Books from Peace2's shelf

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Books from Peace2's shelf

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1Peace2
Jan 14, 2014, 6:33 pm

Hey there, this is my first attempt at this but it's a seriously needed attempt (no matter how far I get it can only be an improvement). Back in November I realized that there was an issue with unread books swamping the house (I'd bought a new set of shelves earlier in the year in the hope of dispersing some of the boxes and while yes it did do that, it's full to overflowing and I still have lots of boxes), so I made a list of 70 books that I could see from where I was sitting at the time or ones that I could remember that were unread. I read a few in December (mostly short ones!I've seeming left a whole bunch of doorstops for this year). So now I'm aiming to get through at least 26 in the year (a marathon's worth I think?) and to decide whether each will be kept or will liberate space for something more to my liking (or at least currently hiding in a box).

I later went back and wrote a longer list (although I'm sticking to the 70 for now) and found another 150 books and I know there are more lurking both around the house and in the loft.

Anyway, two down so far. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid was the first. I didn't enjoy this, the style grated, so I was rather glad that it wasn't any longer.

No. 2 was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This one I absolutely loved and both listened to on audio and read to make sure I didn't miss anything. I've never really read anything quite like it and I'm not the kind to read many romance type stories, although that was only a fraction of what this story encompassed. I loved the world that the author built and felt totally immersed in it and didn't want the book to finish at all. This one is a definite keeper on the shelf (once I've got it back from the friend I was enthusing to the other day about it!)

So, on to the next from the list. Happy Reading to you all!

2razzamajazz
Jan 14, 2014, 10:46 pm

Impulse buying of books is an expensive habit. Is there a way to control the habit, and put it in the rein? I will go to a public library, borrow it for six weeks, no renewal after that unless nobody is reserving to borrow it. You are allow to repeat the cycle loan of 6 weeks. I think so, the loan is permitted again. If I have not finished reading the book. I will visit to another public library, look for the same title and borrow it for another 6 weeks. I need to have a lot of patience and time to do it. The time is worthwhile spent and you will save a lot of our money.

If I am unable to locate the book in the libraries, I will try to locate and purchase a used copy or a brand new copy especially hunting for a paperback edition.

Books are very expensive in my country, a paperback will cost as much as Sterling Pound 5.00 or USD 5.00 excluding VAT or we called over here as GST ,Goods & Services Tax. 7%.

Reading is widely encouraged in the country as young as a two-year old toddler in nursery schools to a senior citizen, not senile but still active in the mind of over 90 years old in public and regional libraries , free for the public who are the nation's residents.

3Peace2
Jan 15, 2014, 1:18 pm

In actual fact I've largely reined the habit in to a not too excessive fashion. The existing problem originates with a lot of books that were purchased several years ago. I use the library as well now, although at the moment that's principally for unabridged audiobooks. I've also been given a lot of the books on my shelves as they have been passed from one family member to another, a lot of them finish with me as I am the one with the most wide taste - I will at least give a try to most genres and authors. A few years ago, I was a bit of a sure thing for bookstore employees when it came to seeing "3 for 2" offers on books and my sister dared me to read all 100 of the BBC Big Read titles, which also saw me take a big step upwards in the amount I'd got. Although the content at the local library is improving now, a few years ago (when I was on my binge buying), it did not stock my favorite kinds of books - for instance their fantasy novel section amounted to Tolkein and not much else and if you wanted books that weren't published in the UK there was no chance of getting any and so I slipped into the habit of also buying a lot from Amazon. Times have moved on and the library do seem to have more on offer, but I've never lost the love of having a book and being the first to sample what's inside when I get the chance or of finding a hidden gem that no one else has come across yet. Paperbacks here now cost in the region of 8 pounds sterling (13 USD) and then have a tax on top, so buying locally is becoming prohibitive unless they are on offer or something really special.

Another good reason for reading the ones I've already got - or using book recycling sites!

4Peace2
Editado: Jan 25, 2014, 4:50 am

Two more down.

Book #3 The Girl Who Fell From The Sky by Simon Mawer. An interesting book. The story of a young rather naive woman who is recruited from her work in the WAF and becomes a spy and resistance worker in France, being air dropped into South West France with a variety of missions to accomplish. The story tells the twists and turns and stomach churning near misses of her encounters. At times her escapes felt a little too contrived, but there is enough of a dose of reality and the sheer lengths people will go to in the name of survival that the reader doesn't lose sight of just how dangerous the work she was undertaking was (or how crucial those people were to the war effort). All in all a book I'm glad to have read. (edited to change the touchstones which went to the wrong place - turns out this book also goes by the title "Trapeze" !)

Book #4 The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J K Rowling - This was a very quick read, an interesting work in the line of the traditional fairy tales children are told all over the world. How would those tales be altered for children who grow up knowing magic is all around and where witches are not automatically casting spells or poisoning apples to do away with inconvenient princesses? This encapsulates just that with a series of tales. Great little book, but nothing earth shaking.

Current total 4/26

5Peace2
Editado: Jan 25, 2014, 4:50 am

Book #5 Body Double by Tess Gerritsen. Enjoyed this as something quick and not to difficult to read. It's been a while since I've read any Rizzoli and Isles and it's strange to come back to the book version after having seen them on TV and having to push away the TV adaptations and not make assumptions about the characters, backgrounds or even their friendship. I am pretty sure at this point that I prefer the books rather than the TV versions, not to fault either the actresses or their screen writers - but they don't feel like the same people.

I also finished Agnes Grey but this wasn't on my original list, so while it made an interesting piece, it's not counting towards my goal. I didn't like this as much as some of the other Bronte sister books that I'd read, perhaps because it doesn't have the same sweeping 'epic' feel that some of the others do. Agnes isn't the most riveting of characters either, although I couldn't help but feel some degree of sympathy for her in her dealings with spoilt children and their distant but judgemental parents.

So that's 5/26

6Peace2
Jan 27, 2014, 5:21 pm

Book #6 The Hare With Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal I really enjoyed this book, way more than I expected to. Rather than repeat myself, I've written a review here.

That means I've reached 6/26 books from the list I'd set myself to pick from for the year.

7imyril
Jan 27, 2014, 7:07 pm

That's good going given it's not even the end of January!

8Peace2
Jan 27, 2014, 7:17 pm

Good job the actual TBR pile is even longer! :D Although there's quite a few doorstops in the 'to choose from in 2014' pile that will take me forever to get through I'm pretty sure.

9Peace2
Fev 1, 2014, 4:59 pm

Book #7 Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell Haven't decided whether I can really count this one as although it was on the TBR pile, it wasn't actually one of the books I'd identified for 2014 TBR - more of a long term aim. I had read this before - about 20 years ago when I was at College. I remember enjoying it then and thinking that I preferred it to the many Jane Austen's we were reading at the same time. But 20 years is a long time, and the only thing I remembered about it was that she was an unwed mother and that the father of the child was a wealthy landowner. I'm glad I re-read it, it was as good as I remembered it being but it was also like reading something completely new because it had been so long. It's a real contrast to read books from that period and in between more modern writing and yet, great to do. This one's a keeper.

I've literally just finished listening to the unabridged audio version of Splintered and wow! I really enjoyed it. I'd got no idea what to expect when I came across it in the local library but it looked different to the rest of their audio collection and when I read the blurb, I thought interesting premise, but this blew me away. I'm now hoping to get the time to go down the library on Monday and ask after the sequel Unhinged although I doubt I'll be lucky enough to find they've got both. This isn't a book I've seen or heard of at all locally to this point, but I'm so glad I picked it up. I've seen it listed here on LT as young adult but in the library it was in the adult section. It's about Alyssa, a descendant of Alice in Wonderland. What would happen if Alice's future generations grew up hearing plants and bugs talk? Is it a curse? How can Alyssa break the cycle of the women in her family who are considered to have mental illness and like her mother end up confined to institutions? If this were mine, it would be a keeper - unfortunately I borrowed it and have to give it back. I hope the sequel lives up to the start.

10Amsa1959
Fev 2, 2014, 12:26 pm

Interesting, but I´m trying to read the ones in my shelf. I wonder why it always are the books you just hear about that you want to read…

11Peace2
Fev 2, 2014, 12:40 pm

I know just what you mean - I'm focussing on books already on my shelves for reading, but when it comes to audio, it's more a case of what's available, so that frees me up a little more to try things that have just come to my attention. I'm focussing on ones I can borrow from the library who don't have a huge selection, but there are some good ones in there. - sometimes it's a matter of rooting them out, others it's a 'fingers crossed it's in this time' (I've been waiting for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo for three months now and manage to miss it every time). Problem comes when I've listened to a good one and then want the sequel and the only way to get it is to buy it myself! Can I resist that temptation? (I'm going to have to! *grin*)

12razzamajazz
Editado: Fev 2, 2014, 9:58 pm

Can you make reservations for library ,audio and visual materials from the public libraries at your side? Over in my country, a library member have to pay a nominal fees more or less to cover the administrative/handling charges to retrieve the material and dispatch to a library branch nearest to you. Within a week, you can collect the item when it is available. You have the choice to place your reservations to be still active for different period of time until the item is available.

The reservations do help me to borrow the item/items which are available from other public library branches which are very far from my home. This will save me the transport fares and time to get there. The fees to be paid to a library are very much lesser.This can save me expenses in my monthly book buying and plan a book budgeting for titles I really want for my home library especially reference books, and good classics and popular fiction.

13Peace2
Fev 3, 2014, 6:56 pm

I'm going in again tomorrow to return a couple of titles that I've finished with, so I shall see how helpful they can be on that front then. When I've asked previously they've told me when titles are due back by, which isn't necessarily all that helpful, particularly with popular titles that are going out again as soon as they've been returned.

14razzamajazz
Fev 4, 2014, 5:06 am

It is happening at my side where popular titles,bestsellers and new titles are being borrowed so quickly even though there are several copies of identical books being circulated for reserved loans besides the copies on the shelves primarily for the "walk-in" loans only.

"...which isn't necessarily all that helpful with popular titles...", it is really the actual case when all books are being loaned out or on the reservation lists at the public library's branches. Yes, I need to have everlasting patience to wait for at least a year to get hold of the books to borrow.

When my patience are faded, I will look for a used copy at a second-hand books bookstore which will roughly cost about half the price of a new copy, if I am lucky enough or else buy a new copy which is more practical considering the slight difference of cost between the used and brand new copy after a member's discount.Why, 1/2 of the price compared to a new one, it only will happen where there are still great demand and limited circulation for the particular titles.

It is beneficial to have good connections with the librarians and library assistants as friends or acquaintances, they will reserve the books for you in the quiet. There is really nothing improper by doing the smartest way for getting things done. It pay to be friendly with them on casual basis, their tasks at the libraries are quite mundane.

