If you were reading a detective novel.........

I resolve the problem of non-memorable foreign names by giving them short nicknames - say Sam, Nat, Joe, etc. something that is in the name or initials. I have given up on my latest book though. It is a historical novel and the characters keep changing their names from So & So to Lord something else, The Duchess of somewhere or whatever. I have totally lost the plot (to coin a phrase).

jeni get one of those cushions-with-a-board-fixed-on-top-of-it (I forget their real name). It sits on your knees and can be tilted to hold books or papers at an angle that suits your position. I sit in a recliner with my feet up and the book on one of those. Sometimes I bring my knees up sideways and put book and cushion across my knees and the arm of the chair.

after attending a talk at the local library by one of the team of top literature people who choose our books for the British library,( the ones that say yes or no to a book )this very informative man told us that they have to read over a 100 books a month and then give there opinion as to whether it is an ideal choice for a British library,this sounded imposssible and we asked how is this possible? he said to read a book quickly you read the first 3 chapters find a chapter in the middle and then you read the end.that he said gives you a perfect summary of what the book is about....when i find a book on the Kindle boring this is what i do this way i can delete it without thinking i wonder what that was all about.its worth a try.

Only one thing worse than wading through the treacle that is The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo....breaking off to read the reviews on Amazon and finding a numpty who gives away the ending.

I love Marianne Keyes, I resisted her for ages, but now can't get enough!

Annobel me too! And Cathy Kelly!

I have never been able to get into fantasy, although I do realise that Harry Potter has introduced many children to reading and perhaps they have gone on to read other things.
I don't like plays or books where something magical can suddenly change the course of events, whether it be Greek tragedies with gods doing their bit, or C.S. Lewis.

I started Lord of the Rings three times before finally really getting into it - and then found I was reading until 5am (those were the days) because I literally found it almost impossible to put down. Fortunately it coincided with a time my husband was working away for several weeks otherwise he would have gone hungry and been none too clean.

I haven't tried Marianne Keyes, but I will now!

Greatnan, I did some research on Mills and Boon once because a friend and I were trying to write one (unsuccessfully). I can assure you that sexual activity isn't just hinted at - it can be quite explicit! As far as chick lit goes, I, too, enjoy Maeve Binchy although I think her later books have gone off the boil and become too formulaic. And Marianne Keyes is my secret vice. Well, not so secret now!

I wouldn't bother. I'm surprised that it should be a Jack reacher story causing problems as they are usually very easy to follow.

I'd give up as life is too short!

I have read that Mills and Boon have relaxed their formula slightly. Now, the man is not necessarily the woman's social superior (doctor/nurse etc.) and it can be hinted that they do engage in sexual activity before marriage.
But the man still prefers the plain, poor girl to the rich, very beautiful girl!
And he must be at least 6' tall.
I shouldn't mock, because I have never read a Mills and Boon, or Barbara Cartland, or Catherine Cookson. It must be me, because Cookson was the most borrowed author from public libraries for many years.
I do enjoy some ecapism, such Maeve Binchy and Joanna Trollope.
I have pre-ordered the third novel by Victoria Hislop (Ian's wife) because I enjoyed the first two so much. I have never had much knowledge of the Spanish Civil War, but she looks at it through the eyes of a family, and it all came to life. Her first book, about the leprosy island, was the best I had read for a long time.

Maybe it does, Greatnan but I do so agree about 'Flowers in the Attic'. I was teaching in FE at the time it was fashionable and my young female students told me how terrific it was and like a fool I decided to have a look. What rubbish! However, it did get them reading which is something, I suppose!

I am a speed reader too - I can finish a 300 page novel in an evening. However, I no longer slog on with any book that is hard work. I gave up on some highly recommended books because I could not remember the names of the characters, (e.g. A suitable boy, War and Peace). In some cases, I couldn't work out whether they were male or female.
This does not mean they were badly written, of course, just that the foreign names made it impossible to identify the characters easily.
Badly written English books just infuriate me - the worst book I have ever read was 'Flowers in the Attic'. I kept reading out of sheer incredulity at the ridiculous, unnatural dialogue, let alone the implausible plot. Tristram Shandy was another that was never finished.
I don't mind Dickens's host of characters because they are usually such freaks that they are easily remembered.
I do wonder if studying English for a degree makes one too critical.

They've all got killed now anyway. It's quite a good book. The Jack Reacher ones usually are, but they do get a bit involved.

You can put a relevant name or word in 'search' Annobel.

Nah. Prefer to sit in my recliner with feet up. Helps pains in ankles. Fed up with being old.

Table?

Actually I am but I'm not looking forward to sitting down to read this one. The shear weight of it will hurt my wrists!

Hope you're a speed reader like Harold Wilson!

You are not joking. I have just had a file
that has 617pages to read and when we hear the case we have been allotted80minutes to hear it in. We don't get paid for preparation time.

Why does it matter where the 'fault' lies, jeni? Leisure reading is for enjoyment, so just read what you enjoy. Sounds as if you have to do plenty of serious reading as well with your work.

Press the back button

The problem with the Kindle is that it's quite difficult to look back a few (or more) pages to see if you have understood something. Unless someone knows how to do it?