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Andrea in 2020


~Andrea~

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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 by ~Andrea~
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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 by ~Andrea~
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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 :lol:.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

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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.

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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 by ~Andrea~
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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.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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 by willoyd
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  • 2 months later...

 

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 by ~Andrea~
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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.

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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).

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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 by ~Andrea~
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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!!

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