pontalba

Well, I've finished a couple of books in the last few days. The genre bending The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell was an extremely interesting, but not riveting story. Mitchell's prose is absolutely gorgeous and some of the most beautifully descriptive prose I've encountered. The book is divided into sections, with the first and last being exclusively dedicated to the main protagonist, Holly Sykes. The middle sections are devoted to satellite characters that are or become important in her life course. There is magic, magic realism, and "straight" story telling and it does, eventually, tie up beautifully. I just wish the story had been a bit more cohesive. It could have done with some editing, IMO. But I still am able to unequivocally recommend The Bone Clocks. 4/5 Then there is Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz. It's the second in the Arthur Conan Doyle approved series about Sherlock Holmes. Horowitz writes the story in a somewhat "Conan Doyle" style. IOW, somewhat dry and factually told. The story picks up at the famous Reichenbach Falls incident where Moriarty and Holmes presumably went over the edge and died. It is told from a Pinkerton detectives point of view that is visiting England in order to find and arrest an American gangster that has attempted to join and/or take over Moriarty's criminal empire. The first half of the story is rather too dry and a bit too detail oriented for my taste. It picks up in the second half though, with some amazing action toward the end. There is a twist towards the end that I found disturbing. All in all, I'd rate it a 3.5/5. I also ran across a novella by Louse Penny, The Hangman. Somehow it was on my kindle.....not sure how that happened. Read it in less than an hour, but have to say it was well done and up to Penny's (former) usual standards. Good mystery, good detective work.

I know. Too close to home for comfort. Not that close, but you know what I mean. Apparently the shooter has had problems with violent behavior for many years. I haven't read that much about it, only the local news. Lafayette isn't right next door, it's about a two hour drive west of us. But it really makes one wary about any public places. I remember an incident over in Texas about 20 years ago. A guy walked into a cafeteria like restaurant and started shooting the place up. In fact....lemme google..... here it is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luby%27s_shooting Believe me, ever since then, I know where all the exits are wherever we go.

Wow. Just wow! Glad the flatmate from hell is gone! Just catching up a bit on your thread, and you have my complete sympathy! Do you know yet where you'll be moving to? I'm sorry if you've posted way back that you have.....I didn't see it.

Beautifully put Paul, it's true we never know what Life will throw at us, good or bad. I guess I look at Life as sort of a huge crap shoot...aka dice game. It's whatever rolls up. Ten years? May as well be ten centuries. Alice, I'm sure you know as well as I do.....better alone than with the wrong one. I've had it both ways. My present reality is far more wonderful than I could have imagined, ten years ago!

I tend to agree, muggle. OTOH, just to play Devil's Advocate, it's just possible that when one reaches the august age she has, she'd be willing to thumb her nose at the naysayers and/or those that hero worship Atticus.. IOW, a good sense of humor. I suspect, it could go either way. I think and hope she still has all her marbles and some of someone elses.

I'm a moody reader as well, picking up what strikes me at the time. I find it practically impossible to plan much what I'm going to read. Too many good books. I look forward to seeing your blog grow! Happy reading.

Not to put you off the book.........heh.......but I really loved Guernsey. It doesn't sound silly at all. For one thing we as readers have to go with our gut feelings, there are far too many good books, good as in 'to our own taste' to bother with something just because it comes out with many flourishes and horns blowing away to announce it's coming. While publicity is a necessary thing, it doesn't make a book "our taste". Lots of times I'll read a review of a book, an uncomplimentary one at that, one that goes on about how "slow" and "complicated" a book is (as though that's a bad thing /giggle/). Then I'll know it's more than likely up my alley. And, I agree, if a book is seems as though it's only an earlier version of a previous book, what's the use? It's like alternate endings to films. Anti-climatic. Only my opinion. If that's not your cuppa, that's the end of it. So glad you enjoyed it! I'd go with the "Yay! Cheap Books!".. grocery stores have to survive too! The money is better in my pocket than any store. Most of our books are second hand. . And really, that supports a whole cottage industry of Marketplace sellers.....who are by definition small booksellers. Plus Library Sales, supporting libraries, and a plethora of 'little people' selling books on their own.

Glad to see that! Yes! both of those left me gasping for air. Unfinished. Agree, def recommend Lolita, and also Nabokov's "detective" story, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight. I've only read about half of Nabokov's work, but really for anyone that has read at least that much Look at the Harlequins! is absolutely hilarious. John Banville's loose trilogy, I call it the Freddy trilogy.....The Book of Evidence, Athena and Ghosts. Then his Untouchable is a fictional telling of Kim Philby's spying and defection. Excellent.

