I agree the Husband's Secret just sucked me right in and I had no choice but to finish it even though I was somewhat appalled by it. Her latest Little Lies was the same. I actually normally like an occasional book like that so was prepared for it when I picked up Little Lies and did it on a rainy day with no outside plans! ;) I will admit Gone Girl which is another train wreck of a book offended me. I just couldn't like it. All of us have our own triggers. Speaking of Gone Girl is anyone else following this controversy http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/07/gone-girl-backlash-david-fincher-misogynist-feminist. I gave up trying to find the original article I read a few days ago. There is too much out there now. Mum, I'll be curious what you think of it... and maybe will hold back from yakking til you've had your turn! Pam, Sorry I messed up the quote. I returned the hard copy yesterday but it should be here in my overdrive account in a month or so. You don't have to be silent just for me but since Stacia is planning to read it too.....the more the merrier! Very funky-looking. And fascinating re: desert taproot. What do they taste like? Can you eat the pod, like a snap pea? Rosie, I had that very sam question. What unusual plants. I have read two of the Booker short listed books. Waiting for someone else to read J first. :lol: and may tackle Ali Smith's How to be Both when I get in the right mood again. I am a fluff reader essentially who is trying very hard to step out of my little world. We are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler is a book that I look back upon more fondness than I felt when I was reading it. I had no choice but to finish it because I had to know but probably would not normally have wanted to read it. A real life friend bought it thinking it was fluff and felt the same way. Someone on BaW really liked it and I didn't dislike it but do question Booker worthiness. The other one was To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris. Parts of it were very funny. Parts a bit disjointed. Parts boring. It was another one that I don't get for Booker but can see how it could be popular. The language in this one bothered me, he coined a profane insulting phrase and proceeded to beat the reader over the head with it when describing women. It probably coloured my view where the rest of the book was concerned. As I said parts were funny, basically about a man who seemed to be unable to learn from his mistakes so they just kept repeating. Most of the book takes place in a Dentist office with frequent flashbacks. The reality is I don't remember To Rise Again.... very well and do remember We are all Beside Ourselves so I would go with memorable!

I read about this book in a Charlotte Mason how to homeschool book several years ago and downloaded it for free when I got my kindle, The Fairyland of Science by Arabella B. Buckley. Never used it but it might be what you are hunting for. You might also enjoy some of the old Mary Frances books which I think are all out there with project Gutenberg. Dd and I did the knitting and crochet one together. It was great fun! Each chapter tells more of the story and teaches a new skill that enables you to make a pattern that dress your doll or bear. It was lovely...... There is a gardening book also, maybe cooking and sewing....

Just pulling my rocking chair up to join the fun here!!! I can't imagine a better group of grannies to hang out with. :lol: I knew someone had read it, just could not remember who! I think part of it is that the cover art doesn't look like me. Both dc's have commented on it not "looking" like something I would enjoy. I did finally open it yesterday and read a few pages while waiting for something. Not bad, I know I could read it just maybe not right now. Probably an almost 600 page hardcover is not a great choice for me currently. Portable Kindle reading seems to be easier. I have decided to return the hardcopy, due on the 15th so not much choice! ;) planning to request it on kindle through overdrive. Jenn, how cool!!! I really think all of you should have gone to that awards festival. The artwork looks really neat too. I may just have to read my first graphic novel in order to see more!

This is Day Three of carrying The Bone Clocks around the house with me. I haven't read a single page of it yet. Just can't seem to make myself start it. I think someone here has readit already but can't remember who. Went hunting for reviews this morning and found thishttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/07/bone-clocks-review-david-mitchell-lot-of-fun-booker. I just can't decide if I am really interested or if I should just let the next person on the wait list have it. Any encouragement either way? Positive side to my reading is I finished my Aunt Dimity and moved on to Anita Blake during the night. Really enjoying the Anita Blake, I read the first six or so while pregnant for ds.

Can't wait to hear more about this one. It sounds so good but I remember doing my search and not being able to find it already. Will try again tomorrow. Amy :grouphug: Congratulations on the new house. Glad to hear that part went smoothly and is over except for the move. Prariesong -- Welcome!!!!! Currently reading Aunt Dimity's Good Deed while waiting to feel sleepy again.

