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Your Book Activity - December 2014


Athena

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Read A Bear Called Paddington in pretty much one sitting last night. I've got very fond memories of this, as it was one of my most treasured books as a child, and, with the film hitting the cinemas, thought I'd give it a quick rewhirl. It's brilliant! Simply told but with a humanity and poise that other more 'literary' writers would do well to learn from. It's also still laugh out loud funny!

I've also been reading Dorothy Sayers's The Nine Tailors as part of the English Counties Challenge, finishing the second half in one sitting this morning. I was sure I'd read this before, but the more I got stuck into it, the more I realised that I must have seen it on TV or dipped in (I had a vague recollection of the solution which turned out to be accurate in what I remembered, but was missing much). I can see why some people say it's the best detective story ever: I've not read any Sayers before, and the depth of story takes her writing way, way beyond the bounds of a mere 'crime' novel. The climax (and I'm not talking about the solution here) is superbly told - real heart in mouth stuff, and one of the best pieces of writing about a setting within a novel I can recall. I really must tackle the rest of her work soon.

Edited by willoyd
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That's great to hear! I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books (loved them) but I haven't yet read Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, I'd be happy to hear what you think of it once you've finished it.

 

It's quirky and funny, but I'm not enjoying it as much as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (which I want to re-read at some point). Part of the problem is that the TV was on when I was reading it yesterday, and I ended up half-listening to the TV and half-reading the book, so I think I've missed a bit of the story. :doh: That will teach me to pay attention. :doh:

 

I didn't know what it was about beforehand and wasn't all that interested, because somehow it always made me think of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and that always makes me sad.

 

I have this on my wishlist. I saw the movie last year and thought it was brilliant. Have you seen the film?

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I don't exactly know what I am doing with my reading.  I started Rainbow Rowell's Attachments and while it's good, I think I need something different.  So I now I am 10% into Ender's Game. 

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I have this on my wishlist. I saw the movie last year and thought it was brilliant. Have you seen the film?

I loved that movie!  Hated the book though, couldn't get into it.  Something about the way it was written, I believe.

*Sorry to hijack*  Frankie- Eddie Vedder did the soundtrack.

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It's quirky and funny, but I'm not enjoying it as much as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (which I want to re-read at some point). Part of the problem is that the TV was on when I was reading it yesterday, and I ended up half-listening to the TV and half-reading the book, so I think I've missed a bit of the story. :doh: That will teach me to pay attention. :doh:

 

That's awkward when that happens :(

 

I don't exactly know what I am doing with my reading.  I started Rainbow Rowell's Attachments and while it's good, I think I need something different.  So I now I am 10% into Ender's Game. 

I hope you enjoy it :)!

 

I made some good progress in Tais Teng - Cepheïde, I'm about half way through now. It's a collection of science-fiction and fantasy short stories, some of them are quite interesting :). I'm sure some of you would like some of these stories if they were translated into English. The author has thought up some really interesting concepts. He's written a lot of full length novels, so I might check some of those out some time, I do believe I saw some at the library, but in the end just picked the short story collection up to borrow.

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I feel like I need some fiction up next so it might be time for The Bell Jar.

 

On a slightly related note, I finished reading Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen yesterday. Kaysen and Plath both stayed at the same mental hospital (but at different times).

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I started yet another book and now I have three books on the go :blush: I started Looking for Alaska last night in bed and read 200 pages straight :o I'm really liking it! I didn't know what it was about beforehand and wasn't all that interested, because somehow it always made me think of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and that always makes me sad. But the book has nothing to do with that :D But I'm getting to the latter part of the book, in fact I finished reading when the second section started and I'm worried. Mighty, mighty worried :hide:

 

Loved John Green's Looking for Alaska...and pretty much all John Green's books (An Abundance of Katherines is my fave.) except oddly A Fault in Our Stars.

 

I have finished Peace is Every Step :smile:

 

I feel like I need some fiction up next so it might be time for The Bell Jar.

 

The Bell Jar would be a great choice. :)

 

I started reading The Narrative of John Smith by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle whilst I was away. I have always wanted to read Arthur Conan Doyle first novel from the moment I learned of it; such a far cry from Sherlock Holmes. So far The Narrative of John Smith does not disappoint. I find the themes within the narrative quite interesting.

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I have this on my wishlist. I saw the movie last year and thought it was brilliant. Have you seen the film?

 

Do you mean Into the Wild or Looking for Alaska? I'm guessing Into the Wild. No, I haven't read the book or seen the movie. The mere thought makes me sad :( Is it a sad movie?

 

I loved that movie!  Hated the book though, couldn't get into it.  Something about the way it was written, I believe.

*Sorry to hijack*  Frankie- Eddie Vedder did the soundtrack.

 

I know :cool: He's the coolest!

 

On a slightly related note, I finished reading Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen yesterday. Kaysen and Plath both stayed at the same mental hospital (but at different times).

