Willoyd's Reading Log 2013

[willoyd]

Yes, the Tomlin's biography of Dickens. The hardback was at my local library, but was still too heavy for me to grapple with. I browsed for an e-book today, and at <£7 it seems reasonable though. 

 

I read the hardback, which I bought a while ago.  It's actually a lovely book to handle: decorated covers rather than dustjacket, attractive end papers, well-spaced and decent sized typeface, good quality paper and a plethora of illustrations,  with 3 sets of plates and additional drawings in the text.  My one, big, complaint is that the paper is glued in - not good - but not many stitch properly nowadays it seems.  Even Everyman has started to glue at times it seems.  Ugh!

[Marie H]

I read the hardback, which I bought a while ago.  It's actually a lovely book to handle: decorated covers rather than dustjacket, attractive end papers, well-spaced and decent sized typeface, good quality paper and a plethora of illustrations,  with 3 sets of plates and additional drawings in the text.  My one, big, complaint is that the paper is glued in - not good - but not many stitch properly nowadays it seems.  Even Everyman has started to glue at times it seems.  Ugh!

One of the drawbacks of e-readers is losing the “beauty of books”. I find that poetry is nearly impossible to enjoy via e-books (I still read Ovid’s Metamorphosis in print, as I found that it was disappointing on screen) . Any reference books, especially art books, are still better 'in print'. One thing for a plus in e-books is never having to break the spine of a paperback again! It always made me shudder, having to do that....

[willoyd]

One of the drawbacks of e-readers is losing the “beauty of books”. I find that poetry is nearly impossible to enjoy via e-books (I still read Ovid’s Metamorphosis in print, as I found that it was disappointing on screen) . Any reference books, especially art books, are still better 'in print'. One thing for a plus in e-books is never having to break the spine of a paperback again! It always made me shudder, having to do that....

 

I can't remember ever having to break a spine, although a few do land up eventually with creases down it, and some are quite tight I admit.  When do you have to do that?

[Athena]

I've heard from people that for UK editions it's harder not to break the spine, compared with US editions, of books. But I don't know if this is true or not. Personally I like breaking the spine a bit once I read a book, it makes the book look a little read.

 

EDIT: Also, I'm inclined to agree, it's hard to not break the spine and still be comfortable reading.

Edited December 23, 2013 by Athena

[Marie H]

I can't remember ever having to break a spine, although a few do land up eventually with creases down it, and some are quite tight I admit.  When do you have to do that?

For me it's necessity, breaking the spine so that paperback lays open on my lap. Just disability, that's all (as holding a book with one hand is not that easy, and then page turning is not an option with a unbroken paperback). When I was able to use both hands, I would avoid creasings,let alone breaking the spine, but needs must now   . 

[Marie H]

I've heard from people that for UK editions it's harder not to break the spine, compared with US editions, of books. But I don't know if this is true or not. Personally I like breaking the spine a bit once I read a book, it makes the book look a little read.

 

EDIT: Also, I'm inclined to agree, it's hard to not break the spine and still be comfortable reading.

  I loathed breaking spines of paperbacks in the (good old) past, but now it is an essential.

[willoyd]

I've heard from people that for UK editions it's harder not to break the spine, compared with US editions, of books. But I don't know if this is true or not. Personally I like breaking the spine a bit once I read a book, it makes the book look a little read.

 

EDIT: Also, I'm inclined to agree, it's hard to not break the spine and still be comfortable reading.

 

I absolutely hate it!  My children at school know all about my obsession over the state of books, are taught how to look after books so they stay looking 'clean';  woe betide anybody who leaves a book open, face down!  But then I (and the children) have no problem using two hands to read a book, so there's no need - pretty much all of my paperbacks have unbroken spines.  However,  it's very different if you can't, as Marie highlights.  . 

[willoyd]

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James ****

 

This is one of the classic ghost stories that I've intended to read for some time, but never quite got around to. A relaxed weekend of Christmas reading seemed to be the ideal moment, and I read this in a couple of sittings.

 

Henry James is notoriously difficult to read, but this is definitely one of his easier books. Sentences are complex, but little more so than many other Victorian writers. They do require 'tuning' in and concentration; the reason I took two sittings is that I found my mind all too often drifing off and failing to keep track during an evening session, at a time when I'd have comfortably ploughed on with many other lighter works. However, that style well suited the material, the slightly archaic, precise, sentence structures adding to the atmosphere in a way that a more modern, casual way of writing would have struggled to engage in such a situation, at least for me.

