I read this December 2016
KL wrote Never Let Me Go, which I loved. I also loved this one. Short stories at their best. A great author. The stories intertwine '5 Stories of Music and Nightfall' very true, beautifully wriiten, but b-never a case of style over substance. I thoroughly recommend it.
10/10
Wednesday 23 December 2015
Atomised by Michel Houellebecq
I read this in December 2016 for Book Club (January 2016 meeting)
Must say I was looking forward to this book, but it left me indifferent I'm afraid. Maybe it something to do with the translation? I don't know.
It's about 2 half brothers, very different, both children of the 'flower power California' lifestyle of the 60s , but they turned out very different, yet somehow very much the same....a story of love, hate, despair....it does have a lot to say about contemporary society and when it does that was interesting. But it just didn't grab me I'm afraid...
I won't score it as I have no feelings one way or the other about this book...read it for yourself and let me know what you think
Must say I was looking forward to this book, but it left me indifferent I'm afraid. Maybe it something to do with the translation? I don't know.
It's about 2 half brothers, very different, both children of the 'flower power California' lifestyle of the 60s , but they turned out very different, yet somehow very much the same....a story of love, hate, despair....it does have a lot to say about contemporary society and when it does that was interesting. But it just didn't grab me I'm afraid...
I won't score it as I have no feelings one way or the other about this book...read it for yourself and let me know what you think
Saturday 12 December 2015
Looking Good Dead by Peter James
I read this Autumn 2015, I like Peter James novels and found this recently.
the first paragraph goes as follows:
'The front door of the once-proud terraced house opened, and a long-legged young woman, in a short silk dress that seemed to both cling and float at the same time, stepped out into the fine June sunshine on the last morning of her life.'
I wish I could write like that - says all we need to know to entice us in.
A tale of torture and murders and snuff videos. Quite gruesome in places.
10/10
the first paragraph goes as follows:
'The front door of the once-proud terraced house opened, and a long-legged young woman, in a short silk dress that seemed to both cling and float at the same time, stepped out into the fine June sunshine on the last morning of her life.'
I wish I could write like that - says all we need to know to entice us in.
A tale of torture and murders and snuff videos. Quite gruesome in places.
10/10
The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill
I read this Summer 2015
Another in the Simon Serrailler series, having read it I think I might have read it before, but no matter you always forget details in crime novels (well I do)
A women goes missing in the fog on 'The Hill' and the investigation leads to uncovering a mass murderer.
I really like Susan Hill
10/10
Another in the Simon Serrailler series, having read it I think I might have read it before, but no matter you always forget details in crime novels (well I do)
A women goes missing in the fog on 'The Hill' and the investigation leads to uncovering a mass murderer.
I really like Susan Hill
10/10
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
I read this Summer 2015. The latest Sarah Waters offering. This was a Waterstones bookclub choice, which happened to coincide with when I was reading it anyway!
A typical Sarah Waters, if you like her you will like this.
The story line centres around a mother a dn daughter who having fallen on hard times have t take in lodgers, a young couple, newly married. The daughter and wife fall in love.
If you like Sarah Waters you'll like this
9/10
A typical Sarah Waters, if you like her you will like this.
The story line centres around a mother a dn daughter who having fallen on hard times have t take in lodgers, a young couple, newly married. The daughter and wife fall in love.
If you like Sarah Waters you'll like this
9/10
Look Who's back by Timur Vermes
I read this for Waterstone's book club read (my choice)
It is about Hitler coming back in the present a sort of ' Adam Adamant' type scenerio... he wakes up and comes out of his bunker and it's present day Berlin. The people think he's a comedian/ imitator and he can't get to grips with the fact that people are not reacting to him as being real. I think it was a good concept that rather fell flat (maybe in translation?) but I did hear it on Radio 4 and it seemed funny then, so maybe it's a book to be listened to not read
6/10
It is about Hitler coming back in the present a sort of ' Adam Adamant' type scenerio... he wakes up and comes out of his bunker and it's present day Berlin. The people think he's a comedian/ imitator and he can't get to grips with the fact that people are not reacting to him as being real. I think it was a good concept that rather fell flat (maybe in translation?) but I did hear it on Radio 4 and it seemed funny then, so maybe it's a book to be listened to not read
6/10
Life after Life by Kate Atkinson
I read this summer 2015
I like Kate Atkinson, her books are so different. This one is no exception. We read story after story of teh same life, lived in so many different ways, so many 'What ifs' I really enjoyed it
9/10
I like Kate Atkinson, her books are so different. This one is no exception. We read story after story of teh same life, lived in so many different ways, so many 'What ifs' I really enjoyed it
9/10
Sunday 5 April 2015
The End of Mr Y by Scalett Thomas
I read this Summer 2015
A novel in the Magical Realism genre. Ariel finds a cpy of the End of Mr Y in a secondhand book shop, wriiten by a Victorian Scientist it's a novel of timetravel, and adventure. I love this genre and really liked this book.