Shocking, the situation hasn't improved much through the decades either!!!! Sadie, Welcome!

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-skeleton-road-by-val-mcdermid--book-review-an-ingenious-thriller-with-dark-roots-in-the-balkan-wars-9780778.html Before I forget I just wanted to post that I have finished my Val McDermid. I really liked it. Gave it 5*. It was extremely well done. Great descriptions without being too descriptive in the Balkan atrocities parts which kept it highly readable for me. It definitely stands alone. Finally, I still think Jane would enjoy it. I also think a couple of others here would too!

Very few of his books appear to have been translated. Missing Persons looks quite interesting. I would like to read it potentially. Perhaps I should rephrase that and say try reading it. ;) Suspect it may appear in one of my libraries soon. One of my goals at the beginning of 2014 was Nobel Prize authors works which has not happened!

The only Sayer I didn't let dd read was Busman's Honeymoon. There was just too much violence against women. Not sure how else to phrase it and not do spoilers for those who haven't read it. It had an intensity that I didn't want dd to read at roughly 14 when she read the others. She still talks about going back and reading it but thus far has experienced a lack of availability. ;) I agree that there is some swearing. I considered them to be one step beyond Christie in terms of dd reading them. Everything moves up a notch...One thing that may concern you is Harriet Vane was accused poisoning her lover. That is the the subject matter for Strong Poison and the issue rears it head through subsequent books. As far as Whose Body is concerned I don't remember there being anything objectionable. I was good with Clouds of Witness also.

My interest in Val McDermid was revived thanks to hearing about her interview in Harrogate with Rowling. From all accounts everyone who went loved McDermid. Somewhat humorous because she was conducting the interview which she handled very gracefully apparently. I have read several of her earlier books but none of the more recent. Pretty much the same for PD James. I know I read Death Comes to Pemberly but other than that they are familiar and I know I have read a few of them. I just requested the first Dalgliesh. While I was googling I learned quite a bit about James. Did you know she has started a new book at 93? Amazing.....

Jane, Not sure if you read Val McDermid but you might enjoy her new one The Skeleton Road. I am only 100 pages in but many links to Eastern Europe, Yugoslavia and Bosnia,Croatia. I have thought of you as I have been reading descriptions of Dubrovnik before.....Obviously I can't give much of a review yet but I normally enjoy her books. Other people do too because the hold line behind me is long. Rather relieved to know that you don't know who many of those people are either. Have to admit I enjoyed reading the BaW discussion of said list far more than the actual list. ;) Yes spoilers. I find it very interesting that the last few books in the series take place over a very short period of time. Odd for a series but fun to read.

Latin for both in younger years for the understanding of other languages. Koine Greek for both dc's because it was fun. Ds loved the alphabet. Went with our Bible studies well. German for both because dh is pretty fluent so our easiest to teach. Scottish Gaelic for both, did not go well. Simply because they are Scottish and I found some interesting materials. French for dd. I took it back in high school so I knew how to start and organize how I thought she should learn it. Dutch on duolingo for dd because she wants to......actually the most practical for her because 5 of her good friends are Dutch speaking. When you add in their families she has many opportunities for real life practice. Irish Gaelic on duolingo for dd. Because she liked her Gaelic lessons when she was little she wanted to try again. Duolingo works well for her.

Nan, I added it to my request list also. Thank you! :) I definitely appreciate it, especially since I frequently find books here that are more the dc's style then mine. I love the fact that you all pre read them for me! :lol: Glad you are enjoying the St. Cyr series, overall they are great but the ick bits are definitely there. Thanks for the reminder! I tried to request it a couple of weeks ago and it wasn't in the system yet. Today sucess! Your chart is wonderful per dd. Thank you very much. :) She is currently visiting Discworld....eta correction Rincewind???? You can tell I have no idea but she is enjoying herself! Stacia, I missed your quote in my effort to get caught up with the conversation. Give me at least a week to get caught up with my library situation then I will read Slaughterhouse Five. Several hard cover books have holds (grrr) that I have been waiting to get my hands on like the Bone Clocks have arrived in the last week. I also thought I was really clever and requested the next book in several paranormal series I have been reading sporadically in honour of Spooky ..... These are quick reads for me but the overdrive account I did this with keeps filling up so I need to read one to check a new arrival out. They are coming in far quicker than anticipated from looking at the original hold list.

