Willoyd's Reading 2014

[willoyd]

Had a fairly major raid on the local charity shop a few days ago, and the Waterstones sales today. Most years, I'll go into Waterstones after Christmas and find, maybe, one or two books in their sale that I want to buy. It was rather more than than this year! Fortunately, I had a couple of book vouchers, a Waterstones loyalty stamp card, and some points on my Waterstones card to pay for them all.  It's a long time since I bought so many books so quickly! 

From charity shop:
Her Brilliant Career - Rachel Cooke
The Letters of Vita Sackville-West to Virginia Woolf - De Salvo and Leaska (eds).
Moments Captured - Robert Seidman
Illuminations - Mary Sharratt

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Jay Fowler

The Go-Between - LP Hartley

Waterstones sale (most at half price)
In These Times - Jenny Uglow
The Edge of the World - Michael Pye
Lingo - Gaston Dorren
Housekeeping - Marilynne Robinson
The Atheist's Guide to Christmas - Sherine, Harvey and Meyers (eds)
Moriarty - Anthony Horowitz
Life on the Edge - Jim Al-Khalili and Johnnjoe McFadden
Lamentation - CJ Sansom

Edited December 27, 2014 by willoyd

[Athena]

I hope you enjoy all your new books !

[willoyd]

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond ******

I've long had a fondness for Paddington, a series of books that I grew up, with 'The Adventures of Paddington' (a hardback omnibus of the first two or three novels) being one of the first books I can recall owning. I was also born only a few days before the first Paddington novel was published (which in turn was only a few days before the first edition of Blue Peter on television - auspicious or what?!), so there's always been that extra degree of affinity!

 

However, it's an eon or two since I last actually read any Paddington books, although I did indulge and buy a beautiful set of Harper Collins hardbacks a year or two ago (special deal through the Folio Society!). With the film recently out (Yes, I want to see it!), it seemed like a good chance to give the books a go again. So, it was with some trepidation (not wanting any illusions shattered) that I picked up the first in the series.......

 

I needn't have worried. Within what felt like seconds, I'd slipped effortlessly back into reading what has to be one of the best children's books/series ever. The writing is simple, but also incredibly elegant, not a word wasted. The stories are equally simple, but equally beguiling|: I just couldn't stop reading! Above all, they are funny, with Paddington fully exploring the potential pitfalls of twentieth century urban living. I ripped through the book in no time at all, finishing it feeling vastly happier with life and full of admiration for Michael Bond's superb story telling. Genius!

Edited December 29, 2014 by willoyd

[willoyd]

The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers ******

I've long thought that I've previously read this. Certainly I was vaguely familiar with the ending (although not sufficiently so to spoil any enjoyment from rereading) but, having decided to tackle it as part of the English County Challenge, I realised that I've either read it so long ago that I've forgotten the vast bulk of it, or I haven't read it before at all.

 

Whatever, I was immensely and pleasantly surprised at what a superb read it turned out to be. I've always classed the Wimsey books as 'yet another' mid-century detective series, reinforced by memories of an excellent but still fairly lightweight TV series with Ian Carmichael. In the event, it turned out far better than that, with a depth and texture far exceeding so many other examples of the same genre. Yes, there is a slight vapidity to the character of Wimsey, but there is so much going on in terms of characterisation, setting and the level of detail (in this case, the bellringing), as well as plot beyond the actual crime, that the book rises way above the normal whodunnit level. In particular, the denouement was so much more powerful than anything I expected, the climax of a plot that had long bubbled up under the main thread. For some reason, I've long held off getting stuck into the Wimsey novels (in spite of OH's enthusiasm for them!), but that is obviously overdue a change. I should listen to my wife more often!!

 

 

[willoyd]

The Gate of Angels by Penelope Fitzgerald *****

Penelope Fitzgerald is one of those authors who gradually, bit by bit, gets right under your skin. Initially, her books feel very light, positively incosequential. It's only when you've sat back at the end, and her endings always make you sit back on your heels, abrupt as they usually are, that you realise how deep the novels actually are. At least that's the impact they have on me!

