I loved this too but it is a real marmite book on here, lots of haters, though it hasn't been discussed for quite a while

Hi moonlily.....yes I had a bit of a marathon read of Penman's books.

I've just started another of Alison Weir's 'The Lady in the Tower - The Fall of Anne Boleyn'.

Have you read it?

I'm finding it a bit annoying but can understand the author's continual referencing throughout since many historians have debated the details of Anne's downfall. Will stick with it though given that it's not historical fiction like Innocent Traitor. I think I will put the Lady Elizabeth next on my list to read if I give up on the Anne Boleyn one.

Just finished true story by kath hardy. Secrets my mother kept.
She was 9th child of 10 who grew up on a rough council estate.mother brought kids up with help of her mother and sister but no husband.

Won't say anymore in case I spoil story but despite being such an odd and very often absent mother, the kids were devoted to her.

It so reminds me of the family I grew up next to. 8 kids and most with different fathers. Coincidentally I saw one of the kids this weekend and she was saying how very poor they were. Their mum never went to any school visits, went to the pub nearly every night and left them alone and the bigger ones brought up the younger ones. When the old lady died they were all distraught and she was never left alone in the hospital. I wonder if they are, even as adults, desperate to be loved despite their mother not really giving them much attention.

I've just started reading Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams - Jenny Colgan. In need of a bit of light reading.

Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming.
The first James Bond book i've ever read and its good. Some details are a bit dated, however i'll be reading more Ian Fleming after this.

Started "Eye of God" (the latest in the Sigma Force series) - James Rollins.

Before that decided to unwind with some light reading "Moominland midwinter" - Tove Jansson and found it wasn't as light as I expected.

Took a break from Anne Boleyn and read two thrillers:

Killing Hope by Keith Houghton - fast paced serial killer with quite a few twists.

The Missionary by Jack Wilder - this was a pretty nasty insight to the sex/human trafficking trade. Well written but the romance angle between the two protagonists went a bit deep at times.

Now back to historical fiction and reading:

The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir

Been a while since I read the Fleming Bonds, Moonraker and Dr No are my favourites, with From Russia with Love and Goldfinger close behind.

Stay away from The Spy Who Loved Me, it's hardly even a true Bond and is abysmal.,

Rachel Hore- The Silent Tide

Thanks, I'll bear that in mind.

A Kindle book.

Just coming to the end of The Blackheath Seance Parlour.
I know it's just me, because it's had great reviews on here and on Amazon, but after a promising start, I'm really not liking it
I might have a reread of Alison Weir's book on Eleanor of Aquitaine next.

I read that a few years ago and enjoyed it very much.

I am cheating at the moment and couldn't resist listening to a Radio 4 adaptation of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt before buying a copy of the book.

I LOVED The Secret History, was totally disappointed with The Little Friend and up to now am enjoying this adaptation of The Goldfinch.

Im reading Philomena - the true story of the film thats out at the moment. Heartrending read, just can't put it down

Stephen King Misery. It's fantastic and much better than the film, Annie Wilkes is a fantastic character despite her being the epitome of pure evil

I am Malala -Malala Yousafzai

I swore off ms.Tartt after The Little friend but I have to admit, I am intrigued.

Some bugger at work has swiped my Copy Of Seance Parlour so I'll never know how it ended but I loved it up to page 300.

The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister ~ George R. R. Martin

Conan the Destroyer ~ Robert E. Howard

The Infinite Mindfield: The Quest to find the Gateway to Higher Consciousness ~ Anthony Peake

Ooh, why?

I'm half way through Allegiant at the moment. Loved Divergent. Really liked Insurgent. But Allegiant is making me cross so far. The characters are acting very out of character, especially Tobias, and I think the ending is being heavily signposted. Part of me wants to skip forward to see if I'm right. I think I know where this is going, and I don't like it. I don't mind a sad ending if it's 'right', but I do mind characters suddenly behaving like clichéd idiots.

Jane Casey- The Stranger you know

Terry Pratchett - Raising Steam.

Book 12 of the pretty little liars series.
God its a long series!

I'm on course to win my bet with friends for reading 12 books in 12 months! I'm halfway through reading book eleven - Facing Up by Bear Grylls about his climb of Everest making him the youngest Brit to scale the mountain.

Love these adventure type things - they make for interesting reading and inspire me. Sure they can be a little preachy at times, but overlooking that these make for great reading. I always find true stories more interesting than novels for some reason.

In the last few months I've also read:
- Born Survivor: Bear Grylls - interesting read with case studies, photos, diagrams etc for living out in the wild and having adventures outside. A book I will certainly go back to.
- 127 Hours: Between A Rock And A Hard Place by Aaron Ralston - As with Facing Up its a little peachy in places and at times Ralston comes across as a cocky spoilt brat, but his story of being trapped in the canyon is shocking, well known and quite astounding. Elements of the story are also quite inspirational as with anything like this. Surprisingly there is only a short section covering the infamous arm removal.
- The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum - The book is well written but is a little cheesy in places, quite dated (it takes place in the 80s and relies on the reader knowing a lot about the history at that time) and is not as good as the films starring Matt Damon.
- Psychovertical by Andy Kirkpatrick - I've been on a rock climbing buzz this year and I had to read this! This was a good read for me as I can relate to some of the stuff this dude puts forth. Again its a humble tale of feeling lost and looking for adventure. Its also another inspirational tale depending on how you look at it lol. Great for swotting up on climbing locations and gear too!
- Nothing Is Impossible: My Story by Dynamo - A humble tale of how this magician went from a little kid bullied on a Bradford estate to a well known and very talented magician. There's no reveal of how he does his tricks and right so (once the reveal has been done it ruins the trick imo), its just a tale of how Dynamo had a dream and stuck to it and followed it through no matter what. He also shows how if you have the talent and the right drive you can achieve your dreams. A very humble take on his story so far.

The Perks Of Being A Wallfower by Stephen Chbosky.

I am reading Die Sonnenposition by Marion Poschmann. It is very good. My brother sent me a copy from Hamburg. In English I am reading the Biography of Kenneth Williams. He seems to have been a very intelligent man who had a lot of problems.