Summer reading suggestions!
With Memorial Day coming up, and schools letting out soon, I thought it might be useful to put an entry together with people's favorite summer reading suggestions. So, drop on by this entry and add your recommendations.
Happy summer reading!
Happy summer reading!
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Author: Clare Allan, 2006.
Genre: Contemporary. Satire. Black comedy. Mental Health issues.
Other Details: Paperback, 342 pages; unabridged audiobook read by Clare Corbett.
Who is mad? Who is sane? Who decides?
Poppy Shakespeare is a brilliant book that I've been enthusiastically recommending to all and sundry. It is a darkly comedic satire that takes a savage swipe at British mental health services. It manages that difficult task of being hilarious and heart-breaking by turns and yet never loses its central core of compassion or makes light of the serious issues it considers. Clare Allan was herself a mental health 'service user' (the new politically correct term) for 10 years and so has intimate inside knowledge of the institutions and their inhabitants.
The story is set in the Dorothy Fish day hospital, which is attached to the Abaddon, a large London mental health unit. That name in itself conveys something of the despair within given Abaddon's Biblical context. The book's narrator is N, who says of herself "by thirteen I been diagnosed with everything in the book. They had to start making up new disorders, just to have me covered, then three days before I turned seventeen, they shipped me up to the Abaddon to start my first six-moth section." N and her fellow day patients have no interest in being discharged and do everything they can to prevent this as they've become so institutionalised that the Dorothy Fish has become their world.
At the opening of the novel N is asked to show a new patient around the facility. This patient is Poppy Shakespeare who walks in wearing (according to N) "her six-inch skirt and her twelve-inch heels". Poppy vigorously insists that she isn't mad and that it's all a big mistake. However, in a typical 'Catch-22' situation the only way that Poppy can get legal aid to prove that she isn't mad is if she's receiving State benefits (Mad Money) as a mental health patient and to do that you have to be deemed mentally ill. N takes Poppy under her wing by helping her fill out forms and dealing with any and all situations that arise.
The novel is written in an immediate colloquial style with a lot of swearing and London slang so you get a lot of 'do you know what I mean?', 'I'm not being funny but' and similar interjections. While I had a print copy to hand I mainly listened to this on audiobook as its language and style made it an ideal book for an audio format. Its narrator captured N's voice perfectly. I even found myself slipping in the odd 'you know what I mean' into my conversations during the week I was listening to it. Ack! I had seen the excellent award-winning Channel 4 adaptation last year so I was familiar with the plot though the book is much funnier and more satirical than the film.
Even though there is plenty of humour in the novel I would caution that there are strong themes such as suicide, drug abuse, self-harm, depression, and psychosis that may be triggering for some readers.
Extract of 'Poppy Shakespeare' on The Guardian website.
Clare in the Community: How writing Poppy Shakespeare helped me reclaim my life. - Clare Allan on her experiences.
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Author: Edmund Crispin, 1945
Genre: Murder Mystery.
Other Details: 2007 Vintage Crime edition. 246 pages.
I first heard about this novel on
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darkling_tales in a discussion about books that combine elements of the supernatural with crime fiction. It sounded interesting and I was pleased to find my local library had a copy with this delightful cover that gives the impression of a certain tongue-in-cheek air to the mystery. Will our detective be catching the rotten blighters responsible with that butterfly net? You'll have to read it to find out. This is a very old-fashioned 'locked room' detective tale set during the early years of WWII. Its main character is Gervase Fen, an Oxford Professor of English and part-time amateur detective. The novel opens with Geoffrey Vinter, a composer of church music, being summoned by his close friend Fen to the Devon cathedral town of Tolnbridge. It seems that an attempt has been made to murder the cathedral's organist and Fen would like Geoffrey to fill in for him while he investigates. Soon it becomes a murder investigation and there are plenty of suspects. Into the mix are thrown a nest of German spies, drug addiction, a wicked bishop, the black mass, and local witches. Of course, the police are rather bumbling and inefficient while Fen has all the answers or is at least working on them.
Crispin's style is witty and intelligent and liberally sprinkled with references to history, poetry, literature and music. It is hilarious, bordering on the farcical in some places, and yet still is quite a thrilling whodunit with plenty of twists and turns and the obligatory red herrings. Classic British detective fiction at its eccentric best.
I do plan to read more of the Gervase Fen Mysteries as they become available. At present Vintage Crime have reprinted three with a further three appearing later this year.
This is the sequel to The Last Kingdom, which I reviewed a few days ago. I had problems with that book because the protagonist, Uhtred, was an unsympathetic jerk. The historical detail was great, but I'm not too keen on reading about drinking, whores, and swordplay, even if it does play to accuracy. However, I still pressed onward with the trilogy...
.. and almost stopped a few chapters in. Uhtred, torn between being a Saxon by birth and a Dane in spirit, decided to masquerade as a Viking and do Viking things. Ugh. However, he did slowly mature as the book progressed. King Alfred insists that the Danes can be brought to Christ and does his utmost to promote peace. The Danes, however, do not agree. When Alfred is forced to flee and Uhtred grudgingly becomes his champion, the entire future of Wessex - and England - hang in the balance.
I much preferred this book to the predecessor. This one had actual character development. I still didn't like Uhtred, but I no longer wished for his manbits to be ravaged by syphilis. Cornwell is a superb writer. His battle scenes sometimes are almost too heavy in detail, but it's interesting stuff. However, I have no gripping desire to read the next book in the trilogy. If I can find it for cheap somewhere, I'll buy it, but I'm in no rush. I won't be keeping either The Last Kingdom or The Pale Horseman.
.. and almost stopped a few chapters in. Uhtred, torn between being a Saxon by birth and a Dane in spirit, decided to masquerade as a Viking and do Viking things. Ugh. However, he did slowly mature as the book progressed. King Alfred insists that the Danes can be brought to Christ and does his utmost to promote peace. The Danes, however, do not agree. When Alfred is forced to flee and Uhtred grudgingly becomes his champion, the entire future of Wessex - and England - hang in the balance.
I much preferred this book to the predecessor. This one had actual character development. I still didn't like Uhtred, but I no longer wished for his manbits to be ravaged by syphilis. Cornwell is a superb writer. His battle scenes sometimes are almost too heavy in detail, but it's interesting stuff. However, I have no gripping desire to read the next book in the trilogy. If I can find it for cheap somewhere, I'll buy it, but I'm in no rush. I won't be keeping either The Last Kingdom or The Pale Horseman.
- Mood:busy
This was my second attempt at Cornwell. I read The Archer's Tale earlier this year; while I appreciated the historical accuracy, I just didn't like the protagonist very much.
The main character in The Last Kingdom isn't much different than the one in The Archer's Tale. Both are boys who see their families killed by raiders, and their voices are similar. These are manly men. Uhtred is an English boy who ends up largely raised by Danes. As he grows older, his greatest yearning is to do battle, whores, and drink ale. Except, of course, there are people who want him dead, both English and Dane, and he really wants to get his family land back somehow. King Alfred of Wessex may be annoyingly pious, but he's also a cunning manipulator. Uhtred finds himself torn between two rival identities - English by birth, a Dane in spirit - and requires both to stay alive.
I enjoy the eyewitness-to-history aspect of this book. Very little is written on King Alfred and his reign, and Cornwell has done superb research. However, I still can't stand his main characters. They are murderous jerks. I'm continuing onward with the next book in this series, The Pale Horseman, mainly because I already possess it and I do like the time period. And maybe, maybe, Uhtred will mature and not be such an arrogant bastard.
The main character in The Last Kingdom isn't much different than the one in The Archer's Tale. Both are boys who see their families killed by raiders, and their voices are similar. These are manly men. Uhtred is an English boy who ends up largely raised by Danes. As he grows older, his greatest yearning is to do battle, whores, and drink ale. Except, of course, there are people who want him dead, both English and Dane, and he really wants to get his family land back somehow. King Alfred of Wessex may be annoyingly pious, but he's also a cunning manipulator. Uhtred finds himself torn between two rival identities - English by birth, a Dane in spirit - and requires both to stay alive.
I enjoy the eyewitness-to-history aspect of this book. Very little is written on King Alfred and his reign, and Cornwell has done superb research. However, I still can't stand his main characters. They are murderous jerks. I'm continuing onward with the next book in this series, The Pale Horseman, mainly because I already possess it and I do like the time period. And maybe, maybe, Uhtred will mature and not be such an arrogant bastard.
- Mood:
annoyed
So, we're about halfway through the year yeah? And looking at the list of books I've read so far, I seem to be doing pretty well. I waved goodbye to #25 back in April, so I'm recalibrating my goals. By the end of this year, I shall read 62 more (100 total) books.
Hurrah!
Anywho, since I'm very much behind on posting, here are the books I read back in January.
1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
For some reason, I never read this book in middle school or high school, which is, I'm given to understands, the usual time. I instead waited til I found this GORGEOUS edition before finally picking it up. After finishing it, all I can do is regret not reading it before, and wishing that I might have the supreme joy of reading it again for the first time. I'd heard that this novel was boring and unbelievable, and the characters unsympathetic. I found it to be full of engaging, exciting people and page-turning action.
The love story between Jane and Rochester is one I will not soon forget. With the presence of such a love in fiction, how can one ever hope for anything comparable in real life? [5/5]
2. Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris
I was a little unsure of this book, having read Chocolat by the same author, and been slightly disappointed. However, I was very glad I did pick it up. This book, which largely takes place at a boy's boarding school, gave me a lot of food for thought. An important theme in the book is that of the role of education in a person's life. Harris herself was a schoolteacher for many years, and poured much of her experience into writing the novel. I'm an aspiring teacher myself, and I found it fascinating to read the differing points of view in the novel, one of an aging teacher, the other a vengeful former student. The two points of view are made even clearer by the assignment of chess pieces to each voice. I'm not a chess player, and chess metaphors often go over my head, but Harris writes so elegantly and engagingly that it's not a problem at all. [4/5]
3. Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
Robin McKinley is one of my favorite authors. She writes with such imagination and clarity that one cannot help but fall headfirst into her worlds. The world of Spindle's End is one where magic seeps into every corner of life, and royalty is characterized by its steadfast imperviousness to it. Spindle's End is really an adaptation of the Sleeping Beauty story, but it goes above and beyond the old tale in scope and detail. McKinley's greatest gift is her ability to write strong, capable female characters. The princess, Rosie, finds her own path in the story. She does not rely on the prince to save her, but saves herself, and everyone she loves. By the end of the novel, the Sleeping Beauty story is a mere framework. The world and characters that McKinley creates take a life of their own and make the novel infinitely more engaging than the fairy tale. [5/5]
4. Persuasion by Jane Austen
Having completed Persuasion, I have only 2 more full-length Austen works to read. I very much enjoyed this "most mature" of Austen's novels. As her last novel, Persuasion is permeated with the frustrations and complicated emotions of a woman past the age of marriage, longing for her lost love. I have a soft spot for Austen novels set in Bath, my favorite of her's being Northanger Abbey, and the city is definitely a character in itself in this novel.