 

The language is partly what fools: her writing, in a similar vein to the likes of Beryl Bainbridge and Muriel Sparks, is remarkably tight, with the reader strongly encouraged, by the almost casual dropping of a few words, to fill in detail aplenty. What appear to be trivial asides come back to play pivotal roles, and if you weren't paying attention......! However, it's not difficult to keep focus: after all, Fitzgerald's books rarely exceed 200 pages, even if they contain more than any novels twice as long.

 

The Gate of Angels is one of the novels in Fitzgerald's second phase. The first phase were all comtemporary, drawing extensively on her own experiences. Later, her books moved to the historical, of which this is one. Set in the pre-First War period, it's the story of Fred, a fellow at an Oxford college which demands celibacy, and Daisy, a trainee nurse from a working-class background, who come together (almost literally!) in a bicycle accident. Fred falls rapidly in love, but Daisy has a secret.

 

Themes of class differences, women's rights, religion versus science, underlie a narrative that splits into two strands before gradually weaving itself into one, and abounds with quirky but not unlikeable characters, even down to the minor players (see for instance the blind but surprisingly aware college dean, and the almost laughlingly self-centred host where Daisy stays in Oxford).

 

I initially gave this book 4 stars, but thinking more about it (and her books are distinctively provocative), anything less than 5 would be a travesty. It's just that it took that time to sink in that it would be!

Edited December 29, 2014 by willoyd

[willoyd]

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens ******

This is at least my second reread of this short but iconic story (iconic is a thoroughly overused word in the modern day lexicon, but it is no less appropriate here for all that). The first time I read it, I thought it was a bit over-dramatic, even sentimental. Second and (now) third readings have completely belied that (or it might be that I'm just getting more sentimental as I'm getting older - I think not though!), and the book has grown on me enormously. As a result, I upped the rating to 5 stars last year; this year, I'm putting it firmly in the 'favourites' category, with a full 6 stars. I don't intend to review it again, simply to say I think it's brilliant!

[willoyd]

Underground England by Stephen Smith **

 

A follow up to his book Underground London, this continues a similar theme, exploring (surprise, surprise), different aspects of underground life across the country. And there's a fair bit of it, including caves (man-made and natural), tunnels, burial mounds, priest holes, bunkers etc etc.

 

In a similar style to the London book, this is a book more about the author's travels (the clue is in the subtitles!) and experiences than about the places themselves, although inevitably they feature! However, harder information is somewhat lacking at times.

 

Unfortunately, whilst the London theme gives a reasonably tight focus, this book is also spread very much more thinly. This is not helped by the fact that several chapters in the middle of the book are nothing to do with being underground at all, looking at the fate of Dunwich (fast disappearing due to sea erosion) and drowned villages such as Mardale (beneath Haweswater in the Lakes). Surely 'underground' was broad enough, without bringing in extraneous detail.  Within chapters, there is an equal lack of coherence, with sites often so intertwined, it's hard to work out which one he is talking about.  This is also book that would have been seriously improved with some decent site maps and/or pictures - there are, unfortunately, none.  Amazing how often non-fiction writers think that their words alone will suffice.

 

The combination of all this is that, whilst it's a pleasant enough read (when the author isn't trying to impress with his use of a thesaurus, and when you can follow where he's talking about), there just isn't enough depth or meat to really make this particularly worthwhile. Initially, I was going to give it 3 stars, as there were sections which I enjoyed, but in all honesty, this really is a great opportunity wasted; there is an excellent travel book here waiting to be written, but Stephen Smith doesn't appear to be the person to achieve it. What a pity. 

Edited December 30, 2014 by willoyd

[chesilbeach]

I haven't read any Penelope Fitzgerald, but I keep seeing you praise her in posts, so I'm going to have to try and get to her book on the English Counties list sooner rather than later and try her work for myself!

[willoyd]

I haven't read any Penelope Fitzgerald, but I keep seeing you praise her in posts, so I'm going to have to try and get to her book on the English Counties list sooner rather than later and try her work for myself!

