Janet's Reading Log 2007

[Janet]

Books read - fiction

Buried Fire by Jonathan Stroud
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Books read - non-fiction

[Janet]

I read Buried Fire as one of the books sent to some of us here by Random House for discussion. It was okay, but not really my thing.

I've just read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (see here (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=58062#post58062) for my review). By comparison, this book was wonderful - a definite 9/10.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65/Bagpuss/Bagpuss_Books%202007/002-2007-15-January-TheSecretLifeof.jpg

[everydayxangels]

You've made me add Secret Life of Bee's to my list of books to read! Right now that list is at 54 Books. :blush:

[Janet]

You've made me add Secret Life of Bee's to my list of books to read! Right now that list is at 54 Books. :blush:
Lol - sorry!

[Purple Poppy]

Me too. Think it's going onto my wanted list!!

PP

[Janet]

I've just finished Coram Boy (review posted in Young Persons Zone or whatever it's called!).

I'm going to read Blue Water next, but I can't remember who it's by! :blush:

ETA: Manette Ansay!

[Janet]

I've just finished Blue Water by Manette Ansay - Review here - 6/10 (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2654).

Not sure what to start now - 1984, perhaps.

[Liz]

I love Nineteen Eighty-Four. It's such a great book.

[Janet]

I love Nineteen Eighty-Four. It's such a great book.
I started it last night. I read it at school (before 1984!) but have only vague recollections about it. It's coming back to me as I'm reading it!

[Gyre]

I'm buying 'The Secret Life of Bees' next time I am in town..:D

[Janet]

I've just finished Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (review posted).

About to start House of Orphans by Helen Dunmore, in readiness of seeing her at the Bath Literature Festival!

[Janet]

I've been re-reading Richard III, A Woman of No Importance, The World's Wife and Wise Children for the last few weeks, so it's taken me ages to plod though my latest read - The Soldier's Return by Melvyn Bragg.

My choice for my real-life bookworms group for May. Should provoke some interesting conversation, I hope.

Not sure what to read next. Little Women, perhaps?

[Janet]

I read Little Women. It was okay, but not brilliant! I gave it 5/10. Review here (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=3302).

Not sure what I'm going to read next!

[Janet]

I've just reread Animal Farm by George Orwell which I enjoyed - it was well written and very clever, despite being only about 112 pages long!

[Janet]

Plan B - Emily Barr.

Perfect holiday reading - 7.5 out of 10.

[Janet]

Just finished A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. Great fun - a definite 8½/10!

[Janet]

Finished The Vanishing Acts of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell today, which was FAB! Another 8½/10!

[Janet]

Finished The Amazing Mr Blunden (originally published as 'The Ghosts' and now out of print) today. Pure nostalgia! 8/10

[JudyB]

Finished The Amazing Mr Blunden (originally published as 'The Ghosts' and now out of print) today. Pure nostalgia! 8/10

That sounds familiar but can't recall it properly.

[Janet]

Two teenage children, Lucy and Jamie, living with their mother and baby brother. Their father has died, and the family are very poor after paying off all the debts. They have to leave their home and move into a grotty flat in Camden.

One night, a solicitor called Mr Blunden calls, and tells the mother of a caretaker's job with a cottage provided. She doesn't have to do anything apart from live there.

Mother leaves the room, and Mr Blunden asks the children if they would be afraid if they met ghosts. He tells them that the ghosts would probably be children like themselves who need help.

They move to the cottage, and in the garden of the 'big house', they meet Sara and Georgie. Ghosts from 100 years earlier. They tell Lucy and Jamie that they are in danger.

Sara tells J & L their tragic story...

Sara and Georgie's parents have died, and Georgie's inheritance of £30,000 is held in trust until he is 21. Their uncle Bertie (their father's half-brother, and therefore not entitled to inherit unless Georgie dies) marries a girl called Bella, and Bella's parents, Mr and Mrs Wickens, move into the home and sack all the servants.

Mrs Wickens thinks it's very unfair that Georgie gets all the money, and realises that if he were to die, then Bertie, and therefore Bella, would get all the money.

She starts leaving the children's windows open at night, and not allowing them to have blankets and feeds them the minimum of food. She wants to kill them off.

Frightened, they write to their other guardian (Uncle Bertie being one), Mr Blunden, but instead of helping, he informs Mrs Wickens of their letter and their threat to run away, so she then nails the windows closed.

