willoyd

I can't remember what books we did for O-Levels, although I remember being required to read a choice of Barchester Towers or Pickwick Papers in the year before, and I lapped up both. At A-Level the set texts I can remember were Emma, Middlemarch, Hamlet, Othello, One Way Pendulum, The Great Gatsby and Hardy's poems. I hated Emma, until I reread all my texts in the summer holidays at the end of the first year, and then fell in love with everything Jane Austen. I wasn't really ready for Middlemarch - find it a bit of a grind. Loved Hamlet, still detest Othello. Can't abide Scott Fitzgerald either. Neutral on the others. I'm appalled Katrina. My children are year 5 (they have their 10th birthday during the academic year), and most have finished and disposed of Harry Potter. They don't read much in the way of classics, although some of the girls have enjoyed Black Beauty and Little Women, but they generally read widely and pretty avidly. They are reading children's books generally though - Lemony Snickett, Anthony Horowitz, Enid Blyton, Cornelia Funke, Eva Ibbotson, Michael Morpurgo, Susan Cooper etc - with only one or two 'older' books - e.g. Watership Down and one or two reading His Dark Materials.

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe *** I find the space race story fascinating - so it was almost inevitable I'd read this one day, a 'classic' account of the first manned space programme, Project Mercury. Wolfe is good at bringing the characters to life, and the book flows smoothly through the story - the comparison between the X-plane and Mercury projects was particularly well drawn. However, after a while, I just got a bit weary with the folksy style which Wolfe decided to adopt, whilst some of the accounts pertaining to be told from a particular perspective (e.g. Gus Grissom's controversial landing on the second flight and Chuck Yeager's crash with the NF-104) just didn't work for me. Not to say they weren't well told - just didn't suit me. Wolfe obviously decided to take a particular approach to this story focusing on the social culture that surrounded the programme, and that was certainly worthwhile. But as a result, it also felt somewhat repetitious on occasions - the sections focusing on the wives was particularly susceptible - whilst missing out on some other areas. All in all, I enjoyed the book, but am a wee bit uncertain as to why it has achieved such cult/classic status. Maybe because it is so different from the usual history. For undertaking that Wolfe has been rightly applauded, but it didn't quite come off for me.

Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissie Evans ** Made it to about half way through and decided enough was enough. Plotwise, nothing in particular seems to be happening, with the narrative jumping backwards and forwards between at least three apparently unrelated threads (and I'm not that bothered to see how they might connect later), whilst the characters are skin thin - I still haven't got a handle on the main protagonist Catrin (at least I assume she is the main protagonist, because she's the one mentioned in the blurb), other than she's young, comes from Wales and is as a result not taken seriously by anyone, with an artist husband who is very selfcentred and obviously going to have an affair at some stage. They might have been developed further - the rundown matinee idol, Ambrose Hilliard, shows some promise (also selfcentred, but with some interesting internal monologue) - but as soon as you start getting vaguely interested, the narrative chops away to another thread. The setting is quite well established, but it's the early years of WW2 in the propaganda film industry, and the whole emphasis is on how cheap, dull and tawdry it all was, not something to really get one involved. So - no plot, no characters, and a setting that emphasises how dull it all was. On the plus side, it's well written, but that's not enough to keep me going for four hundred pages. All in all, I hope this isn't Lissa Evans's finest hour (and a half), but given that it was long-listed for the Orange prize, maybe I'm missing something. Not quite a 1-star read, but not far off. 2/6.

Doorsteps that I've read in the last couple of years and loved: A Suitable Boy - mentioned before on this thread but as it was by someone who had yet to read it, just to say it was fabulous! (1400+ pages) Bleak House - Dickens at his very best (800+ pages) This Thing of Darkness - fictionalised account of the relationship between Darwin and Fitzroy (captain of the Beagle). Harry Thompson's only novel, but what a novel! (750 pages) Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson's sequel to the Baroque Trilogy, that he actually wrote first. An amazing blend of war, modern day treasure hunting, cryptography and so much more. (920 pages). Wolf Hall - a mere 620 pages, yet some people think it too big to tackle - my favourite book of 2009. and the grand-daddy of them all - and one of the greatest - War and Peace. the title says it all! I've also read The Count of Monte Cristo and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, but they've already been mentioned, so will merely second them.

