The Book Vipers discussion

I like both. Kindle - ipad is useful when travelling

Roberta wrote: "I am resisting e-readers for as long as I can... So love the feel of real books!"

I did too Roberta, but I finally caved in and got one for Christmas as I have so many books already I don't have room for many more. I still get real books but e-books are so useful!

I resisted for a long time, but my job involves a lot of train travel and carrying a fair chunk of equipment around, so I find it easier to carry a kindle than books. I still love paper books though and will never give up buying them

I agree Charlotte. I also find the ebooks at library useful. The audiobooks are fabulous on my long journey to work (by car). I am working my way through a small selection, but things I wouldn't have picked up off shelf - have enjoyed them all so far. Although Kate Mosse, labyrinth was my first book in this category and was VERY long.

I really struggle with audio books. I find myself easily distracted and missing important parts of the story!

Charlotte wrote: "I really struggle with audio books. I find myself easily distracted and missing important parts of the story!"

I thought I was the only one!! It doesn't matter how great the story is, I always fall asleep or zone out ;)

you're definitely not alone Debbie. it doesn't matter if I listen in bed or during the day, I still completely lose track. it's odd, because that never happens with a paper book or kindle!

I struggle for first 5 mins on journey. I drive an hour to work and an hour back, so doesn't take me long. Luckily I drive along country roads mainly so ok by time I get to a town.

I do the opposite, if I listen to stories on the radio, I concentrate on the story and realise I drive on autopilot. Years ago they were reading episodes of Just William on Radio 4 when I was driving to work and I almost had an accident! Now I switch to music when I drive...

Does anyone have a suggestions on a good crime/ true crime novel for the Msq. challenge? I usually would never read any thing from this genre. A true challenge for me. :)

I read The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J K Rowling) for my crime fiction square, Sandy. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and didn't guess the killer either.

And it's currently 99p on UK Amazon Kindle.

Or if you like crime novels with lots of humour, try One For The Money by Janet Evanovich. I love her books and up to no.20 in the series. A bit formulaic now but still enjoyable.

Thanks, I'll try one of those.

I read William Landay "Defending Jacob" for mine, and really enjoyed it.

I've just bought the Robert Galbraith on the kindle

Just reading Ian Rankin. Easy to read. For those who like longer words in their crime novel....I recently read my first and needed a dictionary, oh joy, I loved it....try the Inspector Morse novels. I find the crime novels a bit addictive. Not true crime, just crime. Also, a twist on the crime novel, and one of best books I read for a while is Engleby by Sebastian Faulks. You know who did it quite early on, but you still want to keep reading it to find out how and why. I guess sign of a good novel.

They all sound great! Now I have some direction. Thx.

Pat wrote: "Just reading Ian Rankin. Easy to read. For those who like longer words in their crime novel....I recently read my first and needed a dictionary, oh joy, I loved it....try the Inspector Morse novels..."

I was talking to my dad a few days ago about the books he's been reading and he had just finished reading Engleby. He is a fan of Sebastian Faulks and has read quite a few of his novels, but he said he really disliked this one. I've just had a look at the description, and maybe can see why he didn't like it. It's probably more my kind of book! I'll have to see if I can sneak it off his bookshelf when he's not looking.

Sandy wrote: "Does anyone have a suggestions on a good crime/ true crime novel for the Msq. challenge? I usually would never read any thing from this genre. A true challenge for me. :)"

Sandy, I am not a fan of crime novels in general but really enjoy the alphabet series by Sue Grafton, and I have read all but the latest one. The detective is a woman, Kinsey Millhone; Grafton started to write in the mid eighties I think, and kept the time in the books behind compared with real time, so Kinsey has no internet, no mobile phones etc...I guess it's a world I relate to! She is up to "W is for Wasted" now, so the end is nigh...but the stories are fairly free standing, so you don't have to start at the beginning (A is for Alibi).

I have seen her books but didn't know if they were any good. Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone! I don't feel so lost.

Louise Penny's books are fabulous. Not only are they great detective novels, but they also provide information about art, music, social, and political issues. Start with Still Life and end with The Beautiful Mystery and its sequel How The Light Gets In. She has won major awards, been feted by the English High Command, and is the recipient of Canada's highest honor.

Well, a little late in the day I have decided to have a go at this challenge (although do intend to include books I have already read, or started this year!) I have mainly been a lurker within the group since joining as I have much less time for reading than I would like since my little one arrived. My whole target for the year is 25 books, but I will do my very best to complete the full list :) I have really enjoyed choosing the books although still have a few left to finally decide. Will post them on the other thread later. Wish me luck!!

Welcome to the group, Wendy and good luck with the challenge. Definitely ok to add books you've already read this year! I'm about half way now, but slowing down because I'm left with some of the squares like travel and sci-fi that I don't fancy reading right now.

Welcome to Book Vipers Wendy. I have just finished another challenge and will start to read more for this one soon.

I can recommend lots for those two squares Elizabeth! :-)

Paul wrote: "Welcome to Book Vipers Wendy. I have just finished another challenge and will start to read more for this one soon.

I can recommend lots for those two squares Elizabeth! :-)"

:D - I have the books lined up on my kindle, just haven't got the mood lined up too! My sci-fi will be a re-read, nothing too taxing - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and my travel book is one by Wilkie Collins (who knew he wrote a travel book?) - Rambles beyond Railways or, Notes in Cornwall Taken A-Foot. Saving them for a bit later in the year, I think.

Good luck with the challenge, Wendy! It took me ages to compile my list and even then I left a few squares blank as I like to read on impulse as well as having a 'to-read' list.