9/10
A novel in the Magical Realism genre. Ariel finds a cpy of the End of Mr Y in a secondhand book shop, wriiten by a Victorian Scientist it's a novel of timetravel, and adventure. I love this genre and really liked this book.
9/10
If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor
I read this April 2015
It was a Waterstones Book Club choice.
I was rather glad this was chosen as I read it some years ago and had really enjoyed it.
It is written in a very visual style, you can 'see' the whole thing.
It centers on one street and one day and the events leading up to the 'main event' you get to empathise with all the various characters, residents and visitors to the street. You feel the heat of the day, the coming of the storm and the impending disaster...
I thoroughly enjoyed rereading this book
10/10
It was a Waterstones Book Club choice.
I was rather glad this was chosen as I read it some years ago and had really enjoyed it.
It is written in a very visual style, you can 'see' the whole thing.
It centers on one street and one day and the events leading up to the 'main event' you get to empathise with all the various characters, residents and visitors to the street. You feel the heat of the day, the coming of the storm and the impending disaster...
I thoroughly enjoyed rereading this book
10/10
Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder
I read this March 2015
I picked this up when Borders in USA closed,so I have had it for quite a while
This is a biography of Deo a young man from Burundi,escaping the horrors of war an travelling through Rwanda. He manages to get to New York. He had previously been a medical student, but had to take the most menial jobs in the States. He is befriended by a couple who pay for his medical education. The author follows him back to Burundi and tells of all his family's troubles and Deo's attempts to build a medical centre.
I didn't really warm to this book at first but once I did and got into the style I was really captured by the story and enjoyed it.
9/10
I picked this up when Borders in USA closed,so I have had it for quite a while
This is a biography of Deo a young man from Burundi,escaping the horrors of war an travelling through Rwanda. He manages to get to New York. He had previously been a medical student, but had to take the most menial jobs in the States. He is befriended by a couple who pay for his medical education. The author follows him back to Burundi and tells of all his family's troubles and Deo's attempts to build a medical centre.
I didn't really warm to this book at first but once I did and got into the style I was really captured by the story and enjoyed it.
9/10
The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I read this in March 2015
I had previously read The Shadow of the Wind.
A cross over book, suitable for lots of different ages. A toymaker lives a recluse in an old mansion surrounded by his puppets and autometa . A powerful but easy to read novel
I really enjoyed this book
9/10
I had previously read The Shadow of the Wind.
A cross over book, suitable for lots of different ages. A toymaker lives a recluse in an old mansion surrounded by his puppets and autometa . A powerful but easy to read novel
I really enjoyed this book
9/10
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys
I read this March 2015
It was on my 'guilty shelf ' for a long while!
I think it had been recommended by my friend Louise.
This was a complete surprise! I don't really know what it was about before I took it down off the shelf, but it's a Sci Fi Masterwork...
It's about a boy/man of low intelligence who has an operation which makes him super intelligent... what a journey. Brilliant book
10/10
It was on my 'guilty shelf ' for a long while!
I think it had been recommended by my friend Louise.
This was a complete surprise! I don't really know what it was about before I took it down off the shelf, but it's a Sci Fi Masterwork...