15Peace2
Fev 12, 2014, 7:33 pm

Book #8 The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
The story revolves around a man, a doctor who in a storm delivers his own children, a healthy boy and a girl with Down’s Syndrome. The story starts in 1964 so the attitudes and decisions made are era consistent. He tells his wife the girl died, while sending the nurse who assisted him at the delivery to take the girl to an institution. It’s an interesting story, there are very moving parts to it, but it’s not an overly-emotional story. It shows the struggle all the people in the story went through because of the doctor’s decision at the outset. Not sure that this is a story I would come back to, but I’m satisfied to have read it and enjoyed it enough to give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Book #9 The Keeping Place by Isobelle Carmody
This is the fourth book in the Obernetwyn Chronicles. It continues the story of the Misfits attempts to find a safe place for themselves in the world and to find the true history of themselves, Obernewtyn and the Great White. We see them deal with the Rebels and begin to earn themselves a place in the wider world. More cultures are explored as they get to know more about the Sadorians. The story still centres around Elspeth and her attempts to lead Obernewtyn in Rushton’s place and balance both her belief that the Misfits should be pacifists, while knowing her own abilities are strong to kill and maim and that her future role is in some way tied to the Beforetime weaponmachines. For a young adult book, this is a real doorstop and in some ways that has diminished my enjoyment – there’s a lot of filler, a lot of book where the action is slow or spaced. I’m hoping it picks up again in the next volumes as it has so much potential.

Also read/listened to Cousin Phillis by Elizabeth Gaskell and The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt but these weren't in Mount TBR.

16Peace2
Fev 20, 2014, 6:53 pm

Book #10 The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Listened to this on audio and followed along with the book. It was narrated by the author who showed both enthusiasm for the story and a good sense of timing and expression. It was a quick read (listen)and I enjoyed its humor. I couldn't decide whether I had actually read it before/read part of it before or seen it on TV years ago, but parts were definitely familiar but not the entirety. I'll be asking at the library to see if they have the next part of the 'trilogy in five parts'. This wasn't originally on my list for this year's reading but it was on Mount TBR the greater.

Book #11 The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I was both reading and listening to this one as well, but in the end abandoned the audio version - not because there was anything to fault - Saul Reichlin's narration was good. The story was confusing with so many 'Vangers' appearing fleetingly and it took a long time to get them all into an order in my mind. Although there are some strong points to the story, overall I really didn't like it, the excessive violence was what really put me off. This was on my list to be read this year along with its two sequels. Although I got to the end of this one, I've removed the other two from the list, because judging by the 'snippet' in the back of the book of part 2, it will continue in a similar vein.

Book #12 Brethren by Robyn Young

A book set at the time of the Crusades, it sounded interesting and had been on Mount TBR for some time. I didn't enjoy the book as much as I expected to. The changing viewpoints in the early part of the book meant I took a while to get to know the characters and even when I did, I didn't greatly engage with any of them. As the story progressed more focus was put on Will and although at times I felt sorry for his suffering overall I was left with a sense of wanting him to mature, and then when he did it was more like a sudden swift change that seemed to abrupt. I'm not going to seek out the next part for a while - I'm going to see how I get on with some of the other things on Mount TBR first.

That leaves me still making my way through Thud! by Terry Pratchett, Robert's Rules of Writing by Robert Masello and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

17imyril
Fev 20, 2014, 7:22 pm

16> yes, it's fair to say the Millennium trilogy doesn't get any less violent (let alone less violent towards women); I also think Dragon Tattoo is by far the best book (Fire and Hornet's Nest are really one extended story, and for my money are over played and vastly under edited).

18Peace2
Fev 20, 2014, 8:19 pm

That reassures me that I've made the right decision for me :) Time to move on- still plenty of other books out there for me to read!

19Peace2
Fev 23, 2014, 1:20 pm

Book #13 Robert's Rules of Writing by Robert Masello

An interesting book with lots of tips and ideas on how to write well. This is not a how-to kind of book, more a 'now you're writing, bear this in mind'. It was full of common sense ideas, nothing that I didn't necessarily already know, but it's succinct and a good reference book to keep on the shelf. I'm glad I happened across this one and fully intend keeping it.

Book #14 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Another interesting book. It's the story of a young man of 15 who has Asperger's and is learning to deal with life. He faces a number of struggles and difficult situations as the book progresses and the insight the author provides us as to why some of those things are so difficult are enlightening. There were times when I really felt for Christopher and wished the world he faced could be easier - not for the big things that would be hard for anyone to deal with, but for the little ones that so many of us can take for granted that we can deal with them with little difficulty. It's definitely worth a read.

I've also finished Hawkeye My Life As A Weapon by Matt Fraction but as that only arrived on Monday of this week, I can't really class it as one of my Mount TBR books! I'm now focussed on The Kite Runner, Thud! (still) and Ghost Hunter.

20Peace2
Fev 25, 2014, 12:31 pm

Book #15 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I have mixed feelings about this one. In some respects it was a fascinating look into life in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan war and also under the rule of the Taliban. Parts of it are hard to read, the cruelty that some people inflict upon one another, parts are heart-warming in the lengths some people will go to for others. Having said that I found it difficult to really warm to the main character, Amir, and also some of the turns of events seemed to be too 'convenient'. It did at times generate enough feeling within me to bring me to tears and at times the writing was beautifully descriptive bringing the world he was describing to life, unfortunately at other times it felt cliched. Overall, I'm glad I read it.

Book #16 The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

I found this book disappointing and couldn't really engage with Bruno at all. I know that the book was written as juvenile fiction and that some of its simplicity can be accounted for by that. I have, however, read more moving books written for young people about a similar period. Rose Blanche amongst others springs to mind. The significant factor would be Bruno's father's position as Kommandant. I found it hard to swallow that Bruno was so naive - that he seemed to know nothing of Jews, the War, that he could not even get the 'Fuhrer' correct. As the son of a high ranking officer this all seems hard to believe. The ending was also obvious a long way in advance, although I'll give that credit as being because I'm an adult reading it - although an, in some respects, similar ending in Rose Blanche did take me by surprise when I first read it. It is a sad story and an important look into life in that period, but I would credit others higher.

21Peace2
Mar 6, 2014, 12:56 pm

I listened to The Humans by Matt Haig. I was disappointed in this after a promising start as it didn't rivet me as much as I was expecting it to. It had some amusing lines but the overall fell short and ended up being more of a trial to find the enthusiasm to turn the next disc on. (This wasn't on my TBR list so doesn't count towards the year's goal).

Book #17 Angels and Demons by Dan Brown was next up and was finished yesterday. This was a surprise in so many respects. I remember trying to read Da Vinci Code a few years ago and giving up on it, but then I found on a bookshelf that I still had both DVC and Angels and Demons, so decided to give A & D a trial. Maybe this time I went in with different expectations . Without the weight of 'this is an amazing bestseller' hanging over it, I read it and found myself curious as to how things would resolve - it's a 'leave your sense of reality at the door before attempting to read this' kind of book, and so with that in mind, it was, for me at least, an escapist romp that you knew they were going to solve all necessary problems and save the world (or the Catholic Church/Vatican to be more specific) before you reach the end despite all odds that would suggest the opposite. So this book has been on my shelf since 'before 2011' - in fact, it was a totally unread copy and I have no idea where it or the accompanying DVC came from at all.

The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King was one that I'd seen talked about on threads here on LT, so when I happened across an audio copy in the local library, I thought I'd give it a try. My first thoughts having just finished were that it was interesting to see 'investigating' from a female perspective in the era and aura of Sherlock Holmes. Mary Russell was interesting, I liked her pluck and the fact that she didn't sit back and wait for someone else to tell her what to do. I loved the airplane section and her thoughts and reactions before going on her journey. I was disappointed to discover that I need to read on to find out how this story ends. So I guess I need to hope the library has the next one too.

22Peace2
Mar 9, 2014, 2:02 pm

Finished two more titles in the last few days, but only one counts towards my TBR.

Octopussy and the Living Daylights unabridged audiobook by Ian Fleming narrated by Tom Hiddleston

This is the first time I've looked at original 'Bond' and I've not been a huge fan of the movies, in the sense of I'll watch them if they're on TV but I don't bother rushing to the cinema to see them. This audio book was actually a series of short stories. Three stories are read by Tom Hiddleston and a fourth by Lucy Fleming. Tom Hiddleston seems to really enjoy himself in bringing the characters and their stories to life. I'd really like to see him get his teeth into something longer with the same enthusiasm. The fourth story is well enough read, but I didn't like it as much as Tom Hiddleston's. Providing you're not looking for the excitement and 'Hollywood glitz' of the films or a modern espionage thriller, this was perfectly enjoyable.

Book #18 Oh Dear Silvia by Dawn French

This was a real disappointment to me. The person who gave it to me said it was brilliant and they'd laughed continually throughout it. I found a few parts lightly amusing at best, but for the rest it was mostly tedious and just not to my taste. I'm glad I've finally finished it and can pass it on.

23Peace2
Mar 11, 2014, 6:31 pm

Book #19 Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
I'm at somewhat of a loss as to what to say on this. For the most part I found the stories strange and while I did like some, others just left me either cold or floundering for what he'd really been talking about. This is my first experience of reading Mr Gaiman's work and I'm not sure whether to make it my last. There were stories in this collection that I didn't enjoy or even found quite boring, but others were clever twists that left me wanting more, but not enough so that I feel confident choosing another of his titles. Well, looking for more of his work isn't an immediate priority anyway - there's more than enough on Mount TBR!

Alongside that, I've finished listening to The God of the Hive and was satisfied with this as a completion of the events in The Language of Bees. I'd be more than happy to pick up other of Laurie R. King's books featuring Mary Russell, particularly audio versions read by Jenny Stirlin. Definitely worth the listening time.

I also listened to an audio dramatisation of Warship : Blakes 7 written by Peter Anghelides. It fitted well in the time slot of events from the old TV series and it was great to see them round up so many of the old cast to play the parts again (after so long, audio dramatisation would be the only way to do this!) This audio wouldn't work as a listener unless the listener already knows the characters and events leading up to the end of Season 2. I would say that personally I found this a vast improvement on the experience available on listening to The Syndeton Experiment and The Sevenfold Crown. If all of the Big Finish productions are of this kind of quality I'll look forward to adding some more to my collection.

I'm now listening to The Prestige by Christopher Priest and reading Ghost Hunter by Michelle Paver

24Peace2
Mar 14, 2014, 7:37 pm

Well I was planning on this post for later this weekend when I'd finished two books, but then on a sudden surge of 'I'm enjoying this now' I've managed to finish a second book today!

Book #20 The Nation's Favourite Comic Poems edited by Griff Rhys Jones (finished earlier in the day)
There are a real variety of 'comic' poems in this title - some of them to my mind not in the least amusing, but in a way that was the beauty of it. We've all got different taste as to what is and isn't funny so I'm pretty sure that there will be something for everyone in there - lots of familiars and a whole bunch that I'd never heard or heard of before, a mix of both styles and periods are reflected. As I'd picked it up for 50p in a charity shop and it didn't look like it had even been opened it felt like even more of a bargain. I'm pretty much thinking it's one I'll keep on the shelf to dip into again at some point, but I'm unlikely to attempt to read it in its entirety again.