First year I've read 50 books in years, largely thanks to a mad rush in December. Interesting though - the more I read, the less any book becomes individually memorable. That last month is a bit of a blur. All in all, though, a good year's reading, with a higher than normal proportion of outstanding reads. Top of the pops was Wolf Hall, closely followed by Moby Dick. I initially had A Thousand Acres as a 5-star book, but realised after a few months that it had got completely under my skin, and needed upgrading. Surprise of the year was London Belongs To Me, which I'd never heard of before being recommended it a week or so before reading. As for non-fiction - hard to choose a best, as there were loads of good reads. Might just give it to the Robert Millar biography, but Your Inner Fish, Hunting Mister Heartbreak and The Water Road were all in there, with Blood River very close behind. Wooden spoon of the year without a doubt to Bernard Schlink - both books I tried were pretty dreadful - although I don't think I'll be trying any more Lawrence Durrell in a hurry either!

The Ghost by Robert Harris *** A nice, easy, switch-off read, which is what I wanted. Took a while (as in most of the book!) to get off the ground, with all the thriller-stuff packed into the last quarter of the book, and a reasonably decent twist at the end. A bit too many cliches, a ghastly piece of product placement (I assume) that almost stopped me in my tracks, and one or two plot devices that simply didn't ring true, so about par for the airport thriller course (which is what this is). I've never rated Robert Harris as highly as some, but have enjoyed his books sufficiently to continue reading when I can pick them up cheaply - most have promised much but tended to fall flat near the end, so to that extent this was a bit different. Given the reviews, this has proved to be a better film than book, which doesn't come as much of a surprise. All in all, does what it says on the tin. 3/6.

Hi Catwoman Just finished this myself this morning. I don't have it on quite such a lowly rating, but can see where you come from on it. But then, unlike a lot of readers, I don't rate Robert Harris that highly - pleasant enough change from my other reading and to wind down to, but nothing special to write home about - and this just filled that slot, although there were one or two points where I thought, this just couldn't/wouldn't happen this way Having said that, I did almost stop at the point where we got a detailed brand name description of his writer's toolkit - corny in the extreme. The difference lay in the fact that, as you said, that the last 80 or so pages were good, a contrast to his previous books where, normally, I find the end a bit of an anticlimax after very promising buildups, and it didn't take that long to get there, given the large print, which made the book look more substantial than it was. All in all, it whiled away a day or so's fairly mindless reading, which is what I wanted at this moment. One final thought - the film has generally had really good reviews, and I have to say that reading this, it did strike me that it would likely make a better film than book, something I thought also true of Enigma. Suppose I'll have to wait for the DVD to find out now, as it's no longer in the cinemas round here.

Thanks Frankie. I'm fairly relaxed about it - I've got the updated list at the top here, so that'll do for the moment. Not sure what I'll do at the end of this year yet! Later edit: now updated, and posts on this thread edited to reflect that.

Moondust by Andrew Smith **** I find this a very difficult book to try and summarise. Andrew Smith interviews Charlie Duke (Apollo 16) on the same day as news comes through that Pete Conrad, commander of Apollo 12, has died from injuries sustained in a motorbike accident. Duke makes the comment "and now there are only nine." This triggers off a search by the author for those nine, to found out how their lives were affected by taking part in what is so far the ultimate journey/exploration. So, the book is made up of the interviews (Smith doesn't get to sit down with them all, but does get to meet almost all in one way or another), Smith's own recollections of the moon programme, recounts of some of the incidents (the description of the first moon landing is as gripping as it gets) and the story of the author's efforts to track the astronauts down. It's a bit of a mish-mash, but it's a fascinating one at that. Some of the insights were eye openers to me, from the relatively straightforward facts (all the commanders were oldest siblings or single children, unlike the rest of the teams), to the more argument based (for instance that the short-termist approach of the Apollo programme, stimulated by JFK's famous declaration about reaching the moon before the end of the decase, actually had a seriously negative impact on longer term deep space exploration). Whether they were to the more knowledgable, I don't know, but overall, this book provided me with a perspective I've never come across before. There was no doubt that in all sorts of different ways, the experience had all sorts of effects on the men involved, and Smith's exploration of that kept me reading to the end. A book I thoroughly enjoyed, even if one or two of the more spiritual discussions lost me a bit on the way. 4/6 stars.

Sorry you didn't get the job TLN, but you started a wonderful thread, which I hope continues. Much of what I love about books has been talked about. For me, it's the way a book fills your mind to the exclusion of all else. Nothing else is quite the same - your world is what is in the book. And this can be in any time, place or dimension. I've loved reading ever since I learned to do so, and I've always had a favourite spot to sit and read. As a child it was the stairs (about three up from the bottom). Currently, it's the sofa in the window of our sitting room at the front of the house. In both cases, it's comfortable (but not too much so - that leads to sleep!), personal, and with plenty of natural light.

Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd *** A good fun read, but not in the same league as his previous book, Restless. Just challenged credibility on too many occasions, in particular the scene which set up the rest of the story. I never really related to any of the characters either - no real depth there; they were all just a bit too, well, almost comic strip in style. Certainly, I never felt as if I engaged at all with them. That's not to say it wasn't enjoyable - it was - but having read Restless, it was all a bit ordinary in comparison; I expected more. 3 stars out of 6.

Can't find much mention of Virginia Woolf on this thread, or indeed elsewhere. Have recently reread Mrs Dalloway and absolutely loved it - far more than the first time. I think that was because second time around, I was able to get stuck into it properly, reading the first half of the book in one sitting, and because I'd worked out that her books have to be read word by word, line by line. Miss one out, and the whole sense evaporates! Then moved on to The Years. Have reviewed this on my reading list thread, but essentially found the first three quarters as good as anything I've ever read - her sense of place and development of character had me spellbound - candidate for one of my all-time favourites. I felt the book stumbled a bit from about 80 pages from the end - all focused on an all-night party - but recovering in the last 5-10 pages. However, I read it somewhat tired and unfocused, and reckon the book will nead a reread soon. All in all, reading Virginia Woolf has been a revelation, not least because I'm not usually keen on 20th century classics. I can't get over how much I've enjoyed these two books, and certainly want to read more. She's reputedly difficult, and I'm sure I've picked up a couple of her easier books (The Years was her best seller during her lifetime), but on this evidence, I find her eminently readable, if demanding (which is what I like!). Really looking forward to exploring her other works now.

The Years by Virgina Woolf ****** For the first three-quarters of the book, this was heading into my all-time list (6 stars) no questions asked: wonderful images with Woolf's descriptive powers and her internalised style of writing totally captivating and pulling me in to the narrative. She demands that you read every word and line - miss one thing and you can lose your way in seconds. I loved the way she took micro snapshots - individual days every few years - to get inside the history of the Pargiter family. However, the last scene at the party (occupying some 80 pages or so) lost me a bit, and it wasn't until the last few pages that things picked up again as dawn arrived. But I read this when quite tired, and my concentration levels weren't that high, so that might have had had more influence. So, I may change the grading later - this certainly got thoroughly under my skin, and I will almost certainly reread in some not too distant future - but for now will rate it 'just' as 5/6 (although I'd rate it higher than any 5 star read this year other than, perhaps, Susan Hill's book). But, having just recently reread Mrs Dalloway and changed my opinion (for much the better), The Years has certainly left me really keen to try more of her work. Later: thinking further - this felt so much better than my other 5 star reads, so I've given it a full 6.

I should have said that I already have a copy, so am aware of the impressive size. Your poor wrist! Certainly not one that I can easily tuck in my bag for the journey to school.

Quite a few people report it being a bit slow to start, and gaining pace and grabbing readers as the book progresses. Currently reading 'The Years' by Virginia Woolf. Got a lot on at present at work etc., and struggling to find time, which is thoroughly irritating, as the book demands concentration and bouts of sustained reading to really enjoy. Absolutely loving it when I am able to settle down to it - way better than expected.

I read Leviathan as a follow-up to Moby Dick - I think that was the best way round. Moby Dick demands a lot - not bedtime reading - you need to be wide awake - but it was also fantastically rewarding. One of the most challenging reads I've had in a long time, but never tedious!

This post originally had a complete year 2009 booklist, as 2009 thread locked before completing. Now I've been able to update it, the link is below: http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/4650-willoyds-reading-list-2009/