The one thing I really loved about this novel was the fantastic richness of the characters. In her earlier novels, Austen creates colorful characters, but not with as much depth as in this novel. After reading this, one becomes intimately acquainted with everyone, and feels with them their fears, joys, and sadnesses. [4/5]
5. Beauty by Robin McKinley
"Beauty and the Beast" is probably McKinley's favorite story to adapt. For me though, none of her later adaptations hold a candle to this simple and beautiful novel. In it, we learn much more about Beauty and her family. Her sisters are given names, and the family's lives after their exile from the city are told in great detail. We learn more about the Beast, and a hint of magic lingers throughout the novel.
I mentioned before that McKinley creates wonderful female characters. Beauty (her given name is Honour), is no exception. She starts off as an ugly duckling who loves reading more than anything (a fact that endeared me to her as a young bookworm myself). Throughout the novel, she grows as a character, paralleled by a change in height. By the end, she has emerged from her shell, but does not give in to outside pressure. Just as Rosie does in Spindle's End, Beauty finds her own way to save herself.
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Hurrah!
Anywho, since I'm very much behind on posting, here are the books I read back in January.
1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
For some reason, I never read this book in middle school or high school, which is, I'm given to understands, the usual time. I instead waited til I found this GORGEOUS edition before finally picking it up. After finishing it, all I can do is regret not reading it before, and wishing that I might have the supreme joy of reading it again for the first time. I'd heard that this novel was boring and unbelievable, and the characters unsympathetic. I found it to be full of engaging, exciting people and page-turning action.
The love story between Jane and Rochester is one I will not soon forget. With the presence of such a love in fiction, how can one ever hope for anything comparable in real life? [5/5]
2. Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris
I was a little unsure of this book, having read Chocolat by the same author, and been slightly disappointed. However, I was very glad I did pick it up. This book, which largely takes place at a boy's boarding school, gave me a lot of food for thought. An important theme in the book is that of the role of education in a person's life. Harris herself was a schoolteacher for many years, and poured much of her experience into writing the novel. I'm an aspiring teacher myself, and I found it fascinating to read the differing points of view in the novel, one of an aging teacher, the other a vengeful former student. The two points of view are made even clearer by the assignment of chess pieces to each voice. I'm not a chess player, and chess metaphors often go over my head, but Harris writes so elegantly and engagingly that it's not a problem at all. [4/5]
3. Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
Robin McKinley is one of my favorite authors. She writes with such imagination and clarity that one cannot help but fall headfirst into her worlds. The world of Spindle's End is one where magic seeps into every corner of life, and royalty is characterized by its steadfast imperviousness to it. Spindle's End is really an adaptation of the Sleeping Beauty story, but it goes above and beyond the old tale in scope and detail. McKinley's greatest gift is her ability to write strong, capable female characters. The princess, Rosie, finds her own path in the story. She does not rely on the prince to save her, but saves herself, and everyone she loves. By the end of the novel, the Sleeping Beauty story is a mere framework. The world and characters that McKinley creates take a life of their own and make the novel infinitely more engaging than the fairy tale. [5/5]
4. Persuasion by Jane Austen
Having completed Persuasion, I have only 2 more full-length Austen works to read. I very much enjoyed this "most mature" of Austen's novels. As her last novel, Persuasion is permeated with the frustrations and complicated emotions of a woman past the age of marriage, longing for her lost love. I have a soft spot for Austen novels set in Bath, my favorite of her's being Northanger Abbey, and the city is definitely a character in itself in this novel.
The one thing I really loved about this novel was the fantastic richness of the characters. In her earlier novels, Austen creates colorful characters, but not with as much depth as in this novel. After reading this, one becomes intimately acquainted with everyone, and feels with them their fears, joys, and sadnesses. [4/5]
5. Beauty by Robin McKinley
"Beauty and the Beast" is probably McKinley's favorite story to adapt. For me though, none of her later adaptations hold a candle to this simple and beautiful novel. In it, we learn much more about Beauty and her family. Her sisters are given names, and the family's lives after their exile from the city are told in great detail. We learn more about the Beast, and a hint of magic lingers throughout the novel.
I mentioned before that McKinley creates wonderful female characters. Beauty (her given name is Honour), is no exception. She starts off as an ugly duckling who loves reading more than anything (a fact that endeared me to her as a young bookworm myself). Throughout the novel, she grows as a character, paralleled by a change in height. By the end, she has emerged from her shell, but does not give in to outside pressure. Just as Rosie does in Spindle's End, Beauty finds her own way to save herself.
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Author: Jefferson Parker, 2003.
Genre: Crime Fiction. Police Procedural.
Other Details: Paperback. 457 pages.
This crime novel was the June selection for our library reading group. Its main protagonist is San Diego homicide cop Tom McMichael. Due to the luck of the draw he and his partner, Hector Paz, are called to the scene of a homicide in which local tycoon 84-year-old Pete Braga has been found bludgeoned to death. The case is complicated by a history of conflict between the Irish McMichaels and the Portuguese Bragas. Many years previously Braga had shot and killed McMichael's grandfather in a dispute over wages and not long afterwards Braga's son Vincent was severely beaten on the waterfront leaving him permanently brain damaged. It was generally believed to have been an act of revenge by McMichael's father. All this bad blood had not prevented Tom and Braga's granddaughter, Patricia, falling in love when they were teenagers even though it eventually ended messily.
During the ensuing investigation there are generous dollops of murder, hatred, revenge, betrayal, greed and corruption with very little light relief aside from the banter between partners Tom and Hector. A nagging voice in my head did keep wondering why the case wasn't reassigned to someone other than McMichael given his family history with the deceased. While it doesn't really have any literary merit or is particularly provocative in terms of discussion for a reading group, it was still a well executed crime thriller that kept me entertained for a couple of afternoons.
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Author: Elizabeth Corley, 2008.
Genre: Crime Fiction. Police Procedural.
Other Details: Trade paperback. 541 pages.
DCI Andrew Fenwick is now heading up the West Sussex Serious Crime Squad. His team is currently engaged with the Choir Boy investigation, seeking to expose a powerful paedophile ring believed to have been operating in their area for many years. Could there be a link to the recent disappearance of 11-year old Sam Boyers and two cold cases involving schoolboys who disappeared twenty-five years previously? The nature of the case is sensitive and even its existence is only on a need-to-know basis.
Meanwhile Fenwick's friend Louise Nightingale has her own battles due to resentment within the local force about her recent promotion to Detective Inspector. She is suspicious of local hero Major Jeremy Maidment, a former military man who is in trouble for using his unlicensed ex-army revolver, on a conman who pulled a knife on a police officer. Tensions mount between Fenwick and Nightingale as they try resolve their cases.
While I didn't find this novel engaged me quite as much as her last novel Grave Doubts, it still was a gripping well-written crime thriller with strong characterisation. The subject matter is undoubtedly disturbing though handled with sensitivity by Corley.
Still, I am sadly, tragically behind. But on to more cheery things.
Book 10 was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. I will admit, I've never read the "original" (note: "original" is in quotations because I want to accept THIS version as the original), but I'm told that this book follows the same basic plot....with some extras. You know, like zombies. Oh...and ninjas.
The interplay between characters is amazing (and I'm told the main point of the original) yet lacks a boring, mind numbing dullness because interspersed between people being horribly, dreadfully British are zombies. And on at least two occasions, ninjas. This went a long way to prove my Ninjitsu Theory of Literature (Ninjas exist in all literature, but most are so good you can't even see them). I think my favorite part may be when Elizabeth Bennett strangles a ninja with his own intestines (she's trying to prove that her Chinese training is superior to the Japanese ninjitsu school of battle). There's also a disturbing amount of ball jokes...for a Victorian novel. Or...maybe the fact that Miss Bennett's contept for Mr. Darcy is best shown when she considers the many ways she'd enjoy killing him. She is now my new hero.
While I'm sure dyed in the wool Austen fans cringed when they saw this on the shelf at their local book shop, I'd recommend it to ANYONE. I've avoided reading Pride and Prejudice because I've only heard how boring it is (and I find an exciting evening to be knitting and watching History International). This book made the story seem so enjoyable that I'm giving serious thought to reading the original.
I'd like to see more zombies in my classic literature from this point forward.
Book 10 was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. I will admit, I've never read the "original" (note: "original" is in quotations because I want to accept THIS version as the original), but I'm told that this book follows the same basic plot....with some extras. You know, like zombies. Oh...and ninjas.
The interplay between characters is amazing (and I'm told the main point of the original) yet lacks a boring, mind numbing dullness because interspersed between people being horribly, dreadfully British are zombies. And on at least two occasions, ninjas. This went a long way to prove my Ninjitsu Theory of Literature (Ninjas exist in all literature, but most are so good you can't even see them). I think my favorite part may be when Elizabeth Bennett strangles a ninja with his own intestines (she's trying to prove that her Chinese training is superior to the Japanese ninjitsu school of battle). There's also a disturbing amount of ball jokes...for a Victorian novel. Or...maybe the fact that Miss Bennett's contept for Mr. Darcy is best shown when she considers the many ways she'd enjoy killing him. She is now my new hero.
While I'm sure dyed in the wool Austen fans cringed when they saw this on the shelf at their local book shop, I'd recommend it to ANYONE. I've avoided reading Pride and Prejudice because I've only heard how boring it is (and I find an exciting evening to be knitting and watching History International). This book made the story seem so enjoyable that I'm giving serious thought to reading the original.
I'd like to see more zombies in my classic literature from this point forward.
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Author: Catherine O'Flynn, 2007.
Genre: Contemporary. Mystery. Satire.
Other Details: Paperback . 240 pages.
I heard the author speak at the recent Orange Readers Day in Birmingham and on the strength of that as well as praise given by other authors in attendance on this slender novel, I got hold of a copy.
Its publication was something of a Cinderella story. O'Flynn's manuscript was rejected by many agents and publishers though she finally found support with a small independent press willing to take a chance on a first time author and an unusual novel. When What Was Lost appeared in January 2007 it gained immediate critical acclaim and then went on to be nominated for most of the major UK literary prizes including the Man Booker and Orange Prize for Fiction. It did win the prestigious Costa (formerly the Whitbread) First Novel prize in 2008 as well as other awards.
The story opens in 1984 and introduces ten-year-old Kate Meaney, a lonely and precocious child who is obsessed with becoming a detective. She spends all her free time at the newly opened Green Oaks Shopping Centre outside Birmingham training herself in surveillance techniques accompanied by Mickey, her toy stuffed monkey. One day she vanishes and no trace of her is ever found. The story then moves to 2003 and we meet Lisa, who is the assistant manager of Your Music and Kurt, a security guard at Green Oaks. One night, Kurt sees a little girl on one of the CCTV monitors wandering a service corridor clutching a toy monkey. He attempts to locate her but cannot. When he and Lisa cross paths, she agrees to help him find the girl and slowly they realise that this links to the mystery nearly 20 years previously.
I found this a superb multifaceted novel written in an economical style that was immediately accessible. Kate's voice and personality come across as believable for her age and her wry intelligence and curiosity is very appealing. Alongside the mystery, there is tremendous warmth in the development of the after-hours friendship between Kurt and Lisa. A complex plot is woven together with great skill. The novel is also a darkly comedic and biting observation on the modern shopping experience and the addictions encouraged by consumer culture. For this aspect O'Flynn drew on her own experiences working for a large retail outlet of a chain of music stores. The title 'What Was Lost' is also multi-layered referring to the central mystery of Kate's disappearance and the losses that followed on from it, the loss of landscape and community as well as a more existential sense of loss experienced by many of the novel's characters.
