Tell me what you are reading at the moment please.

I've just finished The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson, sequel to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and can thoroughly recommend both (they are quite new though so might not be in charity shops yet). They are crime novels but really well written with excellent characterisation and fab plots, especially the second. There is a third on the way but that will be the end because the author died shortly before they were published.

Also been reading some of CJ Sansom's Matthew Shardlake series (Dissolution, Dark Fire, Sovereign, Revelation) which are historical detective stories set during the reign of Henry VIII. They are a bit like Umberto Eco's The Name of The Rose, but much more readable. I've also read some Christopher Brookmyre and Carl Hiaasen (satirical thrillers) and yesterday read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby, which is a book written by a man who suffered a catastrophic stroke in his forties which left him with "locked-in syndrome". He could only move one eyelid and dictated the whole book using a system of blinks. It sounds very grim and depressing but is the opposite - heartbreaking but life-affirming. Would really recommend it.

If you don't mind secondhadn books then try www.readitswapit.co.uk. You put up the books you don't want, find the ones you do, ask the person if they want one of yours and if they agree you send them (i always use second class post as I'm a cheapskate!) - voila book you want to keep, book you don't want gone from your house forever.

Personally I'm reading Roger Moore's autobiography which is a bit snoozesome at the mo but I recently read Kate Atkinson's When will there be good news? which was pretty good but then I do love KA. Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel is good but quite dark.

I have just fnished Host by Stephanie Myers which I really enjoyed. I started Scarpetta last night.

Recently enjoyed books include:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I loved, loved, loved this book. It was fab. Would recommend it to anyone. It is a romance, but very different to the norm.

The Tent, the Bucket and Me - Emma Kennedy. All about her childhood holidays, camping, often in France, with her family. This was an extremely fitting read, seeing as how I was on a campsite in France with my parents, who live minutes down the road from the authors family . I think she went to my secondary school, but I didn't have a clue she was local when I picked this up in the airport.

Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips. very funny, and I loved it, but it gets mixed reviews on amazon.

A Beginner's Guide to Acting English - Shappi Khorsandi. A fascinating book. Not as funny as I was expecting it to be, but that didn't matter in the slightest. It taught me so much about Iran/Iranians in the 70s and 80s - I didn't realise how little I knew.

Quirkology/59 Seconds - Richard wiseman. Two books about some interesting psychology research. I know that doesn't sounds very exciting, but they are very readable, and very interesting. Quirkology is about interesting bits f research people have done about everyday stuff, things you wouldn't think people would bother to research, and is fascinating. 59 seconds looks at self helps books from the point of view of proper, peer-reviewed research, debunking some things, supporting others and explaining why things do or don't work.

Luxury - Jessica Ruston. I haven't actually read it yet, I'm saving it until I finish my current essay, but everyone assures me it's very good! ? (I doubt you will find it in a charity shop yet though. it's only out in hardback, or airport paperback).

I've just finished reading some of Simon Kernick's books. I really enoyed them. Crime thriller / kidnap / good cop gone bad type books. I ordered a load from Ebay for holiday when I realised I'd read two of them already. Managed to read them again no problems though.

https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/102/1024620/simon-kernick.html?

Oh, and I've also just finished Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. I really liked it, which i was quite surprised by, as I hated the shopaholic books. It is very chick-litty though.

I bought 'The Beach House' by Jane Green a few weeks back in Tesco, stupidly thinking I may actually have time to read it. I have no idea if it's any good. Anyone read it?

At the moment i'm reading "The Devil wears Prada" which I did find in our local Red Cross charity shop (a good hunting ground for cheap books i'm finding). It's good so far, i've not seen the film so don't know how it ends but at the moment i'm enjoying it. ?

Just finished reading Dear Fatty by Dawn French. Very very good and a great insight into what makes her tick. Took me a while to get used to it being written in 'letters' rather than just a straight story but once I got into it I loved it. Makes me want to be her best friend!

I have. Wasn't overly impressed to be honest. And I've liked Jane Green in the past. Not her best.