Book list for 2010 Jan 1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (9 Jan) ***** 2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (11 Jan) reread *** 3. The Man Who Smiled by Henning Mankell (16 Jan) **** 4. Raven Black by Ann Cleeves (23 Jan) *** 5. Burning Bright by Tracey Chevalier (28 Jan) *** 6. Footprints in the Sand by Sarah Challis (30 Jan) ***** Feb 7. The Tiger That Isn't by Michael Blastland and Andrew Dilnot (6 Feb) **** 8. Leviathan by Philip Hoare (21 Feb) ***** Mar 9. In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant (5 Mar) ***** 10. A Question of Upbringing by Anthony Powell (6 Mar) **** 11. A Buyer's Market by Anthony Powell (15 Mar) *** 12. Why does E=mc2? by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw (27 Mar) ** 13. Crow Stone by Jenni Mills (28 Mar) *** Apr 14. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (6 Apr) reread ***** 15. A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon (8 Apr) **** 16. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann (9 Apr) *** 17. Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill (11 Apr) ***** 18. Bleeding Heart Square by Andrew Taylor (13 Apr) unfinished ** 19. Who's Afraid of Jane Austen by Henry Hitchings (25 Apr) *** 20. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf - reread (28 Apr) ****** May 21. Persuasion by Jane Austen (2 May) reread ***** 22. The Years by Virginia Woolf (15 May) ****** 23. Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd (16 May) *** 24. Moondust by Andrew Smith (24 May) **** 25. The Ghost by Robert Harris (28 May) *** 26. Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans (30 May) unfinished ** Jun 27. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe (3 Jun) *** 28. Boom! by Mark Haddon (20 Jun) ** Jul 29. A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin (4 Jul) **** 30. Alex's Adventures in Numberland by Alex Bellos (24 Jul) **** 31. Echoes of the Dead by Johan Theorin (28 Jul)***** 32. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre (30 Jul) ****** Aug 33. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James (10 Aug) **** 34. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene (22 Aug) *** 35. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell (30 Aug) ***** Sep 36. A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R King (2 Sep) ***** 37. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (6 Sep) ****** 38. The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (17 Sep) reread ***** 39. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland (25 Sep) **** Oct 40. Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens (Oct 27) ***** Nov 41. All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Maria Remarque (Nov 11) *** 42. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe (Nov 13) */** 43. Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon (Nov 14) ***** 44. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Nov 20) **** 45. Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris (Nov 26) *** Dec 46. Dry Store Room Number One by Richard Fortey (Dec 10) *** 47. Sophie's World by Jostein Gaardner (Dec 21) ** 48. The Well-Beloved by Thomas Hardy (Dec 23) *** 49. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (Dec 25) **** 50. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (Dec 26) ***** 51. Mrs Dalloway's Party by Virginia Woolf (Dec 27) ***** 52. Silent Snow, Secret Snow by Adele Geras (Dec 27) **** 53. The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri (Dec 29) **** 54. Toast by Nigel Slater (Dec 30) ** 55. The Crime at Lock 14 by Georges Simenon (Dec 31) **** Book list for 2011 Jan 1. The Sea Road by Margaret Elphinstone (Jan 8) ****** 2. Cleopatra, Last Queen of Egypt by Joyce Tydesley (Jan 16) *** 3. Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (Jan 26) **** 4. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (Jan 29) ***** Feb 5. Orlando by Virginia Woolf (Feb 12) **** Mar 6. The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif (Mar 7) *** Apr 7. Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers (Apr 24) **** May 8. The Existential Detective by Alice Thompson (May 4) **** 9. Dreadnought by Robert Massie (May 24) ***** 10. World War One, A Short History by Norman Stone (May 27) *** 11. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch (May 30) ***** Jun 12. To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (Jun 11) ****** 13. Blue Afternoon by William Boyd (Jun 14) unfinished ** Jul 14. Virginia Woolf by Hermione Lee (Jul 9) ****** 15. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (Jul 14) *** 16. Roseanna by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (Jul 19) *** 17. Voyageurs by Margaret Elphinstone (Jul 30) ****** Aug 18. Swiss Watching by Diccon Bewes (Aug 6) *** 19. Germania by Simon Winder (Aug 24) ** 20. Blackout by Connie Willis (Aug 26) **** 21. All Clear by Connie Willis (Aug 30) **** 22. Kept by DJ Taylor (Aug 31) unfinished ** Sep 23. Westwood by Stella Gibbons (Sep 11) **** 24. Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys (Sep 18) *** Oct 25. Jane Austen by Claire Tomalin (Oct 8) **** 26. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Oct 27) ***** Nov 27. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (Nov 5) **** 28. Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson (Nov 12) **** 29. Friends In High Places by Donna Leon (Nov 15) **** 30. Whoops! by John Lanchester (Nov 20) ***** 31. Death Comes To Pemberley by PD James (Nov 26) **** Dec 32. All Hell Let Loose by Max Hastings (Dec 4) ****** 33. A Boy At The Hogarth Press by Richard Kennedy (Dec 5) *** 34. The Nativity, History and Legend by Geza Vermes (Dec 8) ** 35. Dark Matter by Michelle Paver (Dec 11) ***** 36. Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf (Dec 20) ***** 37. Fludd by Hilary Mantel (Dec 21) ** 38. Snowdrops by AD Miller (Dec 22) *** 39. Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (Dec 23) **** 40. A Clubbable Woman by Reginald Hill (Dec 23) **** 41. How I Won the Yellow Jumper by Ned Boulting (Dec 25) ***** 42. At the Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper (Dec 25) *** 43. A Parcel of Time by Richard Kennedy (Dec 25) *** 44. Maigret and the Idle Burglar by Georges Simenon (Dec 26) **** 45. Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper (Dec 27) ***(*) 46. The Xmas Files by Stephen Law (Dec 28) *** 47. Flush by Virginia Woolf (Dec 28) *** 48. The Battle of Pollock's Crossing by JL Carr (Dec 29) **** 49. The Awful End of Prince William the Silent by Lisa Jardine (Dec 30) **** 50. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (Dec 31) audiobook, reread ****** Ratings * Didn't like, almost certainly unfinished. ** OK, but in some way disappointing. Sometimes unfinished. *** Enjoyable read, if nothing to get too excited about. **** Very good read, reluctant to put down. ***** Excellent - a book with something that really makes it stand out. ****** The very best (sixth star often only added after a while!)

