bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 Flight Behaviour - Barbara Kingsolver I'm getting into Barbara Kingsolver, and have read a couple of her books recently. While I enjoyed this one, it wouldn't be a favourite. Dellarobia is a young-ish woman (mid-twenties) who feels she is stuck in a rut. She has a secure marriage to Cubby, and two young children, but wants more in her life. One day, she heads up into the woods to have an affair with a young man she has recently met. However, while up there she sees a 'lake of fire' in the trees, which turns her back home. This area of woodland is to be logged, but when she reveals what she has seen, people from the world all over come to witness the phenomeonon and Dellarobia finds herself at the centre of it all. The book pushes climate change, but thankfully it is not too heavy handed about it, and there is still a decent story in there. But I felt that the story sort of veered off in a sudden direction towards the end, almost as though the author had a change of heart about the kind of book and character Dellarobia was. On the whole, I liked it and would recommend it, but as I said earlier it is not my favourite by her. 3.5/6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Wow, you wrote a lot of reviews! Are you caught up now? I see you've read quite a few books you really enjoyed (and unfortunately a few you didn't enjoy so much). Shame about Cell, it'll be one Stephen King book I won't be rushing out to read. I'm glad you enjoyed the first Harry Potter book, I hope you enjoy re-reading the rest of the series . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 It is so irritating when reviews give away so much (Faber), Amazon is notorious for that. I didn't know Michael Faber stopped writing because his wife died; how sad! I've been meaning to get to Crimson Petal and the White for a really long time- the size daunts me. It was pretty early for Barbara Kingsolver to be pushing climate change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 Wow, you wrote a lot of reviews! Are you caught up now? I see you've read quite a few books you really enjoyed (and unfortunately a few you didn't enjoy so much). Shame about Cell, it'll be one Stephen King book I won't be rushing out to read. I'm glad you enjoyed the first Harry Potter book, I hope you enjoy re-reading the rest of the series . Unfortunately not! I still have 6 to write. Yes, I would avoid Cell. He has written more that are so much better. It is so irritating when reviews give away so much (Faber), Amazon is notorious for that. I didn't know Michael Faber stopped writing because his wife died; how sad! I've been meaning to get to Crimson Petal and the White for a really long time- the size daunts me. It was pretty early for Barbara Kingsolver to be pushing climate change! Oh don't let the size of The Crimson Petal and the White put you off. The book is so well written that it just flies by. I don't know if the 'twist' in the Faber book is only a twist in my opinion, as I recall many reviews mentioning this plot point in their review introduction. I just thought it added another layer of mystery and I was so glad I was unaware of it when I started the book. Flight Behaviour was written in 2013, so only a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 The Strange Library - Haruki Murakami This is a very short book and can easily be read in an hour or so. Typical of Murakami, it is extremely surreal but also beautifully presented. Every page is illustrated, as you can see from the pictures below. The story however, is mediocre, and if not for the illustrations it wouldn't be half as interesting to read. Our main character is struck by a thought about the collection of taxes in the Ottoman Empire. He pops into a library to do some research, and he finds himself locked in a room in the basement, where his only companions are a strange man in a sheep costume who cooks delicious donuts, and a girl who speaks with her hands. It's all very odd, and I'm sure there is some meaning behind it, but I didn't understand it. I loved looking at the illustrations though, but if not for that, it would probably only score a 1 or 2 out of 6. 3/6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Wait, what? I posted in here earlier!! Where did my post go?! I said great reviews, and that I already have one book, want to read another and have added a third (the Faber one) to my wishlist. Stupid post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 Thanks, Noll. What a bummer (re: lost post!). Hope you enjoy the Faber book when you get to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Oh wow, I thought it was a lot older than that, around the time of Homeland And Other Stories... but I also thought HAOS was older than 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 (edited) Behind Closed Doors - Elizabeth Haynes (abandoned) This is the fourth Elizabeth Haynes novel I have read. I absolutely loved Into The Darkest Corner, which was very dark and original. One of the others I read was pretty decent but the other two (including this one) were very ordinary. Ten years ago, 14 year old Scarlett was abducted while on holiday in Greece. She has just been found not far from her home town in the UK, and our lead detective Louise Smith, is intrigued to find out what happened to her in those ten years and why Scarlett didn't try to make contact with her family. This was so very dull. The book swapped between 14 year old Scarlett in Greece capturing the events