Book #21 Ghost Hunter Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver
This was the sixth and final book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, a late child/early young adult series. The series is set about 6,000 years ago after the last Ice age in an age of Hunter Gatherers. It follows two young people in particular Torak and Renn as they are forced to grow from childhood to adulthood. I don't want to spoil anyone who might be considering reading the series, but in general, the two are in exceptional circumstances. Torak's father has lived away from the clans for years and so when he dies at the opening of the first book leaving his son alone, Torak finds himself thrust into a situation of dealing with clans and never being part of them. By contrast, Renn also an orphan has grown up in the heart of a clan, brought up by her uncle the clan leader and the clan mage for whom she appears to be destined to be the successor. "Evil stalks the land" as cliche might put it, and the two of them over the course of the six books are key to fighting that evil, helped and hindered by the people around them. The series had started strongly and I found myself keen to read on. By the end of the third book I was beginning to lose heart a little and that continued through Book 4 and as I read through book 5 they seemed repetitive in many respects, I knew what the characters were going to do and how things were going to turn out and the whole thing was dragging. I was tempted to give up on the series, but having come so far and with only 1 book remaining and that book was already sitting on my shelf, giving up seemed like the wrong thing to do. I poked around various places and saw quite a few reviews that said Book 6 was an improvement and returned to the potential of the early part of the series and so I gave it one last chance and I'm glad I did. The book isn't perfect and I could nit-pick my way through a few convenient situations that miraculously happened to solve certain issues - I'll just say Dark's final situation and anyone who's read the book will know what I mean - but overall I liked it - the pace picked back up, the action was better and loose ends were tied.

Next up.... well I'm almost finished listening to The Prestige by Christopher Priest and that's to be followed by either The Da Vinci Code or Jamrach's Menagerie (which was pretty much a book bullet that I failed to duck but I can't remember which thread it was mentioned on but I now have both audio and tree copy of it). I've also started The Mammoth Book of Steampunk as a couple of online friends were enthusing about Steampunk last year and it left me curious, so I'm planning on about a story a day to quench that curiosity!

So the real choice is between these three from Mount TBR - Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner or Divergent by Veronica Roth. I'd decided on a re-read of TWoB and its sequel Moon of Gomrath after seeing that Alan Garner had written a sequel that was intended for adults Boneland which they'd got in audio at the local library and then saw his name again on LT and that prompted me to move him higher up Mount TBR. ATNF was a planned read for 2014 at some point and Divergent was one I saw was getting some good comments made about it (again on LT) and so I thought I'd like to try it before the film came out next month. Choices, choices, where do I start?

25imyril
Mar 15, 2014, 5:09 am

Oh gosh, that's a tricky choice - I enjoyed both WoB and AtNF (I enjoyed the whole series, and I'm not normally big on far eastern settings; but I think the first book was the best by some margin), and I hear great things here about Divergent. Sounds like Divergent should come above AtNF just because that release date is imminent!

That said, WoB and MoG are of course both very slim children's books, so take no reading - you might finish both and get partway into Boneland over a weekend ;)

26Peace2
Mar 15, 2014, 5:32 am

It sounds like I should abandon everything I'm supposed to be doing and just get stuck into reading them all, lol. :D

27imyril
Mar 15, 2014, 6:12 am

That's why they call them book bullets - they take you out and you need to recover somewhere quiet while you read yourself better ;)

28Peace2
Mar 20, 2014, 10:49 pm

Five more finished since the 14th which is pretty amazing for me! Admittedly some of these were audio books - which helps as at least I can be doing things other than reading at the same time (and given the headaches this week has also been a help in still 'achieving')

In terms of the books that count from Mount TBR, I'll comment on those first...

Book #22 The New Fantastic Four Vols 544-550 by Dwayne McDuffie and Paul Pelletier

This was fine, I wasn't too lost (not having read any previous F4 vols), I knew enough about the characters to make sense of the story. The artwork was fine too. I enjoyed it enough to leave it on the shelf, but not enough to rush out looking for any other titles in this particular run.

Book #23 The Liberator Chronicles: Volume 1 (Blake's 7) by Simon Guerrier, Nigel Fairs and Peter Anghelides

This was a cross between an audio book and an audio dramatisation. Each of the three stories was narrated by one of the original cast members, with a second person playing a second character at certain points during the story. An interesting way of doing it that I hadn't come across before and one that I thought worked well in two of the stories. The other story didn't work as well for me, principally in terms of all the "x said dramatically" and "X said plaintively" type comments. Clearly I've dipped into too many of those writing books that say avoid adverbs like the plague! Overall though I was pleased with it and am looking forward to listening to Volume 2 shortly.

Book #24 The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner

This was a re-read but from more than thirty years ago so I didn't really remember the story at all. It was a well written piece, I'm glad I did go back and try it again (its sequel Moon of Gomrath is still on the TBR pile) and I was surprised at some of the complexity that went into it. It got me to wondering how I perceived it the first time around... not that I can answer that at all.

Book #25 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Having read Angels and Demons just a few weeks ago, this book frustrated me - it was too similar to make me feel this was time well spent. While I expected something along the same lines as the first title, I didn't expect such an obvious rehash of the plot and character backgrounds - I don't want to spoil anyone but Langdon finds himself again in a foreign European city, visiting major landmarks in the company of a recently orphaned for the second time young female who'd been rescued from her first orphaning by an 'older man' who took on the father figure role. Neither he nor the female can solve the mystery alone because he needs her cryptography/scientific skills whilst going up against rogue Catholic priests who are either carrying out serial murders or engineering them, meanwhile there is a 'official law enforcement' figure who is going to do their best to slow him down and someone who's going to appear to be helping but is really the mastermind behind all the evil goings-on. Perhaps if I hadn't read the books mere weeks apart, this wouldn't have been such a major issue, but does this mean his other books continue to do the same thing and just put Langdon down with a new female counterpart in a new location to do almost the same thing each time?

I also finished The Prestige by Christopher Priest. I expected to like this more than I did which was a shame. On the upside I got a new word for my vocabulary - horripilate - which is to have your hairs stand on end as when having goosebumps!

Next up is, I think, Divergent by Veronica Roth and in audio The Cat Who Came To Breakfast by Lilian Jackson Braun for which I'm not sure what to expect!

29Peace2
Abr 5, 2014, 8:08 am

Books #26 and 27 Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I found myself sinking into this book a lot quicker and with a lot more investment than I did into The Hunger Games. I found the idea of the factions fascinating and the complete isolation within society of each faction and of the factionless. Tris and Four were interesting seeing how they both fitted into the faction in which they were living - more so than some of the other transitioning or transitioned initiates. I have to say that I saw some of the 'revelations' coming long before they were revealed, but that didn't put me off continuing to read and I moved straight on to Insurgent. It was interesting to see certain characters examine their own 'flaws' and then see how they needed them or used them. The second book still held a lot of strengths as it continued to explore the factioned society and the difficulties inherent in it. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the first, so I'll just say that it develops the ideas and expands on some of the character growth. Although the characters do not necessarily change, some of them do grow in their exploration of their own traits and their understanding of the people around them. Tris and Four are flawed, and they both know it. I like the fact that while there is a romantic element between the two of them, it is not the centre of what they're dealing with, also neither gives in to the will of the other. Tris still does what she believes is the right thing, she admits to fear, she seeks Four's support when it's available but she doesn't give in and become a 'weak' woman when she disagrees with his decision or when she has to do something alone. Similarly he wants to keep her safe and protect her when he can, but he also expects her to stand up for herself and not just wait to be saved - he isn't afraid of telling her what he thinks (good and bad). It's interesting that when he takes her with him because he 'needs' her strength, he still ignores her choice and does his own thing anyway, just as she does. I expect to tackle Allegiant when I've finished my current read as it's now arrived in the post. I hope it isn't as much of a disappointment as a number of people have told me it's going to be.

Book #28 Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and other stories by Oscar Wilde read by Derek Jacobi

This was a bit of a mixed bag. Some of the stories were great and some of them bored me. It also took me a little while to sink into the story and to stop focussing on the fact it was Derek Jacobi reading - for a long time he was still Derek Jacobi and not the characters or the story - that probably only makes sense to me...

I also listened to The Rook by Daniel O'Malley and really enjoyed it. It was an interesting concept, although slightly concerning that for such a super secret agency they didn't seem to notice the Myfanwy had a complete character transplant and also no longer knew her job! Still I shall look out for the next in the series when it's published.

30Peace2
Abr 9, 2014, 5:18 pm

Book #29 Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

An interesting story. Watching Takeo grow and change and the influences that others put on him and the strengths and struggles that come his way because of his growing skills and talents. The setting makes for interesting reading - it's not an era or a culture about which I know much, so to add to that the actual magical and mystical take of this story adds to the mystery. I found the difference in the characters of Shizuka and Kaede fascinating, along with the dominating figures who direct Kaede's life and the contrast of how Shizuka manipulates both her image and her role to more beneficial ends where she can. l look forward to reading further installments in the series at some point.

Book #30 Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch

I both listened and read along with this one, before abandoning the audio about 2 and a half discs from the end (11 discs in total) and reading the rest as quickly as I could. This is a hard one to comment on and be fair because I didn't enjoy it and I thought I was going to. The book's title and cover made me think I was heading into a more 'magical' environment, even the blurb on the book to an extent reinforced this - with talk of recruiting Jaffy and Tim to hunt for a dragon and crossing an hallucinatory ocean. The book was in fact for more brutal than that with its portrayal of the harsh sea life of whalers and the terrible effects of being lost at sea and having to resort to cannibalism to survive. This is not a light, whimsical read at all - and that is what I embarked on it hoping for, so as a result, I really didn't enjoy it, but in that it is probably also a testament to the strength of the author's skill in that she really did bring that world to life. I did finish it, but it's not going to be one I come back to.

Now I'm reading Big Planet by Jack Vance, Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World by Graham Phillips and Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins and listening/following along with Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.

31Peace2
Abr 15, 2014, 2:29 am

Book #31 The Liberator Chronicles Volume 2 by Simon Guerrier, Nigel Fairs and Eddie Robson.

In the same style as Volume 1, this is a cross between an audio book and an audio dramatisation, has three discs each one telling a different story. Overall I think that the three stories were more even this time around although I didn't engage with them as well as I had with some of the ones in the last set. Characters are generally fairly accurately portrayed in the words given to them and the narrators convey the characters in a way that's consistent with the show.Overall I'd probably give this one 3 stars.

Book #32 Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

Not quite what I imagined it would be. This was a story told in two time periods, the present and the 13th Century. It's set in the Languedoc region of France - featuring places like Carcassonne at the time of the Catholic Crusades against the Cathars. It bears certain traits in common with books like The Da Vinci Code and Simon Toyne's Sanctus where a religious mystery is carried through the ages until it is solved just in time for the end of the book! For the most part I listened to the audio version of this, read by Maggie Marsh, although at times I dipped into a paper copy of it as well. Of the two stories told in the book, I found Alais' story (that set in 13th century Languedoc) far more interesting than that of present day Alice. Although Alice is in plenty of danger and things are happening around her, the relevance of that isn't clear until the later part of the book. I enjoyed the book enough that I have bought its sequel (on coming across it second-hand just before I finished the first), although I don't envisage reading it for a while. Given how this book ends, I am making the assumption that the second book is only very loosely a sequel as the stories and characters involved all seemed to have their arc wrapped up neatly in this book and there were no outstanding threads to be resolved.

