Ben Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 (edited) So after having two years, I believe, without posting a book thread, I thought I'd settle back into a (virtual) comfy chair on my favourite forum and get back to posting my thoughts and feelings about books that I'm currently reading. (I also like the idea of having a platform where I'm not constricted by having to use 140 characters or less.) 2016 was a solid year as I hit 100 (102 to be exact) for the second year running after never managing it before, so I think I'll just set myself the same target and go from there. I intend to keep it simple, not forcing myself to complete certain challenges or read specific books, and just, I guess, see where the reading takes me. Hopefully to different worlds, eras, and towards some new literary friends. I'd be quite content with that. Quick Links TBR Wishlist Currently reading: Books Read 2017: 10. January Big Sur by Jack Kerouac. Thoughts. On Beauty by Zadie Smith. A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly. Thoughts. Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin. Thoughts. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. Slade House by David Mitchell. The Loney by Andrew Hurley. Pet Sematary by Stephen King. The Tenant of Wilfell Hall by Anne Brontë. Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada. Edited January 31, 2017 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 (edited) To Be Read: 339. 01/01/17: 349. Read 2017. Adiche, N. Chimamanda: Half of a Yellow SunAmis, Martin: Time’s ArrowAmis, Martin: Money: A Suicide NoteAndrews, Virginia: Flowers in the Attic (#1)Anonymous: The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 1Aristotle: EthicsAtkinson, Kate: One Good Turn (#2)Atkinson, Kate: Life After LifeAtkinson, Kate: A God in RuinsAtwood, Margaret: The Handmaid’s TaleAusten, Jane: EmmaAusten, Jane: Mansfield ParkAuster, Paul: InvisibleBaldacci, David: The Last Mile (#2)Bakewell, Sarah: How to LiveBallard, J. G.: Cocaine NightsBarclay, Linwood: No Time for Goodbye (#1)Barrie, J. M.: Peter PanBarry, Sebastian: Days Without EndBate, Jonathan: Ted Hughes: The Unauthorised LifeBauer, Belinda: The Beautiful DeadBeard, Mary: SQPR: A History of Ancient RomeBeatty, Paul: The SelloutBellow, Saul: HerzogBellow, Saul: Humboldt’s GiftBerlin, Lucia: A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected StoriesBernieres, de Louis: Captain Corelli’s MandolinBjork, Samuel: I’m Travelling AloneBowler, Tim: StarseekerBradbury, Megan: Everyone Is WatchingBrontë, Anne: The Tenant of Wildfell HallBulgakov, Mikhail: The Master and MargaritaBukowski, Charles: Tales of Ordinary MadnessBurgess, Anthony: Earthly PowersBurton, Jessie: The MiniaturistBussi, Michel: After the CrashCalvino, Italo: If on a Winter’s Night a TravelerCamus, Albert: The PlagueCamus, Albert: The Rebel: An Essay on Man in RevoltCarre, le John: The Night ManagerCarre, le John: The Pigeon TunnelCarre, le John: The Secret PilgrimCarrel, Lee Jennifer: The Shakespeare Secret (#1)Cast, C. P & Kristin: Untamed (#4)Cast, C. P & Kristin: Hunted (#5)Cervantes, de Miguel: Don QuixoteChabon, Michael: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & ClayChandra, Vikram: Sacred GamesClarke, Susanna: Jonathan Strange & Mr NorrellClarkson, Jeremy: I Know You Got SoulCoates, Ta-Nehisi: Between the World and MeCoben, Harlan: Promise Me (#8)Coben, Harlan: One False MoveCoben, Harlan: Drop Shot (#2)Coben, Harlan: Fade Away (#3)Coben, Harlan: Back Spin (#4)Connelly, Michael: Angels Flight (#6)Connolly, John: Every Dead Thing (#1)Cooper, Susan: Over Sea, Under Stone (#1)Cooper, Susan: The Dark Is Rising (#2)Cooper, Susan: Greenwitch (#3)Cooper, Susan: The Grey King (#4)Cooper, Susan: Silver on the Tree (#5)Coupland, Douglas: All Families Are PsychoticCussler, Clive: The Golden Buddha (#1)Cussler, Clive: Dark Watch (#3)Dahl, Roald: The Wonderful Story of Henry SugarDahlquist, Gordon: The Glass Books of the Dream EatersDanielewiski, Mark: House of LeavesDarwin, Emma: The Mathematics of LoveDavidson, Andrew: The GargoyleDavidson, Lionel: Kolymsky HeightsDavies, Martin: The Conjuror’s BirdDawkins, Richard: The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for EvolutionDawkins, Richard: The God DelusionDawkins, Richard: The