'No More Buying Books Until I've Read the Ones I've Already Bought' Thread

gilligansyle

Having finished my Michael Connelly I couldn't decide what to read next, whether to go highbrow or chick lit, ended up reading Harlan Coben, The Woods. Really like the style and I can't work it all out until the end, even then, there are still unanswered questions.

Have now started on Lady Susan by Jane Austen, which is one of those that she wrote in the early days when doing Sense & Sensibility. It's one of those that I wish she had gone back to and done again later in life. My copy is dated 1979, and is a bit yellowed and fragile, so is one book I will definitely buy again one day.

bex37_2

terryw wrote: »

The answer is that all the novels contain a character who has the same first and second name:

Durand Durand
Humbert Humbert
Major Major
Meyer Meyer

I am sure that there must be others.

E Squared by Matt Beaumont the book I was reading at the start of this thread also has a charcter in it with the same first and second name, Harvey Harvey.

I'm just back from a few days away during which I read two books, visited lots of bookshops :cool: and bought three books . Ah well they were all books that I'd been looking forward to reading and as long as I can read more books than I acquire I'm happy with that.

Tete_en_l'Air

Ooh hello, I've just stumbled upon this thread and would love to join! I'll be doing it from a make-more-effort-to-make-time-to-read point of view rather than a stop-bringing-more-books-into-the-house point of view though. I am unapologetic about my bursting bookshelves, I love my books, I love looking at them and touching their spines... BUT I've a sneaking suspicion that the unread books outnumber the read ones and I want to get my to-read pile down.

I did recently do a cull of all the read books that I wasn't particularly fussed about, and they are currently under the stairs, listed on RISI. It's just taken me two months to read Northern Lights, so I'm going to try and finish the trilogy by Easter. Will tot up my books tonight and put this challenge in my sig to keep me motivated

lilian1977

Yet again I didn't restart Wuthering Heights as I got a reservation collection notice from the library for The Solitute of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano - been waiting months for this, it's still not in paperback so couldn't buy it. Am about two thirds through it and it's wonderful, so sad but very beautiful. I can't recommend it enough.

InaPickle

Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »

It's just taken me two months to read Northern Lights, so I'm going to try and finish the trilogy by Easter. Will tot up my books tonight and put this challenge in my sig to keep me motivated

Hey Tete,

You know, it's funny you should say that, but it took me absolutely ages to read NL as well, despite seeming to be doing little else at the time. I think it's cos it didn't grab me by the throat as much as other books have, especially the Harry Potter's, which I had heard the NL trilogy marketed as 'the more mature read for lovers of the HP novels'. I think it's cos I never became emotionally involved with the characters in the same way that I did with Harry et al. I mean, I liked some of the ideas, particularly the subtle knef (I think that puts an appearance in book two), but they didn't do much for me. I just didn't care too much about Lyra and Will/Wilf (so much so I can't remember his name! :rotfl:). I think with children's books you have to be able to empathise with the protagonists and feel like you are being swept along with their adventures, and I didn't feel that at all. I didn't get any sense of wonder inside Pullman's universe. What do you think?

lilian1977

InaPickle wrote: »

Hey Tete,

You know, it's funny you should say that, but it took me absolutely ages to read NL as well, despite seeming to be doing little else at the time. I think it's cos it didn't grab me by the throat as much as other books have, especially the Harry Potter's, which I had heard the NL trilogy marketed as 'the more mature read for lovers of the HP novels'. I think it's cos I never became emotionally involved with the characters in the same way that I did with Harry et al. I mean, I liked some of the ideas, particularly the subtle knef (I think that puts an appearance in book two), but they didn't do much for me. I just didn't care too much about Lyra and Will/Wilf (so much so I can't remember his name! :rotfl:). I think with children's books you have to be able to empathise with the protagonists and feel like you are being swept along with their adventures, and I didn't feel that at all. I didn't get any sense of wonder inside Pullman's universe. What do you think?

I would agree with some of this. I struggled to get into it, started it about 3 times and put it down. When I finally did get into it I loved all the books, but the Subtle Knife was the best - I think I cared more for Will than I did for Lyra.

Tete_en_l'Air

I know exactly what you mean Pickle! I find Lyra quire precocious to be honest, and although, like you say, I do like a lot of the ideas in her world, like the daemons and the Gyptians, they just don't 'grab' me in the same way that chocolate frogs and Diagon Alley did! I really laboured through the first half of NL, but really enjoyed it once I got into it. I'm reluctant to start The Subtlfe Knife now though because I know it starts with a different character altogether and a different universe so I'm worried I won't get into this one very easily either Hoping this challenge will spur me on to read them quickly!

EDIT - Thanks Lilian, I'm more looking forward to starting it now I've read that!!

lilian1977

Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »

I know exactly what you mean Pickle! I find Lyra quire precocious to be honest, and although, like you say, I do like a lot of the ideas in her world, like the daemons and the Gyptians, they just don't 'grab' me in the same way that chocolate frogs and Diagon Alley did! I really laboured through the first half of NL, but really enjoyed it once I got into it. I'm reluctant to start The Subtlfe Knife now though because I know it starts with a different character altogether and a different universe so I'm worried I won't get into this one very easily either Hoping this challenge will spur me on to read them quickly!

EDIT - Thanks Lilian, I'm more looking forward to starting it now I've read that!!

I think it's because Will's story is initially set in our universe so we understand him more from the off? I would agree about the ideas in NL not being as immediate as HP.

jintyb

Just noticed this thread, and cant believe I've not stumbled over it before! Please can I join? I currently have about eight books to get through, but the trouble is - like many of you I adore books! In my last house I had a room shelved to cope with them all, then I had to downsize and gave most of them away. ( This was before Amazon/ RiSi etc) Now I cant afford to buy as many but I feed my habit by swapping on RiSi. What a great thing that is! Saved me a fortune, also my local Heart Foundation Shop has a brill selection so I use that a lot. Like some of the other posters, I could spend hours in bookshops which are sadly on the decrease - my treat used to be mooching round Borders then having a lovely coffee! How my life has changed since tackling my outrageous spending!;)
Just finished Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith - best thriller I've read for ages, just started My Sister's Keeper - just discovered Jodi Picoult ( only about five years after everyone else! :rotfl:)
Happy Reading all!

Tete_en_l'Air

I read MSK last year on hols, cried all the way through, had to hide my red eyes behind enormous sunglasses on the beach and OH was getting annoyed at me because other people would think he'd made me cry!