Ben

Decided to go with Richard Montanari's The Rosary Girls as my next read. It's been ooh, a good four years or so since I last read a Montanari book (The Skin Gods) but I remember how much I enjoyed it and there hasn't really been a reason why I haven't picked another of his up. I have this, Broken Angels and Kiss of Evil all to read so going to get cracking with this. Synopsis: In the most brutal killing crusade that Philadelphia has seen in years, a series of young Catholic women are found dead, their bodies mutilated and their hands bolted together. Each clutches a rosary in her lifeless grasp. Veteran cop Kevin Byrne and his rookie partner Jessica Balzano set out to hunt down the elusive killer, who leads them deeper and deeper into the abyss of a madman's depravity. Suspects appear before them like bad dreams - and vanish just as quickly. While the body count rises, Easter is fast approaching: the day of the resurrection and of the last rosary to be counted.. -- I haven't really dipped into crime novels for a while actually, so will be interested to see where this goes.

So I couldn't sleep through last night and managed to entirely finish the book I bought yesterday - Karen Thompson Walker's The Age of Miracles. I personally thought it was great, and I'll probably get to writing a more comprehensive review at a later date. Mini-review The Age of Miracles is Karen Walker's début novel, and it glitters with the promise and talent she has. It is an apocalypse-style story, but far from the clichés of running through burning buildings, seeing cracks in the ground, etc. Instead, a refreshing and fascinating concept: the earth has begun to slow its rotation, the hours are lengthening in the day. The scientists and experts are clueless, the government are trying to keep everyone calm - but already the population is divided on opinion, and it seems like the whole world is slowly, piece by piece, starting to unravel. With the world adapting around her, eleven-year-old Julia is struggling with her own journey out of childhood. The long-haired Seth Mereno, skateboard in hand at the bus stop - the object of her attentions. Friendships are changing and fading away all around her as flocks of people begin to move away in an attempt to form new colonies and civilizations. The light problems are affecting food growth, and the earth's magnetic field begins to shift. Danger lurks. Walker's novel is one of love, death and betrayal. She writes beautifully, capturing an authentic feel of how the world would actually react in a situation like this - something quite difficult to do when it never has. In some ways it's a sad and haunting novel, one which really makes you think about the future and how dependant we are upon certain things. Overall, The Age of Miracles is a wonderfully written début and I eagerly await Karen Walker's next novel. ★★★★☆.

Interesting that it has been received negatively. I mean, the majority of the reviews are three or four stars, which isn't bad at all, but I definitely seem to have enjoyed it more than most. I can see the complaints, though; the idea of the actual apocalypse taking second stage to Julia's thoughts and emotions is true. Yet at the same time I think that it's important that she explores how relations (both friendships and marriage) are strained, and how there seems to be this strange problem hanging over life. I think that it's important to remember that this isn't the traditional apocalypse-style novel. It's less about how all the buildings are falling down, the cracks are appearing in the ground and whatever. The truth of the matter is that the people can adapt to what's happening and in some senses the dangers don't seem as real as you would see in say, the film 2012. Yet it hangs over their lives, affects every decision - it's impossible to keep their lives ordinary. So, like I said I can see why people would be frustrated that we're given an account of this young girls journey into adolescence - training bras, first loves, etc. - but I think that's kind of the point. As much as it seems impossible, life would gradually go on (if not being the same) if something like this happened. This kind of narrative may put some people off, but it endeared it to me. I've wrote more here in response to your question, as it happens, but I'm going to post a more vague mini-review in the next post (which doesn't cover the complains about the novel, as such). I'd like to write a fully expansive review of this at some point, so I may get around to it after the weekend is done.

