julie Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Miss Poppy Sure sounds like your reading Mojo is at a great point ! You are getting lots of reading accomplished lately . I've kinda become slogged down a bit ,not due to lack of interest,but maybe because I've had lots of junk on my mind, which kinda makes your concentration go out the window . Gotta remedy that now . I'm glad you enjoyed Lost Continent . It's my favorite Bryson as far as being the funniest. It reminded me a lot of my childhood because we'd go on road trips like that when I was a kid. Back then, more families traveled by car I think,so the roads were littered with signs about tourist attractions ,no matter where you were going. Huge billboards everywhere . I'd guess maybe more people take airplanes for trips today ,but you can still see the "seediness" of toursit traps if you go to places like Myrtle Beach ( one of our favorites) .You can actually go there as adults and get away to a nice beach and go just to enjoy the view and relax,but if you have kids, you'd spend most of your time and money at all the putt-putt golf ,Believe it or not museums, etc .... I remember when I was small, we went to Smoky Mountains to camp .The big highlight was supposed to see the bears . The only ones we had any form of encounters in was one night after going to sleep, we heard some things being overturned and paper being ripped,etc. The"neighbors" camping next door ignored the rules about locking up your food at night in your car (to prevent a bear from coming in and chewing on your LEG to get to your box of Chips Ahoy Cookies . So we never SAW any bears,but we heard one . To appease the letdown, our dad took us to a gift shop and bought us each a stuffed bear and an Indian headband with colorful feathers ,so to us,as kids, it was a great vacation . Bill pretty much described it well when he mentioned his family roadtrips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 Visitation - Jenny Erpenbeck Amazon Synopsis: By the side of a lake in Brandenburg, a young architect builds the house of his dreams - a summerhouse with wrought-iron balconies, stained-glass windows the colour of jewels, and a bedroom with a hidden closet, all set within a beautiful garden. But the land on which he builds has a dark history of violence that began with the drowning of a young woman in the grip of madness and that grows darker still over the course of the century: the Jewish neighbours disappear one by one; the Red Army requisitions the house, burning the furniture and trampling the garden; a young East German attempts to swim his way to freedom in the West; a couple return from brutal exile in Siberia and leave the house to their granddaughter, who is forced to relinquish her claim upon it and sell to new owners intent upon demolition. Reaching far into the past, and recovering what was lost and what was buried, Jenny Erpenbeck tells an exquisitely crafted, stealthily chilling story of a house and its inhabitants, and a country and its ghosts. Review: I feel bad that I didn't give this book the attention it deserved, I read it at the same time as two others and it's not the sort of book you can give divided attention to. It's not a long book but it's very intense. The prose is more like poetry and a lot of it is repeated for impact. The story revolves around a house and its inhabitants spanning several decades, starting with its build during the Weimar Republic and continuing through the rise of the Nazi party, the second world war, the holocaust, the Russian occupation and onwards to the fall of the Berlin wall and beyond to it's eventual abandonment and demolition. The house which is designed and built at first for comfort and recreation becomes a refuge and also a place of concealment. The inhabitants do sometimes have names but often they're just called the gardener, grandmother, architect, musician etc and you're not always sure which character is speaking or being spoken of .. probably continued reading would have helped enormously with this. I lost the thread of it too often. I felt a bit ambivalent towards the characters even though there was often a really emotive backstory being told .. which again was probably because I didn't invest the time but there were one or two very powerful chapters which were almost shocking .. like being shaken awake from a long sleep. The gardener is the one character to remain in the story more or less throughout so he's a sort of constant (though you can't really draw comfort from that because he's such a silent, shadowy figure). The story flits back and forth in time and requires a lot of concentration. At times it was a chore but then there'd be a particularly striking paragraph to involve me again. 'For three years the girl took piano lessons, but now, while her dead body slides down into the pit, the word piano is taken back from human beings, now the backflip on the high bar that the girl could perform better than her schoolmates is taken back, along with all the motions a swimmer makes, the gesture of seizing hold of a crab is taken back, as well as all the basic knots to be learned for sailing, all these things are taken back into uninventedness, and finally, last of all, the name of the girl herself is taken back, the name no one will ever again call her by: Doris.' Though there is plenty of repetition, the prose is tight, spare and quite stark. I hope to come back to it in the future and give it a more considered reading because I know there's more to the story than I was able to extract. 