It's about a boy/man of low intelligence who has an operation which makes him super intelligent... what a journey. Brilliant book
10/10
Wednesday 18 February 2015
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
I read this February 2015
For Waterstones book Club
Warning PLOT SPOILER ALERT
The story centres around a girl called Rosemary who is bought up for the first 5/6 years of her life alongside a chimp called Fern. You don't find this out until about page 77. It is a book of family dynamics and sibling rivalry. When Fern kills a kitten she's sent away - the plot starts with Rosie looking back and trying to remember sequences of events. The incident led to her brother Loweel leaving home and becoming an animal rights acitivist
I really enjoyed this
9/10
For Waterstones book Club
Warning PLOT SPOILER ALERT
The story centres around a girl called Rosemary who is bought up for the first 5/6 years of her life alongside a chimp called Fern. You don't find this out until about page 77. It is a book of family dynamics and sibling rivalry. When Fern kills a kitten she's sent away - the plot starts with Rosie looking back and trying to remember sequences of events. The incident led to her brother Loweel leaving home and becoming an animal rights acitivist
I really enjoyed this
9/10
Love Over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith
I read this February 2015
Another in the 44 Scotland Street series, much the same light easy reading a the others. I never believe the characters but don't really care it's fiction and it's a good read for bedtime.
6/10
Another in the 44 Scotland Street series, much the same light easy reading a the others. I never believe the characters but don't really care it's fiction and it's a good read for bedtime.
6/10
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
I read this February 2015
For Waterstones Book Club
A bitter sweet tail told through the eyes of an elderly woman in the first stages of Alzheimer's. The Heroine's friend is 'missing' and her search intertwines with the disappearance of her sister when she was a teenager.
Funny, sad, intriguing
A good easy read
I enjoyed it
8/10
For Waterstones Book Club
A bitter sweet tail told through the eyes of an elderly woman in the first stages of Alzheimer's. The Heroine's friend is 'missing' and her search intertwines with the disappearance of her sister when she was a teenager.
Funny, sad, intriguing
A good easy read
I enjoyed it
8/10
Sunday 18 January 2015
Him Her Him Again the end of Him by Patricia Marx
I read this January 2015
An American girl who starts off as a PhD Student in Cambridge, and her long term on off love affair with Eugene.
A quick read, Ok
5/10
An American girl who starts off as a PhD Student in Cambridge, and her long term on off love affair with Eugene.
A quick read, Ok
5/10
Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres
I read this January 2015
Set against the background of the collapsing Ottoman Empire a Gallipoli... very well written, Love LdB books, but I think this is my favourite.
10/10
Set against the background of the collapsing Ottoman Empire a Gallipoli... very well written, Love LdB books, but I think this is my favourite.
10/10
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
I read this November 2014
A murder mystery, chosen for the Waterstones Book Club.
I enjoyed this
8/10
A murder mystery, chosen for the Waterstones Book Club.
I enjoyed this
8/10
The Norfolk Mystery by Ian Sansom
I read this winter 2014
It was a Waterstones book club choice.
A new novel set in the 1930's. A detective story, set in Norfolk. Very light and enjoyable
8/10
It was a Waterstones book club choice.
A new novel set in the 1930's. A detective story, set in Norfolk. Very light and enjoyable
8/10
The Third Man by Graham Greene
I read this winter 2014
It was a Waterstones book club choice.
The plot revolves round racketeer Harry Lime in Vienna selling 'bad' drugs.
I really enjoyed this book and would like to see the film again
9/10
It was a Waterstones book club choice.
The plot revolves round racketeer Harry Lime in Vienna selling 'bad' drugs.
I really enjoyed this book and would like to see the film again
9/10
A Crime in Holland by Georges Simenon
This was Waterstones Book club choice.
This was a bit too Agatha Christie for me...
I didn't enjoy it very much
6/10
This was a bit too Agatha Christie for me...
I didn't enjoy it very much
6/10
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carre
I read this winter 2014
It was a Waterstones book club book.
I wasn't looking forward to reading this, but I tried... I didn't enjoy this at all.
God knows what it was about!
Really well written though, just not my cup of tea
5/10
It was a Waterstones book club book.
I wasn't looking forward to reading this, but I tried... I didn't enjoy this at all.
God knows what it was about!
