Ruth

Hmm, well I do like Joaquin Phoenix.... Which reminds me, I watched Walk The Line the other day. Phoenix was so great in that - and the music is great too (I love Johnny Cash). I also watched The Moon Is Blue, with William Holden *swoon*) and David Niven. Two wonderful actors in a really sparkly, funny comedy. It was considered very risqué for its time, although it's very tame by today's standards. Still a great film though.

You're welcome I didn't want to come across like I was telling you off! (Hope it didn't seem like that.) Shame about The Master - I had high hopes for it, but a few people have said the same as you. Not sure I'll bother seeing it now.

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn On the morning of Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappears and foul play is suspected. As the police investigate, fingers are pointed straight at Nick; all the evidence suggests that he has hurt Amy (or worse), and as he protests his innocence, nobody, including the reader, is sure who to believe. There is a split narrative, with Nick describing events on the day of and the days following the disappearance, and also talking about his marriage to Amy, and through Amy’s diary entries leading up to their fifth wedding anniversary. Through their two voices, a tale is told of two people who meet, fall in love and get married, and seem to have it all – until they don’t. Until job losses, financial worries and parental problems threaten their happiness, and slowly but surely, the truth is revealed. It’s really hard to review this book, because I think it is absolutely essential that there are no spoilers for anyone reading it. However, I will say that I really really liked the first part, where it was never quite clear what had happened. Then comes a twist, and a change of pace, which I initially was quite disappointed by, and I thought that the book would suffer because of it – but I was wrong. The level of tension was kept up, and I found the book hard to put down. I thought the characters were really well written, even if I didn’t particularly like some of them. (Nick was not that likeable, and Amy’s parents were vomit inducing!) My only gripe with this book was the ending, which, while well written, and which was actually very clever when I look back at it, didn’t satisfy me, but I can’t say why without giving away important plot points. Overall though, this book was a terrific read, and I will be seeking out Gillian Flynn’s other works.

Only just spotted your post Frankie. Glad you managed to find a copy - it's a great book, whether or not you're a fan of Jane Austen.

That is very true about the amphetamines and the constant nagging about her weight. Dreadful really. I really like Judy Garland, but I really disliked this book. Boyt's obsession seemed really unhealthy; she refers to her Judy-friends, her Judy-work and so on, and sends out questionnaires to other Judy-fans around the world, asking them things like what have they learned from Judy, what would they have done to help Judy, what characteristics do they share with Judy, what would they tell her if they could, etc etc. I also thought that the fan who wrote to Grace Kelly's family (mentioned in my review) was beyond rude and would have thought that Boyt - or most people in fact - would have thought so too. (Excuse lack of paragraphs - I'm typing on my phone.) EDIT: I should mention that my dislike of the book in no way reflects my opinion of Judy Garland herself, who I agree was immensely talented and unfortunately exploited to a great degree. It's not surprising that she developed an addiction and could be (very) difficult to handle, but I think as Kylie says, you have to acknowledge the flaws of your idols as well as what you admire about them. Refusing to do so just creates an image that's surely even harder for them to live up to.

Mr Hobbs Yes, that is a great film! I love all the older movies. Today I went to see Song For Marion, with Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp. It is both hilarious and heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting. Definitely recommended.

Thanks for a great review of The Hobbit. I bought this on a whim a while ago, and have been wondering whether I want to give it a try or not. Your thoughts have encouraged me to pick it up

Thank you both. I had serious misgivings about posting what could be seen as an unkind review (rather than just a negative one), but honestly this book really wound me up. We all have books that we like or don't like, but rarely do they actually anger me. Julie, I do think that Judy Garland was talented - immensely talented really - but she was also a complete nightmare to work with sometimes, by all accounts. I feel sorry for her - she was pushed onto the stage at a very young age, and was probably over-worked, which led to her excessive drug use, and her acting out on set. I do love most of her movies, and can understand Susie Boyt's admiring her, but it felt like a very unhealthy obsession to me. Judy did die of a drug overdose, but it was accidental; 'incautious' was the word the coroner used. It's a shame to admit that if she wasn't talented, she might have been a lot more happy, living a normal life (whatever normal means). I have never been able to leave a book unfinished once I've started it. I'm not sure that that's a good thing sometimes; I've had to really grit my teeth to carry on sometimes, so I would admire you for recognising when a book isn't for you, and not wasting more time on it That's great to hear