I read To Kill a Mockingbird not long after it came out, so I was a kid and perhaps I didn't know enough to really appreciate it. I am not however moved to reread it, or read the new one. I believe I read that Watchman was actually supposed to be a prequel, not a sequel. I've seen the film and loved it, although I could put that down to the presence of Gregory Peck....who IMO, could do no wrong.....

Welcome Alice. Glad to see someone name Vladimir Nabokov as a favorite! And Mary Stewart is an old favorite of mine as well. Have you read any of John Banville? I first came across him with The Sea......the advert on the cover compared him to Nabokov, so I had to read him. I believe I've read most of his books now, and he really is comparable to VN.

Have you read the rest of the trilogy? Rounded it out beautifully. Just wonderful writing and story. For another fictional take, A Town Like Alice has an excellent section on something similar to the Bataan March during WWII. Suite Francaise as well as Némirovsky's other books. I've read a few others. Two authors I can recommend (for non-fiction) are Ian Kershaw and Richard J. Evans. I've only perused their books, but what I've read is excellent, and they are both highly regarded as historians. I went through a stage when I was a teenager, reading all the WWII/German Theatre books I could get ahold of. Non-fiction for the most part. There is a shelf or two in the other room, but off the top of my head there was The Arms of Krupp by William Manchester, Adolf Hitler by John Toland to begin with. We have more modern renditions on the shelf, some read, some unread as of yet. It's a fascinating topic. But sometimes I just feel as though I have had enough of reading about it.

We've seen both the Swedish and English version. Both were good, but I'd have to agree that the Swedish version was truer to the books. Although I thought the English was excellent as well. The casting in both was superb Ummmmm....... The Blue Guitar by John Banville Undermajordomo by Patrick deWitt (The Sisters Brothers was his other book I've read and liked) Slade House by David Mitchell The Girl in the Spiders Web A Lisbeth Salander by David Lagercrantz (continuing Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series) Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike) by Robert Galbraith One of the last two wasn't on this link, but I ran across it whilst on Amazon......now I can't remember which of the last two it was. . I have Ready Player One in the stacks here to read. I even picked it up once, but somehow was sidetracked.....lol Ahh, thanks. I couldn't find this thread when I posted. I know the feeling! All too true. And, you'd be a winner! Shudda done it!

Not from this article, but I just saw that the new Lisbeth Salander book is coming out in September. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385354282?refRID=387J7M0Y70FET9MTNKGP&ref_=pd_ys_sf_s_283155_a2_14_p

Ahhh, clicky, clicky on Amazon!

Oh! Love the pic of your baby! She's gorgeously sweet looking. Nice looking books, too, even though not my cuppa.

WHOA!!!

If they can find anything in that crowded fridge, they're good! Ahh, The Shatner. Yum. Yes, especially the green skinned ones.......

You may, of course!! Great quotes!!

Oh, she is beautiful! No weight lose, these cats don't go outside. It's so wooded around here with critters roaming about. I haven't let any cats out since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They don't seem to mind, they lounge about a lot! Check out The Millions thread I started, you might get some more preorder ideas......../evil grin/

I didn't know there was a prequel!!

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you'd classified it as "hard" sci-fi. I actually don't know if I'm using "hard" correctly. Probably not. I guess what I'm trying to say is "more realistic, tied to logical progression of what we know now". If that makes any sort of sense...... Actually, maybe you know this, Star Trek was originally billed as Wagon Train in Outer Space. So, I guess it's the human drama that appeals to me, and the setting is possibly secondary. I loved Moon, and have Primer on my "to watch" list on Amazon. As I posted above.....no, no, no....! I'm enjoying this! It's always a crapshoot recommending books. But better to recommend and risk someone loving a book you do than not.

Excellent reviews, BB. I really want to get to The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, and soon! I've read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and loved it.

Found this link, and thought it'd be of interest here. :0 Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2015 Book Preview http://www.themillions.com/2015/07/most-anticipated-the-great-second-half-2015-book-preview.html And, yes. I've already pre-ordered, er a couple.....

Noll, I've read I Am Legend, didn't much care for it. Just ok, IMO. But, interestingly enough, although I haven't seen it, I've read that the film of it is nothing like the book.....go figure!

I read the trilogy last year, and loved it. Haven't seen the TV show yet. I'm waiting for it to hit Netfilx (hopefully).