Alex's 2016 Reading

[chesilbeach]

She's one of those wonderful writers (IMO) who can write really beautifully without that becoming the main thing about the book. She combines great writing with a good plot - my favourite type of book!

 

I shall look forward to seeing your thoughts when you get to it

Your review has piqued my interest so much, I've just bought the book. I think I might read it next week. I was looking her up and found out she's actually an Australian writer who now lives in the US - for some reason, I thought she was Canadian! No idea where I got that from, but hey, you learn something new every day.

[Alexi]

Willoyd has tempted me into another challenge (!)

 

The US States challenge goes alongside the English Counties Challenge nicely, and I am ashamed to say I have only read 7 so far so it seemed a must to add to it. (Shamelessly stealing Willoyd's list!)

 

I have added this to the start of my log to keep up-to-date progress, but here is my status as of January 2016. 

 

Books in RED are ones I have read. 

01. To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee (Alabama)
02. White Fang - Jack London (Alaska)
03. The Bean Trees - Barbara Kingsolver (Arizona)
04. True Grit - Charles Portis (Arkansas)
05. East of Eden - John Steinbeck (California)
06. Plainsong - Kent Haruf (Colorado)
07. Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates (Connecticut)
08. The Saint of Lost Things - Christopher Castellani (Delaware)
09. To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway (Florida)
10. Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell (Georgia)
11. From Here To Eternity - James Jones (Hawaii)
12. Housekeeping - Marilynne Robinson (Idaho)
13. The Adventures of Augie March - Saul Bellow (Illinois)
14. The Magnificent Ambersons - Booth Tarkington (Indiana)
15. A Thousand Acres - Jane Smiley (Iowa)
16. In Cold Blood - Truman Capote (Kansas)
17. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe (Kentucky)
18: Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice (Louisiana)
19. The Cider House Rules - John Irving (Maine)
20. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant - Anne Tyler (Maryland)
21: Walden - Henry David Thoreau (Massachusetts)
22. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides (Michigan)
23. Main Street - Sinclair Lewis (Minnesota)
24. As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner (Mississippi)
25. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain (Missouri)
26. A River Runs Through It - Norman Maclean (Montana)
27. My Antonia - Willa Cather (Nebraska)
28: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson (Nevada)
29. Peyton Place - Grace Metalious (New Hampshire)
30. Independence Day - Richard Ford (New Jersey)
31. Red Sky at Morning - Richard Bradford (New Mexico)
32. ]The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald (New York)
33. Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier (North Carolina)
34. The Round House - Louise Eldrich (North Dakota)
35. The Broom of the System - David Foster Wallace (Ohio)
36. Paradise - Toni Morrison (Oklahoma)
37. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey (Oregon)
38. Rabbit, Run - John Updike (Pennsylvania)
39. The Witches of Eastwick - John Updike (Rhode Island)
40. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd (South Carolina)
41. Welcome to Hard Times - EL Doctorow (South Dakota)
42. A Death in the Family - James Agee (Tennessee)
43. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy (Texas)
44. The 19th Wife - David Ebershoff (Utah)
45. Pollyanna - Eleanor H. Porter (Vermont)
46. Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver (Virginia)
47. Snow Falling on Cedars- David Guterson (Washington)
48. Washington DC - Gore Vidal (Washington DC)
49. Shiloh - Phillis Reynolds Naylor (West Virginia)
50. The Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach (Wisconsin)
51. Close Range: Wyoming Stories - E. Annie Proulx (Wyoming)

[Alexi]

Reviews, reviews, reviews...

 

Why Didn't They Ask Evans by Agatha Christie

 

Synopsis: Was it a misstep that sent a handsome stranger plummeting to his death from a cliff? Or something more sinister? Fun-loving adventurers Bobby Jones and Frances Derwent's suspicions are certainly roused--especially since the man's dying words were so peculiar: Why didn't they ask Evans? Bobby and Frances would love to know. Unfortunately, asking the wrong people has sent the amateur sleuths running for their lives--on a wild and deadly pursuit to discover who Evans is, what it was he wasn't asked, and why the mysterious inquiry has put their own lives in mortal danger... (From Goodreads)

 

Thoughts: Ah, Agatha, what a joy you truly are. 