Morning all. Another sleepless night got me entirely through a book I bought yesterday afternoon. 2. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. Time spent reading: 5 hours, 15mins (roughly). Pages: 370. Time spent reading (total): 9 hours, 45mins (roughly). Pages (total): 642. The Age of Miracles is Karen Walker's début novel, and it glitters with the promise and talent she has. It is an apocalypse-style story, but far from the clichés of running through burning buildings, seeing cracks in the ground, etc. Instead, a refreshing and fascinating concept: the earth has begun to slow its rotation, the hours are lengthening in the day. The scientists and experts are clueless, the government are trying to keep everyone calm - but already the population is divided on opinion, and it seems like the whole world is slowly, piece by piece, starting to unravel. With the world adapting around her, eleven-year-old Julia is struggling with her own journey out of childhood. The long-haired Seth Mereno, skateboard in hand at the bus stop - the object of her attentions. Friendships are changing and fading away all around her as flocks of people begin to move away in an attempt to form new colonies and civilizations. The light problems are affecting food growth, and the earth's magnetic field begins to shift. Danger lurks. Walker's novel is one of love, death and betrayal. She writes beautifully, capturing an authentic feel of how the world would actually react in a situation like this - something quite difficult to do when it never has. In some ways it's a sad and haunting novel, one which really makes you think about the future and how dependant we are upon certain things. Overall, The Age of Miracles is a wonderfully written début and I eagerly await Karen Walker's next novel. ★★★★☆.

According to Goodreads I'm 15 books behind schedule for the year. *gulp* That's some serious catching up..

It really caught my attention creatively.. I was just thinking of the possibilities of where you could go with an idea like that, before I'd even started. Well I hope it's great then - will get back to you soon.

Next up on the three-day-marathon is a book I bought today at WH Smiths. You know.. because I don't already have two hundred unread books to pick from (but I'm determined to at least read the one's I buy during the year otherwise they start to build up as we all know *laughs*). Anyway, it's The Age of Miracles by Karen Thomas Walker. I haven't heard of her, I'll be honest, but it was on Richard and Judy's book list and the synopsis sounds great. Synopsis: For eleven-year-old Julia, it is the age of miracles; the age where kids shoot up three inches over the summer; that rough crossing, from childhood to the next life. But it's not just her own world that has turned on its head. Julia and her parents wake one ordinary Saturday to discover that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. No one knows why, no one knows how to deal with it. Their 24-hour day grows longer, first in minutes, then in hours, until day becomes night and night becomes day. As Julia's family, then her community, fragments, she must navigate both the normal disasters of everyday life, and an ever-terrifying new world. -- Well this looks like a refreshing and different dystopia-style narrative, with a fascinating concept. I'm already intrigued on how this is going to work, so without further I do I should properly get off here (I find myself saying that so much *laughs*) and get started.

I wouldn't say it's all that bad, actually, I may have exaggerated a little. For the most part, it sort of fits with what's going on - I wouldn't condone it exactly, but you could see why Elton is using that type of language. Either way, I hope you enjoy it if you get around to reading it, and thanks!

So I finished Ben Elton's Inconceivable today. I'm not sure whether I'll post a full review of this (I may), but for now I'll just gather a few thoughts*. Thoughts: First of all, I have no qualms about saying that I definitely enjoyed this. The language is crude and coarse in places which is why I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but the plot is fascinating and there is more wit and humour on display than I would've deemed possible in a book discussing one couple's attempts to have a child, and the tensions, difficulties and arguments that result because of how unsuccessful they are. What I will say is that with Ben Elton's comedic background you would have thought that I'd expect the laughs, but as I wasn't exactly familiar with his works I wasn't quite prepared. The characters throughout this book are very hard to invest in. I mean, they all have completely flawed personalities - but it works. Elton's writing here is light (interesting considering the themes at work), interesting, and it's a page-turner - although I will say the ending seemed rushed. Overall nothing spectacular but a solid, enjoyable read and I'd look at Ben Elton's work again. ★★★☆☆. *disclaimer: thoughts may or may not have been stolen from the book marathon thread (but I'm still considering adding something more substantial to this write-up at a later date).

Comments posted in the thread - and I certainly have so far, same goes to you!

1. Inconceivable by Ben Elton. Time spent reading so far: 4 & a half hours (roughly). Pages: 272. Shall keep this short and sweet (will review properly after the weekend is over, in my own book thread) but I will say that I definitely enjoyed this. The language is crude and coarse in places which is why I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but the plot is fascinating and there is more wit and humour on display than I would've deemed possible in a book discussing one couple's attempts to have a child, and the tensions, difficulties and arguments that result because of how unsuccessful they are. What I will say is that with Ben Elton's comedic background you would have thought that I'd expect the laughs, but as I wasn't exactly familiar with his works I wasn't quite prepared. The characters throughout this book are very hard to invest in. I mean, they all have completely flawed personalities - but it works. Elton's writing here is light (interesting considering the themes at work), interesting, and it's a page-turner - although I will say the ending seemed rushed. Overall nothing spectacular but a solid, enjoyable read and I'd look at Ben Elton's work again. ★★★☆☆.

