Also this morning finished up Dogs I Have Met by Ken Foster, a writer who has rescued and found homes for many dogs, especially the 'bully breeds' that get such a bad rap. His writing is so clear and accessible, heartfelt without being overly dramatic or cutesy.

A friend introduced me to the M.C. Beaton mystery series, set in northern Scotland (Sutherland). The detective is Hamish MacBeth and is quite a unique character. There are some funny moments in the two I've devoured, thus far. I'm not a true mystery fan, but cannot resist Alexander McCall Smith, or Susan Hill or Ruth Rendell.

Next is "The Postmistress", which I have reserved.

Back to reading the Binchy book, "Whitethorn Woods". Binchy does a really good job of writing her characters to have realistic dialogue and thoughts. I know that her work has been a mix of good and bad, so am hoping this one is one of the better ones. The Binchy's I have read are "A Circle of Friends", "Evening Class", and something about a lake. She's not going to make me become very academic, but in terms of "just a good read", Binchy normally comes through for me.

Does anyone have a favorite Binchy to recommend? (Or, conversely, one to stay away from?)

I am reading Gone to Ground by John Harvey. It is one of his detective novels with the Will Grayson-Helen Walker team and is set in Cambridge, a city I was once able to visit. I do love English mysteries. I have seen Harvey compared to Ian Rankin; but his books are not as dark, in my opinion.

I wasn't too crazy about The Elegance of the Hedgehog. But several members of my book group really liked it.

I am now reading The Heart is a Lonley Hunter by Carson McCuller, it is turning into a very special read for me. This book was written when she was twenty three, so young for such a moving novel.

Next up is Let the Great World Spin for my other book group. I know absolutely nothing about it, but I'm hopeful :)

Siobhan, I read Tom's Midnight Garden a number of years ago and absolutely loved it. IMO it's a nearly perfect book.

I started The Elegance of the Hedgehog last winter and was intrigued, but then put it down and it never pulled me back to pick it up again. I may have to try again.

Am in middle of DEAD MAN'S FOLLY, by Agatha Christie. As usual she has me hooked -- entertaining and intriguing.

Yesterday MISS MAPP, by E.F. Benson came in the mail. (Only ordered it on my computer Aug. 30 ! They said it would arrive on Sept 10 !) I've put aside the A.Christie, and started Mapp. And I can't put it down. I spent about 4 hours reading it today, so far. It's really amazing how Benson can writie about such a petty, nasty creature, and make her so much fun to read about !! How does he do it?

I'm not a fan of M. Binchey. I really tried to read her novels, but after "Evening Class", decided this is not an author after my taste.

Also, my apologies to everyone, my email has been hit by a spammer. I guess that is what I get for using hotmail. Sorry, please delete and disregard any weird money-making emails you may receive from me.

Maeve Binchy's Circle of Friends is my favorite. Another that you might like is Heart and Soul. If you like Binchy, you might like Rosamunde Pilcher. Her Shell Seekers has been around forever, of course, but I also enjoyed September and Winter Solstice (her final one before retiring in 2000).

I just found that she also wrote under the name Jane Fraser in the 50's and 60's.

I am always hoping to find someone reading the same book as myself, now it has happened.

junek

I returned The Tower, The Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stewart to the library, having read only 50 pages or so. Seemed very contrived and derivative to me. It was advertised as being like The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie and Literary Club, which I loved. But it wasn't. Not for me. Having said that, I think others will enjoy the book. It seemed to involve an older couple's idiosyncratic reactions to the death of their eleven-year-old son (in such a situation, what reactions wouldn't be idiosyncratic?) Basically, I couldn't take it, I didn't like it. I alternated between extreme sympathy for anyone in their situation and just not liking the characters. I would be very interested in hearing other RPer's opinions.

I absolutely loved The Understudy and am going to save Nicholls's other works in order to maximize the enjoyment. What a great writer!

Muddled through Parrot and Olivier by Peter Carey. Beautifully written, of course, but just not that interesting.

