What's Everyone Reading in the New Year?

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NQC - I don't think it's that important having read spoilers. I am sure I knew that it involved cloning before I read it, and didn't feel that stopped me enjoying it.

Did I mention that DS1's likeabike got pretty much entirely smeared with really bad dog poo today? Gah.

Hmm, I appear cranky. Will go try to sort out this back pain, and try not to have a horrible fight with DS1 tomorrow.

You know, I think I've read Jonathan Coe. Did he do a book that kept going on and on and on about some tiresome British comedy film, and the events on screen were paralleling the events in the book? With lots of people failing to have sex with each other in a very British way? (Um, in case it's not obvious from the description there, it didn't really work for me. Maybe I'm just too foreign for him?)

Isn't "HP for grownups" code for "Fantasy, but shhhh! we're trying to get mainstream market share!". I will no doubt read it though, it does sound good.

One thing putting me off Never Let Me Go is that I've read reviews with spoilers. Are we really not meant to know the underlying stuff?

I really liked Never let me go. The usual unreliable narrator etc. Quite shocking ending.

Beauty by Zadie Smith - xmas present from dh
Margrave of the Marshes - xmas present to dh
and my bank statement over and over again in disbelief

I've read that one too, Marina. It is good, but I liked Pigs in Heaven and the other one even better. Haven't read House of Sleep yet, I will that add that to my wishlist too.....

Um, I have read another B Kingsolver and thought it was even better than the Poisonwood Bible. I cannot remember the title though
About a woman naturalist studying wolves in the mountains. Excellent.
WRT to Jonathan Coe's spooky ability to see inside women's heads I sometimes wonder if House of Sleep is in fact autobiographical...

fullmoonfiend, I think I am enjoying it so much because I have had plenty of time for reading. I deliberately saved it for the Christmas holidays for that reason; I would never have got past the first few hundred pages if I'd been reading a few pages every night. It has got really gripping now though... Have a nice weekend, you're clearly a girl after my own heart

NQC, I wouldn't call it kidsish really. It's unlike anything else I have ever read. I'm not a Harry Potter fan, but people do say it's HP for grown-ups, don't they?

I liked Poisonwood, haven't read anything else by Barbara Kingsolver - the others are good, too?

I really really liked Cloud Atlas, but apparently nobody else did.

Is Jonathan Strange etc a kids'-ish book? I can borrow it from a neighbour ...

Tamum - I heard so many bad reviews from 'real' people as opposed to book reviewers (who all raved about it). We are reading it for our RL book group and nobody else likes it. Omly on p400 but have a nice weekend away with no kids so shall finish it! (poor dh thinks he's in with a chance of some grown up 'quality time' But me, I just see 36 hours to read and sleep

Oh, I want to read the latest Hilary Mantel too, Marina. It's on my Amazon wishlist. I read both Rotter's Club (Rotters'?) and the sequel this summer and loved them both. I'm so intrigued by your comments Pruni- I felt exactly the same, but put it down partly to being the same age as JC. Clearly it's not just that then

also have Kazuo Ishiguro and Alan Hollinghurst left over from my Book People Man Booker haul...Cloud Atlas remains undisturbed still...

Always cheers me to hear people raving about adorable, astute Jonathan Coe (hunk not the word that would spring to my mind but I have not seen him in the flesh )
got Andrea Levy, latest Hilary Mantel and Dr Strange & co for Xmas, have not started them yet...and SD has reminded me that no-one got me Vikram Seth after all
David Sedaris sounds well worth a look too.

fullmoonfiend, I am on about page 630 and am loving it now

After many false starts am now into Jonathan Strange and Mr Morrell and - gulp - enjoying it!

Is it any good?

Hey Fauve, I've got Briefing for a Descent into Hell by Lessing, if you would like to borrow it?

This is the first book I've ever read by DL, Fauve. I like her style though, I will probably see if I get hold of some more in the future.

Have you read The Good Terrorist by Lessing? It's not hard going, I enjoyed it. Actually it'd make a good book club book - lots to discuss, and topical of course.

I'm reading The Sweetest Dream by Doris Lessing. I'm on page 217 and the jury's still out - it's about the sixties and communism and I'm finding it a bit hard going at the moment. I have ordered The Fifth Child from the library (having read We Need to Talk About Kevin last year).

I have just read Instances of the Number Three by Salley Vickers, which was fab. Lots of Shakespeare in it which went a bit over my sleep-deprived head, but very good.

No, it's the first Olivia Manning I've read and I'm really enjoying it - am about half way through. Will also try "Levant Trilogy" after this thread!