~Andrea~ Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 (edited) Previous logs: 2016 201520142013201220112010200920082007Read: The Various Haunts of Men - Susan Hill Silence - Shusaku Endo Revelation for Everyone - N.T.Wright Nocturnal Animals - Austin Wright Nomad - Alan Partridge The French Leuitenant's Woman - John Fowles A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy of Science 1984 - George Orwell The Gargoyle - Andrew Davidson Easily Distracted - Steve Coogan Currently reading: The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold Sarah Millican - How to be Champion Edited December 31, 2017 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) Unread books on the bookshelf: Acquired pre 2011 Minnette Walters - The shape of snakes Logic - A very short introduction Wilkie Collins The Woman in White Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales (modern translation) The French Lieutenant's woman The Essential tales of Chekhov A Winter's tale Othello The Merchant of Venice Julius Caesar Twelfth night Collected works of Tennyson Begin year size: 12 End year size: 11 Acquired 2011 Clean Code - Robert Martin Blodwen Jones a'r aderyn prin - Bethan Gwenas (a novel for welsh learners) Begin year size: 2 End year size: Acquired 2013: The Four Loves - C S Lewis Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan The Trial - Franz Kafka (audio) Begin year size: 3 End year size: Acquired 2014: Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings - Edited by David Chalmers Godric - Frederick Buechner Begin year size: 2 End year size: Books acquired 2015: Ian Rankin - Watchmen Susan Hill - The Various Haunts of Men Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities JoJo Moyes - The Girl You Left Behind The Road Less Traveled Philosophy of Science. A very short introduction. Begin year size: 6 End year size: 4 Books acquired 2016: Nomad - Alan Partridge Nocturnal Animals - Begin year size: 2 End year size: 0 Books acquired 2017: The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold C J Sansom : Dark Fire Joanne Harris - Five quarters of the orange Val McDermid - Beneath the Bleeding Robert Goddard - Take No Farewell Steve Coogan - Easily Distracted Sarah Millican - How to be Champion Ronnie Corbett - High Hopes End year size: 6 Total Begin year size: 21 Max size: Min size: Current Size: End year size: Edited December 30, 2017 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) The Wish List Ambrose, David - Superstition Alexander, Denis - creation or evolution: do we have to choose? Beah, Ishmael - Memoirs of a Boy Soldier Bradbury, Ray - Farenheit 451 Bradbury, Ray - Something Wicked this way comes Barker, Clive - Weaveworld Brother Lawrence - The Practice of the Presence of God Bugan, Carmen - Burying the Typewriter Challis, Sarah - Footprints in the sand Chalmers, David J - Philopsphy of Mind - Contermporary and Classic Readings Chamberlaine, Diane - The Midwife's confession recommended Chesterton, G K - Orthodoxy Conran, Shirley - Savages Coupland, Douglas - Microserfs/JPod Coben, Harlan - Six Years recommended Du Maurier, Daphne - Rebecca Du Maurier, Daphne - The House on the Strand Dunant, Sarah - Transgressions (recommended) Dick, Philip K - A Scanner Darkly Faber, Michael - The Crimson petal and the White recommended Foster, Richard - Celebration of Discipline Gaarder, Jostein - Sophie's World Green, John - Turtles All the Way Down recommended Greene, Grahame - Brighton Rock Greene, Grahame - The Third Man & The Fallen Idol Haugen, Gary (IJM) - Just Courage Highsmith, Patricia - The Talented Mr Ripley Hinton, Susan- Rumble Fish Hodgson, Burnett Frances - The Secret Garden Hodkin, Michelle -The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Humphries, Alistair - Microadventures recommended Jerome, Jerome K - My Life and Times Jefferson Farjeon, J - Mystery in White recommended Kasasian, M.R.C. - The Mangle Street Murders recommended (read by Emma Gregory) Krauss, Nicole - Man walks into a Room recommended Koontz, Dean - The Mask Koontz, Dean - From The Corner Of His Eye Koontz, Dean - False Memory Lennox, John - God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? Lennox, John - Seven Days that Divide the World. London, Jack - White Fang Mandel, John - Station Eleven recommended Marion, Issac - Warm Bodies recommended McKinley, Robin - Sunshine Mercer, Jeremy - Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs Mitchell, Margaret - Gone With the Wind Moran, Caitlin - How to be a Woman recommended Moss, Sarah - Night Waking recommended Moyes, Jojo - Me Before You Moyes, Jojo - The Last Letter From Your Lover recommended Neville, Adam - Apartment 16 Semple, Maria - Where'd you go Bernadette - recommended