Janet's Log - Stardate 2015

[bobblybear]

I have put down Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.  TBH, I'm not sure I will pick it up again, even though it's a Book Club book and I normally persevere to the bitter end with them.  It's a shame as I've read a few great books set in India which have been wonderful.  I feel like I've been reading it forever but I'm only on P92.  

 

I just clicked on 'time left in book' and it tells me I still have 15h, 19m left to plough through. Apparently the film was on TV on Sunday night. I wish I'd known as I could have at least watched that before our meeting.

 

Yeah, I felt like I was reading it forever, and in the end just had to give up on it too.

[Chrissy]

I have the cd of Midnight's Children, beautifully and magically narrated by the wonderful late Lyndam Gregory. If you ever want to give it another try Janet I am more than happy to send it out to you. A module for my degree was on post colonial literature and this was a required read, but although it was super tough to get into it, by 100 - 150 pages I was hooked. 

 

It's a definite 100% 'marmite' book. 

[Janet]

Yeah, I felt like I was reading it forever, and in the end just had to give up on it too.

I'm quite relieved to read that - I thought I was the only one!

 

I have the cd of Midnight's Children, beautifully and magically narrated by the wonderful late Lyndam Gregory. If you ever want to give it another try Janet I am more than happy to send it out to you. A module for my degree was on post colonial literature and this was a required read, but although it was super tough to get into it, by 100 - 150 pages I was hooked.

 

It's a definite 100% 'marmite' book.

Thanks, Chrissy - that's really kind of you. I actually went on our library website and can get the same CD from Bristol Central Library so I could do that, but that's 22 hours of listening!

 

I know it's possibly difficult for you to answer this, seeing as you loved the book, but do you think I should give it another 50 (ish) pages? I have until the beginning of November to finish it.

[Janet]

My latest acquisitions!

 

 

 

[Chrissy]

I'm quite relieved to read that - I thought I was the only one!

 

Thanks, Chrissy - that's really kind of you. I actually went on our library website and can get the same CD from Bristol Central Library so I could do that, but that's 22 hours of listening!

 

I know it's possibly difficult for you to answer this, seeing as you loved the book, but do you think I should give it another 50 (ish) pages? I have until the beginning of November to finish it.

 

I think the book does have a turning point for some readers, and mine was around the 100-150 page mark. Until then it was a real mind boggling slog.  I do recall that a few others in the group just loathed the book quite passionately, with a couple never (don't tell my tutor) finishing it. 

 

The cd is my 'gardening all day' book of choice - I am currently 9 cds back in. 

[Nollaig]

Swallows and Amazons! I remember that from when I was a kid. No idea if I would still like it, though.

[chaliepud]

Ah Swallows and Amazons! I loved that book, especially as we frequently holidayed in the Lake District as a child. I think that , The Magic Faraway Tree and the Famous Five books were my favourite books as a child. I hope you love it Janet.

[Janet]

I think the book does have a turning point for some readers, and mine was around the 100-150 page mark. Until then it was a real mind boggling slog.  I do recall that a few others in the group just loathed the book quite passionately, with a couple never (don't tell my tutor) finishing it. 

 

The cd is my 'gardening all day' book of choice - I am currently 9 cds back in. 

Your secret is safe with me!    And that's a lot of gardening!  I hate gardening so if you ever feel the need to take on a project in order to listen to it again...  I'll provide cookies and tea! 

 

I haven't read a single thing this weekend!   I will give the book to P150.  At least I'll have given it a decent go.  Thanks 

 

Swallows and Amazons! I remember that from when I was a kid. No idea if I would still like it, though.

Ah Swallows and Amazons! I loved that book, especially as we frequently holidayed in the Lake District as a child. I think that , The Magic Faraway Tree and the Famous Five books were my favourite books as a child. I hope you love it Janet.

Thanks both. I've never read it before! I have family who live slightly north of the lakes so it's an area I've visited many, many times. I've always thought I ought to read it so I was pleased when it was chosen for Cumbria's entry to the English Counties Challenge. It had to be that really, didn't it!

[Janet]

I am on page 168 of Midnight's Children! 

 

Whilst I'm not loving it, I am enjoying it - so hurrah! 

[willoyd]

Thanks both. I've never read it before! I have family who live slightly north of the lakes so it's an area I've visited many, many times. I've always thought I ought to read it so I was pleased when it was chosen for Cumbria's entry to the English Counties Challenge. It had to be that really, didn't it!

