tunn300

Thanks Athena

After taking a day to digest 'Our Endless Numbered Days' I feel ready to post some thoughts. I will say up front I am a bit ambivalent towards the book, I neither love it or hate it, but merely think it was ok. I thought the premise was excellent and did really enjoy the initial few chapters, however at no point did I really feel connected to any of the main characters. I feel very sorry for both Peggy and her father but not in any way that will really last. It's difficult to put a finger on exactly why that is but I just found the way they spoke and acted just not real enough. The middle portion of the book I felt just dragged with nothing really happening and if I was enjoying the characters or felt connected to them then maybe this would be ok. I have read plenty of books were nothing really happened and have just enjoyed being in the characters company. I understand the author was trying to show the monotonous 'endless' days they spent in the cabin but I don't feel I should be as bored as they are. Fuller certainly has a good sense of language and I did enjoy her writing, although giving herself such a limited setting to describe I again found it became repetitive. SPOILER (because I have forgotten how to actually hide it) End of Spoiler I know everyone has loved this book and it is getting praise left, right and centre but on this particular book I don't get it. This is why I took a day before posting my review as I felt maybe its genius would become apparent to me after reflecting on it but unfortunately not. Anyway that is my two pence worth and I am sure I am in the minority and everyone else will enjoy it, but that's what books are about, causing debate and discussion.

I have just his moment finished reading Our Endless Numbered Days. I think I need some time to process it all before posting my thoughts but I think it's safe to say it wasn't the book I thought it was going to be. My next read is going to be another Waterstones book club choice - Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans

I am sure you will enjoy it, it's a great book. I have certainly enjoyed the first 50 or so pages of Our Endless Numbered Days but a hectic time at work has meant my reading has ground to a halt. Hopefully I can crack on with it over this long Easter weekend.

I will second that recommendation for Station Eleven. I really enjoyed reading this last year.

I woke early this morning and finished the final thirty pages of 'The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra' by Vaseem Khan. I have managed to read the book in just a few days and that is thanks to the wonderful characters Khan has created, one of the best of which is India itself. Having never been there his writing still managed to transport me to this place of hustle and bustle. The actual crime part of the novel was not that fantastic and the inclusion of the 'very special elephant' was a little strange, but I really enjoyed the novel as a whole. It is the first book in a series with the next due in May, So I will be on the lookout for that. I am now going to begin 'Our Endless Numbered Days' By Claire Fuller, which is another Waterstones book club book and has also been receiving a lot of very good reviews on here. I am looking forward to getting started while waiting for an appointment later.

For my next book I have chosen one of the current Waterstones Book Club choices, 'The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra' by Vaseem Khan. This is a debut novel, set in India, beginning on the day the said inspector retires from the police force and is gifted an elephant. Due to an inability to sleep last night I am now a third of the way through this novel and thoroughly enjoying it. The main characters are a delight and whilst the actual crime part of the book is not that thrilling, it can be forgiven for the wonderful picture of life in modern India it creates. My only gripe is that there a lot of Hindi terms used that I do not understand and rather than include a glossary the author directs you to his website for assistance, which isn't all that helpful!!

I finished the book yesterday after reading the second half of the book in one sitting. Unfortunately, it was read in this was as I was waiting for an appointment and not because it suddenly became a book I could not put down. The book for me was a disappointment. I am not sure exactly what I expected of a book that imagines Hitler being alive and well in modern day Germany but this wasn't it. Firstly, there is never an explanation given as to exactly how Hitler suddenly wakes up one day in 2011 on a playing field in Berlin. Secondly, the book is attempting to be a comedy but for me there are very few comedic moments and all of these come from the fact that someone from the past is suddenly placed in the future and has to deal with all modern conveniences. This could have been achieved through using any character through history and the choice of Hitler almost appears to be an attempt to cause scandal and raise the profile of the book. Through the book Hitler is often portrayed as quite a likeable character with some strange views and the occasional violent outburst, which for me doesn't ring true. I understand the book shows how once again Hitler is adapting to his environment and again becoming a figure the public believe is talking sense in an age when politicians can't be trusted and in this way it does act as a warning. Overall though I did not find this book enjoyable and would not really recommend it to anyone else.

Oh my mistake I was under the impression Amazon Prime got films quite a while after their DVD release. I am glad you enjoyed the book too. I watched the trailer recently and even though I have read the book I was confused as to what was going on. The worst part though was the awful Russian accents everyone was putting on, I don't understand this as they could either hire Russian actors and be authentic or simply ignore it all together. I will watch the film some day when it appears on Sky movies but I won't be paying to rent it.