 

Oh wow, you started and finished it! Oh boy. I wonder what you made of it. I should go and catch up with your reading log.

 

Loved John Green's Looking for Alaska...and pretty much all John Green's books (An Abundance of Katherines is my fave.) except oddly A Fault in Our Stars.

 

I'm not keen on A Fault in Our Stars for some reason. Maybe because of the hype, maybe because at least at the moment I just don't want to read about young kids being terminally (?) ill. But I enjoyed Looking for Alaska, more than I expected to, and I'm going to see what else I could read by him :)

 

 

As for book activity: I finished Looking for Alaska, Lyyra soittaa salat and The Man in My Basement today and started reading She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb :)

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I'm not keen on A Fault in Our Stars for some reason. Maybe because of the hype, maybe because at least at the moment I just don't want to read about young kids being terminally (?) ill.

I suggest An Abundance of Katherines, which I just read last week and became my favorite book of the year!  I loved it.

A Fault in our Stars is about terminally ill teenagers, but they have so much fun together.  It will make you cry though :)  I only saw the movie, but I hear the book is really excellent too.  I prefer the movie on this one, Shailene Woodley is in it!

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I suggest An Abundance of Katherines, which I just read last week and became my favorite book of the year!  I loved it.

A Fault in our Stars is about terminally ill teenagers, but they have so much fun together.  It will make you cry though :)  I only saw the movie, but I hear the book is really excellent too.  I prefer the movie on this one, Shailene Woodley is in it!

 

I'll check out An Abundance of Katherines, thanks! :)A Fault in Our Stars might be fun in parts but I'm just not into reading about terminally ill youngsters at the moment. I guess in general I'm more into lighter books at the moment. :shrug:

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Do you mean Into the Wild or Looking for Alaska? I'm guessing Into the Wild. No, I haven't read the book or seen the movie. The mere thought makes me sad :( Is it a sad movie?

Sorry - I meant Into the Wild. It was frustrating rather than sad because of

how ill-prepared he was. Had he explored his area a bit more, he could have saved himself.

 

 

There are a lot of interesting articles about him - reading them now, actually -  and a lot of criticism as well.

 

As for book activity: I finished Looking for Alaska, Lyyra soittaa salat and The Man in My Basement today and started reading She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb :)

Oh, I loved She's Come Undone. I really liked the main character - Dolores, I think her name is. Hope you get on well with it. :smile:

 

I'm stuck for what to read next. I want to read books that have been on my TBR pile for a while, so if I look at books I bought in 2012 I've narrowed it down to:

 

The Book of Human Skin - Michelle Lovric

The Misremembered Man - Christina McKenna

Requiem - Ken McClure

 

Decisions, decisions! :thud:

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Sorry - I meant Into the Wild. It was frustrating rather than sad because of

how ill-prepared he was. Had he explored his area a bit more, he could have saved himself.

 

 

There are a lot of interesting articles about him - reading them now, actually -  and a lot of criticism as well.

I know what you mean in your spoiler. And I know about the frustration. But the frustration makes me sad, too :D

Such a wasteful death. It irks me so much that I think I cannot read the book because I'd only want to tell the guy to get a fukking grip and I'd probably want to throw the book out the window.

 

 

 

Oh, I loved She's Come Undone. I really liked the main character - Dolores, I think her name is. Hope you get on well with it. :smile:

I was at the library yesterday, trying to find a good book to get into during the holidays, and came by She's Come Undone. The book is called "Dolores and the flying foot" in Finnish, so I had no idea which book it was until I checked the inside pages. As it was the only Wally Lamb on the shelf, and as I really liked the sound of the blurb, I had to get it, and I started it right after I'd finished my other current books. I checked if I had the book on my wishlist (I only knew that I wanted to read some novel by Wally Lamb, I wasn't sure if I had any particular books of his on my list), and sure enough, She's Come Undone was on the wishlist and I'd also written your name down as the person to recommend the book. Thanks! :lol:  :friends3:  I've only read 42 pages so far but I'm liking it!

 

 

I'm stuck for what to read next. I want to read books that have been on my TBR pile for a while, so if I look at books I bought in 2012 I've narrowed it down to:

 

The Book of Human Skin - Michelle Lovric

The Misremembered Man - Christina McKenna

Requiem - Ken McClure

 

Decisions, decisions! :thud:

 

Oooh! I have both The Book of Human Skin and The Misremembered Man on my wishlist. It's bound to be a tough choice. Maybe The Misremembered Man? :gl:

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I know what you mean in your spoiler. And I know about the frustration. But the frustration makes me sad, too :D

I guess it depends on how sympathetically the book is written. Not actually sure how it is written - if the author uses actual diary excerpts, or if they wrote it from an impartial point of view based on their own research. I found the articles to be more critical and full of analysis than the movie, but so many writers have opinions on what went wrong. Mind you it's been a few years since I've seen the movie, so I don't remember too much about it. :blush2:

