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Poppyshake's Reading Year 2015


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I hope you have great time in 2015 poppyshake  :smile: . You have a great TBR mound there, and it reminded that I still have Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Leaf Storm and The Autumn of the Patriarch in my list too :giggle: . Happy reading!

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I hope you have great time in 2015 poppyshake  :smile: . You have a great TBR mound there, and it reminded that I still have Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Leaf Storm and The Autumn of the Patriarch in my list too :giggle: . Happy reading!

Thanks Marie :) It is a great TBR pile .. a little on the large size but I'll try and remedy that a bit this year  :blush2: Here's hoping :)

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The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-Mi Hwang
 
Synopsis: This is the story of a hen named Sprout. No longer content to lay eggs on command only to have them carted off to the market, she glimpses her future every morning through the barn doors, where the other animals roam free, and comes up with a plan to escape into the wild—and to hatch an egg of her own. An anthem for individuality and motherhood, The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly has captivated millions of readers in Korea. Now the novel is making its way around the world, where it has the potential to inspire generations of readers the way Jonathan Livingston Seagull or The Alchemist have. And with Nomoco’s evocative illustrations throughout, this first English-language edition beautifully captures the journey of an unforgettable character in world literature.

 

Review: Lovely book, simply magical. It's only short (just 134 pages) so easy enough to gobble up in one sitting and it's the sort of story that, once started, you won't want to put down. Sprout reminded me a bit of Jemima Puddleduck .. to begin with anyway .. she just wants to be allowed to hatch an egg of her own. She's not as stupid though thankfully though neither is she the brightest hen in the coop. It is, as one reviewer put it, a little allegory on life .. but it's not twee or preachy .. or maybe it is twee .. I'm probably not the best judge  :blush2:  Sprout is not particularly plucky. Quite by chance she gets the opportunity to live out her dreams, not in the way she intended .. life can be full of surprises .. but in an equally fulfilling way. It's fraught with danger though but some things are worth fighting for. If you're at all sentimental then I'm pretty sure you'll love it. The beautiful illustrations make it all the more special. It's an absolute gem :) LOVED IT!!

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We Need to Talk About Kevin Bridges by Kevin Bridges 
 
Synopsis: Kevin Bridges, Scotland's 'young comedy prodigy' (Guardian), has followed a meteoric path, from his first five-minute set in The Stand comedy club in Glasgow to selling out the SECC to a record-breaking 100,000 fans. Born in Clydebank he still lives in Glasgow. Now, at the tender age of just twenty-seven, Kevin puts pen to paper to tell his story so far in his brilliant memoir, We Need to Talk About . . . Kevin Bridges.

Review: Enjoyable. I'm not that familiar with Kevin's work .. I do know him and have seen him on programmes like 'Live at the Apollo' and 'Have I Got News For You' but I haven't seen a lot of him. I wanted something to listen to and something to cheer me up in particular and so this appealed. I may not have downloaded it though if I'd known it's content because for the first part it's anything but cheery .. well .. he is a comedian so everything is told with humour but he was a very insecure child with crippling school phobia. It wasn't until he went up to senior school that he stopped making ugly scenes at the school gates .. his poor Mum was at her wits end. Like a lot of comedians though humour was a coping mechanism for him. He found he could make people .. including teachers .. laugh and this spurred him on and gave him confidence. At the ridiculously young age of seventeen he managed to book himself into a slot at the Stand comedy club. He had no idea at all what to expect and only told his parents at the last minute. In fact I think he only told them because the club said he had to be accompanied by an adult as he was underage and it was a licensed premises. It went outstandingly well but not all gigs that followed did. Sometimes he was only playing to ten indifferent people etc. It was a long hard slog to get to where he is today and he does go into it in detail which I enjoyed .. never having been through the process. It's fascinating actually and you wonder how on earth comedians can stand to go through their apprenticeship. You have to be driven and you have to be fresh and have a constant supply of fresh material. If you stand still you're over. It's clearly something you have to love doing and Kevin does. Wonderfully read by him in his broad Glaswegian accent. LIKED IT! 

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Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon

 

Synopsis:  'The horror on the train, great though it may turn out to be, will not compare with the horror that exists here, in this house.' On Christmas Eve, heavy snowfall brings a train to a halt near the village of Hemmersby. Several passengers take shelter in a deserted country house, where the fire has been lit and the table laid for tea - but no one is at home. Trapped together for Christmas, the passengers are seeking to unravel the secrets of the empty house when a murderer strikes in their midst.

 

Review: I knew we would be friends as soon as I saw it  :smile: The cover instantly drew my attention. I'm not quite so frivolous these days though .. not since Franny & Zooey got one over on me :D I always read the synopsis too and this one started with 'On Christmas Eve ....' .. what? .. I'm in! :D I think you all know by now that I like my murder mysteries to be nice and comfy cosy. I don't like anything graphic .. Agatha never stooped to that :D This was originally published in 1937 so it's already in comfy cosy territory but not too cosy. It's very atmospheric and full of shivery moments. I do love it when sensible people do stupid things .. like wander around west wings etc or ferret about in the back of wardrobes after they've been given fair warning and these people do something equally rash. They get off a stationary train .. in heavy snowfall .. in the hope that they'll find shelter. Some of them are still in hopes that they will be able to reach their destination before Christmas Day (ha ha ha!! .. deluded fools!) One of the first people to get off the train is Mr Maltby of the Royal Psychical Society. He's a sensible man and very intuitive but strange, a bit creepy and prone to go off into trances. From the very beginning he conjured up Alistair Sim to me who would've played him perfectly. All the action takes place during Christmas Eve and most of it takes place in Valley House. The house is seemingly deserted but the fires are lit, there's a kettle boiling on the stove and a bread knife on the kitchen floor :hide: That's the first mystery for them to worry about then .. and more are on the way. The snow continues to fall thickly blocking up the doorways .. it's impossible for them to try and move on now and anyway .. night is falling fast.