 

I collected and read the whole series as a child - probably the first books I collected with my own pocket money (one could pick up a decent condition second-hand hard back for 2/6d - 12.5p).  I still have a complete collection (including a couple of the easier to find first editions - but not S&A itself which would be impossibly expensive I would have thought!).  Unlike Nollaig, I've reread them as an adult, and still enjoy them, favourites being Winter Holiday, Secret Water, and We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea.  Most of the sites are eminently visitable - whilst Ransome's country has been fictionalised, it's largely a merger of Windermere and Coniston Water, along with the land around them.  There's some fascinating books that cover all the background (Captain Flint's Trunk by Christine Hardyment was the pioneer, but Roger Wardale has written some good ones too, with plenty of pictures) and, sad that I am, we've visited most of the places.  It's done nothing to lessen the magic, rather the opposite.

 

Sorry if some or all of that is old hat - but Ransome is, by far and away, my favourite children's author.  Nobody else comes close, not even Milne.  Sadly, my son thought he was a bit old-fashioned, which I suppose sums me up perfectly!

Edited October 6, 2015 by willoyd

[Janet]

Sorry if some or all of that is old hat - but Ransome is, by far and away, my favourite children's author.  Nobody else comes close, not even Milne.  Sadly, my son thought he was a bit old-fashioned, which I suppose sums me up perfectly!

No need to apologise - it was very interesting.    I'm very much looking forward to it (I like a bit of old-fashioned!). 

[Alexi]

I enjoyed Swallows and Amazons as a kid (I was born in mid 80s) and during my reread as an adult for the English Counties Challenge. They are old-fashioned, but I find it interesting that it bothered your son but not me at all. As a kid, I devoured Enid Blyton's books as well, which are definitely a little dated but I loved them. They didn't resemble my life very much but then - it's fiction, I wasn't really expecting them to.

 

I'm tempted to read the whole of the series now - I never did as a kid, I read what was to hand and rarely got to read the whole series of things!

 

Sorry for hijacking Janet! I'm really enjoying our challenge and the books I've read as a result.

Edited October 7, 2015 by Alexi

[Janet]

 

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

 

The ‘blurb’

When Milo finds an enormous package in his bedroom, he’s delighted to have something to relieve his boredom with school. And when he opens it to find – as the label states – One Genuine Turnpike Tollbooth, he gets right into his pedal car and sets off through the Tollbooth and away on a magical journey!

 

Milo’s extraordinary voyage takes him into such places as the Land of Expectation, the Doldrums, the Mountains of Ignorance and the Castle in the Air. He meets the weirdest and most unexpected characters (such as Tock, the watchdog, the Gelatinous Giant, and the Threadbare Excuse, who mumbles the same thing over and over again), and, once home, can hardly wait to try out the Tollbooth again. But will it be still there when he gets back from school?

 

I really wanted to love this book – especially because it has been touted as a modern Alice in Wonderland and because it’s one of Kylie's favourites, but it just wasn’t up there for me with Carroll’s wonderful books.   The wordplay was clever but I just couldn’t warm to Milo at all and although I don’t mind books with a moral message, it rather came across as preachy.

 

It wasn’t all bad – there were some fun characters in the book and it’s certainly imaginative.  I was amused by the character called Dilemma having horns – being on the horns of a dilemma is a phrase my Mum uses a lot (and as is the nature of such sayings, so do I) but I’ve never come across it in a book before and when I mentioned it in someone's blog here a few people hadn't heard of the the saying.  I’m pretty certain that if I’d read it as a child it would have become a favourite. I just read it for the first time at the wrong time.   Sorry, Kylie. 

 

The paperback edition is 256 pages long and is published by Random House.  It was first published in 1961.  The ISBN is 9780007263486.  

 

2/5 (It was okay)

 

(Finished 4 September 2015)

[Janet]

Sorry for hijacking Janet! I'm really enjoying our challenge and the books I've read as a result.

It's fine - I like discussion in my thread!   

 

I hope you enjoy South Riding. 

[Janet]

 

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie

 

The ‘blurb’

Nick Buckley was an unusual name for a pretty young woman. But then she had led an unusual life. First, on a treacherous Cornish hillside, the brakes on her car failed. Then, on a coastal path, a falling boulder missed her by inches. Later, an oil painting fell and almost crushed her in bed.

 

Upon discovering a bullet-hole in Nick’s sun hat, Hercule Poirot decides the girl needs his protection. At the same time, he begins to unravel the mystery of a murder that hasn’t been committed. Yet.