 

I was at the library yesterday, trying to find a good book to get into during the holidays, and came by She's Come Undone. The book is called "Dolores and the flying foot" in Finnish, so I had no idea which book it was until I checked the inside pages. As it was the only Wally Lamb on the shelf, and as I really liked the sound of the blurb, I had to get it, and I started it right after I'd finished my other current books. I checked if I had the book on my wishlist (I only knew that I wanted to read some novel by Wally Lamb, I wasn't sure if I had any particular books of his on my list), and sure enough, She's Come Undone was on the wishlist and I'd also written your name down as the person to recommend the book. Thanks! :lol:  :friends3:  I've only read 42 pages so far but I'm liking it!

 That's an odd translation! I can't even remember any reference to any 'flying foot'. You'll have to let me know if you come across a 'flying foot'. :D  Oh, if I recommended it, I really hope you enjoy it! :giggle2:

 

 

Oooh! I have both The Book of Human Skin and The Misremembered Man on my wishlist. It's bound to be a tough choice. Maybe The Misremembered Man? :gl:

 

I'm hoping I'll be able to read all 3 over XMas, as I have 12 days off and I don't plan on doing much but lazing around and reading (and eating :blush2: ). :boogie:

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I guess it depends on how sympathetically the book is written. Not actually sure how it is written - if the author uses actual diary excerpts, or if they wrote it from an impartial point of view based on their own research. I found the articles to be more critical and full of analysis than the movie, but so many writers have opinions on what went wrong. Mind you it's been a few years since I've seen the movie, so I don't remember too much about it.

 

That's true, you can approach the subject from so many different viewpoints, and choose from different tones. I should probably see if there's a thread on the book on here and see what people have said. I'm getting rather curious now :rolleyes::D 

 

That's an odd translation! I can't even remember any reference to any 'flying foot'. You'll have to let me know if you come across a 'flying foot'. :D  Oh, if I recommended it, I really hope you enjoy it!

I was hoping it's an inside joke that everyone who's read the book will immediately recognize and find funny or amusing :D Otherwise it sounds like a really odd translation for the title. Not very appealing, is it :lol: I'll keep my eyes open for the flying foot and remind you of it, that is, if I can find it myself. What if it flies straight over my head? :hide: 

 

 

I'm hoping I'll be able to read all 3 over XMas, as I have 12 days off and I don't plan on doing much but lazing around and reading (and eating :blush2: ). :boogie:

Awesome!! That's a long holidays and I love it that you have the whole time for yourself and just enjoying yourself. :smile2:

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Finished reading Penelope Fitzgerald's The Gate of Angels this morning. I can't say that any one book of hers stands out sufficiently to get amongst my favourites, but I do find her writing somewhat addictive, as with Muriel Spark and, to a lesser extent, Beryl Bainbridge; she is definitely amongst my favourite writers. She's not one to waste words either, and this has to be one of the most succinct endings I've read in ages!

So, the next book is my sixtieth of the year, only the second time I've reached this figure as an adult. I think it's going to have to be a reread of A Christmas Carol!

Edited by willoyd
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Alas!  I am still adrift in book abyss.  I read good things and then, I just stop.  I don't know what is going on :blink:

Awwww :(. I finished Tais Teng - Cepheïde after not reading much the past few days. Today and tomorrow though are two busy days so I don't know how much time and energy I'll have to read, once I pick a new book.

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Started and finished The Misremembered Man (by Christina McKenna) yesterday, which gives an indication as to how good it was.

 

So, I've just looked on Amazon at the deals and so far have bought:

 

The Shock of the Fall - Nathan Flier

Burial Rites - Hannah Kent

The Secret Keeper - Kate Morton

Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War 1914 - Max Hastings

Eats, Shoots and Leaves - Lynne Truss (wanted this one for ages)

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler

The 33 Strategies of War - Robert Greene

 

Doesn't do my TBR pile any good, but I'm happy with them nonetheless. :D

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I got home today after a week away to find a book from the Book Depository waiting for me (Christmas Day—perfect timing!) I had ordered it last week but never imagined it would get here before Christmas. Anyway, the book is Diaries and Selected Letters by Mikhail Bulgakov. The BD was selling it for over 50% off for a limited time, so I simply had to get it, you see!

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Started The Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric, but I'm going to have to put it to one side and pick up something else. It's so difficult to follow largely due to the writing style (phoenetic rather than proper English), which is really disrupting the flow. :thud:

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Started The Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric, but I'm going to have to put it to one side and pick up something else. It's so difficult to follow largely due to the writing style (phoenetic rather than proper English), which is really disrupting the flow. :thud:

 

That was one of the reasons I never finished it, in spite of loving The Floating Book.

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