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Ooshie's Reading List 2012


Ooshie

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The Pied Piper by Neville Shute

 

Synopsis - from Waterstones

 

John Howard is determined to brighten up his old age by taking a fishing trip to France. However, during his stay the Nazis invade and he is forced to try to escape back to England with the two small children of some friends who are forced to stay behind in order to help the Allied war effort. As the conflict grows closer the roads become impassable and Howard also comes across five more children who need his help. He ends up leading this motley group of youngsters through the French countryside, constantly beset by danger yet heroically protecting his charges.

 

This was the Reading Circle choice for March; it didn't really appeal to me and as I am trying to cut down on my book buying (yeah, like that's ever going to work) I had thought of not joining in this month. However, as usual my desire to try something new triumphed over my bank balance! Overall, I thought the book was alright, neither spectacularly good nor bad. It took me quite a while to get through it as, although it's not long, the story didn't really grip me and I had to keep reminding myself to get back to it. However, I did very much like the character of Mr Howard, who reminded me very much of my own father who always puts others first and never complains.

Edited by Ooshie
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I didn't really want to read your review of The Pied Piper Oosh because I'm going to read it myself soon but I couldn't help it .. I had to know :D It's a shame you didn't enjoy it more but that's the nature of the Reading Circle isn't it? .. you never know what you're going to read and sometimes the stories appeal and sometimes they don't. They shake you out of your habits though (personally speaking) and that's a good thing.

Love your reviews .. I've said it before but it's worth repeating .. it may actually stick to my brain :D .. you always manage to say in a few sentences what would take me four paragraphs.

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Thanks, poppyshake! :friends0:

 

I should also have said that I enjoyed the descriptions of life in France at that time, and the differences between what the French and English found acceptable, or even normal. So, there were good things about it, it just wasn't one of my favourites. My 17 year old son had looked at the back of the book and said "A book about children? Why would you want to read that?", and that probably kind of summed it up for me!

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Hello Ooshie,

 

I'm new here and as my status says "settling in" - hope its okay for me to post in your thread.

 

I was just looking around this part of the forum - wondering if I dared to have my own thread - and I was over-whelmed by all the long, colour-coded reading lists I saw.

I was ready to run when I saw your thread and read this :

 

As usual, I am full of admiration for people who have properly organised lists of books they want to read - I will just be listing the books I read each month, and trying to remember to post a short (usually very short!) review of each one.

 

If I ever get down to having a list of my own, and posting reviews I might just follow your lead!

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Hi bree, welcome to BCF! You are more than welcome to post on my thread any time :)

 

I think if I tried to list all the books I would like to read and all the books I have already that are waiting to be read, my head would just explode, so I don't even try - and if I tried to make myself write nice, long reviews then I just wouldn't get round to doing it at all! I know my limitations!

 

I look forward to seeing you around the forum :)

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Thank you Ooshie (I love your name by the way!)

I'm not very organised and I don't think I'm the kind to have a too-be-read list.

I'm rather a simple reader, and I just think make sure I have one on waiting, before completing the current one.

 

Will look forward to your reviews. Happy reading.

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The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

 

Synopsis - from Amazon

 

Proud and solitary, Eel Marsh House surveys the windswept reaches of the salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral Mrs Alice Drablow, the house's sole inhabitant, unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind the shuttered windows. It is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of the woman in black - and her terrible purpose.

 

Well, this was my second book of the year to get 5/5 (Lonesome Dove was the first). Just a short book, it was full of atmosphere and I found it genuinely scary. The only thing I wished was that I had realised it was told in the context of a Christmas ghost story, as I would have made it part of my Christmas reading. I will definitely read it again, though, so I will do that next time!

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Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov

 

Synopsis - from Amazon

 

THE KEY TO THE FUTURE

It is the year 12,020 g.e. and the last Galactic Emperor of the Autun dynasty, Cleon 1, sits uneasily on the throne. These are troubled times and Cleon is desperate to find a way to calm them. When young Outworld mathematician Hari Seldon arrives on Trantor to present a paper on psychohistory, his astounding theory of prediction, the Emperor believes that his future security may rest on Seldon's prophetic powers.

But Hari Seldon becomes the most wanted man in the Empire as he struggles desperately to keep his remarkable theory from falling into the wrong hands. At the same time he must forge the key to the future – a power to be known as the Foundation!

In 'Prelude to Foundation', what happened in the many centuries before the events made famous in Asimov's other Foundation novels – hitherto only hinted at – is now revealed.