I am enjoying The Future of Faith by Harvey Cox. This summer I have been very interested in reading about religion, faith, and what the future may hold.

Some of the content was hard to take but I loved how Lisbeth Salander and others took matters into their own hands. I feel like if they had curled up into a ball and been unable to go on or react, I would have had a harder time reading the book. I have a few reservations with some of the wrap up of the main mystery - just felt like I had read something similar before but the other subplots and the characters, especially the main ones, raise the novel up above the rest. Hope I'm making sense - trying not to give too much away!

I had to sit on my hands to keep from diving into the sequel right away but I had other books out from the library.

Just yesterday, I finished reading "Indemnity Only" by Sara Paretsky - the first in her V.I. Warshawski series. I did enjoy it, although I was a bit lost with respect to the mystery (lots of talk about insurance claims, unions), but it all came clear at the end. Private investigator V.I. Warshawski ("Vic" to her friends) is a great character and even though the book was written in 1979, it kept me interested and did not feel 'dated'. Like reading an old Raymond Chandler book, you don't expect them to whip out a cell phone. Fans of the Stephanie Plum series will enjoy this although "Vic" may be a bit harder edged and there is less comedic relief.

Also just finished reading actor Patrick Swayze's autobiography, which kept my interest. I went through a phase years ago of reading almost nothing but autobiographies and biographies. It could have been a bit more detailed I think, but maybe he wanted to keep some things private or maybe he knew he was living on borrowed time...

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skroot. Delves into the life of the woman who unknowingly "donated" the cells that became Hela cells. I remember learning about Hela cells in science class, but had never really given much thought to the person they originally came from. The book was very interesting, and brought up some throught-provoking questions. My rating: 4/5

Daughter of the Ganges by Asha Miro. A young girl is adopted from India, and later returns to her birth country as an adult to find out more about where she came from. Quite the culture shock, that's for sure. I really enjoyed this book, but wished the author had included more details: the book was very short, and she just sort of glosses things over instead of really describing them. My rating: 4/5.

Now, I'm currently reading Matterhorn: A novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes. Really, really good but very intense. I have to take frequent breaks from it or I almost get nervous reading it.

Some friends have gotten together and formed a book group in the past months. My favorites so far have been The Help, The Last Child by John Hart and The Lost Hours by Karen White.

Woodnymph...As for HT, I'm much happier when I stay away but sometimes I just can't help it. < s >

Your descriptions of the books you're reading -- the science, and the India, and the Viet Nam ones -- sound intriguing.

Re Vietnam War
I've been tempted once in awhile -- when I've seen it -- to buy "Going After Ciaccato" (Tim O'Brien). It's a novel that was very popular with critics and the reading public (here in the States) -- about a guy who goes looking for a fellow US Army private who'd wandered away from the War "to attend the Peace Talks in Paris -- on foot" ! It's supposed to be, by turns, darkly humorous and tragic. I wonder if anyone here has read it and what they thought of it.

Re the science book you post about
Why did scientists remove that woman's (cell tissue was it ?)? It sounds vaguely familiar.

Now on to something quite different Home to Roost by the Duchess of Devonshire . . . aka Deborah the youngest of the famous Mitford sisters.

I have just finished A Hovering of Vultures by Robert Barnard, a nice cosy little mystery. Barnard is always at his best when writing about academia and literature, and this is a wry little look at people who would profit from two little known dead authors.

I finished up the Maeve Binchy novel - a good bubblegum read - and am now reading a library book with a rather silly title of "The Magic Apple Tree: A Country Year" by Susan Hill. Despite the silliness of the title, it's actually a wonderful lyrical description of one year in the English country side in a small village in Oxfordshire during modern times. Hill writes in a very lyrical way and reminds me of Dylan Thomas - long breathless sentences that lead on from one small thought to another. Wonderful descriptions, although there are a lot of comma splices which I am learning to ignore...

It's compared to "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" except using words instead of pictures...