Selfish GeneDeaver, Jeffery: The Stone Monkey (#4)Deaver, Jeffery: The Devil’s TeardropDeaver, Jeffery: The Sleeping Doll (#1)DeLillo, Don: UnderworldDickens, Charles: Bleak HouseDickens, Charles: David CopperfieldDickens, Charles: Oliver TwistDickens, Charles: Little DorritDoerr, Anthony: All the Light We Cannot SeeDonnelly, Jennifer: A Gathering LightDonoghue, Emma: RoomDoyle, Conan Arthur: The Complete Sherlock HolmesDumas, Alexandre: The Three MusketeersEasterman, Daniel: Midnight Comes at NoonEgan, Jennifer: A Visit from the Goon SquadEliot, George: Adam BedeEliot, George: 'Brother Jacob'Eliot, George: MiddlemarchEllison, Ralph: Invisible ManEllroy, James: PerfidiaEnright, Anne: The Green RoadEugenides, Jeffrey: MiddlesexFalconer, Duncan: The ProtectorFallada, Hans: Alone in BerlinFarndale, Nigel: The BlasphemerFaulkner, William: As I Lay DyingFaulkner, William: The Sound and the FuryFaulks, Sebastian: Charlotte GrayFaulks Sebastian: Human TracesFeist, E. Raymond: Magician: Apprentice (#1)Ferrante, Elena: My Brilliant Friend (#1)Fforde, Jasper: The Eyre Affair (#1)Fielding, Helen: Bridget Jones’s Diary: The First Columns (#1)Fiennes, William: The Snow GeeseFitzgerald, Scott F.: Beautiful and DamnedFitzgerald, Scott F.: This Side of ParadiseFlanagan, Richard: The Narrow Road to the Deep NorthFletcher, Charlie: Stoneheart (#1)Foer, Safran Jonathan: Here I AmFountain, Ben: Brief Encounters with Che GuevaraForster, E. M.: Where Angels Fear to TreadFowles, John: A MaggotFrank, Anne: The Diary of a Young GirlFranzen, Jonathan: The CorrectionsFranzen, Jonathan: PurityFullerton, Stuart George: An Introduction to PhilosophyGalbraith, Robert: The Cuckoo’s Calling (#1)Gentle, Mary: 1610: A Sundial in a GraveGibbins, David: Atlantis (#1)Gogol, Nikolai: Dead SoulsGolding, William: Lord of the FliesGoodkind, Terry: Debt of Bones (#0.5)Gosse, Edmund: Father and SonGrisham, John: A Time to KillGrisham, John: A Painted HouseGrossman, Lev: CodexGundar-Goshen, Ayelet: Walking LionsHallberg, Risk Garth: City on FireHamilton, K. Laurell: Guilty Pleasures (#1)Hammett, Dashiell: The Thin ManHannah, Sophie: The Point of Rescue/The Wrong Mother (#3)Harari, Noah Yuval: A Brief History of HumankindHarari, Noah, Yuval: A Brief History of TomorrowHardy, Thomas: Far from the Madding CrowdHardy, Thomas: The WoodlandersHardy, Thomas: Under the Greenwood TreeHardy, Thomas: Jude the ObscureHardy, Thomas: The Mayor of CasterbridgeHarris, Charlaine: Dead and Gone (#9)Harris, Charlaine: Dead in the Family (#10)Hawking, Stephen: The Grand DesignHemingway, Ernest: The Complete Short StoriesHemingway, Ernest: A Farwell to ArmsHemingway, Ernest: For Whom the Bell TollsHemingway, Ernest: To Have and Have NotHerr, Michael: DispatchesHighsmith, Patricia: The Talented Mr Ripley (#1)Hill, Joe: The FiremanHill, Nathan: The NixHill, Stuart: Cry of the Icemark (#1)Hislop, Victoria: The IslandHobb, Robin: The Dragon Keeper (#1)Hobb, Robin: Dragon Haven (#2)Hobb, Robin: Assassin’s Apprentice (#1)Hobb, Robin: Royal Assassin (#2)Hobb, Robin: Ship of Magic (#1)Hobb, Robin: Mad Ship (#2)Homer: The IliadHosseini, Khaled: A Thousand Splendid SunsHughes, Richard: A High Wind in JamaicaHugo, Victor: Les MisérablesHurley, Andrew: The LoneyHurwitz, Gregg: I See You/The Crime WriterIshiguro, Kazuo: The Buried GiantIshiguro, Kazuo: The UnconsoledIvey, Eowyn: The Snow ChildJames, Marlon: A Brief History of Seven KillingsJennings, Amanda: Sworn SecretJohnson, Adam: The Orphan Master’s SonJones, Sadie: The OutcastJoyce, James: The DublinersJoyce, James: UlyssesKadare, Ismail: The SiegeKant, Immanuel: The Critique of Practical ReasonKemp, Martin: An Autobiography: TrueKerouac, Jack: Big SurKernick, Simon: The Crime Trade (#1)Kernick, Simon: SiegeKesey, Ken: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s NestKilworth, Garry: The Welkin Weasels: Thunder Oak (#1)Kilworth, Garry: The Welkin Weasels: Castle Storm (#2)King, Stephen: RevivalKing, Stephen: InsomniaKing, Stephen: ItKing, Stephen: Lisey’s StoryKing, Stephen: Pet SemataryKing, Stephen: The Dark HalfKing, Stephen: The Gunslinger (#1)King, Stephen: The Eyes of the DragonKing, Stephen: The ShiningKing, Stephen: The StandKing, Stephen: Salem’s LotKing, Stephen: Under the DomeKing, Stephen: Finders Keepers (#2)Kingsolver, Barbara: The LacunaKipling, Rudyard: The Jungle BookKnowles, James Sir: The Legends of King Arthur and His KnightsKoontz, Dean: IntensityKoontz, Dean: Life ExpectancyKoontz, Dean: MidnightKoontz, Dean: The TakingKoontz, Dean: VelocityKostova, Elizabeth: The HistorianKundera, Milan: The Unbearable Lightness of BeingLalami, Laila: The Moor’s AccountLasdun, James: The Fall GuyLethem, Jonathan: A Gambler’s Anatomy: A NovelLevi, Primo: If Not Now, When?Levy, Andrea: The Long SongLigotti, Thomas: Songs of a Dead Dreamer and GrimscribeLindsey, Jeff: Darkly Dreaming Dexter (#1)Lindquist, A. John: Let the Right One InLispector, Clarice: Complete StoriesLodge, David: Modern Criticism and Theory: A ReaderLowry, Lois: The Giver (#1)Ludlum, Robert: The Hade’s Factor (#1)Ludlum, Robert: The Bourne Identity (#1)Marshall, Ian: The Official Manchester United Book of Facts and FiguresMacBride, Stuart: Cold Granite (#1)Mailer, Norman: The Naked and the DeadMailer, Norman: The Executioner’s SongMartel, Yann: Life of PiMarquez, Garcia Gabriel: One Hundred Years of SolitudeMaugham, W. Somerset: Of Human BondageMaurier, du Daphne: My Cousin RachelMaurier, du Daphne: Jamaica InnMaurier, du Daphne: Frenchman’s CreekMcCarthy, Cormac: SuttreeMcCarthy, Cormac: No Country for Old MenMcDermid, Val: The Mermaids Singing (#1)McEwan, Ian: AtonementMill, S. John: UtilitarianismMitchell, David: Cloud AtlasMitchell, David: GhostwrittenMitchell, David: Slade HouseMitchell, Margaret: Gone With the WindModiano, Patrick: Little JewelModiano, Patrick: Villa TristeMontaigne, de Michel: The Complete EssaysMorgan, C. E.: The Sport of KingsMosse, Kate: Labyrinth (#1)Mowll, Joshua: Operation Typhoon Shore (#2)Murakami, Haruki: The Wind-Up Bird ChronicleMurakami, Haruki: Norwegian WoodMurakami, Haruki: Kafka on the ShoreNesbo, Jo: NemesisNesbo, Jo: The RedeemerNesbo, Jo: The LeopardNguyen, Thanh Viet: The SympathiserNimmo, Jenny: Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (#2)Nix, Garth: The RagwitchO’Hagan, Andrew: The IlluminationsObama, Barack: The Audacity of HopeOrwell, George: The Complete EssaysPatchett, Ann: CommonwealthPatterson, James: Max (#5)Perry, Sarah: The Essex SerpentPinter, Jason: The Fury (#4)Plato: The Laws of PlatoPoe, A. Edgar: Essential Tales and PoemsPollen, Bella: The Summer of the BearPratchett, Terry: Wyrd Sisters (#6)Pratchett, Terry: Hogfather (#20)Pratchett, Terry: Monstrous Regiment (#31)Preston, Marcia: The Butterfly HouseProulx, Annie: BarkskinsPuzo, Mario: The GodfatherPyle, Howard: The Merry Adventures of Robin HoodPynchon, Thomas: V.Pynchon, Thomas: Gravity’s RainbowRand, Ayn: Atlas ShruggedRand, Ayn: We the LivingRand, Ayn: AnthemRankin, Ian: Knots and Crosses (#1)Rankin, Ian: Hide and Seek (#2)Rice, Anne: Interview with a VampireRobinson, Marilynne: LilaRowling, J. K.: Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2Rushdie, Salman: Joseph Anton: A MemoirRushdie, Salman: FuryRushdie, Salman: Luka and the Fire of Life (#2)Rushdie, Salman: The Ground Beneath Her FeetRushdie, Salman: GrimusRushdie, Salman: The Enchantress of FlorenceSansom, J. C.: Winter in MadridSartre, Jean-Paul: The WallSartre, Jean-Paul: NauseaSchmidt, Sarah: See What I Have DoneSkelton, Matthew: Endymion SpringSlouka, Mark: The Visible WorldSmaill, Anna: The ChimesSmith, Rob Tom: Child 44 (#1)Smith, Rob Tom: The FarmSmith, Zadie: NWSmith, Zadie: On BeautySmith, Zadie: Swing TimeSolzhenitsyn, Aleksandr: One Day in the Life of Ivan DenisovichSteinbeck, John: East of EdenSteinbeck, John: The Grapes of WrathStevenson, L. Robert: KidnappedSuddain, M.: Hunters & CollectorsSwift, Jonathan: Gulliver’s TravelsTartt, Donna: The GoldfinchTemple, Peter: The Broken ShoreThackeray, M. William: Vanity FairThiem, Madeleine: Do Not Say We Have NothingThompson, S. Hunter: Fear and Loathing in Las VegasThompson, Kate: The New Policeman (#1)Tolstoy, Leo: Anna KareninaTolstoy, Leo: War and PeaceTowles, Amor: A Gentleman in MoscowTracy, J. P: Dead Run (#3)Tracy, J. P: Live Bait (#2)Tremayne, S. K.: The Ice TwinsTuil, Karine: The Age of ReinventionVanderMeer, Jeff: Acceptance (#3)Various: Crimson Snow: Winter Stories (Edited by Martin Edwards)Various: Killer Year (Edited by Lee Child)Various: Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times (Edited by Neil