave it a while. I'm not sure I can face another one too soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 21 hours ago, frankie said: I would assume that the Enid Blyton books fair better in this respect: they ought to be still more enjoyable, at an older age, than the Nancy Drews. I read a couple of Enid Blyton's books as as adult - having never read them when I was a child, and I liked them (though, I like a lot of books, so maybe that doesn't say a whole lot!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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