bobblybear
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Posts posted by bobblybear
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I have the week off work!
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I've been a bit hooked on Stardew Valley, which is basically a Harvest Moon rip off. And in a couple of days Animal Crossing is coming out on mobile phone, so I will be busy with that.
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Last Man In Tower - Avarind Adiga
This is the second book by Avarind Adiga that I have read and I really enjoyed it.
Set in Bombay, the story hinges around a densely populated high-rise residential building. A real estate developer is intent on buying this crumbling building in order to tear it down and build a luxury apartment complex. He offers the residents a very generous financial sum in return for their agreement to leave. The majority of residents are all in favour and sign the paperwork, but a handful of them think it is a con, and refuse to move. One of these is Masterji, who is a retired school teacher and respected for holding free lessons for the children of the building. Soon, he finds himself under increasing pressure and threats of violence from his neighbours for not budging on his refusal to move.
This was a very powerful read, about strength of character, principles, and sticking to your guns, no matter what.
Each character is described in detail, so we see their relationships at the start of the book and how money changes them by the end. The ending is pretty shocking but probably not unexpected, and I found myself hating some of characters who were very nice at the start of the book.
Highly recommended.
5/6
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Without a Doubt - Marcia Clark
This is the prosecuting attorney's detailed account of the OJ Simpson murder trial. I only knew the basics about what happened – the infamous glove scene, the civil trial – and that was about it. This was such an eye-opener. It was so informative, and I presume that everything mentioned is publicly available knowledge, but it is shocking that he got away with it given all the evidence against him.
Clark also talks a bit about her personal life alongside the time of the trials, and how she was hounded by the media and her response to that.
A very interesting read, even if you don't have a particular interest in the case.
5/6
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The House at Riverton - Kate Morton
This is the second Kate Morton book I have read. The main character – Grace - is now in her late 90s; she has been approached by a filmmaker who is making a movie about Riverton Manor which is where Grace worked many years ago as a maid. The crux of the film is the unexplained suicide of a young man during Grace's time there and rumoured to be caused by a love triangle.
So Grace tells the story of her time at Riverton Manor and the children of the family, who she grew to consider as friends over the years.
As with the other Kate Morton I have read, this one was well written, but perhaps a bit too long. The story was interesting enough but the revelation of the man's suicide wasn't anything remarkable, and because so much emphasis was put on it, it felt like a let-down when it was revealed. That's only a minor criticism though.
Recommended.
4/6
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I'm up to my 67th book which is good for me!
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On 11/3/2017 at 2:49 PM, chesilbeach said:
Finished We Have Always Lived in the Castle yesterday. Unsettling at times, but not horrifying as I was expecting.
It's very subtle though, isn't it?
I finished Life: An Unauthorised Biography by Richard Fortey which I really enjoyed. Now I'm reading The End of the World Running Club which is pretty good!
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Hmmm, I haven't heard many good things about The Loney. I bought it a few months ago for £0.99 but the negative reviews have been putting me off.
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On 10/28/2017 at 6:26 PM, frankie said:
Hm. Not that I would know anything, but I don't see any reason for you guys not to be able to see HBO...? If we can watch it, I'm sure you can, too
I don't need to watch HBO anymore because I ordered the DVD a couple of days ago.
I couldn't resist. It should arrive by this weekend, so I'll be watching it for sure!
On 10/29/2017 at 6:17 PM, chesilbeach said:Next up, I bought myself We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, because it's the next book being discussed on the Backlisted podcast which is out tomorrow, so I'd better get a move on!
I loved We Have Always Lived In The Castle. Very dark and disturbing.
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I've added Endurance to my wishlist. Like Gaia, I also have An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth on my TBR pile. Glad you enjoyed it!
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On the off chance you revisit this thread, what about The Final Winter: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel by Iain Rob Wright? This is virtually identical to what you are looking for....can't say I was blown away by it, but you may like it.
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On 10/28/2017 at 5:27 PM, frankie said:
What with finally having my own bookcases and space for books, and wanting to relieve some stress by doing a bit of book shopping at secondhand bookshops and charityshops, and going to the annual book fair, I've somehow managed to acquire the following books this month.
40. Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
41. Little Friend by Donna Tartt
58. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
I have the first two on my Kindle desperately waiting to be read (along with about 400 others
). A work colleague had Emotional Intelligence on his desk and I skimmed through it; it seemed pretty interesting, full of real-life examples which is what I prefer. I tried reading The Little Friend years ago but couldn't get into it. I still plan to give it another go at some point, because I loved The Secret History and Goldfinch so much.
For some reason I thought you had already read She's Come Undone? I thought we 'talked' about it a few years ago, but I could be mistaken!
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Has anyone read his latest, Sleeping Beauties? I'm undecided at the moment and waiting for it to be available from the library.