My Judy Garland Life, by Susie Boyt Susie Boyt has been a fan of the legendary Judy Garland – who died five months after Boyt was born – for as long as she can remember. In this book, she talks about her own life (although this is not an autobiography) and how her love of Garland has affected her. WARNING: This review is probably going to become a rant! I expected to like this book. I wanted to like it, I really did. But I couldn’t. Not only did I dislike the book, I actually got annoyed and irritated with it. I had expected an amusing memoir about fan-worship of a star, with a metaphorical rolling of the eyes by the author at the lengths she would go to in the name of that fan-worship. What I actually read was a lot of self-indulgent, over analytical wittering. (Perhaps I should partly blame myself for not realising beforehand what type of book this was.) Lets make no bones about this – the author is not just a fan of Judy Garland, she is obsessed (something which she herself acknowledges). Baking a pie? She instantly thinks of a speech from a Garland film where Garland likens herself to a pie, and recites the speech over and over in her head, desperately making sure she has the words right. Washing up? Remember that scene where Judy Garland washed up? And it’s not enough to just remember the scene – Boyt analyses the scene and breaks it down – what did it mean? What was Judy conveying? Boyt mentions kind words spoken by characters played by Judy Garland and attributes them to Garland herself, seemingly unable to distinguish between Garland and the character. She also divides Garland’s fans into bad fans (apparently those who dare to make a point about Garland’s drug use or other personal problems), good fans (those who only focus on the positive aspects of Judy Garland’s life) and crazy-good fans. She mentions one ‘crazy-good fan’ who wrote to Grace Kelly’s family shortly after Grace died tragically young and unexpectedly, and demanded that Grace’s Oscar which she won for The Country Girl, be sent to the Garland family where it truly belonged (Kelly and Garland were both nominated for the Oscar and Kelly, controversially, won). Is that a good fan? Not to me – crazy maybe; rude, spiteful, downright insensitive, definitely. The author acknowledges her own obsession with Garland, and also acknowledges that other people may have different obsessions. On which subject she says, “It is possible that the object of your obsession is unequal to your heroic feelings, as mine will never be and that you are a tiny bit (and I whisper this) misguided in your choice, but your feelings are good and true, I see that.” Blimey! Patronising much? I recognise that Boyt was perhaps saying that to the obsessive, nobody else’s obsession can ever match up, but all the same, this was the point where I almost abandoned this book. (Later on, she describes doing ‘Judy-work’ in a library and looking round at the other patrons, who are doing their own work. They are swiftly dismissed with “it’s clear they just don’t love their work as I do….”) Boyt also met with Garland’s daughter, Liza Minelli, to whom she complained that people were only ever interested in her father (Boyt’s father is the late artist, Lucien Freud). Minelli said that she understood exactly how that felt, in an obvious reference to people only being interested in Judy Garland. “But, but, but….” I thought, “Isn’t that exactly what Susie Boyt is doing? She is only interested in Liza Minelli because of who her mother is, and yet she complains about that behaviour in other people.” Everything was taken so personally in this book; after Garland’s death, her friend Mickey Rooney said that if people had taken her to their hearts a bit earlier, she might still be alive. Boyt says that she takes this as a personal reproach, although she acknowledges that she was just five months old when Judy Garland died. Boyt hates it that people exploited Judy Garland, but yet this whole book felt slightly exploitative. Garland is used an excuse for Boyt to wax lyrical about her own thoughts. Garland’s addiction to drugs is the basis for Boyt writing about sympathy, the nature of sympathy, when sympathy should be given and who by, and what form it should take (what is bad sympathy and what is good sympathy). This confused me – doesn’t the giving of sympathy depend on a lot of things? What kind of person the sympathiser is; what kind of person they are sympathising with is, what has happened to elicit sympathy, the relationship between the two people, etc. etc. This is not the book to read if you want to find out more about Judy Garland – I would recommend you find a good biography instead, if that is your aim. There are aspects of Garland’s life contained within, but it seems to be written for people who are already very familiar with her life. Sorry for the rant. We all have books we like and don’t like, but it’s rare for a book to actually annoy me to this extent. I never give up on a book once I’ve started it, so I did see this one through to the bitter end, but unfortunately I don’t feel able to recommend it to anyone else.

