Alexi

Book 22: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (United Kingdom) 4/5 Synopsis: The story of the orphan Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse only to be taken in by a den of thieves, shocked readers when it was first published. Dickens's tale of childhood innocence beset by evil depicts the dark criminal underworld of a London peopled by vivid and memorable characters—the arch-villain Fagin, the artful Dodger, the menacing Bill Sikes and the prostitute Nancy. Combining elements of Gothic Romance, the Newgate Novel and popular melodrama, Dickens created an entirely new kind of fiction, scathing in its indictment of a cruel society, and pervaded by an unforgettable sense of threat and mystery. (from GoodReads) Thoughts: I've obviously read more than this since starting the challenge which would have counted for UK, but I've read so few classics I wanted extra motivation. This was the first Dickens I've ever attempted, so I picked up Oliver Twist I've acted in a production of it, so I knew the story if the writing proved somewhat inaccessible. I actually enjoyed the story far more when it deviated from what the play and film show. It's more complex, and the character of Monks is an excellent addition. Fagin is a far more evil character in print - he's depicted more as a mischievous imp in the film - and Oliver seems in far greater danger throughout the book which adds a good level of suspense. I do have some criticisms - I do think Dickens has a tendency to overuse the semi colon and underuse the full stop. He can have whole paragraphs as one lengthy sentence which reads like a list broken up by semi colons, so you've forgotten how it started by the time you get to the end. But generally I found the writing quite accessible, and I wouldn't be afraid of picking up a less familiar tale. Having said the plot was more complex, the ending certainly wasn't. Everything fits into place rather too well for my 21st century mind - although that does seem to be a theme of a lot of classics I've read so far - and there is a death near the end which is glossed over in a single line! He can spin a bloody good yarn Mr Dickens, and I will definitely make an effort to read another his novels in 2013.

I'm so jealous of your library Kylie - I just don't have the storage space! That's one of the reasons (plus moral and skintness) I'm a big library user, but having left a load of books at my Mum's when I moved again, I've started buying more so I have a stack that won't fit on the shelves. I've had to resort to storing them on the kindle now!

I finished The Talented Mr Ripley - definitely much enjoyed! May look for the sequel I'm now reading Oliver Twist - my first Dickens!

I'm also a bit too intimidated by it to start! But then I've also been intimidated by Dickens, and I'm now 70 pages into Oliver Twist... Your review is certainly tempting me to move it onto the more immediate to read list

I'm 100 pages in and really enjoying it!

Book 21: Heidi by Johanna Spyri (Switzerland) 5/10 Synopsis: Parents, teachers, librarians and children will adore these beautiful unabridged editions of timeless children's favourites. Each hardback book has extraordinary artwork on the cover, together with spot illustrations, a ribbon marker and the highest quality paper. In "Heidi" - what happens when a little orphan girl is forced to live with her cold and frightening grandfather? The heartwarming answer has engaged children for more than a century, both on the page and on the screen. Johanna Spyri's beloved story offers youngsters an endearing and intelligent heroine, a cast of unique and memorable characters, and a fascinating portrait of a small Alpine village. Thoughts: I downloaded this last Christmas when I got my iPad, because I'd always meant to read it as a kid, never got around to it, and it's free to download. I rather suspect it's a children's classic which doesn't translate to most modern day adults. I'm certainly not anti-relgious, and appreciate how much comfort it does give to many, but it felt VERY preachy in the second half of the book. Obviously, the book is very much of it's time - written in the 1800s when religion played a bigger part in most lives - but the message felt rammed down my throat at times. Also the way Heidi was referred to as "the child" in every other sentence really began to grate on me - it's so unnecessarily repetitive when "she" or "her" would have varied the language and sounded more natural. All that said, it's a nice simple story of an orphaned girl in the mountains, and her relationships with others, and I can imagine it being a big hit with children.

I finished Heidi by Johanna Spyri, which disappointed me. I reckon I should have read it as a child, as an adult some of the repetitive phrasing and religious preaching was extremely irritating. Now reading The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.

It's not available on UK Amazon - not sure about the US.

