Ben Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Sounds like there's a few of interest there Kell, some good recommendations. Have you ever read Animal Farm? That was the novel that sprang to the front of my mind when I read your post, and although I've never read it, I will someday. I enjoyed 1984 and I've always wanted to explore some more of Orwell's work; Animal Farm seems to fit nicely in with your post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share Posted July 7, 2011 I adore Animal Farm. It's conspicuous by its absence from my list because it's so long since I read it (all these have been read or re-read in very recent years). I actually used Animal Farm for my Higher English study. I got an A for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I adore Animal Farm. It's conspicuous by its absence from my list because it's so long since I read it (all these have been read or re-read in very recent years). I actually used Animal Farm for my Higher English study. I got an A for it. Oooh well done. I've never read it, but it's been on the to-be-read pile for as long as I can remember; might be time to push it up the pile a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 TEASER TUESDAYS 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My teaser: Veronica Beatrice was her own name – one she had never answered to since, a strong-willed child like Harriet, she had informed her father that she was Sally, and refused to answer to anything else. But… married? Someone was claiming to be married to her? - page 7, The Tiger in the Well by Philip Pullman The blurb from the back of the book: Sally is 25, and somebody wants to destroy her. She receives divorce papers from a man she has never met, let alone married – yet this trap is so well laid that she is powerless to prove otherwise. When custody of her precious daughter is awarded to this evil stranger, it is the beginning of a terrifying struggle in which Sally will have to fight, with a gun if necessary, for the freedom of her family. The third instalment of the quartet What I think of it so far: Once again, I’m half way through a book when I get to Teaser Tuesday. This third installment is the best so far, but also the most harrowing to read – Harriet (Sally’s daughter) is of a similar age to my son, and someone is trying to take her away from her mother, so it’s a terrifying thought for a mother reading this book! I actually had nightmares last night because of it. However, it’s not deterred me from continuing with the novel. It also focuses on subjects of socialism, equality of the sexes (or lack thereof) and persecution of minorities and immigrants, so it’s got some very serious issues thrown in there, making this a very interesting read! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 I loved this instalment too after the poorer second one but the brilliant first it was good to be back on track again. I too was amazed at the inequality of the sexes and poor social conditions of the time. Loved it. I thought of you Kell when I read a book recently The Museums Secret - Henry Chancellor have you read it? Its part of a trilogy although this is the only one I have read, I picked it up in the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxofrd at the weekend and thought you might like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladymacbeth Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Right, I can see I'm going to have to read the Sally Lockhart series. Great Teaser Tuesday Kell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Right, I can see I'm going to have to read the Sally Lockhart series. Great Teaser Tuesday Kell. This ^ was exactly my response when I read the teaser! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 W... W... W... Wednesdays * What are you currently reading? * What did you recently finish reading? * What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading? Philip Pullman – The Tiger in the Well (Sally Lockhart 3) I’m half way through this third installment and it is the best so far, but also the most harrowing to read – Harriet (Sally’s daughter) is of a similar age to my son, and someone is trying to take her away from her mother, so it’s a terrifying thought for a mother reading this book! I actually had nightmares last night because of it. However, it’s not deterred me from continuing with the novel. It also focuses on subjects of socialism, equality of the sexes (or lack thereof) and persecution of minorities and immigrants, so it’s got some very serious issues thrown in there, making this a very interesting read! Stephenie Meyer – Midnight Sun I haven’t got any further with this one yet, but I will… What did you recently finish reading? Barbara Ewing – The Mesmerist I picked this one up for £1 (I’m a sucker for a bargain!) and loved the cover, so it found its way into the shopping trolley. Well, can you blame me? I figured it would bridge the gap till I could get to the library again and get the next in the several series I’m currently reading. It started quite slowly then picked up a little Philip Pullman – The Tiger in the Well (Sally Lockhart 3) This series just keeps getting better and better! In the earlier books, we’ve touched on political activism, freedom of speech and slavery; this time it’s the French Revolution! Cat Royal is really growing and improving over the course of the series and I have high hopes for the rest of them! What do you think you’ll read next? James Long – Ferney Another £1 bargain! I read about this one on someone else’s blog some time ago (I believe it was a Teaser Tuesday post) and it grabbed my attention, so when I saw it on the shelf for a quid, I grabbed it quickly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Stephenie Meyer – Midnight Sun Is this a new Twilight-book? I thought they were finished after Breaking Dawn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Midnight Sun was a book Stephenie Meyer started writing, it's basically Twilight from Edwards viewpoint, it got leaked onto the internet so she stopped writing it, obviously upset, she has now put what there is on her own website and has always said she will finish it one day, but I think that as time