You're very welcome. I liked this book a lot (as you can tell!) I don't know why, but I kind of expected Fay Weldon to be somewhat dismissive of Jane Austen, but she was the opposite, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Lost Years, by Mary Higgins Clark Biblical Professor Jonathan Lyons has discovered a parchment which he believes to be a letter written from Jesus to Joseph of Arimathea. However, before he can return to the parchment to the Vatican Library, he is murdered – shot dead in his own study. The Police believe that his wife Kathleen, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease is responsible, as it was known that she was jealous about his affair with another woman. However, the couple’s daughter Mariah refuses to believe that this could be the case and sets out to find out the truth. Who would really want to kill Professor Lyons, and why? And where is the mysterious document that he talked about to his friends? This is the first book I have read by Mary Higgins Clark, and will almost certainly be my last. It may not have been a good choice of hers to read (I have read reviews by fans of Higgins Clark, who have said that this is not one of her best), but it has pretty much put me off venturing further with her novels. Don’t get me wrong – I actually quite enjoyed parts of it, and it’s certainly a book that doesn’t require too much thinking, but even while reading it, I found myself shaking my head and thinking what a load of hokum. There was very little characterisation – there was nothing particularly distinctive about any of Richard’s close circle of friends, around whom much of the story revolves. The only characters who were quite distinctive were Mariah’s friends Alvirah and Willy – and frankly, Alvirah was a complete nightmare. I would imagine that she would be a neighbour from hell, going around recording people’s conversations on a brooch that was really a microphone, and sticking in her nose everywhere. (I can’t imagine that this was even remotely realistic; I am sure that the Police would have told her to stop interfering with their investigation, as she seemed to be doing more enquiry and investigation work than they were!) I am told that these characters have appeared in previous novels by this author, which is another reason no to read them. So overall, while this was not a book I hated, I certainly couldn’t say that it was a good or believable read – I was unable to care about any of the characters, even remotely! Higgins Clark is a hugely popular author, and certainly doesn’t need my recommendation, which is fortunate, because I am not able to give it.

The Madonna of the Almonds, by Marina Fiorato In 1525, Simonetta di Saronno is a young widow who has lost her husband Lorenzo to the Italian wars. After his death, she discovers that Lorenzo has spent all their money, and she must find a way to make more if she wants to keep hold of her grand home. Bernardino Luini is a highly talented apprentice of Leonardo da Vinci, who is hired to decorate a church, and offers to pay Simonetta if she will be his model for the Madonna. Although they initially feel hostility towards one another, they soon end up falling in love, but their love brings disgrace upon them, as people feel that she has disrespected the memory of her husband. In a further bid to save her home, Simonetta enlists the help of Manodorata, a Jewish money lender, who helps her to create a drink from the almond trees that grow on her estate. Will Simonetta and Bernardino ever find happiness together, and will Simonetta manage to save her home? And what effect can a mute, almost dead soldier have on Simonetta’s future? I was not sure what to make of this book. Initially I thought I was going to struggle with it, but I did start to enjoy it. However, I never felt that the characters were particularly well drawn, and I was not able to connect on any level with them. The story was interesting enough to hold my attention, but I did guess the twist very early on. The most interesting and shocking part of the story was the ill-treatment of Jews by the Christians at the time. Although this was something that I was aware of, it is portrayed very strongly in this book, and for me, this was far more effective than the romantic aspect. I think most fans of historical fiction would probably enjoy this book, and although I wasn’t as captivated by it as I might have hoped, I would probably read more by this author.

Really enjoyed reading Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen About to start The Madonna of the Almonds, by Marina Fiorato.

