Bobblybear's Book List - 2013

[bobblybear]

Update to reading plan:

 

The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste - Rose George - 2 chapters to go, so will be finished this week

Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel - Gave up on it
Human Remains – Elizabeth Haynes - Finished last night

Pure - Julianna Baggott

The Rats - James Herbert - Finished

The Devil Wears Prada - Laura Weisberger
1950's Childhood: From Tin Baths to Bread and Dripping - Paul Feeney
Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel - Helen Fielding - Finished

Now then Lad: Tales of a Country Bobby - Mike Pannett
Worm: The Story of the First Digital War - Mark Bowden

 

I need to catch up on reviews before I forget the details of those books!

 

I'm currently reading The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber, for the May Reading Circle. After I finish The Big Necessity, I'll pick up 1950's Childhood: From Tin Baths to Bread and Dripping as my next non-fiction.

[bobblybear]

Instructions for a Heatwave - Maggie O'Farrell

 

Maggie O’Farrell is one of my favourite authors so I was very excited when I heard she had a new book coming out. I’m always a bit nervous when an author I like releases a new book in case I will find it disappointing.

 

Instructions for a Heatwave is set in London during the drought of 1976. Robert and Gretta are a married couple in their sixties, with three grown children – Michael Francis, Monica, and Aofie. As a routine, Robert goes out every morning to get the newspaper, but one particular morning he doesn’t return. Further investigation makes it apparent that he has intentionally left rather than ‘gone missing’.
 

The story is more about the interactions between the three children, as they are key to the family dynamics which may or may not have contributed to Robert leaving. They are each at various stages of  unhappiness in their lives or trapped in circumstances they feel are less than ideal. On the whole, it’s a fascinating character study; people are so much more interesting to read about when they are flawed. I found Aofie to be the most interesting character and the one that I felt had more of a voice in the story. Maybe because she was so much younger than the others, she was always somehow separated from them.

 

Anyway, I won’t give away any plot points, as many little details are quite integral to the characters and their behaviour and stories.

 

This is in the same vein as The Hand Which First Held Mine and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, in that you know the end point at the start and then the story backtracks to reveal what led to the conclusion.

 

 

My only minor criticism is that I wish the ending had been more unresolved. It seemed to end a bit too ‘nicely’ – in a sense I had hoped for a darker ending, but that is just my preference.

 

 

4/6

[bobblybear]

Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel - Helen Fielding

 

I loved the film, but generally am not keen on chick-lit so I have avoided reading this until now. It was a bargain though - one of the Kindle deals - so I thought I would give it a go.

 

As the title says, it is written in diary format over the course of a year, in which Bridget confesses about her weight issues, her love-life and her family dramas. It's a light-hearted, funny read and passed the time. Loved the bits about her weight going up and down but always seeming to stay the same each week. The movie is a bit different, changed for the better I think, as Mark Darcy is more of a central character. In the book, he barely exists except at the very beginning and towards the end.

 

If you want something fluffy, and you enjoyed this film, then pick this one up. It's a quick read, and because of the format it can be dipped into whenever you feel like it.

 

3/6

Edited April 20, 2013 by bobblybear

[vodkafan]

Hi bobblybear that's the second  review I have read of Instructions For A Heatwave. I didn't read your spoiler just in case I come across this .

[bobblybear]

It's a very good read, VF. Not sure if you have read any other Maggie O'Farrell books, but it is quite similar (in style) to those.

[vodkafan]

It's a very good read, VF. Not sure if you have read any other Maggie O'Farrell books, but it is quite similar (in style) to those.

 

My Lover's Lover. That's my only one so far.

[bobblybear]

That one is actually my least favorite of hers, and the only one I didn't really enjoy. Did you enjoy it?

[bobblybear]

The Rats - James Herbert

 

Given the recent passing of James Herbert, I thought I’d bump this up my list as it’s often referred to as one of his most popular books.

 

Set in London, the city is suddenly being over run by super-sized black rats, attacking and eating it’s inhabitants.

 

It was a pretty quick read and I finished it in a few days. I didn’t find it particularly scary, but I’ve never had a phobia about rats like some people do (now if it had been about spiders it would be different thing entirely). It was quite dated, which I found a bit distracting from the story. It was a bit over the top but I often find the horror genre is not one to be understated.

