Alexi

You've had some great reads so far this year I'm extremely jealous of all your new purchases too.

I wonder what the situation will be like in 50/100 years time for people looking for books? If a book hasn't really stood the test of time, it's really difficult to find them now, but with most modern authors publishing to kindle, if in 80 years time someone wants to read all of Jenny Colgan's books (as a recent example from this thread!) then it may be far easier. /random thought of the day.

Good lord. People are horrendous, aren't they? Anna - Great reviews I was interested to read your thoughts on Shirer, which I read two tears' ago (I think, without checking!) and found an excellent work. I was hoping to read more history non-fiction this year but so far it hasn't happened I have never ready any Kurt Vonnegut! I do have Slaughterhouse Five on my TBR though.

That sounds interesting, Sazed I'm halfway through Ashenden by W Somerset Maugham which is proving an entertaining, easy read. I'm seven (!) reviews behind but must get them done because I have so much to say about my last read - It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis. I believe it is being/has been republished given current political situations.

I've finished Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo - the second in the series after really enjoying the first one last year. He certainly knows how to write a good thriller. Now starting Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. Just a slight change of pace! But thoroughly enjoying the start of this one already.

Sorry Claire, I typed a reply to Anna, got halfway through, went to sort dinner then pressed post! So I didn't see yours until I posted. I think our views are quite similar, yes. I appreciated the book and remain glad I've read it, but I certainly wouldn't go back to Lee, and it took me a surprising amount of time to get through it. I think it does give a sense of time and place though. I've just finished A Kestral for a Knave for South Yorkshire and that was MUCH better. Really enjoyed that one.

I can imagine reading the text is pretty difficult for someone not used to the dialect! There is also some slang that I've never heard outside Scotland thrown in for good measure. I think the film is a very faithful adaptation, but like you preferred the book. Not read (or seen!) Fight Club. Should I get hold of it?

It's even worse when the title of the book is changed. For example, Q and A was the original title, rereleased as Slumdog Millionaire after the film. Ugh!

Hi Sazed I hope you have a brilliant year of reading and I look forward to seeing what gems you unearth.

I wrote this for my reading log: I'm not entirely sure I would have picked it up if it were not for the counties challenge. Lee's writing style isn't for me. It's written more like poetry, which I don't read, and I often got bogged down in the descriptions of things rather than being able to enjoy them. However, I did enjoy reading about his life in the village and the people in it. It does feel like another world, even though it wasn't that long ago comparatively, and I loved reading about his mother, who was easily my favourite character that we met among the pages. The sleepy pace of this book matches the sleep pace of life in the village, but it doesn't make for a very interesting read, and it was tricky to pick the book up again once I had put it down. For the Counties challenge, it did evoke a wonderful sense of place and time, so thoroughly deserving of its place on the list, and I am glad I read it, but it's not one I would ever return to. Having read everyone else's thoughts, I can't disagree at all. I just had a lot less to say and said it a lot less eloquently! But I'm afraid that it's how it made me feel - a little uninspired if I am honest.

Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee Synopsis: At all times wonderfully evocative and poignant, Cider With Rosie is a charming memoir of Laurie Lee's childhood in a remote Cotswold village, a world that is tangibly real and yet reminiscent of a now distant past. In this idyllic pastoral setting, unencumbered by the callous father who so quickly abandoned his family responsibilities, Laurie's adoring mother becomes the centre of his world as she struggles to raise a growing family against the backdrop of the Great War. The sophisticated adult author's retrospective commentary on events is endearingly juxtaposed with that of the innocent, spotty youth, permanently prone to tears and self-absorption. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: I read this for the English Counties Challenge for Gloucestershire and I'm not entirely sure I would have picked it up otherwise. Lee's writing style isn't for me. It's written more like poetry, which I don't read, and I often got bogged down in the descriptions of things rather than being able to enjoy them. However, I did enjoy reading about his life in the village and the people in it. It does feel like another world, even though it wasn't that long ago comparatively, and I loved reading about his mother, who was easily my favourite character that we met among the pages. The sleepy pace of this book matches the sleep pace of life in the village, but it doesn't make for a very interesting read, and it was tricky to pick the book up again once I had put it down. For the Counties challenge, it did evoke a wonderful sense of place and time, so thoroughly deserving of its place on the list, and I am glad I read it, but it's not one I would ever return to. 3/5 (I liked it)