 

The plot itself follows what is now a well grooved pattern, but I suspect it was fresher in James's day. Even so, the story was no less suffused with an air of chilly uncertainty, the suspense building inexorably and ominously. James handles setting, character and the unfolding of the plot with masterly skill. I can't describe it as scary though, I'm not even convinced it's meant to be in the conventional sense of the word, but then scariness, like humour, is to me a rather overrated element in novels. What I did find intriguing though was the ambiguity: was this all a figment of the governess's imagination, even hysteria (indeed, she does appear to suffer a fit of hysterics at one point)? I know what I think, but any discussion would spoil a new reader's enjoyment. And this is, above all else was a thoroughly enjoyable read, ideal for a rather gloomy mid-December afternoon, complete with storm brewing!

Edited December 24, 2013 by willoyd

[Athena]

It sounds like it'd be too complicated for me perhaps (seeing as I had trouble with Dickens), but I'm glad you enjoyed it !

[Marie H]

I absolutely hate it!  My children at school know all about my obsession over the state of books, are taught how to look after books so they stay looking 'clean';  woe betide anybody who leaves a book open, face down!  But then I (and the children) have no problem using two hands to read a book, so there's no need - pretty much all of my paperbacks have unbroken spines. 

A ha! I had an inkling that you might be a 'purist' with the care of books    . It still makes me cringe when I do break spines, every time though.

[willoyd]

Trying to cut back on buying books, focusing on those I've already got on my shelves or in the Kindle, but couldn't resist the Twelve Days of Kindle sale - just too many on my wishlist or looking really promising, so have landed up adding the following to the collection:

 

The Sportswriter - Richard Ford

Where the Shadows Lie - Michael Ridpath

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

An Encyclopaedia of Naval History - Anthony Bruce (looking great for dipping!)

Understanding Austen - Maggie Lane

White Hart, Red Lion - Nick Asbury

The British: A Genetic Journey - Alistair Moffat

The Big Necessity - Rose George

Zealot - Resla Azlan

 

Really enjoyed both Rose George's and Alistair Moffat's presentations at the Ilkley Literature Festival (and Richard Ford in 2012), so really glad to see them available so cheaply.

Edited December 24, 2013 by willoyd

[julie]

Definitely understand about cutting back on purchasing more books. I also have a truckload on my Kindle that needs read. They all sound good ,but I keep buying more .

 

I  think there are several of us who now have The Goldfinch ,so it looks like there might be lots of people in here reading it soon . From the reviews in here ,it sounds terrific .

[willoyd]

Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon ***

After years of grabbing the odd bits and pieces that have been republished, and filling in by going to volumes in the original French (my French isn't brilliant, but can just about cope with Simenon), the news that Penguin have decided to republish the entire Maigret series is as good as any Christmas present. Covers look good too! The first book that Maigret ever appeared in was Pietr the Latvian, and this is the first of the series that Penguin has republished.

 

It's fairly typical too. To use pretty much the same words I used in reviews over the past couple of years (Maigret has tended to be a Christmas read for me, for no particular reason): Maigret is always worth reading for Simenon's fascinating characters and sense of place. The plotting is a bit more hit and miss for me - these stories tend not to be classic whodunnits, more investigations based on Maigret's understanding of the psychology of the participants. Maigret solves crimes not because he's good at finding and interpreting clues and deducing with complex explanations, but because he knows the people, the world, he's working with. Solutions tend to depend on his understanding of the characters of those involved, but at the end, quite frankly, the solution isn't that important! That's exemplified here,even though the plotting is somewhat more complex than usual, and looks as if it's setting itself up for a class whodunnit. In the end, it's all about Maigret seeing through to the underlying characters.

 

I was a bit sceptical of Maigret when I first started reading the books, but they, and more particularly Maigret himself, have grown on me. To be honest, the plot is almost neither here nor there to me nowadays: I read them for the way they transport me to the Parisian streets of the time, soaking in the atmosphere with Maigret on the prowl once more. Individually, they tend to always score three or four stars, depending on the satisfaction of the denouement, but as a series they're up in the five and/or six star ranges

Edited December 24, 2013 by willoyd

[pontalba]

You may have convinced me to pull down The Turn of the Screw.    I've been very much on the fence about James in general, but my husband just reread The Wings of the Dove, so between the two of you, I'm most likely in.

