Books do furnish a room

First book of 2012; finished today. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen I think everyone knows this one now following the film. It is a love story set in a circus. The plot uses the now common device of the protagonist in great old age looking back at his youth (from a care home), so the narrative jumps between past and present. Set in 1930s America there is murder, love, obsession, lots of animals, friendship, devotion and madness. Not a bad story, a bit formulaic, but designed to leave the reader with a warm feeling. I tend to read this sort of book late at night to send me to sleep and it did the job. Normally this would have been five or six ot of ten, but my first kiss was at the circus (many years ago now) and so nostalgia bumped up the rating! I think I'm getting sentimental in my old age. 7 out of 10 Starting The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier

Bloomsday; the Bostoniad by David Lentz This novel was a delight and I didn't want it to end. It is of course a modern rendering of Homer's Odyssey and Joyce's Ulysses and is set on June 14 1974 in Boston. The characters are descended from the original characters in Ulysses; the central actors are Rudy Bloom and Thomas Dedalus. The links with Joyce's book are striking, but so are the differences. The story flows through a day when Bloom and Dedalus both lose their jobs and Dedalus finds himself being offered Bloom's old job. They meet at a wake and there follows much eating, drinking, philosophising and wandering through the streets and bars of Boston. Of course there is much more to it than that, but you should read it. Ulysses is a masterpiece, but I enjoyed reading this book much more than Ulysses. I realised that fairly early in the book, but it took me a while to work out why. I grew to like the characters, to care about them and it was their plain humanity that I loved. I would happily go out for a drink with either or both of them! There are some thought provoking reflections on the meaning of life, love and religion, especially as it is intimated that Bloom may be terminally ill and is thinking about his end. Mr Lentz has produced a book that works on many different levels; a literary masterpiece with enough references to the the two classics it springs from; certainly. A profound reflection on life and love, especially pertinent as one reaches a certain age; definitely. But there is much more; laugh out loud comic moments, moments of touching tenderness and the language is a delight. You must read it! 9 out of 10 Starting The Drop Edge of Yonder by Rudolph Wurlitzer

I loved the passion in both novels. I read Jane Eyre in my early teens and just enjoyed the story. I read Wuthering Heights later and the Gothic element appealed; I read it Just before Kate Bush did Wuthering Heights. That helped!!

There's at least two!!

A pleasure Frankie; love that hat! Duma Key by Stephen King Too long and completely bonkers. I will admit that King is a good tale teller and the book reads easily, but this is a novella turned into 700 pages!! A mixture of rehashed folklore and Greek myth with a strong dose of Pirates of the Caribbean. Some of it is laugh out loud funny, but not purposely. Edgar Freemantle has an accident, loses an arm and acquires a brain injury. His marraige falls apart and being wealthy moves alone to a Florida Key to paint. Something has awoken and drawn him there; his paintings develop real power. Some of the other characters feel like they have been borrowed from Fitzgerald. King also provides his own spoilers and on at least two occasions he gives away vital plot lines; losing the impact of what is supposed to be a thriller/horror. King has also designed a new way of managing the judicial system; forget the electric chair, death by painting is so much easier! It's all a bit mad and doesn't have the edge of his early stuff. 4 out of 10 Starting Dissolution ny C J Sansom

The Standing Pool by Adam Thorpe I had some problems deciding how I felt about this one, possibly because the author didn't really make his mind up what it was. It is the story of a family (the Mallinsons) who decide to take a six month sabbatical in France. Nick is a 50 something university lecturer with a wife (Sarah) 20 years younger (an ex-pupil) and three young girls. They are liberal, tolerant and care about the environment). They rent a remote cottage from the Sandlers who are not liberal or tolerant and very un-pc. The house is sort of looked after by Jean-Luc a single thirty something who lives with his mother in the nearby village and talks to his dead uncle Fernand. Add to the above a dirty swimming pool, a mud patch which Jean Luc is supposed to be turning into a lawn, a pack of wild boars, uncommunicative locals, a bunch of hunters and Nick's son from his first marraige (a stroppy teenager of 24) and the mix is rather rich. Actually most of the time nothing happens; there is a beautifully built sense of unease, even menace and the reader becomes aware of lots of possible looming disasters. What also develops is an interesting study of family life and the internal workings of a relationship; along with an examination of the outsider in society. The tentacles of the war still spread throughout the village and its consequences affect the characters in different ways. In the end Thorpe cannot decide whether this is approaching menace or real horror and there are two endings (sort of). I just wish he had decided one way or the other. 7 out of 10 Starting Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen

Finished Maybe This Time by Alois Hotschnig Nine excellent and rather unsettling short stories. Difficult to pin down; there are strong shades of Kafka here. The narrators are all men and very few people in the stories are named. The stories are about identity and its loss. They appear mundane and everyday, but there are very many layers of meaning. In "Then a Door Opens and Swings Shut" a man is visiting an old schoolfriend when a woman motions him into her house. Inside the house there are hundreds of dolls in different shades of repair and neatness. The woman brings down a doll that looks exactly like him and has his name and says she has been waiting for him ... Not a horror story, but very creepy. In "The Beginning of Something" a man looks out of the window and realises he is in an unfamiliar country, looking in the mirror he does not recognize the person he sees there. He then wakes up relieved, but discovers the dream has come true. This one was scary, more for what was not said. The last story, "You Don't Know Them, They're Strangers", is the most unsettling. A man returns home after an evening with the neighbours and notes the name on his door is different; his flat is familiar, but different. He goes to his office, it is in an area he has never visited before with people he does not know. They know him and he knows the job, returning home the name on the door has changed again, but the flat is still his; the pace of change quickens. This collection is well worth reading. I must admit I had not heard of Alois Hotschnig before picking up this book. He has won literary awards in his native Austria and international honours like the Italo-Svevo award. I will look for more! 9 out of 10 Starting another collection of short stories "The Start of the End of it All" by Carol Emshwiller

It is worth reading Ooshie. Just finished Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa lahiri A mixed buch of stories; some better than others. They centre on Indians in exile, usually in the US and issues relating to homesickness, alienation, getting used to a new culture, misunderstaning and the strange intricacies of relationships. Some of the stories are very good, others much less memorable. I liked the first and last stories especially; about married couples negotiating the rapids of married life with varying success. I struggled to be held by some of the stories, hence the score. On the whole though an enjoyable read; not sure how it won the Pulitzer Prize though. 6 and a half out of 10 Starting Maybe This Time by Alois Hotschnig

As I lay Dying I suspect you either love Faulkner or hate him. The novel is described as stream of consciousness, but I am not so sure; it read very easily. The story revolves around the death of Addie Bundren and is written in multiple narrator form (including the deceased). As she is dying, one son is making the coffin outside the bedroom window (no doubt a great comfort). Addie has made her husband promise to have her buried in a local town and the book revolves around the journey. As Addie dies there are also floods making the journey more difficult. Pretty much everything that can go wrong does go wrong and the whole journey is a catalogue of disasters. Tragedy and comedy mix well here and this a wonderful book. The multiple narrators do add a great deal to the story as the reader approaches it from various angles. Happy families this is not and the story is a simple one. However I loved it and read over half of it in one sitting. Nine out of ten Starting Bloomsday by David Lentz

Bright Young People by D J Taylor An interesting book about the 1920s bright young things. Full of upper class aesthetes and their hangers on, it charts the parties, frivolities, attempts at doing a proper job, attempts at literature, hedonism, excess and general silliness of this group. You sense the lack of direction, too young for the war and therefore lacking a certain cachet. Some names stand out, as they went on to greater things; Evelyn Waugh, John Betjeman, Cecil Beaton, Nancy Mitford to name a few. Others had less spectacular careers. Yet more were casualties, Elizabeth Ponsonby and Brenda Dean Paul. The book doesn't always flow and tends to concentrate on a small number of the group. Brian Howard, Evelyn Waugh and Elizabeth Ponsonby are prominent. There are lives cut short by the next war and quite a few lives wasted. There is an intersting analysis of the direction taken politically in the 1930s. Some like Diana Guiness (nee Mitford and soon to be Mosley) became fascists others like Tom Driberg and Brian Howard moved to the left. If, like me, you are fascinated by this period of history and the "Bright Young Things" then this book is a good starting point. 7 and a half out of 10 Following this theme; Starting Brian Howard: Portrait of a Failure by Marie-Jacqueline Lancaster

The Rock Pool by Cyril Connolly An interesting novel with some rather unlikeable characters. It is set in the south of France in the 1930s in the fictional Trou-sur-mer (based on Cagnes). Living there are a bunch of disparate and rather bohemian characters of varying nationalities. They are all fairly dissolute and for the time was considered shocking. It was initially published in France because no publisher in England would touch it. It was not published in Britain until 1947. The descriptions of lesbians and homosexuals as functioning members of society and living openly with human strengths and weaknesses were unacceptable to the English publishers who looked at it in the 1930s. The Narrator, Naylor was a particular type of Englishman, public school and Oxbridge, a little money, no real occupation and no real purpose. He is also rather unpleasant. He sees Trou-sur-mere as a rock pool whose inhabitants he can study. Inevitably he becomes part of the "pool" and the story charts his decline. Connolly took his characters from real life and in the early 1930s he and his wife had lived and travelled in the south of France. The origin for the Naylor character was apparently killed in the war flying for the RAF. Racasse, the artist, survived and Connolly had a picture of Connolly and his wife painted by the artist the character is based on. The Rock Pool is basically an attack on the English social system and charts the downfall of some of the "bright young things" of the late 20s. Naylor is a passive character and Peter Quennell has likened him to Frederic in Flaubert's Sentimental Education. There are some marvellous comic moments and the middle class Englishman is shown up for what he is. There is also the sense of of something coming to an end, no more innocence. A brief book, an easy read, but don't expect to like the characters. 7 out of 10 starting As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Best new novelist I've read this year is Sunjeev Sahota. The novel is called Ours are the Streets and is about home grown terrorism. It's set in Sheffield.