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 Just to say I love the wrapping paper...too good to use....framing it sounds like a plan. It's in half now I'm just too generous .. but I will get some more I think. It made my book present look stunning. Miss Poppy Sure sounds like your reading Mojo is at a great point ! You are getting lots of reading accomplished lately . I've kinda become slogged down a bit ,not due to lack of interest,but maybe because I've had lots of junk on my mind, which kinda makes your concentration go out the window . Gotta remedy that now . I've struggled with my concentration too at times .. but I've managed to keep hold of my mojo which is good. I've got great hopes for Autumn .. it's the season I like best anyway and curling up with a book then is always desirable. Hope you feel more like reading soon Julie I'm glad you enjoyed Lost Continent . It's my favorite Bryson as far as being the funniest. It reminded me a lot of my childhood because we'd go on road trips like that when I was a kid. Back then, more families traveled by car I think,so the roads were littered with signs about tourist attractions ,no matter where you were going. Huge billboards everywhere . I'd guess maybe more people take airplanes for trips today ,but you can still see the "seediness" of toursit traps if you go to places like Myrtle Beach ( one of our favorites) .You can actually go there as adults and get away to a nice beach and go just to enjoy the view and relax,but if you have kids, you'd spend most of your time and money at all the putt-putt golf ,Believe it or not museums, etc .... I remember when I was small, we went to Smoky Mountains to camp .The big highlight was supposed to see the bears . The only ones we had any form of encounters in was one night after going to sleep, we heard some things being overturned and paper being ripped,etc. The"neighbors" camping next door ignored the rules about locking up your food at night in your car (to prevent a bear from coming in and chewing on your LEG to get to your box of Chips Ahoy Cookies . So we never SAW any bears,but we heard one . To appease the letdown, our dad took us to a gift shop and bought us each a stuffed bear and an Indian headband with colorful feathers ,so to us,as kids, it was a great vacation . Bill pretty much described it well when he mentioned his family roadtrips. Ahh great memories Julie .. I would've been terrified to hear a bear let alone see one. The monkeys at the local safari park scared me into migraines and as far as I know they're not meat eaters. I'm always surrounded by crumbs .. I don't want to go anywhere near a bear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 The Sweet Life - David Lebovitz Amazon Synopsis: Like so many others, David Lebovitz dreamed about living in Paris ever since he first visited the city in the 1980s. Finally, after a nearly two-decade career as a pastry chef and cookbook author, he moved to Paris to start a new life. Having crammed all his worldly belongings into three suitcases, he arrived, hopes high, at his new apartment in the lively Bastille neighborhood. But he soon discovered it's a different world en France. From learning the ironclad rules of social conduct to the mysteries of men's footwear, from shopkeepers who work so hard not to sell you anything to the etiquette of working the right way around the cheese plate, here is David's story of how he came to fall in love with—and even understand—this glorious, yet sometimes maddening, city. When did he realize he had morphed into un vrai parisien? It might have been when he found himself considering a purchase of men's dress socks with cartoon characters on them. Or perhaps the time he went to a bank with 135 euros in hand to make a 134-euro payment, was told the bank had no change that day, and thought it was completely normal. Or when he found himself dressing up to take out the garbage because he had come to accept that in Paris appearances and image mean everything. Review: Still reading books about Paris .. especially books by ex-pats talking about the ways of the Parisians (Parisiens?) and the cuisine. This book has it all, David is a pastry chef and cookery writer from San Francisco and has been living in Paris (in the Bastille area) for six years or so. Everything he says about their ways and manners was spot on (though .. living there for a few years means he has a whole truckload of experiences to call on) but he also talks a good deal about food and every chapter ends with a recipe or two. Very funny and great to dip into. I never notice that I'm reading these books, I glance at them and then suddenly I'm on page 200 (Virginia ought to take note ) he has some cookbooks which will definitely make my Amazon wishlist. Yes, I may not be able to dress like a Parisian (I could get all the bits and pieces but I just can't do neat and tidy .. there would be creases and definitely cat hairs and hair escaping from buns etc .. not those sort of buns .. honestly! ) but I may be able to learn to cook like one. Recipes include Chocolate Mousse .. which you're told to make in a large bowl and just supply spoons (yeah .. one spoon .. mine ) Roast Pork with Brown Sugar-Bourbon Glaze (not sure that's French .. think he brought that one with him) and Plum and Raspberry Clafoutis .. which I've never had but have heard described as a sort of Yorkshire pudding