Unfortunately, I think that of those I've read, The Bookshop is the weakest. I enjoyed it but my favourite so far is Offshore, which is the one with which she won the Booker, so I don't think I'm alone in rating it highly! I also loved The Blue Flower, although I was a bit on my own on that one when we read it as a bookgroup (chosen by one of the others in the group, who had also loved Offshore). I'll see about the other books over the next year or so!

Edited December 30, 2014 by willoyd

[willoyd]

The last two reviews of the year!

Dead White Female by Lauren Henderson ***
Some years ago (ten, twelve??), I went through a phase of consuming vast amounts of crime fiction - fairly lightweight, usually with a strong female lead character. Sarah Dunant's Hannah Wolfe remains a favourite (why oh why were there only three books?!), but others included PD James's Cordelia Grey (why oh why were there only two books??!!), Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum (now I know why!), Sara Paretsky's VI Warshawski (I must revisit these), even Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta (which promised much early on, but disintegrated rapidly for me). One whose books have remained on my shelves ready for rereading was the much less well known Lauren Henderson and her metropolitan sculptor/detective (what a combination!), Sam Jones. Henderson even coined a phrase to describe this type of book, Tart Noir, although for me, none of those above (except for, perhaps, Stephanie Plum) quite fit the same mold - Sam Jones definitely had a mind of her own!

For some reason, I read pretty much all of her books bar the first one, Dead White Female. I then found a paperback copy in a local charity shop recently.....

Well, it wasn't quite what I expected. Sam herself is very much the character I remember, and one I would want to read more about, and the plot certainly starts off well enough, but the development is where I started to have a few doubts. However interesting the characters, this sort of story is about the plot and whilst there are enough twists to keep one on board, it never really developed sufficient bite or uncertainty to really involve me. Towards the end, it all it fizzled out a bit, with the ending just a mite too predictable from a mite too far away - it really could only have been one person whodunnit.

However, there were distinctive strengths. In particular, aside from the lead character, I enjoyed the whole atmosphere that the author generated. Whilst for some it will feel somewhat dated (the book is very much of the nineties!) that actually added to my enjoyment. In the end though, I'm really left in two minds: either my reading has moved on, and this series is not the sort of reading I'm into any more, or the series got better. The only solution is to find out!

Swimming to Heaven by Iain Sinclair ****
This is a short little tome, barely sixty pages long, subtitled 'The Lost Rivers of London', based on a talk Iain Sinclair gave in 2009, published by The Swedenborg Society as part of a series. In Sinclair's usual digressive way, it looks at how these rivers even after their 'disappearance' still influence the urban landscape and the narratives derived from it. Inevitably, being as short as it is, it doesn't dive in as deeply as the subject could merit, but it's written beautifully, and provides some fascinating nuggets, particularly in linking various disparate events together. All in all, a good way to finish the year off.

Edited December 31, 2014 by willoyd

[willoyd]

So, that's me done and up to date for the year. 63 books and 19000+ pages is a new record, and there's been some great reading on the way, made all the more enjoyable by sharing other people's experiences on these pages. I've written a full, and typically wordy(!), review of the year at the start of my 2015 thread, but essentially, if next year is as good as 2014 I'll be really pleased!

Edited December 31, 2014 by willoyd

[chesilbeach]

I don't remember coming across Iain Sinclair before, but in an odd coincidence, I saw his book mentioned in the Guardian's most eagerly awaited non-fiction books of 2015, and his new book sounds interesting, so I've been looking up his other work.  Have you read any other books of his?

[willoyd]

I don't remember coming across Iain Sinclair before, but in an odd coincidence, I saw his book mentioned in the Guardian's most eagerly awaited non-fiction books of 2015, and his new book sounds interesting, so I've been looking up his other work.  Have you read any other books of his?

 

I tried a couple of earlier ones, and found them difficult to read (e.g. White Chappell, Scarlet Tracings), and I've dipped into later ones (I've got London Orbital on my shelves to read).  Most of my reading of his has been magazine articles etc.  Very lyrical, very strong on London atmosphere, not always easy to follow his line of thinking, heavily into psychogeography.  One of the writers on London though.

Edited December 31, 2014 by willoyd