So I am a third of the way through 'Look Who's Back' and I really don't know how I feel about it. I certainly haven't found it "Funny, very funny" as the quote on the front proclaims, but in parts it has raised a small chuckle. I think the premise is just so ridiculous that I am struggling to suspend my disbelief and go along with the idea. I did contemplate giving up on it as I have had another couple of my requested books arrive at the library but it is very rare I quit a book and it's not that bad that this should be one that joins that very short list. I will persevere and maybe try and get a good reading session in tonight and break the back of it. Hopefully it may also become more interesting as it progresses.

I finished Child 44 last week and thought it was a truly fantastic book. I hope you enjoy the rest of your books.

Many thanks and to you too.

After two long reading stints yesterday I managed to finish Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start and to finish and have no idea why I have left it sitting on my TBR pile for a fair few years. It is a testament to how good the book is in that I managed to finish it in under a week, which is very rare for a 400+ page book for me. The book was so fast paced there never seemed like a good time to stop reading as the next interesting thing was just about to happen. I love how the author has managed to recreate Stalinist Russia, I knew very little about the era but after this am intrigued to learn more. I have since learnt that there are two other books following the main characters from this story and I will get around to reading them quicker than I did to this novel. Next I am moving on to Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes. This book imagines Hitler has been in some sort of coma for the past 50 years and suddenly wakes up in modern day Germany. It has got some very positive views. I stumbled across it by mistake as I was looking at the current Waterstones book club books and this was one of the previous clubs books and it hooked me in straight away. It is a library book I had to request so I am moving on to it straight away. This is exactly why Child 44 has sat so long on my TBR pile, I am always intrigued by new books and then just can't help myself.

Many happy returns for yesterday. I happened to be in the Cirencester Waterstones last week, which is the one I think you are referring to, and was also very disappointed in the new cafe layout. The new Costa across the road however is also no better. My favourite café in Ciren is Coffee number 1, as not only do they make great coffee, they also have no wifi so you don't get table clogged with people on their computers. A great place to spend a few hours reading. I hope you enjoy all your new books.

The film only came out last year and hasn't even made Sky movies yet so you could be waiting a fair while for it to show up on Netflix unfortunately. I didn't realise that Child 44 was the first inspector Leo book in a series of three books. The farm is not one of those books though. I think I may have to read the rest of the series as this book is so good.

I had a long wait yesterday for an appointment so managed to read almost half the book on one sitting. It's safe to say I am hooked and keen to read on and finish it. I looked up reviews of the film version released last year but they look slightly disappointing.

Well I finished it and I certainly did continue to enjoy it. A really good debut thriller and an author I will continue to look out for. I have now started Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith which has sat on my to read pile for years.

I picked up Disclaimer by Renèe Knight over the weekend. I have wanted to read it ever since reading about it in the Times and have been patiently waiting for the price to reduce on kindle and this weekend it was £1.99 so I picked it up. About 80 pages in and so far so good.

Well I have finally finished Hotel Alpha. It may have taken me the best part of a month to read but it is a great book. On to the next book now and hopefully a quicker turnaround.

Lovely to see this thread started. I look forward to reading your posts again this year. Best of luck with the charity clear out.

2016 Books Kindle (2) Disclaimer - Renèe Knight Behind Closed Doors - B.A. Paris Audio Books (2) Finders Keepers - Stephen King Black Widow - Chris Brookmyre Library (4) Look Who's Back - Timur Vermes The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra - Vaseem Khan Crooked Heart - Lissa Evans Our Endless Numbered Days - Claire Fuller Paperbacks Current TBR Pile - 84

