bobblybear

First review of the year (I'm a bit behind!). We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler The story is told from Rosemary's point of view. She is very reluctant to tell anyone her story, so she decides to start with the safest part – the middle of her life. It is 1996, and we learn that she has two siblings – who, strangely, are both missing – and parents who barely speak to her or each other. Rosemary has a secret about her childhood, which sets her very much apart from her peers and means she has always struggled to relate to them and build relationships with them. I can't say what it is but it is revealed about a third of the way through the story. The story is interesting, and there's no doubt it is well written, but something felt missing and I couldn't put my finger on it. I think Rosemary wasn't particuarly likeable or approachable.....there was some distance to her narrative, but that could possibly be because of what has happened in her life. She wasn't a character I could warm to, even though her words were very easy to read. In the last section Rosemary has a very different voice. I know it's set around 20 years later but it seems like too much has changed. There is a massive jump in time and we don't quite know what happened in between. It was an alright read, but nothing remarkable. I was surprised to learn it was short listed for the Man Booker Prize, as it didn't standout for me. Even this plot twist didn't have the impact that perhaps it should....I don't know if it's because it felt unrealistic (although maybe things like that actually happened ). Towards the end, the book got a bit preachy (which I could see a mile off, due to the subject matter). The events were inspired by authors childhood, and something that obviously impacted her for many years (she wrote the book in her 60s). Enjoyed it but not as much as I hoped. 3.5/6

Oh, I love this book. It covers so many topics so there is bound to be something which nabs your interest. Also, he has a very approachable style to his explanations, which makes it easy to understand. I'm halfway through The Midwife's Confession. Sooo good! So much is happening in it! With luck, I may finish it tonight.

I finished Sapiens last night. Very interesting reading. Now I have started The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain. As expected, it has hooked me from the start.

Hope you have a great reading year, Putnam.

London Has Fallen. Such tripe, but good fun to watch.

I started rewatching Homeland on Netflix. I've forgotten how exciting the first season is.

Yeah, I couldn't even finish it. It doesn't begin to compare to the original.

Hmmm, I have this one my TBR pile (along with numerous other David Mitchell's which I bought for £0.99) but have never been inspired to pick it up. I'm not that keen on fantasy so may have to push it a bit further down the TBR list. Still reading Sapiens. I'm about a third through. It's very interesting reading and the author has clearly done a lot of research. I think there are some original concepts in there as well. My next fiction is going to be The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain. I haven't read her books in a while and always enjoy them. But I will finish Sapiens first, otherwise it will probably get left for a while.

World War Z in 3D. Awesome!

I started Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari last night. I've only read the first chapter but so far I'm enjoying it. It's easy to understand and the subject matter is fascinating.

Five books so far, and I will most likely finish another two tonight. How many reviews have I written? None.....

For me, it mostly depends on mood. I have to admit, picking up a very lengthy book can be daunting....I don't know why though, because if I don't like it I can always abandon it. I think it's because you are 'tied into' that book for a longer period of time, but of course if it's a good book, then surely that's a good thing. I can't read too many hefty books in a row. I did that over Christmas with Reamde and David Copperfield, and I struggled because I wanted to pick up something new. I suppose, for a big book, it has to be good all the way through for it to hold your attention for that long. If it's a shorter book, and it starts to dip in the middle it doesn't matter too much because you will probably finish it in a couple of days anyway. Some of my favourite books are doorstoppers (The Stand and IT) but I enjoyed them all the way through and they were easy to read. I usually try to read a few shorter books (say 300 pages or less) in between longer ones, so I get more variety of stories.

I'm about to make a start on The Territory by Sarah Govett. It's had good reviews, so I'm looking forward to it.

My favourite foods that we always have in the house are: Eggs (can't live without them) Butter Green beans Kale Cheese (usually smoked or blue, but any will do) Potatoes Meat (usually chicken) I love avocado but rarely have them in the house because I can never get them at the correct ripeness! We don't subscribe to any particular way of eating, but most of our meals are made from scratch. We have salads 2 to 3 times a week, which has helped both of us lose weight.

Have a great reading year, Peacefield.

Very true...no point having a book forum if we all say the same thing.

I played a bit of Fallout 4 last weekend, after not having turned the PS4 on since October. It was good to play it again and I've made a lot of progress on the main quest. Gaia, I've played some Harvest Moon games. They are very addictive, but after a little while I find they get too repetitive.

I ummed-and-ahhhhed a lot over buying this one (even though it was only £0.99), but bought it in the end. I haven't read it yet but I look forward to hearing what you think. A Man Called Ove was very good....glad you enjoyed it. I finished Apple Tree Yard last night....loved it, it was just what I needed. I need to carry on with A Million Years in a Day now, or it's in danger of being unfinished. I also need to start some reviews as well.

I finally got some 3D glasses that work with our TV. We watched Prometheus which looked amazing. In fact, it looked so good that for the first half-hour or so, I was so impressed with the 3D that I wasn't concentrating on the story and got a bit lost. We also watched some of Independence Day: Resurgence. The 3D looked incredible, but the movie was dire...we turned it off half way through as we were both starting to nod off. So far, we're both very impressed with it all.

I haven't been blown away by the other Ness books I have read (A Monster Calls and The Knife of Never Letting Go). I know he primarily seems to write YA which isn't a genre I'm all that into, so maybe that's why I don't 'get it'.

I'm about two-thirds through Apple Tree Yard and I'm really enjoying it. Super book.

I finished it last night. Pretty good, but I found it a bit too long. I need to get started on my 2017 reviews. I don't want to get too far behind so early on in the year.

I've noticed a lot of the 3D movies are animated, but I haven't bought any of those yet. I can imagine it takes some getting used to....must feel very strange. I hope I'm not one of those people that get headaches or end up with nausea!! This 3D malarky is turning out to be more complicated than I thought. Our 3D glasses arrived and they don't work! I thought it was a simple as buying a pair of 3D glasses and you're good to go, but nooooo....you have to get ones that are compatible with your TV. We bought 'passive 3D' ones when we should have bought 'active 3D' ones. And they need to be paired with the TV via bluetooth! So, I've placed another order on Amazon and hopefully I will have better luck.

Thanks, Kate! I hope to make a dent in my list this year!

Have a great reading year, Kate!