with fruit in .. I can't say that sells it to me but the French seem to love it and they know best when it comes to food. Paris is weird in that the people can be quite rude to the point of obnoxious and yet the place still draws you to it like a magnet. I'm not so sure that magic isn't involved somehow .. a potion maybe that they mix into the croissants. I'm going back anyway .. as soon as I've mastered kickboxing 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 This sounds really good, Kay, so has been added to my wishlist! Recipes include Chocolate Mousse .. which you're told to make in a large bowl and just supply spoons (yeah .. one spoon .. mine ) The only way you'd get away with that was if Alan was out of the house for the day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Easy to read .. nobody need be afraid of Virginia in this form. She's kicking up her heels and having fun with it and it's a lot of fun to read as a result. I do believe there is a film and that the excellent Tilda Swinton plays Orlando and this did help me with the visuals though there are photographs throughout .. mostly of Vita (Virginia took them herself and had great fun in doing it) but some also of her ancestors etc. However, Vita is a rather alarming prospect, I preferred to think of Tilda I have it on DVD, and it's one of my favourites. Swinton is as good as you expect. The filming is superb - really brings the different settings alive (yes, the great freeze is one of the best!). Definitely worth getting hold of a copy, IMO. It is wildly fantastical at times so you do have to cling on a bit but it's a much warmer and wittier read than one is used to with Virginia .. what a pleasure to be sitting smiling over one of her stories rather than puzzling and fretting in the normal way. I do like it when she lets me off the hook Yes, I found it good fun too, but it's not one of my favourites (in fact, dare I say it, I think I preferred the film to the book), mainly because I think she does let you off the hook: it's the demands she makes that marks her out from the rest for me. She can go a bit far (The Waves is tough), but I still prefer the likes of Mrs Dalloway, The Years and To The Lighthouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 This sounds really good, Kay, so has been added to my wishlist! Hope you enjoy it too The only way you'd get away with that was if Alan was out of the house for the day Hehe . you know him too well Claire I have it on DVD, and it's one of my favourites. Swinton is as good as you expect. The filming is superb - really brings the different settings alive (yes, the great freeze is one of the best!). Definitely worth getting hold of a copy, IMO. I've put it on my Lovefilm list .. will probably get my own copy if I enjoy it and I can't think why I wouldn't .. especially as you say it is better even than the book. I do love Tilda anyway. She always convinces. Yes, I found it good fun too, but it's not one of my favourites (in fact, dare I say it, I think I preferred the film to the book), mainly because I think she does let you off the hook: it's the demands she makes that marks her out from the rest for me. She can go a bit far (The Waves is tough), but I still prefer the likes of Mrs Dalloway, The Years and To The Lighthouse. You are right of course, and though I enjoyed it heaps and was glad not to have my head tied in a knot, it didn't exhilarate me in the way that To the Lighthouse did. Mrs Dalloway and me still have unfinished business .. I did read her but got too confused to really enjoy .. I will try again soon. The Years is yet to be tackled .. I am encouraged though by your recommendation but .. oh dear .. The Waves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 (edited) but .. oh dear .. The Waves Just love the emoticon - describes it perfectly. But......having read it, and got my head in a right twist doing it, I have to say that it's also very compulsive. I already want to go back and try again, and I'm not usually a fan of works like this. I think though that I need to read some of the texts that go with it first though (I've got a copy of Eric Warner's volume in the Landmarks of World Literature series for instance) - definitely one I need help with! Edited October 7, 2012 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals - Wendy Jones Waterstone's Synopsis: Everyone has to make decisions about love. Wilfred Price, overcome with emotion on a sunny spring day, proposes to a girl he barely knows at a picnic. The girl, Grace, joyfully accepts and rushes to tell her family of Wilfred's intentions. But by this time Wilfred has realised his mistake. He does not love Grace. On the verge of extricating himself, Wilfred's situation suddenly becomes more serious when Grace's father steps in. Up until this point in his life, Wilfred's existence has been blissfully simple, and the young undertaker seems unable to stop the swirling mess that now surrounds him. To add to Wilfred's emotional turmoil, he thinks he may just have met the perfect girl for him. As Wilfred struggles in an increasingly tangled web of expectation and duty, love and lies, Grace reveals a long-held secret that changes everything...Wendy Jones' charming first novel is a moving depiction of love and secrecy, set against the rural backdrop of a 1920s Welsh village, and beautifully told. Review: A really lovely book and a joy to read (so thanks to all that recommended ) Similar in style