Ian's reading 2015

[ian]

The complete works of H.P.Lovecraft by H.P.Lovecraft

 

I wanted something creepy to read over Halloween, and seeing as Stephen King regularly cites LOvecraft as a major influence, I thought it was about time I read something by him. First off, I should say that I didn't read everything in this collection. That was never my intention, as it would take too long, and it's always the kind of collection I can dip in and out of as I want. Instead, I picked either those stories I'd heard of, or those whose titles intrigued me. I did read the first 5 or so, and as these are presented in chronological order, I got a good idea of Lovecraft's early work. There is a wonderful sense of other-worldliness and an ever-present sense of impending doom that fills these stories, which is absolutely wonderful. His use of language is, at times superb. But, read together (which I guess they shouldn't be) I did get a feeling of repetition, and his use of the narrator of a story being unable to have the words to describe a particular horrfying sight did get on my nerves a little. The later stories, being longer, were better. Overall - 3/5

[Athena]

Nice review . It's good to know the stories are better read more apart. I tend to get author burnout too sometimes.

[ian]

 

Nice review . It's good to know the stories are better read more apart. I tend to get author burnout too sometimes.

 

I like the phrase "author burnout" - I will be using that!

 

In the meantime, I've suddenly almost completely lost my mojo for reading. I've just started "Bleak House" which probably isn't helping at all: I'm finding the very size of the book daunting which isn't something that normally bothers me. I don't want to be a slave to the book jar, but I also hate giving up on books. It may be that I've just had such a lot of other things on at the moment, when it comes to relaxing, I just want to veg out in front of the TV. I think I'll give it to the end of the weekend and if it hasn't improved, I'll put it aside for now and find something light (in both senses of the word).

[chaliepud]

Hope your mojo returns soon Ian.. I'm afraid I give up very easily these days, If I'm not hooked within a day or so I figure there are plenty of other books out there to read!

[ian]

Hope your mojo returns soon Ian.. I'm afraid I give up very easily these days, If I'm not hooked within a day or so I figure there are plenty of other books out there to read!

 

Super Mother-in-law to the rescue. I just popped round there tonight to pick something else up for Ruth and she said "Oh I've just finished the latest Lee Child if you want to borrow it" 

 

Excellent  

[Athena]

I like the phrase "author burnout" - I will be using that!

 

Sure . I'm not sure where I heard the phrase for the first time to be honest.

 

Super Mother-in-law to the rescue. I just popped round there tonight to pick something else up for Ruth and she said "Oh I've just finished the latest Lee Child if you want to borrow it" 

 

Excellent  

I hope you enjoy it !

[ian]

Make Me by Lee Child

 

“Why is this town called Mother’s Rest?” That’s all Reacher wants to know. But no one will tell him. It’s a tiny place hidden in a thousand square miles of wheat fields, with a railroad stop, and sullen and watchful people, and a worried woman named Michelle Chang, who mistakes him for someone else: her missing partner in a private investigation she thinks must have started small and then turned lethal.

 

Walking away would have been easier. But as always, Reacher’s rule is: If you want me to stop, you’re going to have to make me

(Taken from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts

First up, I've edited the above synopsis from Goodreads, as I thought it was a bit too spoilery.

 

I always feel my reviews of previous Lee Child books have been a bit apologetic, like it's something to be slightly ashamed of. Yes, these books aren't going to win any high-brow literature awards, and to some extent, they are all the same. But. I enjoy them. Simple as that. Call it what you like - guilty pleasure etc, there is something quite fun in reading about a man who doesn't shy away from problems, but tackles them head on and in the process takes out a whole crowd of bad guys. The story skims the line of believability at times, but doesn't cross it, so switch off the brain and just enjoy. My mojo was suffering a little, so this was a perfect read for me. Tellingly, I was probably going to bed 20 minutes earlier than normal, just so I could get some extra reading time in. In terms of where it sits amongst the other Lee Child books, I probably out it into top five and certainly better than Personal or Never Go Back. 4/5

[Athena]

I always feel my reviews of previous Lee Child books have been a bit apologetic, like it's something to be slightly ashamed of. Yes, these books aren't going to win any high-brow literature awards, and to some extent, they are all the same. But. I enjoy them. Simple as that. Call it what you like - guilty pleasure etc, there is something quite fun in reading about a man who doesn't shy away from problems, but tackles them head on and in the process takes out a whole crowd of bad guys.