Admittedly the novel did attract some criticism because of this combination of humour with the disturbing issue of a missing child. Still it worked for me and O'Flynn does not trivialise Kate's disappearance or the effects that spiral out from it over the years. I found myself laughing over some passages and tearful over others. I felt it was one of the best novels I've encountered recently and very worthy of the high praise it has received.
Interview with Catherine O'Flynn in which she discusses her themes and intentions.
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Author: Sarah Waters, 2006.
Genre: Historical fiction - 1940s England. GLBT themes.
Other details: Paperback, 503 pages.
Sarah Waters was short-listed for both the Man Booker and Orange Prize for Fiction for this period drama set in London during and after WWII. It won the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction in 2007.
Its narrative structure is unusual as it opens in 1947 and then moves back to 1944 and 1941 revealing the secrets and scandals that link four Londoners; three woman and one man. Forbidden love is very much at the heart of the novel: London's hidden lesbian sub-culture, an affair between a young woman and her married lover and the price paid by an innocent young man due to his love for a close friend.
Waters took four years to research the 1940s period before writing this novel and this certainly shows throughout. In the scenes during the war she captures that sense of dread as the bombings begin and the nightly heroism of those working on the streets to contain the fires and deal with the casualties. As important and evocative as the setting is to the novel, it remains strongly character-driven.
This was my first novel by Waters and was the May selection for my library reading group. I was deeply impressed by her style, her skills as a story-teller and the depth of her characterisation. I was most drawn to Kay Langrish, who had worked in the ambulance service during the war driving through the bombed-out streets of London to aid bomb victims and collect bodies. In the opening of the novel she cuts a lonely figure, walking the streets of London alone dressed in mannish clothing. All four lives were full of poignant moments but somehow the revelation of Kay's story had the greatest impact on me. Following this excellent novel I certainly plan on reading all of her works.
Sarah Waters' page on 'The Night Watch' - with links to excerpt.
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Author: Scarlett Thomas, 2007.
Genre: Science Fiction-Fantasy-Thriller. Literary Mystery. Metaphysics & Philosophy.
Other Details: Paperback, 506 pages.
"Real life is regularly running out of money, and then food," acknowledges Ariel, "Real life is physical. Give me books instead: give me the invisibility of the contents of books, the thoughts, the ideas, the images."
The End of Mr. Y is one of those intriguing books about books and is simply brimming with ideas. So the philosophy of Jacques Derrida, Schrödinger's Cat, relativity vs. quantum mechanics, Victorian science, paranormal research, homoeopathy, time travel and the nature of consciousness and reality are all happily thrown into the mix.
Lonely PhD student Ariel Manto is doing her thesis on obscure 19th century writer Thomas Lumas. She is rather bumbling through her life; her PhD supervisor disappeared a week after her arrival and she is hoping no one in Administration notices. The novel opens with one of the university's buildings collapsing and the campus being evacuated while the other buildings built over an old railway tunnel are evaluated. Forced to leave her car behind Ariel walks home and discovers a small row of shops including a second-hand bookshop. Inside she asks if they have any books by Thomas Lumas. She is surprised and delighted when the shop assistant produces a copy of The End of Mr. Y, an exceedingly rare novel by Lumas said by some to be cursed.
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Thomas is without doubt a good writer and she manages to incorporate philosophy and cutting edge science into the narrative without it becoming dry. There is a certain playfulness in her writing which helps a lot and its narrator, Ariel, is a wonderful, flawed character who engaged my attention from Page 1. It is very much a high concept novel and its kaleidoscope of ideas at times made my brain ache. Not a bad thing as far as I'm concerned but not what everyone seeks in a novel. At the reading group when discussed it emerged as a Marmite book, people seem to either love it or hate it. Those who enjoyed The Matrix as a film or works such as Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash will probably find themselves loving this book. I certainly did.
USA home page for 'The End of Mr. Y' includes excerpts.
UK home page for 'The End of Mr. Y' - rather trippy site with excerpts plus animated mice!
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Author: Susanna Jones, 2007.
Genre: Literary. Contemporary. Mystery.
Other Details: Hardback. 278 pages.
This is not an easy book to review as I found myself so perplexed at the conclusion that I couldn't make up my mind about it even though I felt that overall it was very well written. Following the meeting last week of the reading group for which it was our May selection and discussions about the book, I was still scratching my head over the issue. So I sat down the next day and re-read it. I emerged with an unequivocal thumbs up for the novel, a sense of the author's intentions and certainly able to appreciate why it had attracted critical praise. I feel that on the first read I had approached it more as a straight forward narrative; whereas on the second I was more sensitive to the cover blurb that stated "nothing - either past or present - is as it seems" and so was more aware of its undercurrents and sub-text.
So what is it about? Before the enigmatic statement quoted above, the cover advises that Isabel has travelled from Turkey to her home town in the north of England to attend the funeral of her childhood friend Owen. When they were fifteen their mutual friend Julia had disappeared without a trace. Julia and Owen were devastated by Julia's disappearance and found solace in each other's company. Then they committed a reckless act of arson. As she was still seventeen, Isabel was sent to a young offenders centre but the slightly older Owen went to prison. They never saw each other again. Over the years Isabel has come to suspect that Owen was responsible for Julia's murder and so sets herself the task of investigating this to find some kind of resolution. Giving herself only the day and evening of the funeral to accomplish this task, she finds herself awash in memories of the past and increasingly cut off from her husband and child at home in Turkey.
Isabel's first person narrative is interspersed with short chapters featuring her aunt Maggie, who is also on her way to the funeral. Maggie, a writer of romantic thrillers, had always had an unconventional, liberated lifestyle and had held a powerful fascination for both Julia and Isabel. One of her books is titled The Missing Girls' Club, which links to the novel's title.
It is a book I would certainly recommend. However, even though its plain style and short length can tempt the reader to whiz though it (as I did the first time), it is a book that requires concentration to avoid the kind of confusion initially experienced by myself and reported by others.
Susanna Jones' website.
Title: The Castle of Adventure
Author: Enid Blyton
Genres: kidlit, mystery
This is the third book in the ‘Adventure’ series (one of my favourites written by Enid Blyton) featuring Philip, Jack, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, and Kiki the parrot.
In this story, the children and Kiki are looking forward to a holiday in the countryside with Mrs. Mannering, Philip and Dinah’s mother. They are delighted when they realize that their holiday cottage is near an old deserted castle. However, they are told from the outset that they are not to go exploring near the castle, because a landslide caused by a thunderstorm many years ago made the road near there dangerous.
As they explore their surroundings, the four children meet and befriend Tassie, a local girl who knows the area well. She develops a special fondness for Philip, to whom she brings a young fox cub; he tames it and names it Button. Bird-lover Jack, meanwhile, notices a pair of eagles soaring overhead, and discovers that they are going into the castle where he guesses they have a nest. The children wonder if and how they can get in to have a look at it, and when they ask Tassie she shows them a slit window that they figure out how to access as an entrance.
( Read more )
Overall, I think this is a brilliant book - probably my second or third favourite from the Adventure series, after Valley (and possibly Ship, which I need to reread). Philip is my favourite character in this book (and of the series too, generally). Blyton manages to make the old castle come alive really well - especially during a powerful thunderstorm that occurs later - and the sense of danger (which really adds to the atmosphere of the story at various points) is really palpable.
Author: Enid Blyton
Genres: kidlit, mystery
This is the third book in the ‘Adventure’ series (one of my favourites written by Enid Blyton) featuring Philip, Jack, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, and Kiki the parrot.
In this story, the children and Kiki are looking forward to a holiday in the countryside with Mrs. Mannering, Philip and Dinah’s mother. They are delighted when they realize that their holiday cottage is near an old deserted castle. However, they are told from the outset that they are not to go exploring near the castle, because a landslide caused by a thunderstorm many years ago made the road near there dangerous.
As they explore their surroundings, the four children meet and befriend Tassie, a local girl who knows the area well. She develops a special fondness for Philip, to whom she brings a young fox cub; he tames it and names it Button. Bird-lover Jack, meanwhile, notices a pair of eagles soaring overhead, and discovers that they are going into the castle where he guesses they have a nest. The children wonder if and how they can get in to have a look at it, and when they ask Tassie she shows them a slit window that they figure out how to access as an entrance.
( Read more )
Overall, I think this is a brilliant book - probably my second or third favourite from the Adventure series, after Valley (and possibly Ship, which I need to reread). Philip is my favourite character in this book (and of the series too, generally). Blyton manages to make the old castle come alive really well - especially during a powerful thunderstorm that occurs later - and the sense of danger (which really adds to the atmosphere of the story at various points) is really palpable.
- Mood:
hungry
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Author: Jan Siegel (pen name of Amanda Hemingway), 1999.
Genre: English Fantasy.
Other Details: Hardback 331 pages.
A mythical key is about to be found.. but what kind of door will it open?
This superb fantasy is set initially in a contemporary English setting though also explores interweaving magical dimensions and a mythical past.
Sixteen-year old Fern Capel and her younger brother, Will, find themselves spending their summer holidays in a shabby Victorian house on the Yorkshire moors after their father inherits it from a distant relative, a former sea captain. The house is filled with unusual items collected during his travels. Strange things begin to happen and Fern and Will soon find themselves engaged in a search for a mysterious key that may be hidden somewhere in the house. Others are also seeking the key including a sinister art dealer and Alison Redmond, a woman who is collaborating with their father on a book on witchcraft. The narrative leaves the English setting behind for the final third of the book as Fern undertakes a vital task linked to the key's origins.
This book, which is the first of a trilogy, was recommended to me by a member of
thedarkisrising during a discussion a few months back about the use of mythic archetypes within English fantasy. Having been so impressed by it, I am at some loss to understand why this series is not more widely known. However, given that the first book came out in 1999 I expect it may have been over-shadowed by the Harry Potter phenomena. Siegel enters similar territory to Susan Cooper and Alan Garner though as the novel progresses darker themes come into the narrative. Still any fantasy work with a cover accolade from Clive Barker isn't likely to be all that cosy. Fern begins as a self-possessed young woman who refuses to believe in anything supernatural or fantastic though she soon comes to realise that the world is far more complex than she imagined. I also enjoyed her responses to Alison as a potential new woman in her father's life, which in some ways was more of a threat than her being an agent of dark forces. The characterisation throughout is excellent for both major and minor characters. Siegel's imagery is very evocative and her prose lyrical. I was just enchanted by the story and so grateful for the recommendation to this and the author's other trilogy published under her own name, Amanda Hemingway.
Cover art work by Alan Lee on the UK edition is just amazing and illustrates the opening of the novel. So yes, there are mermaids, shipwrecks and a sunken realm. I found this an intelligent fantasy weaving myths and legends, magic and enchantment with touches of humour and modern sensibilities. It really deserves more attention.
( Cover Art - Larger Image )
Amanda Hemingway's fantasy novels.
1001 Books
2. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry. 624 pages.
Once I started reading this book I had difficulties stopping. Mistry paints a picture of 1970’s India that comes alive, and the characters make you care about them. Warning, though: this is not a feel-good novel. Exceptionally well-written and realistic, though.
3. The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde. 208 pages.
An interesting book, to say the least. This tour into the mind of a depraved man was at times fascinating, and at other times horrifying. Though this novel was disturbing, I was pleased to find some of Wilde’s signature witty word play.
4. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami. 624 pages.
A really good book. Murakami has an interesting writing style, where he takes a normal setting and adds just a dash of the supernatural and makes that seem very ordinary and everyday. There were some rather graphic descriptions of wartime torture, which were gruesome, but they fit into the story and didn’t seem too gratuitous. I really enjoyed this, and carried it with me everywhere until I finished it.
Other Books
7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain. 305 pages.
A re-read – this is on the 1001 Books list, but since it’s a re-read I’m not counting it. I haven’t read this book since I was a teenager, and it’s interesting coming back to it as an adult. I got a lot more out of it this time. Plus, since I’m teaching it, I’ve been forced to analyse it in more depth, which was interesting. I was pleased to find out that it’s held up and that I enjoyed it just as much as an adult as I did as a teenager.
8. Daddy Long Legs, Jean Webster. 112 pages.
A cute, if somewhat predictable, young adult book about an orphan girl at the turn of the 20th century who gets a scholarship to college under the condition that she write to the man who gave her the scholarship.
9. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare. 336 pages.
Again, a book that I haven’t read since I was a teenager. I think I actually enjoyed it more this time around than I did when I was 14. And, again, I taught it this time around, which made me look at it in a different light.
10. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett. 384 pages.
Such a funny book. The more Discworld novels I read, the more I want to read. This one had a fractured fairy tale feel to it that was just delightful and hilarious.
11. Statistics for the Utterly Confused, Lloyd Jaisingh. 352 pages.
Ugh. If you want to teach yourself statistics, pick another book. This one was cryptic and it left me more confused than when I started. My main gripe is that there were no answers for the word problems, so you had no idea if you were doing things correctly or not. Well, that and the fact that the writing made no sense. If you’re going to say that your book is for the utterly confused, you should at least try to make the reader les s confused after they’ve gone through the book and done all of the problems.
12. Knitting Without Tears, Elizabeth Zimmerman. 128 pages.
Zimmerman is a knitting guru, and this is one of her better-known books. If you’re a knitter, and you haven’t read any of her books, well, you need to, now.
13. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen.
I listened to the Librivox recording via the Craftlit podcast. I’ve read this book many times before, and listening to it helped me notice some details that I hadn’t before. Most of them were good, but unfortunately I also noticed how often Austen misuses myself/herself/himself/etc.
14. The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
I normally wouldn’t count this, because I consider it more of a long short story, but it’s on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, so I’m including it. Also through Craftlit, and again, a re-read. Creepy story.
1001 Books:
4/25 - 16%
Total Books:
17/75 - 22.7%
Total Pages:
3,913/25,000 - 15.7%
Days Passed:
128/365 - 35.1%
I need to get reading! Honestly, though, I've recently started knitting on buses instead of reading on buses, so that's really cut down on my reading time.
2. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry. 624 pages.
Once I started reading this book I had difficulties stopping. Mistry paints a picture of 1970’s India that comes alive, and the characters make you care about them. Warning, though: this is not a feel-good novel. Exceptionally well-written and realistic, though.
3. The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde. 208 pages.
An interesting book, to say the least. This tour into the mind of a depraved man was at times fascinating, and at other times horrifying. Though this novel was disturbing, I was pleased to find some of Wilde’s signature witty word play.
4. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami. 624 pages.
A really good book. Murakami has an interesting writing style, where he takes a normal setting and adds just a dash of the supernatural and makes that seem very ordinary and everyday. There were some rather graphic descriptions of wartime torture, which were gruesome, but they fit into the story and didn’t seem too gratuitous. I really enjoyed this, and carried it with me everywhere until I finished it.
Other Books
7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain. 305 pages.
A re-read – this is on the 1001 Books list, but since it’s a re-read I’m not counting it. I haven’t read this book since I was a teenager, and it’s interesting coming back to it as an adult. I got a lot more out of it this time. Plus, since I’m teaching it, I’ve been forced to analyse it in more depth, which was interesting. I was pleased to find out that it’s held up and that I enjoyed it just as much as an adult as I did as a teenager.
8. Daddy Long Legs, Jean Webster. 112 pages.
A cute, if somewhat predictable, young adult book about an orphan girl at the turn of the 20th century who gets a scholarship to college under the condition that she write to the man who gave her the scholarship.
9. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare. 336 pages.
Again, a book that I haven’t read since I was a teenager. I think I actually enjoyed it more this time around than I did when I was 14. And, again, I taught it this time around, which made me look at it in a different light.
10. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett. 384 pages.
Such a funny book. The more Discworld novels I read, the more I want to read. This one had a fractured fairy tale feel to it that was just delightful and hilarious.
11. Statistics for the Utterly Confused, Lloyd Jaisingh. 352 pages.
Ugh. If you want to teach yourself statistics, pick another book. This one was cryptic and it left me more confused than when I started. My main gripe is that there were no answers for the word problems, so you had no idea if you were doing things correctly or not. Well, that and the fact that the writing made no sense. If you’re going to say that your book is for the utterly confused, you should at least try to make the reader les s confused after they’ve gone through the book and done all of the problems.
12. Knitting Without Tears, Elizabeth Zimmerman. 128 pages.
Zimmerman is a knitting guru, and this is one of her better-known books. If you’re a knitter, and you haven’t read any of her books, well, you need to, now.
13. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen.
I listened to the Librivox recording via the Craftlit podcast. I’ve read this book many times before, and listening to it helped me notice some details that I hadn’t before. Most of them were good, but unfortunately I also noticed how often Austen misuses myself/herself/himself/etc.
14. The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
I normally wouldn’t count this, because I consider it more of a long short story, but it’s on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, so I’m including it. Also through Craftlit, and again, a re-read. Creepy story.
1001 Books:
4/25 - 16%
Total Books:
17/75 - 22.7%
Total Pages:
3,913/25,000 - 15.7%
Days Passed:
128/365 - 35.1%
I need to get reading! Honestly, though, I've recently started knitting on buses instead of reading on buses, so that's really cut down on my reading time.
- Location:Hong Kong
- Mood:awake
- Music:none
Book Twenty-Four
Title: Notes From A Small Island
Author: Bill Bryson
Page Count: 325
Genre: Travelogue
Synopsis/Thoughts: After twenty years spent living in England, Bill Bryson decided it was time to pack the family up and move to America, "the land of shopping malls, one-hundred-channel television and hamburgers the size of a baby's head". Before he leaves, he takes a farewell trip around the the isle, visiting various places and chronicling his experiences.
Let me just say, before I say anything else, that Bill Bryson is one of my all-time favorite authors. But I just did not like this book. One of the reasons why I love Bill Bryson's books is because somehow he manages to scrounge out all kinds of unusual anecdotes and odd little bits of obscure history to include in his narratives, which I usually find side-splittingly funny. There was noticeable lack of this in Notes From A Small Island. Instead, all we get is the author taking the train and/or bus from one obscure little English village to another, where he complains about the weather and how there's nothing to do or to see, has dinner in a pub and complains about the cleanliness/service/quality of fare, retires grumpily to a shabby motel and complains some more, then gets up the next morning and does it all again. Personally, that sounds to me like the worst vacation ever...and he kept at it for SEVEN WEEKS. As far as I can remember (and I just finished the book this afternoon, so it's pretty bad that details are already starting to fuzz) he doesn't seem to visit a single place of note or interest that one would expect to find in a book about traveling in England. Instead he wanders around nondescript towns and cities and indulges in what seems to be a favorite pastime of his...complaining about the architecture. If I had had to read one more rant about how ugly modern buildings are or how every shopping mall on the face of the planet needs to be blown up I probably would have thrown the book at a wall. I agree with him, to a point, but it got to be very tiresome. And where were the interesting little nuggets of little-known information that have always made his books so near and dear to me? Nowhere to be found. It's a good thing that this was not my first Bryson book or I probably would have been put off him forever. I can't understand it, really, it's so unlike all of the other books I've read by him. Maybe he was body-snatched? I can't say. Either way, if you are planning to read something by this author I would suggest you stay as far away from this as possible. Go for something like In A Sunburned Country (my personal favorite) or A Walk In The Woods (also pretty good).
Title: Notes From A Small Island
Author: Bill Bryson
Page Count: 325
Genre: Travelogue
Synopsis/Thoughts: After twenty years spent living in England, Bill Bryson decided it was time to pack the family up and move to America, "the land of shopping malls, one-hundred-channel television and hamburgers the size of a baby's head". Before he leaves, he takes a farewell trip around the the isle, visiting various places and chronicling his experiences.
Let me just say, before I say anything else, that Bill Bryson is one of my all-time favorite authors. But I just did not like this book. One of the reasons why I love Bill Bryson's books is because somehow he manages to scrounge out all kinds of unusual anecdotes and odd little bits of obscure history to include in his narratives, which I usually find side-splittingly funny. There was noticeable lack of this in Notes From A Small Island. Instead, all we get is the author taking the train and/or bus from one obscure little English village to another, where he complains about the weather and how there's nothing to do or to see, has dinner in a pub and complains about the cleanliness/service/quality of fare, retires grumpily to a shabby motel and complains some more, then gets up the next morning and does it all again. Personally, that sounds to me like the worst vacation ever...and he kept at it for SEVEN WEEKS. As far as I can remember (and I just finished the book this afternoon, so it's pretty bad that details are already starting to fuzz) he doesn't seem to visit a single place of note or interest that one would expect to find in a book about traveling in England. Instead he wanders around nondescript towns and cities and indulges in what seems to be a favorite pastime of his...complaining about the architecture. If I had had to read one more rant about how ugly modern buildings are or how every shopping mall on the face of the planet needs to be blown up I probably would have thrown the book at a wall. I agree with him, to a point, but it got to be very tiresome. And where were the interesting little nuggets of little-known information that have always made his books so near and dear to me? Nowhere to be found. It's a good thing that this was not my first Bryson book or I probably would have been put off him forever. I can't understand it, really, it's so unlike all of the other books I've read by him. Maybe he was body-snatched? I can't say. Either way, if you are planning to read something by this author I would suggest you stay as far away from this as possible. Go for something like In A Sunburned Country (my personal favorite) or A Walk In The Woods (also pretty good).
- Mood:
blah
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Author: Maria V. Snyder, 2008.
Genre: Fantasy. Young Adult.
Other Details: Paperback, 441 pages.
Fire Study continues the story of Yelena Zaltana that began in Poison Study and continued in Magic Study. Yelena's apprenticeship is now over and she has found that her unusual abilities have set her apart and aroused suspicion among her fellow magicians. She enters a time of testing on a number of levels and has to overcome a plot that threatens her homeland.
Snyder packs a great deal of action into this final book to bring Yelena's story to its conclusion. I felt that her characters and setting had been strongly established in the previous books and allowed for this more intense pace and intricate narrative. I was sorry to reach the end though was pleased to read that Snyder is continuing to write novels based in the same world, developing a new series around Opal, one of the minor characters from the Study series.
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Author: Ian Fleming, 1957.
Genre: Spy Thriller.
Other Details: Paperback, 2006 Viking edition with introduction by Charlie Higson. 337 pages.