I have a lot of books about astronomy, most of them children's books from the library, as this is prime stargazing season here in Maine - not too cold at night, but finally dark enough (summer skies here are a problem that way) and the Milky Way has spread across the sky. Now that I live somewhere I can simply walk outside and actually see stars and even that nebula in Orion's belt, I have to catch up. I once knew a great deal about the constellations, etc., but I have forgotten.

Appropos of nothing literary, my two cats spent the entire night and most of the morning chasing a mouse which is hiding in the organ (it is not my organ). They have finally dropped from exhaustion and are curled up together on the sofa. Ah, the mighty hunters! I presume the mouse is still in the organ and the chase will resume -

Also trying to get up enough nerve to attend a writer's group this evening. I have never done this but I would love to see what it is about. I am trying to overcome my shyness.

I have writer's group tonight as well, but my mum is here in TX so want to spend some time with her. That, and I haven't actually been writing lately. :-)

Let us know how it goes...Go, Siobhan, GO. ;)

All in all, really fun and thanks for the encouragement!

And I'm reading The English Assassin by Daniel Silva

Siobhan - Hurray for you to go. I know it can be scary, but it can also be very motivating/encouraging if you have the right mix of people. I have attended two writing conferences (one about the actual writing, the other about the process of getting agents), and I learned a great deal (including the fact that my novel is not ready to go before agents)... Sigh. But anyway, do want to encourage you to look on-line for supportive writing groups and any conferences that might be near you. Some of the conferences are very affordable... And some aren't! :-)

And people who write poetry are out there. You just have to find them...

I am currently reading "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" by Rebecca Miller. It is about a woman who has married a man 30 years her senior and begins when they have just moved into a retirement village. She is in her 50s, he in her 80s. Although outwardly she seems calm it becomes apparent that subconsciously she is rebelling against her life. It is now going back in time to her childhood and wild youth.

I am about a third of the way through and have had many 'wow' moments with the writing (page 47 "Pippa could discern, flashing in and out like an image in an hologram, [her daughter's] former child selves. It was so lonely, knowing things about her children that they no longer remembered.") although it can be a bit much at times: at one point she writes Pippa was "dragged from a black sleep like a body from a river." and I thought 'geez, can't somebody just 'wake up'? But it is important to the story that you know she was in a DEEP sleep at that time so, what do I know? As an aside, I have read that Rebecca Miller is the daughter of playwright Arthur Miller.

Congrats, Siobhan, on attending the writer's group. I am painfully shy and have a hard time attending the first meeting/day of anything. Sounds like a very interesting group of people there.

Now I'd like to find a well-written spy thriller novel set in modern times. Any suggestions?

Oh! ... almost forgot.... over the holiday weekend, while getting over the end of a very bad cold, I finished the Delightful! "Miss Mapp." What fun that was! I'll definitely buy more of the books in the Mapp/Lucia series! By the way, are any of E.F. Benson's other (non-Mapp/Lucia) books good?

I'm still reading "Kabul Beauty School" for my book group. I'm not super impressed. Maybe I'm somewhat skeptical after the A Million Little Pieces debacle with James Frey (which I didn't read), but I find myself not really believing much of what the author says in this memoir. I also find her very narcissistic a la Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love. I have read some wonderful, insightful memoirs; this is not one, IMHO.

I just downloaded some free Kindle versions of the E.F. Benson books mentioned by several of you here at RP. I've also downloaded a sample of Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. A friend highly recommends this book. Has anyone read it? I didn't read The Corrections, his previous book.

Laura, I, too, was going to recommend the Daniel Silva books. He is very good. Not spy, but if you like mysteries and haven't read James Lee Burke, his Dave Robichaux series, set in south Louisiana, is good. He is a lyrical writer.

I also have Andrea Levy's The Long Song which has been shortlisted for the Booker. The shortlist is thankfully made up of shorter length books this year, compared to the bricks of 2009. Levy's is a merciful 310 pages.