There's nothing wrong with reading a book like this one . I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[ian]

The Devil's Teardrop by Jeffrey Deaver

 

After an early morning machine-gun attack by a madman called the Digger leaves dozens dead in the Washington, D.C., subway, the mayor’s office receives a message demanding twenty million dollars by midnight or more innocents will die. It is New Year’s Eve, and with the ransom note as the only evidence, Special Agent Margaret Lukas calls upon retired FBI agent and the nation’s premier document examiner Parker Kincaid to join the manhunt for the Digger --- or for hundreds, the first moments of the new year will be their last on earth.

 

My Thoughts.

 

This is good stuff. Great character's that you really end up caring about; multiple plot twists that keep you guessing up to the last page and a good, pacy plot. My only slight niggle? There is a sub-plot involving the protaganist's kids that doesn't seem to go anywhere. 4/5

[ian]

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

 

The story of Don Vito Corleone, the head of a New York Mafia family, inspired some of the most successful movies ever. It is in Mario Puzo's The Godfather that Corleone first appears. As Corleone's desperate struggle to control the Mafia underworld unfolds, so does the story of his family. The novel is full of exquisitely detailed characters who, despite leading unconventional lifestyles within a notorious crime family, experience the triumphs and failures of the human condition. Filled with the requisite valour, love, and rancour of a great epic, The Godfather is the definitive gangster novel. (from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts

 

I don't know why, but I expected this book to be a really difficult read. However, I simply lapped it up. There is a nice economy of language used in Mario Puzo's writing; nearly everything is understated. There isn't a huge amount of overt violence either, like the titular character himself, the violence is largely implied. Of course it was impossible for me to read this without visualising the film, which follows this to a large degree if memory serves - it's been a long time since I saw any of them. One thing, and it's this that lost one mark for me - the sex. There is some, and most of it is very badly described. There is also one sub-plot involving Sonny Corleone's mistress and a doctor that had me cringing in embarrassment. 4/5

[Nollaig]

Glad you enjoyed The Godfather, I loved that book. Watched the film after reading it and just couldn't take himself seriously as Don Corleone. Not at all what I imagined from reading the book.

[frankie]

I haven't seen the film nor have I ever been interested in it, but when I read the Donnie Brasco book, I thought I really want to read The Godfather. I'm glad you enjoyed the novel! For some reason I've also thought that it might be a difficult read but I'm glad to hear that it's not  

[bobblybear]

I like the movie, and read the book years ago but can't remember how they compared to each other. I still have the book on my bookshelf, so I must have enjoyed it enough to not have given it away. Looks like it's another one I'll be re-reading at some point.

[ian]

It's interesting - I don't read other peoples reviews of a book I'm reading until after I've finished it myself - I don't want my opinion to be coloured by other reviews. When I read what other people had written about The Godfather, I was quite surprised about the strength of feeling that some women have towards who the female characters are portrayed.  It's not something that I picked up strongly on myself - perhaps not surprisingly being a man, but I thought it worth pointing out and it would probably influence whether I would recommend The Godfather to a woman to read in future. I suppose you have to allow some leeway for the time in which it was written.

[ian]

Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz

 

The world's most famous spy, James Bond, has just returned victorious from his showdown with Auric Goldfinger in Fort Knox. By his side is the glamorous and streetwise Pussy Galore, who played no small part in his success. As they settle down in London, the odds of Galore taming the debonair bachelor seem slim—but she herself is a creature not so easily caught.