Astley)Various: The Penguin Book of the British Short Story, Volume 1 (Edited by Philip Hensher)Various: The Penguin Book of the British Short Story, Volume 2 (Edited by Philip Hensher)Verne, Jules: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeaVonnegut, Kurt: Mother NightVonnegut, Kurt: Welcome to the Monkey HouseWallace, Foster David: Infinite JestWallace, Foster David: The Pale KingWalker, Alice: The Colour PurpleWalters, Minette: Acid RowWasserman, Robin: Girls on FireWaugh, Evelyn: Brideshead RevisitedWeinstein, Alexander: Children of the New World: StoriesWhitehead, Colson: The Underground RailroadWiesel, Elie: Day (#3)Wiesel, Elie: All Rivers Run to the SeaWiesel, Elie: And the Sea is Never FullWinslow, Don: The CartelWinthrop, H. Elizabeth: DecemberWinton, Tim: CloudstreetWomersley, Chris: BereftWoolf, Virginia: OrlandoWoolf, Virginia: The WavesZweig, Stefan: The Post-Office Girl Edited January 31, 2017 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 (edited) Wishlist: 97. Acquired and moved to TBR. Adams, Richard: Watership DownAdiga, Aravind: The White TigerAdler, Renata: SpeedboatArango, Sascha: The Truth and Other LiesAshworth, Andrea: Once in A House on FireAshworth, Jen: FellAtkinson, Kate: Case Histories (#1)Atwood, Margaret: The Heart Goes LastBarrett, Shirley: Rush, Oh!Barry, Kevin: BeatleboneBassani, Giorgio: Within the Walls (#1)Bassani, Giorgio: The Gold-Rimmed Spectacles (#2)Bassani, Giorgio: The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (#3)Bassani, Giorgio: The Smell of Hay (#6)Beauvoir, de Simone: Memoirs of a Dutiful DaughterBennett, Arnold: The Card: A Story of Adventure in the Five TownsBenz, Chanelle: The Man Who Shot Out My Eye Is Dead: StoriesBlunden, Edmund: Undertones of WarBurnet, Macrae Graeme: The Disappearance of Adèle BedeauCarr, J. L.: A Month in the CountryCasares, Bioy Adolfo: The Invention of MorelCharters, Ann: Kerouac: A BiographyClegg, Bill: Did You Ever Have a FamilyConnelly, Michael: The Black Echo (#1)Cusk, Rachel: TransitDonoghue, Emma: The WonderDoughty, Louise: Black WaterEnright, Anne: The GatheringEugenides, Jeffrey: The Virgin SuicidesFallada, Hans: Wolf among WolvesFaulks, Sebastian: The Girl at the Lion d’OrGadda, Emilio Carlo: That Awful Mess on the Via MerulanaGardiner, Meg: China Lake (#1)Gardiner, Meg: The Dirty Secrets Club (#1)Graves, Robert: Goodbye to All That Gyasi, Yaa: HomegoingHanff, Helene: Underfoot in Show BusinessHarding, Paul: TinkersHardinge, Frances: Fly by Night (#1)Hardy, Thomas: The Complete PoemsHertmans, Stefan: War and TurpentineHouellebecq, Michel: WhateverHouellebecq, Michel: SubmissionHouellebecq, Michel: The Possibility of an IslandHouellebecq, Michel: The Elementary ParticlesHouellebecq, Michel: PlatformHouellebecq, Michel: LanzaroteHughes, Ted: Birthday LettersHutchinson, Ishion: House of Lords and Commons: PoemsJohnson, Adam: Fortune SmilesJones, David: In ParenthesisKang, Han: Human ActsKanon, Joseph: Leaving BerlinKerouac, Jack: The Subterraneans Kerouac, Jack: Lonesome TravelerKerouac, Jack: The Town and The CityKerouac, Jack: Doctor SaxKerouac, Jack: Desolation AngelsLarson, Erik: The Devil in the White CityLiptrot, Amy: The OutrunLovelace, Amanda: The Princess Saves Herself in this OneMailer, Norman: The FightMandel, John St. Emily: The Lola QuartetMandel, John St. Emily: The Singer’s GunMarias, Javier: Thus Bad BeginsMaugham, W. Somerset: The Razor’s EdgeMcCarthy, Tom: RemainderMcCullers, Carson: The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other StoriesMcCullers, Carson: Collected StoriesMezzrow, Mezz: Really the BluesMontanari, Richard: Shutter Man (#9)Norris, Barney: Five Rivers Met on a Wooded PlainO’Brien, Edna: The Little Red ChairsPena, Gonzalez Veronica: The Sad PassionsPerenyi, Eleanor: More Was LostPinter, Jason: The Mark (#1)Rankine, Claudia: Citizen: An American LyricRhys, Jean: Good Morning, MidnightRhys, Jean: Voyage in the DarkRoper, Robert: Nabokov in America: On the Road to LolitaSeay, Martin: The Mirror ThiefSebastian, Mihail: For Two Thousand YearsSheers, Owen: Pink MistSmith, Ali: How to Be BothSpufford, Francis: Golden HillStegner, Wallace: Angle of ReposeStegner, Wallace: Collected StoriesStrout, Elizabeth: My Name is Lucy BartonSzabo, Magda: Iza’s BalladTisma, Aleksandr: The