The Past When did you start to love reading? From as long ago as I remember. My dad taught me to read before I went to school, and my mum would buy me a book of my choice (age appropriate, obviously!) every week. They did the same with my brothers, so I guess the passed on their love of reading to us. What books did you love as a child (either read to or to read yourself)? I loved Enid Blyton books - the Magic Faraway Tree and the Naughty Amelia Jane books, then the Famous Five, Secret Seven and Five Find-Outters and It books, and then the St Clare's and Mallory Towers books, which made me want to go to boarding school! Childhood memories of reading (if you have them)? I remember reading with my dad when I was little, and I always used to take a book to bed, to read under the covers. Did you read books for school? I only really remember reading Great Expectations and The Merchant of Venice (which incidentally I think is a bad choice for teaching Shakespeare to youngsters). I think I may have read Lord of the Flies at school as well. Favourites Favourite book: Just ONE!?!? I suppose if I absolutely could only pick one, it would be To Kill A Mockingbird. For fiction, I also love Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and Emma by Jane Austen. Oh, and A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Favourite non-fiction are Homicide:AYear on the Killing Streets by David Simon, and Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean. Favourite author: Lots - Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Paullina Simons, Sarah Waters Favourite genre(s): Biography, feminism, dystopian fiction Your Collection Do you own an ereader? I have iBooks and the Kindle app on my iPad. Ebooks or physical books (or both)? Still prefer physical books, by some distance. Hardcover or paperback (or both)? I prefer paperbacks, but don't mind hardbacks. Paper books are just easier to carry around with you. New books or used books (or both)? Don't mind, as long as the book is in a readable condition without pages falling out or anything like that. Big books or small books (or both)? If you mean in terms of length, I don't mind. In terms of physical size, I'd say small, because they're easier to carry around (same reason I prefer paperbacks to hardbacks). What language are most of your books written in? English. I don't speak any other languages Favourite book shop(s): There is a bookstore on Martha's Vineyard, called Bunch of Grapes....my favourite bookstore I've ever been in. But where I live, the choice is pretty much Waterstones or WHSmith. Do you buy a lot of books? Yes, far too many! Although I am trying to cut down, with some success. Do you spend a lot of money on books? Yes, but don't shock me by making me work it out!! Amount of owned books: Nearly 2000, but I've got rid of a lot of books lately, so it was more than that last year. Amount of books read: I guess about 800. That's in the last ten years or so. Amount of books TBR: About 1000. *blushes* Reading How often do you read? Every day, for a total of between 30 - 90 mins, I guess. Where do you read? Usually in a big comfy armchair in our living room. I also read on public transport, or if I'm waiting for someone. I always carry a book in my bag. When do you read? Usually at lunch-time and in the evening. How fast do you read? Varies a lot, depending on what I'm reading. The Forum When did you join this forum? In 2007, but only became properly active here about three years ago. How did you find this forum? It was recommended to me by a member.

Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen, by Fay Weldon A series of letters to a fictional niece, who is struggling to read Jane Austen, is the hook on which Fay Weldon hangs this collection of fifteen essays (for want of a better word) about Jane Austen, her life, her novels, and the era in which she lived. This subject is the basis for thoughts about writing, what it means to be an author, and how people approach the art of writing a book; and how readers consider and enjoy books. The author also offers snippets of advice about life and love to her 18 year old niece. I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s very eloquently written, and easy to take in. I learned about aspects of Jane Austen’s life, and discovered new perspectives from which to read her books. It is certainly not necessary to like – or even to have read – Jane Austen to enjoy this book, but I would imagine that if you have never picked up an Austen novel, this would make you want to. As you might expect, Weldon is forthright, honest and intelligent. She is also often amusing, and made me think – and also made me want to reread Emma very soon! I would certainly recommend this enjoyable collection of letters, whether or not you are a fan of Jane Austen.

I hope you really enjoy it My first 5* novel of the year!

Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde Hundreds of years into the future, the world is a very different place, where your path in life, and your position in ‘the collective’ (as the human race is now known) is determined by what colour you see, and how well you are able to see it. Eddie Russet is a Red, which places him quite high in what is effectively a caste system. When he and his father visit East Carmine, he meets Jane, a Grey – which is the lowest class. For Eddie it is love at first sight, but Jane most certainly does not return his feelings. However, strange happenings are afoot in East Carmine (and outside of it), and as Eddie investigates them, he discovers that everything is not as it seems in the collective, and the powers that be might just be hiding a huge secret… I’ve read Jasper Fforde before, and generally find his books to be very enjoyable. Moreover, this one was a dystopian novel (albeit a humorous one), and dystopia is a favourite genre of mine. So I was looking forward to reading this book, confident that I would at least like it, if not love it. And…unfortunately I was wrong. I found that I just couldn’t get along with this book at all. The dystopian world depicted was interesting enough, but I felt that the author was just piling wordplay upon wordplay, to make his point about what a crazy mixed up future this is, and it all got a bit laborious. Even worse, there is very little actual plot, and I didn’t feel that any of the characters were particularly well drawn. I have read other reviews of this book, and for the most part they are extremely favourable, so I am certainly in the minority with my opinion on this one. I should say that I can see why other readers might love this book. It wasn’t dreadful – and indeed some moments did make me laugh, as Fforde can be amusingly inventive in his writing, but – I realised about halfway through that I didn’t like these characters, and I didn’t dislike them either. I just didn’t really care. Perhaps I felt let down by it, because I had such high hopes for the book, but either way, I’m afraid this just wasn’t one for me.