Frustrated that they are not starving or catching chills (Tom, who is in love with Sara, has been giving them newspaper to put under their sheets to keep them warm, and climbing up the guttering to close the window) Mrs Wickens tells her husband that they need to take a different tack.

Mr Wickens starts a fire in the library which is under Sara and Georgie's bedroom. Tom tries to climb the guttering to save them, but Mr Wickens sees him and brings the gutter crashing to earth, killing Tom.

Mr Blunden, who was at the house earlier for a dinner party, but ingnored another plea for help from Sara, sees the flames and races back to the house, but he's too late - the children are both dead.

Lucy and Jamie agree to help, and Sara shows them how to brew 'a charm to move the hands of time', so that they go back to the day before the fire to try to help. Mr Blunden, a ghost, appears and tells Jamie that he failed Sara and Georgie and that he has suffered in his guilt for 100 years, but that Jamie can change history - he has to trust Mr Blunden no matter what happens.

J & L agree to take the potion and go back in time. Before they go back in time, they find Sara and Georgie's graves in the local churchyard, and also that of Tom, the gardener's son and discover that three perished. They are unsure how they can help.

Back 100 years ago, history starts to happen the way Sara said it would. However, only the children (and Bella, who has the mind of a child) can see Lucy and Jamie.

To cut an already long story short, they manage to prevent Tom from being killed. Lucy pushes Mr Wickens, who can't see her and doesn't know what is going on, which means that Tom climbs into the bedroom where he meets Jamie, and they manage between them to get Sara out (she and Jamie have been drugged).

However, when Jamie goes back for Georgie, the staircase is already well alight and Jamie is scared. Then Mr Blunden turns up and tells him not to be afraid. Together they walk through the flames to get Georgie. Jamie doesn't feel a thing, but Mr Blunden dies - exclaiming as he goes "at last, at last!" - happy in the knowledge that he's finally done the right thing and the children are alive.

The potion fades, and Lucy wakes up back in her own time. However, Jamie hasn't come back. Lucy is cross because she thinks Mr Blunden has broken his promise to keep Jamie safe. However, Jamie eventually arrives back too.

Jamie is unconscious for a few days and only Lucy knows why, but of course she can't say! She goes to the churchyard, and Sara and Georgie's & Tom's graves have all gone.

Instead, there is large grave/memorial to Mr Blunden, "who died saving the children in his care".

Lucy goes back to the house to find Jamie awake. At first, neither of them say anything, both thinking they must have had some elaborate dream. However eventually they do discuss it, and Lucy tells Jamie that they succeeded.

Jamie tells her that he and Mr Blunden went to a trial, and Mr Blunden was telling the judges that he'd put right the wrong he did. They in turn do something to change Jamie's past...

A solicitor turns up, and informs them that after research, they've discovered that Sara married Tom and they moved to America. Lucy and Jamie's father is descended from them, and because Georgie had no children, they are the rightful heirs, and Langley Hall belongs to them!

The 'ghostly judges' changed Jamie's past to make Sara and Tom his great-great-grandparents. Of course, if Jamie had failed in his quest, then Sara and Tom would have died, and Jamie wouldn't be related to them (this is how Barber gets round the fact that 'the ghosts' couldn't have asked Jamie and Lucy for help, since they wouldn't exist!).

It's far-fetched, I guess, but then again, if it's a ghost story, then one must suspend all belief, since ghosts don't exist.

Or do they...? :p


Phew! :lol:

[Janet]

I tried reading Emma by Jane Austen because it's my r/l July Bookworms book. I found it to be dull, dull, dull.

Fortunately, I got a text from one of our members saying that most of them felt the same way, so I think we're giving up on it! (Yay!). Our meeting had to be cancelled anyway so we were only going to vote and not discuss it.

I'm currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and that's much better so far! :D

[Kell]

I tried reading Emma by Jane Austen because it's my r/l July Bookworms book. I found it to be dull, dull, dull.
LOL! I agree, agree, agree! I found it almost unbearably tedious in parts - nothing ever seemed to happen! And I wanted to give that Emma Woodhouse a good, hard slap every five minutes! I've much preferred the other Jane Austen books I've read far more.

[Janet]

And I wanted to give that Emma Woodhouse a good, hard slap every five minutes!
:lol:

I finished To Kill a Mockingbird today - I really enjoyed it!

