Dance*is*life Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I am on a book reading binge at the moment! I am dreadful - I can't resist special offers of books - you know the kind - buy one get the second one at half-price, so I have shelves of new books I haven't managed to get round to reading. I have recently discovered an excellent writer called Jojo Moyes. I read The Girl You Left Behind by her and just couldn't put it down, so I went out and bought a second book of hers You Before Me and couldn't put that down either! Before that I read a trilogy The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer only to discover that it is not a trilogy, but is intended to be a series of 7 or 8 books, so now I am hooked I'll have to buy the next one which is due out soon!!! I just finished Heartbreak Hotel, which is by the same author, Deborah Moggach, who wrote The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and was a fun read. I liked Longbourn by Jo Baker too. It's the downstairs story of the Bennet family from Pride and Prejudice - very clever! By the way earlier in the thread someone mentioned The Little Princess, which was one of my favourite children's books too, but as far as children's books go I adore anything by Noel Streatfeild. I can always re-read them! My favourite for those of you with dancing daughters (which I suppose is nearly everyone!) is Wintle's Wonders or as it's sometimes called Dancing Shoes. It's a wonderful portrait of a stage school in the 1950's. Great story!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Yes, Longbourn is excellent. I was off colour earlier this week and watched the recent TV version of Ballet Shoes which my daughter auditoned for but didn't get (Pauline, if anyone is interested!) and I really enjoyed it. I still love the book. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 Thanks to loveclassics recommendations I'm reading Sharon Penman's Lionheart. Enjoying it very much and will be looking out for more. Her Sunne in Splendour is utterly magnificent! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) Her Sunne in Splendour is utterly magnificent! That is one of my all-time favourite books. I didn't like Lionheart so much, mostly because I'm not so interested in the earlier Angevin period. But I really think Sharon Kay Penman is one of the best authors of historical novels (along with Susan Higginbotham and Brian Wainwright) if you're interested in the 14th and 15th centuries. I'm always grateful for authors who can make sense of the Wars of the Roses. Thanks for the details, Fiz. I'll definitely have a look for the aspirin and cholera books. Ever since reading Carl Zimmer's Parasite Rex, I've found the topic of diseases, cures, and their effects on society to be fascinating. I read a wonderfully gory book about the black death years and years ago while I was recovering from pneumonia but I don't remember many details (just that there are worse things in life than pneumonia!). Edited February 21, 2014 by Melody 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 You're welcome, Melody. The smallpox and cholera books made me feel decidedly unwell and that there are some truly hideous ways to die. If you like the history of medicine, all of Thomas Dormandy's books are excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 At the moment I'm reading Roy Hattersley's book on the Dukes of Devonshire, which has finally got me to read Amanda Foreman's "Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire." The current (I think still) Duchess of Devonshire has also written a memoir which was very well received, I seem to remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 (edited) Yes, it was very interesting, although she was rather guarded when talking about her more controversial sisters, understandably. She's been the Dowager Duchess since 2004 but is still quite active by the sound of things. She definitely has the Mitford gift for writing! I've just downloaded The Glitter And The Gold by Consuelo, Duchess of Marlborough, onto my Kindle for light relief when the books on war and disease get to be too much. Having finished "To Marry An English Lord" a little while ago (a book about all the American heiresses who married into the British nobility and aristocracy at the turn of the 20th century), I was interested to hear this story from one of the heiresses herself. Edited February 22, 2014 by Melody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I'd forgotten that Debo was a Mitford. It would explain a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmendrick Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Abebooks is a really good place to get books and quite a few work out cheaper than Amazon. Just finished reading Daria Klimentova's book and I'd recommend that, she comes across as very sweet and there's some really nice pictures both of her and ones that she's taken herself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilac Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I recently read Wildflower hill by Kimberley freeman, which is based on a character at the end of her ballet career! and thoroughly enjoyed. Loved the ballet components! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huddsballetmum Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Thought I might share this link with all those of you who read. I was quite amazed that the average person will only ave read 6 books on this list (according to the BBC). http://www.listchallenges.com/kaunismina-bbc-6-books-challenge?ref=share I scored 57/100 - obviously I have plenty of reading still to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornishprincess Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 71!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 57 also. It was the modern ones I scored least on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 57 for me too - and like Fiz - I flopped on the modern ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 An abysmal 32 but there were very few on this list that I would choose to look out and read! I've just had to buy a simple guide to Windows 8 as I had to buy a new laptop unexpectedly on Sunday! I thought it was going to be a doddle as I have had a windows 8 phone for the past year and am thrilled with it - unfortunately not the case!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 The list was heavily skewed to fiction of which I read very little. I just finished a terrific book: Fatal Rivalry, Flodden 1513: Henry VIII, James IV and the Battle for Renaissance Britain Hardcover by George Goodwin That wasn't on the list. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petunia Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 58, but only because I've been an avid reader of Jane Austen and all the Bronte Sisters. Also most by Dickens, and of the modern ones I love Ian McEwan. And I wonder why there is nothing by Julian Barnes on that list??! I recently finished "The Victorian House" by Judith Flanders. So fascinating, especially for non-British readers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 I came across this review of Behind Every Great Fortune when I started culling for the links tomorrow. It sounds very interesting so I have downloaded it on to my Kindle! Not sure when I will read it as I have downloaded so many books recently! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) 48 for me - though I confess many on that list were ones I studied, especially since it included French novels. Not really my taste for some of the others - really disliked "The Wasp Factory", for example. Not sure if any of you avid readers out there have come across the "Books for Free" scheme, run by Healthy Planet Initiative I think. Shops are popping up around the country. Basically you can take 3 free books each visit,(or for a small donation if you wish as the shops are staffed by volunteers). Its a scheme to try and stop so many books going into landfill. I have found some lovely books, new and old in their shops and DD has found it very useful for extra reading without extra cost for her A levels. The one we visit, now firmly established, is like a library with masses of books - fiction, nonfiction,childrens, classics, academic etc. Its also a lovely new home for our books when we have a clear out https://healthyplanet.org/get-involved/sustainable-community/books-for-free -to see if there is a shop near you Edited March 13, 2014 by 2dancersmum 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Only 28 for me - although I read a lot (but not the right books by the look of it)!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 48 for me - though I confess many on that list were ones I studied, especially since it included French novels. Not really my taste for some of the others - really disliked "The Wasp Factory", for example. Not sure if any of you avid readers out there have come across the "Books for Free" scheme, run by Healthy Planet Initiative I think. Shops are popping up around the country. Basically you can take 3 free books each visit,(or for a small donation if you wish as the shops are staffed by volunteers). Its a scheme to try and stop so many books going into landfill. I have found some lovely books, new and old in their shops and DD has found it very useful for extra reading without extra cost for her A levels. The one we visit, now firmly established, is like a library with masses of books - fiction, nonfiction,childrens, classics, academic etc. Its also a lovely new home for our books when we have a clear out https://healthyplanet.org/get-involved/sustainable-community/books-for-free -to see if there is a shop near you What a fabulous idea! I've just had a look at the map and there is a shop in Liverpool. I must investigate! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Not on the list (and this probably says a lot about my choice of reading matter) Born Free Black Beauty The Jungle Book Tarka the Otter 101 Dalmatians My Family and other Animals The Incredible Journey If Only They Could Talk Jurassic Park 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) Read all but one of those taxi! Edited March 13, 2014 by 2dancersmum 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Read all but one of those taxi! Which one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 :)Tarka the Otter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Aha! I did wonder if people were talking about the BBC list. I was scrupulously honest. Therefore I did not claim to have read the complete works of Shakespeare, although I have read the majority. Likewise the Bible - went to Sunday school, but I know there are bits that were deemed unsuitable for children. And although I have read other works by authors mentioned, I haven't read the specific book named, so I left those off as well. Consequently, I scored 67. Mr Font complained that the list seemed skewed in favour of books more likely to be read by women, which to some extent I agree with. Gone with the Wind is a marvellous book, but it is probably not first choice for men. On the other hand, Hemmingway, with his hunting, shooting, fishing tales, is more likely to appeal to the boys, but he isn't mentioned at all. And does anybody REALLY read James Joyce's Ulysses? Full marks for endurance if you have, I am obviously a feeble intellectual lightweight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I couldn't finish A Suitable Boy although I tried hard to do so. It was so verbose! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I couldn't finish A Suitable Boy although I tried hard to do so. It was so verbose! Also prolix. (I've been waiting a long time to use that word.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Ouch! I remember a teacher using that word to describe my French translation efforts. The scars still remain..... Yes, I also struggled and failed to finish A Suitable Boy. And don't get me started on the Salman Rushdie. It holds a unique place in my book group for being the only book ever that none of us could finish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I only scored 34!! So obviously not reading the right books either. Ive read all the ones on your list Taxi except Jurassic Park......although I have read a children's film version which I also used to teach English to a madly obsessed Lithuanian boy who only wanted to read books about Jurassic Park or Star Wars(have got the children's film version of that as well!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 I couldn't finish A Suitable Boy although I tried hard to do so. It was so verbose! I loved A Suitable Boy and never wanted it to end! I also adored An Equal Music by Vikram Seth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huddsballetmum Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Only 28 for me - although I read a lot (but not the right books by the look of it)!! This is only the BBC's version of the "right" books Taxi4ballet. I'm of the opinion that reading any book is good for the soul as long as it interests you and captures the imagination. I read daily but have only read some of those books because I took A level English Lit! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi66 Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 64, scored mostly from the classics.... Interesting choice of books. For example, Margaret Atwood makes it on to the list but another female writers of the similar age such as Isabella Allende gets no mention although her books were very popular.. And I did not see Nancy Mitford - wonder why? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now