Vodkafan's book list 2013

[julie]

James

I keep meaning to drop in and say I'm glad the book wasn't on your Kindle when it got waterlogged !! Might not have been as cheap to replace !

[Kidsmum]

James

Your reading totals are great this year ,along with writing on top of it . Great work !

 

I noticed you bought a book by Matthew Kneale. I read "English Passengers" a few years back and loved it, but I'm a sucker for a Seafaring Tale ..... Really interesting story ! Too bad I don't remember more about it ,

I loved English Passengers too! 

 

Another thumbs up for English Passengers from me 

 

I have now lent the book out and the person I gave it to has told me it is falling apart as he reads. So I will probably get another 1p copy at some point as a keeper.

 

Nothing worse than trying to read a book that's falling apart it drives you mad If you can find a copy for 1p then i'd definitely snap it up, that's a bargain too good to miss 

 

I was thinking about you last weekend i went for lunch with a friend in Headingley which is a real studenty area of Leeds so lots of charity shops so we had a bit of trawl round & in one of them i spotted a Jack Vance book in among all the crime novels. I can't remember what it was called now but i think Crystal might of been in the title 

[frankie]

I like the footnotes, it's the way Jack Vance used to write too......yes 1p was a good score.

Haha... You've had years of training, then!

[julie]

Janet  & KM

 

 Do either of you know of other books like English Passengers ? I have some nonfiction seafaring tales on my Kindle, and another  The Rathbones  (fiction ), which I think is also on  a ship . I like those types of books . Lots of fun .

[vodkafan]

James

Your reading totals are great this year ,along with writing on top of it . Great work !

 

I noticed you bought a book by Matthew Kneale. I read "English Passengers" a few years back and loved it, but I'm a sucker for a Seafaring Tale ..... Really interesting story ! Too bad I don't remember more about it ,

 

 

Hi Julie, try this one! I read it last year:

Star Of The Sea - Joseph O' Connor. It is set on a passanger ship going to America.

[vodkafan]

 

I was thinking about you last weekend i went for lunch with a friend in Headingley which is a real studenty area of Leeds so lots of charity shops so we had a bit of trawl round & in one of them i spotted a Jack Vance book in among all the crime novels. I can't remember what it was called now but i think Crystal might of been in the title 

 

Can't think which one that might be off-hand......interesting!!

[julie]

Hi Julie, try this one! I read it last year:

Star Of The Sea - Joseph O' Connor. It is set on a passanger ship going to America.

Thanks very kindly for the title ,James .I'll look it up !

[Kidsmum]

Janet  & KM

 

 Do either of you know of other books like English Passengers ? I have some nonfiction seafaring tales on my Kindle, and another  The Rathbones  (fiction ), which I think is also on  a ship . I like those types of books . Lots of fun .

Hi Julie, try this one! I read it last year:

Star Of The Sea - Joseph O' Connor. It is set on a passanger ship going to America.

 

I second VF's recommendation of Star Of The Sea, Julie, it's a really good book i'm sure you'd enjoy it. I have a few books on my TBR pile that have a seafaring theme, so although i can't recommend them as i haven't read them myself yet you might want to check them out & see what you think. The first was a recommendation from Frankie, Mutiny On The Bounty  John Boyne, it's the story of the mutiny told through the eyes of a young cabin boy & This Thing Of Darkness   Harry Thompson , it's the story of Charles Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle, i enjoy books that mix fiction with historical fact & this sounds like a good adventure story 

Can't think which one that might be off-hand......interesting!!

 

Well i could be wrong remembering the crystal bi,t i had already had a glass of mulled cider by this point but it was definitely a Jack Vance book 

[julie]

Thank you KM -

I wrote them down and will go give a look at amazon !!

[vodkafan]

I am wrapping this reading blog up now. My 2014 blog is up and running. Thank you all who commented and visited this year! Merry Christmas      

[Janet]

Janet  & KM

 

 Do either of you know of other books like English Passengers ? I have some nonfiction seafaring tales on my Kindle, and another  The Rathbones  (fiction ), which I think is also on  a ship . I like those types of books . Lots of fun .

I don't think I've read anything else like English Passengers, Julie.  I will check out The Rathbones - thanks.

[julie]

Thanks Janet

Hope you like Rathbones. It's fairly new. I got it a couple months ago for Kindle . 

[Athena]

I am wrapping this reading blog up now. My 2014 blog is up and running. Thank you all who commented and visited this year! Merry Christmas  

x

Merry Christmas !

[Devi]

Merry Christmas VF!

[Karsa Orlong]

(wasn't Lord of the Rings originally one volume, but it's now traditionally three volumes to make it easier to read?)

 

I believe it was originally published in the three volumes, during 1954 and 1955

[Kidsmum]

When i first read it in my teens it was all in one volume, you'd think it would be a humongous book but it wasn't really, i guess the writing must have been really small 

[vodkafan]

Some more info if anyone is interested....as I used a rating system for the first time this year I might as well  use that information.

I seemed to be quite happy with my choice of books overall.

Out of 98 books I gave:

2   at  1*

16 at  2*

18 at  3*

27 at  4*

25 at  5*

10 at  6*

 

The ten six star books are:

 

The Book Thief

Girl Meets Boy

Girl, Interrupted

The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry

London In The Nineteenth Century

Jonathon Strange And Mr Norrell

Small Island

Flowers For Algernon

The Star King

Nineteen Seventy Nine

 

If I were to readjust the marks in hindsight I would knock The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry  back down to a 4 or 5

 

[itsmeagain]

Just bought 6 books all second hand from Amazon;

King Solomon's Carpet Barbara Vine

A Far Cry From Kensington Muriel Spark

Capital John Lanchester

Capital Maureen Duffy

Tom's All Alone Lynne Shepherd

Sweet Thames Matthew Kneale

 

total £16.86 with postage, all books 1p each

You read capital by John Lanchester yet vf? Just finished it, I liked it. Edited November 2, 2014 by itsmeagain