Under the Frangipani by Mia Couto A good dose of magic realism African style, set in post colonial Mozambique. A police inspector is sent to investigate a murder at a remote fort used as a hospital/refuge. Whilst he is there he is also inhabited by the shade/ghost of a worker buried under the frangipani tree in the fort (unknown to him). The residents of the fort are a group of older people waiting for death, their nurse, an elderly witch and the wife of the deceased (who ran the fort). They all readily confess to the crime. There is magic, talking animals, the dead are all around and the whole story is rather surreal and chronology is pleasingly loose. It is a pleasing mix of thriller and parable which explores the spirit world and old beliefs and traditions. There is a message to the old colonial masters in the frontnote; "You will never rule this land". Short, sharp and remarkable. 8 out of 10 Starting The Rock Pool by Cyril Connolly

If you haven't read any of Susan Hill's ghost stories I would recommend them. Also viago have a couple of excellent collections of ghost stories written by women.

The Imposter by Damon Galgut A well written novel about modern South Africa. Adam Napier loses his job and home. He moves to a run down house in the country owned by his brother to clean it up and write poetry. He runs across someone he was at school with. Adam doesn't remember him but Canning remembers Adam with great affection. Canning has inherited his father's estate and Adam spends weekends there with Canning and his wife. Canning intends to turn it into a golf course. At times this is rather bleak and has a touch of the noir about it; none of the characters are particularly likeable and it is difficult to care about what happens to them. It's a good story about the oddities of memory, how the past can haunt the present, disillusionment (the old regime has gone but some of the old problems remain) friendship and betrayal. Add a spot of organised crime and gardening and it makes for a pretty good mix. I thought the last chapter was unnecessary but others may disagree. The title does sum up the novel; people are not always what or who they seem. 7 and a half out of 10 Starting 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

I read Dark Matter earlier this year, here is what I thought: Atmospheric ghost story about a fictional expedition to the arctic in 1937. The main part of the book is the journal of one of the men on the expedition. Five men plan to go to the arctic to monitor weather, wildlife, geology. Two are forced to drop out before they arrive and the other two have to leave temporarily following an accident. Jack is left with the huskies as the winter draws in and permanent night sets in. In the darkness he realises he is not alone. Has some similarities to M R James. The landscape is at the centre and is well described and there is a good build up of tension. It is not a substantial book and the very beginning does not work well for me. However, that said I enjoyed it and read it in three sittings. A good account of our fear of isolation and the dark combined cleverly together. Any fans of a good ghost story will enjoy this. Not a classic, but not bad.

Just finished Essays on the Pleasures of Death by Ellie Ragland Interesting, though difficult, analysis of the links between Frued and Lacan and how Lacan developed Freud's thought. There are some interesting lines of thought. A challenge to Chomsky's language theories which I didn't find wholly convincing. The concept of the "Death Drive" which Frued mentions but does not adequately develop is followed up here. There is an excellent anlysis of the impasse between wanting and being leading to an examination of how pornography uses words that depersonalize, but body parts are personalized. On the whole a difficult but rewarding read. 7 and a half out of 10 Starting Bright Young People by D J Taylor

Thanks Poppy; and I think you are right about the characterisation in the Barchester novels. Just finished Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami My first Murakami, and I did enjoy it. I know it has been described as atypical of his work, but it captures the tentativeness of adolesence very well. It is rather bleak at times and some of the characters are just not strong enough to survive to adulthood. Set in the late 1960s it describes one teenagers journey from 18 to 20 whilst at university in Tokyo. Toru is the main protagonist and we are taken through his relationships, love affairs and the minutea of daily life. Sexual and mental breakdowns are carefully described. There is a lot of talk about sex, a lot less actually doing it; very typical of adolesence. These days it's sod the poetry and existential angst; get yer kit off and let's get on with it before arthritis sets in! Murakami handles the story well and it is an easy and satisfying read and I thinks he captures thoughts and feelings I well remember. 8 out of 10 Starting Under the Frangipani by Mia Couto

