Booking Through Thursday: Too Short?

“Life is too short to read bad books.” I’d always heard that, but I still read books through until the end no matter how bad they were because I had this sense of obligation.

That is, until this week when I tried (really tried) to read a book that is utterly boring and unrealistic. I had to stop reading.

Do you read everything all the way through or do you feel life really is too short to read bad books?

I used to be really stubborn and would finish a book even if I hated it, this was right up until I started my blog! Then I realised just how many wonderful books there are out there and I felt like I was missing out by spending my time reading something that I wasn't enjoying. I do still try to give a book a fair few chapters before I give up and it is rare that I will start something that I don't enjoy. Some people have a 3 chapter rule but I think you have to take into consideration what type of book it is and if others have said it has a slow start etc. I did used to feel really guilty if I didn't finish a book but now I just reach for the next one!

Wedding Pictures

I know that this isn't very book related but a few people have asked to see pictures from my wedding. Mr S and I got married on August 7th this year and we had such a beautiful day that I will never forget! The day wasn't without books though, we named each table after our favourite authors which I think was far better than Mr S' suggestion of naming them after body parts in relation to his training as a doctor!

The Dog Who Came In From The Cold- Online novel- Chapters 31-40

It's all been happening at Corduroy Mansions, Alexander McCall-Smith's latest online novel with the Telegraph, The Dog Who Came In From The Cold is in its 40th chapter now, that sounds a lot but they're only short so there is still plenty of time to catch up if you've only just found out about it.
It's all very mysterious at the moment, we have Dee meeting with Richard Eadston, the venture capitalist about her herbal Sudoku remedy. She seems to just sail through life, blissfully unaware of what is happening around her or any problems she has caused.
James and Caroline are speaking again after the Dee incident but James confesses that he doesn't really like women... or men. He just wants to be friends! Caroline agrees to this but is she really completely happy to settle for friendship?
Rupert and Gloria see Ratty Mason in a restaurant, he is somebody that Rupert went to school with but very much does not want to talk about out. Gloria's suspicions are raised and she is determined to get some answers in the future. These two are then caught snooping round Barbara's apartment by the Yeti memoir author who is staying there while she is away. He doesn't realise who they are but will Barbara find out? What will her reaction be? Does anyone else think that Rupert might secretly like Barbara or is that just me?
Freddie de la Hay is back but only briefly! William has handed him over to MI6 in the form of Tilly Curtain who is looking after him. Poor Freddie, he thinks that he has been got rid of by William and wonders what on earth he did wrong. It sounds like Freddie's adventure is only just beginning though as Sebastian Duck pops in to fit him with a new aerial collar so that Freddie will be able to go under cover. I do hope that there is more from Freddie de la Hay in the next chapters, he is still my firm favourite!

Book Review: The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell

As dawn breaks over London, the body of a young man is discovered in a windswept Notting Hill church yard. The killer has left Detective Chief Inspector Grant Foster and his team a grisly cryptic clue...However, it's not until the clue is handed to Nigel Barnes, a specialist in compiling family trees, that the full message becomes spine-chillingly clear. For, it leads Barnes back more than one hundred years- to the victim of a demented Victorian serial killer... when a second body is discovered Foster needs Barnes' skills more than ever. Because the murder clues appear to run along side the tangled blood-lines that lie between 1879 and now. And if Barnes is right about his blood-history, the killing spree has only just begun.

I was really in the mood for a good, page-turning crime-thriller and this book fitted the bill perfectly. Dan Waddell draws you in immediately with a murder taking place in the first few pages. There are two key characters in the book, Detective Chief Inspector Grant Foster, he definitely has some skeletons in his closet but he is in no way cliched as fictional detectives can be. Nigel Barnes is the other key character in unlocking the mysteries surrounding the case. He too has things in his past that he would prefer to stay there, the author gives the reader little snippets of information about Barnes and it takes the whole book to get a good idea of his true character.
I loved the genealogy aspect of the book, it added a whole different element and Dan Waddell's research shines through in his writing. A lot of the book takes place in the Family Records Archive and The National Archives at Kew. I once spent a lot of time at The National Archives helping my husband to research his history dissertation and I have to say that Dan Waddell describes the type of places they are and the characters who frequent them perfectly.
The plot in The Blood Detective is excellent, I don't want to give anything away but I loved the twists and turns that the story took. The ending was a complete surprise to me and it was lovely to read a mystery that really did keep me guessing right to the very end. I read on the internet that Dan Waddell is said to be writing a series of books surrounding the character of Nigel Barnes, I hope this is true as I would definitely read the next one.

It's NaNoWriMo- Wish me luck!!!

It's day one of National Novel Writing Month! Scarily, I have decided to take part this year so I have between now and midnight on November 30th to write 50,000 words. I am a little daunted by it but also extremely excited, I'm hoping that it will give me the push I need to get on with my book idea. I have finished The Blood Detective and it was fantastic so I shall post my review soon and I am about to begin the new Marian Keye's book which is bound to be brilliant!!

Beautiful, Sparkly book in the post!!!

This came in the post yesterday and I have to say that I am a little bit in love with it!!!!

It is sparkly and there's pink bits and it's by one of my favourite authors!!! I am very excited about reading it and seeing what Marian has in store for us this time but for now I just like to keep looking at it!!

The Dog who Came in from the Cold- What do you think so far?

Have you been reading along with the Telegraph's online novel The Dog who Came in from the Cold by Alexander McCall-Smith? I am 31 chapters in and still very much enjoying it, I really look forward to taking 10 minutes out of my day to find out what is happening to the residents of Corduroy Mansions.
The last few chapters have focused on James and Caroline's relationship and we are left wondering if he will leave Caroline for Dee after taking her out for dinner in Caroline's place. I think it should be more a question of whether Caroline should finish with James as he is a little too strange for my liking!
I chapters 29-31 we have followed Barbara as her suspicions and dislike of Rupert have increased. However, she is tyring to put this to the back of her mind as she sets off on a trip to the Scottish highlands with her fiance, Hugh. But is Hugh as perfect as Barbara believes him to be, can you truly trust a man with holey socks and missing shirt buttons? What do you think of Hugh? Do you think Barbara is setting herself up for a fall?
I've really enjoyed all these developments but I have to say that I want more Freddie de la Hay! I want to know about his mission for MI6 and whether William will entrust his loyal companion to the secret service?
If you haven't been reading this then there is still time for you to catch up with the story. You can click the link at the top of this page and it will take you to the Telegraph's site with all the chapters listed. It really is lovely to read everyday or if you want to be lazy then you can listen to the brilliant Andrew Sachs reading the story to you, perfect!