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Janet

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    Frankie reads 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I

    I think you are my long lost twin sister: I can't see the attraction in George Clooney, either! He's so overrated. I'd have David Mitchell over him any time :wub::giggle2:

    In the end, I didn't. I think I went to the library to see if there were any copies available at the time but the English copy was borrowed and I wanted to wait for it. I've forgotten all about it ever since then, silly me!

     

    Steve has sent me a couple of suggestions – both relatively short.  One is sadly not available from my library authority but the other is so I’ll probably go with that one.  I can’t remember what it was called now but I’ve posted in my reading log so I don’t forget altogether!

     

     

    :D I'm sure he will remind you if you manage to forget... :giggle:

     

    Yay twinny - another non-GC fan!  :D  I struggled to find a copy of The Descendants that didn't have him on the cover!  :giggle2:   Ditto David Mitchell.  :wub:

     

    If you do get round to The War of the Worlds, I hope you enjoy it.  And yes, I'm sure Steve won't let me forget!  :giggle:

    Peacefield's Reads 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by Janet

    ...and also dabbling in my family genealogy project...

    I do this - and when I get going on it sometimes I neglect everything else - it's so engrossing!  Do you use something like Ancestry.com?  :)

    House of Velvet & Glass Katherine Howe

     

    I can't wait for this to come out in paperback!  :)

     

    Happy reading 2013.  :)

     

    ETA:  Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh - I hate this new quoting system! 

    The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

    in Previous Reading Circle Books

    Posted

     

     

    Also, could someone explain how it is a Victorian Gothic novel please?
    I felt it was set in a much more recent time, and I don't know what Gothic really is!

    I don't think it was necessarily Victorian - but I haven't managed to re-read mine yet (it's next on my 'to do' list!) so I can't exactly remember if the era was specified.   The wide(ish) use of electricity would suggest a slightly later period to me.

     

    You can read more about what constitutes a Gothic novel here.  :)

    Frankie reads 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    You obviously have an aversion to wigs and corsets, Janet.  And . . .  people who . . . talk . . . really slowly . . . and then . . . speedupattheendofthesentence. :giggle2:  

    Lol!  I certainly do!  :giggle2:

     

    I'll have a think and send you a PM if I come up with one   

    Thanks again for the suggestions.  :)  I will make an effort to read them some time soon(ish!).

     

    Is it bad that I read that with Shatners voice in my head? :giggle2:

    Haha – that’s really funny! 

     

    Eewww Tom Cruise! They should really make more of an effort to keep him out of the movie business. The less I hear of him the better.

    I’m with you on that one!  I just don’t see the attraction…  Mind you, I don’t see what women see in George Clooney either – just… ewww!

     

    It's actually quite ironic that Janet's review on War of the Worlds made me want to read the book, seeing as Janet is not at all into

    sci-fi/fantasy :D

    I can’t remember if you actually did read it or not in the end? :)

     

    I know what you mean, I'm definitely not one to pick up books with anything to do with space and spaceships, not voluntarily! And yet I read The Stars My Destination last year and I actually liked it. I'm still not keen on picking those kinds of books up but it was odd to think that I could actually manage to read something like that and maybe even enjoy it. I'm not saying that because I did it, so should you, no sirree. Like I said, I'm quite sure you have enough books to read as it is and can well go ahead on avoiding books you just don't feel like reading.

    Steve has sent me a couple of suggestions – both relatively short.  One is sadly not available from my library authority but the other is so I’ll probably go with that one.  I can’t remember what it was called now but I’ve posted in my reading log so I don’t forget altogether!

     

     

     

     

     

    The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

    in Previous Reading Circle Books

    Posted

    TheWomaninBlack_zps785838ab.jpg

     

    Welcome to the February 2013 Reading Circle for The Woman in Black by Susan Hill - apologies for the late start!

    It is assumed that you have read the book before reading posts in this thread, as the discussion might give away crucial points, and the continuous use of spoiler tags might hinder fluent reading of posts.

     

    Synopsis (from back cover)

     

    Summoned to attend Mrs Drablow’s funeral in Crythin Gifford, Arthur Kipps, a young solicitor, journeys serenely to her tall, lonely house situated on the bleached salt marsh beyond Nine Lives Causeway.


    He did not suspect that Eel Marsh House guarded the memories of a pitiful secret, nor did he understand - until it was too late - that the mysterious black-robed woman who inhabited its shuttered rooms exacted a terrible revenge.

     

    Questions for discussion (please answer as many or as few as you wish)

     

    1. Did you like the book?   What was it that you enjoyed?  If you didn't like the book, what were your reasons for disliking it?

     

    2. The narrative is quite sparse and the characters few, did you find it easy to engage in the story?

     

    3. What were your expectations when you started this book and were you proved right or wrong?

     

    4. If you have seen the stage production, TV version or film of The Woman in Black, how did it compare to the book?
     

    5. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/ by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?