I thought the idea of using the puppies as bait a bit distasteful, but I think that was the point.

 

 

There are two sequels and I shall read them eventually but I won’t rush to get to them.

 

3/6

[vodkafan]

That one is actually my least favorite of hers, and the only one I didn't really enjoy. Did you enjoy it?

 

That's a funny smiley hadn't seen that one before. Hmm about My Lover's Lover:

 

I thought it was going well up to the point of where she found out that the ex wasn't a ghost after all; after we found that out it made the whole plot look a bit weak and silly. But there was one strange passage in particular that I liked  (sort of uncomnnected to the plot at all ) which provoked a lot of thought and I am going to have to read again for that.

 

[Athena]

Nice to read your review of Bridget Jones' Diary. Looks like I'll have to get it sometime! (it's already on my wishlist iirc)

[chaliepud]

How did your exam go BB? 

[bobblybear]

I think it went ok, but I'll still be nervous when the results are out. I ran out of time as well so had to rush through the last part.

 

I have one more to sit, tomorrow, then I can relax (for a little while, before I have to start studying for the next lot). Maybe finally I can catch up on some reading!!

[Athena]

I hope your exam today went allright, too . When is your next lot? I hope you can do some reading in the meantime .

[bobblybear]

My next lot isn't until November, so I have a fair bit of time. I plan on doing loads of reading; I have so much to catch up on.

[bobblybear]

Finally finished The Crimson Petal and the White. Loved it!!

 

 

My updated reading plan:

The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste - Rose George

Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel - Gave up on it

Human Remains – Elizabeth Haynes

Pure - Julianna Baggott
The Rats - James Herbert

The Devil Wears Prada - Laura Weisberger
1950's Childhood: From Tin Baths to Bread and Dripping - Paul Feeney (partway through but struggling).
Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel - Helen Fielding -

Now then Lad: Tales of a Country Bobby - Mike Pannett

Worm: The Story of the First Digital War - Mark Bowden

 

Not sure if I'll continue with 1950's Childhood as it's not as interesting as I'd thought. It's almost like a listing of physical objects that existing in the 1950's with a bit of description around it. Not sure what I was expecting, but something a bit meatier I think.

 

My next fiction will be Pure - Julianna Baggott.

 

I need to write up a review on Human Remains by Elizabeth Haynes. Not sure why, but I'm struggling a bit with it and the longer I leave it the harder it gets!

[Athena]

Nice to hear you loved The Crimson Petal and the White !

[Kidsmum]

It's quite awhile since i read TCP&TW but i do remember that i really enjoyed it.

[bobblybear]

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

 

Unfortunately I couldn’t finish this one, though I had been looking forward to reading it for a long time. I'm just glad I borrowed it rather than bought it.

 

Like some others, I really disliked Mantel’s writing style. The use of the word ‘he’ to describe who knows (apparently, it's to describe Cromwell) when there were several characters present really irritated me and detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I was aware of this particular point before I started and I do wonder if I would have enjoyed the book more if I hadn't been so fixated on it.

 

I know nothing about Cromwell, but I found it the beginning very descriptive of him, as a person and family man. It was a great start and I thought I would really enjoy it, but it just seemed to go on for too long with not enough happening aside from dialogue and discussion. I generally like historical fiction, but I really didn’t like this. I can’t remember how far I got but I don’t think it was past a third, and most of that was an uphill struggle.

 

I shall be very wary of touching anything else by Hilary Mantel in future!

 

1/6

[bobblybear]

Human Remains - Elizabeth Haynes

 

The story begins with a lonely police analyst, Annabel, following her cat into an abandoned neighbouring home and finding the descriptively decaying remains of her neighbour.

 

As her job, Annabel analyses crime data, and due to her personal involvement she decides to look at the number similar crimes (abandoned people, left unnoticed for weeks/months). She notices that there seems to be a very high rate in her home town, compared to the national average. After attempting to bring it to the attention of her superiors, she begins to investigate, with the help of a local reporter.

 

I really loved the author's debut novel, Into the Darkest Corner, so I was hoping this would be as good. I would say it comes pretty close; it’s a very decent thriller with some unusual and interesting characters. Not sure about the main premise of the story, if it’s a bit far fetched. Either way, that didn't detract much from the story.

 

 

Then again Derren Brown has made people do some pretty incredible things so perhaps it’s not outside the realms of possibility.

