Just finished - just started Showing 5,251-5,300 of 13,832

[Kath]

I've just finished a little book by a ten year old (with the help of her grandfather) L.A.W. Investigations Rhyming Pierre and the Pirates Gold. Nice to see a children's story written by a child. It's well done and shows a huge amount of potential for the future.

[Tim]

Elle wrote: "See Tim I like none of the stuff it's based on either. I must try it then if you don't need like those classics~"

Some familiarity is desirable - knowing who Miss Haversham is, for example, or Heathcliff. But actual liking is not required. And of course it does contain spoilers for Jane Ayre.

[Robert]

Finished Scaramouche, which was a fun read and continuing with Sabatini now with The Sea Hawk.

[Lexie]

I love them, I'm afraid! And Dickens too (though not Bronte so much). Apparently he's a very entertaining speaker, too (Fforde, not Dickens, who's a bit past it).

[Stuart]

Just finished The Old Curiosity Shop- here is my review - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Michael]

I've just finished The Spirit of A Witch which I enjoyed more than I expected to:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

I'm now onto House of Mirrors

[Jud]

I finished The Third Rule - Part Two: Running Scared and started straight into The Third Rule - Part Three: Sacrifices. Definitely worth a read if you haven't already and now you can get all 3 parts in 1 book too.

[Jud]

I finished The Third Rule - Part Three: Sacrifices which was awesome and started The Quiche of Death which I was pleasantly surprised at, I thought it would be a Miss Marple type book but Agatha Raisin is a funny wee lady. Well I finished The Quiche of Death too and started Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet because I have the omnibus which has the first 4 Agatha Raisin books in the series

[Kath]

I read 3 Agatha Raisins on the trot - and by then I wanted to die! They were all essentially the same.

[Jud]

Oh dear, maybe I'll read the next story and read something else before starting the next one

[Kath]

Just finished The Liar and Other Stories by Matthew McFarland. If you enjoy short stories which are just a little different - but not hard to understand! - this is the book for you.

http://ignitebooks.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Jim]

Ignite wrote: "I read 3 Agatha Raisins on the trot - and by then I wanted to die! They were all essentially the same."

I find I cannot read too many Agatha Christie books at once. A couple, then leave it a year or six :-)

[[deleted user]]

I found that when I read too many Agatha Christie books I started to guess who the murderer was!

I've never read the Eyre Affair but it sounds like something that I would enjoy. I'm also another Cadfael fan - hope the bring them out in kindle format soon, it's so long since I read them that I want to re-read them, only have vague memories of the stories now so would enjoy the twists and turns all over again. I also like the way that Ellis Peters brings that time in history alive.

[Stuart]

Just started

Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series

[Marc]

just finished

and reviewed for Goodreads. Not one of his best I'm afraid.

Not sure what to read next

[Elle]

I have the omnibus as well Jud. I think it was in the sale.

i'm currently reading Life, the Universe and Everything.

i would say i'd finish it tonight but ive done something to my shoulder so sitting down and reading at a long stretch is quite uncomfortable

[Elle]

Now that is just creepy Jud that we were just talking about her...

[Kath]

been a while since i updated here (oops) i am working my way through a series i recently found
read The Illegal Gardener and Black Butterflies and now reading The Explosive Nature of Friendship

lovely books good stories depicting the lives of people living in a greek village and how they learn and grow and interact. each book, so far, has different people as main characters and some of the events are shown from different characters' perspectives in the different books as additions to their own stories. (hope that makes sense)

[Joo]

I finished for the KUF bookclub (but I think I'm the only one who probably has as I'm now organising it and keep forgetting reminders etc.
It was good once I got used to the tempo of it.

Now I've just started . Lots of people recommend it, so I'll see how it goes.

[Michael]

I've just finished House of Mirrors, which is a good ghost story, although I feel it could have been better (still a good read though).