 

I really enjoyed this one, even though it isn't one of her most-loved. This isn't Marple or Poirot, it is two amateur sleuths and Christie has great fun with this - they are wonderfully oblivious, distrust alibis and behave exactly as if they are 'playing detective'. Wonderful. They do have a 90s horror flick tendency to deliberately wander into overly stupid situations the reader can see from a mile off but that is all part of the charm, and the wit between the two is great.

 

Christie has fun with her reader here as well - I was fairly sure I had the solution from early on, only to have my poor hopes dashed 3/4 through and everything then turned around again to show I was spot on - although typically the details were a little muddled until Christie sorted the ends out. 

 

Really easy, enjoyable stuff as ever from the Queen. 

 

4/5 ( I really enjoyed it)

Edited January 28, 2016 by Alexi

[Alexi]

A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam

 

Synopsis: As young widow Rehana Haque awakes one March morning, she might be forgiven for feeling happy. Her children are almost grown, the city is buzzing with excitement after recent elections. Change is in the air. 

But no one can foresee what will happen in the days and months that follow. For this is East Pakistan in 1971, a country on the brink of war. And this family's life is about to change forever. 

Set against the backdrop of the Bangladesh War of Independence, 'A Golden Age' is a story of passion and revolution, of hope, faith, and unexpected heroism. In the chaos of this era, everyone must make choices. And as she struggles to keep her family safe, Rehana will be forced to face a heartbreaking dilemma.  (From Goodreads)

 

Thoughts: This has been sitting on my TBR since 2011 and as part of my resolution to read more 'pre-2014' books, I picked it up early in the year. It counts for Bangladesh in my World Challenge. 

 

Set in the Bangladesh War of Independence, it was certainly perfect for that challenge. Told through the eyes of single mother Rehana, who is trying to raise her two headstrong children through war, we see the country's turmoil. Both her children get heavily involved with the war, while her family who live in West Pakistan (now Pakistan) are supporters of the Punjabi army who are massacring Bengalis. We experience the anguish, the horror and devastation through the eyes of Rehana, and even though Anam doesn't do graphic descriptions we do feel that horror of war. 

 

So far, so good. 

 

What let this down for me was a simple disconnect with the main characters. I did feel I got some (meagre) understanding of what the country was like in 1971 and t was eye-opening, yet I struggled to connect with the main characters on a deeper level than those on the periphery. As a result, I struggled a little with the ending, which concerned them individually rather than a country as a whole. 

 

I'm glad I read this and I enjoyed it, but there was something missing to stop it from being graded higher. 

 

3.5/5 ( I liked it)

Edited January 28, 2016 by Alexi

[Alexi]

Love in the Present Tense by Catherine Ryan Hyde

 

Synopsis: For five years Pearl has managed to keep the past from catching up to her and her bright, frail five-year-old son. Life has given her every reason to mistrust people, but circumstances force her to trust her neighbor Mitch with watching Leonard while she goes off to work. Then one day Pearl drops her son off…and never returns.

They are an unlikely pair: Mitch is a young, unattached business owner, and Leonard is a precocious, five-year-old boy. But together they must find a way to move forward in the wake of Pearl’s unexplained disappearance. Their bond as parent and child shifts and endures, even as Mitch must eventually surrender Leonard to a two-parent home.

Is it possible to love the people who can’t always be there for us? The answers will surprise and move you. As their lives unfold, profound questions emerge about the nature of love and family. (Fro Goodreads)

 

Thoughts: This is the second of the author's works I have read and it was by far the weaker of the two. 

 

The chapters are narrated by Pearl, Leonard and Mitch in turn and encompass thirty years of their lives, focusing especially post Pearl's disappearance, and whether it is possible for Leonard to still love his Mother who is no longer there, how that love is different from his love for Mitch, etc etc. 

 

A quick read, this didn't match up to the author's previous work, which was very deep and emotional. This centred more on the magical nature of love and faith, rather than confronting the issues head on - and I really felt she could have done here. Pearl is only 13 when she had Leonard, to a much, much older man clearly therefore committing a crime, raising Leonard by herself, her Mother is a drug addict - what happened to her by the way? - and her other adult role model is a prostitute. 

