Flingo

Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis A birthday present from a friend - self help books are really not my thing. Hollis is a social media influencer, and I’m struggling with her writing. Very surprised this was in as a Good Reads 2019 Book of the Year winner.

5. Summer in Algiers by Albert Camus 4. Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis 3. The Skylark’s War by Hilary McKay **** 2. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon **** 1. Mythos by Stephen Fry (A) (A) = Audiobook

2 weeks in, hope 2020 has started well for everyone!

I am currently struggling with Down and Out... I will confess I hadn’t realised it was autobiographical until I googled it at 50pages in. I am enjoying the quality of Orwell’s writing, but haven’t warmed to him as a person, so am feeling really ambivalent about his situation. It does feel like it could have been written much more recently than 1933 though - the vocabulary, writing style and descriptions and sense of place feel like they could have applied right through to the end of the century.

62. No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton ***** 61. Snowglobe by Amy Wilson *** 60. The Easy way to Control Alcohol by Alan Carr (A) **** 59. A Gift from Bob by James Bowen **** 58. Mythos by Stephen Fry (A) 57. The Chocolate Lovers’ Christmas by Carole Matthews **** 56. Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell *** 55. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult (A) **** 54. Now You See Her by Heidi Perks **** 53. Mad Blood Stirring by Simon Mayo **** 52. The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave **** 51. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes **** 50. The Secret Language of Cats by Susanne Schötz ** 49. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys **** 48. Toffee by Sarah Crossan ***** 47. The Fallout by Sadie Jones *** 46. Cloud Boy by Marcia Williams **** 45. Life: an exploded diagram by Mal Peet *** 44. H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald **** 43. A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan *** 42. The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell **** 41. The Mortal Coil by Emily Suveda **** 40. The Island by Victoria Hislop **** 39. Becoming Dinah by Kit de Waal *** 38. The Girl Under the Olive Tree by Leah Fleming **** 37. Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane (A) *** 36. Where the River Runs Gold by Sita Brahmachari *** 35. The Lido Guide by Janet Wilkinson ***** 34. Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich *** 33. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella *** 32. Being Miss Nobody by Tamsin Winter **** 31. The Lido by Libby Page **** 30. Dangerous Water by Anne Allen ** 29. The World According to Bob by James Bowen **** 28. The Almost Moon by Alice Sebald ** 27. The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde (A) *** 26. The Boy who Flew by Fleur Hancock **** 25. Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich *** 24. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (A) *** 23. My Brother’s Name is Jessica by John Boyne *** 22. A Song for the Dying by Stuart MacBride **** 21. The Middler by Kirsty Applebaum ***** 20. Boy meets Hamster by Birdie Milano ***** 19. Rosie Loves Jack by Mel Darbon ***** 18. You against Me by Jenny Downham **** 17. Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella *** 16. The Woman who Died a lot by Jasper Fforde (A) **** 15. Felicia’s Journey by William Trevor *** 14. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich **** 13. The Terrible Thing that happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne ** 12. The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling (A) *** 11. A Street cat named Bob by James Bowen *** 10. The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud by Ben Sherwood **** 9. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich *** 8. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz **** 7. Eleanor Olliphant is Absolutely Fine by Gail Honeyman (A) ***** 6. A Whisper of Horses by Zillah Bethell **** 5. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich *** 4. Antigona and Me by Kate Claunchy **** 3. Once in a Lifetime by Cathy Kelly *** 2. The Girl who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig (A) *** 1. Angel Fever by LA Weatherly **** (A) = Audiobook

Doctor

We no speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool

Mad Blood Stirring - Simon Mayo

I can’t believe it’s 5 years since I last logged in to BGO. I decided to have a social media detox this month, and now find myself a bit lost as to how to spend my screentime and here I find myself. After a few years of reading drought, I am finally back reading (although not at the levels from when I first joined BGO). So lovely to see so many familiar names here. Meg - sorry to hear you’ve had a rough few months, I hope things have improved for both you and Mr Meg.

Thanks, Ting! Nice to meet you too. :-)

This was nominated by 2 people in my RL book group last month. I was really looking forward to it, but am now not so sure...

The Burning BRIDGE - John Flanagan

Bolt

Like Squirls, it's been a very long time since I've visited BGO and have only just seen this. I am so very, very saddened and sorry to read this thread. David was such a big part of BGO, not just his contributions on the boards but the support he gave us in he early days when he became a moderator. This time of year is one for reflection and I now intend to read back through some of my favourite old threads, so many of which David commented on, and enjoy his humour and insights. Much love to all BGO members and David's friends and family. xxx

I mentioned this thread to one of my colleagues today when we met, both bare footed, at the water cooler. She said "it's fine to take your shoes off, as long as senior management or visitors aren't in the building". I like the logic. We did also then discuss the etiquette of scent - but agreed that if you feet are a little on the whiffy side, it's probably important that you air them (near an open window!).