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[[deleted user]]

I haven't updated here for a while. I've had several books on the go at once, which can be hard to keep track of! I've also read some rubbish that I haven't bothered to add here. Got fed up with rubbish so have now read some good stuff.

Polly: Edwardian Candlelight 1, an historical romance, very funny - I loved the heroine's cockney family.

I've now just finished Sibel Hodge's children's novel - It's a Catastrophe, which I also enjoyed. Plenty of humour and suspence.

Now I've just started Mistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland.

:0)

[Patti (baconater)]

Keith wrote: "I found it impossible to get into the "Game of Thrones". Do you think it is it after the style of "Lord of the Rings" and is it possible to wind a conspiracy around it. What I mean is like the rise..."

All I know is that I'm not getting on with it.

I've even tried approaching it as a 'well there must be something good'

Boring intros. Laboured dialogue. I don't give a shit about any of the many characters,

Who invested in the hype for this piece of literarily vomit?

[Keith]

Plucky Persimmon expressed difficulty with "Game of Thrones" Whilst "literary vomit" is somewhat perjorative I do agree with the sentiment.

[Aoibhínn]

I've finished reading by Sophie Kinsella yesterday. The first half of the book was quite good but I got a bit bored with it during the second half. The book was well-written and it had a lot of extremely funny scenes in it. However, the plot was very predictable. I made a guess when I was at 5% of the way in about how this book would end and I figured it out exactly! The author is not very good at adding "twists and turns" into her plots, which is the main reason I haven't picked up a book by this author for ten years. I thought the author would have learned something in all that time but apparently not!
My full review is here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...


Now I'm a few chapters into by Christopher Moore.

[Jud]

I loved the Game of Thrones series. :o)

[Tim]

I think the TV show made the books more accessible. The Roy Dotrice audiobook versions are also extremely well done.

[Philip (sarah)]

Read The Christmas Shoppe which I can recommend to anyone needing a wee injection of true christmas spirit.
Also enjoyed Winter Warmers some excellent short stories though a rather long extract of her next book was included at the end!
Started 2 different parodies of my beloved Christmas Carol one of which had me in stitches initially but the novelty quickly wore off!I will return to them another day.

[Keith]

just started Not Dead Yet

[[deleted user]]

I finished and enjoyed Mistletoe in Manhattan, now I'm well into reading The House At Riverton and it's excellent! It's so well written. Looking at the reviews, some have been disappointed with it because they didn't find it as good as The Forgotten Garden - so I'm glad that I am reading Riverton first!

:0)

[Philip (sarah)]

Finished A Christmas Carol RetoldWhich I read in short bursts as the humour was unrelenting and although it had me literally laughing out loud at times I found after a few pagesI was just so satiated it washed over me.
I am also reading A Christmas Cameronwhich is also a retelling of Christmas Carol but this time with a political slant.

[Shaun]

Finished The Penal Colony.

[Marc]

Philip (sarah) wrote: "Finished A Christmas Carol RetoldWhich I read in short bursts as the humour was unrelenting and although it had me literally laughing out loud at times I found after a few pagesI was just so satiat..."

Christmas Cameron sounds intriguing? How is the politics done?

[Philip (sarah)]

Cameron is made to face up to the failings of his governance by the appearance of the ghosts Marc.He also has a frail Mrs Thatcher staying at no.10 with him!
I believe the author to be a public sector worker who experienced the impact of current strategy first hand.

[Karen]

Shaun wrote: "Finished The Penal Colony."

Good, wasn't it. Just read your review Shaun - spot on.

Am still reading The Man from Beijing - it's the same translator as with previous Mankell novels but this one I feel is a little 'clunky'. And so far have found quite a few formatting errors, which is annoying. Is it me being picky?

[[deleted user]]

I've just finished reading The House At Riverton, it was such a good book, I thought that I had worked out the ending but it was completely different to how I thought it would be, and the final twist at the end nearly made me cry! Bit of an emotional roller coaster, need some light relief after that!

[Marc]

Philip (sarah) wrote: "Cameron is made to face up to the failings of his governance by the appearance of the ghosts Marc.He also has a frail Mrs Thatcher staying at no.10 with him!
I believe the author to be a public sec..."

wow thanks. it does sound intriguing! :-)

[Shaun]

Karen wrote: "Shaun wrote: "Finished The Penal Colony."

Good, wasn't it. Just read your review Shaun - spot on..."

Yes it was easy reading and I enjoyed it.

[[deleted user]]

I've decided on my next read! The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared

[Jonathan]

I hope you didn't pay more than 19p for that book, Karen ;)

[[deleted user]]

Gah - I spent a whole 20p on it!!!

;0)

[Joo]

I'm reading a Gemma Halliday High Heels mystery. I'm not sure which one as I got a 4 pack for about 77p or 99p.
I really like her books as they are (American) chick lit as described on the tin. A little bit of a mystery, a lot of airheadness, and a very easy read.

[Lorraine]

Finished Tooth and Claw: A Mystery and started Bones of Betrayal.

[Keith]

I invested 20p in the hundred year old man. Is it that bad hope? to goodness I haven't wasted my money! will provide full report. Have got a lot of books on the stocks at the moment though.

[Patti (baconater)]

Good morning Keith!

I grabbed it too. Won't be able to download it til I find some wifi, though.

I shoulda brought my KK instead of my baby.

Oh well, I'll just keep plugging away at Game of Thrones. Can't say it's gripped me yet...

[Vic]

Philip (sarah) wrote: "Finished Living In The Real Cyprusand really did enjoy it. Very informative and well written it transported me from a dull car journey in pouring rain to a beautiful island in the Med."

