Ooshie Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 The Flight of the Falcon by Daphne du Maurier Synopsis - from Amazon As a young guide for Sunshine Tours, Armino Fabbio leads a pleasant, if humdrum life -- until he becomes circumstantially involved in the murder of an old peasant woman in Rome. The woman, he gradually comes to realise, was his family's beloved servant many years ago, in his native town of Ruffano. He returns to his birthplace, and once there, finds it is haunted by the phantom of his brother, Aldo, shot down in flames in '43. Over five hundred years before, the sinister Duke Claudio, known as The Falcon, lived his twisted, brutal life, preying on the people of Ruffano. But now it is the twentieth century, and the town seems to have forgotten its violent history. But have things really changed? The parallels between the past and present become ever more evident. I really enjoyed this book, which I hadn't heard of before - it came as part of a set (thank you the Book People!). I thought the town of Ruffano and the various buildings and their contents were beautifully described, which meant it was easy to feel involved in all the action that took place. To me, although the book seemed written in quite a dispassionate tone, I quickly identified with Armino and was interested to find out what would happen next at all stages of the book; the only place I felt the dispassionate tone didn't work quite so well was the chariot drive through the town near the end of the book, where I didn't get quite the feeling of speed and danger I would have liked, although Armino himself in the book says he didn't feel a sense of those things . The book had quite a gothic feel to it, which made it a good start to my autumn reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 The Monk by Gustav Heyrink Synopsis - from The Folio Society In the ghetto of Prague, artists, students and pawnbrokers eke out a living among the gloomy tenements and mildewed courtyards. Lurking in its inhabitants’ subconscious is the Golem, a creature of rabbinical myth. Supposedly a manifestation of all the suffering of the ghetto, it comes to life every 33 years in a room without a door. When the jeweller Athanasius Pernath, suffering from broken dreams and amnesia, sees the Golem, he realises to his terror that the ghostly man of clay shares his own face … I wanted to read a couple of gothic type tales in the run-up to Hallowe'en, and this definitely fitted the bill! I found it a very atmospheric book, almost dream-like in many ways, that conjured up the Prague ghetto and the strange mixture of characters in the tale in a very vivid fashion. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie Synopsis - from Amazon Agatha Christie's most audacious crime mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew that the woman he loved had poisoned her brutal first husband. He suspected also that someone had been blackmailing her. Now, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with a drug overdose. But the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information. Unfortunately, before he could finish the letter, he was stabbed to death! I hadn't read anything by Agatha Christie before, and was looking forward to reading this one for the BCF Reading Group. I wasn't disappointed! I had expected to find the book very dated, but in actual fact that didn't come across at all, I felt it could have been a modern writer writing of that time period. I enjoyed the story (I never try to work out whodunnit in mystery stories so I can't really comment on whether the various twists were successful) and would happily choose something by Agatha Christie to read again. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Review - from Amazon Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of the masterpieces of nineteenth-century Gothicism. While stay-ing in the Swiss Alps in 1816 with her lover Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and others, Mary, then eighteen, began to concoct the story of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the monster he brings to life by electricity. Written in a time of great personal tragedy, it is a subversive and morbid story warning against the dehumanization of art and the corrupting influence of science. Packed with allusions and literary references, it is also one of the best thrillers ever written. Frankenstein; Or, the Modern Prometheus was an instant bestseller on publication in 1818. The prototype of the science fiction novel, it has spawned countless imitations and adaptations but retains its original power. The second of my gothic Hallowe'en novels, I wasn't sure what to expect of this. I don't think I have ever even seen the whole of a film of the book, only clips, so the story was actually very different to what I had expected; horrific in some places, but touching in others. I certainly hadn't expected to feel any sympathy for Frankenstein's monster! For some reason I had expected it to be rather dry and difficult to read, but I found it an easy read which I got through quite quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly Synopsis - from Amazon When Josephine March's great-great-granddaughter stumbles across her letters, the Little Women shed a glorious light on a new generation of sisters. The Atwaters are a loving, sprawling mess of a family and Fee's three daughters, Emma, Lulu and Sophie couldn't be less alike if they tried. Emma is planning her wedding, Sophie