 

So much to go at and yet instead we have Leonard struggling with this 'forever love'. 

 

Maybe I'm too cynical, maybe I just didn't get it. I liked it, but it was nothing special and had little of the emotional pull of her other book, When I Found You. I will give her another go and hope this is the exception. 

 

I was going to rate this a 3, but that seems generous after this review! It passed the time ok and it wasn't a chore to read - and I did like the characters so I shall stick with

 

3/5 (I liked it)

[Athena]

Great reviews! Sorry to hear you didn't really enjoy Love in the Present Tense as much as When I Found You. I haven't read either so I couldn't comment. Out of all CRH's books, I loved Don't Let Me Go the most, so if you're looking for another emotional read, I'd definitely recommend that one (unless you already own another CRH book that you plan on reading next and you don't want a recommendation).

[Anna Begins]

I'm picking up the US challenge as well!  I've read 10, but have 3 on my TBR this year.  It's interesting that you and I have read such vastly different books on the list.  I totally thought you would have read Interview With a Vampire!  Also, I think you will really like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (and then watch the movie- its awesome).  I actually cried when Hunter killed himself.

 

What did you think of In Cold Blood?  Have you read Breakfast At Tiffany's by any chance?

 

Its too bad about Love in the Present Tense.  CRH has a new book coming out called Leaving Blythe River in June, it sounds good.  I thought you had read Don't Let Me Go, but if not, it's my favorite to date.  For something shorter, Chasing Windmills was good.

[Athena]

Also, I think you will really like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (and then watch the movie- its awesome).  I actually cried when [...].

I'm not sure, but isn't this a spoiler?

[Alexi]

Having not read the book I would guess so! Unless it's mentioned within the first few pages.... As I said not read it. It's on my TBR though.

 

I will have to read Don't Let Me Go I think as it comes so recommended

 

Anna - In Cold Blood was fantastic, much stronger than Breakfast at Tiffany's in my opinion. I've got quite a few of the US states challenge and English Counties on my TBR so hope to be better read by the end of the year

[Anna Begins]

I'm not sure, but isn't this a spoiler?

Nope, he died in real life, a few years ago.   I would never spoil! 

[Alexi]

So sorry Anna - I totally misread your post! I should have known you wouldn't spoil

[Athena]

Anna - In Cold Blood was fantastic, much stronger than Breakfast at Tiffany's in my opinion. I've got quite a few of the US states challenge and English Counties on my TBR so hope to be better read by the end of the year

I agree with this! I much preferred In Cold Blood. 

 

Nope, he died in real life, a few years ago.    I would never spoil!

I didn't think you ever would !! That's why I was confused. I didn't know it was based on a real life story . Michael bought the film a little while ago but I had never heard of it.

[Kylie]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is sort of fictional, but based on real events. Just to be clear, Hunter (or the character that is based on him) doesn't die in the book. I have mixed feelings about Hunter. He's an awesome writer but wasn't exactly a 'good guy' in real life.

 

Both the book and the movie are indeed awesome (although it's been a while since I saw the movie)...Now I want to read the book again!

[Anna Begins]

So sorry Anna - I totally misread your post! I should have known you wouldn't spoil

No problem, I probably wrote it wrong!  I shouldn't drop bombshells like that, but I didn't even think it would be taken as a spoiler

 

Anna - In Cold Blood was fantastic, much stronger than Breakfast at Tiffany's in my opinion. I've got quite a few of the US states challenge and English Counties on my TBR so hope to be better read by the end of the year

I was surprised Breakfast at Tiffany's was the way it was, especially being a big fan of In Cold Blood.  It was just so bizarre to me, that he would write such completely different novels, I had to read it.

 

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is sort of fictional, but based on real events. Just to be clear, Hunter (or the character that is based on him) doesn't die in the book. I have mixed feelings about Hunter. He's an awesome writer but wasn't exactly a 'good guy' in real life.

 

Both the book and the movie are indeed awesome (although it's been a while since I saw the movie)...Now I want to read the book again!