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

I'm now onto DARK COUNTY

[Roger]

Joo The Grand Inquisitor wrote: "I finished for the KUF bookclub (but I think I'm the only one who probably has as I'm now organising it and keep forgetting reminders etc.
It was good once ..."

Joo

I read JET a couple of months ago and enjoyed it. I was thinking of picking up the sequels.

[Nigel]

Mulliner Nights

Here’s a book that glitters. It sparkles with humour and the quality of writing and the pure pleasure that comes across in the telling of this collection of tales.
Mulliner hangs about in The Angler’s Rest chewing the fat, only there is no fat in the book, rather it’s all lean meat.
Whatever the subject, Mulliner can relate a tale of one of his relatives who has experienced something similar.
There are common threads that possibly relate to the gene pool: the wooing of a ladies, sturdy butlers, gentry, a slightly dizzying ineptitude, swirling messes and genius solutions.
As the blurb says, there are a range of subjects covered. Each of them seems rather implausible, but as soon as the tales begin they live and breathe like the best of them.
Reading these stories is as close to pure joy as you’ll find in a book.
The humour drips from the situations and the characters so that I doubt there are many who could read them with a straight face or, indeed, without blurting out the odd titter. Wodehouse can bring a smile simply through his choice of a name.
The sharp wit and repartee is ever present.
The simile is raised to the level of art.
What is particularly pleasing is the way it feels like the author could sit at a typewriter all day, day after day, and produce page after page of the most perfect prose as easily as he might breathe or eat strawberries.
If there are faults in this one, I can’t find them and I don’t really care. Spot them and please don’t bother to point them out to this reviewer as I would rather keep the memory of pure pleasure with me for as long as I can.
Chapter 8. Strychnine In The Soup.

[Karen]

...so you liked it then :)

[Gingerlily - The Full Wild]

I love the Mulliner stories as well. They are so clever and witty. And all the rest that Nigel said so beautifully.

[Gareth]

Just making my way through the complete works of Lovecraft, H.P.on my Kindle atm. Have to say - the guy knew how to build up a sense of tension, but it's a hell of a slog to get through; the man was prolific!

[Jim]

Gareth wrote: "Just making my way through the complete works of Lovecraft, H.P.on my Kindle atm. Have to say - the guy knew how to build up a sense of tension, but it's a hell of a slog to get through; the man wa..."

Yes, he's well worth reading from the tension point of view alone. His pacing is excellent, not too fast, not too slow :-)

[Elle]

Gareth wrote: "Just making my way through the complete works of Lovecraft, H.P.on my Kindle atm. Have to say - the guy knew how to build up a sense of tension, but it's a hell of a slog to get through; the man wa..."

I like how Lovecraft uses language but I am not really a huge fan of his plots overall.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Gareth wrote: "Just making my way through the complete works of Lovecraft, H.P.on my Kindle atm. Have to say - the guy knew how to build up a sense of tension, but it's a hell of a slog to get through; the man wa..."

I'm not a Lovecraft fan, and do find that its better to break them up.

[Patti (baconater)]

I'm on the last 11% of Andy Barrett's wonderful and epic Third Rule. I really wanna finish it but I don't want it to end!

Also, my body clock is so messed up at the moment, I bet I fall asleep reading it.

Oh well. Will be a good excuse to reread a chapter, if necessary.

*snuggles down to read*

[Jud]

I finished The Expats which was good but sometimes a bit confusing, I don't know whether she actually fell off a cliff while skiing or if she imagined it happening. Have started Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure

[Jim]

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: " I'm not a Lovecraft fan, and do find that its better to break them up. ..."

One thing that struck me is that Lovecraft is not as 'horrifying' as he was when he first wrote. Indeed some of his stuff is more SF than horror
I think that some of this is that he set a new standard that others have built on, and also perhaps that his ideas no longer seem so blasphemous

[Jamie]

Hi all. I've just kicked of reading After the Fall by Charity Norman. Not really my usual bag but it's set primarily in New Zealand. I've been, so I thought I'd give it a go. A family move there from the UK because Kit loses his job. He's a bit of a booze hound too.
The author doesn't describe New Zealand in an obvious way, but if you've been the sense of space conveyed come across well. TThe descriptions of the daughter - Sacha - and her drug problems are also well done.