8/10

[Kylie]

:lol:

I finished To Kill a Mockingbird today - I really enjoyed it!

8/10

I'm glad you enjoyed To Kill A Mockingbird Bagpuss, it's one of my all-time favourites!

I hope I get along better with Emma than you did when I finally get around to reading it!

[maclsj]

Unfortunately 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was a set text when I was at school and I learned to loathe it (it was back in the days when I went through a phase of not being interested in reading). I don't think I would try it again, even though I'm older and my tastes have changed.

What are you reading next?

[Janet]

I did Animal Farm at school but recently reread that and enjoyed it. Mind you, I put minimal effort into it at school! Also, it was about 25 years ago, so although I remembered the basic story I'd forgotten the detail.

What are you reading next?
I started Komandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff last night, but it's off to a bit of a slow start at the moment!

[Janet]

I manged to leave Kommandant's Girl at a friend's house, so goodness knows when I'll get that back.

I've started on The House at Riverton by Kate Morton this afternoon. I've only read the first 50 pages, but I love the writing style so far.

[Janet]

I've just finished The House at Riverton by Kate Morton. I really enjoyed it - will write a review later.

8½/10

[Janet]

I'm reading Regeneration by Pat Barker. It was slow to start, but is building now.

It's fiction, but is about Siegfried Sassoon and based on his stay in Craiglockhart hospital following his "soldier's declaration" about his belief that WW1 was being unnecessarily prolonged!

[Janet]

I've just finished Marshmallows for Breakfast by Dorothy Koomson. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be, which was a shame - I really enjoyed the beginning of it, but it turned out to be rather predictable. 6/10

[Janet]

I haven't updated for a while! I've read some good books since I last posted, but now I've lost my reading Mojo again. :( So far in August/September I've given up on Wicked, A Time To Dance, the last bookworms book about Freud (can't even remember the title) and The Memory Keeper's Daughter. I just can't seem to get into anything at the moment.

Not good news with A2 English Lit starting today! :lol:

[JudyB]

Not good news with A2 English Lit starting today! :lol:


Best of luck with your course.

[Janet]

Best of luck with your course.
Thanks. :)

Although only 6 of us have enrolled so there is a strong possibility that they will cancel it - even though we had a class last night. :(

Please keep your fingers (mentally!) crossed for me.

[Maureen]

I will!

[Janet]

Thanks Mau. :)

No email yet to say it's not going ahead tomorrow so I'm keeping everything crossed.

[Maureen]

What happened Janet? Did it go ahead? (so I can uncross everything :-))

[Janet]

What happened Janet? Did it go ahead? (so I can uncross everything :-))
Yes! :D Two more ladies turned up on Thursday so we're up to 8 now. I'm very happy.

Thanks for the crossed fingers - hopefully it'll be easier for you to type now! :p

[Maureen]

Yep it is, though for I while there I was getting rather worried as I was going numb ;-);):tong: Hope you enjoy the year.

[Janet]

I finished Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks yesterday - it was fab! 9/10

[Renniemist]

Oh I loved that book Janet. I am so glad you did too. It was one of my favourites last year. :)

[Janet]

I've just finished The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (7/10) and Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (8/10).

I'm going to read:

The Last Fighting Tommy, Harry Patch's autobiography, next. He's (as the name suggests) the last British man alive who fought in World War 1. He's 109 years old and lives not far from here.

[happyanddandy]

The Last Fighting Tommy, Harry Patch's autobiography, next. He's (as the name suggests) the last British man alive who fought in World War 1. He's 109 years old and lives not far from here.


I just saw him, Harry Patch on the 10pm BBC1 news - I think they said there was a documentary about him tomorrow night.

[Janet]

I just saw him, Harry Patch on the 10pm BBC1 news - I think they said there was a documentary about him tomorrow night.
Oh thanks so much - I'll check it out. :)

My Grandfather fought in the first world war. He never really spoke about his experiences though and he died when I was 15 so I wasn't really interested in history.

Now I'm older (perhaps wiser too?! ;) ) I'm very interested in history and as I'm researching my family tree this interest becomes deeper.

Two of my Grandad's brothers died in WW1 - one was killed when HMS Vanguard blew up and the other was blown up on a munitions dump in the Somme.

I wish I had asked him about his experiences. I know my cousin John spoke with him about it (he's much older than me) so I must ring him for a chat one of these days.