I am very glad I got up the nerve to go to the writer's group. I am very shy, although most people who know me find that hard to believe. I hope I will be able to attend regularly. I have written a very short, short, rough story and have another in mind in addition to my verse so I will be able to contribute something. This is just what I need to give me the push to start putting things down on paper.

Have you read any writing-related books? The ones I would recommend are "Bird by Bird" by Annie Lamott and "On Writing" by Stephen King. Oh, and the Strunk and White too.

I've read King's book and found it excellent. I have recommended it to several people who don't like King and have no interest in writing and they have loved it. Some of the stories he tells in that book will stay with me forever. I have the Strunk and White somewhere, although it has been many, many years since I have opened it. I don't know the Lamott book, I will get it from the library.

There is a poetry workshop being held near here by the poet laureate of Maine, Betsy Sholl. I had heard about it, but the article gave the impression that one had to be invited to attend. I have found out that is not the case, but it is too late now. Maybe next year!

I finished The English Assassin by Daniel Silva and quite enjoyed it. Very entertaining, nice ending. Now I am reading Levy's Booker shortlist work - we'll see how that goes.

Siobhan, good luck with your writing projects! I haven't read the King book, but it's in my TBR pile somewhere and I've heard really good things about it.

I did read Lamott's Bird by Bird a while back, and though I generally enjoy her writing, I came away with the feeling that she truly believed a person had to have serious sobriety/mental health/family issues-with-a-capital-"I" in order to be a writer. I understand that was her experience, but that's certainly not true of all writers. It's been quite a while since I read it, but that's the only aspect of the book that stuck with me. She just came off as rather sad and negative, IMHO. If you read it, I'd be curious to know what you think of her.

I thought I should mention a book that I have in my TBR pile that many here might enjoy: Elizabeth George's book on writing "Write Away". I have not read it yet, but I read an excerpt and knew I had to purchase it. I, like many others here on RP, have loved her mystery series.

Also, I cannot remember if I saw it here first but here is a link to some writing tips Janet Fitch ("White Oleander")posted on her website that I thought were great.

Now back to Let the Great World Spin for my book group, which I'm finding well-written, but just not terribly engaging.

Last weekend, I had a bonanza of reading. DH was away and so I could read as much as I wanted to. Bliss. So I read the following:

* The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag - Alan Bradley. A new Flavia de Luce mystery which was just as good as the previous one. Still, a little heavy on the "crikey" phrase and the chemistry experiments, overall this was a very enjoyable book with a good mystery to boot.

* Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex - Mary Roach. One of the funniest science writers around today, I enjoyed this book about how scientists have been studying sex for the past century or so. Covers a lot of ground and she has a great sense of humor. I frequently laughed out loud at what she wrote.

* The Help - Kathryn Stockett. I think this has been out for a while, and I am rather late in reading this, but now I am, I am finding it very enjoyable. It's about a small community in Georgia during the 1960's and they handle (or not) the racism that is rampant at that time. She seems to have a good handle on dialects as it reads very believably at the moment.

* I Thought My Father was God - Paul Auster. A collection of true stories sent in by the listeners of the NPR's Weekend All Things Considered and collected/edited by Paul Auster. A good book to pick up and put down frequently as each story is complete in its own right. Very fun so far.

Plus I somehow ended up in Barnes and Noble for the afternoon yesterday and managed to buy a few books at the same time...

Now - I just have to read the books I have... Ha!

I'm currently reading a Georgette Heyer mystery (my first) about poison. I can't recall the exact title right now. I'm also reading lots of downloaded samples on my Kindle to see what I might read next.

I've just finished "The Flight of the Romanovs" (a family saga) which I found fascinating in the light of Russian history. Have now started Gerri Neilsen's true story of her medical crisis at the South Pole and how she was rescued.

I continue to explore my new adopted city. Yesterday, I discovered a wonderful independent bookstore which carries antiquarian, new, and used books. Lots of chairs made me feel welcome and I enjoyed browsing the many categories. This feels like discovering buried treasure to me, a bibliophile....