Really well written though, just not my cup of tea
5/10
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I read this winter 2014
It was a Waterstones book club choice
I had not read any Ray Bradbury before and was looking forward to trying one. This is a futuristic look at the world, where houses are fireproof nd fireman are employed to burn books.
I enjoyed this and will read more RB
8/10
It was a Waterstones book club choice
I had not read any Ray Bradbury before and was looking forward to trying one. This is a futuristic look at the world, where houses are fireproof nd fireman are employed to burn books.
I enjoyed this and will read more RB
8/10
Gossip from the Forest by Sara Maitland
I read this winter 2014
This a a nicely conceived book where the author talks us through walks in different forests around the UK and then updates fairy tales.
An unusual interesting book that I enjoyed
9/10
This a a nicely conceived book where the author talks us through walks in different forests around the UK and then updates fairy tales.
An unusual interesting book that I enjoyed
9/10
Nothing to Lose by Lee Chlid
I read this December 2014
This is the first Lee Child book I have read and picked it up because it was an easy read while we were on holiday.
The plot centres round Jack Reacher an ex military policeman turned hobo/wanderer. He lands up in small towns called Hope and Despair. The plot is a bit fantastical in a sort of James Bond way.
Not the best book I've read but certainly not the worst>
7/10
This is the first Lee Child book I have read and picked it up because it was an easy read while we were on holiday.
The plot centres round Jack Reacher an ex military policeman turned hobo/wanderer. He lands up in small towns called Hope and Despair. The plot is a bit fantastical in a sort of James Bond way.
Not the best book I've read but certainly not the worst>
7/10
Stonemouth by Iain Banks
I read this winter 2014
I have read other Iain (and Ian) Banks books and enjoyed them.
I heard that this one is being serialised for TV. I do think this would make good TV
It follows the fortunes of Stewart Gilmour back Stonemouth (North of Aberdeen) for the funeral of gangster patriarch Joe Murston. 5 years earlier , he had been set to marry Joe's Granddaughter but after being 'set up' he lands up fleeing for his life ....
I really enjoyed this book
9/10
I have read other Iain (and Ian) Banks books and enjoyed them.
I heard that this one is being serialised for TV. I do think this would make good TV
It follows the fortunes of Stewart Gilmour back Stonemouth (North of Aberdeen) for the funeral of gangster patriarch Joe Murston. 5 years earlier , he had been set to marry Joe's Granddaughter but after being 'set up' he lands up fleeing for his life ....
I really enjoyed this book
9/10
When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan
I read this Winter 2014
It was a Waterstones Book Club choice
This book is about a young man called Dylan Mint who has Tourettes. He goes to a 'special' school and has trouble relating to people. He goes to the hospital one day with his mother and misunderstands the Doctor and think he is going to die soon.
I was disappointed that this book was actually aimed at adults rather than a teen/young adult adult crossover because I think it would be good for young popel to read.
I quite enjoyed it and was glad I read it, but fet I knew little more about Tourettes than I did before I read it.
6/10
It was a Waterstones Book Club choice
This book is about a young man called Dylan Mint who has Tourettes. He goes to a 'special' school and has trouble relating to people. He goes to the hospital one day with his mother and misunderstands the Doctor and think he is going to die soon.
I was disappointed that this book was actually aimed at adults rather than a teen/young adult adult crossover because I think it would be good for young popel to read.
I quite enjoyed it and was glad I read it, but fet I knew little more about Tourettes than I did before I read it.
6/10
The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook
I read this in 2014
It was a Waterstones book club book
The Aftermath is after WWII the winter of 1946 in Hamburg. Rachael Morgan is there with her husband who is aiding the rebuilding efforts. They are billeted in a house and Rachael's husband, Lewis, has decided to allow the German owner and his daughter to stay in the house as well.
A moving and atmospheric book that I found really interesting.
7/10
It was a Waterstones book club book
The Aftermath is after WWII the winter of 1946 in Hamburg. Rachael Morgan is there with her husband who is aiding the rebuilding efforts. They are billeted in a house and Rachael's husband, Lewis, has decided to allow the German owner and his daughter to stay in the house as well.
A moving and atmospheric book that I found really interesting.
7/10
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