It's not a long book .. approx 250 pages .. so pretty easy to read in one or two sittings and it's a book I didn't want to put down for long. I wish I could have read it on Christmas Eve but that is frankly ridiculous. I'm far too busy having a nervous breakdown somewhere for that but all the same .. if it could be managed .. it would be brilliant. The book says it's a 'A Christmas Crime Story' and I believe there are more which I will be looking into. This one has been heavily promoted though which leads me to believe .. rightly or wrongly .. that it may be the best. Perfect winter read. Possibly only for those that love vintage crime stories though. Loved It!!

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Sounds like you are off to good start with your reading...I love the sound the book about the wee hen... :giggle:

I hope it continues Diane .. the good start I mean. I often make good starts but then go on to make bad endings :D The wee hen book is lovely  :smile: 

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I wish you a very happy and healthy year, Poppyshake, with lots of wonderful books.  :friends3:

 

I love looking over your well-ordered lists and challenges. You've read a very impressive number of the 1001 books! I think I'm hovering around the 100 mark.

 

I look forward to reading your reviews throughout the year. They always make me smile. :) And oh dear, you've already made me add two books to my wishlist (The Hen Who Dreamed and Mystery in White).

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I wish you a very happy and healthy year, Poppyshake, with lots of wonderful books.  :friends3:

Thanks lovely Kylie :hug: You too xx

I love looking over your well-ordered lists and challenges. You've read a very impressive number of the 1001 books! I think I'm hovering around the 100 mark.

I have been much longer on the planet though Kylie which accounts for it :blush2: .. in fact .. going on that .. I'm well behind you. Anyway .. I've already realised that I will die before reading most of these books .. trying to attempt it might even kill me :D  

I look forward to reading your reviews throughout the year. They always make me smile. :) And oh dear, you've already made me add two books to my wishlist (The Hen Who Dreamed and Mystery in White).

Ha ha .. that's what we're here for .. to enlarge other people's TBR's as well as our own  :D I don't feel guilty as you will be doing the same to me. I think you will love both books .. hope so anyway xx 

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Think I'm going to have to check out The Hen myself! Sounds very sweet :)

Yes .. check the reviews Noll. It is very sweet .. but might not be to everyone's taste. 

Great reviews, I'm glad your reading is off to a good start :)!

 

EDIT: I'm not sure now what the proper English expression is, sorry if it's wrong :unsure:..

Thanks Gaia :) Nothing wrong with the expression at all :) 

Heathen  :D

Geek!  :D

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The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
 
Synopsis:
'I was lying dead in the churchyard...' So says eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce - but soon a murder provides a gruesome distraction from her own death. A travelling puppet show arrives in the sleepy English village of Bishop's Lacey, and everyone gathers to watch a performance of Jack and the Beanstalk in the village hall. But a shadow is cast over proceedings when a shocking murder takes place during the performance - a murder which strangely echoes a tragedy that occurred many years before. For Flavia, undoing the complex knot that ties these strands together will test her precocious powers of deduction to the limit - and throw a revealing light into some of the darker corners of the adult world.

 

Review:  I read Alan's first Flavia de Luce mystery a few years ago (The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie) and really enjoyed it. Would have liked to have read the others but I didn't have them on the shelf and anyway .. I hardly ever do that. For some reason unknown to man .. I like there to be a gap before I continue on with a series. Trouble is the gap always grows and by the time I get around to it I've usually forgotten the characters and set up completely :blush2: Flavia though stuck in my mind as I was so taken with her the first time. The stories take place in the 1950's so though not written then they have that lovely vintage feel. Flavia is quite unlike anyone I've ever come across .. even in print. She has an incredibly wise head on her shoulders but she's a little bit on the wicked side as well and knows just about all there is to know about poisons  :D .. this has the potential to be disastrous as she's not above seeking revenge on those who cross her (number one candidate .. her sister Ophelia.) Thankfully .. and quite by chance .. a crisis is always somehow averted.

 

Having helped to solve the mystery of the corpse in the cucumber patch Flavia fancies herself as a bit of a detective (for a start she has a very impressive chemistry lab) so when another murder takes place in Bishop's Lacey, she's only too pleased to hop on board her trusty bicycle, Gladys, and go hunting for clues.

 

I loved the first chapter where Flavia is describing being dead in the churchyard .. the incorrigible little minx. The great pleasure of these books is the humour that runs through them .. you won't be guffawing or anything but you'll be smiling constantly. I thought the plot was tight and always interesting but that's not the great attraction for me .. I just love spending time in Flavia's head :D 

Would love to see the BBC adapt them one day for TV. If you like Sunday teatime type of detective stories .. you'll love these books for sure.

Liked it!! (Really I loved it but .. rather like the Thursday Next's .. I always think there'll be a definitive book in the series .. and so like to leave room for improvement :D

Edited by poppyshake
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