32Peace2
Abr 17, 2014, 6:10 pm

Book #33 Big Planet by Jack Vance

This book was originally published in 1951 and I think that shows in its content. I don't think this would be a popular book today, I think that readers expect something more from their books, yet in its day this was an award winning book. The story starts when an Earth spaceship crash lands on Big Planet, 40,000 miles from the location they wanted. The survivors of the crash then attempt to make their way across the planet to the 'Earth Enclave' facing a traitor in their midst and numerous alien antagonists who want to steal their money or sell them into slavery and such. Without giving too much of the plot away, my personal gripe would be that the book seemed to spend time building up descriptions of places and things that the travellers pass on their journey, only to have them deal with any event in a page or two and have them moving on again and back to more description. Also things like Fayne's decision . . . without going into what happens to make Fayne, he makes a decision that changes the course of his life after a couple of hours in a location, which begs the question when no one else had figured out what was going on, not only had he managed to figure out what was happening, he'd convinced the inhabitants to tell him how to go about carrying out his decision and how to keep it secret from his companions. As my first foray into Jack Vance's writing, I'm not feeling the urge to rush into any more but there are 5 more in the books I picked up in the charity shop haul the other day. The first of which would be the sequel to this.

Book #34 Hawkeye : Little Hits by Matt Fraction

The second in the Matt Fraction run of graphic novels telling Hawkeye's story. I liked this a little more than the first in the series, although it would be great if Clint had a little more sense of self-preservation and needed rescuing a little less often. I like the artwork and simple color schemes used. So overall a positive response and I will definitely track down part 3 when it's released.

Borrowed from the library - Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith read by Steven Pacey

An audio book version of Child 44 (unabridged). I have a mixed response to this book but will try to write this and explain that without giving away the plot - the information below is discernible from the book's blurb or by knowledge of Stalin's regime. It's a hard book to read from the perspective of it being about a man who is attempting to track down and stop a serial killer preying on children. A lot of the book deals with the events in the life of the man doing the searching however, rather than continually focussing on the murders, particularly in the first probably about half of the book. Leo Demidov is a highly regarded officer who follows the Party line, follows orders to the letter almost unquestioningly. But the story is set in 1953 in Stalin's Russia, a place full of mistrust, of lies and propaganda used to control a nation and prove that Communism is the way to a better life. Over the course of the story, the reader can watch as a wealth of realities have to be accepted by Leo. The society was brutal - neighbours and even families betraying one another, hardships being faced as the 'norm' that are horrifying, and what going against 'what's right' by the political doctrine affects not just one's own life, but one's family, neighbours and acquaintances. I will look out for the second part of this series at some point.

Next up - in audio Atonement by Ian McEwan and The Good Thief's Guide to Berlin by Chris Ewan and in paperback, Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins and Allegiant by Veronica Roth. I've heard lots of negative responses to Allegiant, but feel like I need to finish the series as I enjoyed the first two parts so much, even though I'm expecting to be disappointed.

33Peace2
Abr 20, 2014, 11:05 pm

Another 2 finished! I could be on a roll here!

Book #36 Gregor the Overlander, part of The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins of The Hunger Games fame

This set of books is written for children rather than young adults and as such is a less meaty read. Gregor lives in New York with his mother and 2 sisters after his Dad disappeared 2 years and several months ago. While home looking after his younger sister, Boots, he and she fall through a ventilation shaft in their apartment blocks laundry room into an underground world with humans and big rats, bats, roaches and spiders. Several people who saw me reading this commented on the fact that they were surprised I was reading it given the rats, bats, roaches and spiders but in actual fact while I can't say I liked them, some of those characters were the good guys and 'squick' moments were passed over briefly enough that I could read on. The story is engaging enough to read, flows reasonably well with the odd twist thrown in. Having got to the end, I can't decide whether I'm taken enough by it to want to read the others in the series. The character of Boots irritated me somewhat - apart from being a convenient rally point for certain characters 'loyalty', I was frustrated by her - I think this may have arisen from her speech patterns and perhaps it's just that the 2 year olds I have experience of can hold conversations of sorts and will chatter away in short sentences at the very least whereas Boots appears to be able to manage 2 or 3 words most of the time.

Book #37 Atonement by Ian McEwan

I listened to the audio version of this read by Cathy Boyd. It was an interesting idea. The tree book version of this had been on my shelf for . . . well probably 6 years at least and somewhere I think we have the DVD of the film knocking around (unwatched because I was determined to read the book before seeing the film). Although at times the pace seemed slow, I think it added to the relentlessness of the effect of Briony's actions in the first part of the story, the inevitability of how the suffering went on and on for years because of that one night. It's quite hard to pinpoint the overall effect of the book or even summarise without giving too much away, but I was drawn in and kept interested throughout. There are some very moving and unsettling images during Robbie's time in France and Briony's time in the hospital during the war. Overall I'm glad I read it and I'm wondering if Ian McEwan wrote others that would interest me in the same way (at some point in the future when the TBR pile is smaller - or that are available in audio from the local library).

I'm currently focussing my energies on Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World by Graham Phillips (parts of which seem very hard to take seriously), Warrior Woman by Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Good Thief's Guide to Berlin by Chris Ewan (my latest audio foray) and then dabbling between Allegiant and Divine by Mistake by P C Cast. I've read the first part of this latter one and have spent an inordinate amount of time cringing so far - things are not looking promising for me to make it all the way through this book, let alone the whole trilogy, but I've not got far enough to give up yet.

34Peace2
Editado: Abr 23, 2014, 2:33 pm

Two more done.

Book #38 Warrior Woman by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Mixed feelings about this one - most of the main characters are women and for the most part they are strong and determined. Two of them are gladiators, one a rich woman buying her own team of gladiators to fight in the arena (all of which she wants to be women) and the other a would be ruler who'd been ousted by her brother. The principal character has amnesia but as reader I quickly worked out what had happened to her and what she'd forgotten, so from that point I could see where the story was going. I was disappointed in the portrayal of the relationships between men and women. With the exception of Hassim and a character introduced in the last few pages, the men are mostly shown as seeing women as sex objects. Dargan 'redeems' himself after first siding with attacking men, before realizing that the women are gladiators at which point he then fights with them. Even Kerrak's attitude is dubious while a slave. He still makes the assumption that he is a sufficient catch that all women will want to have sex with him. I was also disappointed by the amount of typos in the copy I'd got and the number of times I had to re-read a section after being thrown out by a sentence that didn't make sense - only to read it closely and figure out where a letter would change a word and thereby the whole sentence would make sense again.

Book #39 East of Midnight by Tanith Lee

The thing with most books by Tanith Lee is that I seem to love them or hate them. This one doesn't fall into the 'love' pile, although for once I don't hate it either. It's a strange story about a man, a sorceror, who lived in a world where women ruled and he was the consort of the King (a woman). Every five years, the consort is killed off and replaced with a new younger version and he is just coming to the end of his five years and has decided he doesn't want to be killed off. He uses his magic to swap places with a slave from another world and plans to go on living happily escaping the slavery. He's not that pleasant a guy, not that the women in the world he comes from are any better. Most of the story is told from the perspective of the slave, Dekteon, who he swaps with. While I didn't exactly like Dekteon, of all of the characters in the book, he is the nearest to likeable - he looks for a solution to his problem that doesn't cost other people's lives and gets him out of his difficult situation. So overall it's an interesting story but I probably wouldn't come back to it.

Still reading Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World, and Divine by Mistake, probably going to do a rush read of The Moon of Gomrath as well because I've just got Boneland its adult sequel from the library on audio and need to refresh my memory before heading down that path. In the meantime, I'm listening to The Cat Who Came To Breakfast and The Good Thief's Guide To Berlin.

35Peace2
Maio 5, 2014, 5:38 am

Okay so a few to talk about it since my last post.

Book #40 The Cat Who Came to Breakfast by Lilian Jackson Braun

I had this in audio. It was a quirky story, fairly short and easy to get through. The story of a holiday island on which there are a lot of sudden deaths and the man who tries to solve them (and his cats). I didn't fully engage with it or really find myself immersed in finding out what was going on (to be honest a week and a half after finishing, I can't even remember how it ended). This might be down to other things that were on my mind at the time but i didn't really find myself invested in it.

Book #41 Motel of the Mysteries by David Macauley

This was a book I came across in a 'Name That Book' thread, that sounded like an interesting premise and humorous outcome. Imagine being an archaeologist in the year 40XX (I can't remember the specific year but approximately 2000 years in the future from now). Well, that's what this book is about. A man stumbles upon the archaeological find of a lifetime - a perfectly preserved 'tomb' from the 1970s. Except as a 'current time' reader, you can see what he's really found and see how he interprets his finds - it's an interesting twist on all those interpretations we've put upon past archaeological digs. The book took less than an hour to read, but it was lightly amusing while it lasted.

Book #42 The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner

This is the sequel to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and deals with the further 'adventures' of Colin and Susan at Alderley Edge. In some respects the story is darker than in the first, more characters are introduced although we don't necessarily get to know them very well and The Morrigan returns from the first to try and exact her revenge. Susan's character frustrated me a little in this as she seemed to quite determinedly ignore advice and warnings repeatedly and put herself back into dire straits each time. Overall though, not terrible at all and I am looking forward to trying the 'adult' third part to the series and seeing what happens by then. I hope it lives up to its predecessors.

36Peace2
Maio 5, 2014, 6:06 am

Also finished in the last few days...

Book #43 If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I listened to this in audio. It's both interesting and emotional. The main character is Mia, a high school senior looking to a future in which she might go to Juilliard. She has a lovely family (including a younger brother she gets on with), a great best friend and a lovely boyfriend. Everything seems to be going well, almost too perfectly for someone in their teens, when tragedy hits.

Mia and her family are involved in a car crash and the rest of the story is told as Mia watches over what happens to her own body in ICU and is faced with the decision of whether to return to her body and face the pain and heartbreak and torment that will entail or whether to let herself die. When I picked up this title, I hadn't realized that it was a YA title (not that that would have stopped me) or that it was being made into a movie later this year - I also hadn't realized it wasn't complete and that there is a sequel. I plan to check out the sequel at some point. I would recommend the audio version - the narrator, Kirsten Potter, captures Mia really well.

Book #44 The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope

Written in 1894, although I like classics from time to time, I was almost expecting this one to be harder to get into. Again I had an audio version, and listened to most of it while stuck in the back of a car on a four hour or so journey. The story of a man travelling to Ruritania from England for the King's coronation. On his way, he is mistaken for the King of whom it transpires he is the perfect doppelgänger. When the soon to be coronated King is too drunk to be woken for his own coronation, his men stand the narrator in his place so the occasion may go ahead. When they return to the cabin for the King, they discover he has been kidnapped and locked away in a tower, so the deception must continue while they work to both free the king and put a stop to his half-brother's machinations along the way. This was overall a light hearted read with a jaunty pace and engaging characters. There is apparently a sequel Rupert of Hentzau which I shall be attempting to track down in the not too distant future.

