Kell
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Posts posted by Kell
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One of my old buddies was writing a novel when I knew him (I wonder if he ever finished it?) & his hero was originally called Ezekial Catfruit. He eventually changed it to Jonathan Catfruit. We loved it so much that we named the band after him (just the last name - LOL!)
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Garry, I nipped along to Amazon & typed "Afghan authors" in the search box. Only one came up:Sayd Bahodine Majrouh with a book of poetry, but I'm pretty sure that if you popped something along those lines in for each of the countries, there'd be suggestions listed.
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In reply to Michelle's "spoiler" post:
I was a bit miffed at that too, but I got the feeling it was at a point in the story where Kostova was worrying a bit about the overall length of the novel & wanted a quick answer to that question, so I was more than a little disappointed in that bit too. However, I did enjoy how it finished up - it was all rather neat & tidy, if a teensy bit rushed.
The middle bit does slow down a bit while all that information & reseach is related, but it's worth sticking with it as all that knowledge does relate to the rest of the storyline as a whole. I don't think there was any of the historical data that was actually superflous, but sometimes it could read a little dry for a while & there was a feeling of "anoth letter? how many are there???" However, the action does pick up again & the pace quickens a fair bit as the end draws near.
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I adore his novellas (the four in Different Seasons, 3 of which have been successfully transferred to the big screen, are shining examples of just how good he can be) for diping into as a quick read. They're utterly absorbing & not too lengthy like some of his novels can seem. however, the unabridged version of The Stand remains one of my favourite books of all time. Actually, it must be due for a re-read some time soon...
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For anyone trying to find out all the countries involved, I had a look on Wikipedia & found this entry:
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Oh, it's a good one, Mau - if you ever get the chance to go back & read it, do - it's such a giggle!
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I liked the historical aspect of it most, I'll admit. Like you, I saw a lot of the outcome coming, but I felt there was no other way it could really have ended that "felt right". It was long in places, but this was one occasion where I didn't actually mind, which is unusual for me, as I often find myself glossing over long descriptive passages in other books.
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Ooh, I have a few of those on my own reading list - I may have to bump some of them up the pile!
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Finished Broken last night - really enjoyed being back with the Pack again! Will be starting Undead & Unwed by Maryjanice Davidson at some point today...
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Thanks MonkeyCatcher, I think I will. I didn't make the connection in my head - I've been lokoing at that one for a while - LOL!
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This sounds rather interesting. And if it's likened to TCIotDitNT, I'll probably enjoy it a lot.
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I've never been a fan of Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer either - I read them years ago & although I liked them well enough, they didn't really stand out for me a great reads.
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If you nip along here you'll find a review of Deception Point with a couple of comments after it...
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I enjoyed The Taking, but nowhere near as much as some of his others. My favourite remains Lightning - I love that one. The whole concept was so cleverly thought-out, even including the ever-tricky topic of paradox (which is often left dangling loose in time-travel stories). There is just something about this one that sticks in my mind & every now & then I find myself remembering little bits of it & thinking to myself "oh yes, that bit was really good!"
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I did wonder if that was the case...
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I can't for the life of me remember what Helen's mother's name was either now - LOL!
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Thanks, Mamacita. I shall have a trawl on the internet tonight & try all the usual places (RISI, GM, Amazon, etc)...
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They do say that your brain shrinks when you're pregnant. My colleague has been joking that the baby is sooking out her brains through the umbilical chord - LOL!
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After The Historian, I moved onto The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (which I rather enjoyed) & am now reading Broken by Kelley Armstrong & If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor
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In reply to Michelle:
Do you mean Rossi getting freaked out in the library when he's looking at the 3 maps & that man appears & takes it all away from him? I don't remember that being fully explained either. The man in question was obviously a vampire (or at least a semi-vampire) & gave him the willies, but I didn't quite get why it put him off the hunt for so long. Unless it's all part of the amnesia thing later on.
I can't rightly remember - I've read another 2 books in between then & now, so I'm already losing bits of the plot in my head - LOL!
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MSK was certainly rather a hard-hitting subject, but I thikn Piccoult handled it really well & the tone was never too heavy. If her other books are of a similar style, I think I'll enjoy them, but I wonder if I'll feel they're very similar, or perhaps too similar?
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That sounds like a wonderful book - I am SO going to have to get hold of a copy. It sounds exactly my cup of tea! I'm finding myself rather drawn to books with an Oriental aspect to them lately...
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I agree about the text-bookishness, Kat - there were large passages where it almost seemed like a long history olesson - but an interesting one, at least. It brought back to me a lot of the research I did back in high school when I wrote a paper on Dracula, but I also learned a lot of new information regarding the circumstances of the time & region in reading The Historian.
Did anyone else find they sometimes lost track of who was telling the story at any given point? I sometimes found myself struggling to remember if it was the father relating the story of his mentor to his daughter & the moments when the daughter was reading the letters from her father which mentioned the letters from his professor (if that makes any sense at all!). If I was only getting a short run at it, I would forget & have to flick back a few pages for a clue, or carry on regardless till it became more obvious.
I think that if I'd read it all in longer stretches, this wouldn't have happened so much & the flow would have been smoother for me.
Also, not being funny, but does anyone remember the daughter's name ever being mentioned? I can't for the life of me recall having seen her name at all - LOL!
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I'm sure I'll get to it shortly - it's been sitting there, gazing at me for some time (it's the girl on the front cover - I get the feeling she's watching me - LOL!).
Names you can't pronounce.
in General Book Discussions
Posted
Some fantasy books are filled with unpronouncable names, but, like MC, I end up recognising the word without pronouncing it in my head. It can be pretty annoying at times.