Completed The Eustace Diamonds by Trollope Another Palliser novel completed. The characters in this are less likeable and the nicer characters a bit wet. Trollope's plotting is as effortless and clever as ever. The main character Lizzie Eustace is a real anti-heroine (Trollope insists she is not a Becky Sharp) and the plot revolves around a diamond necklace that her late husband may or may not have given her. The various subplots revolve around marraige and who will end up with whom. There are some well drawn minor characters (Mrs Carbuncle, Sir Griffin and Lord Fawn to name a few. A good story, typical Trollope, but for me at this stage the barchester novels still have the edge. 7 and a half out of 10 Starting Phineas Redux

Ours are the streets by Sunjeev Sahota Not easy to assess this one and not a comfortable read. Imtiaz is a British born young man of Pakistani origin, Sheffield to be precise. He is not particularly religious and falls in love with Rebecca, marries and has a daughter. Following the death of his father he goes to Pakistan for the funeral. here he meets extended family and friends and he is "radicalised" and spends some time in Afghanistan. One of his friends carries out a suicide bombing and Imtiaz returns to Britain with another family member with the intention of carrying out a suicide bombing himself. Past and present are inerspersed in the story and this can be confusing. Imtiaz is the narrator and speaks throughout in a Sheffield/Yorkshire accent. Having spent three years at university there (some years ago!) the accent is much as I remember it. I suspect reading it throughout the book could be irritating, though it didn't bother me. The book also has little conventional structure, but it is easy to read. I wasn't really convinced by Imtiaz's journey, he seemed to drift into planning a bombing with no real moment of revelation or spur. There was also very little religion in the book, it was the backdrop,and the religious motivations seemed to be minimal. In fact it was difficult to work out why Imtiaz was planning to carry out his act. My experience of really hardcore fundamentalists is that there is usually a moment or moments of revelation and there is a hard core of inflexible belief running through it. This seemed to be absent. Despite this reservation this was a rather scary look at how a young man who is loved by family, has a job and everything to live for is suddenly transformed into the sort of person who might commit a northern equivalent of 7/7. The sheer ordinariness of Imtiaz is what is most disturbing, but he is young alienated and rootless and easy prey: like many of our youth. I think the current cuts agenda which is leading to significant youth unemployment and alienation and we may be breeding a new generation like Imtiaz. The danger is that as a society we just sit back and watch it happening 7 out of 10 Starting The Imposter by Damon Galgut

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton An easy and entertaining read; this one has already been reviewed to death. I read it because I am interested in the period and subject matter. The story is told in flashback by an ex housemaid (Grace) who is in her late nineties. It involves a stately home (Riverton) and two sisters Hannah and Emmeline and their family who own Riverton. It spans the period just before and after the First World War and has romance, shell shock, a handsome poet, loss, rivalry, tragedy, terrible Americans, upstairs/downstairs issues and the excesses of the 20s. The story jumps between the present day where Grace is in a nursing home and the historical narrative. For me the upstairs downstairs relationships did not ring true; at least Grace's experience and relationship with Hannah (unlike for instance Gosford Park). The narrative also jumps around a good deal. There are a few nods to actual history (a photographer named Cecil turning up to photograph a party). Some of the minor characters were a bit two dimensional, but in general it was a light and enjoyable read. 6 and a half out of 10 Starting The Standing Pool by Adam Thorpe

Cold Earth by Sarah Moss Much to my surprise I quite enjoyed this novel, despite a very unsatisfactory ending. The premise is a simple one. Six people head off on a dig to Greenland in the artic summer. They go to a very isolated spot where there were viking settlements which disappeared (plague or massacre, we are never entirely certain). The six are a varied and suitably irritating bunch, one of whom is a complete novice (a literature student doing a thesis). They have limited contact with the outside world and are there for the brief summer with enough food (unappetising) to last them. The leader is an obsessive with very clear rules about how the dig should be run. The literature student appears neurotic and starts to see/hear the ghosts of previous residents who do not like the graves being disturbed. Towards the end it seems she is probably more sane and realistic than the rest. In the background as they leave a flu pandemic appears to be starting. We hear from each of the characters in letter form (some a lot more than the others). The letter idea works ok. Each of the characters is annoying in the own way and are a pretty typical bunch for this sort of story. There is a good deal of detail about the environment they are in (not surprising as the author has written a good deal about polsr exploration) and about food; real and imagined, as they become more hungry (again not surprising as the author has also written about food in literature). There were some interesting literary links (Villette for instance) with nineteenth century literature and some parallels with the books mentioned in the story. All this was good fun, not especially creepy; however the ending was a definite let down. This may be because it wasn't long enough and could have been fleshed out. 7 out of 10 Starting Duma Key by Stephen King