37Peace2
Maio 11, 2014, 1:42 pm

Reading of 'tree' books is going slow this week, but I have finished three audiobooks over the course of the weekend and am partway through another two. So the finished ones were...

Book #45 The Good Thief's Guide To Berlin by Chris Ewan
I enjoyed this, despite the fact that it is currently the last in the series and I hadn't read any of the earlier titles. It was lightly amusing, well read by Simon Vance. I'd be happy to read any of the other titles in the series which I figure is always a good sign.

Book #46 Adrenaline by Jeff Abbott
This isn't really the sort of thing I read often - more of a thriller. It's the story of a CIA agent who narrowly misses being killed in a bomb, which his superiors then take to mean that he was involved in the planting of the bomb. The story then progresses as he attempts to outrun the CIA, while solving the mystery of who was responsible and gets involved in various other subplots as he goes. It kind of reminded me of watching Bond or Bourne films.

Book #47 Boneland by Alan Garner

This was a disappointment. I think I may have gone into it with completely the wrong frame of mind. I've recently re-read and enjoyed The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath so was expecting something in a similar vein but although this is Colin as an adult, I couldn't make myself feel that it was the same character or that I really felt invested in his problems or his progress. Is it that I would have been better to read the text rather than listening? I'm not sure. I don't think even then I would have enjoyed it. In the end it was just a relief to get to the end and be able to put it in the pile to return to the Library.

The other thing that I considered was that perhaps I was 'audioed out' as it were as I've listened to so many audio books just lately. I'm reconsidering that though, as I started Dr No by Ian Fleming read by Hugh Quarshie yesterday and was really reluctant to turn it off and get some sleep - making it through 4 of the 8 discs over the course of the evening, and I've started Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J K Rowling read by Stephen Fry while I was cleaning and making lunch today and am already feeling pretty committed to that one (even though I read the book years ago and this is a re-read), so too many audiobooks does not appear to be the problem. HP is on my re-read list as I had made it through to I think part way through book 6 about 7 years ago, but never finished book 6 and 7 despite them being on the shelf. Having left it so long, I'm starting over so I don't miss anything on the journey to the end.

38Peace2
Editado: Maio 14, 2014, 5:46 pm

Book #48 Dr No by Ian Fleming

This was another of the AudioGo recent productions of the Bond books, this one read by Hugh Quarshie. Again, the narrator picked did a great job and so I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. In some respects the books have dated, yet I have to say that the two I've listened to have both been an enjoyable experience (more so than the few films I've seen - that has to be down to the quality of the narration I think). Octopussy and the Living Daylights read by Tom Hiddleston has the edge over this one, but I'm certain that's just my current interest in TH. This like the other is for me a keeper and I'm of a mind that if I get the opportunity to listen to any of the others, I'd certainly give them a go. (Funnily enough, although I know that this Bond was played by Sean Connery and I don't think I've ever seen this film but I have seen others with SC playing Bond and that I've only seen Daniel Craig in one Bond movie - I still pictured this as DC as I listened and not SC! Even I found that strange).

Book #49 The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Another audiobook, but it also allows me to take a book of the to be re-read pile. It's about twenty years since I was given and first read this book and I think I was more taken with it the first time. This time though, it still amused me and was a clever enough idea to get through quickly (it's only taken three days - and they've been pretty busy) The audio version was narrated by Joss Ackland, who played a mean Screwtape - very fitting. The other bonus to it was that the audio version included Screwtape Proposes a Toast which was not in my paperback version.

39Peace2
Maio 19, 2014, 2:32 am

Made it to the end of a few more...

Book #50 Darkover Landfall by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Found it interesting and enjoyable enough that I'm content to read the others I've got from the series. This was my first experience of the Darkover series and it has piqued my interest for finding out how humans fare on the planet long term. It was interesting to watch how the different groups of characters reacted to their crash on an unknown planet. There were aspects of the book that I found disappointing in terms of interactions between characters, in terms of how events played out and in terms of how 'convenient' the aliens were - paths only crossing when beneficial to the humans. I'm hoping the later books in the series are more riveting.

Book #51 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J K Rowling
This was a re-read of the story, but I listened to Stephen Fry's narration of it. Enough hooks to draw you into the world and series that JK Rowling imagined. I'm reading this as part of the preparation for reading the rest of Book 6 and Book 7 as I never got around to that and it's about six or seven years sinceI last dipped into the series. I enjoyed Stephen Fry's narration of the book, felt it suited the tone and also the fact that most listeners would be children/young adults. I'd like to hear him read more of the HP series, but I'm not sure how well his style would transfer to other books.

Book #52 Anthem by Ayn Rand
This was another re-read. The first time I read the book was about 3 or 4 years ago after seeing 'Anthem' by 'Ayn Rand' was listed as a celebrity's favorite book of all time. I can't remember who the celebrity was after all this time and I'd never heard of Ayn Rand or Objectivism the first time I read the book so I entered into it as a blank slate (well almost). I liked it as a story, in the same way I liked some other dystopian futures. This time around I know a little about both Ayn Rand's background and Objectivism, I can see the point she was trying to make. It's interesting, but for me it's not going to change how I see the world and I'm still going to like this as a short story, but it certainly isn't (as it wasn't the first time around) going to be MY favorite book of all time (I would guess the celebrity in question didn't have much time for reading).

Book #53 Orlando by Virginia Woolf
This was what you might call a Real Book off my Own Shelf - I'm pretty sure it's been gathering dust in a box or distant shelf for nigh on twenty years and that it was bought either not long after I left College or if it's part of the BBC 100 Greatest Reads in the wake of that. It was one that I acquired because I thought that I should try it. Well, now I've tried it and now it can leave my shelves. I made it through, in the initial stages I was interested enough in events although I didn't excessively like the style of it, but as time went on I found it harder and harder to stay focussed and not just to keep working how much longer it was going to take to get to the end. Having read a few reviews since, I might try something else by the author, perhaps Mrs Dalloway as those people who didn't like this one felt more positively about that or To The Lighthouse.

I've stopped reading Divine by Mistake and put it in a box to get back to at some point - along with its sequels, but in the meantime I've still got lots to read.

Now reading - It Happened One Summer by Polly Williams, The Losers Book One by Andy Diggle, Need by Carrie Jones and I'm going to start Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood in the car to work this morning.

40littlegreycloud
Maio 19, 2014, 4:44 pm

And here I thought I was the only person in the world not to have read HP7 yet. I'll have to start over from the beginning of the series as well, however. Next time I'm in bed with a cold, I think.:)

41Peace2
Maio 19, 2014, 5:00 pm

>40 littlegreycloud: Yay! We could form a club! LOL! It'll take me a while to get through them all as I've so many others I want to read as well but at least by making a start again, I can dip in regularly and move through them - maybe one a month or something like that!

42Peace2
Maio 23, 2014, 5:16 am

Finished another two...

Book #54 It Happened One Summer by Polly Williams

I'm not a big reader of what I think of as chick lit, but this was a gift a while ago and I always try to read books that I'm given as a gift even if they're not what I would pick for myself. This is the story of a thirty something single mum journalist, Nell, who loses her job in London just at the time when her family want her to return home to Cornwall to look after her mum who has deteriorating health and there is concern about whether she may have a stroke. There are rivalries between siblings, some of which her mother exacerbates, there are hidden secrets from the past, there are budding friendships and romances, but the emotion is fairly well balanced with humorous parts. Overall I enjoyed it, although I wouldn't necessarily be rushing to buy more in the same vein - it was good for being a change from my usual fare (which is fairly varied anyway). I gave it 3 and a half stars - perfectly readable but not lasting.

Book #55 - The Losers Book One by Andy Diggle

This is a combined reprint of a series of comics. The story of a black ops team who uncover a CIA secret that costs them the lives they knew. They aren't easily disposed of however. This is not the easiest story to follow in the graphic format - although the film changed a number of key details, I actually found myself using my knowledge of the film to fill in jumps in the story and help myself follow what was happening. The artwork by Jock is good, very apt for the events in the story (be prepared for exploding body parts in gunfights/bomb explosions and so on). I intend reading the next book as next month's graphic novel to complete the arc.

I'm now listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and reading Thud! and Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World. Hoping to finish at least two of those over the weekend.

43Peace2
Maio 24, 2014, 7:26 pm

And I managed it... Two more down...

Book #56 Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World by Graham Phillips

In the end I couldn't decide whether to take this one seriously or not - conspiracy theories, Freemasons, Rosecrutians, Royal Blood Lines, how many different countries? and break-ins and robberies to boot, oh and the murder of Shakespeare! Is there a conspiracy theory that doesn't involve the Freemasons or that they don't know the answer to? The problem was this book started out with properly backed up research, but gradually the leaps got bigger, the chance resolutions to sticking points became more 'convenient' - 'just as I was leaving the museum, I saw a statue and that made me think of....' or 'I climbed the hill to a tower in the middle of nowhere and bumped into an artist who happened to be able to tell me the history of the tower and how it linked to place X in a completely different country which I was conveniently able to get a flight to' or 'and the site we wanted to look at was now out of our reach as just days before we arrived it had been broken into and vandalized'. Some of his statements sound not only possible but plausible, but others feel more like a suspension of a belief. Looking at the LT listing for this when I was a few chapters in, I saw it had five stars. I read on and as it progressed found it harder and harder to figure out why. When I went back to put in my stars, I realized only one other person had read it and so I didn't feel so bad about my doubts about it.

Maybe it's true, maybe it's not - and maybe I need to find some other books on the subject and try them instead.

Book #57 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J K Rowling narrated by Stephen Fry

Like The Philosopher's Stone, Stephen Fry's narration is great for this kind of book. I'm still curious as to how he would stand up to narrating adult books. I wouldn't say this is my favourite book in the series, but it's fine. It develops Harry's character further, immersing him further into the wizarding world and draws a thorough picture for the reader. Gilderoy Lockhart makes me squirm uncomfortably, which is quite probably intentional on Ms Rowling's part. This was a re-read and the story quickly came back to me as I listened despite it being about ten years or so since I read it the first time. Here's hoping the next in the series will be available at the library on audio before too long.

Now I'm focusing on listening to Oryx and Crake in the hope of finishing it soon and I'm reading Thud! (yay for Angua and Sally!) and In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer a more emotional read.

44Peace2
Jun 1, 2014, 2:23 pm

Book #58 Thud! by Terry Pratchett

This one was my handbag book and suffered for it. I carried it everywhere with me for too long without getting the chance to read it that I kept having to reinvigorate myself in its reading. It's a great book and didn't deserve such shoddy treatment from me. From now on, future handbag books will spend a month in my handbag and if I'm not making sufficient progress on them they shall be brought out and finished properly. All that said, I did like Thud!, it was good fun with Koom Valley looming over the events and a few twists and turns to challenge even the magnificent Vimes. I loved Sally and Angua's interactions too. Definitely a good Pratchett catch here.

