new member intro

Hello I am really new to this so please bear with me!! I am a bookworm and have been all my life. My idea of a good afternoon shopping is going in a bookshop and not leaving till closing! I read anything if I think it looks good - not too much sci-fi but if someone reccomends I'll give it a go. I have followed the Orange prize for some time and although I know it is controversial in some arenas to have a prize only for women, it has been the means of discovering fantastic new writers and increasing their profiles. I am English and a home educating mother of 4 children, plus I have a big softie of a dog and a Garfield look-alike cat. I enjoy hearing other people's views on books I read but am a little apprehensive about techie stuff. Tess The books I have read are: 1999 SL The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver 2000 SL Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Rebecca Wells 2001 SL The Blind Assassin Margaret Attwood 2002 W Bel Canto Ann Patchett SL Fingersmith Sarah Waters 2003 SL Unless Carol Shields SL The Little Friend Donna Tartt 2004 W Small Island Andrea Levy SL Purple Hibiscus Chimimanda Ngozi Adichio SL The Colour Rose Tremain 2005 W We Need To Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver 2006 W On Beauty Zadie Smith SL The Night Watch Sarah Waters 2007 W Half a Yellow Sun Chimimanda Ngozi Adichio SL The Observations Jane Harris 2008 W The Road Home Rose Tremain SL The Outcast Sadie Jones 2011 SL Room Emma Donaghue