</Waffle>

Anyway, thanks again. :)

ETA: I found it on UKTV History and have just watched it. Thanks!

[Renniemist]

I saw this programme advertised on the TV last night also, but I have managed to miss it unfortunately.

The Last Fighting Tommy sounds good. He must be amazing. WWI has been over for 89 years so he must have been only 20 when the war finished.

When I was young I always thought of these soldiers as being old, but now I realise just how young they all were. It is so sad. I have just finished reading All Quiet on the Western Front and I have read Birdsong both books are about WWI but from the point of view of different sides.

I hope you enjoy the autobiography Janet and will let us know how it goes.

[Janet]

I saw this programme advertised on the TV last night also, but I have managed to miss it unfortunately.
If you have UKTV History (channel 12 on Freeview), it's repeated sometime on Sunday. :)

I read Birdsong recently and I absolutely loved it. :)

[Renniemist]

Thanks Janet. I do have UKTV(History). So I will try to remember that.

I loved birdsong too. It is such a sad period.

[Janet]

I finished The Last Fighting Tommy by Harry Patch (with Richard Van Emden yesterday - quite fitting to finish it on Remembrance Sunday, I guess!

I really enjoyed it - what a remarkable man Harry is, and not just because he's 109 years of age.

There were a couple of errors with place names that are easily checkable, eg Castle Carey instead of Castle Cary which I thought was a bit sloppy of Mr Van Emden!

9/10

[Gyre]

Well done Janet x

[Janet]

I've just finished The Queene's Christmas by Karen Harper.

The ‘blurb’
Someone is threatening the court’s most cherished holiday… with deadly success.

The Queene’s Christmas draws readers into the magnificent realm of Elizabeth Tudor and the magic of her Court at Yuletide, circa 1564. But in the intoxicating sixth novel of Karen Harper’s celebrated Elizabeth I series, the Twelve Days of Christmas are murderously interrupted when the Dresser of the Queen’s Privy Kitchen is found hanged and trussed like the peacock he’d been fashioning for the holiday feast. With foul play afoot in her Court, Elizabeth does her royal utmost to track down the poor man’s killer while striving to salvage the joy of Christmas. Doomed to suspect ever her most trusted courtiers, she is nevertheless determined to vanquish the Christmas culprit - who will not only strike again but has targeted Her Majesty as his ultimate prey.

This book reads a bit like Karen Harper wrote it whilst reading “The Bumper Book of Metaphors and Similes for Keystage 2”! From such gems as his ruddy glow went white as bleached linen to happy as a hawk in a windstorm, together with an enormous helping of the phrase ‘s blood to show us that the Queen wasn’t a total goody-goody!

Karen Harper is an American author who writes about English subjects and her writing seems very well researched. She says herself in the back that it's not necessarily accurate but it's close enough. It's quite amusing reading an English queen saying things like inquiry instead of enquiry and behavior instead of behaviour but that's merely an observation, not a criticism.

That aside, it was quite a good yarn, if a little predictable - I got the murderer quite early on in the book, albeit that my feeling was based on a hunch rather than any clues. I think the fact it took me three weeks to read it speaks volumes and I don’t think I’ll be rushing to buy any more of the ‘Elizabeth I Mysteries’!

The paperback is 281 pages long and is published by St. Martin's Press. The ISBN number is 978-0312994723.

5/10
(Read December 2007)

[Janet]

I've just finished The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman. Can't wait for the BBC adaptation now I've read it.

Who knows, I might yet manage to read A Christmas Carol before next Tuesday now, seeing as it's only about 140 pages long!

[Janet]

Well, I didn't manage to finish it before Christmas, but I've finally finished A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

It lived up to all my expectations - 10/10!

I've read 30 books this year (pathetic compared to some, I know!) which is 10 more than I managed in 2006. :)

[lovesreading06]

30 books is good. Its a lot more than what i can do. Some of the books you read look good so i might read them next year.

[FishAndChips]

I've read 30 books this year (pathetic compared to some, I know!) which is 10 more than I managed in 2006. :)

Well it's more than me. And 50% up on last year, that's a pretty good achievement. I think I'll be at 22 by the end of the year.

[Janet]

Thanks guys. :) To be fair, I read quite a few short books during the year. Animal Farm was very short as was A Christmas Carol. I also read quite a few children's books and again, they tend to be quick reads.

30 Books Read during 2007