I first attempted to read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell about ten years ago and managed a handful of pages before deciding it wasn't my cup of tea and relegating it to the bottom of the bookcase. This year, when I was writing a short story about tarot cards, I had to do some research, not just about the cards, but about magic in general and this was one of the books that was recommended.

It had clearly been incredibly well researched and the author was a 'good' writer. However, the style of the writing put me in mind of the very long winded style of some of the eighteenth and nineteenth century writers. There is nothing wrong with this, it just isn't for me! The concept itself is an interesting one, but I wasn't captured by the characters.

I did manage about 50 pages this time, but whereas in the past, I have persevered with books I disliked because I don't like leaving them unread, these days I have realised that not only is life too short to read books you don't enjoy, but also, if you're reading for a course, you have a very limited time to read and there are always other books that will be just as helpful that you might enjoy more.

It went back to the library and I moved onto the next book in the pile with (almost) no guilt!