Lol Janet, I would have been hard pressed to tell you what it was about 10 minutes after finishing!! I find it such a wrench abandoning a book once started, but I finished that and could think of hardly anything to redeem it, so in many ways I wish I hadn't continued. Maybe I'll read another book from a Chilean author at some point and replace it. Book 20: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopia) 9/10 Synopsis: My brother, Shiva, and I came into the world in the late afternoon of the twentieth of September in the year of grace 1954. We took our first breaths in the thick air of Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia. Bound by birth, we were driven apart by bitter betrayal. No surgeon can heal the would that divides two brothers. Where silk and steel fail, story must succeed. To begin at the beginning... Thoughts: After the total disaster that was Chile, I picked up this with some trepidation. But it was a wonderful return to the challenge. It's a 550 page epic with small print, but it is worth every page. The twins are born, with an Indian nun mother and British surgeon father, in Ethiopia, which is set to see turmoil, horror and revolution during their lifetime. The book spans 50 years and weaves it's way through the family's personal tragedies, as well as those of the country. The writing style is gorgeous, the narrative entertaining and harrowing. It is narrated by Marion, but his life is so entwined in the lives of his twin brother Shiva and the other main character, girl next door Genet, no matter how far around the world he is from them. His life is also influenced significantly by the events occurring in Ethiopia at the time - and so the history and culture is explored by the author without feeling in any way like you're reading from a history textbook. These are ordinary people, but they cannot escape the decisions made by their leaders and fighters. I deducted a Mark because it took me a little while to get into, but once I did it was a fabulous read. Really recommend it.

I finished Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese which was wonderful. Change of pace somewhat as I've now started Heidi by Johanna Spyri (free on iBooks and I always meant to read it when I was growing up) but it's not grabbing me. Maybe I'm just too old for it - the overly-simplistic writing style is already beginning to grate.

Whoops, I appear to have accidentally added Schindler's Ark and Ella Minnow Pea to my ever growing wishlist...

I'm currently reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, and really enjoying it (it's a bit of tome though, so might take me a while which will be no reflection on enjoyment levels!) Also purchased The Art of Racing in the Rain after seeing it was £2.99 on kindle

Book 19: By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolano (Chile) 3/10 Synopsis: A deathbed confession revolving around Opus Dei and Pinochet, By Night in Chile pours out the self-justifying dark memories of the Jesuit priest Father Urrutia. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: I hated this book from beginning to end. I forced myself to read 130 pages and felt deeply unsatisfied that I'd wasted my time. Chile has a fascinating, complex and tragic history during the time Father Urrutia is alive. I wanted to share in that history and culture, not be taken around Europe for 30 pages to learn about pigeons (the point of this episode was to illustrate the dissatisfaction of both the lead character and the diaspora in continental Europe I'm sure, but to me it felt forced and dull). The writing style felt at times like a 10-year-old's comprehension. 'Then we did this and then we did that and then this poet wrote that'. Total dirge. Given this book has an average rating of 3.88 out of 5 on Goodreads my opinion is clearly in the minority, but I am extremely vexed that Bolano appears on the 1001 list. I shall certainly be leaving him until last on the good chance I am in my coffin before I finish the list.

Book 18: The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo (Norway) 8/10 Synopsis: 1944: Daniel, a soldier, legendary among the Norwegians fighting the advance of Bolshevism on the Russian front, is killed. Two years later, a wounded soldier wakes up in a Vienna hospital. He becomes involved with a young nurse, the consequences of which will ripple forward to the turn of the next century. 1999: Harry Hole, alone again after having caused an embarrassment in the line of duty, has been promoted to inspector and is lumbered with surveillance duties. He is assigned the task of monitoring neo-Nazi activities; fairly mundane until a report of a rare and unusual gun being fired sparks his interest. Ellen Gjelten, his partner, makes a startling discovery. Then a former soldier is found with his throat cut. In a quest that takes him to South Africa and Vienna, Harry finds himself perpetually one step behind the killer. He will be both winner and loser by the novel’s nail-biting conclusion. The Redbreast won the Glass Key prize for the best Nordic crime novel when it was first published, and was subsequently voted Norway’s best crime novel. The Devil’s Star, Nesbø’s first novel featuring Harry Hole to be translated into English, marked Nesbø as a writer to watch in the ever more fashionable world of Nordic crime. (From Goodreads) Thoughts: My Dad has been urging me to read this series for a while, and I've had this sat on my iPad since Apple distributed it as a free gift last Christmas. I'm sorry I waited so long to pick it up. The characters were well-written and believable, the tale twisting and intricate. This is the third in the series, but the first that was translated into English (although the first in the series has now been translated as well). I dnt feel I missed out reading this one as my taster for the series, although I would like to go back and read the previous two at some stage. The character of Harry Hole hooked me in before the plot even got going, and I immediately borrowed the rest of the series published to date to see what cases he guides us through next. Great thriller.

Great review Brian - I also loved this book. It really opened my eyes to the world of cycling and I came to really like Tyler, despite his choices. Armstrong definitely doesn't come out of it very well!

I'm battling through By Night In Chile by Roberto Bolano - this counts for Chile in my world challenge and is only 130 pages and I'm still considering giving up!! Battling on, but reading something alongside - The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle. Tells the story of doping in cycling, and so far loving it. Even if my love of Lance Armstrong has been well and truly killed!

I love reading non-fiction - particularly history stuff, and I'm a female in my 20s! Fiction is dominating for me at the moment, but that is mainly because of a couple of challenges I'm doing, and because I'm inheriting a lot of my Mum's books, and she is an exclusively fiction reader. Also v interested in review of Leningrad!