to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and also Mr Rosenblum's List with the same sort of mix of comedy and tragedy. It had me laughing from the beginning, I love the author's sense of humour (a lot of it centering around the funeral parlour so not a gloomy book as you might expect), but as the book went along it did get more serious and there were tears before the end. I especially loved the relationship between Wilfred and his Da .. so touching. Wilfred has got himself into a bit of a scrape by proposing to Grace. He didn't mean to .. it was just the sight of her at the picnic, in her low cut lemon coloured dress, dishing out the trifle .. even I wanted to propose to her He doesn't love her though, and as soon as he realises this he knows he must extricate himself before any real damage is done. Grace has other ideas though and so do her parents. For one thing there's a rather pressing need for her to be married soon .. one that Wilfred knows nothing about and bless him, he's not good at grasping situations or making himself clear. At around the same time Wilfred meets Flora and is immediately drawn to her. Flora has recently lost her Dad (and this is how they meet .. Wilfred being a 'purveyor of superior funerals' and all that) she's quite unlike Grace in that she's quiet and mysterious .. Wilfred's not sure he should marry an enigmatic woman but he is incredibly attracted to her. Still, what on earth can be done about Grace? Grace is someone I didn't much like to begin with, but that changed as her story unravelled and I ended up sobbing over her (though I did guess her shocking secret fairly early on). Too often I'm reading books that tie my head in a knot, this was the reverse, an easy book to read but one that draws you to it through its great storytelling and warm characters. I loved the Welsh dialect too .. you could hear them talking as plain as day. 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 Just love the emoticon - describes it perfectly. But......having read it, and got my head in a right twist doing it, I have to say that it's also very compulsive. I already want to go back and try again, and I'm not usually a fan of works like this. I think though that I need to read some of the texts that go with it first though (I've got a copy of Eric Warner's volume in the Landmarks of World Literature series for instance) - definitely one I need help with! I was going to cheat slightly and get an audiobook .. a favourite way of tackling difficult books but Audible only have an abridged version and that would just be disrespectful I was so hoping they'd have a Juliet Stevenson unabridged but no, she's only done Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse so far (I might get the Mrs Dalloway though and see if Juliet can fill in some of my gaps). Have just finished Between the Acts which I didn't much enjoy and The Voyage Out which I did .. but it was her first novel and she was writing fairly straightforward prose then .. not difficult at all and, in a way, less interesting for it, though there was a lot to like about it. There is a sort of early version which was a lot bolder apparently (Melymbrosia) but Viginia was advised to tone it down and as it was her first novel she acquiesced .. be interesting to read it and see how it differs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Ah I've been away all week from the reading blog section and you have sneaked some reviews in Poppyshake. A couple of them are going on my wishlist straight away thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 It's about time I wrote some James .. I am ridiculously behindhand. Glad you liked the sound of a couple of them .. hope they live up to expectations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Watership Down - Richard Adams Amazon Synopsis: The story follows a warren of Berkshire rabbits fleeing the destruction of their home by a land developer. As they search for a safe haven, skirting danger at every turn, we become acquainted with the band and its compelling culture and mythos. Adams has crafted a touching, involving world in the dirt and scrub of the English countryside, complete with its own folk history and language (the book comes with a "lapine" glossary, a guide to rabbitese). As much about freedom, ethics and human nature as it is about a bunch of bunnies looking for a warm hidey-hole and some mates. Review: Probably the best bunny story in the world. It wasn't new to me, I had seen and loved the film which helped me with the visuals but Richard Adams is so descriptive and so spot on with his rabbit lore that it was all as clear as day (there's even a little map at the beginning .. oh I do love a story with a map ). The story is about a group of rabbits, who leave their warren because one of them believes danger is coming. Hazel is their leader, not because he is the largest or the most authoritative but just because he is the one they all trust. His brother Fiver is what you might call psychic .. he's prone to visions and trances and has an unerring gift of sight which means that, if he told me to leave my house now, despite the newly decorated bathroom, the TBR's on the bookshelf and the Belgian bun waiting for my next cuppa, I would flee directly (and actually, I could always grab the bun on the way out ) because, sure as eggs are eggs, something wicked this way would be coming. They are joined by several more rabbits, among them Bigwig - a bit of a toughie who is