^^^I like Ben Wishaw from The Hour (not sure if that's a programme you can get, but it's BRILLIANT!) He is also the new Q in the Bond films, but I've not seen those as I'm not a fan of Bond, or Daniel Craig. Today I watched The Green Mile, which I last saw when it was in the cinema. I cried. A lot. Brilliant film though, and excellent adaptation of the book.

Oh, it's a shame you didn't like it..,I thought Ben Wishaw was great in this, although I am not overkeen on Abbie Cornish in anything. It's good, isn't it...and how cute was the youngest child?!?! I like Benicio Del Toro as well. The Towering Inferno....I love that film Its even got four of my favourite actors in it - William Holden, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Fred Astaire.

Off to see this next week. I saw the stage show years ago, and it was excellent, so I'm looking forward to the film. I like Tarantino. I'm thinking of going to the pictures on Friday as I have the day off - cant decide whether to see Django Unchained, or Flight. Both look terrific. Is that the Jim Carrey film? He's usually quite good in dramatic roles; shame if the film itself isn't much cop.

I finished Ape House by sara Gruen, and loved it. My first 5 star read of the year But am now really really struggling with Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. I've read some of his stuff before and really liked it, and I enjoy dystopian novels, so I thought this would be a sure-fire winner for me, but I just am finding it boring. I will finish it, because I never give up on books once I've started them, but I will be very relieved to get it over and done with.

Over the past week, I've watched Marjorie Morningstar, with Gene Kelly (in a dramatic role) and Natalie Wood. Liked it a lot Also The Thomas Crown Affair - the original with Steve McQueen. It does look quite dated now, and the split screen effect was over-used, but nonetheless, McQueen is still one of the most charismatic men ever to appear in films (well, to me anyway). Worth watching. And finally, The Long Hot Summer with Paul Newman - and he is sizzlingly hot in it!

Ape House, by Sara Gruen Isabel Duncan is a scientist working with the Bobobo apes at the Great Ape Language Lab in Kansas. When the lab is blown up in a deliberate explosion, Isabel is injured and the apes are ‘liberated’….right into the hands of a ruthless programme maker who is determined that the apes shall be the stars of a new reality tv show. Reporter John Thigpen was originally supposed to be writing a piece about the work at the lab, but after the explosion the story turns into something else entirely… I read Sara Gruen’s debut novel, Water for Elephants, almost three years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so in fact that I thought her follow-up was almost certainly going to be a let-down, but I am happy to say that I was wrong. I was hooked on this book from page one. The main characters – Isabel, her friend and co-worker Celia, John, and his wife Amanda were all skilfully drawn and well developed, and I felt as though I really knew these people. More than that, the apes themselves were such distinctive characters too. The writing flowed well, and moved the story along. I was eager throughout to find out what was going to happen next. I cannot comment on the accuracy of the description of the Bonobos and their ability to communicate with humans and each other; however Gruen has clearly done her homework in this regard (indeed, most of the conversations with the apes in this story are based on the real conversations of Bonobos. Overall, this was a lovely book – part satire, part love story to the beauty of great apes, with plenty of comedic moments, and lots of drama. Highly recommended.

Hi Julie Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed Water For Elephants. So far - I'm about a third of the way through - I'm really enjoying Ape House. Despite a similarity in the theme (treatment of animals), I'm finding the two books quite different.

I finished The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey at the weekend. I thought it was okay, but nothing to rave about, although I am aware that I am very much in the minority with that view! Started reading Ape House by Sara Gruen yesterday, and I like that a lot so far.