If you mean me, I'm a female Alex I'm sure there will be some repetition (I'm currently reading a Jo Nesbo for Norway, although not the same title, and we've read the same for Afghanistan and Pakistan) but it's not something I overly consider. Unless someone reads a 5/5 book for a country I've not yet done and then I feel I must investigate!! I'm sure as we get to the harder* countries, there will be a limited choice of options anyway. *By harder, I mean countries with few authors translated into English

I'm using the app which is no longer available (grr) which has all three lists. I'm currently on 24 read!! But I have read 12 so far this year, so I've actually doubled my tally since January. I've only read Memoirs of a Geisha from the additions.

Glad to see you joining us Brian

After moving and losing all reading time, the OH's purchase of FIFA13 has served me well with quiet reading moments! Hurrah! Finished This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski, which was really upsetting and powerful. Now onto The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo.

Book 17: This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski (Ukraine) 9.5/10 Synopsis: Tadeusz Borowski’s concentration camp stories were based on his own experiences surviving Auschwitz and Dachau. In spare, brutal prose he describes a world where where the will to survive overrides compassion and prisoners eat, work and sleep a few yards from where others are murdered; where the difference between human beings is reduced to a second bowl of soup, an extra blanket or the luxury of a pair of shoes with thick soles; and where the line between normality and abnormality vanishes. Published in Poland after the Second World War, these stories constitute a masterwork of world literature. Thoughts: Enjoying this book is the wrong word. But when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. It shocked me, it horrified me, it upset me. It was really powerful. I've read war literature in the past, but nothing really focusing on the concentration camp experience. The fact that this is based on the author's experiences really hammers the horrors home. The first short story leads us in with a transportation of new detainees, who are robbed and then led to the gas chambers. The treatment was brutal and upsetting. But the narrator is shocked and horrified with the reader. as the book went on, what was more upsetting was the acceptance of such atrocities, the crimes humans will do to others in the name of survival, or just an extra piece of bread. Heart rending stuff, that really affected me. (Is also on the 1001 list )

Book 16: City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende (Peru) 8/10 Finished this a while ago but moved house and forgot to review! It's a young adult book set in the Amazon rainforest. An American teenager is sent on a journey with his (crazy) grandmother while his Mum has chemotherapy. The grandmother really is crazy - he's about 14, flies to New York from a small town. She doesn't pick him up from the airport and ignores his calls to see if he can get to her house alone! He's robbed of everything so ends up walking til midnight! It's a fantasy, and a very enjoyable one. Mythical beasts, a sinister plot to kill Indians so that settlers can exploit the land, hunt for treasure - this one has it all. I don't often read young adult, but I really enjoyed this foray into the genre. Discovering something about the Indian cultures in the Amazon was a real plus too.

I'm currently halfway through City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende. I didn't realise it was YA until about a chapter in, but I'm really enjoying being immersed with Indian tribes in the Amazon through the eyes of a 15-year-old American! It also counts for Peru in my world challenge

Book 15: Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke (China) 7/10 Synopsis: Here, China's most controversial novelist takes as his subject the contemporary AIDS blood-contamination scandal in Henan province, where villagers were coerced into selling vast quantities of blood and then infected with the AIDS virus as they were injected with plasma to prevent anaemia. Whole villages were wiped out in this way, with no responsibility taken or reparation made. Dream of Ding Village focuses on one village, and the story of one family, torn apart when one son rises to the top of the Party pile as he exploits the situation, while another is infected and dies. Narrated by a dead boy and written in finely crafted, affecting prose, the novel presents a powerful absurdist allegory of the moral vacuum at the heart of Communist-capitalist China as it traces the life and death of an entire community. (from Amazon) Thoughts: I did enjoy this, but thought it promised more than it delivered. The story is fantastic, but the execution was poorer than the plot deserved, in my opinion. Before picking this book up, I had never heard of the blood controversy in China ( a bit before my time) and I think that made it all the more heart rending. It is a devastating story, as villagers die in their droves thanks to the blood drive. They sell their blood to people who don't have any knowledge about AIDS, so needles are shared between the donators. Additionally, you get those who take advantage of villagers willingness to make money from selling their blood to make even more money for themselves through very dubious means. We come into the story (although their are flashbacks and background of what went before) at the point where villagers are already ill and dying. It's a terrible time, and a brilliantly-woven, emotional story. However, while we get wonderful, flowing descriptions of 'blood-red plains', the tale of the villagers feels very much told as if 'we did this, then we did that'. Often we have to infer the emotional descriptions. This is particularly frustrating when you consider who the dead boy narrator is. We get very little about how he feels about his surviving relatives and friends, until the last few pages, and then it's about an isolated event, not the disgusting actions that led up to it. But the plot was fantastic, tragic and really made me think. Glad I read this one.