marvellous in a scrap, Pipkin - Fiver's friend and equally the nervous Nelly, Blackberry - the brains of the outfit and Dandelion - the chief storyteller who regales them with stories of El-ahrairah, a bunny of myth and legend who has more than a touch of Brer Rabbit about him. Fiver wants them to all head towards Watership Down .. a place far off but in order to get there they have to travel miles and all sorts of dangers lie in wait (and good job too because otherwise the story would have all the plot intricacies of Peter Rabbit and while that works over 59 pages .. there would surely be gaping holes over 478). Even when they get there their need for more does means that they have to take more risks. They make a plan to release several domesticated bunnies from a local farm and they also approach a nearby (somewhat overcrowded) warren in order to ask permission to liberate some of their does .. only this warren is Efrafa, run by the legendary despot General Woundwort - a ferocious rabbit unsurpassed in evilness (unless you count Frank in Donnie Darko ) and he's not happy with them, not happy at all The does are willing though and so they just need to come up with a plan. They are helped in their quest by Kehaar, a seagull they had earlier come to the aid of (using the old fable wisdom .. help someone and they will help you .. which I've never found all that efficacious but perhaps seagulls are more amenable than husbands ) You quickly immerse yourself in the rabbit world and it's strange .. instead of them seeming more human I swear I became more rabbity. They occasionally use some rabbit words (well, obviously they used rabbit words all the time but for the most part the author had translated) and a little foot-note is given each time. I learnt quite a bit of it which is encouraging though I'm guessing it will be as useful to me as trigonometry turned out to be .. never underestimate a skill though. Magical and thrilling, the climax is as good as any other adventure story and a great deal better than most. You can't help but love these bunnies (you can't help but continually sing 'Bright Eyes' too but thankfully that is subsiding now). 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 I had a really nice time last night at the Bath Assembly Rooms listening to David Mitchell talking about his autobiography Back Story. He chatted and read out extracts and if what he said is anything to go by the book will be hilarious (actually I started it as soon as I got home again and it's very funny so far .. I do love ranty people). I like the concept too because it's both a memoir and a travel guide in that David has taking to walking to cure a back problem and so he recounts his life as he takes you walking around London. The photo is not good because I had to stoop .. I feel they should have had a chair next to him for getting comfy (and cosy ) .. I told him that frankie was willing to marry him and alas .. he is getting married soon to that minx Victoria Coren .. but the seed is sown and so I wouldn't be surprised if he cancels. An added bonus was sitting in the Assembly Rooms .. the very ones Jane Austen danced in and wrote about It's beautiful and very atmospheric .. the walls have seen so much over the years. I was yelling (in the politest 'I'm in the presence of David Mitchell' type way) for Alan to bend so that I could get his head in .. but he was too busy chatting to his new friend .. pity, but then .. me and David .. that was the important one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Haven't read Between the Acts or The Voyage Out, but rate both Mrs Dalloway and To The Lighthouse amongst my all-time favourites, with the latter just shading it. Both took a couple of readings to really get my head round them though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Tom-All-Alone's - Lynn Shepherd Amazon Synopsis: The story of Tom-All-Alone's takes place in the 'space between' two masterpieces of mid-Victorian fiction: Bleak House and The Woman in White - overlapping with them, and re-imagining them for a contemporary reader, with a modern understanding of the grimmer realities of Victorian society. Charles Maddox, dismissed from the police force, is working as a private detective and can only hope to follow in his uncle's formidable footsteps as an eminent thief-taker. On a cold and bright Autumn morning, a policeman calls on Charles at his lodgings with information that may be related to a case he is working on. He goes to a ruined cemetery to find a shallow grave containing the remains of four babies has been discovered. After examining them he concludes they are not related to his investigation, which is to find a young girl abandoned in a workhouse 16 years before, when her mother died. But all is not as it first appears. As he's drawn into another case at the behest of the eminent but feared lawyer, Edward Tulkinghorn, London's sinister underbelly begins to emerge. From the first gruesome murder, Charles has a race against time to establish the root of all evil. Tom's-All-Alone is 'Dickens but darker' - without the comedy, without the caricature, and a style all its own. The novel explores a dark underside of Victorian life that Dickens and Collins hinted at - a world in which young women are sexually abused, unwanted babies summarily disposed of, and those that discover the grim secrets of great men brutally eliminated. Review: This was a complete page turner from start to finish. It's a re-telling of Charles Dickens' Bleak House .. well sort of It takes some of the characters and some of the plot (but more of that later) adds some of its own, a bit of The Woman in White, a pinch of Jack the Ripper and then sort of shakes it up into this magnificently dark, atmospheric, Victorian thriller. 