leading up to her abduction, and the present time following her discovery. Neither timeline was particularly interesting, although if it had been written differently, there would be a decent story in there. As it was, I wasn't interested in any of the characters, or what they were going through. The detective was one dimensional, and boring as anything; Scarlett's family were all dysfunctional (but over-exaggerated as such), and none of it rang true to me. I read it as long as I could but I think I gave up around the halfway mark, and skimmed the rest. I think I will give up on Haynes as she's unfortunately not my cup of tea. 1/6 Edited October 21, 2016 by bobblybear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 A Wrinkle In Time - Madeline L'Engle This was a book I read many times during my childhood. A recent discussion on here prompted me to pick it up again, and I'm so disappointed in how boring I found it. Young Meg Murray's father has gone missing. He is a scientist, and within the family it is suspected that he has disappeared due to an experiment (something to do with a 'tesseract') but no-one can get to the bottom of where he has gone. Along with her brother, Charles and friend Calvin, Meg goes on a bit of an adventure to find where he is. Boy, this was a struggle, and I ended up skimming through most of the second half. I can't put my finger on what I didn't like about it – the story, and the way it was written, and just the feel of the novel. It's a bit dated in the way the characters behave, but even if you put it in a modern setting I think I still would have struggled. Not recommended, however it is a bit of a classic, so others may well enjoy it. 1/6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Ouch, fourth one! Well, you definitely gave her a fair chance. I'm gonna bump Corner up though, I'm intrigued by it. Love this onslaught of reviews! You can do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 Yeah, I thought I had read three of her books, but it turns out there were four. Just goes to show how memorable they were. Four reviews to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 (edited) A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki Ruth finds a Hello Kitty box washed up on the beach of a local Canadian village. In it, is a collection of letters and a diary filled with purple girlish writing. This box turns out to be debris washing up from the 2011 tsunami which hit off the coast of Japan. Ruth decides to read the diary and the letters in the hope that she can return the items to their owner. The author of the diary turns out to be a young teenage girl, Nao. The book moves between Nao's diary and Ruth's view and analysis of it. I loved the character of Nao, who is desperate to tell the story of her great-grandmother Jiko, while also battling with school bullies, a depressed father and a culture that she can't fit in to (she grew up in California). There is a bit of zen philosophy within the story (Ruth Ozeki has recently been ordained – is that the right word? - as a Zen Buddhist priest) if one wants to read it at a deeper level, but even if you don't (and I didn't) it tells a very interesting story. The book is peppered throughout with footnotes to translate some Japanese words from Nao's diary (which is primarily written in English), which gives it an authentic and non-fiction feel (though as far as I know, it's fiction, even though the main non-diary character shares the author's name). I loved following Nao's story, much more than Ruth's story – as it was a bit more relatable and interesting to me. Things got a tad strange towards the ending, when Ruth is convinced that the words are disappearing from the diary, but aside from this step into the surreal it was a very good read. The Time Being in the title refers to any creature who has ever existed in time, so there is a bit of a play on words, which I loved. Nao describes it much better in the opening chapter: "A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be." Such a great opener. The book doesn't have a firm conclusion, but that didn't bother me much. It has ended up being another one of my top reads for the year. It's only £1.89 on Kindle if anyone is interested. I look forward to reading other Ruth Ozeki books, especially My Year of Meats which is intriguing from the title alone. Highly, highly recommended. 5.5/6 Edited October 21, 2016 by bobblybear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 When Will There Be Good News? - Kate Atkinson I really need to give up on Kate Atkinson. Her writing style doesn't suit me, and the only reason I picked this up was because a small part of it was set in Devon. This is another book in the Jackson Brodie series. I'm now more familiar with how Atkinson lays out her books, with many seemingly separate characters all converging together at the end. I suppose it is cleverly written, but for some reason, I struggle to keep hold of all the threads. The book starts off with a young family being brutally murdered while walking home from the bus stop in rural Devon. There is a sole survivor - Joanna - who's story we later pick up some 30 years on. Combined with this, is the story of a young orphaned girl, struggling to make it on her own, with a delinquent brother being her only remaining family. In the background, Jackson Brodie is conducting an investigation of his own, but his path is soon to be crossed by the other characters mentioned above. On the face of it, it's a good book and well written, but for some reason, it simply doesn't suit me. On the plus side, I managed to finish it, which is more than I can say for most of Atkinson's other books. 