[Debbie]

I've just finished The Bird That Nobody Sees, which is book two of the FRUGALITY trilogy by Stuart Ayris.

I've also just started I Woke Up This Morning, which is book three of the same.

I think this possibly says how awesome it is. I absolutely recommend the trilogy. Stuart does an incredible job of exploring issues around mental health and illness, and is an extraordinarily talented author.

[Kath]

He's also an all-round nice bloke! :-)

[Debbie]

Indeed he is! I'm actually completely in awe of him at the moment.

[David]

Debbie wrote: "Indeed he is! I'm actually completely in awe of him at the moment."

Debbie, I'm 80% through The Bird That Nobody Sees having come straight off Tollesbury Time Forever then I'll go straight onto I Woke Up This Morning (FRUGALITY: Book 3 Superb and I too am in awe of Mr Ayris.

[Debbie]

I did that too! I have to say I thought book 2 was the best of the first two - I genuinely can't believe how brilliant his writing is. I've seen how quickly he hammers out those words (via Facebook status updates) and it's...insane, if you'll pardon the possibly very bad pun!

[Stuart]

Cheers fine people. You are all wonderful! Now where's that whisky - I've some words to hammer out!

[Debbie]

Et tu.

[Gareth]

Stuart wrote: "Cheers fine people. You are all wonderful! Now where's that whisky - I've some words to hammer out!"

If you're pouring out a single-malt, make mine a double, haha...

[Stuart]

Single malt? Closer to golden bleach to be honest!

[Debbie]

Some of that lovely cheap Canadian rye I used to have to buy every day for a woman I cared for. My goodness me, that was rough stuff!

[Stuart]

it's all fuel! (or possibly should be!)

[Stuart]

Anyway - back on track for this thread (wouldn't want to upset the moderators!)I'm loving Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. Having watched an incredible ten hour documentary on the history of baseball since last I read this book - as well as having watched both series of Boardwalk Empire - I appreciate it even more!

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Jim wrote: "Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: " I'm not a Lovecraft fan, and do find that its better to break them up. ..."

One thing that struck me is that Lovecraft is not as 'horrifying' as he was when he first..."

I fully agree he's more SF than horror

[Jim]

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "I fully agree he's more SF than horror ..."

There was one when the horror aspect did get to me, not sure which one now, might have been the witch house (I genuinely cannot remember)
But from a writer's perspective his work is a master class on pacing and tension. But it might be that 'little and often' is the best way to read him :-)

[Patti (baconater)]

Stuart wrote: "Anyway - back on track for this thread (wouldn't want to upset the moderators!)I'm loving Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. Having watched an incredible ten hour documentary o..."

Upset the moderator, you mean. ;)

But Simon is here in spirit. Cheap and nasty spirit.

[Patti (baconater)]

Debbie wrote: "Some of that lovely cheap Canadian rye I used to have to buy every day for a woman I cared for. My goodness me, that was rough stuff!"

OIY. Careful. We Canadians may be cheap but we are never rough. ;)

[Lance]

I finished rereading The Ipcress File after many years. It's often considered a classic of the spy-thriller genre and made Len Deighton what he is today. But experiencing its wandering plot and uneven pacing today is much like taking a disappointing trip in a time capsule.

Read the full review at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....

Now starting Chasing Aphrodite: The Hunt for Looted Antiquities at the World's Richest Museum .

[Michael]

I've just finished DARK COUNTY, which is an excellent collection of horror short stories:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

I've also finished Backup, which is another quality story from David's Auto series.

I'm now onto Terminus X, which is off to a fun start.