'But enough, this is not what you came for. Muffle your face, if you can, against the stink of human and animal filth, and try not to look too closely at what it is that's caking your boots, and sucking at your tread. And keep your pocketbook close as we go - this part of town is as silent with thieves as it is strident with drunks. We have a way to go yet and the day is darkening. We must find him soon, or risk losing him altogether.' Bleak House is one of my, if not my number one, favourite Dickens book and it's a story I'm quite familiar with but I don't really like re-tellings or sequels/prequels, especially when they're not by the original author, so I came to this book not expecting to like it. It didn't help that it's a murder mystery .. not my favourite genre either. I thought I'd give it a couple of chapters to see if was worth going on with, perhaps it would be my first abandoned book of 2012 (and there was a certain part of me that looked forward to lobbing it out of the window .. though gently, it being a library book) but then again .. there had been rumblings on here .. more than rumblings .. down right loud assertions .. that it was pretty good so there was every reason to be giving it the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't what I was expecting at all, yes I was in familiar territory of sorts but it's a bit of a mind boggle. The writing is straight out of Dickens (well not literally .. she's not daft ) but it's well edited Dickens. For all that I love him he does go on so sometimes (yes, I know .. pot, kettle ) but Lynn Shepherd's prose is perfect .. you never feel like she's banging you over the head with a tin tray. But for all that, she's just as good at describing the squalor and the general darkside of Victorian London. The humour is missing it's true but it's none the worse for that either .. absurdity would probably have ruined it. Tom-All-Alone's is not about the court of chancery .. the main plot is quite other and our main character, detective Charles Maddox, is not from Bleak House at all, he's invented but we're soon introduced to the dastardly lawyer Edward Tulkinghorn and My Lady (I'm dreadfully bored) Dedlock and so, if you've read Bleak House, you begin to start putting pieces together and making connections (haha .. this is what she wants you to do .. it's a trap). Other characters are introduced, some we know but some have been given slightly different names to those in Bleak House and this is confusing .. why has she changed the names of some and not others? Indeed what I took to be Bleak House is called the Solitary House in this book. I eventually came to a theory about this which, like all my theories, can't be relied upon but it made sense to me and that was that .. she renamed the characters that she was going to take liberties with .. shocking liberties ... and all the more shocking because all along you've been thinking they were their Bleak House counterparts and imagining that their story is going to play out in a similar way and being as, for the most part, they were the gentlest, sweetest natured characters .. what eventually comes is like a thunderbolt. However, some of the timelines and events remain true to the original so, though you often get the feeling you're wandering in the dark, you're also often comforted by familiarity. What also gives you a jolt is the omniscient modern day narrator, who talks in retrospect about Dickens and shares confidences with us about what we know but what the characters can't be expected to know. It has probably be done before but I haven't met with it .. or can't remember it .. the Victorian novel with a contemporary narrator. Now I don't like grisly .. I never do grisly .. but if it turns up in the middle of a good novel I grin and bear it and it certainly turned up here once or twice. The story is also pretty graphic in other ways and the themes are uncomfortable .. child abuse, rape, sexual depravity, infanticide .. it's not really for the faint hearted but somehow, because of the writing, it didn't bother me as much as it otherwise might have. Apparently the author has previous form .. she's meddled with Jane Austen (in her book Murder at Mansfield Park). Now I don't know how I feel about that .. Bleak House is a favourite as I said but fiddling with Jane .. can that ever be right? One can't really draw comfort from the fact that she's meddling with Mansfield Park (my least favourite Austen) because a brief glance at the reviews (with one eye closed) mentions other Austen novels and character similarities. It shares a connection with this book too in that Charles' great uncle Maddox features in both .. although here in Tom-All-Alone's he is a shadow of his former self. I have a few doubts but will definitely give it a go .. this was too good not to wish for more. If this is anything to go by though the murder will definitely have been committed by Fanny Price because she's the person you would least expect .. only she will have been renamed Franny Brice or something .. don't say I didn't warn you Obviously reading Bleak House first will give you an advantage .. you will fall deliciously into all the