 

I have been meaning to read more science fiction, and also to reread more of the books that I have kept because I enjoyed them so much and intended to read them again. This one had been on my shelves for about 25 years waiting for its reread, so I reckoned it was about due! One benefit of leaving it so long was that I had totally forgotten the story and the twists (although I did guess one) which meant the story wasn't stale for me at all although I had read it a couple of times before. It's not a short book (about 450 pages) but is a very easy read and so only took me a couple of days to get through it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely read the rest of the Foundation series (also still on my shelf!).

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The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

 

The only thing I wished was that I had realised it was told in the context of a Christmas ghost story, as I would have made it part of my Christmas reading.

 

That's what I thought, too, Ooshie. I read it in November, could've waited a few weeks and read it alongside A Christmas Carol :D

 

Have you read Michelle Paver's Dark Matter?

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Thank you Ooshie (I love your name by the way!)

I'm not very organised and I don't think I'm the kind to have a too-be-read list.

I'm rather a simple reader, and I just think make sure I have one on waiting, before completing the current one.

 

Will look forward to your reviews. Happy reading.

 

Haha we know why she is called Ooshie. It is a really cute story.

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Now I'm intrigued! Do tell Ooshie!

 

I had forgotten I had told everybody that story! Years ago when my little brother was learning to talk, he couldn't say "Susan" properly and used to call me "Ooshie", so when I was trying to think of a username, that was what popped into my mind! :)

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I had forgotten I had told everybody that story! Years ago when my little brother was learning to talk, he couldn't say "Susan" properly and used to call me "Ooshie", so when I was trying to think of a username, that was what popped into my mind! :)

 

Aww. That is sweet! Him saying it, and your picking it. :smile:

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The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

 

Synopsis - from Amazon

 

Proud and solitary, Eel Marsh House surveys the windswept reaches of the salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral Mrs Alice Drablow, the house's sole inhabitant, unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind the shuttered windows. It is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of the woman in black - and her terrible purpose.

 

Well, this was my second book of the year to get 5/5 (Lonesome Dove was the first). Just a short book, it was full of atmosphere and I found it genuinely scary. The only thing I wished was that I had realised it was told in the context of a Christmas ghost story, as I would have made it part of my Christmas reading. I will definitely read it again, though, so I will do that next time!

 

I really want to read this novel. It's funny that you should mention that this is a Christmas story and would be better to read it around that time of year. I have a friend who ONLY reads 'A Christmas Carol' around Christmas time. She says that she can never read a winter story in the summer, because the atmosphere is wrong. It's an odd theory, but I might try this!

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That's what I thought, too, Ooshie. I read it in November, could've waited a few weeks and read it alongside A Christmas Carol :D

 

Have you read Michelle Paver's Dark Matter?

I really want to read this novel. It's funny that you should mention that this is a Christmas story and would be better to read it around that time of year. I have a friend who ONLY reads 'A Christmas Carol' around Christmas time. She says that she can never read a winter story in the summer, because the atmosphere is wrong. It's an odd theory, but I might try this!

 

Years ago, it never used to bother me at all what time of year a book was set and when I read it, but just over the last year or so it is something that has started to niggle me a bit!

 

I haven't read Dark Matter yet; it looks very good and is going on my wishlist - thanks :)

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Nemesis by Jo Nesbo

 

Synopsis - from Amazon

 

How do you catch a killer when you're the number one suspect?

 

A man is caught on CCTV, shooting dead a cashier at a bank. Detective Harry Hole begins his investigation, but after dinner with an old flame wakes up with no memory of the past 12 hours. Then the girl is found dead in mysterious circumstances and he beings to receive threatening emails: is someone trying to frame him for her death?

 

As Harry fights to clear his name, the bank robberies continue with unparalleled savagery...

 

This is the second book I have read in the Harry Hole series, and was very enjoyable indeed. It is quite complex and full of suspense and twists - I did guess one of the twists, but it didn't spoil the book at all for me and I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.

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Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Hayes

 

Synopsis - from Amazon

 

Catherine has been enjoying single life for long enough to know a good catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic and spontaneous, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. But there is a dark side to him and his erratic, controlling and sometimes frightening behaviour means that Catherine is increasingly isolated. Driven into the darkest corner of her world, she plans a meticulous escape. Four years later, struggling to overcome her demons, Catherine dares to believe she might be safe from harm. Until one phone call changes everything...

 

This is one the the More4 TV Book Club books, and is a very good thriller. It is written in the form of changes between years, and my mother found this a bit confusing, but I can't say it bothered me at all. I thought it was a very gripping story and I read it very quickly as I didn't want to put it down.