From Russia With Love has an interesting structure as James Bond does not appear until page 123. In the first third of the novel the focus is upon Russia's SMERSH organisation and their planning of an operation to kill James Bond and to discredit the British Secret Service with a messy sex scandal. The key to the Russian plot is a beautiful Russian woman, Tatiana Romanova, whose task is to lure Bond to Istanbul with the promise of delivering to the British an important Russian cypher machine. A deadly game of cross and double cross ensues as Bond and Tatiana travel to the West on the famous Oriental Express shadowed by a deadly assassin.
It's a simple plot, delivered in Fleming's economic signature style which delivers excitement, glamour and touches of wit. I especially enjoyed an early scene in which the SMERSH council is considering the intelligence agencies of various countries and their suitability for their operation before settling on England and their agent 007. The novel perfectly captures the tension of the late 1950s Cold War and creates in SMERSH operative Red Grant a truly chilling serial killer.
Having seen the film recently I have to say this was probably the most faithful adaptation.
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Author: Susan Hill, 2008.
Genre: Crime - Police Procedural.
Other Details: Hardback, 328 pages.
In this fourth outing for Detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler a young woman is shot dead in her apartment. The Lafferton police swing into action to investigate the murder. Then there is a second shooting of two women outside a nightclub. This time the weapon is a rifle fired from some distance. This raises the question of whether the shootings are connected or are there two gunmen loose in Lafferton? Are the victims random or somehow linked? While investigating the murders and experiencing pressure from the community and media, Simon is also dealing with some difficult family and personal issues.
In The Vows of Silence Hill follows the formula of her previous books in the series by switching between the police procedural plot and the domestic lives of Simon, his family, and various residents of Lafferton. Also, as she did in The Various Haunts of Men she provides the reader with insights into the mind of the killer though their identity remains tantalisingly veiled. Again, I felt that Hill had done a superb job with her characterisations, both major and minor and it was very easy to care about them and their fates.
Hill also explores death and loss in the wider sense, not only those deaths caused by the gunman's actions. There are deaths both natural and unnatural, deaths in the past and present, deaths that involve old characters and new ones. The way in which individuals deal with death and bereavement, loneliness and aloneness are important themes throughout making this a work of considerable depth. Overall a very dark and compelling novel that gave me many moments of reflection about my own responses to these issues.
Due to the development of characters and various sub-plots from book to book this is a series that really needs to be read in order.
BOOK 16 - ROALD DAHL: CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
Children fiction
Language: English
Pages: 155
I loved the film (well, surprise, another Depp+Burton+Bonham Carter production), so I wanted to read the book for a long time. It was good, funny, entertaining, even for an adult (but I am childish). Dahl's sense of humour fits children fiction very well, I can already say that although this was just my second Dahl book. I'm not exactly sure if I like the freedoms that Burton did to make in the film - the film and book do end in the same way, but in the film there's all this going-around with Wonka's father. Of course, that gave the story and the character depth, but still.
BOOK 17 - F.SCOTT FITZGERALD: THE GREAT GATSBY
A Novel
Language: English
Pages: 233
Another book for my English test retake. Normally, if someone would ask me that did I like Gatsby, and most people don't like it, I'd say that I enjoyed the language very much. And so I did, but this time the book took me too long, it was quite a pain in the ass - it's a tiny novel, but it took me two weeks to read it, although I read every day! So apparently it was heavy... Another thing I like about the Great Gatsby is that it is visible that Fitzgerald wanted it to be perfect, every detail and everything seems to have been well thought through. I've read a short-story by him as well, "Winter Dreams", but I don't really know yet if I like his style. The American way of life doesn't really touch me.
BOOK 18 - J.K. ROWLING: HARRY POTTER JA FEENIKSIN KILTA (5th)
HP Series
Language: Finnish
Pages: 1050
(Look at the amount of pages of the Finnish translation!) So, another will-always-love-you-book in my project of forcing my fiance to read (in a way or another) my favourite books. I have read him aloud the first, the second, the third, the fourth, and now the fifth book of the HP series. Originally I thought I'd force him to continue by himself from the 5th onwards, but of course, a lazy man full of himself (well, not really), he wouldn't do it. Don't really understand why though, since he enjoys it very much to listen, always laughing and grunting in the right places. He says the reason why he wants me to keep on reading them aloud, is because I can imitate the characters and create voices for them so well. ^^ Well, he was laughing each time I made Umbridge open her mouth...
BOOK 19 - GEORGE ORWELL: 1984
A Novel
Language: English
Pages: 325
Yes, another one for the retake. (Only "Handmaid's Tale" left, I've started reading it, but don't think I have time to finish.) The whole bunch of you have probably read 1984, so you should know what I'm talking about, that it is sooo depressing. The tone, the characters, the events, the way O'Brien finally gets Winston to surrender to Big Brother... I have a doubleplusungood bellyfeel towards the world of Oceania and the Party. What's there, really, in power?
1984 is not perfect. Winston is more an anti-hero than a hero, and the only slightly interesting character is Julia, although we don't really get to know much about her, much because of Winston's way of seeing her. I think he sees her as an inferior, because her ways to rebel are not the same as his. The plot, simple as it is, is like from the most basic comics, also Mr. Charrington is a stereotype comic character. But 1984 will continue to torture readers for a long time after I am gone, because it fits so well.
Read this far:
19/50 = 38 % done,
31,2 % of the year gone
Now reading:
Montgomery, Durant, Fabb, Furniss & Mills: Ways of Reading (a study book for my retake)
Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid's Tale
Charles Dickens: Great Expectations (this will take forever)
35. The Girl Who Played with Fire - (4/12) - Stieg Larsson 569p
4/5
I found this book to be a solid sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in fact, I may have liked it ever better than the first.
In this book we learn more about Salander. Skillfully exposed throughout the course of the novel, bits and pieces of her background appear until by the end a full picture has emerged. Some statisfying, some not so satisfying. A couple points easily guessed early on.
She's a fascinating character, and the parts about her were my favorite in the book, (even the parts that were seemingly plot irrelevant and never resolved). She's a smart, strong, flawed underdog, and you can't help rooting for her.
This book tackles a lot of topics. Sex trade, the media, police corruption, authority abuse, on and on. I like it because it keeps it interesting, but sometimes it was all over the board. Especially interesting to me is learning more about Swedish culture throughout the course of the book.
What's best about the book is the pace. It kept me captivated throughout the 569 pages (in my copy), and I couldn't go to bed until I finished. It's a well-done thriller.
Incidentally, I didn't find that you needed to have read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo first, but certainly that would be preferable.
Looking forward to the 3rd, and sad that it will be the last. This is a really interesting series.
34. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish - (4/10) - Douglas Adams 224p
5/5
This was my very first Adams, and started me on my love affair with his books. The very funny fourth book in the Hitchhiker's Trilogy.
33. We - (4/5) - Yevgeny Zamyatin 232p
4.5/5
This is supposedly the most influential science fiction novel of the 20th century, and inspired many that came after it .. including Brave New World. I have to be honest and say that some of it went right over my head, but overall I thought it was a great book. The imagery evoked was really spectacular. The author used a lot of color and shape to describe things that wouldn't normally be describe thus.
A very interesting book.
32. Brave New World - (4/4) - Aldous Huxley 288p
4/5
The year is 600 something A. F. (After Ford) and humans are mass produced in labs, and programmed for happiness and social status (or lack thereof). I found the book to be clever, and funny (not laugh out loud funny, more bemusing).
There was a lot of focus on sex and drugs, and it got a bit repetitive at times, but it was fast paced, and I liked it.
31. Never Let Me Go - (4/2) - Kuzuo Ishiguro 304p
5 stars
It's hard to describe this book without giving anything away. The book description doesn't really allude to it, so I won't. Even though, pretty much from the start of the book, you know where it's going. The brilliance in the writing is the way Shiguro fed you little delectable morsels while leaving you still hungry for more, and thus a quick turning of the pages to find out what happens next.
It's beautiful and sad. I absolutely loved it, and for sure it's a 2009 favorite.
30. Cathedral of the Sea: A Novel - 3/30 - Ildefonso Falcones 624p
5/5
Cathedral of the Sea tells the life story for Arnau Estanyol, and takes place in Barcelona in the 1,300's. Arnau is a fantastic character, one you find yourself rooting for almost from the minute of his conception.
I found this book to be a real page-turner. It has everything really good historical fiction should have. Good characters, feudal opression, religious persecution, (it's astonishing to see what was done to people in the name of religion) a little plague, a little romance, poverty, class distinctions, some war, revenge, betrayal ... and a hero. The writing was top notch. Falcones really had a way of building tension.
A couple of the things that I really appreciated in the book: First, was Falcones's treatment of the Plague. It happened, it needed to be mentioned, but he didn't dwell on it for chapter after chapter. It got a nice respectful amount of attention, and then we moved on. Second, I liked in the authors notes that he explained what was based on fact, and what was made up. I'm always curious about that after reading a book so I am grateful when it's there.
A lot of comparisons have been made to Pillars of the Earth. The building of a Cathedral does feature in this book, but it's more of a background accompaniment vs. a tale about the construction like Pillars. But, for me, it was every bit as good as Pillars and I definitely recommend it.
My complete list can be found here
- Mood:busy
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Author: Sarah Rayne, 2008.
Genre: Mystery/Suspense.
Other Details: Paperback 547 pages.
Twenty-something Londoner Georgina Grey finds herself in difficult financial straits after her business partner absconds with both Georgina's money and boyfriend. She then receives a letter from the Secretary of The Caradoc Society, which describes itself as involved in 'the pursuit of knowledge of psychic phenomena and the paranormal'. The letter explains that they were about to wind up the Society and sell off their headquarters, Caradoc House. She is surprised to read that it was a generous bequest from her great-grandfather, Dr. Walter Kane, that had allowed the purchase of the building and that the trustees of the Society had decided that any proceeds after its debts were settled would be passed on to her. She was invited to come to Caradoc House located in Thornbeck, Cumbria to take possession of some of Dr. Kane's papers as well as to present proof that she is his descendant.
Georgina knows little about her great-grandfather's life except that he'd been a prison doctor in Cumbria in the 1930s and later apparently abandoned his wife and child to live abroad. Therefore, she is intrigued by this bequest to a psychic society as it seems so at odds with his career and also the money would be of assistance to her. So she travels to Thornbeck and on the way comes across Calvary Goal, the prison where her great-grandfather had worked, which only held condemned prisoners who were taken there for execution. At the same time flamboyant TV presenter Chad Ingram and his team are in Thornbeck to further his plans for a televised experiment in Calvary Goal's execution chamber. However, a third party has reasons not to want either Georgina or the TV people digging up the secrets of the past.
The structure of the novel moves between the modern day and the past. First to 1917 where the circumstances that led to Sir Lewis Caradoc, then governor of Calvary Goal, establishing the Caradoc Society are explored; then to 1938 when Dr. Walter Kane arrives to take up the post of prison doctor and beyond. Along the way there are family secrets, fraudulent psychics, executions, treachery, plenty of murders and the odd bump in the night. Rayne does a brilliant job of navigating through these many twists and turns and delivering a satisfying, page-turning climax. There was one point where I thought the plot had taken a twist too far but it all came together by the end.
