Kimmy619 Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 I loved 5 People too Mac. It isn't my usual genre and the only reason that I decided to read it was because it was in a bookring on BCF. Your review is really wonderful and vivid. I am from Cornwall (currently living in Leicester for various reasons) and you have made me feel really homesick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipread Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 I think I`m going to have to pick up The Five People You Meet in Heaven after reading that review, it sounds so good I hope you feel rested and well after your trip Mac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 Inver sent me The Five People You Meet in Heaven, it arrived yesterday morning and 5 hours later it was finished. That's how much I enjoyed the book. I had no intentions of reading it until I got through other books but I was just having a look through it and just couldn't put it down. So glad you enjoyed it Mac and I will also be looking for the rest of his work. Did you read the piece on Tuesdays with Morrie at the back of the book? I think I will look into that next. Ok, with your advice I will definitely not give up on Murakami. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 If you intend to read this book, do not highlight the spoiler bit!!! 61 Hours by Lee Child My mojo had disappeared for a while resulting in my inability to maintain my attention on any sort of novel. Then out came 61 Hours. As usual, Lee Child restores my senses and I can plough through a thumping good read. I've mentioned before about my conclusions surrounding the male role model for me and my search for a father-figure, but I'll reiterate here that in Jack Reacher I find all the qualities that I strive to develop in myself. I think that Lee Child inspires this in a lot of his readers. He is truly skilled. I've also mentioned before that I can be quite...snobbish about certain books. If, when one is honest with oneself, one feels the same and has been put off by the awful tag-line, expecting a low-brow actioner, have a go. He's brilliant. This most recent novel is a belter, proving Lee Child is back on form. It races through from chapter to chapter, counting down from 61 hours - a great page turning trick, damn you, Child! Fast paced, with some nasty bad guys and some sympathetic heroes, you just can't help rooting for Reacher. However, when I got to the end only to discover the apparent death of Jack Reacher, I nearly shouted out loud. And then over the page it says "To be continued 30.09.10", dammit! That's over 5 months away! So, all in all, I can barely wait until his next book comes out, the cad! 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Excellent review Mac. I will definitely put this on my wishlist. I love books like this...constant page turners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted April 28, 2010 Author Share Posted April 28, 2010 A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami His life was like his recurring nightmare: a train to nowhere. But an ordinary life has a way of taking an extraordinary turn. Add a girl whose ears are so exquisite that, when uncovered, they improve sex a thousand-fold, a runaway friend, a right-wing politico, an ovine obsessed professor and a manic-depressive in a sheep outfit, implicate them in a hunt for a sheep, that may or may not be running the world, and the upshot is another singular masterpiece from Japan’s finest novelist. Once again, Murakami reels one in to his somewhat surreal world of magical realism with a story that’s part mystery, part love story and part comedy. There is true beauty in his writing. I must sound so predictable when putting my thoughts down about his books, but this chap is one of (if not the) my favourite authors ever. The closest any of the characters comes to having a proper name in this novel is a fellow referred to simply as ‘J’ – and what’s interesting is that this lack of names adds to the detached quality of the story, it’s all somewhat unreal and dream-like. As usual, the pace is perfect, the structure spot on and the language exquisite. Another wonderful novel. I’ll have all on not jumping straight into another of his. 9.5/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 Excellent review, Mac! I've never read a Murakami (I know, for shame) and have had this one recommended to me as a first-read. I'm looking forward to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 Great review! I'll look out for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 I almost bought that one the other week...maybe I should have after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted May 2, 2010 Author Share Posted May 2, 2010 Gallows View by Peter Robinson Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks has recently moved to the Yorkshire Dales from London to escape the stress of the metropolis. But soon he finds that life in the country is not quite as idyllic as he had imagined. A peeping Tom is frightening the women of Eastvale. Two glue-sniffing thugs are breaking into homes. An old woman may or may not have been murdered. In addition, Banks has to deal with his attraction to young psychologist Jenny Fuller. As the tension mounts, both Jenny and Banks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted May 9, 2010 Author Share Posted May 9, 2010 Caught by Harlan Coben Seventeen-year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before, and three months quickly pass without a word from the girl, the community assumes the worst. Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission, to identify and bring down sexual predators via elaborate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 I always enjoy Harlan Coben's books, I will look forward to reading that one in the future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanC_84 Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami His life was like his recurring nightmare: a train to nowhere. But an ordinary life has a way of taking an extraordinary turn. Add a girl whose ears are so exquisite that, when uncovered, they improve sex a thousand-fold, a runaway friend, a right-wing politico, an ovine obsessed professor and a manic-depressive in a sheep outfit, implicate them in a hunt for a sheep, that may or may not be running the world, and the upshot is another singular masterpiece from Japan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted May 22, 2010 Author Share Posted May 22, 2010 Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger I awaited this novel with something akin to trepidation, largely due to the fact that I had waited for Donna Tartt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimmy619 Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 I had thought about reading this, but decided against it as I really didn't think that it would be as good as The Time Travellers Wife. I think that I will give it a go though now after read Mac's glowing recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted June 20, 2010 Author Share Posted June 20, 2010 (edited) The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova How do I convey what I feel about this book? It's taken me a long time to get through it, that's for sure, but a major factor in this is that I've been tremendously busy and have been falling asleep after only a few pages each night, and it's a thick book. It's beautifully written, and Kostova has clearly done some serious research into art and its history. The way it swings from one narrator to another is handled well and makes the novel interesting, with different voices for each. I became (perhaps irrationally) irritated by, and I apologise for this, the use of the word "gotten" and other Americanisms in areas of the novel where the dialogue is supposed to be French. Also where a character states "He wrote me on several occasions...", but these are minor things. I'm not even sure why they annoy me so. Anyway. It's a great novel. Not as captivating as The Historian, but a novel I'm very pleased to have purchased and read. I think I need something a little lighter and fun next, though. Maybe a bit of Dexter. 7.5/10 - Worth buying and taking your time over. Edited July 3, 2010 by Mac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 I'm glad you were pleased with this one, Mac . I loved it, although I must confess I didn't notice the Americanisms - go figure! It almost felt to me like Kostova is a painter herself. She was so familiar with the birth of a painting and the feelings an artist has for their own art and others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted July 3, 2010 Author Share Posted July 3, 2010 Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay Dexter Morgan, Miami PD blood-spatter analyst, is accustomed to seeing evil-deeds - he occasionally enjoys committing them himself. Guided by his Dark Passenger - the voice that helps stalk his prey - he lives his outwardly normal life according to one simple rule: he kills only very bad people. But everything changes when Dexter attends a gruesome double homicide. Dex realises he's dealing with someone a lot more sinister than he is, and it sends the Dark Passenger into hiding. And if the Dark Passenger into hiding. And if the Dark Passenger is scared, it has to be serious... I yummed this novel up. This is his best one yet. Witty, pacey and thought-provoking, Jeff Lindsay makes one actually root for Dexter - an actual serial killer! What's all that about? I got concerned when his "Dark Passenger" disappeared and didn't seem to be coming back (nothing spoiled there, because it's in the synopsis); I worry over his safety; I bite my lip as he makes mistakes - it's truly bizarre. So, really, this is a great book. I'd advise anybody to read the first two novels, as it gems you up on what the dude's all about but, by gum, I'm looking forward to reading the fourth one already (although I'm going to read a Harlan Coben novel next, 'cos I picked it up yesterday and I can't wait to read it...) 9.5/10 High scoring one, here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbielleRose Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 That sounds really good, Mac I'll have to put these ones on my TBR list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 I loved the first three Dexter novels too, Mac (and the TV series!). I haven't read the fourth one yet, so look forward to hearing what you think of it. Enjoy your Harlan Coben! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted August 12, 2010 Author Share Posted August 12, 2010 Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg This has taken me a long time to complete, as I've been busy rather than it being a chore. I always enjoy Scandinavian authors - the bleak, stark atmosphere they evoke - and this is the first novel I have read by Hoeg. The character of Smilla is an intriguing one. Eccentric and tenacious, one feels compassion for her, yet not a great deal of sympathy. Very strange, considering how I still wanted to discover how the novel turns out, despite reading it in stops and starts. There is a bleakness in the development of relationships within the novel as well. This element, in particular, is unusual in the the books I choose. Throughout the story, Smilla presents as very much alone - I think I would like to see the film to discover how they dealt with this. As it turns out, I really enjoyed the book (finishing it over a couple of hours on bed this morning - the benefits of a day off!) 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay I yummed this novel up. This is his best one yet. Witty, pacey and thought-provoking, Jeff Lindsay makes one actually root for Dexter - an actual serial killer! What's all that about? I got concerned when his "Dark Passenger" disappeared and didn't seem to be coming back (nothing spoiled there, because it's in the synopsis); I worry over his safety; I bite my lip as he makes mistakes - it's truly bizarre. 9.5/10 High scoring one, here. Oh I'm so pleased you're enjoying the Dexter series Mac, although you're the first person I've heard of liking the 3rd one the most! Dearly Devoted Dexter was my favourite, I think it was one of the more humourous ones but I totally get where you're coming from when you say you end up rooting for him, I think he's adorable in a naive kind of way and worried a lot over his safety, I just didn't want him caught! The only other killer I've thought of like that was Hannibal Lectar, especially in Hannibal Rising. Looking forward to reading your thoughts on the next one, think I may have to re-read these before buying Dexter is Delicious Hope you're well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted August 15, 2010 Author Share Posted August 15, 2010 Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay Married life seems to agree with Dexter Morgan: he's devoted to his bride, his stomach is full and his homicidal hobbies seem nicely under control. But old habits die hard and Dexter's work as a blood spatter analyst never fails to offer new temptations that appeal to his offbeat sense of justice... Luckily for Dex, there's someone out there with particularly twisted tastes. Dexter may have never been a big fan of art - but the discovery of an artfully displayed corpse naturally piques his curiosity. Dexter is back in business. Again, Jeff Lindsay has created a pacey, well written thriller. It hasn't taken me too long to read this, because I've fought the Sleep Fairy to keep turning the pages through to one more chapter. Lindsay is good at this. The novel itself is a little more grim than the first three, with some comparatively gruesome elements to the plot, at which the more squeamish of us might baulk. As for Dexter, without spoiling anything, he gets himself into a spot of bother where one thinks "Well, fella, you've brought this upon yourself..." and you hope that he learns his lesson this time. Okay, so he's a serial killer, but he only kills the really, really naughty people. How does one keep rooting for such an anti-hero? I agree with Charm that the only other crazed lunatic I have ever rooted for in a novel is Lecter. What a strange thing. How do I feel about vigilantism? I'm not sure, but this novel (or set of novels) makes me question it. We see people everywhere whom we know commit crimes and yet still wander around perpetrating these same crimes again and again. I know of a bloke - indeed, I've spoken to him on a number of occasions - who beats people up for money. How come this guy's still knocking around? I know another fellow who provides *cough* recreational products. What's that about? How can I know about these people and nothing seems to be done about them? It's a sorry evening when I start to think maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if Batman came and sorted it out... So, anyway. This book. Great stuff. I'm going to give it: 8.5/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 It's a sorry evening when I start to think maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if Batman came and sorted it out... It's a sorry evening when I don't hope for Batman to turn up! I love reading your thoughts on your reading and authors, Mac. Always a pleasure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 It's a sorry evening when I start to think maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if Batman came and sorted it out... Maybe you should become the MacMan Then you can go and sort all of the hooligans out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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