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I tried Never Let Me Go a few years ago but never finished it, however I think that was due to time constraints rather than enjoyment. I'd also like to read The Buried Giant but apparently that is very different in style to his usual work.
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On 10/6/2017 at 5:36 PM, Little Pixie said:
I may have got some books...
The End of Mr Y - Scarlett Thomas
I hope you enjoy your purchases.
I read this one recently (haven't reviewed it yet), and while it was enjoyable I found it fairly complicated to fully understand. 
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On 10/20/2017 at 6:20 PM, Anna Begins said:
Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk (304 pages)
Tender Branson is the last survivor of a cult that committed mass suicide. This is his story, as told to the black box recorder of Flight 2039, just before it crashes into Australia's outback.
Just like always, I read Palahniuk with a smile of glee on my face. This was a great book. 4/5
Is this the one where the pages count backwards down to 1?
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On 10/20/2017 at 8:33 PM, frankie said:
Bobblybear, this was re: The Big Little Lies. I've not seen the show but I've definitely wanted to watch it!! The problem is that it's on HBO and I have Netflix and I feel like I shouldn't pay for two different stuff at the same time. I think I might quit Netflix for a while and switch to HBO. Then The Big Little Lies would definitely be on my Must Watch list!
Have you (by now) seen the series?
No, not yet. Like you, I have Netflix, but I don't know if we have the option to watch HBO over here in the UK.
I saw it for sale on Amazon, but it was nearly £20, so I will wait for it to come down in price.
I finished Murder On The Orient Express by Agatha Christie and I was a bit disappointed by it. Not sure what I was expecting, maybe something a bit more fast-paced and exciting? I didn't like the ending either.
Never mind! I'm still reading Human Universe by Brian Cox, and have now picked up Almost French by Sarah Turnbull, which is a re-read. I have the day off work today, so hope to get through some more reading.
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On 10/12/2017 at 6:04 PM, Janet said:
I'm in such a pickle - I haven't written a review since April, or completed any of my spreadsheets.
I really want to catch up, but it feels like I need to dig to Australia with a teaspoon. I know how you feel....I'm in a real slump too! My reading is going well, thank goodness (
) but the updating of lists and reviews has been so poor. Not sure why, but I just seem to be so short of time lately. If you find a solution, let me know. -
On 10/3/2017 at 11:36 PM, Alexi said:
I have Big Little Lies on my TBR after my Dad was talking about it. My Dad reads a lot, but doesn't talk books a lot, so I felt I had to download it!
Hope you enjoy it when you get to it!
On 10/5/2017 at 11:26 AM, Onion Budgie said:I'm 3/4 of the way through Murder on the Orient Express, and thoroughly enjoying it.
This is going to be my next read, and my first Agatha Christie novel. I saw the trailer for it recently and it seemed pretty good.
On 10/17/2017 at 4:13 PM, Onion Budgie said:I finished The Haunting of Hill House. Ugh, what a huge disappointment it turned out to be. No chills, no scares, no nuthin'! (Apologies for double negative...) 2/5
Oh no, that's a shame. I bought that recently, after enjoying We Have Always Lived In The Castle so much. Is this the first Shirley Jackson book you have read?
I'm reading two books at the moment:
Human Universe by Brian Cox
Man With A Seagull on His Head by Harriet Page.
Both pretty good reads.
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1 minute ago, Athena said:
Sorry to hear you've not been doing well
. I'm glad you're back at your old office and that you feel much better .
I'm glad you liked Big Little Lies
. I have the book on my TBR.
Thanks. I do feel much better.
Big Little Lies was so good. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I've just gone through my Amazon Wishlist and bought a few that have come down in price:
Foxes Unearthed - Lucy Jones
Under A Pole Star - Stef Penney (I got halfway through this but had to return it to the library because someone had reserved it)
Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat - Oliver Sacks
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The most popular of his books are The Stand and IT, so I would start with those (The Stand is my fave). They are huge books, but so worth it.
I'm re-reading Christine now. It's been a long time since I read it, and I'm glad that it's as good as I remember.
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I read the first in the Amos Decker series, Memory Man. It was ok, but unfortunately quite run-of-the-mill, as these books tend to get after a while.
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I've added No God But God to my wishlist, as I know next to nothing about Islam.
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No Way Back - Rick Mofina
Reporter Tom Reed is on the verge of resigning when a local jewellery story is robbed. He is assigned to the story only to find that his wife Ann is a hostage.
OK, I don't remember anything about this. The notes I made on this was: “Fast read - can be read in 4 hours, but ultimately forgettable.”
Oops.
3/6
Bobblybear's Book List - 2017
in Past Book Logs
Posted
I've read The Forgotten Garden, which I enjoyed more than The House At Riverton. Unfortunately I read it so long ago that I can't really remember what it was about.