At the moment im reading marching powder im nearly at the end. its horrible and good and sad and happy. good book

http://www.marchingpowder.com/

the last one i read was this a bit dark but surprising

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ice-Man-Confessions-Contract-Killer/dp/1845962125

I like to have a few books on the go at once so currently on my reading pile with bookmarks in (as opposed to the reading pile I haven't started...) are: -

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets - JK Rowking

The Tangled Thread - Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

The Foundling - Georgette Heyer

The Vow on the Heron - Jean Plaidy

Slipknot bio - Jason Arnopp

Currently reading anything by Lee Child i can get from the library - i just love jack reacher ?

also reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as bedtime stories for the kids.

You Will Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers. The jury is out so far. I hoped he'd be another Douglas Coupland but that's just stupid because nobody could be as good as him! It's OK and it'll keep me going until my holiday in two weeks time when I'm itching to read My Friend Leonard (the follow-up to A Million Little Pieces) by James Frey. Oh and H has bought me a couple of books on what it's really like to live in Australia so I guess I'd better read those too! ?

I'm rereading Alas, Poor Lady by Rachel Ferguson. Fab, fab book.

Last night I finally started 'A million little pieces' by James Frey and I can safely say...I'm already hooked!

BTW - if you fancied reading Russell Brands 'Booky Wook' then I can send it to you as a RAHK...or at least a 'pass it on' book?!

You should absolutely read this is tremendous...especially as you'll be camping too.

I'ts probably my book of the year!

Im just about to start reading New Moon by Stephenie Meyer, the second book of the Twilight series. Id never heard of it before until my work mate thrust Twilight (the first one) under my nose about a week ago. I wasnt able to put it down and im just starting the second. If its anything like the first, its already amazing. Its so not my type of book, its quite teen romance type book, but with a vampire twist! Think Buffy the vampire slayer but waaaay better.

Thank you so much for all your recommendations. I am going to amazon it all later and find them in the library which would work better than charity shops. I have The Host ready and waiting to read, and so far have read the Twilight Saga bar Breaking Dawn because it isn't in paperback yet. I loved them all so can't wait to get the new one. (she has a manuscript for her next one on her website if anyone is interested, it is very good and with Edward's point of view)

I would love to take you up on the Russell Brand book, tahdah, and then I would happily pass it on to someone else. A Million Little Pieces is on my now extensive list and I will have some fantastic books to take my mind off my stressful life and the rain outside the tent ?

I guess I had better put what I have been reading - currently 3/4 of the way through Northanger Abbey and 'Your Heart Belongs to Me' by Dean Koontz. I read loads of books at the same time, people think I am odd. Pleased to see I am not the only one! Northanger Abbey is very good, obviously a bit of a challenge if you don't read them normally, I keep having to go to the end of the book to read the illustrations but I am enjoying it and it reminds me of studying Jane Eyre on school which is one of my favourite books. The Dean Koontz book is a bit harder than his normal ones to get into but I am perservering, it annoys me if I can't read a book fully through.

Thanks again all, tahdah, do you want me to pm you my address? x

My last three books:

Yes Man by Danny Wallace - I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. I won't be going to see the film as apparently it bears no resemlance.

The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde - Bought for me by my MIL for my 37th birthday after I kept moaning about getting old and wrinkly. What a treat. I loved it.

Just started the latest paperback Kathy Reichs as I have a busy / stressful couple of weeks and want something not too taxing. her books are usually ok. A notch above Patricia Cornwall (not that that it is hard).

I have heard about the Yes Man - thank you for reminding me!

I have read some of Kathy Reichs, they are loads better than Pat Cornwall in my opinion. Oscar Wilde I have never read but I plan to. I love Charles Dickens too, but much prefer it when the book itself is all falling to pieces, but then this is probably because I read too many books that mention people reading old and tatty books. I make no sense now...

I have just read the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and would second Flowery's recommendation - it's fab.

I have recently been on holiday and read approximately one book per day! Sunset - I read "The Beach House" and thought it was OK - not my favourite book ever but it wasn't bad. I haven't read any of Jane Green's others though - are they better? Most of the others were romances which I know you said you didn't want, Wembley - how about Gentlemen and Players (Joanne Harris) - I really enjoyed that, very "different" from her others but I was hooked and had to keep reading as I wanted to know what happened!

I'm two chapters into Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier - recommended by a friend who may be directing the film version. Pretty good so far, but too early to go into much detail.

Just started reading "let the right one in"

It's got a lot more detail than the film, and is certainly worth considering (I'm really enjoying it)

Thank you alleroo, Mr JK and Hungry Caterpillar - added to list.