bobblybear Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 (edited) I'm sorry you didn't enjoy Pop.Co... Maybe it was the italian translation that made the whole thing more enjoyable?! The end of Mr.Y is one of the bokk I love the most, anyway. Yes, it seems to be the general consensus that The End of Mr. Y is a bit better than PopCo. I get annoyed with her because there's so much potential in her stories but she doesn't always end them well. I preferred The End of Mr Y to PopCo so fingers crossed you will too bobbs. I just hope The End of Mr Y isn't as preachy as PopCo. That's what irritated me. I thought the story was brilliant and then it seemed to go off on this 'You must be a vegan, homoeopathy remedy using person, that hates large corporations and here are all the reasons why' rant that just spoiled it for me. Anyway, I'm now back onto Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. I think I'll finish that one before starting anything else, unless it gets to be too heavy again. Edited January 12, 2013 by bobblybear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I've read another fabulous chapter from Sightlines all about an exhibit of whale skeletons in a Bergen museum, so I'm half way through now, but think I might make it my main read this weekend. I also started a collection of short stories, as I realised the other day that I read none last year, so that needs to be addressed this year. It's called Qissat and is an anthology of stories from Palestinian women writers. I read the first two this morning and thought they were excellent, so I'm looking forward to the rest of it now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I have been a bit confused at times as well and had to go back to check names and details, but on the whole I've really enjoyed it, it's certainly full of surprises! And of course, there's the elephant! You can't top that! Haha. Stiff has become my book to read when I have a spare minute or two, so I'm literally reading one paragraph at a time. Once I've finished TCV, I'll be able to devote more time to it. Yay! Are you laughing as hard as I was, when you're reading the book? It's so great. A must non-fiction read for all people who don't mind a bit of macabre. Finished My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece, a good story about death, grief and recovery from the perspective of a 10 year old boy.. Its a book that should come with a mini pack of tissues.. I know you said it was saddening, but now that I know it's told from the perspective of a young boy... Anyway, I'm now back onto Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. I think I'll finish that one before starting anything else, unless it gets to be too heavy again. Is this true crime? Is it any good, would you recommend it? I was having too much fun yesterday on the forum, and I didn't do any reading except for the odd couple of pages in bed before I fell asleep... I hope to make more of an effort today and get on with Uncle Tom's Cabin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Is this true crime? Is it any good, would you recommend it? Yes, it's true crime but it's more from a police procedural point of view, rather than a profiler point of view. It's very good reading, but is also heavy going. It's very detailed and quite dark (which is why I had to put it down for a while). It was made into a very well known TV series (which I have never seen but heard a lot about) and the author also did The Wire (another TV show). It concentrates on the detectives as much as it does the victims, so you get a balanced view. Basically the author followed the detectives of the Baltimore Homicide Unit around for a whole year (1st Jan - 31st December, sometime in the 1980's) and documented all their cases plus a bit of background on each detective. He keeps himself out of the picture as well so you never hear his opinion or thoughts, rather he just documents what he sees. It's nearly 700 pages long, so not a quick read. It started off which some quick open-and-shut cases, I think to give the reader a feel for what the environment is like, and then a bit further on he focuses on a few 'red-ball' cases (high priority cases, where the victim is truly innocent - ie. not a drug deal gone wrong, etc.) and how they have progressed. So far I've refrained from googling them as I want to see if they got solved in the end or not. They also name the streets, etc. and I have gone on to Google Street View to have a gander and the places are so bleak, but it does help visualise it a bit better. I'd recommend it for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Yes, it's true crime but it's more from a police procedural point of view, rather than a profiler point of view. It's very good reading, but is also heavy going. It's very detailed and quite dark (which is why I had to put it down for a while). It was made into a very well known TV series (which I have never seen but heard a lot about) and the author also did The Wire (another TV show). It concentrates on the detectives as much as it does the victims, so you get a balanced view. Basically the author followed the detectives of the Baltimore Homicide Unit around for a whole year (1st Jan - 31st December, sometime in the 1980's) and documented all their cases plus