sticky traps but I would think it's still a rattlingly good stand-alone story so I don't think it's necessarily a prerequisite. There is possibly going to be a sequel .. it was left in such a way to suggest that. You'll have to queue up behind me if so. I loved it 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 For our 22nd wedding anniversary, amongst other things, Alan bought me Bright Star: The Complete Poems and Selected Letters of Keats. It was incredibly sweet of him and the reason he bought it was because he picked up my selected diaries of Virginia Woolf and read that she had just been given a copy of Keats' poems by her sister and was thrilled by them What a romantic! *sigh* No wonder you’ve been going on so strong for so many years, you two lovebirds! Poppyshake, I noticed in one of your posts that you were reading The Prime of Miss Jean Brody and that you were actually liking it. It’s one of my most disliked books =D I was so looking forward to reading it at the time, the blurb promised such interesting events, but then it turned out that everything that had happened was told in the beginning, nothing was to happen afterwards, but the whole book was only going through the same thing again and again, events that didn’t even take place during the book! I will be terribly interested in reading your full review to see what it was that you liked about the novel. The Modern Library: 200 Best Novels in English since 1950. My reaction was oooohhhhhh! I hope you don’t mind if I share your reaction I will also be ‘borrowing’ the list from you, I hope that is okay with you! Such a delicious new list… You are in for some great treats, my friend! I noticed you haven’t yet read Lord of the Flies… That dreadful, horrid book! Another one on your list that you haven’t read yet is The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty… I wrote a bit of a rant review on that one, hehe! You have some great reads ahead of you, namely these: 32. Lolita - Vladimir Nabakov 87. Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow 91. Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice 113. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole 140. Misery - Stephen King 157. A Home at the End of the World - Michael Cunningham 180. Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh I also believe that all of these, except for Misery, are on the original 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list, the 2006 edition. There are some criticisms that because Colm is Irish there's too much Irish fiction in the list (though rather nobly but misguidedly he didn't put any of his own novels in). I must admit, I'm amazed there isn't any Murakami. There isn’t any Murakami on the list because I believe he writes in Japanese. This is a must read, thank you for the review! Night by Elie Wiesel I’m glad that you enjoyed the book, if one can say that. It’s a very harrowing read. And like you say, it’s not the first nor the last of the Holocaust books, but it is one that stays with you for a long time. When I read it I googled Wiesel and I think I wrote it in my review at the time that he was attacked by a Neo Nazi in the 2000s (?), it’s disgusting how many people still dismiss the Holocaust as Jewish propaganda. Sickening! Chaliepud, like poppyshake said, frankie is happy you’ve added the book to your wishlist =) Virginia Woolf by Hermione Lee What a wonderful review… I already have it on my wishlist, but it’s reminded me of how I need to read this one in particular when/if I ever get to Woolfing in more depth. I like it that Woolf’s not put on a pedestal. That Lee discusses her less pleasant traits as well as the great ones. Orlando by Virginia Woolf Another great review! I think I should probably start with this… if I don’t go for an English re-read of To The Lighthouse first. The problem with reading your log is that you read all these interesting books, but some of them are pinned down as ‘difficult’ ones, and I feel like I might not be up for it. I get a sense of underachievement from my own reads Yet it’s not an unwanted or completely negative notion: your log makes me want to reach a bit higher, to read more, to expand my horizons, to grab the difficult novels by the covers and just jump in. Another must read! Luckily I have this one on my wishlist as well, so I don’t have to add too many new titles! I’d better not read your review on Tom-All-Alone’s because I’m about to read it soon myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 That's an excellent picture! If he was drinking beer, what's that that you had? Vodka, perhaps? My lawd, quite a big one they serve there. I had a really nice time last night at the Bath Assembly Rooms listening to David Mitchell talking about his autobiography Back Story. He chatted and read out extracts and if what he said is anything to go by the book will be hilarious (actually I started it as soon as I got home again and it's very funny so far .. I do love ranty people). I like the concept too because it's both a memoir and a travel guide in that David has taking to walking to cure a back problem and so he recounts his life as he takes you walking around London. I remember when I saw Cloud Atlas at the library years ago, borrowed the book and then went home and realised, bloody hell, David Mitchell, as in David Mitchell from Peep Show?! Which was funny because I'd just recently (at the time) read somewhere that Mitchell said he'd like to write a book someday