 

I've only read one or two of Georges Simenon so far, and agree, it's the sense of place.  I read somewhere that John Banville was a great fan of Simenon, and is actually part of the reason that Banville started writing his Benjamin Black series of mysteries.  I find it's the same with him, a sense of place, and the characters, the characters are just wonderfully done.  Natch, it's Banville.

[willoyd]

I read somewhere that John Banville was a great fan of Simenon, and is actually part of the reason that Banville started writing his Benjamin Black series of mysteries.  I find it's the same with him, a sense of place, and the characters, the characters are just wonderfully done.  Natch, it's Banville.

I've only read the one Benjamin Black: Christine Falls, which the new book group I joined last November did as its first book. Have to say, I wasn't overly taken with the book as a whole, but do agree that its strength lay in the character development. Settings were good as well, but I just didn't like the plot-line which, given it was meant to be crime fiction, waa a bit of a game breaker. Simenon's plots, whilst a bit hit and miss, haven't ever actually actually gone negative on me....yet!

Edited December 24, 2013 by willoyd

[pontalba]

I've only read the one Benjamin Black: Christine Falls, which the new book group I joined last November did as its first book. Have to say, I wasn't overly taken with the book as a whole, but do agree that its strength lay in the character development. Settings were good as well, but I just didn't like the plot-line which, given it was meant to be crime fiction, waa a bit of a game breaker. Simenon's plots, whilst a bit hit and miss, haven't ever actually actually gone negative on me....yet!

 

I wasn't wild about the first one, Christine Falls, either.  But I've found that most 'first' in a series are not as good as the following installments.  Quirke's series has followed that path, for me at least. 

[willoyd]

I wasn't wild about the first one, Christine Falls, either.  But I've found that most 'first' in a series are not as good as the following installments.  Quirke's series has followed that path, for me at least.

I might give him another go then.

[willoyd]

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome **

 

Lauded as one of the great comedic books of all time, it's taken a long time for me to great around to reading Three Men in a Boat. I'm not quite sure why: I love that part of the world, have read much around it (one highlight of which has to have been Connie Willis's To Say Nothing of the Dog), and have had a very attractive Folio Society edition sat on my shelves for a few years now, but something kept putting me off.

 

I think what that was was the fact that TMIAB is acclaimed as such a funny book. Funny books and I don't often go together. There's the occasional exception (most notably JL Carr's The Harpole Report), but on the whole I tend not to find books that are meant to be funny actually very funny. And when it came to the crunch, I didn't find TMIAB very funny either.

 

In fact, it was, dare I say it, a little bit tedious. As is the case so often in books that set out to be funny, much of the humour felt forced. Particularly near the start, it exuded the feeling that, whatever the situation, the author felt obliged to try to be funny. Not only that, but it was almost always the same joke (admittedly with minor variations): X claims he (there are no shes in TMIAB) is brilliant at something, or is something; we then find out he's anything but, with 'amusing' (obvious, much signalled) consequences. Funny once, sort of. Funny twice, perhaps. Funny three times, not a chance. And when on the occasions it wasn't that particular joke, the oncoming comedy was so heavily signalled, that when it finally arrived, it was more of a groan than even a smile (laugh? come off it!): a bit like the 'comedian' at the party who tells you he's going to tell you a funny story, indeed the funniest story you've ever heard...., followed (always) by "I remember when...." Indeed, I think that barely half the book can actually have been about the trip, the other being a string of memories as anecdotes.

 

The sad thing is that there is, underneath it all, a really rather good book trying to find its way out, as starts to show through in the latter stages, where the 'humour' is spaced out rather more thinly (maybe worn a bit thin even for JKJ?), and there is more of a straightforward narrative, and what humour there is is just that little bit less heavy handed (eg views on steamboats, the end of the trip).

 

I appreciate that this is probably just me. After all, TMIAB is generally regarded as one of the greats when it comes to humour, and I don't suppose so many people can be so wrong! However for me it was a bit like a round of golf: a good walk spoiled.

 

PS: I might not have been particularly enamoured of the written part of the book, but the edition I read, published by the Folio Society and illustrated by Paul Cox, was absolutely superb. The illustrations were glorious (and plentiful!), whilst the binding was a joy to look at and handle. Made it worthwhile finishing for that alone. A definite contender for best illustrated book of the year in the BCF book awards.

Edited December 27, 2013 by willoyd

[bobblybear]

Nice review of Three Men In A Boat. My review can be found here.