Book #59 Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

I'm not sure what I was expecting - this was my first experience with an Atwood book - but I don't think I was expecting anything quite as uncomfortable as this. So often when you read future books about survivors after some great 'end of the world as we know it' there is some sort of positive hope, but really Snowman doesn't give out a lot of hope and as more and more is revealed about how the world reached its current predicament, the question that arose in my mind was whether hope was deserved for humanity. A most definitely disquieting piece of writing.

Book #60 The Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

According to the author's note this had its origins in the Brothers Grimm tale of Maid Maleen, which is not a story I know. In the beginning it is the story of a Lady and her maid who are shut in a tower by way of punishment by her father when she refuses to marry the Ruler of a neighbouring realm. It is told by way of diary entries written by Dashti, the Lady's maid. Dashti is a strong and determined character. The life she has led has been a hard one, but she doesn't whine, she looks for the upside and tries to make things better for herself and her Lady. Lady Saran, by contrast, is whining constantly and that's when she's not crying or eating all their food stocks. She might be beautiful, but really there is little redeeming about her character, she lies or orders Dashti to lie, and she hides (and while some of that is understandable, some of it isn't). Dashti sticks by her regardless, even when she has had enough of her. When they escape the Tower, it is Dashti's doing, and it is Dashti who gets them to a safe place and give them something of a future. There is a change in both characters as the story progresses, Dashti gradually wants more for herself over the course of the story, having goals that are more than fulfilling her mistress's every wish. Saran becomes a little less whiny as the story nears its end, but she continues to manipulate Dashti's actions until almost the end of the book, when she has a sudden change of heart and becomes 'brave' at least for a while. Overall the story wasn't terrible, but I did find Saran frustrating to the extent at which I had little sympathy with her suffering.

Now listening to A Town Like Alice and Crusade and reading In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer and Need.

45Peace2
Jun 8, 2014, 3:44 am

Three more complete!

Book #61 Crusade by Robyn Young narrated by Jonathan Keeble

This is the second book in the series and I found it easier to follow the narration this time, being far more familiar with the characters, although it still feels like a cast of thousands! Set during the time of the Crusades at Acre, the story switches between the various groups involved. I preferred Jonathan Keeble's narration to that of whoever was reading the first volume, but then I do have a soft spot for his skills as a narrator. I was lucky enough to land on him with one of the first audio books I listened to. The Crusades were an awful time for people to live through with the amount of violence that people were enacting upon each other, with the bloodlust of the time and the self-belief of so many people that they were 'right' and were then acting on behalf of right in killing people of other faiths. It was such a shame to see as the plans to end the fighting fell apart and peace was pushed out of reach. Seeing quite a few significant deaths in this book, some of them thankfully, some less so, makes me wonder who will be there with Will in the final book! This isn't my favourite series, but having got this far, I will see if the final part is available in audio from the library and if it's well read I will listen at some point.

Book #62 A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute narrated by Robin Bailey

First thing to say was that Robin Bailey was the perfect narrator for this, he had just the right tone for the lawyer getting on in years and living almost vicariously through his younger 'charge'. I didn't really know what to expect from this book and thought it would be a lot drier and less interesting than it was. Rather I enjoyed most of it, and the bits I didn't, I wasn't supposed to (people who've read the book will know which part I mean). Jean Paget was a remarkable woman both in her determination to survive through the war in Malaya as a prisoner of war of the Japanese but also in her 'business acumen' in Willstown! One thing that possibly was more noticeable in the audio form was the frequency with which Joe said, 'Oh my Word!" It did seem a tad excessive - felt like at least once in every conversation! LOL! Having glanced at some of the reviews on LT since finishing, there is one other thing that I should add. This book was written in 1950 and set during the 1940s and as such features various forms of racist attitudes that were prevalent at the time. They are not the focus of the story, but they are noticeable to a modern reader. Overall, I enjoyed the story, Jean was remarkable and I wish I had her entrepreneurial skills!

Book #63 In My Hands : Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke

Another remarkable woman! This was the true story of the author's experience in WW2 Poland. This book was actually written for a young adult audience which I hadn't realised when I acquired it several years ago (I think it's been on the shelf for about 10 years!). Irene was a nursing student at the start of WW2 and finds herself living no longer in a free Poland, but first in a part of Poland controlled by Russia and then under the rule of the Germans. She sacrifices a huge amount to fight for her friends' lives, from sneaking food to a Jewish Ghetto or supplies to a forest where Jews are hiding to warning Jews of coming raids and even hiding Jews in the basement of the house in which she works for a German officer.. And at the end of the war, when the Russians return and force the German army out, she is in no less danger and instead it is the turn of her Jewish friends to now help her escape the country to Germany, the allies and freedom Her bravery is amazing and she was so incredibly young at the start of the war - she was born in 1922, so only 16/17 at the outbreak of war. Given the audience for which this is written, the style is simple and uncomplicated and certain events are dealt with in a very matter of fact sentence or two. The horrors of her experiences are there but not dwelt upon at length. I'd recommend this to others.

Now reading Need by Carrie Jones and listening to Sepulchre by Kate Mosse read by Lorelei King, will probably also make a proper start on Grass for his Pillowby Lian Hearn.

46Peace2
Jun 16, 2014, 7:32 pm

Three more finished...

Book #64 - Sepulchre by Kate Mosse

Listened to the audio version of this narrated by Lorelei King. I generally like Lorelei King's narration, she's very 'listenable'. As for the story in this one, I felt like it didn't reach it's potential, I was frustrated particularly by Leonie, who for most of the story was whiny and irritating and then overnight seemed to blossom into a responsible adult. I didn't overly warm to Meredith either - bit of a problem really when neither of the central characters catch your interest. At times the story seemed to drag while it swept over other events too rapidly. This was the second in the 'series' - although they're not a series in the sense of the stories actual interlinking, more that they're set in similar areas of France and share the plot device of two different periods with the modern character being descended in some way from the historical character. I'm not convinced I'll go onto the third in the series, I certainly won't rush for it - although, I might listen at some point when there's nothing else that catches my eye in the library audio section.

Book #65 - The Kin : Suth's Story by Peter Dickinson

This book would be early teenish in its audience I guess. It's about a group of children, orphans from a tribe living in Africa about 200,000 years ago - the first humans is how they are described by the author in the introduction. The older of the group of children, Suth (a boy) and Noli (a girl) leave the main clan, who have abandoned the other younger children as they are running out of water and food and don't have a safe place to stay, and return to the hidden younger children and try to fend for themselves. The story centres around Suth's growth from just another child to trying to become a leader of this group and become a 'man' by successful hunting and so on. They spend some time with another clan. In between each chapter there is an 'oldtime' story, a story that the kin told to explain the world around them. These fit very well as the creation type mythology that can be found in many different cultures. Overall it makes for an interesting story and I've already started the second part - Noli's Story.

Book #66 - Need by Carrie Jones

Initially this book caught my interest, it had interesting chapter titles - based on phobias - but ultimately it was one of those stories where I felt it had lots of potential, a lot of which wasn't realized. For those who like such things there are humans, pixies and weres (not just werewolves, but other were-creatures also). There were aspects of the main character that I found irritating - Zara seemed to alternate between unable to do anything for herself and fiercely independent (to the extent at which she makes the same 'mistake' on multiple occasions). The 'romance' seemed somewhat forced, although I did actually like Nick. I also found some of the descriptions grated for being OTT '...His face rivers into something warm.' or 'He lets out this man growl that sounds like a professional wrestler gone bad.' I will read onto the next book as I already have it (I picked them both up in the charity store at the same time) but will reserve judgement on getting the rest of the series until I'm well into or finished that one.

For now I'm finishing up listening to A Good Thief's Guide to Venice by Chris Ewan and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne and reading Grass for his Pillow by Lian Hearn, The Kin : Noli's Story by Peter Dickinson and the rest of The Losers : Book Two by Andy Diggle. This last is difficult to read because I know some of what happens at the end and it isn't what I want to happen.

47imyril
Editado: Jun 17, 2014, 5:33 am

>46 Peace2: I've never read The Kin, but I remember reading Peter Dickinson as a child - The Weathermonger trilogy sticks out, and possibly another. I really enjoyed his characters and the emotional nuances to his plots - he never seemed to take the easy path from memory. That said, I haven't revisited any of them for about 25 years, so I may have forgotten a lot :)

48Peace2
Jun 18, 2014, 3:36 pm

>47 imyril: His name seemed familiar as an author I'd also read when younger but I haven't been able to place a title that seems familiar. It's strange because I picked up another book by him just this last week in a different charity shop - this time I acquired The Blue Hawk although it's likely to be a while before I get around to reading it!

49Peace2
Jun 18, 2014, 4:06 pm

And I've finished a few more...

Book #67 - The Losers : Book 2 by Andy Diggle

This edition combines issues #13 - 32 (I think) of The Losers comic series (with Book 1 having 1 through 12). My first introduction to the Losers was through the movie (which I really enjoyed, but didn't get the greatest reviews at the time). The graphic work in this is sharp, dynamic, bright (and at times suitable 'gross' for something depicting gunfights and the like). This isn't going to go down as amongst my favourites in my small graphic novel collection because the story just becomes increasingly bizarre and unbelievable as the story progresses. Discovering in the final throes that there is not one 'Max' but two identical twins - only discovered after they shoot the first when the whole back story of who Max is is promptly told, just pushed the whole thing too far for me.

Book #68 - The Good Thief's Guide To Venice by Chris Ewan

More Charlie Howard escapades - I am listening to this series in completely the wrong order. This is easy listening, nothing too taxing, lightly amusing, but Oh! Charlie, how do you manage to get yourself into these predicaments? As ever, Simon Vance's narration works so well for this series.

Book #69 - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne

I found this book a bit heavy going in terms of overly detailed description and naming of technicalities, whether that was the types of creatures or the intricacies of how the Nautilus worked, more like a scientific textbook at times than a novel. Although I was looking forward to the story and wanted to read it, I actually found it fairly disappointing in terms of delivery as I liked the premise and the start of the book so much.

Now reading Grass for his Pillow, Noli's Story and Radiance and I've just started listening to Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China which is off to a promising start.

50imyril
Jun 21, 2014, 5:41 am

>48 Peace2: Aha! I'd forgotten he wrote The Blue Hawk - that would be the other one I was thinking of :) I don't remember much about it beyond enjoying it enormously.

51Peace2
Jun 21, 2014, 5:39 pm

>50 imyril: - Something to look forward to then :D

52Peace2
Jun 25, 2014, 12:08 pm

Book #70 Radiance by Alyson Noel

Didn't enjoy this one - the story of a twelve year old who has passed into the afterlife and how her 'life' progress from there. Although the idea was an interesting one, I really didn't like the main character who struck me as a rather selfish and self-interested individual - at one point after she has been mentally putting another individual down, knowing that person can read her thoughts, she then accuses them of bullying her. This is the first in a series - I won't be continuing and is apparently also related tangentially to another series 'The Immortals' by the same author.