but didn't think he had it in him... I figured the interview must've been an old one and now he'd actually written a novel. A few moments later I googled him and found out it was the other David Mitchell... Sigh! But now he has a memoir of his own, I'm actually happy he went that way instead of trying at a novel, because I so want to read about his life, as I'm sure others will want, too I did wonder, poppyshake, if you'd already started it. I don't think it's possible for the book to be bad, you know. It must be hella funny. I told him that frankie was willing to marry him and alas .. he is getting married soon to that minx Victoria Coren .. but the seed is sown and so I wouldn't be surprised if he cancels. Yes, stupid imminent marriage. But he was nice enough to sign the copy anyway, and not call the guards, right? Stalking by-proxy... poppyshake and frankie style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 I love your cover of ...Wilfred Price, Kay - very prettyful. I read Watership Down for the first time a few years ago. It took me a while to get into it but once I did I loved it! I immediately downloaded Bright Eyes on finishing it! I hadn't seen the film either so my son bought it for me after I'd finished the book. It's very sad in places but a great read/film. I know we've chatted on FB about it, but I'm glad you enjoyed David Mitchell who wouldn't!. I am looking forward to eventually being able to read his book when my 'to read' pile has been reduced and when it's out in paperback! I was going to say some thing else, but the phone rang in the middle of me typing and I've lost my train of thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 I love your cover of ...Wilfred Price, Kay - very prettyful. Agreed. I'm constantly amazed by all the prettyful (I've never heard that one before!) covers made in the UK. Our domestic paperbacks are really unimaginative and boring in comparison I know we've chatted on FB about it, but I'm glad you enjoyed David Mitchell who wouldn't!. I am looking forward to eventually being able to read his book when my 'to read' pile has been reduced and when it's out in paperback! I know you prefer paperbacks, but do you really think you can wait til then? Oh, and I wonder if he's doing any more book shows in the vicinity, if you could catch him in some other city? I was going to say some thing else, but the phone rang in the middle of me typing and I've lost my train of thought... It was probably just the usual, 'Oooh David Mitchell is rather adorable' stuff pearls of wisdom regarding books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Agreed. I'm constantly amazed by all the prettyful (I've never heard that one before!) covers made in the UK. Our domestic paperbacks are really unimaginative and boring in comparion Technically it's not a real word, but I'm campaigning to get it in the Oxford English Dictionary! I know you prefer paperbacks, but do you really think you can wait til then? Oh, and I wonder if he's doing any more book shows in the vicinity, if you could catch him in some other city? If anything I might get it on the Kindle. I really don't enjoy reading hardbacks - I do a lot of reading lying down in bed at night and I just can't get comfy with a hardback. I'd love to see him - maybe one day. It was probably just the usual, 'Oooh David Mitchell is rather adorable' stuff pearls of wisdom regarding books! Ah, you're probably right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Technically it's not a real word, but I'm campaigning to get it in the Oxford English Dictionary! Yep, I pretty much thought it's not an existing, 'real' word. I'll support you all the way Maybe they'll print a picture of you, the founder of the word, on the relevant page! If anything I might get it on the Kindle. I really don't enjoy reading hardbacks - I do a lot of reading lying down in bed at night and I just can't get comfy with a hardback. I'd love to see him - maybe one day. I hear you, I also do most of my reading lying down in bed, so it's just more convenient with paperbacks. I do remember, though, the time when you got your Kindle, and you were rather... should I say, sceptical, about the gift? Your comments show that you've found it a great, useful gift in the end, awesome And re: David Mitchell: take comfort in the fact that it's much more likely that you see him one day than me Ah, you're probably right! I knew I had to be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Watership Down - Richard Adams OK now you've blown it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 I do remember, though, the time when you got your Kindle, and you were rather... should I say, sceptical, about the gift? Your comments show that you've found it a great, useful gift in the end, awesome Ah, but I'm still not in love with it. I've only read 14 books on it this year - out of 64 read. That might change when I've got through some of my tree books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Ah, but I'm still not in love with it. I've only read 14 books on it this year - out of 64 read. That might change when I've got through some of my tree books. Well I still think that 14 out of 64 is a lot for a person who wasn't at all keen on Kindle in the first place I also think that to improve the circumstances and odds you could place a Mitchell sticker at the back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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