 

I have found it a bit personally disturbing, though, as

my first husband was abusive, and stalked me after we separated, and was arrested with a gun while coming to kill me. He was an ex police officer and put on an act which ended up with him back on the streets within a couple of days of him being arrested. I spent many years in fear and still, decades later, freeze with horror if I catch a glimpse of a man with the same build. So Catherine's story rings true with me on many levels and has brought some things back to the surface that I would rather not think about.

However, that doesn't detract from the fact that I found it a very good book!

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I had forgotten I had told everybody that story! Years ago when my little brother was learning to talk, he couldn't say "Susan" properly and used to call me "Ooshie", so when I was trying to think of a username, that was what popped into my mind! :)

 

I've missed this story before, I'm glad you told it again and that I now noticed! That is sooo cute :smile2:

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The Far Side of the World by Patrick O'Brian

 

Synopsis - from The Folio Society

 

A French agent has betrayed several naval plans, and in a personal attack on Stephen Maturin has told his wife that Stephen has been ‘flaunting a red-haired lady up and down the Mediterranean’. If Stephen’s marriage seems doomed to the breaker’s yard, the Surprise has been literally ordered there – fated to be broken up and her hand-picked crew dispersed. Jack Aubrey is devastated, but a reprieve is offered when the Surprise is ordered on a last mission – to intercept an American frigate harrying British whalers.

This was the book which was chosen as a basis for the successful film starring Russell Crowe. With the many dramatic events as the Surprise searches for the USS Norfolk around the Cape and all the way to the naturalist’s paradise, the Galapagos Islands, it makes a good choice. The tangled relationships aboard ship in the book are darker and more tragic than the film portrays. Against all Jack’s normal custom, there is a young and attractive woman aboard ship – and her relationship with an unlucky midshipman (stigmatised as a Jonah by the rest of the crew) will cause a black cloud of jealousy and despair to settle on the ship. Most dangerous of all is the fateful moment when Stephen falls from the stern-window – Jack immediately dives in to save his friend but, when they surface, the ship does not hear his cries and Stephen and Jack are left to float in the vast and lonely South Seas.

 

The 10th book (I think) in the Aubrey-Maturin series, and just as good as the rest. The edition I have has lots of colour illustrations too, taken from maps and paintings from/of the time, which really added to my enjoyment. A previous book in this series led to me reading a biography of Talleyrand, who was mentioned in the book, and this one looks likely to lead to my finally reading Moby Dick, as it has quite a lot about whaling in it!

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Cell by Stephen King

 

Synopsis - from Amazon

 

On October 1, God is in His heaven, the stock market stands at 10,140, most of the planes are on time, and Clayton Riddell, an artist from Maine, is almost bouncing up Boylston Street in Boston. He's just landed a comic book deal that might finally enable him to support his family by making art instead of teaching it. He's already picked up a small (but expensive!) gift for his long-suffering wife, and he knows just what he'll get for his boy Johnny. Why not a little treat for himself? Clay's feeling good about the future.

That changes in a hurry. The cause of the devastation is a phenomenon that will come to be known as The Pulse, and the delivery method is a cell phone. Everyone's cell phone. Clay and the few desperate survivors who join him suddenly find themselves in the pitch-black night of civilization's darkest age, surrounded by chaos, carnage, and a human horde that has been reduced to its basest nature...and then begins to evolve.

There's really no escaping this nightmare. But for Clay, an arrow points home to Maine, and as he and his fellow refugees make their harrowing journey north they begin to see crude signs confirming their direction: KASHWAK=NO-FO. A promise, perhaps. Or a threat...

 

There are one hundred and ninety-three million cell phones in the United States alone. Who doesn't have one? Stephen King's utterly gripping, gory, and fascinating novel doesn't just ask the question "Can you hear me now?" It answers it with a vengeance.

 

As a huge fan of Stephen King's early work, I am always a bit apprehensive when I pick up something he wrote relatively recently. This wasn't too bad at all, though. For the first half of the book I wasn't that engaged with the story (I would have liked a few more pages setting the scene of normal life before the gore started flying), but it grew on me, and for the last 150 pages or so I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. For the first half, it was going to be 3/5 (average, didn't love it or hate it), and the second half was probably a 4/5, so it gets a grand total of 3.5/5 from me!