Just finished book 7 The Man in the Wooden Hat which was my 'favourite genre' book - actually I don't really have a favourite genre but JG is one of my favourite writers and I love her style. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

My square now looks like this:
O X O O X
X X X X X
O O O O O
O O O O O
O O O O O

I'm now dipping into The Last Pre-Raphaelite: Edward Burne-Jones and the Victorian Imagination and The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England, both for the challenge.

So my square looks like this:

X X O X O
O O O X X
O X X O X
X X X X O
X X O X X

16 read and no full lines! The poetry book is still a blank just now, and I know my scifi will be Pratchett, just to see which book I come across first!

As I live in Cornwall, and book is free on Kindle, I have just ordered a copy. Thanks for the Wilkie Collins reference Elizabeth.

You're welcome Pat. I may be inspired to read it when I'm back in Cornwall at Easter.

Well have now completed my historical fiction or non fiction. The mistresses of Charles II by Brian Masters. Really enjoyable and very readable, I was expecting it to be quite dry and academic and it wasn't at all. So 19 to go....

Just a quick question. Do I need to set up a separate shelf or can I just have the books go to my read list as usual. I have seen something on here about linking to the challenge and not really sure how to go about it. Can anyone help? Thanks.

Wendy, I tried to look at your shelves, but your profile is private, so I couldn't.
It is best to have a separate shelf. Here is mine:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
All books you finish will still go on your read shelf too.

Just had to change the book that I had for 10 years on my shelf. I started reading Brick Lane and discovered I'd read it before and what's more did not like it. No idea why I kept it except that I live round the corner from Brick Lane perhaps! Have made a swap to Fat Hen, which I've actually had on my shelf longer, come to think of it.

Thank you Paul. That's great. I have set up a challenge shelf now, is that all I need to do or do I have to link it to the group somehow?

Now you have set up a shelf, paste the name of the shelf into the box marked Enter a shelf name for this challenge, then it will enter you into it.

Thanks again Paul.

The moral of the story is not to try and do everything in the app. Everything becomes very obvious on visiting the main page, feeling rather silly at the moment :)

The app is great for scanning book that you want to read in a book shop. I use the web page, even on a phone

Finished two more, The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, so my square now looks like this:

R X O O X
X X X X X
X O X O O
O O O O O
O O O O O

Still working through biography of Edward Burne-Jones, but also about to start Harvest for one of my free choice squares.

Here is my square:


OORXO
OXOOO
XXOOO
OXOOO
OXOOO

About to start The Sirens of Titan for the science fiction square. It will be my first Vonnegut, and I am very excited to get started.

I have an question about the book from a small publisher. Does it mean a book by an independant publisher? I'm thinking of Quercus.

And what about the old favourite? Is it a book you have read several times?

Danielle, the intention was to get people reading books from small independent publishers, rather than the giants. and as for old favourite, it is.

For a small independent publisher, I chose The O'Brien Press, which is a small Irish publishing house. My back up would have been Persephone Books.

Ah well, Paul, I don't really have an idea whether Quercus for example is a giant or not. As it can be an independant publisher that is a giant. So I prefer to ask instead.

But I gather Quercus is a giant

There was a post on the other thread with some links to small publishers:
http://smallpublishersfair.co.uk/part...
http://www.timeout.com/london/books/l...
http://www.dovecotepress.com
http://littletoller.co.uk
http://angryrobotbooks.com

Ok, thanks Paul.

I bit the bullet and decided I would do this challenge, it's a fab idea! I've spent a couple of days compiling my square, I just posted it in the lists thread :) I'm doing the challenge alongside my current mammoth read of The Barbershop Seven series. I started the entry for An Author Whose Name I Share, Cindy Blackburn - Playing with Poison, today. I've been listening to this today with Kindle' s Text-to-Speech while I was working this afternoon. 23% into it already, and so far not-so-bad. It's a little bit cheesy, verging on chick lit, but it's an easy, light read that is quite a good mystery.

OK, decided to ditch the "Narrow boat to Carcassonne" which I had chosen for my travel book...(I don't often abandon a book, but I found this really hard going, I didn't get on with the style of writing, which I found syncopated, almost confusing, and the story goes nowhere IMHO) Anyway, I have read Jojo Moyes "One plus one" instead, and thoroughly enjoyed it - an easy read, an interesting story and a few chuckles...Having a day off thinking what next.

PS Welcome to Wendy and Toyah!

My grid looks like this:

OOXXO
OOOOX
XOOOO
OOOXX
OOOXO

I have just finished, 'The Three Musketeers', which I adored so have signed up for the new 'Series' challenge to read the d'Artagnan Mysteries.

So I finished my namesake book last week, and I started the book I chose because of the cover today. Malice in Wonderland #1 Alice the Assassin is a twisted, darkly humorous take on the story of Alice in Wonderland. It's only a short one, so I'm over a third through it already. I expect I will finish it today or tomorrow. It's actually a fantastic read! I'm considering reading more of the author's books.

As I expected, I finished Malice In Wonderland last night :) It was something different. Only short, really entertaining and quite funny. I'm now on to The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Started it this afternoon, and am only a few pages in. I'll save judgment for when I'm further on, but so far I like it!

Found Colin Bateman's Wild Harry on sale at the library the other day, so I'm adding/ substituting that for my namesake author. Read half of it, so far enjoying it. Had never read anything by him...

Errata corrige: Wild about Harry.

Just made a few adjustments to my list
10 years - The Outsider
Shared Name - Things I Don't Want to Know
Travel - Mountains Of The Mind
Recommended - The author A. M. Homes was recommended to me by a friend. I have started reading Jack
and would like to read May We Be Forgiven and This Book Will Save Your Life