~Andrea~ Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 (edited) Previous logs: 2019 (18) 2018 (14) 2017 (10) 2016 (9) 2015 (10)2014 (19)2013 (21)2012 (19)2011 (17)2010 (19)2009 (23)2008 (26)2007 (21) Completed: Magpie - Sophie Draper Introducing Political Philosophy, A graphic guide Introducing Economics, A graphic guide Life Expectancy - Dean Koontz Slade House - David Mitchell This Charming Man - Marian Keyes A Tiny Bit Marvellous - Dawn French Various short stories by Edgar Allen Poe and Guy de Maupassant Currently reading: A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens Abandoned Dark Fire - C J Sansom I am Pilgrim - Terry Hayes Edited January 11, 2021 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted April 24, 2020 Author Share Posted April 24, 2020 (edited) Well it's been a while since I've been on here! I can't believe I'm so late in setting up my reading log. What a year it's been! Aside from the pandemic and lockdown, I was made redundant in January, from a job I'd been in for 19 years! Fortunately I managed to find another job pretty quickly and started in my new place about six weeks later in February. It's been a strange start though; after only about a month of starting we all began working from home. But that's actually been fine and we have plenty of video meetings - at least two a day, so it doesn't feel too remote. I haven't done a great deal of reading though. And because I haven't set this thread up until just now I haven't been making a note of what I've been reading so far, so I'm not entirely sure what I've read. I've just noted down what I can remember. I'm currently reading Slade House by David Mitchell, which I am thoroughly enjoying. I will try and get round to some reviews of my 2020 reading at some point! Happy reading in 2020 everyone!! Thread open!! Edited April 25, 2020 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Happy reading Andrea! I'm glad you found a new job so quickly and that they're dealing with working from home well! What a start to 2020 for you! I've looked at Slade House before and thought it sounded really good, but potentially quite weird? I look forward to seeing your review of that one, it might help me decide if I want to buy it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Hey Andrea! I'm glad you were able to find a new job quickly and that it's going okay working from home. Happy reading this year ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 Happy reading @~Andrea~ I'm glad that things are going OK for you after a time of uncertainty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 Thanks everyone I definitely recommend Slade House Hayley. I've finished it now and will try and do a proper review soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 Magpie by Sophie Draper From Amazon: Claire lives with her family in a beautiful house overlooking the water. But she feels as if she’s married to a stranger – one who is leading a double life. As soon as she can get their son Joe away from him, she’s determined to leave Duncan. This psychological suspense thriller started out quite well but became a little lacklustre as it went on. It lacked pace but was quite well-written and at times atmospheric. I was mostly interested in the characters and their domestic drama but I did see the twist coming a mile off and found the ending somewhat - hmm, sloppily written? Overall it was an ok read even if it didn’t hit the mark on every level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 (edited) Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz From Amazon: Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfather leaves it. As a violent storm rages outside the hospital, Rudy Tock spends long hours walking the corridors between the expectant fathers' waiting room and his dying father's bedside. It's a strange vigil made all the stranger when, at the very height of the storm's fury, Josef Tock suddenly sits up in bed and speaks coherently for the first and last time since his stroke. What he says before he dies is that there will be five dark days in the life of his grandson – five dates whose terrible events Jimmy will have to prepare himself to face. It’s been a long time since I read a Dean Koontz. I know I enjoy them but can’t always remember that much about them which I suppose means they are pretty escapist pulp-fiction. This one was typical Koontz fair, a dark and violent theme delivered with a touch of humanity and humour. It’s not going to win any prizes but is something to get lost in. Enjoyable and easy to read but not mind-blowing, which is all you need sometimes. Edited June 21, 2020 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 Slade House - David Mitchell In Slade Alley there is an inconspicuous Iron door which leads to a beautiful garden and mansion house which seem almost impossibly large for the space available. Many visitors find their way through the door, and are drawn into the strange events that occur within - but how many are able to return from Slade House? I really enjoyed this. It’s a quick little read that trips along nicely, and the story is engaging if slightly surreal at times. It’s an unusual story, part horror/fantasy, part crime/thriller/mystery but it’s very readable and I found it to be quite the page turner. I’d heard that his novel Cloud Atlas (which I haven’t read) is quite heavy going. Well this story certainly isn’t. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 (edited) I really enjoyed Slade House too. In terms of enjoyment, David Mitchell is one of the most varied authors I've read. I absolutely loved The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (a rare 6/6), and also enjoyed The Bone Clocks, but came completely unstuck on Cloud Atlas. There are some strong links between his books, so if you try any of the others, watch out for some common characters and themes, even if the nature of each book is different (Thousand Autumns is, for instance, ostensibly an historical novel, whilst Bone Clocks is contemporary literary fiction, with a distinct twist). Edited July 14, 2020 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted September 19, 2020 Author Share Posted September 19, 2020 That's interesting Willoyd. I've not tried anything else by him but would definitely like to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted December 29, 2020 Author Share Posted December 29, 2020 (edited) This Charming Man - Marian Keyes Charming politician Paddy de Courcy is getting married, and the women who have previously loved him can't believe it, especially Lola, with whom he has just broken up. Devastated, she retreats to a relative's cottage in a small farming town to recover. We also follow the stories of the other heart-broken women he leaves in his wake, and discover that Paddy de Courcy is not quite the charmer he first appears to be. I'm becoming a real fan of Marian Keyes. This is only the second of her books that I've read, but again I found it sharp, witty, laugh out loud funny, touching and in parts quite serious. She deals with difficult subjects with humour and realism. This is not a fuzzy rom com but a book about real life and real women with real flaws and problems. My favourite character was Lola, and I loved seeing how she adapted to small town life and made friends with the locals. I thought her sections were the funniest. Her parts are written in diary-speak which I know a lot of people didn't like, but I didn't really mind it once you got used to it. The book is a comedy but also manages to deal with issues of abuse and addiction with sensitivity. Top marks. I loved it. Edited December 29, 2020 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 Sounds like a great book to end the year on! (Unless you’re going to try to squeeze one more in!?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted December 29, 2020 Author Share Posted December 29, 2020 Actually I have read one more book since then so I will have another review to squeeze in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 5 minutes ago, ~Andrea~ said: Actually I have read one more book since then so I will have another review to squeeze in I hope it was equally as good then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 A Tiny Bit Marvellous - Dawn French Mo Battle, mum to teenagers Dora and Peter (aka Oscar) is about to turn 50. As a brilliant child psychologist you would think managing her own teenagers would be a piece of cake, however, relationships closer to home are not going well. Peter will only answer to Oscar, after his hero and alter ego Oscar Wilde, while she and Dora are barely speaking, and when they do it only turns into a row. Feeling taken for granted she is tempted into a reckless course of action which could turn the whole family upside-down. I wasn't sure what to expect from this as I'm always a little suspicious of celebrity authors, although since I think Dawn is a brilliant comic writer and performer I did have high hopes. I'm happy to report I really enjoyed it. The writing is very good, and even though some of the characters were a little exaggerated, it still worked. It's written in the first person by the three main characters, my favourite of which was the precocious and melodramatic Oscar, who probably had me laughing out loud the most. The story moves along nicely and I looked forward to getting stuck into it every night and kept turning the pages. It's a nice light humorous read and I would definitely recommend it. I look forward to reading more from this author. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 20 hours ago, Hayley said: I hope it was equally as good then! It was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 The Charming Man was my first (and so far only) Marian Keyes read, and I really liked it. Great review! Which other book by her have you read? I should read some more of her books some time, I have been meaning to but haven't yet (sometimes there are other books I feel more in the mood for, or that are shorter, or whatever). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Athena said: The Charming Man was my first (and so far only) Marian Keyes read, and I really liked it. Great review! Which other book by her have you read? I should read some more of her books some time, I have been meaning to but haven't yet (sometimes there are other books I feel more in the mood for, or that are shorter, or whatever). Thanks Gaia. I've read Rachel's Holiday which I think was even better than This Charming Man. I also have another loaded up on my e-reader ready for next year (although I can't remember which). Edited December 31, 2020 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 My reading (like most other things) has been absolutely rubbish in 2020! I think this is largely because I've got into the bad habit of doing sudokus before bed instead of reading, a habit I'm determined to break in the new year!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 Whenever I wake in the night, and it is one of those nights where getting up is the only solution, I do sudoko puzzles. They are great for calming my brain down. If I read I tend to get engrossed and then try to stay awake to carry on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 4, 2021 Author Share Posted January 4, 2021 That's what I find Chrissy. They're great when I can't sleep. However I think I've become slightly addicted to them I'm on the last one in my puzzle book now so will be going cold turkey soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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