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Cell by Stephen King

 

Synopsis - from Amazon

 

On October 1, God is in His heaven, the stock market stands at 10,140, most of the planes are on time, and Clayton Riddell, an artist from Maine, is almost bouncing up Boylston Street in Boston. He's just landed a comic book deal that might finally enable him to support his family by making art instead of teaching it. He's already picked up a small (but expensive!) gift for his long-suffering wife, and he knows just what he'll get for his boy Johnny. Why not a little treat for himself? Clay's feeling good about the future.

That changes in a hurry. The cause of the devastation is a phenomenon that will come to be known as The Pulse, and the delivery method is a cell phone. Everyone's cell phone. Clay and the few desperate survivors who join him suddenly find themselves in the pitch-black night of civilization's darkest age, surrounded by chaos, carnage, and a human horde that has been reduced to its basest nature...and then begins to evolve.

There's really no escaping this nightmare. But for Clay, an arrow points home to Maine, and as he and his fellow refugees make their harrowing journey north they begin to see crude signs confirming their direction: KASHWAK=NO-FO. A promise, perhaps. Or a threat...

 

There are one hundred and ninety-three million cell phones in the United States alone. Who doesn't have one? Stephen King's utterly gripping, gory, and fascinating novel doesn't just ask the question "Can you hear me now?" It answers it with a vengeance.

 

As a huge fan of Stephen King's early work, I am always a bit apprehensive when I pick up something he wrote relatively recently. This wasn't too bad at all, though. For the first half of the book I wasn't that engaged with the story (I would have liked a few more pages setting the scene of normal life before the gore started flying), but it grew on me, and for the last 150 pages or so I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. For the first half, it was going to be 3/5 (average, didn't love it or hate it), and the second half was probably a 4/5, so it gets a grand total of 3.5/5 from me!

 

I read this years ago and was really gripped by it. I seem to remember that I was disappointed by the end. I must dig this out to see if I enjoy it as much as before.

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The Far Side of the World by Patrick O'Brian

 

Synopsis - from The Folio Society

 

A French agent has betrayed several naval plans, and in a personal attack on Stephen Maturin has told his wife that Stephen has been ‘flaunting a red-haired lady up and down the Mediterranean’. If Stephen’s marriage seems doomed to the breaker’s yard, the Surprise has been literally ordered there – fated to be broken up and her hand-picked crew dispersed. Jack Aubrey is devastated, but a reprieve is offered when the Surprise is ordered on a last mission – to intercept an American frigate harrying British whalers.

This was the book which was chosen as a basis for the successful film starring Russell Crowe. With the many dramatic events as the Surprise searches for the USS Norfolk around the Cape and all the way to the naturalist’s paradise, the Galapagos Islands, it makes a good choice. The tangled relationships aboard ship in the book are darker and more tragic than the film portrays. Against all Jack’s normal custom, there is a young and attractive woman aboard ship – and her relationship with an unlucky midshipman (stigmatised as a Jonah by the rest of the crew) will cause a black cloud of jealousy and despair to settle on the ship. Most dangerous of all is the fateful moment when Stephen falls from the stern-window – Jack immediately dives in to save his friend but, when they surface, the ship does not hear his cries and Stephen and Jack are left to float in the vast and lonely South Seas.

 

The 10th book (I think) in the Aubrey-Maturin series, and just as good as the rest. The edition I have has lots of colour illustrations too, taken from maps and paintings from/of the time, which really added to my enjoyment. A previous book in this series led to me reading a biography of Talleyrand, who was mentioned in the book, and this one looks likely to lead to my finally reading Moby Dick, as it has quite a lot about whaling in it!

I really, really want to read these books. But not until I've taken a big bite out of my TBR pile, unfortunately!

 

Re Moby Dick, I read that some years ago. It's a great cure for insomnia, I'll say that for it ...

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I remember loving the beginning of this, but slowly losing interest as it went on. Can't exactly remember why though. :hide:

 

It has been quite a while since I read this (must give this a re-read), but I found the ending to be a little far fetched.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I really, really want to read these books. But not until I've taken a big bite out of my TBR pile, unfortunately!

 

Re Moby Dick, I read that some years ago. It's a great cure for insomnia, I'll say that for it ...

 

The Aubrey-Maturin series really is very good. But it is a long series, and as you say, you will have a lot of other books to read first! I haven't started Moby Dick yet (although I have 10 days off over Easter so might try it then), and your comment reinforces my worst fears about it...

 

I remember loving the beginning of this, but slowly losing interest as it went on. Can't exactly remember why though. :hide:

That was kind of the opposite of me, then! :)

 

It has been quite a while since I read this (must give this a re-read), but I found the ending to be a little far fetched.

I agree, the ending seemed unlikely to say the least.

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