Sorry, Sarah, just seen this. I was in USA when you wrote it. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Philip (sarah)]

The pleasure was all mine Vic!
Finished A Christmas Cameron and I loved it. Todays social injustices are portrayed to David Cameron by the three ghosts and a young girl named Samantha. The author is a Dickens scholar and also a public sector worker who writes from personal experience.If I had one christmas wish it would be that I could gift it to our PM on the 25th.
I also read A Letter for Maureen which was terrific.I saw another side to our feckless heroine and admit to having a lump in my throat as the book finished.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

I've finished Crime.at Cardwell Ranch, which wad an ok read. Now reading Ethics by Roy La Couer, not sure about it

[Jud]

I finished Winter in Madrid, I really enjoyed it but quite a depressing feel to it. Also read Intimate Cowboy. Can't decide what to read next

[Elle]

last night I read:

The Scent Of Freedom
Friend Request
The Sci Fi Freak's Guide To The Televisual Galaxy
The Wheel of Justice

[Kath]

Just read Jonathan' Hill's A Letter for Maureen. Very funny but with some deeper overtones, particularly at the end.

[Jud]

I decided on The Ice Marathon cause it's quite short and think I have settled on Dance Of The Goblins for after

[Mark]

Karen wrote: "Shaun wrote: "Finished The Penal Colony."

Good, wasn't it. Just read your review Shaun - spot on.


This one's going in my TBR...

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Just started Crime in the Community

[Jud]

I'm addicted to Ice Marathon. Reading it in work :o)

[Kath]

just finished not a bad read - mind it's a bit pricey and there are better things out there on a par with this but way cheaper.

continuing on with the Daisy Dalrymple series and a few easy reads for work - not sure what main book to start next.

[[deleted user]]

I'm reading Daisy Dalrymple at the mo, too. I've nearly finished the last story in the omnibus edition - nice light reads.

:0)

[Aoibhínn]

I've finished by Christopher Moore earlier today. The plot was quite thin but there were tons of funny scenes that made me giggle and snicker (it wasn't funny enough to make me laugh out loud). However I got bored with this book pretty quickly. The humour was just so repetitive that it started to get on my nerves after a while and the jokes just stopped being funny. I didn't like the second half of the book as it just got too far-fetched and stupid. I really struggled to finish it.
My full review is here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...


Now I'm a couple of chapters into by Diane Chamberlain.

[Janey]

I'm currently reading and really enjoying it so far. I know a lot of people on here have read it already.

[Jud]

Oh! All 3 are fab Janey! You won't regret it :o)

[Philip (sarah)]

Read a few christmas shorts:
Bruno and le Pere Noel: A Christmas Short Story was okay.
Edie Kiglatuk's Christmas by M.J.McGrath. Good but finished at 36%.
Zombie Claus by William Petrucelli. Didn't like.
A Family For Christmas by John Thompson. Despite a few typos was a lovely warm feelgood story,a bit far fetched but easily forgiven at christmas.

[Patti (baconater)]

I'm still dipping in and out of a great many books. Can't seem to settle with one. I such a moooooooody cow.

At the moment, I'm halfway through Alone in Berlin, The Colour of Magic and Last Man in Tower.

I've also started Game of Thrones, The Jeeves Collection, The Dark by James Herbert, New Fire by ,I think, one of our authors and I'm also working my way through the Hitchhikers series.

Grief.

[Ian]

Just finished ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF IVAN DENISOVICH for about the fourteenth time, and have just started BLEAK HOUSE.

[Mark]

Just starting Rachel Abbott's Only the Innocent - a big indie hit a while back... a good opening. Anyone read it?

[Kath]

Karen (Kew) wrote: "I'm reading Daisy Dalrymple at the mo, too. I've nearly finished the last story in the omnibus edition - nice light reads.

:0)"

i like them to read just before going to sleep as they are quite fun and pretty light. and it helps that i can borrow them free from the library too :) wouldn't spend 4 quid odd on each as they are quite short.

[Marc]

Ian wrote: "Just finished ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF IVAN DENISOVICH for about the fourteenth time, and have just started BLEAK HOUSE."

wouldn't it have been easier for you if he'd written "A Fortnight in The Life Of..."?

[[deleted user]]

Kath wrote: "wouldn't spend 4 quid odd on each as they are quite short. "

That's my complaint too - both these and M C Beaton, they are not much longer than a novella. I tend to buy them when they are on sale.

I've just finished
Damsel in Distress which I did pay full price for but I wanted to see how Daisy's romance was progressing! Will wait for sales or amazon vouchers for the rest.

I'm reading several things at once too - sometimes I start something, which is good, but I'm just not in the mood for.

Not sure now whether to carry on reading The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared which I started the other day, Nicholas Nickleby for KUF's bookclub read or start something completely new again while I'm on a run of light detective stories - Gently Does It...

[Kath]

Gently is slightly harder work than Daisy. I don't know if it is the language - sometimes accents are phonetically spelled and I found them tough at the start, or if it is the language used in the time when they were written. Either way, once I "got it" they were easy reads.

[P.A.]

Just finished Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch; just started Time After Time by Marc Nash.

[Marc]

Paul wrote: "Just finished Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch; just started Time After Time by Marc Nash."

Yay, way to go Paul :-)

[Kath]

Mark wrote: "Just starting Rachel Abbott's Only the Innocent - a big indie hit a while back... a good opening. Anyone read it?"

Yes I've read it - I gave it a 5* review. I found it absorbing and unusual - and enjoyable of course!