Book of BlamVasquez, Gabriel Juan: ReputationsWatson, Mark: The Place That Didn’t ExistWilcken, Hugo: ColonyWilcken, Hugo: The ReflectionWilliams, John: Butcher’s CrossingWinslow, Don: The Power of the Dog (#1)Zink, Nell: Mislaid Edited January 17, 2017 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 Holding post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 Holding post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 Holding post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 Holding post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 Okay, I think that's about it... have a few possible challenges in mind that I'll have a think about, but don't really want to commit and leave myself picking books I'm not in the mood for. Anyway, THREAD IS NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Hope you all have a good 2017 and read some marvellous books. I've been a bit absent around here in the last couple of years - more on-and-off than a frequent visitor - but I do fully intend to get around everyone's threads this year and get some good discussion going... Here's to a wonderful 12 months of reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander the Great Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 100 books two years in a row - that's great! Do you read a lot of different genres? That TBR list is huge, looks like you've got your work carved out for you Good luck with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 (edited) 100 books two years in a row - that's great! Do you read a lot of different genres? That TBR list is huge, looks like you've got your work carved out for you Good luck with it! Thank you! My reading definitely has picked up over the last 24 months. I'd say I read quite widely - I'll try anything once, but have been trying to read more classics/modern classics/books I *should* read (if that makes sense), recently. I'm a bit more serious with my reading than I used to be, I guess - but still tuck into those 'easy reads' now and again! Yeah, it's probably insurmountable considering the rate I buy new books, but what can you do? I'll have fun trying to get it down I'm sure. Edited January 1, 2017 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 I wish you a great reading year in 2017, Ben . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 I wish you a great reading year in 2017, Ben . Thanks Gaia, right back at you. Hope you manage to read lots of wonderful books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 (edited) You have a lot of interesting books on your TBR pile, Ben. Some that I have really enjoyed: Dawkins, Richard: The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution Lindquist, A. John: Let the Right One In Martel, Yann: Life of Pi McEwan, Ian: Atonement Murakami, Haruki: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Rice, Anne: Interview with a Vampire Steinbeck, John: The Grapes of Wrath Plus pretty much all the Stephen King ones on your list. Have a great reading year in 2017. Edited January 2, 2017 by bobblybear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander the Great Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 I just had a look at your TBR list and here are my thoughts on some of the titles: Stephen King's Under The Dome was the first book I read in 2016. I really enjoyed it! I've read some of Harlan Coben's books on holiday in Santorini - the hotel had a free mini-library. Really liked those as well. I see there are two titles there by P.J. Tracy, from the Monkeewrench series. Really loved those! In the same hotel, they also had Dean Koontz' Velocity, which I enjoyed. My favourite Koontz novel, however, is Odd Thomas. I read Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising cycle when I was about 14 and loved it. These kids are kids in the 1970s and I like how uncomplicated their lives are before the story really kicks off. I re-read the books in 2012 (when I was 21) and didn't enjoy them as much, but I think over the years I had really built it up in my head too much. This has happened with over books I've read and loved as a teenager as well. I hope you'll enjoy reading Cooper's books as much as I did the first time around! My best friend absolutely loves House of Leaves and I got it for him as a Christmas present (he'd read it as an e-book, I got him a paper copy). I haven't read it myself, though. Emma Donoghue's Room was one of my favourite reads of 2012. Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex is one of my all-time favourite novels, so when you get to it, I look forward to reading what you think about it. Same for the Cormoran Strike novels by J.K. Rowling as Robert Galbraith - crime books I want to re-read are rare and I absolutely love these. Also on my list of favourites: Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I liked Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and hope you will too I've read Zadie Smith's White Teeth, The Autograph Man, NW and On Beauty. I bought Swing Time, but haven't read it yet. I liked White Teeth most, followed by NW, then The Autograph Man and then On Beauty. I had a bit of a hard time with the last one. I will always, always recommend Virginia Woolf. I also saw a lot of books I want to read myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 (edited) You have a lot of interesting books on your TBR pile, Ben. Some that I have really enjoyed: Dawkins, Richard: The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution Lindquist, A. John: Let the Right One In Martel, Yann: Life of Pi McEwan, Ian: Atonement Murakami, Haruki: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Rice, Anne: Interview with a Vampire Steinbeck, John: The Grapes of Wrath Plus pretty much all the Stephen King ones on your list. Have a great reading year in 2017. Thanks bobbles, you've picked out a lot of books that I intend to read sooner rather than later, particularly The Grapes of Wrath and my Murakami (all of which I bought myself over Christmas). Good to know that you thought so highly of those picks, and 'more Stephen King' is a general goal I have any year anyway. Right back atcha'. Just commented on your thread but I'll say it here now: I hope you also have a good 2017 filled with some excellent books. I just had a look at your TBR list and here are my thoughts on some of the titles: Stephen King's Under The Dome was the first book I read in 2016. I really enjoyed it! Well, as I just mentioned to bobbles more Stephen King is always on the agenda, but I'll keep a particular eye out for this one. I know some aren't impressed with his more recent stuff - or at least not so much - but good to know this has your seal of approval. I've read some of Harlan Coben's books on holiday in Santorini - the hotel had a free mini-library. Really liked those as well. I see there are two titles there by P.J. Tracy, from the Monkeewrench series. Really loved those! In the same hotel, they also had Dean Koontz' Velocity, which I enjoyed. My favourite Koontz novel, however, is Odd Thomas. I like Coben, one of those that I know I can just pick up when I need something a bit easier and guarantee myself a solid thriller. Those Tracy books, however, were given to me a lifetime ago now, but I should probably start with Monkeewrench before getting to those two I'd imagine? As for Koontz, I've always found him a bit hit-and-miss, but the Odd Thomas books are definitely on the radar! I read Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising cycle when I was about 14 and loved it. These kids are kids in the 1970s and I like how uncomplicated their lives are before the story really kicks off. I re-read the books in 2012 (when I was 21) and didn't enjoy them as much, but I think over the years I had really built it up in my head too much. This has happened with over books I've read and loved as a teenager as well. I hope you'll enjoy reading Cooper's books as much as I did the first time around! I've a weird relationship with these. My aunt recommended them to my not long before she passed away, and I took them but they've merely sat on my shelves ever since. (Not to dwell, but I would imagine there's something to that reasoning...) She died when I was fourteen, which probably would have been the perfect time to read them. Now, I'm 23 and it seems like the moment has maybe passed. Safe to say I'll probably never remove them though, so you never know... My best friend absolutely loves House of Leaves and I got it for him as a Christmas present (he'd read it as an e-book, I got him a paper copy). I haven't read it myself, though. I have heard this is possibly a bit of struggle on Kindle due to footnotes and whatnot. Mine is an e-book copy... Emma Donoghue's Room was one of my favourite reads of 2012. I'm so behind with Donoghue but have heard such great things about her new one The Wonder - and of course Room was immensely popular. Do intend to read both at some stage - they both sound great. Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex is one of my all-time favourite novels, so when you get to it, I look forward to reading what you think about it. Same for the Cormoran Strike novels by J.K. Rowling as Robert Galbraith - crime books I want to re-read are rare and I absolutely love these. Also on my list of favourites: Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. So happy you loved all of these. I believe I got Middlesex after hearing a discussion about it on here (might have been on your book thread?) and the Cormoran Strike books I can't wait to get into. I too struggle to find crime thrillers that I love to re-read, so it's interesting that these prompt that reaction from you - they must have been really good. Kundera I will definitely read this year. I liked Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and hope you will too [ ] Have been awfully torn by this for the obvious reasons - not an actual 'novel', my beloved HP being continued in this manner, etc. - but I'm not going to be a snob. I like the idea of what they've tried to do, bringing in a different era (and indeed the recent Fantastic Beasts stuff). Just hope that I love it. I've read Zadie Smith's White Teeth, The Autograph Man, NW and On Beauty. I bought Swing Time, but haven't read it yet. I liked White Teeth most, followed by NW, then The Autograph Man and then On Beauty. I had a bit of a hard time with the last one. Interesting order. I loved White Teeth when I did it for a module at university, but NW I started and abandoned. To this day I'm not sure if it was the book or the mood I was in... I had On Beauty shortlisted as a January '17 read so if I do go ahead I hope I get on better with it than you did. "I will always, always recommend Virginia Woolf." WHERE DO I START SHE'S SO INTIMIDATING. "I also saw a lot of books I want to read myself [:)" Good to know, hope I can recommend some your way this year. Edited January 2, 2017 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 (edited) Big Sur by Jack Kerouac So I finished my first read of 2017, Jack Kerouac's Big Sur. The first thing I should probably mention, if you're not already familiar with his work, is that Kerouac's writing style is definitely not for everyone, with long, meandering. stream-of-consciousness sentences - and a frequent ignoring of conventional grammar. Seriously: commas are routinely ignored and full stops are a rare sight indeed. It takes some getting used to. Kerouac's writing is, however, in my humble opinion, beautiful. Clearly the product of a tortured, wild man, addicted to alcohol and the endless drive to live life to its fullest - but in this reader's eyes there is a genius to his descriptions; a way of seeing the world that wouldn't even occur to most others. He plays endlessly with words and language, manipulating it to his own will, producing crazy flights of linguistic fancy that have you guffawing and producing melancholic sighs - often both in the space of a single paragraph. Big Sur is part of the Duluoz Legnd - Kerouac's vast array of travel writings that essentially chronicle his incredible life - but it is very much a different kettle of fish compared to Kerouac's better-known and oft-praised On the Road. That novel, which propelled him to such unwanted fame, basically tipped him over the edge. Big Sur chronicles Kerouac's descent into madness - his struggle to deal with the success and responsibility brought on by his earlier novel's success. “I’m just plumb sick and tired… of the whole nerve-wracking scene", he says - and he means it. A friend offers Jack Duluoz - the pseudonym Kerouac uses throughout all his books - Big Sur cabin, a place to stay, hold up, write, and ultimately use to save himself. Sadly, this does not prove to be the case, as Jack goes on relentless drinking binges, starts a