Thanks!

I have read 4 Tey novels and just the 1 Allingham.

So, for Tey i really liked all of them, but To Love and be Wise and The Franchise Affair were my favourites. Daughter of Time is another famous one, but i haven't read it yet. (The other two that i did read were A Schilling for Candles and Miss Pym Disposes )

The only Allingham i ever read was Hide my Eyes . I quite liked it, because you already know who the killer is right in the beginning, but it's all about when and how the story will resolve itself.

Which ones would you recommend i start with? I love this genre and have read almost all Agatha Christies. I have also read some Allingham and Tey, both of which i liked a lot.

I recently read Arabella , and i loved the humour in it so much! Which ones by her would you recommend?

I have only read Wuthering Heights , Tenant of Wildfell Hall , Agnes Grey , Jane Eyre .

I liked Wuthering Heights the best, then Jane Eyre , then Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

I am going to read either Villette or Shirley this year. Looking forward to it a lot! I avoided reading Jane Eyre for a very long time because i had heard too much about it and felt like it could only disappoint. Well, when it didn't. It was compelling as hell!

I still prefer Wuthering Heights to it since i love intensity and WH has that in buckets. Plus, the setting is beyond incredible, and the damaged characters just speak to me. (Damn, i feel like rereading it now!)

Odd Women by George Gissing

People are stsrting to talk more about Gissing, but i think he deserves even more recognition.

The Belton Estate by Anthony Trollope

A great standalone novel by the author who is most well-known for his two series.

I think that there are a lot of people who feel the same way. That is why the book was as popular as it was. Sometimes it's all about timing.

Maybe it's a reductive way of thinking, but i feel like sometimes there are these gaps in the market, which even when filled by comparatively sub-par books, end up being just the thing. We have seen this with so many other books like The Secret , Twilight , Da Vinci Code etc.

I am glad the book helped you!

I read 3 Paulo Coelho books (Alchemist, Zahir, 11 Minutes). He is not a good author, in my opinion.

That doesn't mean people can't enjoy them.

The Poor Man and the Lady by Thomas Hardy .

It was his first completed novel, written in 1867. After not finding a publisher, he showed it to George Meredith (a famous victorian era author) who advised Hardy to not share this work with the world since it was too controversial. Hardy ended up destroying it.

I am so curious about this novel! I wish he hadn't destroyed it.

I did not find it to be so at all. Realistic, i mean.

And clearly you enjoyed the books and have quite a different view of them. So, let's agree to disagree.

I just hope that these aren't the best that YA has to offer, since besides the concept, these weren't very good books at all in my opinion.

I find it unbelievable that Katniss living in that very system would know and think so very little about it. If nothing else, there could have been glimpses of things, but there was nothing. Because the book has a very lazy world-building going on.

Seeing inside Katniss' head would have been lovely if she had more of a personality. Even her relationship dynamics with everyone else happens to be oversimplified. It just lacks any complex emotions, in my opinion. Every single relationship dynamic seems to be based off of one thing. That's so unrealistic.

In the movies, i think Jennifer Lawrence brought more to the table than there was on paper. Katniss is so bland. I have gained zero new insights into the character after having read the first two. Maybe the third one will be better, but i doubt it.

Except for The Godfather and this series, i have never enjoyed a movie adaptation more than the books.

I think that there is something called objectively good and objectively bad. It's not gatekeeping to acknowledge that.

I enjoy the Eragon series a lot. All 4 books, in fact, not just the first. But i do absolutely see what others are talking about when they critique it.

That critique however doesn't take away my enjoyment of it at all.

I might know that french fries and chicken nuggets aren't delicacies, but i enjoy them thoroughly nonetheless.

I think that many people attach their identities too much to their likes/hobbies, so when someone criticises or even critiques something, they feel personally insulted. It's a silly way of living one's life.

It is completely possible to love a flawed book, and to hate a great one, whilst being fully aware of the flaws and the greatness.

I am listening to the books for the first time (because i am learning a language and my skills aren't good enough yet to tackle the stuff that i actually like), but i have to say i disagree with you.

It's a good concept, but these are not well written books with good character development (so far. I am on book 3). It feels like such a missed opportunity. Their could have been details about the various districts, that the author could have delved more into like how the media was used to keep District 1 citizens insulated/oblivious or just downright apathetic. There could have been more of a history between Peeta and Katniss. Not romantic, just history since they lived so close by, there could have been more details regarding when and why the districts were made, and how bloody the wars were which lead to people becoming resigned to the Hunger Games.

There could have been so much more to make this a more layered novel series, but it feels almost lazy to me. The author had a great idea but a thoroughly indifferent execution. The writing is beyond meh.

It is one of those rare series where the movies are actually better, in my opinion.

I think Hunger Games deserved to become popular due to its idea, but it also deserves the criticism based on its literary merit, or the lack thereof.

Same.

My mum always thinks people are trying to hurt her and bother her. It just makes her agonise so much that i have learnt to think a bit differently.

Assume innocence but even if someone is being a bit malicious, just ignore it. It if actually starts bothering me, then i address the thing head on and ask the person if they meant to hurt me. They will obviously say no, but most probably, won't do it again. If they still persist, i cut those people out of my life.

Wherever you will go - The Calling

Anything by Anthony Trollope .

He is the most accessible victorian era author i have come across so far. His prose is extremely simple, his characters flawed and funny, and his realism a breath of fresh air. He neither villainises any character, nor does he glorify any. One usually deals with shades of light grey.

He was also very prolific. He wrote two 6-book series (The Barsetshire Chronicles and the Palliser Novels).

My suggestion, however, would be to start with one of his many standalones. Good starting points would be :-

▪︎ Miss Mackenzie

▪︎ The Belton Estate

▪︎ He Knew He Was Right

It would be good to get a taste of his style before one jumps into one of the series, i think. And in my opinion, all of these represent his particular style very well.

I have read 13 of his 48 novels, and honestly, i have enjoyed them all. I own the others and can't wait to read the next Trollope.

I do this with reading and painting.

When i finish a book, i read the first few pages of the next book. And when i finish a painting, i start the sketching for the next one.

Really keeps the momentum going, and is especially helpful for people who feel a bit overwhelmed starting new things.

The paperback italian Lord of the Rings covers have recently been changed to show an image from the new RoP series on Prime.

Not exactly a sticker, but man are they fucked up looking. What sort of book cover designer or marketing person thinks that that looks okay!

No book needs a sticker/image from a series.

Earlier i used to agonise over which book to read, and i loved planning my reading schedule months in advance.

Now, however, i just pick up books at random. Whatever i am feeling like, i just pick up.

As for how to pick my next book, i let anything at all decide it for me...an attractive cover, heard a song which reminded me of a series, time of the year, some random readalong on Reddit or Insta, just anything.

Just pick up one and try to persist with it. In fact, put the others completely away from you so that you don't get distracted.

And then just read and read and read.

I have in the past DNFed book 3 in a 4 book series.

Life is far too short to waste time on books which don't manage to hold our interest.

Moreover, you think that you might not be interested in the genre at all, so of course, you should not persist with it!

Dump it, and pick up something else! Happy reading!