Mary I would love to find a new book shop in our local town . . . in fact I would be excited to find any book shop within ten miles of where we live. In this still rather backward and 'blue-collar' area a 'book' is what the rest of us call a magazine and reading is considered something idle females do instead of dusting, ironing or gardening. ;-)

I'm over halfway through The Rembrandt Affair and enjoying every minute.

Now going to read another Mary Roach book, this one called "Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void". I have really enjoyed her other books, so am expecting to enjoy this one. She has a great sense of humor and when she came to our town for a talk, we all had a good laugh. That event was what triggered me reading all her work - she did a good reading. (Unusual for authors who read their own work - in my limited experience, authors should *never* be allowed to read their own work as they tend to ruin it...) :-)

So Mars will be my NF book and I will see what will turn out to be my fiction choice... Aah. Choosing your next read -- one of the joys of reading for me.

I've just started Audrey Niffennegger's "Her Fearful Symmetry", with a setting near HighGate Cemetery. I am wondering if this will merely turn out to be a ghost story. Has anyone else here read this and liked it???

I had forgotten how enjoyable this author was, and how interesting Filth's story was... Most of the reviews on Amazon said to read the original book before the "Hat" book as they are complementary together. So that's what I am up to.

Looking forward to a quiet weekend of reading. And perhaps some chocolate might fall into my mouth at the same time. Along with some coffee. :-)

Freedom - Jonathan Franzen (highly recommended by a friend -- and now apparently chosen by Oprah!)
Kraken - China Mieville ("When a nine-meter-long dead squid is stolen, tank and all, from a London museum, curator Billy Harrow finds himself swept up in a world he didn't know existed: one of worshippers of the giant squid, animated golems, talking tattoos, and animal familiars on strike.")
Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman - Sam Wasson (Not my typical NF read, but this one actually captured my attention. I think I might buy it.)
Broken for You - Stephanie Kallos ("Though it takes a while to get started, this haunting and memorable debut is reminiscent of early Atwood, peopled by lovably imperfect and eccentric characters." - PW )

I find myself thinking about the various books and characters. If I'm curious enough to keep wondering about any particular one, I go back and read the sample again and then decide whether or not to buy it.

Any recommendations from any RPers who have read any of these?

I have been swamped with work so haven't had enough time to read, to my chagrin. I'll finish up "Cutting for Stone" today, I expect. It's a good story, I'd say.

I'm reading KRAKEN right now and have loved it since the get-go. If the sample doesn't reel you in, it may not be right for you.

And, since you're Sarah Canary, did you know Karen Joy Fowler has a new short story collection out this month? I've bought it, but haven't started it yet.

Other than KRAKEN, I'm reading Henry James's THE AMBASSADORS. By the time I finish it, I will probably have read the whole thing at least three times (some of these sentences truly make my brain hurt). I'm making the effort since the new Cynthia Ozick due in November is supposed to be a "negative image" to the James.

Roach's book is chapter after chapter of different aspects of space travel: how the astronauts are trained, what happens if you barf in your space helmet, the hazards of using the bathroom in a gravity-free environment (more difficult than you would think...)

Her sense of humor makes this such an interesting and easy book to read, along with the descriptions of some of the astronauts (one of whom was particularly grumpy and therefore rather funny)... Read this in just a few days, so obviously had difficulty putting it down and was sad to see it end.

Now I am waiting for her next one and I only have one more of her books to read. If you like to learn about things and are really irreverant about some of the sacred cows in our lives, then you will enjoy Mary Roach. Any of her books are good (at least so far).

She may be irreverant but she does her homework as can be seen from the bibilographies that accompany her work.

Tonight, I pick up Gardam's Man in Wooden Hat which was put to one side to concentrate on the space book. Apparently, old FILTH makes an appearance in her book of short stories called something about Priveledge Hill (or similar). Has anyone read this? I own it, but it's in the TBR pile and you know how that goes...

