Ooshie
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Posts posted by Ooshie
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1. Did you like the book? What was it that you enjoyed? If you didn't like the book, what were your reasons for disliking it?
I enjoyed it a lot. I liked the way the main characters were presented, and the world of Dune itself was fascinating. I enjoyed the threads of religion, mythology and mysticism too, although they did make me wish I knew more about those in our own world as I found myself recognising parts but realising there was much more I could have identified with if I only had the requisite knowledge!
2. Did you have any expectations about the book before you started reading it, and if so, were they correct?
For some reason I expected this to be a bit of a dry, unenjoyable read - maybe I had read a bad review when I was young, or did the film with Sting maybe get poor reviews? But I thoroughly enjoyed it and got through it in a few days.
3. Who was your favourite character...?
I liked Jessica a lot, and Chani and Alia too. I felt quite sorry for the Princess Royal, although she did volunteer for the marriage-to-be.
4. ...and your least favourite?
I didn't really have a least favourite character, the "baddies" all served a purpose.
5. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?
I really enjoyed the whole book, so it is hard to pick one part out. I enjoyed the slow reveals of the powers of the Bene Gesserit, certainly.
6. Was this the first book you've read in this genre / by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
I used to read quite a lot of Science Fiction, but don't read so much now. I haven't read anything else by Frank Herbert.
7. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
Not really. I started skipping over the songs and poems as they didn't add anything to the book for me, and I could have lived without the quotations too.
8. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Yes, it definitely was.
9. Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?
I would recommend the book, to anyone who already enjoys Science Fiction or who would like to try the genre.
10. Will you read the sequels/prequels?
While I was reading the book I thought I would be happy just to read it as a stand-alone novel, but now I have finished it I do want to know more the worlds and mythologies that were created. I can feel an Amazon search coming on!
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1- Who was your favourite character? Were there any characters whom you disliked?
I liked Dwight and Moira the most; Dwight because of his honourable nature and faithfulness to his dead wife, and Moira partly because she respected this and didn't push him but also because of her spirit.
2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?
I enjoyed the end of the book the most as it was probably the only part I felt quite engaged with.
3- Did you like the writing? What did you think of the way the story was told?
I do quite enjoy Nevil Shute's style of writing, but I find it quite dispassionate and so I often don't really feel engaged with his characters. Given the apocalyptic nature of the story, I found the calm relating of people living their everyday lives up until the end quite touching.
4- Was this the first book you've read by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
I read The Pied Piper for a previous Reading Circle and, like this book, I did enjoy it but didn't feel terribly engaged by it. I would read more, but wouldn't rush to get hold of another. Funny enough, I had been sure that I had already read this book as my parents definitely owned it, but didn't remember a single thing about it so I must have been mistaken. I think I must have been mixing it up with another book, particularly since there was a scene I was (mis)remembering with a young woman walking towards an older man on a beach and he was thinking that many young women made the mistake of wearing black thinking it made them more sophisticated. So the beach must have fooled me! (I wonder if it was a scene from The Pillow Fight by Nicholas Montserrat? This is going to drive me mad now!)
5- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
The way that poor baby was referred to and treated! "It"? Really?? And not even holding the baby as she died; I know how ill she was feeling was given as the reason for that, but I found it inhuman and inhumane.
6- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Yes, it was by no means one of my favourite books, but a good read nonetheless.
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Sun Goes Down (Living It Up) - Level 42
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Pump up the Jam - Technotronic
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I have the Oliver Sacks book but haven't read it yet, I'm looking forward to it. I read the columns by both Max Pemberton and James le Fanu in the Daily Telegraph, and enjoy them a lot, they both seem to cut through a lot of the confusing things that are fed to the public day in day out and give sensible recommendations and advice. I have thought about looking to see if Dr le Fanu had published a book but hadn't got round to it yet, so thanks for the recommendation!
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I think I would make the last book to burn something long as it is going to have to keep me occupied again and again for a very long time, and if it's too short I will need to read it several times a week!