is an up-and-coming actress, but Lulu - the cleverest of them all - is more than a little lost. If life is for living, why is she stuck in a series of dead-end jobs? Grandma Jo's letters had been gathering dust in the attic for decades, but when Lulu gets her hands on them, everything seems to change and different worlds begin to open up. And even though dark family secrets emerge, Jo's words offer comfort and guidance across the centuries. Sometimes family is all that matters. And sisters are the closest friends you can find. I do occasionally read chick lit, but not often and usually only when I am really in the mood for it. I started this book a bit sooner than I probably should - not wanting to have forgotten all about Little Women, which I had re-read a few weeks ago, I didn't wait until I was really in the right frame of mind for it. For me, it wasn't really a success; I didn't particularly like any of the main female characters, despite (or possibly because of) the author having tried very hard to make them all "different" and "interesting". And, not liking them, I couldn't see why any man would be interested in any of them, so I didn't find their relationships very convincing either! Oh dear, I really should have stopped reading this and left it for a time when I was in the mood for some literary "fluff", shouldn't I? Edited November 21, 2011 by Ooshie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 The Surgeon's Mate by Patrick O'Brian Synopsis - from The Folio Society Having escaped the American naval forces, Aubrey and Maturin make their way home from North America on a packet ship. Diana is residing in Paris, leaving Stephen free to continue his dangerous work for the Admiralty. The fortress of Grimsholm on the Baltic is crucial to Napoleon’s plans and Stephen and Jack embark on a daring mission to persuade the Catalan garrison to defect. When a disastrous storm leads to their capture and imprisonment in France, Diana risks everything to attempt a rescue. Yet her erstwhile protector, the one man who can definitely identify Stephen, is also in Paris – and determined on revenge. This superb novel, the seventh in the Aubrey-Maturin series, sweeps the reader from the Atlantic to the Baltic, and thence to a Parisian jail, and features spies, a famous diamond and numerous cameos from real historical figures such as the admiral Sir James Saumarez. I am loving this series, and think this is one of the best so far. Yes, there is a lot of detail about the navy and sailing ships, but it is perfectly possible to read and enjoy every book with no knowledge of the sea at all. There is always a good adventure story with lots of humour and human interest. As usual, I enjoyed the book so much that I am going straight on with the next one in the series - although I stop myself from reading more than two in a row so that I don't risk becoming disenchanted with them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Julius by Daphne du Maurier Synopsis - from Amazon 'His first instinct was to stretch out his hands to the sky. The white clouds seemed so near to him, surely they were easy to hold and to caress, strange-moving things belonging to the wide blue space of heaven ...' Julius Levy grows up in a peasant family in a village on the banks of the Seine. A quick-witted urchin caught up in the Franco-Prussian War, he is soon forced by tragedy to escape to Algeria. Once there, he learns the ease of swindling, the rewards of love affairs and the value of secrecy. Before he's twenty, he is in London, where his empire-building begins in earnest, and he becomes a rich and very ruthless man. Throughout his life, Julius is driven by a hunger for power, his one weakness his daughter, Gabriel ...A chilling story of ambition, Daphne du Maurier's third novel has lost none of its ability to unsettle and disturb. This is the second du Maurier novel I have read in the last few weeks, and I am really enjoying her writing. This is a book with a definite dark side and probably not, I would say, for anyone who likes lighter novels. However, I couldn't wait for the chance to get back to it every time I had to put it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 Free Fire by C J Box Synopsis - from Amazon Joe Pickett, recently fired from his job as a Wyoming game warden, is working on his father-in-law's ranch when he receives a visit from the governor. Governor Rulon - a devious but down-home politico - has a special request, one Joe knows he can't refuse. For weeks, the headlines have been abuzz with the story of Clay McCann, a lawyer who slaughtered four campers in a far-off corner of Yellowstone. After the murders, McCann immediately turned himself in at the nearest ranger station. Seemed like a slam-dunk case for law enforcement - except that the crimes were committed in a thin sliver of land with zero residents and overlapping jurisdiction, the so-called free-fire zone. McCann has taken advantage of an obscure loophole in the law: neither the state nor the federal government can try him for his crime. The worst mass murderer in Wyoming history walks out of jail a free man. Governor Rulon, sensitive to the rising tide of public outrage, wants his own investigation into the murders and will reinstate Joe as a game warden if he'll go to Yellowstone without portfolio to investigate. Joe, happy to get his badge back, even under these circumstances, agrees. It quickly becomes clear to Joe that McCann is deeply involved with some