bobblybear

I've heard of the film The Birds, but I had no idea it was a Daphne du Maurier story. Nice review, as well.

Thanks, Athena. I must try to not get so behind this year.

Hello Renate and welcome (back) to the forum.

Hello Nell, and welcome to the forum.

Finally, my last review of 2014. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte I’m sure everyone has heard of Wuthering Heights and the majority of people seem to have read it. Set in an isolated landscape of Yorkshire, Wuthering Heights is the household in which a large portion of the story takes place. The bulk of the story is told by a housekeeper, Nelly, to a guest at one of Heathcliff's cottages. Nelly had grown up in the Earnshaw household for many years, where her mother was a servant, and so is very familiar with all the events that happened at and around Wuthering Heights. The story follows the relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and her adopted brother Heathcliff, from their childhood (when he was brought home as a young boy, rather unexpectedly by her father), to approximately 30 years later (if I have the timescales right). It’s usually touted as a dark and tormented love story, and that’s basically all I knew about it before I started. At it’s core, it is a book about the complex relationships between the various characters, with substantial doses of hatred and revenge in the mix. For the most part I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t blown away by it. I disliked most of the characters, which I think is why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped. That’s not to say that I don’t like reading about unpleasant characters, but you have to have some form of common ground to relate to them – or at least I do. I also founds the names and relationships a bit confusing, and even towards the end of the book I had to stop and really think about which character I was reading about. I’m glad I read it, but it’s not one I would read again. 3/6

I hope you have a great reading year, Abby.

I have this on my TBR pile. I tried reading it a couple of years ago, but I just wasn't in the right mindset. Hope you enjoy it. I have read one other by Jared Diamond, and it was a very interesting read.

Have a great reading year, Tim.

Hope you have a great reading year, Steve (I'm a bit late ).

Sounds like an interesting read. I've never heard of Margaret Fountaine, but I have added the book to my wishlist. Really nice and detailed review.

Nice review of The Strange Library. It sounds suitably bizarre! That was my feeling about The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and I don't actually believe I finished it. I got along a bit better with Kafka on the Shore, but not really familiar with his work, except that there is a lot of surrealism involved. I would like to read more of his books at some point, but I just have so many others on my TBR pile.

As you know now, I've started it. I'm hoping to get a fair bit of reading done this weekend as I want to have a lazy one. I'm up to Part Two now, and it's like reading it for the first time as there's so much I have forgotten. So glad you have enjoyed it. The only other book I have read by him is I Know This Much Is True, which I think I enjoyed more, but it is a far chunkier novel.

Year-end is mostly done with, but we have auditors in next month, and I also have to train someone new next week (which always makes me nervous ). It's never ending, but at least it's the weekend, and I can relax and catch up with reading. I hope so! I keep postponing it, but I just need to get on with it.

I enjoyed The Martian a lot when I read it last year. It was very technical in places, but not so much that you get completely lost. Hope you enjoy it, Kylie. I finally finished The Dinosaur Hunters, and thought it was brilliant. One of the best non-fiction books I've read, and has inspired me to read more non-fiction books this year. I've just started She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. It's a re-read for me, but I may as well be reading it for the first time, because I don't remember much of it.

Hope you have a great reading year, Vixen, On your list, I really enjoyed Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Hope you have a great reading year, Alexander. I found Zadie Smith to be a very mixed bag. I loved White Teeth, but hated NW so much that not only did I not finish it, but it has put me off reading anything else by her.

Thanks Janet, you too. I liked Let The Right One In, but it was different to what I was expecting. There is some very strong sexual content in the book that I was surprised to read in such detail, and the first time I came across it I was quite shocked. Aside from that, I liked the friendship that was building between the two young characters, as they were both outcasts and alone. If you start to read it, you will know quite early on whether it's to your tastes or not. I shall eventually write up a proper review, when I get more time. I still haven't written up my final review for 2014 (Wuthering Heights)!

Thanks, Gaia.

Thanks, Noll. It will be better once we get the year-end results out of the way. Then I can concentrate on reading.

I hope you have a great year of reading.

Thank you all. My reading seems to be going slow so far. To be fair though, work has been horrendous. I've only been back there for a week, but it's been a very long week.

Hope you have a great reading year, Kay.

Have a great reading year, Laura.

Ooooh, I'll echo what so many others say about The Crimson Petal and the White. It's a brilliant read, and although it's a long book, the pages just fly past. I also liked The Beach, so hopefully you will enjoy that when you get to it. Have a great reading year, Devi.

Oh, I love those two films. There's another film called Minions which is due out soon. Looks funny. I just watched Collateral. Seen it many times, but I still enjoy it.