Thanks for the fun links Robin. I already have a few of them requested. :) I finished Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki by Murakami and really enjoyed it. I couldn't believe what an easy read it was after 1Q84. It didn't seem to have many of his trademark bingo card elements but I liked the main character quite a bit and enjoyed his story. I am currently reading Alex by Pierre Lemaitre. My second book by this author this week. The first, Irene is better. This one is a bit less engaging in my opinion. Dependent upon having read the first I think in order to know the characters on the police force. I keep wondering why this one was translated from French first. Definitely a crime thriller with some disturbing descriptions.

Daughter of Time and Brat Farrar are the only Tey's I have read but I thought they were about the same level as Christie. For what it's worth. We waited a couple years for Sayer. Her crimes are more descriptive imo. Dd's favorite Agatha Christies starred Tommy and Tuppence. She also loved the Miss Marple ones, especially the ones that had an old Helen Hayes as Marple movie to watch after. Anna Katherine Green wrote several mysteries that are free on the kindle. Supposedly Christie was a fan and Marple is modeled on Mrs. Butterworth one of her lead characters. Dd and I both liked that series.

The author's name is Milly Johnson. Very much chick lit. I read one White Wedding and felt pretty blah about it although it was funny. When she was talking about her books she mentioned it super briefly in a way that made me think she was pretty blah about it too. :lol: The Tea Shop on the Corner seemed to be the favorite of everyone in the room. Sounded a bit sad. Think it takes place in Barnsley which is a pretty typical good sized town in this area, former coal mining, working class type of place. Milly lives in Barnsley. The tea shop was imaginary but she received a phone from the owner of one just like what she described in the book after the book's release. The book was filled with odd coincidences for the author, two elderly characters moved to the front of the book etc. All very unplanned. I think all of her books are based in Yorkshire and Bronte country except one that is on a cruise ship. From her descriptions I may try It's Raining Men next. The Yorkshire Pudding Club had the really funny translations, Dutch was translated to Three Pregnant Bellies, I think, with a picture to match. These aren't scenery books but people books. Her characters are very realistic including local dialogue. The places are real but not necessarily touristy. She did do cottages on the Bronte moors in White Wedding. Jenn, I would try whichever one your library has first to see if you like them.

I have also lost a few posts this week. My fire could probably use a reset but I hate to do it. I spent one afternoon this week working at a Tea and Coffee with a local really popular chick lit author. She spent an hour talking about her writing process which was really interesting. I picked up a couple of interesting thoughts that the writer's among us might find useful... If you want to write a book you have to push through and get 100,000 words on paper (or screen) before you seriously start any sort of an edit. She shelved many at the start of her career because she started editing when she reached roughly 20,0000 words. Someone famous gave her that advice and it worked for her. This woman is hilarious in person. Approximately 50 like some of us and very North of England. At the time she started the literary landscape was filled with huge (chunky) blockbusters about the posh types living in big cities. She tried and constantly was rejected because her subject matter came accross poorly but they loved her actual writing. As soon as she started writing about people she understood set in her part of the world her work started selling really well. Her books are very Yorkshire. No other way to describe. I felt like I knew a few of the characters in the one I read. This was her last tip. Name it something that translates into other languages somewhat. It took her a while to clue in to that one. Her cute rather clever titles were a disaster in other languages. She brought an assortment of pretty hilariously titled foreign releases. That is all I can think of right now.

I have beem busy finishing off the multiple books I had started. Big sigh of relief.... Midnight in the Garden of Good an Evil is done. I will admit that the last third of the book dragged a bit for me, the trial. Probably partly because it was the third time through and I knew the outcome. It is the outrageous but believable characters that I love in this one. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen. I wanted to find out what had kept Teacherzee reading nonstop through the whole series, definitely addictive. The next one has been ordered but my search also uncovered another book by the same title (The Royal Pain) that I requested also. The second sounds like it should be made into a romatic comedy. Don't Look Now and other stories by Daphne du Maurier. I may just finish my five Daphne books, four completed. :) I am not usually a fan of short stories, they always end too quickly. The first four in this book were very good especially the title one. The last to were sadly lacking in the mystical (for lack of a better word) and a bit disappointing butnot long.....

Congratulations!!!

Praying :grouphug:

I did finish one of the "beach reads" from a long ago published list, The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell. Not going to bother to link because it was so so with an interesting start that ended as a family drama. It starts with a nice highly intoxicated woman being hit by a bus rather oddly. Suicide? Not the type.....husband discovers bullying emails.....thinks he and his multiple families are being stalked. Sounds intriguing then turns very chic litish with lots of relationship drama. Wasn't bad but definately one where I kept reading to find out why the poor woman died. Message of the book was serial marriages are hard on everyone involved which I kind of already knew.

Totally agree about the violent part. Did not see that coming and really unnecessary imo. The rest was interesting and a bit creepy. Trying to get myself geared up to read the Murakami. Both my copies are due back in a little more than a week..... I managed to request Leaving Atocha Station. It sounds interesting so awaiting your review. Congratulations on 52!!!!!!

I just asked ds how he learned C++. His response was the learncpp.com that MarkT recommended. Ds has been busy teaching himself several programming languages using mainly online resources. He started out on codeacademy and strongly advises working your way through that before moving on. Ds recommends learning Java first. We own the original Teencoder books C+ and games. Drove him and me nuts. We never got beyond the first couple lessons.