I had a couple of minor quibbles about the book linked to its marketing that didn't detract from my overall pleasure but I'll mention anyway. The tag line 'there can be a fate worse than death' left me puzzled as to what it referred to as there seemed nothing in the novel relating to this dire pronouncement. The other thing was the image chosen for the cover, which is the ruin of St. Michael's Church located on the summit of Glastonbury Tor. I realise that it was probably difficult to find a photographic stand-in for a forbidding 19th century goal set on a Cumbrian hillside but the substitution of such an iconic 14th century religious ruin bothered me every time I saw it on the cover.
Certainly I plan to read further of Rayne's books because this was such an absorbing read with good characterisations, a strong atmospheric setting in both present and past as well as a riveting plot. Also, despite its grim location and dark themes there was a welcome sprinkling of humour both in dialogue and the always obliging target of reality TV shows and their presenters, especially of the ghost-hunting variety.
Never Let Me Go was both fascinating and frustrating.
The premise is quite intriguing: students raised at Hailsham are repeatedly told of how special they are and how they must take care of their bodies. The narrator, Kathy, in the present is a "carer." Most of the other students are "donors," who eventually "complete." The reasons why emerge slowly, until the full picture or their origins and their fate come clear.
First of all, it grated on me that the story followed the exact same format as The Remains of the Day, even though the voice was very different. It begins in the present, hints at the outcome of events, and then most of the book is spent meandering over meaningful memories until the climax. I never felt like I got to really know the first person narrator; most of the story really focuses on her friends Ruth (who isn't very likable) and Tommy. They are fully realized and complex characters. Maybe Ishiguro wasn't in his element in trying to mix in scifi. Many things are heavily hinted at in the book, but then the climax is heavy-handed but doesn't really explain everything. (Why not try and run? Rebel?) There wasn't really a conflict in the book. Everyone did what they were supposed to do. In Remains of the Day that sort of gentle storytelling worked because the butler did sacrifice everything for his master - he was his job. But here... maybe these characters were chosen for their domestication. I don't know. The ending left me disappointed. I felt like shaking these people.
The premise is quite intriguing: students raised at Hailsham are repeatedly told of how special they are and how they must take care of their bodies. The narrator, Kathy, in the present is a "carer." Most of the other students are "donors," who eventually "complete." The reasons why emerge slowly, until the full picture or their origins and their fate come clear.
First of all, it grated on me that the story followed the exact same format as The Remains of the Day, even though the voice was very different. It begins in the present, hints at the outcome of events, and then most of the book is spent meandering over meaningful memories until the climax. I never felt like I got to really know the first person narrator; most of the story really focuses on her friends Ruth (who isn't very likable) and Tommy. They are fully realized and complex characters. Maybe Ishiguro wasn't in his element in trying to mix in scifi. Many things are heavily hinted at in the book, but then the climax is heavy-handed but doesn't really explain everything. (Why not try and run? Rebel?) There wasn't really a conflict in the book. Everyone did what they were supposed to do. In Remains of the Day that sort of gentle storytelling worked because the butler did sacrifice everything for his master - he was his job. But here... maybe these characters were chosen for their domestication. I don't know. The ending left me disappointed. I felt like shaking these people.
- Mood:
contemplative
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Author: Jonathan Coe, 2007.
Genre: Family Drama. British. GLBT theme.
Other Details: Paperback, 278 pages.
A lyrical tale about the relationship between four generations of mothers and daughters from the late 1930s to the present day filtered through the memories of a cousin who had first come to stay with the family when she was evacuated to the country during the War.
When Gill's reclusive Aunt Rosamund dies Gill is surprised to be named as executor of her will. Part of the estate has been left to Imogen, a blind girl that Gill had met briefly at Rosamund's 50th birthday party some 20 years previously. Before she died Rosamund had recorded a series of cassette tapes and left instructions that they be given to Imogen or, in the event that Imogen could not be located, that Gill should listen to them herself. After attempts to find Imogen fail, Gill and her daughters eventually gather to listen to the tapes. After this brief introduction the contents of these tapes takes up the majority of the book as Rosamund describes a series of 20 photographs in great detail to the blind girl and weaves around them the story of Imogen's family, seeking to explain how she was "inevitable".
There is a great deal of tragedy in the story as the tapes contain many secrets and lies as well as illustrate how certain patterns recur throughout generations.
I hadn't read any of Coe's previous novels though he apparently made his reputation writing satirical novels with a political slant. This is an obvious departure and apparently he stated in an interview that he had needed to gain a certain maturity before he was able to write it after being inspired by "meeting a little seven-year-old blonde blind girl at a family wedding in the late 1980s. This girl was moving around outside in the garden – nobody I met really seemed to know who she was, but she had an extraordinary quality of stillness and centredness. I never saw her again, but always wanted to write a novel about her.”
Aside from being a thoughtful drama it is a novel that is very focused on the experiences of women, the few men that appear in the novel are very fleeting characters. Coe captures the genteel voice of Rosamund very effectively and it is a story that quickly drew me in. Rosamund's own story also is intertwined with that of Imogen's family with it being fairly obvious that her sexuality was condemned both openly and subtly throughout most of her life.
Coe's style reminded me some of Ian McEwan's in terms of being written in beautiful language yet remaining accessible to the reader. I did find it quite a moving novel with the overall experience of a sense of melancholy and lost opportunities. It was a reading group selection and was very well received by everyone in the group.
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Author: Susan Hill, 2005.
Genre: Crime Fiction. Police Procedural. Literary.
Other Details: Hardback, 370 pages.
This is the second book in Hill's Simon Serrailler trilogy that began with The Various Haunts of Men (my 2009 Book 3).
While Haunts can be read as a stand-alone the second and third novels of this series do follow the investigation and aftermath of a single crime: the abduction of an 8-year old school boy as he waited for his lift to school. Again there are a number of stories woven into the main narrative: the efforts of an ex-con to resist being drawn back into a criminal life, events concerning Simon's immediate family and his former lover's increasing obsession with re-establishing their relationship. The case itself remains unsolved at the end of the book though there is news of a similar abduction in another county that indicates this wasn't a one-off crime.
The strength of the novel is in its characterisations and the examination of how such a crime impacts upon a family and the wider community. The title refers to innocence and the loss thereof, a recurring theme for Hill. I found it a bittersweet novel especially Simon's relationship with his severely disabled sister. On finishing it I really wanted to discover the resolution to the case and so went out to obtain The Risk of Darkness from a local library and began it the same day. I can't imagine what it was like for people who read this book on publication and had to wait a year for the next book.
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Author: Susan Hill, 2006.
Genre: Crime Fiction. Police Procedural. Literary.
Other Details: Paperback, 472 pages.
The case involving missing children in a number of counties comes to a dramatic conclusion. Still this capture only forms part of the novel and its balance involves the building of a solid case against the murderer and other ramifications of the case. It isn't a fast-paced crime novel even though it contains a thrilling chase; rather Hill takes her time exploring the ramifications of the crime and developing other sub-plots. Again she isn't playing by the rules of crime fiction and it is a reminder that her reputation is first and foremost as a literary novelist.
I loved all three novels in this trilogy and am very happy that Susan Hill is continuing to write novels about Simon Serrailler and his world. She won't be everyone's cup of tea because of the pacing but it should appeal to readers who enjoy Eurocrime with strong psychological aspects. Having said that a friend of mine who works within the C.I.D. has nothing but praise for the procedural aspects of the novel.
BOOK 10 - ANDREW LANG: TALES FROM KING ARTHUR
Stories
Language: English
Pages: 141
This book was part of my project of getting to know English literature - especially early literature - better. As I read, I found out that I actually knew the Arthurian legends pretty well - I've watched some movies etc. The only new thing that I learned was that Queen Guenevere's and Sir Lancelot's love story was not so "bad" - at least according to the Lang collection they only kissed once (at least I wouldn't consider that a treason). Merlin interests me, but there were only a few stories about him, and pretty early in the book he was taken "underground" by Vivienne. Morgan le Fay is also interesting, but her part was also small. Most of the stories told about the knights, and there was no happy ending, the reader only had to follow how Arthur's good knights slowly walked towards their lowsy end.
BOOK 11 - SAMUEL BECKETT: WAITING FOR GODOT
A Play
Language: English
Pages: 112
A tragicomedy in two acts. Okay. Well, when I talk about this one, I'm always about to say "I don't get its point", but I guess that there is really no point - that is the whole point of the grotesque. Didi and Gogo were cute nicknames. :) The friendship between Vladimir and Estragon seemed like the only good thing in the whole play, though they had these thoughts of everything being better if they had taken separate routes. I guess the play deals with humanity and its vainess and pointlessness in a new, harsher way. It would be interesting to read some essays etc. to fully understand what Beckett wanted to say by his play. Earlier I have only read some 3 poems by him, and they are as strange (if not stranger, and even more incomprehensible, because they are so metaphoric and short).
BOOK 12 - APOSTOLIEN TEOT (RAAMATTU) [The Acts of the Apostles (The Bible)]
A book from the Bible
Language: Finnish
Pages: 80
I started reading the Acts in the summer and finally took it up again and finished. I guess I have an eternity project of reading the whole Bible, by now I've only read the Gospels, John's Letters and the Acts. Next I thought of taking up Job from the Old Testament.
I couldn't keep up with all the places Paul went to, mainly because my geographical knowledge of the areas in question is pretty non-existent. At times the Acts could be even exciting. Still, this wasn't really "my read" - because I don't like Paul, for some reason (= I don't like his letters). But actually, at least in this book, he's not such a bad guy. :D There were some things that aroused questions in me, but my theologian-fiance was too busy reading for a test, that I couldn't ask about every little detail. Well, later.
And for those who wonder why I count reading Acts as reading a book - a reminder: The Bible consists of 66 different books, and the Acts is one of them. :)
Reading at the moment:
Harry Potter ja feeniksin kilta (5th)
Sula by Toni Morrison
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
Read this many this far...
Stories
Language: English
Pages: 141
This book was part of my project of getting to know English literature - especially early literature - better. As I read, I found out that I actually knew the Arthurian legends pretty well - I've watched some movies etc. The only new thing that I learned was that Queen Guenevere's and Sir Lancelot's love story was not so "bad" - at least according to the Lang collection they only kissed once (at least I wouldn't consider that a treason). Merlin interests me, but there were only a few stories about him, and pretty early in the book he was taken "underground" by Vivienne. Morgan le Fay is also interesting, but her part was also small. Most of the stories told about the knights, and there was no happy ending, the reader only had to follow how Arthur's good knights slowly walked towards their lowsy end.
BOOK 11 - SAMUEL BECKETT: WAITING FOR GODOT
A Play
Language: English
Pages: 112
A tragicomedy in two acts. Okay. Well, when I talk about this one, I'm always about to say "I don't get its point", but I guess that there is really no point - that is the whole point of the grotesque. Didi and Gogo were cute nicknames. :) The friendship between Vladimir and Estragon seemed like the only good thing in the whole play, though they had these thoughts of everything being better if they had taken separate routes. I guess the play deals with humanity and its vainess and pointlessness in a new, harsher way. It would be interesting to read some essays etc. to fully understand what Beckett wanted to say by his play. Earlier I have only read some 3 poems by him, and they are as strange (if not stranger, and even more incomprehensible, because they are so metaphoric and short).
BOOK 12 - APOSTOLIEN TEOT (RAAMATTU) [The Acts of the Apostles (The Bible)]
A book from the Bible
Language: Finnish
Pages: 80
I started reading the Acts in the summer and finally took it up again and finished. I guess I have an eternity project of reading the whole Bible, by now I've only read the Gospels, John's Letters and the Acts. Next I thought of taking up Job from the Old Testament.