Amy :grouphug: Nan -- Welcome! Please remember many of us read quite a bit of fluff. Bookwise, I finished The Return to Tradd Street by Karen White, the final instalment in the spooky cozy series I posted about earlier today. This one was more romatic than ghosty but I really enjoyed it. I spent most of my evening curled up with my kindle trying to finish it.

FYI--Coral Island by Ballantyne http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/03/review-coral-island-r-m-ballantyne comes up pretty frequently on books for boys lists. I think most of Ballantyne books are free to download via Guttenberg. They may still have free copies available on kindle. I had them all ready to go for ds a couple of years ago and he refused to be really honest. He wouldn't read Henty either...... I read some of the Coral Island as a preread and remember it favourably. I really liked the Henty books, big sigh.

For anyone looking for a spooky read in the form of a cozy mystery I just finished the third one in an enjoyable series. The title is The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White. It is part of a series but could probably stand alone without being confusing. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/karen-white/strangers-montagu-street/ The main character communicates with ghosts much to her despair. In this book she confronts several ghosts but the ones from the dollhouse are the scary ones. The review above dislikes the romantic part of the storyline probably because the conclusion is not tidy but I found it to be very true to the main character's personality so actually liked the romance part. ;) I already have the next one ready to go tonight! Definitely liked it!

I wonder it the fact that the alternative title for. Slaughterhouse Five has Dr. Who in the title means I will like it? Finally arrived in overdrive lst night. I am curious and will try it. From what I can tell no one can even decide what order the Disc World series belongs in. I really really prefer to read in order and dd takes after me on this. She likes the Prachett YA books quite a bit and Disc World has arrived in full in our overdrive library....we spent 20 minutes trying to work out the proper order. The lists can't even agree on which to read first! BaWers this isn't a huge cry for help to give us the ultimate order just a comment because I have never seen so many differing lists for a series on offer and I have read many series. We finally decided on Goodreads because for us it is easiest to refer to!

I hope your aches and pains disappear quickly! :grouphug: I read the Mobile Library Mystery a few months ago and liked it. Very Irish with an unusual ending. I am currently a bit scared of what my dc's are going to pick out for me. Ds looked too excited by this. I told him they have to agree....

Pam, Great post about the kindle, I had actually forgot about the book sharing part which we do quite a bit. Dd has recently become primarily responsible for keeping an interesting selection of books checked out and available on the dc's kindles. She checks them out and they automatically appear on the kindle fires ran off that account, more work on an ereader. She seems to be doing a better job tempting her brother then I was doing. :lol: Since they both use the fire quite a bit for school applications he has to look at those books because they are on his main carousel. Another point I forgot is the browsing aspect on kindle.....both the libraries I physically go into here are small. Not a bad thing because part of a huge system of libraries but smaller than my children's section where we lived in the US. I am a browser who likes to jump around according to my ideas that come from looking at the books. A food mystery might send me over to cookbooks.......browsing is just not as satisfying in a small library. Another section I used for quick browsing was new releases. Until recently in my library here new meant new to that branch.....I kept checking out books that I had read two years ago with a different cover which drove me nuts so I was avoiding that shelf. I am highly visual so I tend to remember cover art better than the traditional title/author combo. All the kindle overdrive libraries I have explored have a new section that means new to that part of the library. Things like old Agatha Chisties might appear there if they have just been made available but the latest Nora Roberts shows up there also. I scan that section roughly twice a week adding to my wish and request lists as appropriate......Christie would be on the wish list and Roberts for the wait list. So I browse quite a bit just looking at the new books. Things like key word searches are fun in the kindle library also imo. I like the fact that if it intriques me I can start reading a minute later. If I don't care for it removal is a couple of clicks for dh. That is the hardest part of my kindle library obsession since it seems to be impossible to return early without going in to the main amazon account it is easier to have dh get rid of my excess books every couple of days when he is using his laptop. It takes him two minites so he prefers it to carrying my piles! ;)