Book #71 The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith

This was a real disappointment. I ordered the audio version on CD through Amazon - unfortunately nowhere on the listing did it state it was an abridged version. The story is disjointed and events start and end abruptly. At this point, I have to assume that is due to the abridgement and not the actual book. The problem is now, I know what happened, I know who did what (generally speaking) and to whom, so it defeats the purpose of starting over and reading the whole thing, but at the same time I feel cheated. I think I'll just move on to the final part of the series and hope to track down a complete version.

Still making my way through Grass for his Pillow and Noli's Story and listening to Elidor and Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China. Hope to finish at least two more before the end of the month, but it does depend slightly on available time - which seems to be in short supply right now.

53Peace2
Jul 1, 2014, 6:11 pm

Finished more than I thought I had so here are my thoughts.

Book #72 Elidor by Alan Garner

Earlier in the year I read Garner's Weirdstone, Moon of Gomrath and Boneland. I liked the first two but not the third and so was really hoping this would fall into that category, but somehow it just didn't. I had an audio version read by Jonathan Keeble, which I was really looking forward to as I've previously enjoyed his narration a lot, but this just jarred. The book seemed to create a potential with the setting of Elidor that was never really realized and it didn't seem to generate enough feeling in me about the characters or the treasures so overall I ended up pleased it was short! Never a good sign.

Book #73 Run by Jeff Abbott

Back in early May, I listened to Adrenaline by the same author and enjoyed it. I'm not big on the rogue CIA officer type theme, but as a change this was a good one. I couldn't really say the same about Run, I didn't really engage with the characters, I saw the bad guy from a mile away and sort of why said character was doing what they were doing, but still couldn't work out who half of the other characters were or why they were there at all. I'd probably give another of the author's book a try at a bit more distance from this one but he only gets one more chance for me.

Book #74 The Kin : Noli's Story by Peter Dickinson

This was the second in a series of children/young adult books published I think in the late 1990s. It is the story of a group of children living in prehistoric Africa, the first humans. Noli is the second eldest of the children, she and Suth take responsibility for the younger four as they have separated from the adults of their group. The story is told from Noli's perspective as the group struggle to survive, find themselves living for a time with various other groups of people, but never truly fitting in and so moving on again. Each chapter is interspersed with an Oldtime story which tells an 'origin' or 'creation' story for this fictional group. I'm enjoying the series and will be moving on to the final two parts. At the moment, I'm thinking it's a shame that part three isn't Tinu's story as after Suth and Noli, she is the character I feel I know best, but instead it moves on to Ko and than Mana. Towards the end of this Ko began to develop some stand out traits to make him more than just another young child, but Mana and Otan are still barely more than names. In a way it seems strange to be two books into a series and know so little about some of the primary group of characters.

I've been trying to think of which of the books I've read in the last quarter could be my top 5 and looking back through the list only ten of the forty-eight books that I've read did I give four stars or more and none scored 5. I was trying to figure out what that said about my reading - am I becoming more critical? Have I read too many books in a short space of time? Or have I just been a bit unlucky in not picking as many great reads this quarter as last (I gave three books 5 stars in the first quarter and another five got 4 and a half stars). This is the first year I've tracked what I've been reading in a long time, as for a few years I'd sort of slipped out of the habit of spending as much time reading, but this year I decided it was time to focus my reading again.

54Peace2
Jul 6, 2014, 5:01 am

Great start to this quarter - 2 five star books

Book #75 - Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer narrated by Nathaniel Parker

This gets five-stars in part because of Nathaniel Parker's narration. It's a children's story (for older children) in which Artemis, a 12 year old genius criminal steals a book from a sprite, shortly before he kidnaps Captain Holly Short of the LEP-Recon Department. Nathaniel Parker's narration takes it up a notch further - he brings each of the characters to life, and what a range of accents! I'd definitely recommend this as an audio.

Book #76 - Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

I wish I'd read this earlier, it was definitely well worth the effort. It's a doorstop but it is so much more than just the story of three generations of Chinese women in one family - it tells the story of their whole families and to an extent a nation. The fortitude of people in the face of such terrible experiences, the way the author's father stuck to his inner belief despite terrible terrible treatment at the hands of the government he had given everything for, is almost incomprehensible to those of us who have never had to face anything of the sort. Her mother's incredible determination to stick to both her belief in her husband and to fight so her children's future will not be damaged by the constantly changing political opinion of her and her husband. It was an incredible period of history and the author gives her family's perspective of the highs and the awful lows as China moved from fighting for freedom from the Japanese, through Mao's rule and the Cultural Revolution and just after.

Reading this one distracted me from Grass for his Pillow and The Kin : Ko's Story, so now I'll be getting back to them and listening to The Harbour by Francesca Brill and Lord of the Flies by William Golding (somehow I've managed to avoid reading this before, so I thought it was about time I tried it out).

I can't believe I'm so high in my reading count already!

55imyril
Jul 8, 2014, 1:16 pm

>53 Peace2: I can't recall whether I became attached to Elidor (still my least-favourite Garner) before I saw the BBC dramatisation as a child. The rattling of letterboxes accompanied by static on the TV became something very chilling, but I'm not sure if that was purely because of my imagination, reading the book on a dark wet night, or because of a good piece of work by Aunty. But I agree - I don't think it's as effective as his other works.

I'll be curious to see how you get on with Grass for his Pillow - I loved Across the Nightingale Floor, but found the sequels harder going.

56Peace2
Jul 8, 2014, 6:07 pm

Grass is taking a while for me to pick up speed with - it's not that I'm not enjoying it, but I don't seem to be getting much traction, but the same is true with Around the World in 80 Dates the other book I've got on the go at the moment as well. Finding the energy to pick them up and start reading is the tricky part. Once I've started reading, all's fine until I fall asleep over them!

57Peace2
Jul 15, 2014, 5:42 pm

Mixed bunch up next...

Book 77 Lord of the Flies by William Golding

I got an audio version of this read by the author and I really don't recommend it. The author sounded bored throughout, I couldn't engage with the story in any sense and couldn't wait for it to be over. The added 'bonus' of author commentary in between chapters actually just made it even worse really as it broke the story even more and didn't really add anything to my personal appreciation of the story. A real disappointment as I was expecting something more of such a renowned 'classic'.

Book #78 Artemis Fowl : The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer

This was an audio version also, read by Nathaniel Parker and just shows how a good narrator works his (or her) magic! I didn't like this story as much as the first in the series but it served to cheer me up after the previous dud!

Book #79 Grass for his Pillow by Lian Hearn

This was the second in the Otori trilogy. I don't think it's as strong a book as the first. It seems to meander and then finish in a rush, but it held my attention enough to leave me curious as to how things will pan out in the future for Kaede and Takeo. I'm not sure whether it's because of the Japanese setting, but it does feel quite different from anything else I've read.

Book #80 The Harbour by Francesca Brill

This was a romance set in Hong Kong during World War Two, just prior to and during the Japanese invasion and then with its resolution after the Allied victory. The main characters are a British Officer and an American journalist. It was strange reading it so soon after reading Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China as I kept looking for similarities which weren't really there. I didn't overly like either of the main characters although at times I felt for their suffering.

I'm now working on Ko's Story by Peter Dickinson, The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue (I started this some time ago but haven't really been drawn into it yet) and Around the World in 80 Dates by Jennifer Cox and the next audio book is Artemis Fowl : The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer.

58Peace2
Jul 22, 2014, 5:35 am

Three good ones and one that didn't suit.

Book #81 Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer read by Nathaniel Parker
I liked this more than the second in the series and as ever Nathaniel Parker's narration was top notch. Artemis continues to grow and become more responsible, but he retains both his genius and his sneakiness for avoiding rules and outcomes that he doesn't want to face.

Book #82 I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella read by Clare Corbett
Between books, I forget that I like this kind of thing from time to time and so I tend to only read them almost by accident - when the library hasn't got anything else or when someone gives me one as a present. It's light, funny, and it was perfect for cheering me up. I'm tempted to try and find something in the same vein. Poppy is due to get married in a few days but amidst losing both her phone and her engagement ring, she begins to face up to her future in-laws not liking her and gains some insight into other aspects of her life and relationships - which makes it sound heavier than it is. Aspects of the book are a little unlikely but putting the likelihood of a businessman agreeing to 'share' a phone with Poppy after she retrieves it from a bin aside, the book is amusing with the right ending.

Book #83 The Kin: Ko's Story by Peter Dickinson

This was the third in a series about a group of children growing up in prehistoric Africa. Ko is leaving his childhood, yet he's not old enough to be a man. He dreams of all the ways he could save his tribe as they face drought and famine. His dreams lead him to take risks he shouldn't and get himself into danger, yet he also manages to both learn from some of his errors and take action that results in benefits to them. Glad I picked this series up. Only The Kin: Mana's Story left to read now.

Book #84 The Zahir by Paulo Coelho

This didn't work for me. I just couldn't really engage with the character or his quest and was relieved to get to the end. I don't think I'll be coming back to read any more of Coelho's work as I think my reaction to The Alchemist was similar when I read that a few years ago.

I'm still struggling to find the enthusiasm for The Sealed Letter and Around the World in 80 Dates - but can't really pinpoint why. I need to knuckle down and read these two.

59Peace2
Jul 30, 2014, 5:30 am

Three More Finished...

Book #85 Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer

Enjoyed this, a real turn around for Artemis early in the story, but he manages to save the day. As ever Nathaniel Parker's narration raises this to a higher level. I'm going to leave any further novels for a while and dip into a few other things.

Book #86 Jericho Season 3 by Jason M Burns, Robert Levine and others

This is a graphic novel that follows on from the TV series Jericho which was cancelled before its story was done. The art work was great - the characters looked very like their TV counterparts and the story was an apt continuation of where the story had got to on screen - however it doesn't really qualify as 'season 3' more like a couple of episodes and it doesn't bring the story to a conclusion. Further research has thrown up a 'season 4' graphic novel but I'm not convinced this finishes the story either. I want a resolution! *grin*

Book #87 Sacrilege by SJ Parris

I've now read three of the Giordano Bruno books (or listened on audio) and I've not really enjoyed them but I can't really put my finger on why. I've persisted with them mostly because I was given them as a gift. There was enough story, mystery and development, but it just didn't quite hit the mark for me and I think that is more a sign of my taste than anything actually the matter with the book itself. I won't be looking for further titles in the series.

I'm now trying to finish Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart which I'm enjoying a lot (I love Chris Riddell's illustrations too) and The Lotus Caves by John Christopher which is a re-read from my teens (oh so very many years ago!) and is being read in honour of the anniversary of the Moon Landing. In audio I am listening to Shadowmancer by GP Taylor read by Cornelius Garrett.

60Peace2
Jul 31, 2014, 3:36 pm

Book #88 Shadowmancer by G.P. Taylor

I didn't enjoy this at all. I found the story-telling mediocre and the religious allegory aspect of it to be very heavy-handed. The only reason I finished was that the narrator was trying so hard to make it into something listenable, but for me, this really didn't work.