illegal activity taking place in the park - something tremendously lucrative and unusually dangerous. As Joe and his partner Nate Romanowski search for the key to the murders, they discover that it may be hidden in the rugged terrain of the park itself. I didn't think this was particularly well written, and I think it suffered from being No 7 in a series - there were quite a few allusions to things that obviously happened in other books, which didn't help my enjoyment. Having said that, I did enjoy the storyline. The thing I enjoyed most, though, was the setting of the book, in Yellowstone Park; I had watched the (BBC?) series about the park earlier in the year, and the book has made me want to watch it again! It was interesting to be reminded about the Supervolcano too, although I was disappointed that there weren't any references quoted (I think I have got too used to Michael Crichton's books, with their very full references!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 The Ionian Mission by Patrick O'Brian Synopsis - from The Folio Society After his many dashing expeditions, Jack Aubrey is posted in the decrepit Worcester (more a floating coffin than a ship of the line) to blockade work. The French fleet lies in Toulon and the British squadrons patrol outside, longing for a full fleet action and a chance to prove themselves in battle. With Stephen Maturin aboard, there will always be intelligence missions which require Jack’s skills. Once more in the dear Surprise, they set out to expel the French from Marga, a key strategic port. The eighth book in this series, I enjoyed it just as much as I have the rest of the series so far. This is the second one I have read this month, and I really - really - want to go straight on with the next. I'm not going to, though, as I would be devastated if I made myself bored with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Julius by Daphne du Maurier Synopsis - from Amazon 'His first instinct was to stretch out his hands to the sky. The white clouds seemed so near to him, surely they were easy to hold and to caress, strange-moving things belonging to the wide blue space of heaven ...' Julius Levy grows up in a peasant family in a village on the banks of the Seine. A quick-witted urchin caught up in the Franco-Prussian War, he is soon forced by tragedy to escape to Algeria. Once there, he learns the ease of swindling, the rewards of love affairs and the value of secrecy. Before he's twenty, he is in London, where his empire-building begins in earnest, and he becomes a rich and very ruthless man. Throughout his life, Julius is driven by a hunger for power, his one weakness his daughter, Gabriel ...A chilling story of ambition, Daphne du Maurier's third novel has lost none of its ability to unsettle and disturb. This is the second du Maurier novel I have read in the last few weeks, and I am really enjoying her writing. This is a book with a definite dark side and probably not, I would say, for anyone who likes lighter novels. However, I couldn't wait for the chance to get back to it every time I had to put it down. Thanks for the review Ooshie I've not heard of this du Maurier before so I'll be adding it to my wishlist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers Part of the Amazon Review: But on to the true story. At the age of 22, Eggers became both an orphan and a "single mother" when his parents died within five months of one another of unrelated cancers. In the ensuing sibling division of labor, Dave is appointed unofficial guardian of his 8-year-old brother, Christopher. The two live together in semi-squalor, decaying food and sports equipment scattered about, while Eggers worries obsessively about child-welfare authorities, molesting babysitters, and his own health. His child-rearing strategy swings between making his brother's upbringing manically fun and performing bizarre developmental experiments on him. (Case in point: his idea of suitable bedtime reading is John Hersey's Hiroshima.) Note to self: I must stop reading non-fiction. I must stop reading non-fiction. I must stop reading non-fiction. I really do not enjoy it! Especially the sort where people tell us about their hard lives. I thought of this book as "A Mildly Interesting Work of Self-Indulgence". I thought the very first part of the book, where he describes caring for his mother when she is dying of cancer, gave a very realistic picture of caring for a terminally ill relative, but after that it really didn't interest me at all. I'm reading through all the new posts that I've missed, I haven't been very active on the forum lately, and when I was reading the latest page of your reading blog, I of course noticed this I'm so sorry that you've happened to stumble into so many awful auto-bios and non-fiction books And I wouldn't want to pressure you to read more. But I have a few ideas of books you might like. Augusten Burroughs has written a memoir called Running with Scissors. It's about his childhood and teenage years, and yes, he's lived a horrid childhood. But. He doesn't dwell on it, and the way he writes about it... when I was reading the book, I sometimes forgot that the things he's describing are bad. He has this way of writing so wittily and funnily, that I really enjoyed it. Another non-fiction book I thought of: Stiff - The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. It's basically what it says: what happens to bodies when we die. And how they are used for science and stuff. It might