Stephanie’s Comments (group member since Aug 20, 2011)

Stephanie’s comments from the Lush Library group.

I've never heard of that author but Blindness sounds really good, I'm really enjoying dystopian novels at the moment as well.
I most recently bought Anno Dracula by Kim Newman
I spotted a signed copy of it at Forbidden Planet for £5.99 and couldn't say no. I've wanted to read for a while, I'll read pretty much anything about vampires, and Kim is such an interesting character himself that it's bound to be good! As for when I'll read it, god knows, I've got an insurmountable stack of books!!

I've not enjoyed this as much as I thought I would so far. Find there are too many similarities to Twilight, and not in a good way...I find the relationship of the two central characters echoes Twilight, but in this case I find the relationship unbelievable for some reason, I dont think it develops very convincingly. I'm enjoying it a bit more again now that I've got to some action (around 440), but it won't be making it to my list of favoured vampire lore when I finish I don't think!

Sarah wrote: "I got this in the waterstones sale just after christmas, so I'll definetly be reading along this month :)"

That's when I got my copy too. :)
Only just read the first chapter but am enjoying it so far, particularly all the alchemical references because I studied a module on Alchemy and Hermeticism when I was at uni, so this is taking me back a bit!

Kirsty wrote: "I have just finished reading 5 minutes ago. I can see why it is so highly rated. Seems like I keep reading dystopia novels recently."

I too keep on reading dystopian novels at the moment. I loved the Handmaid's Tale when I read it earlier this year, can't believe I hadn't read it before. Try Divergent by Veronica Roth if you've read and enjoyed the Hunger Games series and want to continue the dystopian theme!

I finished reading Hard Times by Charles Dickens the other day, I was quite disappointed by it. It was grim, weirdly comical / satirical and difficult to read! Give me Great Expectations any day.

1984 by George Orwell

Pure by Andrew Miller

Periodic Tales by Hugh Aldersey-Williams

Ooh this is definitely the continent I'm most excited about, I love East Asian culture. :) My nominations are:

IQ84 by Haruki Murakami

The Temple of the Golden Pavillion by Yukio Mishima

The Tale of Genji by Murasiki Shikibu

Just finished Sookie Stackhouse #9. I love the series even though it's über trashy!

Ah ok, thanks - sounds like a good system! In that case I'd also like to nominate:

Pure by Andrew Miller
(recent winner of Costa book of the year)

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
(really feel I should read some Dickens this year, and this is one I've not read before)

I'd like to suggest:
1) 1984 - George Orwell
(I'm really enjoying dystopian novels at the moment and would love to re-visit this one!)

2) A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness
(It's on my TBR and from the blurb sounds right up my street)

3)Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith
(Sounds like a hoot & I always like to read a book before I see the film - which is due this summer)

I've never read this book before (to my shame). I know the vague premise of it but not much more (never seen the film). I'm about half way through now; I really like how the story is seen through the eyes of Atticus' daughter. The layers of the story are building up quite slowly but in a good way, I feel like I'm really getting to know and understand the characters & cultural context.

Only 8011 apparently! But I only joined goodreads about halfway through last year...

1. Snowdrops by AD Miller
2. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
3. The Hare With The Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal

I'm really enjoying the book. Even though the narrative structure sometimes feels a bit fragmented and you're not sure where it's going, I think the atmosphere created is brilliant. Especially some of those inserted short stories about past gods / emigrating peoples etc are really vivid given how brief they are. The characters are interesting too, they some how feel familiar and alien at the same time if that makes sense... they all have attributes you've seen in characters before but with something not quite right about them... they are part human, part myth. And Shadow, although he is supposed to be human he doesn't seem so entirely... seeming to drift in and out of different worlds/minds and the way he becomes accustomed to the existence of these gods so quickly. I'm about 3/4 of the way through and I have no idea how everything is going to be tied up at the end, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

1. How to be a woman by Caitlin Moran - I read this recently and loved it, and it's a very quick and easy read.
2. A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin - it's on my list of books to read, I feel the need for some good fantasy right now! Not seen the series because I always have to read the book before I see the film/tv show!
3. The turn of the Screw by Henry James - a classic choice for Halloween!

I'll be reading American Gods! That's what I voted for and I've been wanting to read more Neil Gaiman for some time.

I have voted. One of the books on the list I've been wanting to read for ages so it was a no-brainer!

Hello, I'm Stephanie, I'm 24 years old and live in London. I work at a creative production company that creates big, outdoor theatre/arts events - we're currently gearing up for a light festival in November. I love film, live music, good food, Japanese culture, traveling, and of course reading!
I recently fell back in love with reading - I was always a big reader as a child, but I've spent most of the past 5 years gaining 2 degrees (BA Art History and MA Art History - where I specialized in Japanese art) so reading fell by the wayside somewhat! When you're reading and writing all day I find the last thing you want to do at night is curl up with a book. These days I use my rather long commute (an hour each way) to get stuck into reading, it's so great to have the time to do it again.
I read all sorts really - I read a fair bit of horror/fantasy, I also like non-fiction, particularly anything relating to other cultures or science. I love a good series of books - like Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, Sookie Stackhouse, Twilight - I just adore being transported back into the same, familiar world book after book.