For Athena's three day event-marathon I have decided that I will read Ben Elton's Inconceivable. My reasoning? I have none. It looks fun, it's been on my shelves for longer than I care to remember, so I don't see why not. It's one of those kind of decisions. Synopsis: Sam and Lucy seem like the perfect couple. Successful, happy and in love. But life isn't that simple. Lucy thinks thinks Sam is a sad, cold sensitivity-exclusion zone who would rather read a newspaper than have an emotion. Sam thinks Lucy is blaming him because she can't walk past Mothercare without getting all teary. The problem is that they might be infertile. And in more ways than one. Lucy wants a baby. Sam wants to write a hit movie. And given that the average IVF cycle has about a one in five chance of going into full production, Lucy's chances of getting what she wants are considerably better than Sam's. What Sam and Lucy are about to go through is absolutely inconceivable. The question is, can their love survive? Or are the odds stacked against them once again? This sounds utterly fascinating and I've never even read any of Elton's other work before. I'll be writing progress reports, statistics and whatnot (who doesn't love a statistic?!) in Athena's thread if you're interested, and I'll be back to give this some kind of review (perhaps after the weekend as ended). So, without further ado let's get this three-day-fun kicked off..

So I finished Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment at third attempt. *cue cheers, confetti and congratulations to rival a wedding* I'll just say it was very rewarding and something I feel everyone should make the effort to read in their lives. I am going to attempt some kind of review for this, however futile that may be - but I'm going to wait a few days. This is partly because I want to spend my time reading in the BCF Book Marathon (check it out if it sounds appealing) over the next three days, and because it requires some thought. I'll just you with this, for now.. ★★★★★.

*goes to actually find a book to read* Have fun fellow marathoners, this is going to be great.

The idea is to just read whatever/however much you can over the three days. It doesn't have to be more than one, but it can be.. depends how much time you have to get through them (I can't see myself managing more than one because I'll be drawn to this thread too often *laughs*). It's good to have you on board, poppyshake.

Not precisely.. I mean, I don't sleep much nowadays anyway (insomnia is worse than it's ever been). I'll be watching basketball at about 1:30am for three or so hours, which means I'll be up the majority of the 'early hours' as it were. With the amount of breaks in that sport I'll be dipping in and out of my book as I go, so should get quite a bit of reading done. Then up at a decent time tomorrow and away I go..

I'm starting it four and a half hours precisely. I don't have a clue what I'm starting though.. *does excited dance*

Wise kid.

Hi Andrew, welcome to BCF.

Thought Alastair Cook hadn't been ruthless enough in not forcing the follow-on yesterday knowing the forecast today, but it just about worked out in the end and got the batsmen a bit of extra practice. We're looking in good shape in the run-in to the Ashes, and it's an exciting summer of cricket we have ahead of us.

Definitely, I'm just brainstorming for the minute though I guess.. Well, they have said that the themes/authors are subject to change so I'm certain it doesn't matter too much what gets put down on the form for the moment as long as we pick the right supervisor. I've had another couple of ideas. The first being to explore the history in India and Pakistan after Partition, through the works of Salman Rushdie. The latter is to do a short story or poetry collection. We have a lecturer who's a published creative writer and he's happy to supervise people 'in his areas'. I don't know if this means that doing a creative piece is a viable option, but I've contacted him as it's definitely something I'd consider if it's allowed..

Setting is something that could be worth exploring. I think I'd lean to contemporary fiction if I did that though - maybe exploring the importance of 'spaces' in terms of culture and identity, or something along those lines. Contemporary London is a hub of diversity and novels that I've done this year like Kureishi's The Black Album spring to mind..

Never knew you liked Spurs. I've often wondered how you never hit the heights of the top three. Tottenham always have a strong team which is arguably better than the teams above them. Much better options up-front and you would have been more than pushing up there this year..