goes go it is getting less and less likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Ah, I've heard about that. If it's (probably)not going to be published then it's quite a waste of a beautiful cover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 It's just one of many gorgeous covers I found while searching for one - this was simply my favourite. I suspect they were all created by fans, not publishers, but they're great all the same. Just do a search for "Midnight Sun Book Cover" and you'll see how many great covers there are for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY There are so many crappy biographies … would you rather read a poorly written biography of a fascinating life, OR an exquisitely well-written, wonderful read of one of a not-so-interesting life? A short answer for me - I can’t have one without the other, really. A book has to be at least marginally well-written or I have difficulty letting myself enjoy it – the reason being I can’t get into the story that’s being told if it’s not being told well. I’ve read some averagely-written auto/biographies and been able to get on with them because the life was interesting (Cybill Disobedience by Cybill Shepherd springs to mind here – average writing, but a rip-roaring read!) and I found it interesting and enjoyable. I’m not likely to read about someone unless I find them interesting in the first place and I have read some first class auto/biographies as a result. Two absolutely awesome autobiographies (well, three really) that blew me away with just how inspiring people can be, were Lucky Man by Michael J Fox, and Still Me and Nothing Is Impossible by Christopher Reeve. An example of an autobiography that was well written and about an interesting person, yet still a dull and plodding read is Lord of Misrule by Christopher Lee. A shame, because I really like him a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Butter Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Thoroughly agree with all that, Kell. Unless I'm interested in the subject, I wouldn't dream of reading a biography, however well I may have heard it's written. Conversely, if the book's turgid (and I've read too many of those in my time!) then I'll struggle to get through it, even if I'm attracted to the subject. I also tend to avoid "popular culture" biographies - usually, in my case, sports personalities - 'cos I expect the writing to be shallow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 TEASER TUESDAYS 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My teaser: I write in the naked pages of this diary so that the truth will be known and my fate will not be left to the rumours and lies already whispering through the streets of Sevilla. Many, I am sure, will try to turn my life into a morality play after I am dead, but no man’s life is so easily understood or dismissed. - page 1, The Lost Diary of Don Juan by Douglas Carlton Abrams Synopsis: An editor receives a manuscript purporting to be the lost diary of history’s greatest lover, Don Juan. An orphan left on the steps of a convent, Don Juan grew up within the church but his ambitions towards the priesthood fell to the wayside when he was seduced by a young nun. Evicted from the convent, he was taken under the wing of the libertine Don Pedro, the Marquis of Mota, who coached him in skills both courtly and amorous and then employed him as a spy at court. So began a life devoted to giving and receiving pleasure. But Abrams’ Don Juan is no playboy; instead Don Juan’s mastery of the arts of passion liberates the women he beds. Through his connections with Don Pedro, he is made an ‘hidalgo’, an honorary nobleman, and is therefore protected from the wrath of the Inquisition by the King, but his position is precarious. Then Don Juan embarks on the most perilous adventure of all – he falls in love, and finds that not only his reputation but also his life is in danger. What I think of it so far: This is another £1 bargain from the pound shop – double the bargain because it’s a hardback book! I picked it up simply because I thought the cover looked elegant and I’m pleased to report that the writing reflects that elegance. It has a little titillation, but nothing graphic or sordid, and it’s rather a joy to read. I’m almost half way through and am enjoying it immensely. I chose to share the opening paragraph of the story, as told by Don Juan himself, as it serves as such an eloquent introduction to the famous (or infamous) seducer of women… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 W... W... W... Wednesdays * What are you currently reading? * What did you recently finish reading? * What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading? Douglas Carlton Abrams – The Lost Diary of Don Juan See yesterday’s Teaser Tuesday for a taste of this novel. Stephenie Meyer – Midnight Sun I haven’t got any further with this one yet, but I will… it could be some time! What did you recently finish reading? Philip Pullman – The Tiger in the Well (Sally Lockhart 3) This third installment and it is the best so far, but also the most harrowing to read – Harriet (Sally’s daughter) is of a similar age to my son, and someone is trying to take her away from her mother, so it’s a terrifying thought for a mother reading this book! I actually had nightmares because of it. However, it did not deter me from continuing with the novel. It also focuses on subjects of socialism, equality of the sexes (or lack thereof) and persecution of minorities and immigrants, so it’s got some very serious issues thrown in there, making this a very interesting read! Cody Young – American Smile I received this novel for review through Book Club Forum. Read the full review HERE. What do you think you’ll read next? James Long – Ferney I didn’t get a chance to start this book this week, but it really is the next one up this time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY What’s the first book that you ever read more than once? (I’m assuming there’s at least one.) What book have you read the most times? And–how many? There are literally countless books I’ve read more than once. I used to reread all my books when I was a kid, so all my Judy Blume books, the