TBR Pile: 82 (Jan 1st) Kindle Books (41): All the Light we Cannot See - Anthony Doerr Wrong Time, Wrong Place - Simon Kernick The Hundred Year Old Man - Jonas Jonasson Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel Bring Up the Bodies - Hilary Mantel A Man Called Ove - Fredrick Backman Divergent - Veronica Roth After the Crash - Michel Bussi The Ice Twins - S.K.Tremayne Ayoade on Ayoade - Richard Ayoade Foxglove Summer - Ben Aaronovitch I am Pilgrim - Terry Hayes Us - David Nicholls Close to the Bone - Stuart McBride The Lie - C.L.Taylor After the Funeral - Agatha Christie Netherland - Joseph O'Neill The Post Birthday World - Lionel Shriver Stardust - Neil Gaiman The American Boy - Andrew Taylor The Hundredth Man - J.A.Kerley The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith The Casual Vacancy - J.K.Rowling The Man Who Forgot His Wife - John O'Farrell Lawless - Matt Bondurant White Bones - Graham Masterton Life of Pi - Yann Mantel Blood Brother - J.A.Kerley Into the Darkest Corner - Elizabeth Haynes The Stranger's Child - Alan Hollinghurst Perfect People -Peter James The Sealed Letter - Emma Donoghue Look at Me - Jennifer Egan Back of Beyond - C.J.Box Nemesis - Jo Nesbo Leopard - Jo Nesbo Afterwards - Rosamund Lipton The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga Let the Right One In - John Ajvide Lindqvist Moab is my Wahpot - Stephen Fry The Trophy Taker - Lee Weeks Paperbacks (34): Love, Love me do - Mark Haysom Brixton Beach - Roma Tearne Six Suspects - Vikas Swarup Skippy Dies - Paul Murray Too Close to Home - Linwood Barclay Wish you were Here - Mike Gayle Hotel Alpha - Mark Watson Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern Fingersmith - Sarah Waters The Paying Guests - Sarah Waters The Horse with my Name - Bateman Belfast Confidential - Bateman Orpheus Rising - Bateman Until you're Mine - Samantha Hayes The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenger The immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot The Hypnotist - Lark Kepler The Devil's Punchbowl - Greg Iles The Taliban Cricket Club - Timeri N. Murari Blood & Beauty -Sarah Dunant Death Trip - Lee Weeks Heart Sick & Sweet Heart - Chelsea Cain The Caller - Alex Barclay Dark house - Alex Barclay Count to Ten - Karen Rose Carte Blanche - Geoffrey Deaver A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini One Summer - Bill Bryson The Lost - Claire McGowan The Goldfinch - Donna Tart Child 44 -Tom Rob Smith The Fry Chronicles - Stephen Fry Oh Dear Silvia - Dawn French CMJ - A Cricketing Life - Chrisopher Martin Jenkins Hardbacks (4): Camp David - David Walliams My Time - Bradley Wiggins Cricket - A Modern Anthology - Jonathan Agnew Twirleymen - Amol Rajan Audio Books (3): The Road to Little Dribbling - Bill Bryson The Slaughter Man - Tony Parsons An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth - Chris Hadfield

Books read in 2016 - 8 (Kindle Books - 3, Paperbacks - 2, Hardbacks - 0, Library Books - 3) Total Pages Read - 2,635 January Elizabeth is Missing - Emma Healey - 5/10 (Kindle, Started 26/12/2015 - Finished 01/01/2016) 323 Pages Wrong Time, Wrong Place - Simon Kernick - 6/10 (Kindle, Started 05/01/16 - Finished 05/01/2016) 112 Pages February Hotel Alpha - Mark Watson - 8/10 (Papeback, Started 07/01/2016 - Finished 06/02/2016) 400 Pages Disclaimer - Renèe Knight - 8/10 (Kindle, Started 13/02/2016 - Finished 21/02/2016) 357 Pages Child 44 - Tom Rob Smith - 9/10 (Paperback, Started 22/02/2016 - Finished 28/02/2016) 478 Pages March Look Who's Back - Timur Vermes - 5/10 (Library Book, Started 29/02/206 - Finished 09/03/2016) 375 Pages The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra - Vaseem Khan - 8/10 (Library Book, Started 10/03/2106 - Finished 14/03/2016) 298 Pages Our Endless Numbered Days - Claire Fuller - 6/10 (Library Book Started 14/03/2016 - Finished 30/03/2016) 292 Pages April May June July August September October November December

So my book blog for this year finishes with 21 books read. A pretty average number and one I am neither pleased or displeased about. My two stand out reads of the year have been The Rosie Project by Graham Simsion and The Book Thief by Markus Zusack. Anyway onto 2016.

So the start of another reading year is here and with it another blog. Like last year I am going to use this blog to keep a track of my reading and also post thoughts on books when I feel particularly moved to do so. I am afraid I know I won't keep to a promise of reviewing every book I read. I am also not going to set any book buying limits for this year, as again I know I will struggle to keep to them. This year I will post my TBR pile as an incentive to myself to read more.