Meanwhile, the struggle for superiority between the Soviet Union and the West is escalating. In an attempt to demonstrate Soviet strength, SMERSH plans to sabotage an international Grand Prix in the hot zone of West Germany. At the Nürburgring Racing Circuit, Bond must play a high-speed game of cat and mouse to stop them, but when he observes a secretive meeting between SMERSH's driver and a notorious Korean millionaire, it becomes clear that this is just the infamous organization's opening move.

An orphan of the Korean War, he has a personal reason for wanting to bring America to its knees. He's helping SMERSH decisively end the white-hot space race—but how? With the help of an American female agent, Bond uncovers a plan that leads first to Florida and then to New York City, where a heart-stopping face-off will determine the fate of the West.

This thriller has all the hallmarks of an original Ian Fleming adventure and features welcome familiar faces, including M and Miss Moneypenny. Horowitz delivers a smooth and seductive narrative of fast cars and beautiful women, ruthless villains and breathtaking plot that will leave readers hanging until the very end.

 

My Thoughts

 

I've read all the original Bond books but none of the new books up to now. What pleased me with this book is just how authentic it feels. Horowitz uses similar language  and his action scenes were, in my opinion, very well delivered. This is the Bond from the books too - a touch more vulnerable; a little bit of self-doubt.  Perhaps inevitably, with a book that's both set in the sixties and written to 'feel' like it fits into the original canon, it sometimes comes across as a little dated. 

 

One thing - when reading at work in my lunch hour, I can't resist the temptation to go onto Google Earth and look up some of the places my books take me. I was very pleased to see that Wallops air field actually has a road within it called Bond Street! 

 

4/5

[ian]

Everything on my TBR pile is now a fairly long book, and as I know that I have at least 3 books from family coming my way, I've decided to go back to the collection of H.P Lovecraft to fill the time between now and then.

[frankie]

It's interesting - I don't read other peoples reviews of a book I'm reading until after I've finished it myself - I don't want my opinion to be coloured by other reviews. When I read what other people had written about The Godfather, I was quite surprised about the strength of feeling that some women have towards who the female characters are portrayed.  It's not something that I picked up strongly on myself - perhaps not surprisingly being a man, but I thought it worth pointing out and it would probably influence whether I would recommend The Godfather to a woman to read in future. I suppose you have to allow some leeway for the time in which it was written.

 

 That is indeed interesting! I was trying to say something but couldn't get it right in writing, so I'll just say this: I know what you mean about having to allow some leeway, not matter how wrong it feels. I mean  you don't have to, you can choose to throw the book out the window, but if you do want to read it and finish it and you like it for other things, it's just easier if you keep in mind the time frame of when the book was written. 

[bobblybear]

If I'm really enjoying a book, then I won't read reviews until I'm finished, mainly for fear of spoilers. If I'm not enjoying a book at all (and considering giving up), then I will read reviews to see what others think and if they are as critical as me.

 

I also need to be careful about reading some reviews before I start a book, as often that can colour my experiences. For example, before I read Wolf Hall, I read so many thing about the authors use of the word "he", instead of specifying who she was talking about. So when I read the book, I was consciously watching out for that, and I have wondered whether I would have noticed or even cared, had I not read about it beforehand in some reviews. It was also the same with another book, that there was criticism about sentence structures in some reviews.....and when I read the book, it was always in the back of my mind and kind of ruined the experience.

[frankie]

If I'm really enjoying a book, then I won't read reviews until I'm finished, mainly for fear of spoilers. If I'm not enjoying a book at all (and considering giving up), then I will read reviews to see what others think and if they are as critical as me.

 

I also need to be careful about reading some reviews before I start a book, as often that can colour my experiences. For example, before I read Wolf Hall, I read so many thing about the authors use of the word "he", instead of specifying who she was talking about. So when I read the book, I was consciously watching out for that, and I have wondered whether I would have noticed or even cared, had I not read about it beforehand in some reviews. It was also the same with another book, that there was criticism about sentence structures in some reviews.....and when I read the book, it was always in the back of my mind and kind of ruined the experience.

 

One man's niggles are another man's... not-even-noticed'ables!