Janet Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I've clicked on it a lot too - but I don't tend to remember to go back to see if anything's happened (or indeed what I actually clicked on!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 (edited) Book 21: Heidi by Johanna Spyri (Switzerland) 5/10 Synopsis: Parents, teachers, librarians and children will adore these beautiful unabridged editions of timeless children's favourites. Each hardback book has extraordinary artwork on the cover, together with spot illustrations, a ribbon marker and the highest quality paper. In "Heidi" - what happens when a little orphan girl is forced to live with her cold and frightening grandfather? The heartwarming answer has engaged children for more than a century, both on the page and on the screen. Johanna Spyri's beloved story offers youngsters an endearing and intelligent heroine, a cast of unique and memorable characters, and a fascinating portrait of a small Alpine village. Thoughts: I downloaded this last Christmas when I got my iPad, because I'd always meant to read it as a kid, never got around to it, and it's free to download. I rather suspect it's a children's classic which doesn't translate to most modern day adults. I'm certainly not anti-relgious, and appreciate how much comfort it does give to many, but it felt VERY preachy in the second half of the book. Obviously, the book is very much of it's time - written in the 1800s when religion played a bigger part in most lives - but the message felt rammed down my throat at times. Also the way Heidi was referred to as "the child" in every other sentence really began to grate on me - it's so unnecessarily repetitive when "she" or "her" would have varied the language and sounded more natural. All that said, it's a nice simple story of an orphaned girl in the mountains, and her relationships with others, and I can imagine it being a big hit with children. Edited November 24, 2012 by Alexistar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted December 9, 2012 Author Share Posted December 9, 2012 Book 22: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (United Kingdom) 4/5 Synopsis: The story of the orphan Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse only to be taken in by a den of thieves, shocked readers when it was first published. Dickens's tale of childhood innocence beset by evil depicts the dark criminal underworld of a London peopled by vivid and memorable characters—the arch-villain Fagin, the artful Dodger, the menacing Bill Sikes and the prostitute Nancy. Combining elements of Gothic Romance, the Newgate Novel and popular melodrama, Dickens created an entirely new kind of fiction, scathing in its indictment of a cruel society, and pervaded by an unforgettable sense of threat and mystery. (from GoodReads) Thoughts: I've obviously read more than this since starting the challenge which would have counted for UK, but I've read so few classics I wanted extra motivation. This was the first Dickens I've ever attempted, so I picked up Oliver Twist I've acted in a production of it, so I knew the story if the writing proved somewhat inaccessible. I actually enjoyed the story far more when it deviated from what the play and film show. It's more complex, and the character of Monks is an excellent addition. Fagin is a far more evil character in print - he's depicted more as a mischievous imp in the film - and Oliver seems in far greater danger throughout the book which adds a good level of suspense. I do have some criticisms - I do think Dickens has a tendency to overuse the semi colon and underuse the full stop. He can have whole paragraphs as one lengthy sentence which reads like a list broken up by semi colons, so you've forgotten how it started by the time you get to the end. But generally I found the writing quite accessible, and I wouldn't be afraid of picking up a less familiar tale. Having said the plot was more complex, the ending certainly wasn't. Everything fits into place rather too well for my 21st century mind - although that does seem to be a theme of a lot of classics I've read so far - and there is a death near the end which is glossed over in a single line! He can spin a bloody good yarn Mr Dickens, and I will definitely make an effort to read another his novels in 2013. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Alex Thanks for the review of Cutting for Stone. I've had it on my Kindle for quite awhile now,and have yet to try it,so your review will make me bump it up on my list . Sounds really good ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 Sorry Julie I missed this here it's a really good book, one of the highlights of the challenge so far for me, because I might not have picked it up if I hadn't been doing it. Good to enjoy expanding my horizons! Book 23: The Dinner by Herman Koch (2/5) There is a full review in my book log, but suffice to say I didn't feel this book delivered on a very intriguing synopsis. Dull for large parts I'm afraid, despite the fact we're discussing murder! I set a challenge to read 10 books for this challenge during 2013. I've got about 8 on my TBR so hopefully this will also provide motivation to get some of them read and my TBR down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Book 23: The Dinner by Herman Koch (2/5) There is a full review in my book log, but suffice to say I didn't feel this book delivered on a very intriguing synopsis. Dull for large parts I'm afraid, despite the fact we're discussing murder! I set a challenge to read 10 books for this challenge during 2013. I've got about 8 on my TBR so hopefully this will also provide motivation to get some of them read and my TBR down! I'm going in for your reading log next, to read the full review. I think having 8 books on your TBR for this challenge is definitely good for the motivation We'll keep chearing you on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 Aw thanks Frankie! I suspect it might get harder once I've completed 100 or so books, then the countries left are smaller/had fewer authors translated into English and readily available. I might make myself some pom poms! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 Book 24: Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos (France) 3/5 I have posted my (spoilery) thoughts in the RC thread but I trout I'd post a very general, non spoiler review here for completeness, and also in case it proves useful for anyone who wouldn't wander in there because they haven't yet read it Synopsis: Published in 1782, just years before the French Revolution, Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a disturbing and ultimately damning portrayal of a decadent society. At its centre are two aristocrats, former lovers, who embark on a sophisticated game of seduction and manipulation to bring amusement to their jaded existences. While the Marquise de Merteuil challenges the Vicomte de Valmont to seduce an innocent convent girl, the Vicomte is also occupied with the conquest of a virtuous married woman. But as their intrigues become more duplicitous and they find their human pawns responding in ways they could not have predicted, the consequences prove to be more serious, and deadly, than Merteuil and Valmont could have guessed. (From Amazon) Thoughts: I started off with the Ernest Dowson translation (cheapest on kindle) and then downloaded the Penguin translation (Helen Constantine) because the first was completely unreadable. Dowson has clearly never heard of a full stop amid wondered if it was translated literally because it was so hard to decipher. Under Constantine, it's a very good little story with plenty of evil characters to get your teeth into loathing. I really enjoyed the fact the whole novel is written as letters so a little bit was revealed at a time, relevant to what each character would want the character they we writing to to know! It dragged in a few places but was generally enjoyable, and my rating is probably affected by reading half of it in an indecipherable language! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted April 6, 2013 Author Share Posted April 6, 2013 Book 25: Madame Verona Comes Down the Hill by Dimitri Verhulst (Belgium) Full review to follow in my book log, but only getting a 2/5 from me this one. My third book from the challenge this year and two have only got a 2. A bit disappointing, but I do feel my horizons are being broadened I was in Waterstone's today (whoops) and noticed they have an 'around the world' display in the fiction section. I now have officially less than 200 books to go in this challenge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Great challenge it is alexi, good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 I tried the film once when it was on C4 but I turned over after half an hour. I do like the sound of the book though so maybe I'll try it one day and then try the fllm again. Film is quite disturbing, with its obscene suggestion of child prostitution, and was very poor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 (edited) Book 11: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan) 10/10 Synopsis: A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan's last thirty years, from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding, that puts the violence, fear, hope and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives, the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness, are inextricable from the history playing out around them. Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heartwrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love, a stunning accomplishment. Thoughts: Wow. I've been putting off reading this for various reasons, but chief among them was how much I loved his previous novel, The Kite Runner. I was a bit concerned that despite the positive reviews it wouldn't live up to it's predecessor (and that's a theme the author himself mentions in his postscript). I really wish I'd read it sooner. I think its actually better than the Kite Runner. The 30 years the book covers were/are an extremely turbulent time in Afghanistan, but my favourite bit of the story is how the author weaves the relationships through that. I did shed a few tears on two occasions - but they were both associated with the human relationships in the book, rather than the horrors we witness as a result of the fairly constant war. But those atrocities never lost the power to shock me. Just when you think it couldn't get any worse, it really does! It's frightening to see how these women are completely at the mercy of the men who govern their lives, whether that be their husband or the "government" in power at the time. They can have their freedoms and rights stripped of them basically on whim. The scene outside the hospital, when a group of women in serious pain are being told that no hospitals in the city bar one will treat them, and that is the one without basic facilities, broke my heart. And Laila then having her stomach cut open with anaesthetic! It's amazing what the human body can go through if forced. the complete disregard of women was frightening, both by the national leadership and on a more domestic level. I raced through the last 150 pages because I was desperate to find out what happened to Mariam and Laila, and then when I got to the end I was disappointed the story had finished! Wonderful, from start to finish. Amazingly good book, how vile Laila`s hubby seems to me.... Edited April 6, 2013 by itsmeagain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Oh, all sorts! (that's not helpful is it....) I'm trying to steer away from biography/non fiction for this challenge, but otherwise anything is going. I'd prefer it to be set in Brazil as well as being written by a Brazilian author I guess what I have mainly been reading is "general fiction" (terrible term) about ordinary people and their lives in each country. But ultimately, this challenge was designed to get me reading things I might not have done otherwise, so I'm keen to try anything you've enjoyed really Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Machado de Assis, is certainly available in English in the UK, and is a worthwhile Brazilian novel based in 1880s Rio de Janeiro, a kind of love story I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng. I feel I should warn you it's about a German professional goalkeeper in case that changes your mind! Apparently, before he died he had talked with the author