Something like Gone With the Wind, or The Lord of the Rings; nothing I can make any claim for its intellectual merits, just a good long story that will bear many re-readings and could be read out loud to entertain others maybe? -
What a good idea! I would like to nominate:
1. Edith Wharton
2. Hilary Mantel
3. Donna Leon
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I have seen a few reviews of The Fifth Wave now, and every time I think it sounds really good and mean to look out for it. Thanks for the review, Weave, which has reminded me of it - I have written the names of the book and author down this time so I don't forget this time!
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pontalba, on 23 Mar 2014 - 12:26 AM, said:
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner 5+/5
The good more than outweighs the difficult in Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. This was my second attempt, the first being shattered by the Benjy section. Just couldn't slog my way through it. Finally, this time, I decided that even if it annoyed me, irritated me, or just plain floored me.....by gum, I'd get through it! Then I fell into the rhythm of the section, and just accepted, and let it flow over me.
I really need to give this another go - like you I found the way that just letting the writing flow over me worked perfectly - I had got pretty much to the end of Quentin's section and I don't remember why I put it down now, I don't think I gave up on it deliberately, I think I was just seduced by easier books! The Folio Society published a limited edition with Faulkner's original idea of different colours of type for different timelines etc, but I didn't want to pay quite that much to make my second attempt more successful!
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vodkafan, on 22 Mar 2014 - 4:19 PM, said:
Hi Ooshie I think it was free on kindle; I don't know if it is in print anywhere.
Hey, that's even better! I will see if I can find it at Amazon - then all I will need to do is find the kindle...
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vodkafan, on 19 Feb 2014 - 9:34 PM, said:
In The Cage 3/5
Henry James
The first Henry James novel I have read. Unusually the heroine is not named throughout the book. She is a working class girl who handles the telegram messages from the upper class people who do not realise that she is able to piece together their whole lives over time and is privy to all their secrets. I think James made her anonymous on purpose to prove a point. She becomes fixated on the illicit affair of one couple in particular and even makes herself known to them, even delaying her impending marriage for the vicarious thrill of being slightly involved in the affair.
It is a novel that explores the ramifications on Victorian society of new technology: Private messages that used to be sent by letter between one person and another are now handled by several nameless people of lower rank.
This is something we have now grown used to without thinking: our emails and web browsing are all logged and watched.
I have read a couple of Henry James books, but haven't come across this one; it sounds interesting, I will need to look out for it
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pontalba, on 22 Mar 2014 - 2:23 PM, said:
Hey! Glad to see ya.
Your lists are really wonderful, I see a lot that I've read and loved as well.
I have to say, you have great taste in books!
Thank you very much!
I always find myself looking out for your posts, as I definitely noticed our reading tastes coincide quite a lot! I don't read much non-fiction, as you will have noticed, but find my tastes range quite freely over lots of genres (a bit like my musical tastes, which run all the way from novelty pop to classical encompassing just about everything else except thrash metal!) although there are always favourites I come back to when I'm in the mood for a read I will be pretty sure to like, or a bit of comfort-reading -
Thank you for your good wishes, everyone, sorry not to have replied before but I haven't been around much - look forward to chatting with you all during the year!
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I'm glad to hear you liked We Need to Talk About Kevin. It sounds good, but I wasn't sure I'd like it too much.
Happy New Year and Happy reading!
Thanks! I wouldn't choose We Need to Talk About Kevin if you need cheering up or are in the mood for an easy read - it is a very thoughtprovoking book covering some difficult subject matter, but I found it very powerful and a great read.
I have read quite a lot of Clive Barker, but not the Abarat books - I tend not to pick up books if they are aimed at the YA audience, although I think I need to change that and do have The Hunger Games Trilogy waiting to be read - and only looked them up after seeing them on your list. They look very interesting too.
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Starting 2014 with Salem's Lot by Stephen King, Books of Blood #1 by Clive Barker and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Attwood. I usually don't read more than one book at a time, but am making an exception this time.
I really enjoyed all of those, Anna, and look forward to hearing what you think of them. From your list, I also enjoyed Cujo and We Need to Talk About Kevin. Hope you really enjoy your reading in 2014!
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Blank post in case I need it later
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Blank post in case I need it later
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1- Who was your favourite character? Were there any characters whom you disliked?