entire Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton, and such classics as The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo and Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren, were read so often my paperback copies became quite dog-eared, even though I’ve always been hyper-careful with my books. Moving on to my teen years, I became a HUGE horror fan, so lots of Dean Koontz, Richard Laymon and Stephen King. The two that were most often read were Lightning by Dean Koontz (which I consider to be more sci-fi than horror), and Stephen King’s “magnificent octopus” (see Blackadder the Third’s episode Ink and Incapability if you don’t get this one), The Stand which I still read at least once every few years as I love it so much. I’ve also re-read all of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Anyway, short answers to the questions: The first book I can recall reading multiple times is Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren. I still adore this book now. The book I’ve re-read most often remains The Stand by Stephen King. I have read it at least a dozen times from cover to cover. And we’re talking about the unabridged Complete and Uncut Edition which, in my hardback edition, comes to over 1000 pages. It’s my third copy as I wore out two others. To be honest, the number of re-reads of this book is probably closer to two dozen. Bearing in mind that I am only in my mid-thirties and first read it when I was about 14-years-old, that averages at once a year. I’ve not read it in a couple of years (it’s definitely due another re-read soon!), but in the early years I got through it two or three times in a year. I always find something new and never get bored with it. Actually, it’s like visiting old friends – I’m particularly fond of Stu and Frannie, although Nick, Tom and Larry are all very close behind! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 TEASER TUESDAYS 1. Grab your current read 2. Open to a random page 3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My teaser: At the moment when she should have been centred on the small compass of their own unity, she was seized by an overpowering, bewildering and wonderful feeling that the whole of her surroundings had reached in and drawn the envelope of her body outward so that she encompassed the trees, the stream, the walls and all the diffuse green life that made up the old farm. It was a wild, pagan moment and she felt the accelerating stirrings of their movement she looked up and seemed to see straight through the caravan wall to the house front beyond where a phalanx of unknown friends were silently cheering. - pages 58-59, Ferney by James Long Synopsis: When Mike and Gally move to a new cottage in Somerset, it’s to make a new start. But the relationship comes under strain when Gally forms an increasingly close attachment to an old countryman, Ferney, who seems to know everything about her. What is it that draws them together? Reluctantly at first, then with more urgency as he feels time slipping away, Ferney compels Gally to understand their connection – and to face an inexplicable truth about their shared past. Ferney is condemned to be reincarnated through the ages but occasionally he is allowed to meet with the woman he loves. Ferney reminds Gally of her promise – made when they were last together – that they would try to die together. What I think of it so far: The £1 bargains are turning out to be wonderful lately! This one is really intriguing me. The writing is compelling and the characters warm. It’s also rather eerie as the relationship between Gally and Ferney grows… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I'm waiting Impatiently for the sequel - it was supposed to be released ages ago, but apparently he's got writer's block! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 I'm waiting Impatiently for the sequel - it was supposed to be released ages ago, but apparently he's got writer's block! It was published last year. See HERE. Apparently unavailable on Amazon at the moment, but hopefully you should be able to order it from the library or from a bookshop near you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Thanks, Kell. Sadly it wasn't published (despite Amazon saying Sep 2010 - that's when it was meant to be out) - I'm signed up to be notified. There is a long thread of people waiting here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 (edited) Ferney sounds really good! I'm adding it to my wishlist right now. Hey! No fair. Why does the UK and everyone else always get the best looking covers? Maybe I should write a letter to...someone and express my contempt. Edited July 26, 2011 by nursenblack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 W... W... W... Wednesdays * What are you currently reading? * What did you recently finish reading? * What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading? James Long – Ferney See yesterday’s Teaser Tuesday for a snippet of this excellent novel. What did you recently finish reading? Douglas Carlton Abrams – The Lost Diary of Don Juan This was another £1 bargain from the pound shop – double the bargain because it’s a hardback book! I picked it up simply because I thought the cover looked elegant and I’m pleased to report that the writing reflects that elegance. It has a little titillation, but nothing graphic or sordid, and it’s rather a joy to read. What do you think you’ll read next? I’m heading to the library tomorrow and hope to pick up the fourth books in the Sally Lockhart (The Tin Princess by Philip Pullman) and Cat Royal (Cat O’ Nine Tails by Julia Golding) series. If they’re there, one of those will be my next book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 (edited) 'Ferney' sounds interesting Kell, thanks for your thoughts and good buys too! I have a copy of 'Ferney' (which I looked out when you mentioned you had bought it ) Edited July 27, 2011 by Kell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Paula - I think you'll really enjoy it! I'm loving it - it's warm and comforting, but strangely eerie and slightly claustrophobic too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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