Book #89 The Lotus Caves by John Christopher

I loved this. It was a re-read from my teens (about 30 years ago) and it was first published in 1969, the year of the Moon Landing. The story was set in the year 2068, by which time Man has a colony living in a Bubble on the moon and children are being born there. This is the story of two boys, teenagers, who grow restless in the Bubble and set out in a crawler (moon vehicle) to find 'First Station', the first human settlement on the Moon, long since abandoned. They are drawn into investigating further the 'death' of one of the first settlers whose body was never recovered and their investigation leads them into an adventure in which they find things they never imagined and find the life they've known put under threat. This, I guess, would have been a real sign of the times with everyone fascinated by the Moon and believing that we were headed for great investigations there. The book is amusing in how it strives to 'not be dated' the music the boys are brought up listening to are the great composers of years long past Strauss and such - nothing to place it in the '60s, they learn Roman history in school and so on. I guess I was just hugely relieved not to have received a visit from the Suck Fairy after so many years. It's a quick light read, it raises a few interesting questions about Man's impact on the environment and our future in Space and such but basically, I've just enjoyed it as a bit of good fun.

Still working on Beyond the Deepwoods (less than 80 pages to go). I've started listening to The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton which is more promising than Shadowmancer so far thankfully and I'm also just starting to read The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin. I'm not quite sure what to expect of this latter, but am curious to see - I'm about 20 pages in so far.

61Peace2
Ago 6, 2014, 4:34 am

A few more done and dusted...

Book #90 The Edge Chronicles: Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

Really enjoyed this once I got going with it. It's a children's/young adult fantasy book. Twig is sent out on a journey at the beginning of the story by his mother, a wood troll. He has never really fit in his home community. As he travels, he finds himself breaking a number of wood troll 'rules' - the most important of which is 'never stray from the path'. His quest leads him through the Deepwoods and on the way he meets a wealth of other creatures and 'people' until at the end of the book, he reaches a place he is destined to be. Things I liked about the story - the imaginative world that has been created by the text and supported fully by Chris Riddell's illustrations; things move along quickly, with Twig facing challenges of varying descriptions. The descriptions are great - not over the top in content, but plenty to build a world view for the story.

Book #91 The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton read by Caroline Lee

An interesting story. It's like a family history. The story is set in three time periods, the 1940s, 1960s and the present day. A daughter in a family has a memory of an event in the '60s and as her mother's life comes to an end she wants to find out the truth behind the secrets that led to those events. The truth gradually unfolds as the author lays out the events in the 1940s in scenes interspersed between the present ones. The story was a little let down by the narration. It wasn't the worst narration ever, but I did find myself somewhat put off by the author's wandering accents as she gave different characters different accents, but that her 'voice' for each character seemed to wander at times.

Book #92 The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin

This was interesting although I didn't find myself as engaged as I'd hoped to be.

62Peace2
Ago 12, 2014, 6:11 pm

Three more down...

Book #93 The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock

Listened to this one in audio format, read by Susanna Burney. It made for a good story - the tale of a young German emigree to America who finds herself and her family threatened following the events at Pearl Harbour, whilst also falling for a man who just recently returned to the town with difficulties of his own.

Book #94 Jericho Season 4 by Kalinda Vazquez and others

I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it is a natural continuation of the "Season 3" book and does continue from the TV series well. It also has good artwork, which again ties well with the TV series. So my biggest gripe is how small the progress is over the course of the book - I would say more like an episode or two than a 'season'. Clearly there is the intention of a 'Season 5' book, but there's no indication of how long that will be in coming - given that this is 2 1/2 - 3 years after the release of the 'Season 3' book - it doesn't bode well for the next part. It's also left on a cliffhanger.

Book #95 The Kin: Mana's Story by Peter Dickinson

This was the final part of a four part series. The overarching story is that of a group of children who are gradually 'coming of age' over the four books and is set at the time of the first people in Africa. It shows the groups migrating across the land in the face of drought, starvation, volcanoes and threats from other tribal communities. Each chapter is interspersed with a mythological tale of the 'oldtimes', the stories the People told to explain the events of the past which led to either their current situation or how they react to it. I've enjoyed the series. The series would probably class as a late childhood/young adult set and were published in the late 1990s.

Currently listening to The False Friend by Myla Goldberg and reading Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks and Araroon by Kay Crist.

63Peace2
Editado: Set 14, 2014, 5:34 pm

A bit slow in logging progress here, but off we go... there are a few more to add to the collection of 'finished' books

Book #96 The False Friend by Myla Goldberg

I listened to this audio book read by the author herself. Sometimes authors don't do their own works justice, but this was fine. It was an interesting idea for a story, about how our memories of events change over time. The main character returns to her childhood home to get to the bottom of the events in which a childhood friend disappeared and events unfold with different people remembering the events in different ways. I was a somewhat dissatisfied with the ending and felt that it could have been better, although part of me thinks I can sort of see why the author did end it that way.

Book #97 Moonraker by Ian Fleming read by Bill Nighy

I wasn't sure that I would enjoy this after the previous two 007s that I'd read but in actual fact, it was great. Bill Nighy did a grand job of narrating and the story was engaging. I'm wondering whether my lack of distinct memory of the films actually stands in my favour when listening to these as I'm never trying to compare them to the films (although I do picture Bond as Daniel Craig in my head as I read). I'm really impressed by this series and by the way in which each narrator has put their own interpretation into the reading, but they don't seem to clash with the other readings. Enjoyed enough that I'm looking to see if I can pick up another.

Book #98 Araroon by Kay Crist

A book of telepaths and travel between ruined Old Earth and New Earth running from the sinister Masters of the Psi Center. This was a story with lots of potential but somehow it didn't live up to it. The taking of DNA from cryogenically stored people from the past makes sense, the investigation into telepathy and associated skills makes sense, but to what end - it appears that the Psi Center then keeps all of the telepaths under lock and key and harvests their DNA when needed, but no indication is given as to what purpose they are using these people for other than in a few cases hunting other telepaths. It's not a terrible story by any means, but it could be so much more. I'm torn between given it 3 stars or dropping that to 2.

Book #99 The Unseen by Katherine Webb

I seem to be acquiring quite a lot of books that are set in two time periods with a modern one trying to find and solve a puzzle from the past (or is that this particular plot device is very popular?). In this case, I found the modern story very weak and would have preferred a story that just told us about Cat and her life in the early 1900s. The story focusses on a servant who was jailed for being a suffragette, then makes a 'fresh' start in a country vicarage where the vicar and a theosophist are hunting for elementals. The vicar increasingly ignores his wife in favour of his search. This period was well portrayed - the characters fitting appropriately for the story within their environment, the scenery and atmosphere was neatly done. Unfortunately for me the modern characters and settings just fell flat by comparison. I gave it three stars - but might have been tempted to give it more had it omitted the modern sections.

Book #100 Pearl of China by Anchee Min

I hadn't realised when I acquired this how fictionalized the story would be - I still can't answer that. It has left me curious both to read some of Pearl S. Buck's own works and an actual biography. I did enjoy it, however, purely as a piece of fiction and have to particularly recommend the audio version which was beautifully read by Angela Lin. I gave the book 3 1/2 stars and the audio version 4 stars.

So that's 100 books that I've counted here and some that I didn't include here (probably because they weren't 'off my shelf') that takes the total to 113. I'm pleased with this but hoping to make maybe another 30 before the end of the year (more hopefully but...)

64Peace2
Set 14, 2014, 9:08 pm

Book #101 The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

A book about a young man growing up in Malaysia feeling a distance between himself and his family and finding a deep friendship with a man who became his Japanese sensei. The main 'action' is set before and during the Japanese invasion of Malaysia during World War II, but is also reflected on from a distance when the young man is older and is retelling the story. It is well written, bringing the setting to life and many of the people within it. It highlights betrayals brought about by the conflict situation, with certain characters 'using' others. It shows how in an attempt to save family and friends, certain people put themselves into awful positions and become further isolated.

Book #102 Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

For the most part I enjoyed this (although I got a little weepy at the end). I found it very different from the other Sophie Kinsella books that I've read. The story revolves around Lara Lington, a young woman who is struggling a bit to keep her life in order, she's split with her boyfriend but wants him back, she's sunk all her money into a business venture with a friend, who then left her in the lurch and so on. At the funeral for her great aunt, she's brought into stark contrast with her stable and non-risk taking parents and her millionaire uncle and his family. But she is the one who can see and hear Great Aunt Sadie's ghost. What follows are a series of adventures (and misadventures) as Lara and Sadie attempt to solve a mystery and set the world to rights.

Book #103 Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks

It took me longer to read this book than it did for Tony Hawks to make it around Ireland (with the fridge). The book isn't completely terrible but it is both rather self-indulgent and at times somewhat repetitive in the recounts of almost the same thing happening in various locations - I guess hitchhiking with a fridge won't always be wild and exciting. At times this just seemed to be dragging on. I did laugh and there are funny anecdotes, but there's also a lot in between. He met some amazing people (and some strange ones apparently) and he passed through some beautiful countryside, but something tells me there are better books out there for getting to know more about Ireland.

Book #104 Squire Terence and the Maiden's Knight by Gerald Morris

A children's tale of Sir Gawain travels and adventures. It's lightly amusing, not too complicated and would make for an interesting read for children who are just getting into 'historical settings' and like reading about knights in shining armour and their quests. It's the first in a series and as I have three more of them, at this point I intend continuing when I next get a chance.

Book #105 The Cry of the Go-Away Bird by Andrea Eames

I listened to the audio version of this book, read by Clare Corbett, who did a wonderful job of narrating this story. The story is set in 1990s Zimbabwe and is told by Elise, a young white girl. As Elise grows, her family goes through various upheavals, starting with the arrival of a new stepfather, which is followed by a move to Harare and then as she matures, she finds herself in a country in turmoil as farms and lands are taken forcibly from white families. The author has used rich descriptions of the environment, bringing Elise's world to life. Not an easy read in terms of the events taking place, but one worth the time. I'm surprised not to have seen more mention of this one.

So having passed 100 books, I went back and had a look at my goals for the year and realised that I've pretty much achieved them. I made a list of about 70 or so books and decided I should read at least 26 this year - figuring that would be about two book a month and also that I would listen to 9 audio books this year. Well, I appear to have passed that without too much difficult (I'm now at 28 books finished from that list and (I've listened to way over the 9 audio books, having also tracked down some of the books I was supposed to read).

I thought that I should perhaps try to modify my goals for the year.

After some deliberation, I've come to the conclusion that I will try to read some more of the books on my original TBR Pile and continue to listen to as many audio books as I can but that I would also try to finish off some of the 'series' that I have on the go - this became particularly relevant when I realized that I was part way through reading 13 different series, some of which have multiple books left on my shelves in the series while others only have one left. So with the series in mind, my goal is to 'progress' each different series at least once every two months. This is going to be difficult at first with thirteen series on the go, but will hopefully be easy as pie as time progresses.