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh Synopsis: Choose us. Choose life. Choose mortgage payments; choose washing machines; choose cars; choose sitting on a couch watching mind-numbing and spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fudgein junk food intae yir mooth. Choose rotting away, pishing and shiteing yersel in a home, a total fudgein embarrassment tae the selfish, fudgeed-up brats ye've produced. Choose life. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: I can't honestly believe it has taken me 30 years to read this (I suppose around 15 or so really, I can probably be excused not reading it when first released given I was about 8 years old!). I haven't ever seen the film either, but I read this in preparation for next week's cinema jaunt to see T2. Disclaimer: I lived in Edinburgh for a few years earlier in my adult life, so I understand a lot of Scottish slang and I recognise a lot of locations mentioned. I am fairly sure both enhanced my enjoyment - I found I could read the phonetic Scottish that the book is penned in very easily. I'm not sure it would be like that for everyone. This won't be for everyone. It gets very graphic in places, the C word is thrown around a lot, and we are reading about heroin addicts - and absolutely everything that entails. Welsh doesn't play nicely with it, and you will wince in at least three places in the novel. This is really a collection of short stories about our main characters rather than one novel, and Welsh uses this to really vary the emotions up. Disgust is there, but there are also parts that are funny, and parts that really tug on the heartstrings. And yet through all the abuse, foul language, dodgy life decisions, violence, sex and drugs, Welsh manages to evoke sympathy in the reader for this group which lives right on the edge of society. I will definitely read the sequel and prequel. 4/5 (I really, really liked it)

NW By Zadie Smith Synopsis: Set in northwest London, Zadie Smith’s brilliant tragicomic novel follows four locals—Leah, Natalie, Felix, and Nathan—as they try to make adult lives outside of Caldwell, the council estate of their childhood. In private houses and public parks, at work and at play, these Londoners inhabit a complicated place, as beautiful as it is brutal, where the thoroughfares hide the back alleys and taking the high road can sometimes lead you to a dead end. Depicting the modern urban zone—familiar to city-dwellers everywhere—NW is a quietly devastating novel of encounters, mercurial and vital, like the city itself. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: This is my first experience of Zadie Smith, and for long periods I found it a slog. It feels very much style over substance at first, more about the writing style than characterisation or plot. The first half was slow, but it picked up massively once we met Natalie, and we actually were taken back to the childhood of Natalie and Leah and could piece everything together in a timeline that made a vague sense. The writing is good, and I did feel we got to know each of these characters intimately through the web that Smith weaves through their lives. But sitting down to write this review I am struggling to think of much to say, and it's mainly because not a lot actually happens to anyone. Everyone starts off pretty miserable, finishes pretty miserable, and it's difficult to see anything that happened in the interim. Even the ending, when something actually does occur then drifts to a winding halt. I was fairly sure this book would finish as a 2, but the final half and the writing pulled it up to a 3 at the time I finished it. I'm going to trust myself on that one because I'm not sure now - and I am confident that in 6 months time I won't remember anything about this! 3/5 (I liked it)

Had a ridiculously busy week so not much reading time, but stuck on a train today and should finish Cider With Rosie for the ECC. Am reading some non fiction about the cocaine trade alongside. Just a slight change of pace

Take care of yourself Ben. We would love to hear from you if you can pop in from time to time.

Great review Willoyd. I also loved that book. You've made me want to carry on with the series now - but with the joy of a reread first!

NW by Zadie Smith. Titled for the London postcode. Not that obvious!

Finished NW! Was tempted to abandon but ploughed on and it pulled itself up to a solid 3 star read. Also finished Trainspotting - had to bump this up the pile due to impending cinema trip to see the sequel. Not sure enjoyed is the right word for that novel, but I found it a very thought-provoking read. I will get hold of the follow up at some stage and also read the prequel. Not sure what is next...

That's interesting. I adored The Shadow of the Wind but have The Angel's Game on my TBR and haven't felt like touching it for the two years it has lain there. Will be interested to see how you get on with The Prisoner of Heaven. ETA: really should have just read Chalie's reply and nodded assent!

I have The Tenant of Wildfell Hall on my TBR, so will be interested to hear your thoughts when you finish! I often have a lighter read on the go if I've got something heavy, but three at once is beyond me

Part of it is timing. I'm a big NFL fan, but it requires commitment to watch games at 1am if you have to get up at 7am for work. Futbol is certainly much more popular in the US than NFL here, but a 3pm Saturday game here kicks off at 10am on the east coast - so a little easier. I would like to see the Falcons progress but I suspect that is wishful thinking.

