I am reading Basil by Wilkie Collins. This is my third time through; the last time I read it was about 30 years ago.

Marian, I LOVE Wilkie Collins. Not sure I've read Basil. I have a complete collection on my Kindle so I'll have a look.

I'm still working my way through a re-read of The Discworld series, currently on The Last Continent, which is about an adventure of the hapless Rincewind on the Discworld version of a continent that is suspiciously Austraiia...ish. It is hilarious.

Hagatha, I hope to read some of his lesser-known works over the next couple of years, such as Poor Miss Finch, Man and Wife, and The Law and the Lady. He is definitely one of my favorite Victorian novelists.

Marian, my older sister and I, when we were children, used to buy the old Classics comics, which were condensations of classic novels. Reading those invariably led to reading the actual books. I think I first read The Moonstone and The Woman in White when I was about ten. My parents never censored what we read; we were a family of readers and anything was fair game.

Marvelous.

Sounds a lot like my family - when I was 13 years old, my aunt got me the complete works of Jane Austen for my birthday.

Recently finished the craziest John Scalzi yet, The Android's Dream, including an amusing introduction about how much he enjoys writing the occasional unplanned/unexpected book (as this was) among those encouraged by his publisher and/or readers: also pleased to see that he is putting out another volume in The Old Man's War series in September.

Now half way through The Life Impossible from the amazing Matt Haig: quote for today "if you want to make wonderful discoveries, as any good armadillo knows, you eventually have to remove your headrom your bottom and look out at the bright, confusing day."

I read the condensed One Thousand and One nigths as a kid. Then ventured into the main section of the library and managed to borrow the full book. Very adult, partly.

I'm currently reading Head On by Scalzi, the second book in the Lock In series. I love his characters who are wrapped up in a good mystery topped with humor and social commentary that's not preachy.

I finished books 6-10 in Louise Penny's Gamache series. These include Bury Your Dead, A Trick of the Light, The Beautiful Mystery (a favorite because I love Gregorian chant), How the Light Gets In, and The Long Way Home, a sad one. They're very addictive.

I also read Fair Play by Louise Hegarty. The author explored the different levels of someone's real grief alternating with a Clue-like series of who-done-it episodes. I understood what she was trying to do because we lay blame, especially when a death might be suicide, but it didn't quite hang together for me.

I have been toying with the idea of trying to read at least some of the 1001 Nights. Penguin Classics now has a three-volume unabridged set. It seems like quite a daunting undertaking, though. Maybe I will just buy volume one at some point.

Probably good to start with one volume. As I recall it I found large chunks of it boring/slow and will not try re-reading. But it is also interesting reading.