I liked Richard the best, because we got to hear more about his struggles to survive (literally at times) as well as his thought processes. While most of the characters were annoying in a drunken studenty way, I really disliked the hard-heartedness of Richard's parents (who didn't seem interested in his wellbeing at all) and Julian (who I thought seemed pretentious and manipulative).
2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?
Not really, I loved the whole book. This is the third time I have read it; when I came to read it the second time I was surprised there wasnt more about the Bacchanal as I was sure I remembered much more - my imagination was obviously working overtime the first time around!
3- Did you like the writing?
Very much. I thought it was engaging and told the story well and I enjoyed the use of language.
4- Was this the first book you've read by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
At the time I read it, it was her first book and, like bobblybear, I couldn't wait for her next but was sadly disappointed by The Little Friend. I would like to give it another go, though, in case maybe I just wasn't in the mood at the time and would enjoy it more now. I am looking forward to reading The Goldfinch.
5- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
No, I found the whole book enjoyable and easy to read. I found it unpleasant to think of a group of friends murdering one of their own in such cold blood, but I didn't actually struggle with either the idea or reading about it.
6- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Very much so. It is on my list of favourite books ever. While the second and third readings didn't have as much impact on me as my first reading, I still enjoyed it very much.
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Books read in 2011:
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay
Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse
Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton
The Other Family by Joanna Trollope
Mayday by Nelson DeMille & Thomas Block
February
Next by Michael Crichton
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Trail of Blood by S J Rozan
March
The Screwtape Letters by C S Lewis
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham
The Shape of Water by Amdrea Camilleri
April
The Mauritius Command by Patrick O'Brian
Solar by Ian McEwan
Cuckoo by Julia Crouch
Under The Dome by Stephen King
Play to Kill by P J Tracy
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri
May
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
The Group by Mary McCarthy
The Fallen Kings by Cynthia Harrod Eagles
June
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
First Love by Ivan Turgenev
New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain
Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell
July
The Reversal by Michael Connelly
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs
Desolation Island by Patrick O'Brian
Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian
Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
August
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Candide by Voltaire
The Other Hand by Chris Cleave
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
September
Rescue by Anita Shreve
The Confession by John Grisham
The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith
Lasting Damage by Sophie Hannah
October
The Ambassadors by Henry James
The Flight of the Falcon by Daphne du Maurier
The Golem by Gustav Henrink
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
November
The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly
The Surgeon's Mate by Patrick O'Brian
Julius by Daphne du Maurier
Free Fire by C J Box
The Ionian Mission by Patrick O'Brian
December
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
The Folio Book of Christmas Crime Stories -
Books Read in 2012
January
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry 5/5
On the Eve by Ivan Turgenev 3/5
Everything and Nothing by Araminta Hall 3/5
The Dancing Years by Cynthia Harrod Eagles 4/5
The Shadows in the Street by Susan Hill 4/5
Treason's Harbour by Patrick O'Brian 4/5
February
Mistress Masham's Repose by T H White 3/5
I'll Never Be Young Again by Daphne du Maurier 2.5/5
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick 3/5
Talleyrand by Duff Cooper 4/5
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker 4/5
The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly 4/5
The Pied Piper by Neville Shute 3/5
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill 5/5
Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov 4/5
March
Nemesis by Jo Nesbo 4/5
Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes 4/5
The Far Side of the World by Patrick O'Brian 4/5
Cell by Stephen King 3.5/5
Cover Her Face by P D James 3.5/5
blueyed boy by Joanne Harris 3/5
Foundation by Isaac Aasimov 3.5/5
The Reverse of the Medal by Patrick O'Brian 4/5
The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing 4/5
April/May
Transition by Iain Banks 5/5
Live Wire by Harlan Coben 4/5
Ben, in the World by Doris Lessing 4/5
Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind 3/5
June
The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo 4/5
The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo 4/5
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo 5/5
The Leopard by Jo Nesbo 5/5
July
Before I go to Sleep by S J Watson 5/5
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 4/5
Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell 3.5/5
Brass Ring by Diane Chamberlain 3.5/5
Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon 5/5
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay 4.5/5
August
11.22.63 by Stephen King 4/5
The Virginian by Owen Wister 5/5
Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov 4/5
A Month in the Country by J L Carr 5/5
V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton 3.5/5
Well, the rest of the year kind of descended into chaos, so I won't be posting any reviews, but will try and list at least most of the books I read:
Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell 3/5
The Drop by Michael Connelly 3.5/5
The Real Katie Lavender by Erica James 3/5
The Vanishing Act by Mette Jakobsen 3/5
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey 4.5/5
The Greatcoat by Helen Dunmore 4/5
The Sixth Man by David Baldacci 3/5
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Books read in 2013 - I still have to complete my list, but here it is so far...