I loved Hunter.  I thought he was such an original person, just so unique.  He was smarter than people give him credit for.  He just did lots of drugs

 

I've been watching the movie for the last 2 or 3 nights, I love the beginning, its my favorite!  Which is a good thing, because I usually fall asleep half way through

[Little Pixie]

Happy Reading in 2016 and good luck with your TBR ! 

 

I really recommend Jeffrey Eugenidies - The Virgin Suicides and Haruki Murakami - 1Q84 ; they`re both good in a ` I must read other books by them` way.   

[Alexi]

I haven't posted here for ages 

 

I have been super busy with work, the dreaded wedding planning and attempting some sort of life. I have been reading a lot though (a lot of it on trains) and I am therefore massively behind with reviews. Again. 

 

Pixie - I really mean to read The Virgin Suicides at some point this year 1Q84 is a bit intimidating size wise and I only have books 1 and 2 But I will get there eventually! 

 

I am doing better with book acquiring - much less than last year and I am getting a decent amount of books acquired this year read as we go too. 

[Alexi]

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

 

Synopsis: Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research,A People's History of the United States is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of - and in the words of - America's women, factory workers, African Americans, Native Americans, working poor, and immigrant laborers. (From Goodreads)

 

Thoughts: Most of the (extremely) critical reviews of this book on Goodreads seem to stem from a very black and white view of the world and of studying history. Zinn's a socialist, he hates America, this is a ridiculous way in which to understand history. 

 

I don't think Zinn ever intends this book to be the ONLY source of history - it assumes a basic knowledge of US history already for one thing. It's just a different interpretation to go alongside the many, many texts extolling the virtues of Columbus, capitalist society, government etc. 

 

There also seems to be a reluctance to criticise one's forefathers, especially the founding fathers. I get that, but seriously, it's ok to admit that people hundreds of years ago weren't saints. They did some great things, they did some terrible things. They were products of 1776 not 2016 for one thing. 

 

The way we are taught history in our own countries is wildly different from the way that students in other countries are taught about it - it's quite startling to be educated about the same period in two different countries. History is all about interpretations and perspective - much like politics, plus the face we weren't actually there. 

 

Zinn says in his introduction that he has chosen to present everything from the view of the weaker parts of society, women, poor, indigenous, black. He makes no bones about it. 

 

So taking all that into account, it's a great read, easy to read and woven well together. Much like every other history book out there, it requires some sense of perspective and of shades of grey in in the response. 

 

4/5 (I really liked it)

Edited February 22, 2016 by Alexi

[Alexi]

Just William by Richmal Crompton

 

Synopsis: Whether it's trying to arrange a marriage for his sister or taking a job as a boot boy as step one in his grand plan to run away, Just William manages to cause chaos wherever he goes. (From Goodreads)

 

Thoughts: Just a slight change of pace between reads!

 

I read this asa group read with other members of BCF and my conclusion was it seems a great shame so many of us missed out on this series as children. I never read the books but I had 2 audio tapes, soon worn out with a couple of stories, and we also had a video.  

 

So it was nice to start with the first book in the series and actually read it. 

 

I'm not sure how these stories would resonate today, because there seems to be a big generational gap between myself born in the 80s and those growing up now - simply because of the huge technological advances and the fact 4-year-olds seem to be obsessed with iPads. Gameboys are the way to go kids!

 

But these don't seem to date so fast because they deal with young boys getting into mischief, and there is still a lot to relate to in that premise!

 

I'm not sure how much further I will go with the series as an adult, but it was an enjoyable revisit. 

 

3/5 (I liked it)

Edited February 22, 2016 by Alexi

[Alexi]

The Thirty Nine Steps by John Buchan

 

Synopsis: John Buchan’s The Thirty-Nine Steps was the novel that introduced readers to the cunning Richard Hannay and became a foundational work in the spy-thriller genre. Taking place only months before the outbreak of World War One (and written during the conflict) it focuses on Hannay’s attempts to warn the government of an unfolding plot to steal Great Britain’s military plans. Throughout the book Hannay must escape from German spies and the British police, who falsely believe that he has murdered the very man who revealed the plot to him. The book would prove incredibly popular upon its release and has been cited as the first “man-on-the-run” style story which has been re-used in films in literature ever since. The novel itself has been adapted for the screen no less than four times. (From Amazon)

 

Thoughts: This certainly has mixed reviews and I began this with some trepidation. Janet advised the novel must be taken as of it's time, and she's absolutely right and that helped me to enjoy it more than I otherwise would I suspect. 