 

Peter and I listened to another Poirot audio book whilst we were on holiday recently – once again wonderfully narrated by Hugh Fraser.  Poirot is holidaying at Cornwall with his friend Captain Hastings when he meets a young woman known as Nick.  Whilst they are chatting near the hotel, a wasp startles Nick and she goes on to tell Poirot how odd things keep happening to her including the failure of her car’s brakes and narrowly missing being hit by a falling rock whilst out walking.  She leaves and Poirot discovers that it wasn’t a wasp that nearly hit the young woman at all.  Concerned that someone is out to kill Nick, Poirot investigates quickly, hoping to prevent a murder…

 

As ever, this book is full of twists and turns that kept us guessing right up until its conclusion. Our choice of murderer changed many times, each suspect being a plausible one, until the dénouement which was a result that we didn’t guess at all!  Another top book by the queen of vintage crime – roll on the next one.

 

The paperback edition is 256 pages long and is published by Harper Collins.  It was first published in 1932.  The ISBN is 9780008129521.  I listened to it on audio book.

 

4/5 (Very good)

 

(Finished 16 September 2015)

[Chrissy]

I am on page 168 of Midnight's Children! 

 

Whilst I'm not loving it, I am enjoying it - so hurrah! 

 

I'm so pleased that you are enjoying it! I'll keep my fingers crossed that your enjoyment continues.   

[Janet]

Thanks, Chrissy.    Lack of time at the moment is holding up my progress but I'm hoping to have a good old session at it on Wednesday. 

[Janet]

 

Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

The ‘blurb’
Thomas Hardy's 'pastoral tale' of the wilful and capricious Bathsheba Everdene, her three suitors – the faithful shepherd Gabriel Oak, the lonely widower Farmer Boldwood, and the dashing but faithless Sergeant Troy – and the tragic consequence of her eventual choice remains one of the most enduring and popular English novels.

This classic was another English Counties Challenge  read- this time for Dorset. From that point of view it was an excellent choice, for what author is more synonymous with Dorset (albeit rebranded by him as Wessex) than Thomas Hardy?!

 

My review is posted here.

The paperback edition is 360 pages long and is published by various publishers including Wordsworth Editions. It was first published in 1874. The ISBN is 9781853260674. I read it on my Kindle.

5/5 (I loved it!)

(Finished 20 September 2015)
 

[Janet]

 

The Happy Prince and Other Stories by Oscar Wilde

 

The ‘blurb’

Immerse yourself in a world where the wonderful Stephen Fry reads some of the more memorable Children's short stories written by one of our most successful playwrights of all time - Irish poet, playwright and short story writer Oscar Wilde. A brilliant combination of reader and writer come together in these seven short stories. Stephen's voice takes you into a different kind of listening experience, enabling you to imagine narrative, settings, animals and people with vivid colour and meaning.  

 

I downloaded a PDF version of The Happy Prince some years ago but I never got round to reading it. 

 

The lovely Kay bought me this audio CD for Christmas last year, which contains this, plus other stories, sublimely narrated by the Stephen Fry.  I’ve read a few of Oscar Wilde’s plays before and also The Picture of Dorian Gray but I didn’t know any of these short stories before. 

The collection contains six short stories, each with a moral.  The titles are:

 

The Devoted Friend – a gardener becomes friends with a rich miller.  Although a friendship should be based on give and take, the miller takes from the gardener but doesn’t seem to give anything back.  However, the gardener remains a faithful and true friend.  When disaster strikes, will the miller do the right thing to save his friend, or is he ever to remain selfish and ungiving?

 

The Happy Prince – the statue of the Happy Prince is a thing of joy and great pride to the dignitaries in a town.  His shiny gold and precious jewels make him a thing of beauty.  But as he stands day by day on his podium he sees great poverty and sadness in the town.  With the help of a Swallow who is on his way to warmer climes for the winter, he uses his riches to bring happiness to people, but at what cost?

 

The Nightingale and the Rose – a nightingale helps a young man who is in love with a woman who will only agree to dance with him if he provides her with a red rose.  But the nightingale’s help comes at a great price.  Will paying this price make the young man happy?

 

The Remarkable Rocket – an arrogant rocket lords it over all the other fireworks who treat him as a figure of amusement and think him unfeeling.  He takes action to prove that he does have feelings, but this show of emotion could change things for him forever.

 

The Selfish Giant – a Giant owns a beautiful garden.  He’s been away for some time and the town’s children make use of this garden, playing in it on their way home from school.  The giant returns from visiting a friend and is angry to see his garden being used and so shoos the children away, but still he isn’t happy and he doesn’t understand why.  Will he discover what is missing from his life before it’s too late?

 

The Young King – this story doesn’t appear in all book versions of The Happy Prince and Other Stories.  It was originally published with a collection of other fairy tales under the title of The House of Pomegranates (I would like to read this collection!).

 

A young shepherd boy is the only heir to the King - his mother, the King’s daughter, had an affair and the resulting child was brought up by peasants as a commoner.  On the King’s death, the boy discovers his true identity and is soon living in riches in the palace and awaiting his coronation.  But a series of dreams shows him that riches aren’t everything and despite resistance from other quarters he struggles to do the right thing.