January
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney 5/5 for writing, 2/5 for enjoyment
The Final Reckoning by Sam Bourne 3/5
Blaze by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman 3/5
The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier 5/5
Consder Phlebas by Iain M. Banks 3/5February
The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks 4.5/5
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith 3/5
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt 3/5
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill 4.5/5
Les Liaisons Dangereuse by Choderlos de Laclos 4/5
The State of the Art by Iain M Banks 5/5
March
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory 4/5
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks 3/5
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel 5/5
March - August
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel 5/5
The Sea Change by Joanna Rossiter 3/5
Gerald's Game by Stephen King 2.5/5
The Zero Game by David Baldacci 2.5/5
Phantom by Jo Nesbo 4/5
Fever of the Bone by Val McDermid 3.5/5
Fault Line by Robert Goddard 3/5
The Winding Road by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles 4.5/5
Stonemouth by Iain Banks 3.5/5
Lisey's Story by Stephen King 3/5
Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov 4/5
Beastly Things by Donna Leon 4.5/5
The House by the Sea by Santa Montefiore 2.5/5
Eloise by Judy Finnigan 2.5/5
The Complaints by Ian Rankin 4/5
River of Destiny by Barbara Erskine 3.5/5
King Solomon's Carpet by Barbara Vine 4.5/5
The Sea Sisters by Lucy Clarke 3/5
Summer by Edith Wharton 4.5/5
The Racketeer by John Grisham 4/5
The Bat by Jo Nesbo 2.5/5
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell 4/5
Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie 3.5/5
Hotel Vendome by Danielle Stelle 4/5
The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell 3.5/5
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder 3/5
Joyland by Stephen King 4/5
The Red House by Mark Haddon 4/5
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton 4/5
The String Diaries by Stephen Lloyd Jones 4.5/5
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain 4/5
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 4/5
A Gun for Sale by Graham Greene 3/5
Clarissa Oakes by Patrick O'Brian 5/5
Bitter River by Julia Keller 4/5
September - December
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan 4/5
The Death of Grass by John Christopher 4/5
Tarnished by Julia Crouch 3/5
The Wine-Dark Sea by Patrick O'Brian 5/5
Did You Miss Me by Karen Rose 2/5
The Drowned World by J G Ballard 3.5/5
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty 3/5
The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith 3.5/5
The Carrier by Sophie Hannah 4/5
Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell 3/5
Castle d'Or by Daphne du Maurier 3.5/5
A Rage to Live by John O'Hara 3/5
The Reversal by Michael Connelly 3.5/5
Merry Christmas Alex Cross by James Patterson 2.5/5
Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith 3.5/5
Bones are Forever by Kathy Reichs 3/5
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I usually only mark out of 5, but have decided that this year I will add a 6 for books that I not only really enjoy at the time, but that are on my list of all-time best reads!
Books read in 2014:
January - March
The Secret History by Donna Tartt 6/6
The Golden Egg by Donna Leon 5/6 (one of my favourite series)
The Last Dance and other stories by Victoria Hislop 2.5/6
Kind of Cruel by Sophie Hannah 4/6
The Chosen One by Sam Bourne 3.5/6
Dune by Frank Herbert - March 2014
in Previous Reading Circle Books
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Does anyone have a recommendation of what order to read the books in? Are they best read in the order they were published?