about doing a book one day, so they had already started the process. As a result, the biographer has huge access to his wife/diaries in writing it. A great read that is, despite the awful sadness of the tale really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 Hi itsmeagain, thanks for all the comments I have read some really harrowing books for this challenge looking back! Probably doesn't say much for global history....! Completed my 26th book for the challenge now - just 198 to go! Loved loved loved this one - review copied from my book log; SPAIN The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Synopsis: Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'cemetery of lost books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out 'La Sombra del Viento' by Julian Carax. But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from La Sombra del Viento, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax's work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind. A page-turning exploration of obsession in literature and love, and the places that obsession can lead.(From Amazon) Thoughts: Wow. Easily my favourite book read this year. I downloaded this to kindle based on the recommendations of many on here - but without knowing really what the book was about except it was set in Barcelona! The Cemetery of Forgotten Books was an easy early hook for the reader (how I would love to spend an hour or year or two there!) but it just gets better and better. The gorgeous prose is backed up with a thrilling plot centred around a book and author, but plenty of death, intrigue and danger thrown in too. The backdrop of Spain under Franco, still reeling from the Civil War, was perfect to add drama and the real frightening element of a Crime Squad with plenty of power and no morals. Scary stuff. I didn't see the twist coming, and raced through desperate to find out what happened to the characters I really cared about. Just fantastic, and I'm now off to get my hands on everything Zafon has ever written!! 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 A great review Alexi, and I'm so so happy that you chose this book for your Reading Around the World challenge, and that you loved it so much!! It's one of my all time favorites, goes easily into my top 10 books There are two books in the 'series', I don't exactly know if they're sequels or prequels, because I haven't read them yet, but I think you obviously need to read those books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 Aw thanks Frankie!! I do intend to read the others at some point, but I've hit 200 on the TBR now so am supposed to be reducing it not increasing! Hmm. I'll blatantly acquire them next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Aw thanks Frankie!! I do intend to read the others at some point, but I've hit 200 on the TBR now so am supposed to be reducing it not increasing! Hmm. I'll blatantly acquire them next week. Love it! I laughed when I first read that you need to reduce your TBR pile, and then said you'll just blatantly acquire them Brilliant Oh, and thanks to your review of the book, I had a dream about Carlos Ruiz Zafón last night!! Thank you very many Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted July 9, 2013 Author Share Posted July 9, 2013 Film is quite disturbing, with its obscene suggestion of child prostitution, and was very poor. I watched the film at the weekend and I must say I agree it was poor compared to the book. The book also suggests child prostitution (iirc), but the film simplified the story to the point it was wildly different from the book and removed my favourite bit of the ending! Unimpressed Mr Boyle. Elsewhere, I have now finished Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (Phillippines). A full review to follow in my reading thread, but I wouldn't recommend it. It certainly gave me a flavour for Filipino culture which was good, but was needlessly complicated to the point of being pretentious to be quite frank. Must be something better out there. That brings me to 27 out of 224 completed! I have 11 books on the TBR that would count for this though (I counted this morning!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 Now completed Vietnam and Iceland to take me to 29 books out of 224. 195 to go! I have reviewed both in my reading log, but suffice to say I would not recommend my Vietnam novel (Postcards from Nam by Nicole Duong) at all. I rated it 2.5 out of 5 which I think was generous on reflection. I would definitely recommend the book I read for Iceland (House of Evidence by Victor Arnar Ingolfsson) which I rated 4/5. So I guess you win some, you lose some... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted October 11, 2013 Author Share Posted October 11, 2013 Now finished The Classifier by Wessel Ebersohn (South Africa). Another good read this one, and given it dealt with the issues surrounding and the collapse of apartheid it definitely fulfilled my desire to learn more about each country's culture. The racism is very difficult to swallow though, even though you know it's accurate of the 1970s. In fact, that probably makes it more difficult to swallow! 30/224 completed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted November 14, 2013 Author Share Posted November 14, 2013 (edited) My ninth book of the year for this challenge completed today: Spy's Fate by Arnaldo Correa (Cuba) It was a good read and I awarded it 4/5, which means i have really enjoyed the last three books I have read for this challenge! Full review in my book log. I have just picked up Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga which counts for Ghana as my next read. Edited November 14, 2013 by Alexi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 I've added Spy's Fate to my list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted November 17, 2013 Author Share Posted November 17, 2013 We are making slow but steady progress J! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Yes, baby steps! I haven't read a WC challenge for a while, actually. I have a couple on my Kindle, but for some reason I'm ignoring them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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