I have been working my way through this series very slowly. I totally agree that although mainstream they are very much a tribute. I learn something new and usually shed a few tears each time I finish one. The main character Maisie Dobbs is wonderful and very real. Her struggles and those of the other characters illustrate the tragedies big and small of WWI better than a pure factual history book ever could hope to.

I finished The Supernatural Enhancements early this morning. As Stacia promised enough was explained at the end to make it a satisfying read. A large part of the story was dependent on the reader not knowing the connections that were driving me a bit nuts. It was good not a 5* top ten for my year but I plan to give it 4*. I would definitely recommend it to someone looking for a different spooky read. Not alot of reviews by newspapers but I found an Irish one. One of the main characters is Irish so it seemed appropriatehttp://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/books/book-review-the-supernatural-enhancements-279812.html.

I have been reading it on my fire mainly and I just compared it to the book, identical. Both the ebook and hardcover arrived the same day. The writing on the letters etc is small but can be made out. I haven't came to anything like the postcards on the reader but the ciphers are good on the reader, but the experience seems fine. I am more frustrated with the relationship between the aunt, the girl, and the man. Not even sure whose aunt she is......don't think girl and man involved romantically but why is a 17 year old with him if not romantic or related? Those questions are my main current issues. I keep reading pretty happily but am wondering if my middle of the night insomniac self has missed something major.......once again I was expecting vampires and they haven't appeared. Not sure where I read that there were vampires.......

BaW has disappeared from my new content again. It does this frequently lately. :( No idea why. Posting generally brings it back, so.... For something bookish to say I am still reading The Supernatural Enhancements on my kindle. I passed the 50% point during the night. I am enjoying it but so do not understand. I hope it ties together somewhat in the end........

I spent my day reading Irene by Pierre Lemaitre. :) Obviously I really liked it because I finished it. http://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/book/Irene-by-Pierre-Lemaitre-ISBN_9780857052889#.VBdipurD8v4 It is the first in a trilogy translated from French. Yes Jane, a French dective novel set in Paris. The second book was released in English before the first apparently.....for me this is good because I hope to have the second one by the end of the week. I need to know what happens next. The book's main character is a police detective who is very short (midget) which makes the book unusual. He becomes involved in a series of murders which are mirroring famous mystery books--never read the chosen books but they all appear to exist. I really can't say more without spoiling it. If you are interested don't look at goodread's reviews due to a spoiler imo. There are disturbing descriptions but I didn't find it to be as bad as the reviews led me to believe.

I hope you feel much better this morning! I just requested both Miss Marjoribanks and The Unjust Ajax. They look like something both dd and I might enjoy. Our combined stack is getting low because dd has read them all and passed them on to me. It is supposed to work the other way.......

I recently bought an old copy of The Basic Practice of Statistics by David S. Moore for dd used and very cheap. Answers to the odds at back of the book. Can't remember if a thread here recommended it or if I found it some other way. She hasn't started going through it yet but it looks fine.

I am on chapter 35 too. Hoping to get around to it soon. Next year if we do the Middle Ages I am so buying the kindle version. I think half my problem is the book is so chunky. Just not what I want to hold first thing in the morning which is the only time I might finish it.

We want pictures of the pool party!

I have been reading Tasha Alexander's Dangerous to Know for several days now. I haven't had much reading time and this book makes me sleepy, reducing reading time even more! ;) Sends me to bed early every night. Close enough to done that I might finish it tonight. I passed the 50% mark on Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Still enjoying it but not in the mood to finish it so will keep going slowly. I have started an interesting book that Stacia read a few weeks ago, The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero. I am enjoying it but it is not what I expected it to be at all. Very unusual structure....I think I may end up liking it quite a bit but at 33% still trying to figure out what is happening. No progress on HotAW.

I just did these separate searches and found a few more book covers so very helpful thanks Stacia. Not sure if you gave that advice here on BaW or not....quote came from SWB's main thread but since it was so helpful ...... I did my that page scroll and sent a couple of ancient likes for some graphics.

Jane, I hope you get enough of a change in your weather to send your mosquitoes away. We still have some around ( ds has the bites to prove it) but the weather here is turning fallish. :( I am very much a Florida girl even though I keep getting moved away.....I crave sunshine. I don't mind the cold nearly as much if the sun is out. Hopefully I will get a bit of reading done later today. We are going to a celebration at my real life board (not BaW just WtM)friend's. I feel so fortunate to have met so many lovely people through the WtM. I know I haven't met any of you in real life but hopefully will manage it someday. My kids keep saying I am setting the worst internet example, between taking them to visit people I meet on line and having to delete more than I ever imagined in this current situation (considering I can't figure out how to post pictures), they may be right! Thank you for all the fun we have on this thread!

Stacia, Thank you! The book is gone, really tired of looking at it. Yeah!

:grouphug: I knew you would know how! Off to try to do it myself.....

:lol: or :grouphug: whichever feels appropriate when you read this. Teen boys are the most forgetful people I have ever known in my life. Wouldn't life as a teenage girl been easier if we had known just how oblivious they really are? I can't believe the number of important things my ds can forget, even things that he really cares about. Dd really does live on a different planet, she only forgets if it's convenient. ;) ETA I forgot to say looking forward to your review of the new JD Robb. Are you almost ready for it in your order with your rereads? I haven't figured that out. I switch them to want to read and ignore them or want to read abandoned. I can't figure out what to do about a book that I abandoned that at one point was accidentally shown as read. Because of the date it is beingincluded in my 2014 challenge. Nothing makes it go away even thought it shows as want to read abandoned.