 

~

 

I was surprised at the references to Christianity in them. I had - wrongly it seems - assumed that Wilde would eschew religion and all it stands for in view of the way he was treated by society after his infamous trial!  Despite the references to God in some of the stories they do not come across as trying to preach to, or convert, the reader, so please do not let this element put you off reading them – they’re great.

 

Although their publication is usually aimed at children, these stories can be enjoyed by anyone of any age.  Wilde’s famous wit is here in spades and Stephen Fry is just the perfect narrator.  I have left the CD in my glove box and feel sure I shall listen to it again and again. 

 

Thanks, Kay, for the perfect present. 

 

The paperback edition is around 112 pages long and is published by various publishers including Wordsworth Editions.   It was first published in 1888.  The ISBN is 9780007316380. 

 

5/5 (I loved it!)

 

(Finished 23 September 2015)

[Nollaig]

Really glad you enjoyed Wilde's short stories

[Janet]

Have you listened to them/read them?  I know how much you love Dorian Gray (and the plays?).   What did you think if so?

[Nollaig]

I have read some of them, I don't think I've read all of them - or if I have it's been long enough that I don't recall them from your synopses. I remember the giant, prince, and firework ones. I really enjoyed them - not as much as his plays or Dorian, but I did like them. I don't find the religion thing that surprising, given that he grew up in Ireland

[Janet]

Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

The ‘blurb’
Into the valley of death...

Ahead, between the towering red cliffs of Petra, Sarah saw a cluster of tents and above them caves, hollowed out of the red rocks. She stared up at one of these which held a sitting figure. An idol? A gigantic squatting image? Her heart gave a sudden lurch of recognition... Gone, now, was the feeling of peace - of escape. Looming above her like an arch priestess of some forgotten cult, like a monstrous swollen female Buddha, was the figure of Mrs Boynton...

I listened to this audio book – another Poirot investigation narrated by Hugh Fraser - with Peter on a recent trip to London.

“You do see, don’t you, that she’s got to be killed…?”

On a trip to the Middle East, Poirot overhears two young people say these words outside his bedroom window. The detective ponders whether one day they may be part of a play or a book, or whether they might have a more sinister meaning…

The story moves to a discussion between a young doctor called Sarah and a French psychologist, Dr Gerrard, who are discussing a fellow guest - a domineering American matriarch called Mrs Boynton who rules over her dismal family with a rod of iron. They debate whether the woman’s cruel and sadistic nature has come about as a result of her former career as a prison guard or whether her nature led to that choice of career. The Boynton family arrive and the two medics watch the family – it appears that they are all terrified of ‘mother’ and are afraid to do anything at all without her permission.

Sarah and Dr Gerrard are therefore somewhat surprised when, on a trip to Petra, the old woman insists that her family go off exploring without her. Whilst they are away from the camp a murder takes place, and it is up to Poirot to identify the killer and solve the crime.

This Poirot is much darker with a far more sinister tone than previous books I’ve read or listened to that feature the Belgium detective – certainly in the build up to the crime the atmosphere is gripping and the character of the despicable Mrs Boynton is so well drawn that it is impossible to like or have any sympathy for the character.

As ever, Christie weaves the story with lots of clues and a few red herrings until its dénouement, and as with Poirot’s previous escapades I haven’t guessed the perpetrator, even though the clues are there! Another very enjoyable book by Agatha Christie, and I enjoyed the different tone of the book.

The paperback edition is 304 pages long and is published by HarperCollins. It was first published in 1938. The ISBN is 9780007119356. I listened to an unabridged audio book.

4/5 (I enjoyed it)

(Finished 3 October 2015)
 

[Janet]

I have read some of them, I don't think I've read all of them - or if I have it's been long enough that I don't recall them from your synopses. I remember the giant, prince, and firework ones. I really enjoyed them - not as much as his plays or Dorian, but I did like them. I don't find the religion thing that surprising, given that he grew up in Ireland

That's a good point - I guess some of it was indoctrinated (I think that's the word I mean!), but I just wasn't expecting it.  They were very good - helped enormously by Stephen Fry's narration. 

[Janet]

The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford

The ‘blurb’
Oh, the tedium of waiting to grow up! Longing for love, obsessed with weddings and sex, Linda and her sisters and cousin Fanny are on the lookout for the perfect lover.

But finding Mr Right is much harder than any of the sisters had thought. Linda must suffer marriage first to a stuffy Tory MP and then to a handsome and humourless communist, before finding real love in war-torn Paris…

Another English Counties challenge book - this time for Oxfordshire.  You can read my thoughts on it here.

 

It was amazing - I loved it!