     

    6. One of the themes of the novel is fear.  Did you find the novel creepy – were you scared?

     

    7. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

     

    8. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

     

    With thanks to Claire (Chesil) for helping me out with this month's circle.  :)

     

    In an article in the Guardian newspaper, Susan Hill says:

     

     

    I set out to write a ghost story in the classic 19th-century tradition, a full-length one. There have never been many, writers perhaps having felt the form would not stretch successfully. By the time I began mine, in the 1980s, full-length ghost stories seemed to have died out altogether. I read and studied the Jameses, Henry and MR, and Dickens, and I also had beside me the "bible" – Night Visitors by Julia Briggs (still the best study of the form).

    9. If you've read any 'classic' ghost stories, how do you think this compares to them?

     

    10. How successfully do you think Hill has captured the feel of the 19th century?

     

    11. Do you think the book works well as a full-length novel, or in your opinion would it have been better as a short story?

     



     

    Janet's Log - stardate 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I have Replay on my wish list Janet so I'll be very interested to hear what you think about it as i've never ventured into sci-fi either.. :)

    Yes I have it on mine too (thanks to Steve's review) so will be very interested to see what you make of it Janet :)

    Thanks guys. :)

     

    Although I'm finding it hard to fit in reading time at the moment. I've been reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall since 18 January and I'm still only 60% of the way through it. :(

    Janet's Log - stardate 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I hope Steve won't object to me posting his PM to me in here, but I mentioned my apprehension when it comes to sci-fi but said I'd be open to suggestions and he kindly sent me the following recommendations...

     

    Hi Janet!

     

    Okay, so I immediately thought of this: Replay by Ken Grimwood. It's about a guy who dies of a heart attack when he's 43, and then wakes up again in his own body when he's 18, and gets to live his life again. It's a fantastic book, full of twists, and if it doesn't make you cry you're a better person than me! Plus it's only 270 pages long :D

     

    Failing that, there's always I Am Legend. Nothing like the Will Smith movie, thank gawd. And it's only 180 pages long.

     

    Getting me to find sf/fantasy books that are short . . . that's so cruel! :giggle2:

    I have never seen the film I Am Legend [which sounds like a good thing!] but it doesn't seem to be available from the library here, but Reply is, so I'll probably go for that, at some stage. Watch this space... :)

    Frankie reads 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    See Karsa, I told you so!!

     

    Janet, I have to say that I understand you. I think you and I have talked about this before, you and I are both a bit (or a lot...) scared of sci-fi/fantasy, it's not our thing, it doesn't come natural to us... Which is pretty much why Karsa and I are doing this challenge thing: I want to get out of my comfort zone and read something I wouldn't pick up on my own, and make Karsa read something he wouldn't necessarily pick up on his own. So far it's been interesting and rewarding! :)

     

    Edit: Janet, I think you would be quite capable of reading sci-fi/fantasy if I can do it, too! But of course it's a matter of if you want to try and read it. We all know there are plenty of books to read as it is :)

     

    Edit: Janet: I'm quite sure you read The War of the Worlds only a year or two ago...? And liked it!

    I did read, and love, WotW, you're right. It was brilliant. However it's the thought of reading things set on other planets/galaxies with different time frames that just don't appeal to me. I've read a few books that might be considered fantasy (Stardust?) and enjoyed them, but I always think of William Shatner when I think of sci-fi!

     

    I sense another challenge coming :o:giggle2:

     

    I remember Janet reading that. Awesome book :smile:

    I don't think I'm ready for a challenge, but maybe just one, short, book...?!

    Bobblybear's Book List - 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I read Gulliver's Travels last year (before Mistress Masham's Repose, which was my RC book last Feb). Basically it's in four parts - the first two were really good, but I felt it went downhill rather a lot in parts 3 and 4 and overall it was rather dry so I definitely wouldn't recommend it as a 'first read' from that list.

     

    It did have quite a lot of 'toilet humour' in it, which amused me because it was first published in 1726 - I bet it raised a few eyebrows! :lol:

    Poppyshake's Reading Year 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Thank you so much Janet :friends0: .. the first chapter had a toast quote in it :D It made me go a bit gooey remembering my lovely two (alas now only one :() when they were just little tykes .. kittens are just impossibly adorable

     

    I must not get a new kitten though .. or a penguin :D

    Awwww, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. :) That picture of your cats is gorgeous.

     

    You should DEFINITELY get a penguin! :D

    "Libraries I have visited"

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    I've managed to change the first one into a photo, but I can't do the second for some reason. Above the picture it says 'share' and if you click on that it should give you an image link - as I said, for some reason the link isn't working for the second picture.

     

    Thanks for sharing - I love the physic garden. :)

    bree's log : 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    You should be able to see them now Janet :)

    (And I love "prettyful")

    Thanks - it worked so I was able to see your lovely pictures. :) I use prettyful a lot! :D Have you read Call of the Wild by Jack London too?

     

    I love your review of The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss. :)

    Poppyshake's Reading Year 2013

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    It's a shame that Pamela hated the movie version, it must be heartbreaking to see your work (in your mind) butchered but when did you ever see a faithful retelling of a story on screen?

    It must be heartbreaking to see a bad adaptation. That's why Dahl wouldn't allow any of his other books to be made into films during his lifetime - he hated the dreadful Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory so much!

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