2/6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 The Stand (Marvel Comic version) - Stephen King The Stand is my favourite book of all time, and I have read it more times than I can remember. The premise is around a superflu, accidentally released due to an accident on an army base. This superflu wipes out 99% of the human race. The remaining survivors have dreams – either of a friendly old black woman in Nebraska, or the 'dark man' in Las Vegas. Depending on their character, they are then pulled either towards the good or the evil side. This is the graphic novel version, so it is heavily abridged in terms of dialogue, but still comes in at a whopping 760 pages. It's beautifully presented as a hardback with a slipcase, and superb illustrations. A minor criticism is that I picked up on two spelling errors, which is such a shame. Having read the book numerous times, I know the story inside out, but this added an additional layer to it through the illustrations. It followed the uncut version of the book, but due to it's format it doesn't have a lot of the subtext and sub-stories. Highly recommended, if you are a fan of the book, and fancy have a nice little collectible item. 5/6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 Omigosh, my final review! The Rook (The Checquy Files) - Daniel O'Malley (abandoned) Our lead character (Myfawny – we are told it rhymes with Tiffany) wakes up outside in the night with 4 people dead nearby and no memory of who she is. She finds a letter in her pocket addressed to her telling her that she is now inhabiting the letter-writer's body and tells her where she needs to go to recuperate. It turns out that she is part of a secret government organisation, called The Checquy, which polices and controls supernatural activities within the UK. She finds many letters and a binder full of notes left by her previous self, which gives more clues about who she is and what she needs to do. It turns out that someone within The Checquy wants her dead. These notes often describe supernatural creatures and events, to give a bit of background, but I found these were far too long, and had the effect of pulling me out of the story. I hate giving up on books but three quarters of the way through I have had enough. It simply isn't my kind of book. For the same reason I couldn't finish Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series – it's something about the supernatural that bugs me. At the same time though, I can happily read Harry Potter, so who knows what the difference is. It's part of a series, and as you can guess, I won't be bothering with the others. 1/6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I didn't know The Stand was your favorite book! Nice! I loved it when I read it. Glad you liked the graphic novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 ^ Yah, I've read it a gazillion times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Congrats on getting all caught up! That really is a LOT of reviews. I've added A Tale for the Time Being to my wishlist too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 Thanks! Hope you enjoy A Tale for the Time Being! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 How nice you're all caught up!! I read Volume 2 of The Stand graphic novel (which was 136 pages) and liked it (I bought it on a whim at the book fair some years ago). Glad to hear the entire graphic novel was good . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 Yes - it's a nice feeling to be up to date with reviews! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 Dark Matter - Michelle Paver Dark Matter is told through diary entries of a John Miller, who was sort of the odd-man out (not as upper-class as his companions and bitterly aware/resentful of it) on a scientific expedition to the Arctic in the late 1930s. Due to a series of unfortunate events, he ends up spending several weeks alone at the base - well, just him and the pack of huskies. Soon, he starts to see things – dark shapes that give off a menacing atmosphere, and strange metallic noises – but he is not sure whether it is real, or the effects of the isolation. I really enjoyed it. It's been on my wishlist for quite a while, and when I saw it was only £0.99 I had to snap it up. It's the first book by the author that I have read. It was very atmospheric and genuinely creepy.... I don't usually get scared reading horror novels, but with this one I was glad I wasn't alone in the house. I loved the description of the midnight sun, and the approaching polar night; and that on the last day of sunlight, the group out went to watch the sunrise and sunset which followed a few mere minutes later. It was a fairly short book – Amazon says it is 288 pages but it felt shorter, and all up it only took me a couple of hours to read. One of the more effective horrors I have read, and will keep an eye out for the author's other work. 5/6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Hey there! Sorry you didn't get along with The Rook. I liked it a lot, and purchased the sequel as soon as it came out.....unread as of yet..... Yet another example........lol All great reviews BB! It's nice to catch up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 Thanks, pontalba. Yeah, another example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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