twisted love affair with his friend Cody Pomeray's (Neal Cassady in real life) mistress, and generally becomes increasingly more paranoid about the motives of his friends. He falls out of love with nature, argues and fights, struggles to make sense of anything, drinks himself into further stupors, and waits for the end. Big Sur is not a book that is easy to 'enjoy', at least not in the traditional sense. It's too harrowing, too painful - perhaps, after all, too real. It isn't easy to sympathise with Duluoz (or, rather, Kerouac) who was obviously not the nicest of people. He was, however, a distinctly troubled man, and a very talented one. This book, one of his last before death finally caught up with him, is so far removed from the free-flowing, optimism and celebration of the Beat lifestyle that we got in On the Road. This is no great American dream, the romance of the road. Instead, it is the stark reality that death waits for us all. A tough read, but one worth exploring. ★★★★☆ Edited January 3, 2017 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Hi Ben...just popped in for nosey and to wish you a happy 2017 of reading...looks like you have plenty to get through... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 Hi Ben...just popped in for nosey and to wish you a happy 2017 of reading...looks like you have plenty to get through... Inver, long time no speak! Hope you and the family are well. Thank you for the well wishes, the TBR is indeed quite a bit to get through. In any case, hope you have a great 2017 - be it reading or other things, I hope they go well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 2, 2017 Author Share Posted January 2, 2017 Just a little disclaimer on reviews this year: I'm not sure what format they're going to take, or how exhaustive they'll be. I intended to just write a couple of lines on Big Sur and it ended up a bit longer, so I think I'll just see how it goes book-by-book. I'm not making promises to write extensive reviews - or even bother with them at all this year - my priority is reading and enjoying... with the odd brief comments/review if I'm feeling that way inclined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 Decided on Zadie Smith's On Beauty next, despite hearing mixed reviews. In the past I enjoyed White Teeth but actually abandoned NW so we'll see which side of the line this falls. Synopsis Why do we fall in love with the people we do? Why do we visit our mistakes on our children? What makes life truly beautiful? Set in New England mainly and London partly, On Beauty concerns a pair of feuding families—the Belseys and the Kippses—and a clutch of doomed affairs. It puts low morals among high ideals and asks some searching questions about what life does to love. For the Belseys and the Kippses, the confusions—both personal and political—of our uncertain age are about to be brought close to home: right to the heart of family. I do really like the sound of this, so will hope to get properly stuck into before I start my new job tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeleine Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Good luck with both your reading and your new job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 Good luck with both your reading and your new job! Thank you Madeleine! Hope 2017 is kind to you too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 That's some TBR! Happy reading in 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Happy 2017 reading, Ben! Lots of good looking books on that TBR, and I like that you have so many old King books! Including my favorite, The Shining . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 That's some TBR! Happy reading in 2017 Completely insurmountable, but never mind. Happy reading to you too, Noll, hope it's a great one! Happy 2017 reading, Ben! Lots of good looking books on that TBR, and I like that you have so many old King books! Including my favorite, The Shining . Thanks, Peacefield. I love King, my problem is I just never get around to those big door-stoppers! I will make The Shining a priority though. Hope you have a fabulous 2017 filled with wonderful books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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