Chrissy
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Posts posted by Chrissy
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Fanks for the flowers Frankie.
I do feel that the book speaks for itself though! Now all you gotta do is read some more of the fabulousness that is Linda's writing!
Star Gazing soon? -
great movie mistakes
Same here, although not really enjoying it, but can't be bothered to look for anything else to watch.
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I bought Linda Gillard's bl**dy brilliant 'Emotional Geology' on Kindle today. Only £1.90!
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Linda has just made this one available for the kindle, and it's only £1.90.
I got mine this morning!
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A great review of the book Frankie. It really is that good a read isn't it?
I love reading the reviews of others on books I adore, as I find myself nodding frantically and muttering "Oh yes, that was good. Mmmm I agree there" etc.
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Day 15 ~ Favourite Male Character
Who do I choose? Charles Butler? Septimus Heap? Tony Hill? Lincoln Rhyme?
I think I will have to say Will Trent from Karin Slaughter's Atlanta series of books. The painfully dysfunctional Will. who tears my heart out every time I read him. So thoroughly abused during his childhood, the young Will never gave up hope of a happy ending. Scarred emotionally and physically he has grown up to be noble and fine, beyond what he should ever have been capable of becoming. He is dyslexic and secretive, with backbone of steel, and makes a brilliant and dogged Investigator with the Georgia Bureau.
Karin Slaughter slays me everytime with Will. I feel teary just trying to find the words to describe our Will.
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I bought a very cheap one from Asda, £2 think, and on the occasions I have used it I have been delighted. It is lightweight and the clip is firm without being likely to cause damage to page (or Kindle).
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I plan on never counting them. I don't want to know as it would probably spook my mojo away, and I'd feel compelled to get rid of some.
We have lots of reference books that take up a lot of space here, but I cannot see us culling any from them. My TBR shelves are managable, and as there is little space involved I won't include my Kindle books on any list!
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An apple and elderberry cordial drink. Very refreshing, and it also feels grown up as it's a cordial not squash.
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I started reading 'American Gods' by Neil Gaiman the other night and all is currently mojo well.
He really is an extraordinary writer.In addition, the paperback of 'I Shall Wear Midnight' by HRH Sir Terry Pratchett arrived today. I was determined to wait until it came out in paperback, which may be the source of all my mojo problems!
So my next read is sorted too. -
Day 14 ~ Favourite book by your favourite author
'Judas Child' is a harrowing read at times, but utterly wonderful in it's taut and intense telling of such a terrible story. My review at the time reads,
I actually cannot find the words to adequately describe this brilliant book. Carol O'Connell has got to be the best writer there was or is. Judas Child is a stunning, haunting and utterly extraordinary story that will grip you by the heart. This story of lost girls and a community torn is absolutely harrowing. Carol O'Connell's use of language beggars belief in all her books but in this story you will be startled by the intimacy and immediacy that pervades every word. I finished the last word of the story and was compelled to immediately start it all over. I would be astounded if I was the only one.
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Day 13 ~ Your favourite writer
This is almost impossible to answer with just one, but I chosen Carol O'Connell, who has written a number of books that have stayed with me months and years after my reading of them. She is an exceptional writer with a talent for combining great plots with great characters. A number of her books still haunt me. She is an author I would love to meet, just to say a simple 'Thank you'.
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I have finally started reading a book for the first time in weeks! Step forward Neil Gaiman and 'American Gods'. The opening pace and weirdness is just what the mojo doctor ordered.
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Yes!
I find it especially tricky when I read the book over 10-15 years ago, although childhood books are often remembered better.
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Day 12 ~ A book you used to love but don't anymore
John Fowles 'The Magus' fits this one quite well.
I have the belief that when you read a book can have an impact on how you react to it. I first read 'The Magus' when I was in my mid teens and considered it a compelling, deep and profound read with original ideas and a challenging ending. I read it again in my twenties, having read many many books in between, and found it to be tedious and pretentious twaddle.
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Have you seen the Finlay Cowan books? He has written (and drawn) some great pocket reference books for the budding artist.
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Kai is my great-nephew's name, rhyming with Hi. I think it's a lovely name for a male. I have a niece called Kaya, with this rhyming with Hiya.
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Could it be The Appointment by Herta Muller? Or maybe The Land Of Green Plums, also by Herta Muller?
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I know two women who ONLY read Misery Lit, the more traumatic the better. I asked if it was the uplifting aspect of the individuals surviving such a trauma, but they gave me an emphatic "No!", and just said they enjoyed reading them.
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Day 11 ~ A book you hated
I could not think of any book that I have chosen to read that I could say I hated. Some I have enjoyed more than others, and there are one or two started books that I am yet to complete, bu no hated books.
Therefore I have chosen 'A Child Called It' by David Peltzer. The trauma and misery in this book was painful to read, and this book has ensured that I now avoid 'Misery Lit' at all costs. I can read 'Room' and comment on the literary value of the text and the central premise of the story, but to read an abusive recollection is different. Although David Peltzer's story was ultimately uplifting, I see no purpose is served by my reading about any other traumatic experiences. I hated the boomk because it reflected the inhumanity too many have to face on this planet.
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For me it was not a single character, but I always wanted to be a Narnian. At times I almost believed that my fervent wishing to wake up in Narnia would one day work.
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6. Why do you think Liza Hempstock is shunned by the other 'inmates'? Do you think it is just because she was a witch?
I think the witchiness has something to do with it, and I think that the 'inmates' are naturally suspicious of anyone who is from (buried or otherwise) outside their community. The unconsecrated ground would most probably be considered outside,
7. Do you think Neil Gaiman means Jack as in Jack the ripper? Why?
I thought he was paying macabre homage to Jack the Ripper with 'the man Jack', rather than saying he actually is him.
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Day 10 ~ Favourite classic book
I wracked my mind to think of which one was 'the one' for this, and I have chosen Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'.
Dickens was up there for me, as was DH Lawrence and HG Wells, but I can still remember the feeling I had when I first became engrossed in this story that we all believe we know. The fact that it's a epistolary novel just stunned me at first reading because it is such a complete novel. The series of letters, documents and newspaper articles come together to tell a story of such depth and mounting tension it is hard to put down. First time readers do feel they know this novel just by dint of our cultural familiarity through films and references in other texts, but until you have actually read this novel I don't think you can truly appreciate the true impact and magic.
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Day 9 ~ A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
'Midnight's Children' by Salman Rushdie. I had to read this for a course on Post-colonial literature, and was told by everyone including the tutor that it was tough to get into and was a complex and tricky read. In addition, Salman Rushdie had a 'reputation' due the furore surrounding the pblication of 'The Satanic Verses'.
Midnight's Children is a wonderful book, that uses language and structure unlike any other book I have ever read. It is vibrant, alive, compelling, surprising and endearing. You don't have to know about the history of Partition, or Indira Ghandi but a little knowledge can only enhance your enjoyment and understanding.
I have read the book a couple of times, and I recently bought the unabridged audio cds (22 in all!), and am listening to it with joy in my heart whenever I am able to get some gardening done.
Has anyone read...?
in General Book Discussions
Posted
I've read one or two, and really enjoyed them. They are excellent thrillers, and I recall enjoying his early 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold' as a great introduction of sorts to a world of which I had little literary knowledge.