I went back to the Writer's Group last night and found the courage to read a very short piece which was well received. They were very kind to me on my first go. I had worked on another story for awhile and intended to read it, but then two hours beforehand I quickly scribbled something else that had been on my mind for some time. I think my story held up well enough in comparison with the other offerings. Interesting to discover what other people write about. No one asked about my motives - everyone else is either a professional writer of some sort or is trying to produce something to publish. Anyway, it was good fun with very nice and intelligent people. Next time I think I will break out my verse.

I'm so glad there are others here who enjoy the journals of May Sarton. I discovered her books 15 years ago.

June, Ian Rankin is super. My daughter and I met him once at a book signing in London. He said he had always wanted to visit Kentucky because of our bourbon. The books are best read in order.

I am presently reading I Capture the Castle since so many of you say it is among your all-time favorites. I found something in it that reminded me of an RP discussion, although I can't find the thread. It says: "When I read a book, I put in all the imagination I can, so that it is almost like writing the book as well as reading it--or rather, it is like living it. It makes reading so much more exciting, but I don't suppose many people try to do it." As I recall, several of us said we do read in that way.

What is it that you who love it actually love about it -- other than the opening line which is delicious?

annpan -- My husband and I have the same problem with movies and TV shows. It can be so frustrating. We record most things that we watch these days, and when we're watching the recorded show, we'll sometimes run the recording back several times to try to hear what a character has said ... then we just give up and move on. And turning up the volume doesn't seem to help!

Just finished "The Man in the Wooden Hat" by Jane Gardam, the sequel to "Old Filth". This one is focused more on Betty (called Elisabeth in this book) and her side of things. It was well done and I enjoyed the read, although it was (like Veer said) a bit disjointed in places. Still, if you liked Old Filth, then you will probably like this one.

And now, since I am on a roll, I will continue with the third book of Gardams' that mentions Filth (and perhaps Betty): "The People of Privilege Hill". This is a collection of short stories. Gardam seems to have a thing for memory and its role in people's lives... I wonder if this will continue...

And what did I find in the bookshop yesterday, but the newly released edition of America's Best Travel Writing for 2010... The introduction was *dreadful* so am hoping this is not indicative of the rest of the book...

I loved Dodie Smith's novel for its quirky, interesting characters, as well as the intriguing setting. I could picture it all so vividly in my mind. I don't think the film captured the unique ambiance of the book. There was a scene somewhere in the novel when the sisters are running about in borrowed fur coats. I recall when I first read that part, I laughed so hard that I nearly fell out of bed!

It's definitely a book that rewards a re-read. The writing is like poetry - every sentence is beautifully crafted, but there is no feeling of straining for effect. The plot is a little contrived - I still feel that one major part of it just came from nowhere, just for the shock effect - but overall, I think it's marvellous. Though I still don't agree with the judges, I think, on a second read, I'm happy to concede that they didn't actually get it wrong! I think it's a book I will return to.

I tell you what - it would be a good book for a discussion. We haven't had one of those for a while - would anyone be interested?

I enjoyed the book very much because it is typical Victorian novel in that it has several compelling simultaneous story lines peopled with colorful characters who run the social gamut, from landed gentry, down to the tradespeople and servants. The book balances comedy with darker themes, including bigamy, blackmail, fraud, and even murder.

Le Fanu is one my favorite nineteenth century writers. Here is a description of a man passing the house of a dead acquaintance on the afternoon of its occupant's funeral:

It was past three o'clock by this time, and it had already, in his eyes, a changed and empty look, as his upturned eye for a moment rested upon its gray front, and the window-panes glittering in the reddening sun.

If you are a fan of a good old-fashioned scare, I also strongly recommend Le Fanu's Uncle Silas, which concerns an underage girl whose is placed in the care of a sinister relative with designs on her fortune, and her life.

Read Gogol's story collection "Taras Bulba and Other Tales" over the weekend. Several of these stories have elements of gothic horror, and those were the ones I liked best. Taras Bulba was the story I had the most problems with. Gogol was a product of his time. I suspect many modern readers will have issues with the anti-Semitism that's very apparent in several of his stories.