 

Richard Hannay is told a scandalous story in London about foreigners (Germans, obviously, it was published in 1915!) coming to steal UK military plans. The person who reveals the plot is murdered, so Hannay is both suspected by the police and a loose end for the bad guys to tie up. He goes on the run across Scotland. 

 

The main faults with this are it gets a bit repetitive with his daily flight across the moors, but more to the point the utter coincidences in how he gets free, meets his pursuers and manages to get free all leave a rather dated spy thriller feel. And yet this is what this book is, a dated spy thriller. 

 

If you take it as that, I think it's an enjoyable yarn, one that doesn't require too much concentration, is an easy and short read that is an agreeable way to pass the time. 

 

It's on the 1001 list because it arguably introduced us to the spy thriller, and if nothing else that makes me grateful to Buchan!

 

3.5/5 (I enjoyed it)

[Alexi]

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell 

 

Synopsis: When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man, John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction. In North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell skillfully fuses individual feeling with social concern, and in Margaret Hale creates one of the most original heroines of Victorian literature.  (From Goodreads)

 

Thoughts: This took me a while to get into. It's a decent sized tome and I found it hard to find any sympathy for the characters at the beginning. 

 

Margaret's mother comes across as a demanding wet fish in the opening stages, so upset with her lot at only marrying a poor clergyman while her sister married into (unhappy) riches in London. Then they up sticks to Milton (Manchester) and are terribly snobbish about the place. Given I was born and brought up in the modern day north, and indeed Manchester, I did rather take it as a personal affront! But they do make it easy, the terrible industrial north, making money, having mouths to feed. How very dare they. 

 

So Margaret did annoy me from the off as well. 

 

But, getting past that and this is a wonderful book. As well as an involved plot and a varied cast of characters - Gaskell weaves in the theme of Victorian social justice. Of factory strikes, of people dying of hunger, and of contrasting views between herself and John Thornton, factory owner. 

 

The ending is so abrupt I wondered if I had managed to miss a chapter, and there are a few holes in the plotting but no matter, this holds together very well. And the characters jump out of the page. Margaret is snobbish and prejudiced but she does go on a learning curve and it is a delight to go along with her - and for the time, she is a strong female heroine. 

 

Mrs Thornton was my favourite character, the formidable mother figure, and while there were a couple of vapid simpering idiots (Edith, the Aunt and Fanny), the rest of the cast is delightfully varied. 

 

I deducted a mark because I did find it slow to start, but once I persevered I thoroughly enjoyed this. Another (!) win for the English Counties Challenge. 

 

4.5/5 (I really, really enjoyed it)

[Janet]

Thoughts: This certainly has mixed reviews and I began this with some trepidation. Janet advised the novel must be taken as of it's time, and she's absolutely right and that helped me to enjoy it more than I otherwise would I suspect.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.  I don't remember a great deal about it (I watched the most recent TV adaptation of it - although that must have been at least five years ago EDIT - 8 years, apparently!!) but I do remember that someone - maybe one of the 'baddies' had 'hooded' eyes, whatever they are! 

 

I've skipped past your review of North and South.  I'm a bit intimidated by it, tbh!

Edited February 22, 2016 by Janet

[willoyd]

 

I've skipped past your review of North and South.  I'm a bit intimidated by it, tbh!

 

Don't be; it's a much easier read than many Victorians (e.g. Eliot!), and a great story to boot too.

[Janet]

I enjoyed both Middlemarch and Silas Marner so that's good to hear.  Thanks.

[Alexi]

Have to agree, it's a lot less intimidating than I thought it would be.

 

I'm vaguely terrified by The Mill on the Floss though when it comes to looking down the English Counties list!

[Janet]

I'd forgotten about that one!