For a bit of light reading I am mid way through "###### Scotland" in the Horrid History series and it's FAB

As the "naughty word catcher" has kicked in the first word is all about bleeding and starts with a B and ends with a Y.

Reading "An American Wife", which is about a fictional first lady (who conspicuously resembles Laura Bush...)

A Lust for Window Sills: a lover's guide to British buildings from portcullis to pebble-dash by Harry Mount.

As we have an Alan Bennett season running on TV at the moment (BBC4) I have been rereading 'Talking Heads'. Another on TV at 10 tonight

Prosperity Without Growth? The transition to a sustainable economy by the Sustainable Development Commission

Read both The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins last night, and they have become my favourite novels in my entire history of reading! Incredible.

The Guardian & Observer guides to Performing - Part 2: Singing.

Audrey Niffenegger-Her Fearful Symmetry. It's beautiful.

The Orchestra Speaks by Bernard Shore. A fascinating insight into orchestras and celebrity conductors in the years just before the second world war.

Chopin's Funeral by Benita Eisler

Going through a bit of a Martin Amis phase at the moment.

Nearly finished London Fields and it has made me laugh out loud more than once.

On Green Dolphin Street (Sebastian Faulks). I started reading Birdsong a while ago but for some reason never finished. I'll try again after this. I also started reading Charlotte Grey, but couldn't finish that one - I couldn't bear to read any further the storyline with the two little brothers Anyway, I'm enjoying this and it makes a huge change from all the 1930s detective novels I've been reading - Campion and Mrs Bradley

one of my all time favourite novels
the english language is putty in his hands
no doubt he would not be seen dead writing cliche like this
doh! done it again.



currently 'reading' (i.e. randomnly flicking through) 1001 pieces of classicial music to hear before you die.

rubbish title I know, but quite informative and well written. as a beginner, I have no idea where to start; maybe I should just open a page at random and buy.

The Great Philosophers pt 2: Plato, Aristotle and St Thomas Aquinas (something that came with the Independent on Sunday).

The Art of Practicising - Madeline Bruser

chrimbo present, of course. Just off to start chapter 2 so my insight ain't worth that much right now.

who?

I have 3 books on the go at the moment. In the middle of an Agatha Christie phase and currently reading 'The Mirror Cracked From Side To Side'

Nearly finished A Piano in the Pyrenees

And lastly am dipping in and out of 'The Teachers Guide to Mrs Curwens Piano Method' an interesting read on teaching habits from 1886.

Midnight's Children, which is super-interesting, and I got for Christmas. It's taking me ages though, I've been reading it loads, but I'm not finished yet. Also The Passion of New Eve, and L'?tranger. I kind of need to start a trashy romance novel or kids' book to balance myself but I've read all the ones I own too many times now. I might reread Little Women on Project Gutenberg or something...

JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES by Lang Lang and David Ritz.

It just goes to show what some parents will do to get their children to the top, unbelievable stuff.

I enjoyed that also. Its not just about his funeral, but is in effect a biography.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

The Inextinguishable Symphony by Martin Goldsmith

Wonderful book!

I've contributed to this fairly recently - but I'm reading yet more Terry Pratchett - nearing the end of the Discworld series now...... I think one of my favourites has to be "The Hogfather" .........

Hey Celeste.. it is a great book... nearly at the end now....(it's lasted me longer than usual books as I read too fast, but been too busy with Christmas to read much )

Cambiata... I tried to realy the round Ireland with a Fridge but could not get into it.. I think I'll try again after finishing this one tho.. I lovve his writing style..

Singing and the Actor - Gillyanne Kayes

It's helping me understand Rosfrog and Dugazon's invaluable advice in Viva Voice better! I'm sooooooooo old fashioned.

Yes, I really enjoyed this book too!! I also have it as an audiobook (read by Tony Hawks) which is great to listen to whilst washing up!!

One I am reading at the moment is Jasper Rees', I Found My Horn - One Man's Struggle with the Orchestra's Most Difficult Instrument.

50 Ways to Save Water and Energy by Siân Berry

The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver

Sherlock Holmes Completed Short Stories. I'm normally a Poirot fan rather than Holmes but having just seen the film (which isn't based on any Arthur Conan Doyle stories, but good fun nonetheless), I thought I should dig out the book.

Henry James' Turn of the Screw......creepy!

I haven't read Turn of the Screw for about 25 years, when I overdosed on Henry James at university. I missed the recent television adaptation, and apparently it was rather good

It's on iplayer still

It wasn't bad, unless you get annoyed at changes to the original text.
I kept going "why do they think they can improve on Henry James?! ARGH", but that's more about my personality than anything else.

Currently reading The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman.

I Capture The Castle - Dodie Smith
Guantanamo Bay - Anna Perera

That used to be my favourite book! I still love to reread it! I even tried to write my diary at the kitchen sink once, but my mum got annoyed with me.
I'm reading Nights At the Circus - Angela Carter.
Also The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro.

Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder: The woman behind the legend by John E Miller

That was my favourite book as a young teenager - I kept getting it out of the library to re-read. When the film came out a few years ago I bought it to read again to see if it was still as good - it was!

Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn. Incredible story!

I just finished a book called "Impossible" by Nancy Werlin. It's a YA urban fantasy type thing. The idea is based on early versions of the song "Scarborough Fair" which could have originated from various folk songs, including one called The Elfin Knight. The story in the book is that this fairy-knight (traditional Irish, mysterious terrifying Faery, not the Disney kind) fell in love with a woman, and was rejected. Thus he cursed her to fulfill three impossible tasks (from the song) or be cursed. The curse was that she'd fall pregnant at 18 and be driven insane at the birth of her daughter - and then the same fate would befall her daughter and her daughter's daughter etc.

It's actually really good - I love Young Adult fantasy novels, and with this one I was severely creeped out. I was also singing the song throughout, in my empty, silent room, which my be melodramatic, but created the perfect creepy atmosphere too.

For uni, though, I'm reading the Fairy Queene, Utopia, The History of King Richard the Third and The Tempest.

That sounds brilliant! I need recommendations at the moment, so I'll take what I can get! It does sound fabulous though.

Just read Dark Prince by Christine Feehan and I'm now reading the next book, Dark Desire. They're really good, if a little dodgy at times Oh well, I am an adult now

I'm reading Werewolves in Their Youth by Michael Chabon which I'm enjoying lots

I got too many books for christmas...

My family got me The Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, as well as Dissolution, Dark Fire and Sovereign by CJ Sansom.

My boyfriend's brother and his girlfriend got me their favourite books that they'd read last year....

Werewolves in Their Youth
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Setting Free The Bears by John Irving

It'll keep me busy for a while

Low Cost Living: Live better, spend less by John Harrison

Today I was in the library for four hours. Rather than take advantage of this time for work, reading criticism on Thomas More etc, I decided to read Grimus by Salman Rushdie.
Considering it's sci-fi, I quite enjoyed it, actually, but I really didn't think it was anywhere near as good as his other stuff that I've read...

When I finished that I started Boyhood by JM Coetzee. It's looking brilliant so far.

The Secret Circle: The Power by L.J. Smith

Pablo Neruda Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair

Just started, A Piano in the Pyrenees by Tony Hawks.

I've done nothing but read all day - and nothing for my course. I read Sartre's Nausea (in English) and The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie.

Now my brain is effectively fried, and I still have a load of work to do (including but not limited to a load of French translation for first thing tomorrow). Whoops.

Worth it.