Pretty much all of Georgette Heyer's Regency novels - they only ever come together on the very last page, and it would be good to have at least a few pages for the loose ends to be tied up and the story be properly wrapped up (OH agrees!).

Know what you mean about the Wordsworths! Also agree about the Vintage covers - part of the attraction for me too. You mentioning Penguins reminds me of another important issue, at least with foreign language books - the translation! I really enjoyed the Penguin edition of War and Peace because of the Volokhonsky-Pevear translation. Equally, I'm soon going to have a go a LesMis, and have been recommended the Vintage version (Julie Rose).

Oh, what a difficult question. I suppose there are some things though: I am quite happy without an exciting or fast paced story - but not without a real sense of character and/or place (preferably both!). These are musts! I want to be asking questions - a book that doesn't provoke in that way leaves me cold. But it doesn't have to be a mystery (although I do enjoy one). I want to be treated like an adult. (There are some children's books, which I enjoy, which are far more 'adult' than many adult books). Dan Brown and some other so-called thriller writers are amongst the worst offenders there. One aspect of this is 'showing not telling', a technique I try to emphasise in my writing lessons (Y5 primary school!). Several people have mentioned the physical feel/state of a book. Totally agree - I've got to be comfortable reading the book. Too many paperbacks especially nowadays are printed with an atrociously small print size and grotty print/paper quality. I put those straight back down, however tempting the content - it's got to be comfortable and pleasurable to read. I'm quite fussy with my choice of classics especially as there's usually a choice. (I've recently enjoyed reading the Random House imprint, Vintage Classics, for those very reasons). Oddly, I have some old Everyman editions which, whilst with a very small print size, are very readable. I think it's the print quality - too many paperbacks are smudgy.

The oldest book in my collection is our Family Bible, published in 1807. It's in Welsh, so is actually entitled "Y Bibl Sanctaidd." It's a biggie, being some 9cms thick (no page numbers), and has an inscription from my great-great-great grandfather to his wife - her birthday present (but doesn't say which one!). Aside from that, it's a first edition of Nansen's 2-volume "Furthest North", published in 1897.

I'm not convinced. I remember reading somewhere fairly reliable (sorry, can't track it down at present) that British English and American English (I prefer English and American!) were gradually drifting apart, not together. I suspect it may well be true that AE becomes the global norm (if not already), but BE will survive/thrive in the UK. We may see the odd import - just as we've imported from other languages in the past - but overall, I suspect we'll stay English.

Like Ooshie, these are my guilty pleasure - I've got a fairly large library of the books, with volumes I absolutely adore and read avidly. No you don't have to be a member to get hold of FS books, because are lot are available second hand through ebay, abebooks or specialists like the Ardis link above (although specialist shops tend to be a bit pricier than other sources). I've bought a fair number that way at very good prices (sometimes less than a new paperback). I am a member and spend far too much, but the pain is lessened by the fact that they have various sales throughout the year which can bring the prices down big time. I tend to renew my membership by buying 4 books at the cheapest end - there are plenty that are barely more than the price of a standard hardback, and FS books don't deteriorate with time in the same way! Skirnir - yes they do send abroad, and there are loads of members around the world. There's a LibraryThing interest group (Folio Society Devotees) which has a lot of members in the US and Australia, and elsewhere.

I enjoyed Great Expectations, but absolutely adored Bleak House. Possibly amongst my top 3 books ever. That opening chapter alone was worth the read!!