Thank you! I bought Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell following some reviews on here - maybe yours? I do intend to get around to it at some point! Thank you, Chrissy!

Copied from my book log: I picked this up with some trepidation as the choice for Essex in the English Counties Challenge. James' reputation left me intimidated, and the thoughts of both Janet and Willoyd didn't fill me with confidence that it was misplaced dread. However, onwards and upwards! This is supposed to be a scary read, filled with spirits and ghosts and the like. But it isn't. The children don't really do anything that can be regarded as creepy, or even weird most of the time. They do not acknowledge the ghosts/spirits, but the governess just 'knows' what they are doing, plotting and feeling. That isn't scary, it's just poor plotting. It is only short, but that shouldn't prevent good plotting or well-rounded characters - neither of which are achieved here. The children are 'adorable', apparently, but given that is repeated every second page, couldn't the author have added a couple more qualities to their characters? Ultimately, I didn't care for any of the characters here and by page 40 I was begging for someone, anyone, to get killed. The writing style is ok, feels very much of its time, with overly long sentences, why, use, a, full, stop, when, a, comma, will, do. Even with the page count standing at under 100, I only persevered with this due to the ECC nature. I initially gave this 2 stars, but I might end up revisiting that mark! 2/5 (It was ok, I guess) ETA: Having reread your review, Willoyd, I think you're right - this story would have been fresher in James' day. I got on ok with the style despite my criticism of the comma - it just requires concentration. My issue was with the story itself rather than the writing.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James Synopsis: A very young woman's first job: governess for two weirdly beautiful, strangely distant, oddly silent children, Miles and Flora, at a forlorn estate...An estate haunted by a beckoning evil. Half-seen figures who glare from dark towers and dusty windows- silent, foul phantoms who, day by day, night by night, come closer, ever closer. With growing horror, the helpless governess realizes the fiendish creatures want the children, seeking to corrupt their bodies, possess their minds, own their souls... But worse-much worse- the governess discovers that Miles and Flora have no terror of the lurking evil. For they want the walking dead as badly as the dead want them. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: I picked this up with some trepidation as the choice for Essex in the English Counties Challenge. James' reputation left me intimidated, and the thoughts of both Janet and Willoyd didn't fill me with confidence that it was misplaced dread. However, onwards and upwards! This is supposed to be a scary read, filled with spirits and ghosts and the like. But it isn't. The children don't really do anything that can be regarded as creepy, or even weird most of the time. They do not acknowledge the ghosts/spirits, but the governess just 'knows' what they are doing, plotting and feeling. That isn't scary, it's just poor plotting. It is only short, but that shouldn't prevent good plotting or well-rounded characters - neither of which are achieved here. The children are 'adorable', apparently, but given that is repeated every second page, couldn't the author have added a couple more qualities to their characters? Ultimately, I didn't care for any of the characters here and by page 40 I was begging for someone, anyone, to get killed. The writing style is ok, feels very much of its time, with overly long sentences, why, use, a, full, stop, when, a, comma, will, do. Even with the page count standing at under 100, I only persevered with this due to the ECC nature. I initially gave this 2 stars, but I might end up revisiting that mark! 2/5 (It was ok, I guess)

Roman Holiday by Jodi Taylor Synopsis: Another rollicking short story from the Chronicles of St Mary's. Question: What sort of idiot installs his mistress in his wife's house? Especially when that mistress is Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator, Queen of Egypt and the most notorious woman of her time? Answer: Julius Caesar - poised to become King of Rome. Or as good as. Question: At this potentially sensitive point in your political manoeuvrings, who are the last people you'd want crashing through the door, observing, recording, documenting ...? I think we all know the answer to that one. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: I am in love with the St Mary's series, and am reading all the novels and short stories in order - trying desperately to space them out and not inhale them! This short story comes in at 3.5, and I must admit I have been putting this off a bit due to the ending of book three, which left me very uncertain about the direction the rest of the series is taking. This is a standalone story that does not rely on you knowing the details of the novels, yet here was Taylor's wonderful sense of humour, refusing to take the series too seriously, talent for dialogue and tying everything together in such a short amount of pages. Ancient Roman is the setting this time, and the glimpses of Caesar and Cleopatra only add to what is a gloriously fun diversion. I now want to return to the series and can't wait to read the fourth novel. Job done, Taylor. 4/5 (I really liked it)