a bit of background on each detective. He keeps himself out of the picture as well so you never hear his opinion or thoughts, rather he just documents what he sees. It's nearly 700 pages long, so not a quick read. It started off which some quick open-and-shut cases, I think to give the reader a feel for what the environment is like, and then a bit further on he focuses on a few 'red-ball' cases (high priority cases, where the victim is truly innocent - ie. not a drug deal gone wrong, etc.) and how they have progressed. So far I've refrained from googling them as I want to see if they got solved in the end or not. They also name the streets, etc. and I have gone on to Google Street View to have a gander and the places are so bleak, but it does help visualise it a bit better. I'd recommend it for sure. Yeah, I figured as much from the title. This is not the kind of true crime book I normally read, but regardless of that and also because of that I think this would make a great reading: it's another view to true crime. Thanks for the information, you've definitely managed to sell it to me, I'm adding this to my wishlist! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I usually prefer the profiler and psychological point of view as well in true crime. I think all of the true crime books I have read have been generally about serial killers, purely because of the psychological aspect of it. But even though Homicide isn't focused on that side of the crimes I'm still enjoying it as much as any other true crime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I just hope The End of Mr Y isn't as preachy as PopCo. That's what irritated me. I thought the story was brilliant and then it seemed to go off on this 'You must be a vegan, homoeopathy remedy using person, that hates large corporations and here are all the reasons why' rant that just spoiled it for me. I agree entirely, nobody wants to be bashed over the head. I don't think the end of The End of Mr Y gets preachy, she gets a bit bogged down with the science side of things though and in that way it's a wee bit similar in that she is letting her own interests dominate. Write about what you know sure but don't bang on about it until your readers glaze over. Not the best of endings either but worth reading because it is a little bit different. It could have been so much better though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I'm over half way through I Capture the Castle and am enjoying it, but because I can only manage to read up to about 20 pages of it at one time, it has relegated to second place in popularity - first is the paperback I have started, The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I'm over half way through I Capture the Castle and am enjoying it, but because I can only manage to read up to about 20 pages of it at one time, it has relegated to second place in popularity - first is the paperback I have started, The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier. I'll be interested to hear what you think of The House on the Strand Ooshie as I'm a newcomer to Du Maurier's books and I'm hoping her other books are just as good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I started Les Miserables at Christmas and I'm not even half way through yet. I'm not getting on well with it to be honest but I really don't want to give a book up unfinished this early in the year. I have managed to finish 2 books on the bus though. Coffee with Buddha and Florence and Giles, I really liked this up to the end but I was left feeling ambiguous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Just about to start Wolf Within: How I learned to Talk Dog, in preparation for my wolf walk later this year, can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookmonkey Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I finished Standing in Another Man's Grave last night. Another excellent Rebus book. I'm just about finished The Good German. I started it a couple of weeks ago, but had to read the Rebus first as there are a lot of people on the reserve list for that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I finished Fifty Shades Darker by E. L. James and have started Fifty Shades Freed by E. L. James. I'm actually enjoying it a lot more than i thought i would! I read the trilogy, and found enough story in it to enjoy. I always say it really is just a story of redemption. Thank you so much everyone for your kindnesses-I appreciate the more than I can say. I'm still working on The Passage; Life of Pi and Tiny Birds Fly Away. I think reading three at a time is a bit much as I don't seem to finish anything so I'm going back to two at a time -much more manageable for me carm, very, very sorry to hear of your loss and troubles. I read The Passage year before, and The Twelve last year. Now I feel as though I need to go back and reread as my mind is boggled! lol I really liked both, but need to straighten out exactly who did what to who, when. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I have managed to finish 2 books on the bus though. Coffee with Buddha and Florence and Giles, I really liked this up to the end but I was left feeling ambiguous. I liked Florence and Giles. Very dark story with an ambiguous ending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 About 180 pages into The Iliad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I'll be interested to hear what you think of The House on the Strand Ooshie as I'm a newcomer to Du Maurier's books and I'm hoping her other books are just as good? The House on the Strand was one of my favourite books in my teens and I read it several times so was a bit wary of reading it again in case it didn't live up to my memories, but I'm enjoying it just as much this time around. It's unusual for du Maurier in that it involves time travel, but I think it's a great book. I read quite a few of hers over the last couple of years and enjoyed them all (some more than others, of course!). I am looking forward to reading Rebecca, as I thought I had read it, but actually think I have just seen the film many times! I will look forward to hearing which of her books you choose next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 About 180 pages into The Iliad Ooh, how is it? The smiley face bodes well. I spent the early morning fixing up my fiction shelves. I wanted to take pics but can't find my good camera anywhere, so I'll have to keep them nice and tidy for a while longer. I also spent a large chunk of time sorting through my downloaded ebooks to organise them into folders and update my spreadsheet. Man, I'm such a nerd. I also managed to read a bit more of The Casual Vacancy and Stiff (and yes, Frankie, it has me laughing at loud! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Ooh, how is it? The smiley face bodes well. I'm really enjoying it. It's a lot easier to read than I thought it would be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 That's good to hear! I've translated parts of it from ancient Greek to Dutch, for school. I've been tempted to buy it in English and read it.. maybe I should. I do like ancient Greek mythology and stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I've just finished Qissat and I've got two chapters of Sightlines left to go, so hoping to finish that one today as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 That's good to hear! I've translated parts of it from ancient Greek to Dutch, for school. I've been tempted to buy it in English and read it.. maybe I should. I do like ancient Greek mythology and stories. It's completely new ground for me - I'd never even thought of trying anything like it until last year. I spent ages deciding which translation to try. I must've looked at six or seven versions trying to work out which one read the best for my tastes. So I'm actually quite relieved that I'm enjoying it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 It's completely new ground for me - I'd never even thought of trying anything like it until last year. I spent ages deciding which translation to try. I must've looked at six or seven versions trying to work out which one read the best for my tastes. So I'm actually quite relieved that I'm enjoying it Glad you're enjoying it, I was thinking of getting of the audiobook of this. It is read by Alfred Molina, which can't be bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipread Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I've finished my first book of the year my first book for about 4 months actually! I'm so happy and relieved. It's The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson. Such a good read full of surprises! Frankie I love Sonya! (I was going to give my favourite example but can't do spoilers ) so I'm thinking of it instead. It is hard to top that you're so right. My next read will be Phantom - Jo Nesbo. I'm so looking forward to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 (I was going to give my favourite example but can't do spoilers ) For a spoiler, you can either type the text you want in tags, highlight it and then click on the blue and green stripy square in the tool bar at the top left-hand side of the reply box and select spoiler from the drop-down box, or, if you can't remember that, merely type [ spoiler] at the beginning of the text you want to hide and [/ spoiler] at the end, but without the space before the word spoiler. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I've finished my first book of the year my first book for about 4 months actually! I'm so happy and relieved. It's The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson. Such a good read full of surprises! Frankie I love Sonya! (I was going to give my favourite example but can't do spoilers ) so I'm thinking of it instead. It is hard to top that you're so right. I'm so happy you enjoyed the novel Everybody needs a friend like Sonya Good luck with your next read, I hope it'll keep your mojo happy (If you need help with spoilers, first select the text you want in spoilers. The for the spoiler: it's the third icon from the left, right before the 'font' thing. Click on it, and you'll get a list of different functions and somewhere there is 'spoiler', click on that and that should do it ) Edit: Hehehe! When I was reading through pipread's post, I noticed that Janet's reading this thread, too, and I just had this feeling she'd be helping pipread with the spoiler tags and I'd be too late Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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