sound like a boring, disgusting read, but I have to say I was in stitches when I was reading it This are just my thoughts and ideas. Do not feel pressured, I don't expect you to now go and buy them and read them. I'd be mortified if you read them and hated them! Anyway. Happy reading Ooshie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 Thanks, frankie, that's so kind of you to try and think of some interesting non-fiction for me! The Mary Roach book does sound like something I would enjoy - and the Burroughs book sounds like a different approach to the hard life autobiography, if he has managed to make it witty. I might try one of them as part of Kell's 2012 Genre Challenge, since I will be trying to include a few books I wouldn't normally choose as part of it. However, I have actually just broken my own rule and - wait for it - ordered a biography! I had seen it and thought it sounded interesting, and then the subject was mentioned a few times in one of the Patrick O'Brian books I read recently, and it was offered at a discount yesterday so I went for it. It being Talleyrand by Alfred Duff Cooper; here's what the website says about it: An aristocrat who became a revolutionary; a churchman with a string of mistresses and an addiction to gambling; a trusted minister of Napoleon – this extraordinary figure is known to history simply as Talleyrand. First published in 1932 and never out of print since, this biography is both a literary and a historical classic. Wish me luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 I've never heard of Talleyrand but it sounds absolutely intriguing! I do like non-fiction so I shall go and check this one out! I want to read some more Du Maurier. I've read Rebecca (one of my favourite book) and Rule Britannia years ago... very different - and yet I enjoyed it (her last book, perhaps?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Thanks, frankie, that's so kind of you to try and think of some interesting non-fiction for me! The Mary Roach book does sound like something I would enjoy - and the Burroughs book sounds like a different approach to the hard life autobiography, if he has managed to make it witty. I might try one of them as part of Kell's 2012 Genre Challenge, since I will be trying to include a few books I wouldn't normally choose as part of it. However, I have actually just broken my own rule and - wait for it - ordered a biography! I had seen it and thought it sounded interesting, and then the subject was mentioned a few times in one of the Patrick O'Brian books I read recently, and it was offered at a discount yesterday so I went for it. It being Talleyrand by Alfred Duff Cooper; here's what the website says about it: An aristocrat who became a revolutionary; a churchman with a string of mistresses and an addiction to gambling; a trusted minister of Napoleon – this extraordinary figure is known to history simply as Talleyrand. First published in 1932 and never out of print since, this biography is both a literary and a historical classic. Wish me luck! You might consider it kind of me, but you could also consider me to be a pestering fool, trying to get you to enjoy one autobiography/memoir/non-fiction book I'm delighted you decided to go with the former approach! We'll see what happens And lo and behold, you've gone and ordered a biography on your own! Very much good luck with it I've never heard of Talleyrand but it sounds absolutely intriguing! I do like non-fiction so I shall go and check this one out! I want to read some more Du Maurier. I've read Rebecca (one of my favourite book) and Rule Britannia years ago... very different - and yet I enjoyed it (her last book, perhaps?). Like Janet, I've never heard of Talleyrand, but I'm very intrigued! This might go on my wishlist. And what's this now? I come here to give you a few recommendations, and I end up with one myself Clever! Janet, I've only read My Cousin Rachel by du Maurier, and I didn't have very high expectations for it, but it was a superb read! I fully recommend it, ever since I read it I've been buying all the du Mauriers I come across with Happy reading in 2012, Ooshie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter Synopsis - from Waterstones This title comes with an introduction by Helen Simpson. From familiar fairy tales and legends - "Red Riding Hood", "Bluebeard", "Puss in Boots", "Beauty and the Beast", vampires and werewolves - Angela Carter has created an absorbing collection of dark, sensual, fantastic stories I have read this a bit early, as I got confused (not difficult!) and forgot that the next BCF Reading Group wasn't until January! So I hope I haven't forgotten too much about it by then. I think Angela Carter's use of language is just superb, and my 15 year old son who picked up the book to leaf through commented on it too. I'm not a huge fan of fairy tales unless I am reading them to a small child, so I had actually become a bit fed up with the tales themselves by the end of the book (maybe it would be better spaced out over several weeks?), but I never lost enthusiasm for her writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson Synopsis - from Amazon In 1954 a fisherman is found dead in the nets of his boat, and a local Japanese-American man is charged with his murder. In the course of his trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than one man's guilt. For on San Piedro, memories grow as thickly as cedar trees and the fields of ripe strawberries - memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and a Japanese girl; memories of land desired, paid for, and lost. Above all, San Piedro is haunted by the memory of what happened to its Japanese residents during World War II, when an entire community was sent into exile while its neighbours watched. A mixture of love story and murder mystery with other aspects too, such as hardships in life, prejudice, and someone coming to terms with their failings, I thought this was an excellent book. Very well written, it kept me interested in both the outcome of the mystery and the fates of the characters until the very end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 Skipping Christmas by John Grisham Synopsis - from Amazon John Grisham has turned a satirical eye on the overblown ritual of the festive season, and the result is Skipping Christmas, a modest but funny novel about the tyranny of December 25. Grisham's story revolves around a typical middle-aged American couple, Luther and Nora Krank. On the first Sunday after Thanksgiving they wave their daughter Blair off to Peru to work for the Peace Corps, and suddenly realise that "for the first time in her young and sheltered life Blair would spend Christmas away from home". Luther Krank sees his daughter's Christmas absence as an opportunity. An accountant, Luther quickly estimates that "a year earlier, the Luther Krank family had spent $6,100 on Christmas", and had "precious little to show for it". Luther makes an executive decision, telling his wife, friends and neighbours that "we won't do Christmas". Instead, Luther books a 10-day Caribbean cruise. All goes well until people get wind of the Kranks' subversive scheme. Everyone, from Christmas card salesmen to horrified neighbours, besieges the couple with questions; what about the Christmas party, carols and the erection of Frosty the Snowman? Things start to turn nasty in the local neighbourhood. Grisham builds up a funny but increasingly terrifying picture of how the tightknit community turn on the Kranks, who find themselves under increasing pressure to conform. As the tension mounts, will they ever manage to board their plane on December 25? Skipping Christmas is Grisham-lite, with none of the serious drama of earlier books such as The Pelican Brief, but a funny poke at the craziness of Christmas I think everyone I have seen mention this book on BCF enjoyed it, but I am going to have to say "bah, humbug" as in the main I found it a very uninteresting read. It is only just over 200 pages long, and I think about 120 pages passed before I found anything entertaining in it. The storyline was ok, but I thought the actual writing was dire - I seem to remember that in general I don't enjoy Grisham's actual writing, but I enjoy the suspense of his crime novels enough to forgive it. Not this time! Oh dear, I sound a real Scroogey misery-guts, don't I? Time for a Christmas drink ,maybe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 (edited) The Folio Book of Christmas Crime Stories This is a lovely anthology, with an illustration for every story, and for me it was the perfect combination of good detective stories and Christmas themes. It has contributions by Agatha Christie, Colin Dexter, P.D. James, Ngaio Marsh, Conan Doyle, Ellis Peters and other classic crime story writers. I spaced my reading out over the month, finishing the book on Boxing Day, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Edited December 27, 2011 by Ooshie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 I've never heard of Talleyrand but it sounds absolutely intriguing! I do like non-fiction so I shall go and check this one out! I want to read some more Du Maurier. I've read Rebecca (one of my favourite book) and Rule Britannia years ago... very different - and yet I enjoyed it (her last book, perhaps?). You might consider it kind of me, but you could also consider me to be a pestering fool, trying to get you to enjoy one autobiography/memoir/non-fiction book I'm delighted you decided to go with the former approach! We'll see what happens And lo and behold, you've gone and ordered a biography on your own! Very much good luck with it Like Janet, I've never heard of Talleyrand, but I'm very intrigued! This might go on my wishlist. And what's this now? I come here to give you a few recommendations, and I end up with one myself Clever! Janet, I've only read My Cousin Rachel by du Maurier, and I didn't have very high expectations for it, but it was a superb read! I fully recommend it, ever since I read it I've been buying all the du Mauriers I come across with Happy reading in 2012, Ooshie! What a responsibility! After all the complaining I have done about non-fiction books, here I have gone and recommended one - before I have even read it! I am planning to read Talleyrand in February for the Genre Challenge so I will let you know how I get on I have already started my January Genre Challenge book - a western, Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry - it is over 800 pages long in quite small type so I thought the Christmas/New Year holidays would be the perfect time to get on with it. I'm about 200 pages into it just now, and think it's great. I'm planning to read some more du Maurier in 2012 after enjoying the last two I read so much, so it will be good to hear what other people think too. Enjoy your reading in 2012, everybody! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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