I couldn't keep up with all the places Paul went to, mainly because my geographical knowledge of the areas in question is pretty non-existent. At times the Acts could be even exciting. Still, this wasn't really "my read" - because I don't like Paul, for some reason (= I don't like his letters). But actually, at least in this book, he's not such a bad guy. :D There were some things that aroused questions in me, but my theologian-fiance was too busy reading for a test, that I couldn't ask about every little detail. Well, later.
And for those who wonder why I count reading Acts as reading a book - a reminder: The Bible consists of 66 different books, and the Acts is one of them. :)
Reading at the moment:
Harry Potter ja feeniksin kilta (5th)
Sula by Toni Morrison
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
Read this many this far...
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12 / 50 (24.0%) |
- Location:Vienna
- Mood: blank
26. The Metamorphosis - (3/6) - Franz Kafka 76p
2/5
This book started out cute and amusing ... A love letter to books and book lovers. But very early on it made its point. Around page 5 or so, the metaphorical horse died, and the next 115 pages were spent beating it.
If it wasn't so short, I wouldn't have finished it.
25. The Uncommon Reader: A Novella - (3/5) - Alan Bennett 128p
2/5
This book started out cute and amusing ... A love letter to books and book lovers. But very early on it made its point. Around page 5 or so, the metaphorical horse died, and the next 115 pages were spent beating it.
If it wasn't so short, I wouldn't have finished it.
24. The Housekeeper and the Professor: A Novel - (3/2) - Yoko Ogawa 192p
5/5
One of the things I love about Japanese writing is that every word has a purpose. The prose is sparse, but the impact is great and never fails to create a mood. With every Japanese author I've read, there's a tinge of sadness. But it's always real and honest, and touching more so than depressing.
I first read Ogawa's novella collection, The Diving Pool and I loved her perspective and choice of words. She has something like 20 books in Japan, but only 2 translated in the US. This book was about, yes, a Housekeeper and a Professor. He is a mathematician who was in an accident thus his memory lasts only 80 minutes. She is hired to care for him, and through math (of all things) they come to know each other.
It's a beautiful, haunting book and I'm always amazed when an author can take a subject (like math) which I have no interest in, and make it engaging.
I think this may end up being one of my favorites this year.
23. In the Company of the Courtesan - (3/1) - Sarah Dunant 385p
4/5
This is a story of Venice in the 1500's and told from the perspective of Bucino, a popular courtesan's dwarf. Bucino was a memorable and loveable character. Dunant really skillfully developed him.
The book was more details about life than any kind of grand tale, but it didn't get boring.
A well-done enjoyable read.
My complete list can be found here
- Mood:
excited
21. Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers
Who knew that the ecclesiastical politics of 19th-century England could be so funny? Barchester Towers (second in the “Barsetshire” series, after The Warden) begins with the death of old Dr. Grantly, bishop of Barchester, and the question on everyone’s mind is who will replace him. Enter Dr. Proudie, the weak-willed clergyman appointed as the successor, his domineering wife Mrs. Proudie, and his slimy chaplain Mr. Slope. Slope’s evangelical tendencies shock and anger the conservative clergy of Barchester – and his unpleasantly ingratiating personality makes him a lot of enemies. The main plot concerns Slope’s power struggle in Barsetshire, with a large subplot given to the potential love life of Eleanor Bold, now a widow.
I know this book sounds as though it would be terribly dull, but it’s really not. Trollope is an extremely witty writer, and I often found myself laughing out loud. The most entertaining aspect of the church-politics plot is that it allows the reader to see all the foibles and follies of the different characters. There was some genuine talk of religion too, which I found very interesting although I didn’t always agree. I liked the love plot too, although it was quickly obvious whom Eleanor would eventually choose. I was a little put off by Trollope’s descriptions of women in general: at one point he compares man to a strong tower, and woman as the ivy that must cling to the tower in order to fulfill its purpose. I guess that’s a function of Trollope’s time, though. The other negative aspect of the book was that there were almost too many characters: a few were introduced only to disappear in one or two chapters, and they had no relevance to the main story at all. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to fans of Austen, Eliot, Dickens, etc.
#39: A Friend Like Henry by Nuala Gardner
Format: Ebook
Genre: Memoir
Themes: autism, dogs
Why I chose it: Dogs and autism – two of my current obsessions! How could I resist? :)
Description:
Nuala Gardner's son Dale is autistic. At age four, he knows only a handful of words and doesn't know how to interact with the world, and to his parents he is frustratingly and heartbreakingly inscrutable. After Dale plays for hours with a family friend's dogs, an uncharacteristic engagement with the outside world, his parents decide to get him a dog. Henry, a golden retriever, helps Dale in innumerable ways, providing a bridge between Dale and the rest of the world.
Thoughts:
It was amazing how much Henry helped Dale. Some of Dale's improvement was most likely related to growing up, but a lot of it seemed like it could be traced back directly to the dog. Henry became someone Dale wanted to connect with, and who wasn't intimidating to Dale, and that gave Dale the ability to eventually connect with other humans as well. His parents used Dale's bond with Henry to their advantage;
Most of what I've been reading about autism has been from the perspective of autistic people themselves, so reading about "the tragedy of autism" was a bit jarring – kind of like reading a bunch of urban fantasy novels and then a Christian-themed book talking about the dangers of magic. I had gotten used to a different worldview, so the shift was difficult at times.
I do wish she had seen some of the positive aspects of autism in her son, some of the good characteristics his autism gave him, instead of just seeing a battle between him and autism. But it was easy to see the love she had for her children. I also enjoyed hearing from Dale at the end of the book.
Rating: 4/5
11. A History of Britain, Volume 1: At the edge of the world, 300BC - 1603AD by Simon Schama
Well this does what it says on the tin, really. This is the review from amazon:
"What do you get when you combine the resources and ethos of the BBC with the literary panache of one of the world's best narrative historians? The answer is Simon Schama's History of Britain, the first volume of which accompanies the BBC television series of the same name.
In a beautifully written and thoughtfully crafted book, studded with striking portraits, pictures and maps, Schama, the bestselling author of books on European cultural history such as The Embarrassment of Riches and Citizens, as well as 1999's Rembrandt's Eyes, has managed to be both conventional and provocative. He tells the official version of Britain's island story--from Roman Britain, through the Norman conquest, the struggles of the Henrys and Richards with their bolshie barons and cautious clerics, Edward I and the subjugation of Wales, King Death (the plague), and on to the Henrician reformation, before closing with the remarkable reign of the virgin queen, Elizabeth I.
While sticking to a script familiar to anyone who sat up and listened in history lessons at school, Schama brings it all alive, with memorable prose--Simon de Montfort's rebel parliament is described as inaugurating the "union between patriotism and insubordination"; with Henry VIII, Schama says, "you could practically smell the testosterone". And with fine sensitivity too, particularly on the symbolism of buildings, memorials, language and ceremonies, and on the complex relations between England and her Celtic and Catholic neighbours. If history must have gloss, then let it be written and presented like this."
All I can say, really, is I loved this! It was super interesting. I am a patriot and a little bit of a royalist, and I love the melodrama of the royals, and I love the fact that it's my lovely country!! I think a lot of detail was lost as it spans such a huge period of time, and could've probably done with a lot more of a focus on the whole of Britain as this ended up being a history of England with a tiny bit of Scotland, Ireland and Wales thrown in... I particularly loved the sections on Henry II and Thomas Becket (and also the film with Richard Burton ♥), and Elizabeth I & Mary Queen of Scots. God save the Queen!
Well this does what it says on the tin, really. This is the review from amazon:
"What do you get when you combine the resources and ethos of the BBC with the literary panache of one of the world's best narrative historians? The answer is Simon Schama's History of Britain, the first volume of which accompanies the BBC television series of the same name.
In a beautifully written and thoughtfully crafted book, studded with striking portraits, pictures and maps, Schama, the bestselling author of books on European cultural history such as The Embarrassment of Riches and Citizens, as well as 1999's Rembrandt's Eyes, has managed to be both conventional and provocative. He tells the official version of Britain's island story--from Roman Britain, through the Norman conquest, the struggles of the Henrys and Richards with their bolshie barons and cautious clerics, Edward I and the subjugation of Wales, King Death (the plague), and on to the Henrician reformation, before closing with the remarkable reign of the virgin queen, Elizabeth I.
While sticking to a script familiar to anyone who sat up and listened in history lessons at school, Schama brings it all alive, with memorable prose--Simon de Montfort's rebel parliament is described as inaugurating the "union between patriotism and insubordination"; with Henry VIII, Schama says, "you could practically smell the testosterone". And with fine sensitivity too, particularly on the symbolism of buildings, memorials, language and ceremonies, and on the complex relations between England and her Celtic and Catholic neighbours. If history must have gloss, then let it be written and presented like this."
All I can say, really, is I loved this! It was super interesting. I am a patriot and a little bit of a royalist, and I love the melodrama of the royals, and I love the fact that it's my lovely country!! I think a lot of detail was lost as it spans such a huge period of time, and could've probably done with a lot more of a focus on the whole of Britain as this ended up being a history of England with a tiny bit of Scotland, Ireland and Wales thrown in... I particularly loved the sections on Henry II and Thomas Becket (and also the film with Richard Burton ♥), and Elizabeth I & Mary Queen of Scots. God save the Queen!
- Mood: impressed
I've actually read 11, but I'm posting in two batches since the HTML will insist on screwing up my LJ Cuts!
I've been very busy this year. Having an hour commute, each way, by train each day has done wonders for my reading time.
Book #1 was A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis by David M. Friedman
From the Publisher:
Setting out to "make intellectual and emotional sense of a man's relationship with his defining organ," David Friedman moves from highbrow to lowbrow in this lighthearted but substantive cultural history. Successively viewed as a life source, a symbol of a sacred covenant with God, an emblem of shame, an instrument of domination, a mere prop for the pharmaceutical companies, and finally, as simply a means of penetration-the penis has always been at the core of Western man's (and woman's) cultural evolution. With such luminaries as Leonardo da Vinci, Sigmund Freud, Walt Whitman, and Norman Mailer marking their territory on the subject, A Mind of Its Own is an intelligent and often hilarious account of man's complicated bond with his closest friend. ( My thoughts )
Book #2 was Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck: A Conversation about Income, Wealth, and the Steps Inbetween by Michael Rubin
From the Publisher:
Are you living paycheck to paycheck? Soon, you will understand the simple steps required to choose wealth. Pull up a chair and sit down with an approachable expert today. Have the conversation you never had, and learn the financial planning lessons you were never taught.
Founder of the financial planning education company Total Candor®, Michael Rubin cuts through the jargon and unnecessary confusion that frequently defines personal finance. Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck provides you with the lessons you need to know as part of an easygoing, low-stress discussion. The result is a dialogue that will stay with you and guide you on your journey from income to wealth. With honesty, humor, and a touch of sarcasm, Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck will motivate and empower you with the tools necessary to start or continue down your personal road to financial success. You might not only survive, but also thrive, on the very income you earn today. Whatever your age or income level, go ahead start your conversation. Before long, you will be moving from income to wealth. And you will be living a life Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck.