That cover is lovely, maybe I will get that one. I am amazed at the time I spend picking my kindle first book each month. I really enjoy that particular bonus. I read Grendal last year, it was very different. Not at all what I expected, I thought that I was going on a journey reminiscent of a literature class that I loved as a teen. Curious what your opinion will be. Kindles, well obviously I am an insomniac so my kindle has improved my quality of life greatly during my night time hours. Dh appreciates it too, he much prefers knowing I am fine beside him rather than on a different floor. He used to feel obligated to come check that I was OK. I also like my kindle for chunky books. So much easier on my hands. Recently I have started requesting older books on my kindle, by that I mean part of a series that has been out for some time, in order to read a clean copy without stains and spine cracking. Since I am still checking out several books a week in hardcopy for volume I end up reading whichever is more convenient. For the sailing bookswapper which I am sure I would enjoy being ;) obviosly book swaps like Stacia spoke of would work best but I know I would probably need more books to feel comfortable on my crowded boat. Maybe five rotating swapping books and a full kindle. I'm the girl who loads several overdrive books on her kindle to go away for two days.....I fear not having a good book.

Is Amazon responsible for the Ellora’s Cave fiasco? (Melville House Publishing, 10-2-14): The link wouldn't work for me but books by that publishing house were constantly in the top 100 free books list when I looked at it daily. I remember the covers....... Eta. I stopped looking daily at least a year ago. I couldn't locate the Quakers in Space series ;) at any of our libraries but thank you for the offer of help. I would have been hugely appreciative if they had been availiable. The Unknown Ajax is waiting at my other libray for pick up. It keeps receiving comments here so glad I requested it! I have looked at the description for this one many times. Glad to know it was enjoyable. One of these days I will download it and read it now I know that you liked it.

I think the American tobacco company operating a tobacco museum in a former monastery is far weirder. Do they or did they ever grow tobacco in that area? Just trying to figure out why? Spooky reads.....I finished my first, not classic and not new to me, Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong. It is number four in her women of the otherworld series which I started rereading a couple of years ago. I was hoping to get them all done this month but just discovered there are thirteen in total! Not sure that I can handle eight more in that series this month!!!! I know I haven't read a few of these which was the purpose behind the reread. I really liked these the first time through and it was a perfectly good reread but I will admit I am hoping that the next one is new to me. I am first on the overdrive list for it.:) I started Kevin Hearne's Shattered today and so far really like it. It is number six in the Iron Druid Chronicles which were hugely popular reads when I first started BaW so several of you must have read some of these. ;) So far there is a new character which seems to be freshening the storyline at bit. Both of these are paranormals with a wide collection of werewolves, vampires, whiches, norse mythology figures......not hugely scarey but I think they count as spooky.

As some of you may know we live in an area where coal mining was one of the main industries for many years. Still have a few operating mines even. The ground is so riddled with mines you receive a survey and take out insurance when buying property. Our house supposedly has no mines underneath and that may be true because of our proximity to our 900 year old church. Mining has always been prohibited under churches here. We still have the insurance but hopefully will never need it. A friend in a nearby village had their yard sink a bit recently. Churches literally sit on a pedestal of coal, ds would tell you it is limestone within an inch of the surface after experiencing his new employment last week. Two hours to dig a 15 inch hole in the churchyard. There is a reason dh said he would supervise. ;) If you ever get a chance the National Mining Museum has a fascinating tour that is not as claustrophobic as others I have been on. The mine was active through the eighties and it feels much safer. Imo. Former employees take you down.

Just returned from a visit to my library and a fun stack of books. I was standing there chatting with 2 of our 3 remaining librarians who have become really good friends. I can't officially volunteer yet, long story, but fully trained and was watching them process the interlibrary loans. I needed to leave but I knew the book on the very bottom of the pile was mine, I really wanted it and finally asked for it. It turned out in that stack of 12 we each had a book we were waiting for and had spotted with eagle eyes. One comment was "It's just like Christmas!" :lol: Book lovers are wonderful! They went on to tell me what a special stack that really was because someone(no names) was rather anxiously waiting for every book in it. Most stacks are not that looked forward to. Since someone will wonder..... The Novice's Tale by Margaret Frazer was the book The House at Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse on a Spooky list I read Death in Elysium by Judith Cutler, my librarian friend highly recommends her historical series

Amy, Just :grouphug: I couldn't like your post. I am so sorry about your grandmother. For all the rest of your post :grouphug: