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Andrea's reading in 2011


~Andrea~

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I'm currently half way through Acid Row by Minnette Walters. This book has been languishing on my shelf for years. I think I was put off reading it because I started reading The Shape of Snakes several years ago and then gave up (why I don't remember, probably it didn't fully grab my interest at the time) so I kind of had it in my head the Walters was a tough read. Boy was I wrong! This is a real easy-reading, gripping, page turner. I'm looking forward to having another go at The Shape of Snakes one day now too, which has also been languishing on my shelf for years.

Edited by ~Andrea~
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I'm the same as you Andrea I've had Acid Row on my shelf for ages & I always pass it by when I'm looking for a new book but after reading your review I'm going to have to dig it out :)

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Walters has written loads of great thrillers IMO! I've enjoyed The Ice House, The Sculptress, The Scold's Bridle, The Dark Room and The Breaker, The Dark Room and The Sculptress probably being my favorites. I can definitely recommend them all. I've also seen The Dark Room and The Ice House (and maybe The Scold's Bridle, I can't remember) as mini-series by BBC, they were absolutely fabulous. If you haven't seen them and get the chance to watch them, I'd say go for it :) I think Walters's novels are very approachable, and yet they're not straightforward and will sometimes leave the reader wondering what really happened.

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Oh definitely pick it up kidsmum. It's a great read.

Frankie thanks for your comments. I'm really looking forward to The Shape of Snakes. Maybe I'll try some of her others now too.

 

Isn't it funny how a book can sit on your shelf for ages, and when you finally read it you wonder why you left such a gem there for so long?

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Isn't it funny how a book can sit on your shelf for ages, and when you finally read it you wonder why you left such a gem there for so long?

 

You're very welcome! Yep, it's a real puzzle sometimes. I guess books work in mysterious ways :smile2:

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Finished Acid Row last night. Loved it. I am definitely bumping The Shape of Snakes up the list! And will probably seek out more Minnette Walters in the future.

 

I think I might start Stephen King's IT tonight - even though Alex is away :lurker:

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Isn't it funny how a book can sit on your shelf for ages, and when you finally read it you wonder why you left such a gem there for so long?

 

That's why I never get rid of books that I haven't got round to reading even if they've been gathering dust for ages, you never know what you could be missing out on :)

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Haven't got very far with The Little Prince - something about it isn't doing it for me, maybe it'll pick up, but IT is off to a flying start. The only thing that worries me about It is that it's 910 pages long, and the pages seem about double the size of some books! I really want to finish it before I go on holiday at the end of June as I am not putting that great tome in my suitcase. I really don't want to stop it and then start something else when I'm away, which I'll have to if I don't finish in time. I'm currently on page 98 - best get cracking :readingtwo:

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Haven't got very far with The Little Prince - something about it isn't doing it for me, maybe it'll pick up

 

Aww, that's a shame. I also started this recently. I haven't had much time to read it lately, but I've really liked what I've read so far. :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

So I'm on schedule to finish IT by my holiday. I have to read 100 pages a week lol. Currently on page 462 and It's brilliant!! (no pun intended) Every book I read by SK just confirms to me what a great writer he is.

 

The Little Prince is languishing but I'll pick it up soon and finish it. it's only really short after all.

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Oh wow! I'm impressed you were able to read it in French.

 

I finished it today and have to say I was a little disappointed. It was OK but I felt fairly indifferent about it really. I think I had built it up too much and was expecting something amazing. To my mind it just wasn't one of those children's stories that works equally well for adults. Each to their own I guess.

 

Hi Weave, how are you? Happy reading yourself :)

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You're impressed? I'm impressed that you're impressed, Andrea!

 

I agree with you, though. It's one of those books that's taken on an almost mystical status, but I'm not sure there's really that much to it. Nice children's book, but I don't think there's much in it for adults.

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I finished The Little Prince recently and really loved it, perhaps because I had zero expectations for it and thought I would hate it. When you go in with an attitude like that, you're bound to come out the other side feeling quite positive about it! :D

 

I also think I read it at a good time in my life. I got something out of it, unlike the gawdawful The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. :rolleyes:

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Thanks both for your comments. Expectations can make or break a book/film/whatever, can't they?

 

Just over half way through IT. Now I'm a bit behind my reading schedule for this so I did a lot of reading last night to try and catch up. But I must have overdone it as it took me an age to get to sleep. I've been coping with the horror of it quite well so far, but there was just so much mindless violence and cruelty in it yesterday, it really put me on a downer. Not a great way to wind down before bed! Probably Alex being away at the moment didn't help either. So I feel really tired today.

 

I think I need to read something pleasant and lighthearted next - although my scheduled read is Clan of the Cave Bear book 1 and I have no idea whether that fits the bill or not. I hope so!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Finally finished It last night :)

 

I thought it was very good BUT - in places I'm afraid it was just too unpleasant for me. I was finding it bad enough that

 

all this bullying and cruelty and violence was happening to children

but when it came to the part where

 

Patrick Hockstetter murdering his baby brother and all his animal cruelty I was thoroughly repulsed.

I am sorry to say it has put me off Stephen King a bit. Yes I know his stuff is generally dark or downright horror but I had enjoyed everything I had read so far. I also thought the writing wasn't as tight as in some of his other stuff.

However I loved the reflections of childhood aspect of the story, and the main characters, who were, as ever, well drawn. Another part I really didn't like was the bit where

 

Beverly has sex with all of the others, which I thought was just plain wierd!

 

 

So overall I thought it was good, but with reservations.

 

Next I'm going to read The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel. It's going to be my holiday read so I was keen to finish "It" before we fly so I could get started on it first, which I have :)

Edited by ~Andrea~
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  • 2 weeks later...

Well I didn't any Maupassant but I'm about half way through The Clan of the Cave Bear. It's quite good, though it took a while to get going. I also found some of the descriptions layered on a bit thick, especially towards the beginning, and began to get a little tired of endless detail about which berries were gathered for this purpose or that purpose. It's a pleasant enough read so far though.

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I am starting to enjoy it a lot more as it goes on. How did you find the rest of the series?

 

The rest of the series is not as good I think. It turns into a bit of a romance series in book two when Ayla meets a man. Book3 The Mammoth hunters was good if you enjoy relationship dramas. Books 4 and 5 were pretty good but the last book I found too full of descriptions, light on plot and a major disappointment.

It had been one of my favourite series when I was a teenager but a couple decades later I don't appreciate it as much.

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