Phillips, Caryl - A Distant Shore (recommended) Pargeter, Edith - The Heaven Tree Penny, Stef - The Tenderness of Wolves recommended Rayner, Jay - The Oyster House Siege Sachar, Louis - There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom - recommended Taylor, Jodie - Just One Damned Thing After Another - recommended Tolkein - LOTR Tremayne, S.K - The Ice Twins recommended Trueman, Terry - Stuck in neutral Trigell, Jonathan - Boy A Wheatley, Dennis - The Haunting of Toby Jugg Winter, Tom - Lost and Found recommended Wyndham, John - The Kraken awakes Watson, S J - Before I go to sleep Ruiz Zafon, Carlos - The Shadow Of The Wind Ruiz Zafon, Carlos - The Angel's Game Ryan, Carrie - The Forest Of Hands & Teeth Wroblewski, David - The story of Edgar Sawtelle Zevin, Gabrielle - The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry recommended Edited November 23, 2017 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrCat Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Modern translation of The Canterbury Tales? What is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 It's an old Penguin Classics version: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canterbury-Tales-Classics-Geoffrey-Paperback/dp/B011DAH346/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1489580349&sr=8-5&keywords=canterbury+tales+penguin+classics Though the last time I looked for it I couldn't find it so maybe it went to a charity shop. I probably need to do a stock take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted March 16, 2017 Author Share Posted March 16, 2017 (edited) The Various Haunts of Men - Susan Hill A woman vanishes in the fog up on the Hill in Lafferton. The police have one lead – a pair of expensive cuff-links found in her flat, with a mysterious note attached to them. This was OK. An interesting enough crime novel but didn't set my world on fire and I don't think I'd bother reading any more in the series. Silence - Shusaku Endo A portugese priest travels to 1640s Japan where the brutal persecution of Christians is taking place, in search of his former mentor Father Ferreira who has reportedly renounced his faith.I loved this, it's a beautifully written/translated and quite haunting tale of a man wrestling with his faith in the face of suffering. Wonderful. I'm currently reading Nomad by Alan Partridge which has had me laughing out loud, and Nocturnal Animals by Austin Wright which is an utterly compelling psychological thriller. Edited March 16, 2017 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I didn't know Silence was a book. I've seen the trailer and reviews of the recent film version by Martin Scorsese, but it didn't look appealing as a film, however, I'm rather intrigued by the story, so I might give the book a go at some point. I've added it to my wishlist just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 I hope you enjoy it Claire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) Well I finished Nocturnal Animals by Austin Wright. Susan unexpectedly receives the manuscript of a novel, Nocturnal Animals, from her ex-husband Edward, whom she hasn't seen in years. She reads it over several days while her husband Arnold is away at a conference. There are two novels in one here, the story of Susan, her past with Edward, and her present with Arnold, and the gripping, disturbing story of Tony, the central character of Nocturnal Animals, who is pushed to the limit as he encounters a group of thugs during a drive to Maine with his family. This was utterly compelling, really well written and I loved it. A multi-layered novel: on one level, a very straightforward psychological thriller, and on another, a well observed domestic drama, with more to say on life and art and how one influences the other. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to go back and read it again, with the benefit of hindsight, and I intend to do so soon. Edited December 30, 2017 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted May 30, 2017 Author Share Posted May 30, 2017 (edited) I loved Nomad, by Alan Partridge. AP goes on a hike from Norwich to Dungeness Power station on the South Coast, in 'the footsteps of his father' who once had a job interview there. This had me laughing out loud, and cringeing in equal measure! If like me you love AP you'll love this book. Next read: The French Leuitenant's Woman by John Fowles. Edited May 30, 2017 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Nice to see you, Andrea! How've you been ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted May 31, 2017 Author Share Posted May 31, 2017 Hi Gaia, thanks! I've been good actually. Work has been quite busy for much of this year, my reading has been a bit slow but at least it's happening! How are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 Hi Andrea, I'm glad you've been well . I've been well too, things are okay here right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted August 1, 2017 Author Share Posted August 1, 2017 (edited) I finished The French Leuitenant's Woman. Wasn't sure what to make of it. A strange book in a way. I enjoyed reading it but I did think there was too much commentary, and found the narrator's voice very intrusive. (It's quite deliberate that the narrator has a strong presence in the book, but I didn't like it much.) I've not long started May We Be Forgiven by A. M. Homes and I'm not sure if I'm enjoying it or not. A lot of shocking and interesting things have happened so far, so the story is quite engaging, but the narration is quite mundane and every day, so much so that I'm finding it a little dreary. Edited August 1, 2017 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted August 14, 2017 Author Share Posted August 14, 2017 I've given up on the A M Homes and I'm now reading 1984 by George Orwell. It's much better and I'm thoroughly hooked! Never read it before, or even seen the film. Obviously a lot of the ideas in it are familiar to me as they've seeped into popular culture, but I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and seeing how it all pans out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted October 19, 2017 Author Share Posted October 19, 2017 I did enjoy 1984 although it struck me as incredibly over the top. It's not a pleasant read (though not a depressing as I'd expected, perhaps because I found it so OTT I couldn't take it that seriously). Still, I doubt I'll read it again. I'm now about half way through Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle and I have to say it's great! Very well written, thoroughly readable and pretty unusual too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 I finished The Gargoyle, which is about the recovery of a porn star who is horrifically burned in a car accident and his relationship with the ex-mental patient Marianne Engel who comes to visit him in hospital and claims to know him from a past life. I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual but gripping story which is half contemporary drama, half historical romantic adventure. It was very well-written, dark in places, humourous in others, and always had me turning the pages. It was Andrew Davidson's first novel, but I'd definitely look out for others by him. An excellent read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 I started The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold a couple of days ago, but I couldn't face it last night, so I started My Favourite Wife by Tony Parsons. However, I've since discovered a load of terrible reviews on amazon so I'm not too hopeful about that one. We'll see how I get on with these two! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander the Great Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 I read The Lovely Bones years ago - I just checked my Goodreads account and it was in July 2011. I wasn't in the habit of writing reviews at the time and I have no particular memory of it other than reading it because I'd liked the film. But I gave it four stars, so I must have enjoyed it! I'm now curious to see what you think of it perhaps reread it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 I gave The Lovely Bones four stars too, I read it a couple of years ago. I don't remember a whole lot about it either, just a few things. I hope you get on with both The Lovely Bones and My Favourite Wife . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 Thanks both! I'm flitting a bit between the two now but favouring The Lovely Bones. I shall let you know how I get on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted November 27, 2017 Author Share Posted November 27, 2017 And now I've started Easily Distracted by Steve Coogan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted December 30, 2017 Author Share Posted December 30, 2017 I finished the Steve Coogan which was OK. It was a straightforward autobiography and not particularly comic. I felt it jumped around a bit and the writing was a little lacklustre. SC says in the book that he always writes collaboratively so maybe this was written by just him. There were some interesting bits though, for example the stuff about the phone hacking scandal of which he was a victim, and I enjoyed reading about his family life and how he got into comedy. However, overall I was slightly disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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