Good so far: the time travelers are from Oxford 2060, and go back to various points of WWII to study the affects of the war on the "comtemps" (ie the contemporaries of the time). However, they are not allowed to tamper with the events if it means affecting the future in any way... (of course.) I do have to concentrate on this as there are about one million different adventures all happening in different places at different times, but once you get the hang of it, it's fine.

Oh, and a friend of mine has "indefinitely loaned" me her old Kindle (as she upgraded), so have just bought my first book on there... Another Connie Willis, this one about Christmas-y stuff and sci fi. (I know it's early for Chrimbo things, but I want to read it and see if I can use it in my book review column..)

I am halfway through William Zorach's Art is my Life, his autobiography. Who would think the story of this sculptor's life would be so compelling? I can hardly put it down. I am sure the book is ghostwritten, but flows between ideas and events so seamlessly that I feel like I am having a conversation with the artist.

I am on holiday at a seaside cottage in Maine, a bit redundant since I now live in a holiday town in Maine about an hour from here. But I have been coming here for a few years and I couldn't stand not to come. It is just as beautiful as ever and in fact it is very different than my home. The sea comes right up to the doorstep at high tide, and when I look out, not a sign of human habitation do I see. I will probably book it again next year.

When can I come and visit you (indefinitely)? I'd love to be at the NE coast right now... Sigh. I wouldn't say a word to you (so we could read), I can be tidy on a good day with a following wind, and I don't eat much... :-)

Still working on the Blackout book, but holy cow. These time travellers keep continuously losing each other in different time periods, and in fact ALL of them have lost each other right now. Gimeny crickets - it's like an old Carry On movie... Not sure how more I can take...!

I will give it tonight and if the characters are so incompetent as to not find each other tonight, then it's off with their heads (and the book in the reject pile). It's a shame though as I have read hundreds of pages, but come on. Give the characters (and the reader) a break.

The holiday cottage is also wonderful and can actually hold a lot of people, again as long as they are not too picky about fancy bathrooms. You will want to bring a nifty little clip-on light for your book as there aren't any decent reading lights here. Unless you can read by firelight -

Thanks for agreeing to let me stay with you.. I think it would really be fun to have a meet-up with my RP friends at some point and your house sounds perfect. :-)

I made the decision last night to yank the bookmark out of the Blackout book as I didn't actually care if the characters ever met up again since they were so incompetent about the whole thing.

In its place, I picked up "Room" by Emma Donaghue which is great, fantastic, loving it. It's written from the perspective of a five-year old boy who has been born into a shed where his mother has been kept for seven years (a la those cases not too long ago where various people were kidnapped for years but escaped in the end..)

It's really interesting how the author has imagined the boy to be and since it's from his perspective, you get to see what he sees; everything in the Room (the name of the shed) has a proper name for him: Wardrobe, Bed, Rug, and he rather thinks of them as living things. How will all fare when or if they escape?

Rivetting book - I read half of it last night and now just want to go home and read it right now. Yes, that good. I hope it has a good/effective ending...

Taking all my library books back to the library today bc none of them appeal right now. Thank goodness I didn't buy all of them. (I am keeping the ILLs, but ordinary books are going back there.)

Sorry I'm responding so late to the advice you gave me .... been away from my computer for a month.

Annpan - Yes, I am definitely going to read the Tom Holt "extensions" to the Mapp/Lucia series. Besides here, I've read other glowing reviews about them at other Websites. Thanks!

Astrokath - Yes, I know about Daniel Silva's books, thanks to this Website. Maybe it was one of your messages that "talked me into it" !

Anyway, I read "The English Assassin", and posted here about it. It was a pretty exciting story. The last quarter of it fell down a little for me because of the back-and-forth chasing and ambushing -- became very repetitive. But I think I'll give him one more try. And I LOVE the art element.