( My thoughts )
Book #3 was The Murder of Helen Jewett: The Life and Death of a Prostitute in Nineteenth Century New York by Patricia Cline Cohen
From the Publisher:
The murder of a prostitute in 19th-century New York may seem an unremarkable event in 20th-century America, but The Murder of Helen Jewett reveals parallels between justice then and justice now as it paints a lavish portrait of America in the 1800s.
( My thoughts )
Book #4 was Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flim-Flam by Pope Brock
From the Publisher:
After years of selling patent medicines across the Southeast, John R. Brinkley -- America’s most brazen young con man -- arrived in the tiny town of Milford, Kansas. He set up a medical practice and introduced an outlandish surgical method using goat glands to restore the fading virility of local farmers.
It was all nonsense, of course, but thousands of paying customers quickly turned “Dr.” Brinkley into America’s richest and most famous surgeon. His notoriety captured the attention of the great quackbuster Morris Fishbein, who vowed to put the country’s “most daring and dangerous” charlatan out of business.
Their cat-and-mouse game lasted throughout the 1920s and ’30s, but despite Fishbein’s efforts Brinkley prospered wildly. When he ran for governor of Kansas, he invented campaigning techniques still used in modern politics. Thumbing his nose at American regulators, he built the world’s most powerful radio transmitter just across the Rio Grande to offer sundry cures, and killed or maimed patients by the score, yet his warped genius produced innovations in broadcasting that endure to this day. By introducing country music and blues to the nation, Brinkley also became a seminal force in rock ’n’ roll. In short, he is the most creative criminal this country has ever produced.
Culminating in a decisive courtroom confrontation that pitted Brinkley against his nemesis Fishbein, Charlatan is a marvelous portrait of a boundlessly audacious rogue on the loose in an America that was ripe for the bamboozling.
( My thoughts... )
Book #5 was The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir
From the Publisher:
Following the tremendous success of her first novel, Innocent Traitor, which recounted the riveting tale of the doomed Lady Jane Grey, acclaimed historian and New York Times bestselling author Alison Weir turns her masterly storytelling skills to the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would grow up to become England’s most intriguing and powerful queen.
Even at age two, Elizabeth is keenly aware that people in the court of her father, King Henry VIII, have stopped referring to her as “Lady Princess” and now call her “the Lady Elizabeth.” Before she is three, she learns of the tragic fate that has befallen her mother, the enigmatic and seductive Anne Boleyn, and that she herself has been declared illegitimate, an injustice that will haunt her.
What comes next is a succession of stepmothers, bringing with them glimpses of love, fleeting security, tempestuous conflict, and tragedy. The death of her father puts the teenage Elizabeth in greater peril, leaving her at the mercy of ambitious and unscrupulous men. Like her mother two decades earlier she is imprisoned in the Tower of London–and fears she will also meet her mother’s grisly end. Power-driven politics, private scandal and public gossip, a disputed succession, and the grievous example of her sister, “Bloody” Queen Mary, all cement Elizabeth’s resolve in matters of statecraft and love, and set the stage for her transformation into the iconic Virgin Queen.
Alison Weir uses her deft talents as historian and novelist to exquisitely and suspensefully play out the conflicts between family, politics, religion, and conscience that came to define anage. Sweeping in scope, The Lady Elizabeth is a fascinating portrayal of a woman far ahead of her time–an orphaned girl haunted by the shadow of the axe, an independent spirit who must use her cunning and wits for her very survival, and a future queen whose dangerous and dramatic path to the throne shapes her future greatness.
( My thoughts... )
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5 / 50 (10.0%) |
Book #1 was A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis by David M. Friedman
From the Publisher:
Setting out to "make intellectual and emotional sense of a man's relationship with his defining organ," David Friedman moves from highbrow to lowbrow in this lighthearted but substantive cultural history. Successively viewed as a life source, a symbol of a sacred covenant with God, an emblem of shame, an instrument of domination, a mere prop for the pharmaceutical companies, and finally, as simply a means of penetration-the penis has always been at the core of Western man's (and woman's) cultural evolution. With such luminaries as Leonardo da Vinci, Sigmund Freud, Walt Whitman, and Norman Mailer marking their territory on the subject, A Mind of Its Own is an intelligent and often hilarious account of man's complicated bond with his closest friend. ( My thoughts )
Book #2 was Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck: A Conversation about Income, Wealth, and the Steps Inbetween by Michael Rubin
From the Publisher:
Are you living paycheck to paycheck? Soon, you will understand the simple steps required to choose wealth. Pull up a chair and sit down with an approachable expert today. Have the conversation you never had, and learn the financial planning lessons you were never taught.
Founder of the financial planning education company Total Candor®, Michael Rubin cuts through the jargon and unnecessary confusion that frequently defines personal finance. Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck provides you with the lessons you need to know as part of an easygoing, low-stress discussion. The result is a dialogue that will stay with you and guide you on your journey from income to wealth. With honesty, humor, and a touch of sarcasm, Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck will motivate and empower you with the tools necessary to start or continue down your personal road to financial success. You might not only survive, but also thrive, on the very income you earn today. Whatever your age or income level, go ahead start your conversation. Before long, you will be moving from income to wealth. And you will be living a life Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck.
( My thoughts )
Book #3 was The Murder of Helen Jewett: The Life and Death of a Prostitute in Nineteenth Century New York by Patricia Cline Cohen
From the Publisher:
The murder of a prostitute in 19th-century New York may seem an unremarkable event in 20th-century America, but The Murder of Helen Jewett reveals parallels between justice then and justice now as it paints a lavish portrait of America in the 1800s.
( My thoughts )
Book #4 was Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flim-Flam by Pope Brock
From the Publisher:
After years of selling patent medicines across the Southeast, John R. Brinkley -- America’s most brazen young con man -- arrived in the tiny town of Milford, Kansas. He set up a medical practice and introduced an outlandish surgical method using goat glands to restore the fading virility of local farmers.
It was all nonsense, of course, but thousands of paying customers quickly turned “Dr.” Brinkley into America’s richest and most famous surgeon. His notoriety captured the attention of the great quackbuster Morris Fishbein, who vowed to put the country’s “most daring and dangerous” charlatan out of business.
Their cat-and-mouse game lasted throughout the 1920s and ’30s, but despite Fishbein’s efforts Brinkley prospered wildly. When he ran for governor of Kansas, he invented campaigning techniques still used in modern politics. Thumbing his nose at American regulators, he built the world’s most powerful radio transmitter just across the Rio Grande to offer sundry cures, and killed or maimed patients by the score, yet his warped genius produced innovations in broadcasting that endure to this day. By introducing country music and blues to the nation, Brinkley also became a seminal force in rock ’n’ roll. In short, he is the most creative criminal this country has ever produced.
Culminating in a decisive courtroom confrontation that pitted Brinkley against his nemesis Fishbein, Charlatan is a marvelous portrait of a boundlessly audacious rogue on the loose in an America that was ripe for the bamboozling.
( My thoughts... )
Book #5 was The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir
From the Publisher:
Following the tremendous success of her first novel, Innocent Traitor, which recounted the riveting tale of the doomed Lady Jane Grey, acclaimed historian and New York Times bestselling author Alison Weir turns her masterly storytelling skills to the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would grow up to become England’s most intriguing and powerful queen.
Even at age two, Elizabeth is keenly aware that people in the court of her father, King Henry VIII, have stopped referring to her as “Lady Princess” and now call her “the Lady Elizabeth.” Before she is three, she learns of the tragic fate that has befallen her mother, the enigmatic and seductive Anne Boleyn, and that she herself has been declared illegitimate, an injustice that will haunt her.
What comes next is a succession of stepmothers, bringing with them glimpses of love, fleeting security, tempestuous conflict, and tragedy. The death of her father puts the teenage Elizabeth in greater peril, leaving her at the mercy of ambitious and unscrupulous men. Like her mother two decades earlier she is imprisoned in the Tower of London–and fears she will also meet her mother’s grisly end. Power-driven politics, private scandal and public gossip, a disputed succession, and the grievous example of her sister, “Bloody” Queen Mary, all cement Elizabeth’s resolve in matters of statecraft and love, and set the stage for her transformation into the iconic Virgin Queen.
Alison Weir uses her deft talents as historian and novelist to exquisitely and suspensefully play out the conflicts between family, politics, religion, and conscience that came to define anage. Sweeping in scope, The Lady Elizabeth is a fascinating portrayal of a woman far ahead of her time–an orphaned girl haunted by the shadow of the axe, an independent spirit who must use her cunning and wits for her very survival, and a future queen whose dangerous and dramatic path to the throne shapes her future greatness.
( My thoughts... )
- Mood:
bouncy
Again, this year, I am being bad about posting books as I read them and am starting off the year with a batch-post of books 1-4. Sadly, my webkinz addiction and knitting have cut into my reading and caused me to be woefully behind.
These books were: The Eyre Affair (A Thursday Next Novel) by Jasper Fforde, What's Your Poo Telling You? by Josh Richman and M.D., Anish Sheth, The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry, and Maybe I'll Call Anna by William Browning Spencer.
( My thoughts on the books, with spoilers, and The List for the year )
These books were: The Eyre Affair (A Thursday Next Novel) by Jasper Fforde, What's Your Poo Telling You? by Josh Richman and M.D., Anish Sheth, The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry, and Maybe I'll Call Anna by William Browning Spencer.
( My thoughts on the books, with spoilers, and The List for the year )
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muse_books : Book 71: Poppy Shakespeare by Clare Allan [+0] - muse_books : Book 70: Holy Disorders by Edmund Crispin [+0]
- slimequeen : #55: "The Pale Horseman" by Bernard Cornwell [+4]
- slimequeen : #54: "The Last Kingdom" by Bernard Cornwell [+0]
- door_nob : Procrastination stops here: January books. [+15]
- muse_books : Books 67 & 68: Cold Pursuit and Innocent Blood [+0]
- shiny_sara : Book 10. Or, Why Elizabeth Bennett is my new hero [+5]
- muse_books : Book 65: What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn. [+0]
- muse_books : Book 54: The Night Watch by Sarah Waters [+2]
- muse_books : Book 50: The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas [+2]
- muse_books : Book 49: The Missing Person's Guide to Love by Susanna Jones [+0]
- parisiennepen : Book #8: The Castle of Adventure by Enid Blyton [+0]
- muse_books : Book 43: Prospero's Children by Jan Siegel [+8]
- wiscck : Books 8-17 [+2]
- timeless_story : 24: Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson [+10]
- muse_books : Books 39 & 40: Fire Study and From Russia With Love [+0]
- muse_books : Book 35: The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill [+0]
- gugga : BOOKS 16-19 [+9]
- nikki_d11 : 30 - 35 [+2]
- muse_books : Book 31: The Death Chamber by Sarah Rayne [+0]
- slimequeen : #28: "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro [+1]
- muse_books : Book 26: The Rain Before It Falls by Jonathan Coe [+1]
- muse_books : Books 24 & 25: The Pure in Heart and The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill [+4]
- gugga : BOOKS 10-12 [+0]
- nikki_d11 : 23 - 26 [+0]
- christina_reads : (no subject) [+0]
- enelysios : #39: A Friend Like Henry [+5]
- chop_stick : 11. [+4]
- dakotawitch : First 5 of 2009! [+0]
- shiny_sara : First post for the year! (1-4) [+3]
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