 

I'm surprised to read back on it actually, as I don't remember it being overly funny, but in my review I say there were some parts that I found very amusing. Mine was a Kindle version and so missed out on the illustrations; at least your version had something nice in it.

[poppyshake]

Well your review of Three Men in a Boat made me laugh anyway .. so you do 'do' funny   I'm quite looking forward to reading it .. though a bit worried that I'll find it contrived. I can't remember now if you're a fan of Wodehouse or not? I am a general embracer of silliness so expect to love it but exasperation can creep in if the humour feels too obvious. If it makes me smile a bit though I'll consider it worth the effort   

[willoyd]

Nice review of Three Men In A Boat. My review can be found here.

 

I'm surprised to read back on it actually, as I don't remember it being overly funny, but in my review I say there were some parts that I found very amusing. Mine was a Kindle version and so missed out on the illustrations; at least your version had something nice in it.

Actually, the cheese story was one of the funnier moments, I do agree! Your review also reminded me about the continual "I remember"s, and have edited my review accordingly! Knowing the Thames valley, I enjoyed the traveloguey bits more than you. However, I have to admit that if it had been a straightforward narrative, it would have probably sunk without trace by now. After alll, it's the humour that everybody remembers. I just found it all too repetitive. When it was spaced out more, it did prove more enjoyable, which is probably why I found the fish in the case scene more amusing than most. But, even then, it was so heavily signalled, that by the time you reached the punchline, you just knew what was going to happen.

Edited December 27, 2013 by willoyd

[julie]

Will

I enjoyed Three Men in a Boat  ,but I'm a big fan of humor and travel, so put the two together and I'll enjoy it ,even though I tend to enjoy travel from the US , only because I live here and know a little more about what certain types of states are like, etc .  If I read a  travel narrative about another country, I probably don't "get it "as much as I would if I were familiar with the area.

I liked the humor, but for me it was just a touch here and there. nothing funny enough to chuckle out loud about, but still nice to have a few funny lines thrown in .

Nice review ~

[willoyd]

I can't remember now if you're a fan of Wodehouse or not? I am a general embracer of silliness so expect to love it but exasperation can creep in if the humour feels too obvious. If it makes me smile a bit though I'll consider it worth the effort 

In small doses, and I find him a bit of a curate's egg.  When I do enjoy, makes me smile rather than laugh. I've not read it in a long while, but remember loving Summer Lightning.

[willoyd]

The Yellow Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee ***

Subtitled A Memoir, A History, this is just that, a combined memoir and history of bookshops, mixing personal anecdote from Buzbee's own career in the trade with key moments in bookshop history. Very readable it is too, pleasantly enjoyable. Quite a few readers came to this through Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris, and I can only agree that if you like one then you'll probably like the other. Not an earth-shattering book, a bit too American-orientated for me to completely relate to, with an irritating last few pages profiling books shops that he particularly likes (thus out of date in seconds flat, and none that I'm even likely to visit) but certainly a cut above the average and worth, initially 4 stars, possibly 5 at the outside.

 

But then, thinking back on the book a couple of days later, I realised that virtually none of it had stuck. OK, a few snippets had (for instance the story of Shakespeare & Co.), but, on the whole, almost 100% of it had made no impression at all (unlike the Fadiman). Going back and browsing brought a few more snippets to the fore - oh, of course! - but sitting there thinking about it, I realised that this was a book that, for me, was completely inconsequential, particularly the memoir sections. Pleasant, readable, but ultimately quite forgettable. So really can't rate it higher than 3 out of 6.

 

Christmas books

Some good reading amongst presents chez Willoyd this Christmas. I was also lucky enough to receive several book vouchers, some useable on-line; spent a couple of them today! So, Christmas books to date:

 

Presents:

The Courier's Tale - Peter Walker

Project Rainbow: How British Cycling Reached the Top of the World - Rod Ellingworth

Empire Antarctica - Gavin Francis

Asterix and the Pechts - Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad (transl Matthew Fitt)

 

Bought with vouchers:

The Histories - Herodotus (the new translation by Tom Holland)

A Very Short Introduction to Herodotus - Jennifer Roberts

Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain - Charlotte Higgins

Edited December 28, 2013 by willoyd

[Athena]

Sorry to hear the book wasn't as memorable as you'd have hoped. I believe I have it on my wishlist (Ex Libris too). I hope you enjoy your new books !