 

 

An interesting touch is that each dead character is allowed to have their own voice for one chapter to briefly describe their life and the events leading to their death.

 

All in all, it’s a good read and quite different from the run-of-the-mill type thriller novel. It is however, extremely graphic in parts and can bring some pretty disturbing images to mind. If that doesn't bother you, then it's well worth a read.

 

4/6

Edited May 27, 2013 by bobblybear

[bobblybear]

To summarise my activity year to date:

 

Books read: 24

Books purchased: 35

 

 

Could be worse, I suppose.

[frankie]

I think I'll definitely leave A Tale of Two Cities until I'm in a classics mood as they just don't sit well with me. Having said that, I'm thoroughly enjoying Dangerous Liasions, though I find myself reading it slower than I would have liked.

 

I'm sorry to be so late to this, but I'm still catching up with people's reading logs

 

I think it's definitely wise that you leave A Tale of Two Cities til when you feel like reading a classic   there's no sense in forcing one down your own throat!  

 

Yup, I was fine until I bought my Kindle; now my book buying is completely out of hand. It's just too easy to download them and you have the illusion of not spending any money.

 

I've never thought of it that way... And I suppose since there are so many wonderful bargains and offers, it's easy to go for them thinking it's not really much money at all, but when one keeps on getting those they unfortunately add up... Yikes! I think I'm still very happy that I'm a non-eReader gal.

 

Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel - Helen Fielding

 

I loved the film, but generally am not keen on chick-lit so I have avoided reading this until now. It was a bargain though - one of the Kindle deals - so I thought I would give it a go.

 

As the title says, it is written in diary format over the course of a year, in which Bridget confesses about her weight issues, her love-life and her family dramas. It's a light-hearted, funny read and passed the time. Loved the bits about her weight going up and down but always seeming to stay the same each week. The movie is a bit different, changed for the better I think, as Mark Darcy is more of a central character. In the book, he barely exists except at the very beginning and towards the end.

 

If you want something fluffy, and you enjoyed this film, then pick this one up. It's a quick read, and because of the format it can be dipped into whenever you feel like it.

 

3/6

 

Do you think you will read the second novel? You didn't seem to like the first book too much... There's something about Colin Firth in there (the second novel) that I think you might find funny It was certainly odd when one read the books before the movies and realised Colin Firth was going to be cast as Mark Darcy: what on earth could happen in the second movie?!

 

 

I think it went ok, but I'll still be nervous when the results are out. I ran out of time as well so had to rush through the last part.

 

I have one more to sit, tomorrow, then I can relax (for a little while, before I have to start studying for the next lot). Maybe finally I can catch up on some reading!!

 

My next lot isn't until November, so I have a fair bit of time. I plan on doing loads of reading; I have so much to catch up on.

 

I'm happy to hear you are now free to procrastinate and read whatever books take your fancy! I'm sorry but I don't even think I know what it is that you're studying...?

 

To summarise my activity year to date:

 

Books read: 24

Books purchased: 35

 

 

Could be worse, I suppose.

 

It could be a lot worse! For one, a tall big 1 might be standing in front of '35'....

 

[bobblybear]

Do you think you will read the second novel? You didn't seem to like the first book too much... There's something about Colin Firth in there (the second novel) that I think you might find funny It was certainly odd when one read the books before the movies and realised Colin Firth was going to be cast as Mark Darcy: what on earth could happen in the second movie?!

 

I probably will read the second novel at some point, as I own it on my Kindle. It's not that I didn't like it, it was just very light. I prefer books with a bit more of a serious story, but still like to occasionally delve into books like Bridget Jones' Diary. I know I've watched the second movie, but I can't remember it at all, aside from thinking it wasn't as good as the first one. Still, Colin Firth.......

 

I'm sorry but I don't even think I know what it is that you're studying...?

 

I'm studying CIMA, which is a Management Accounting qualification. It's pretty intense - can't wait till I'm finished with it (in two long years).

 

It could be a lot worse! For one, a tall big 1 might be standing in front of '35'....

 

 

True.   I have been pretty restrained this year, I think.

[bobblybear]

The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste – Rose George

 

This turned out to be a very comprehensive book about human excrement and what happens to it. At nearly 300 pages long, it’s almost too detailed, but it certainly is an eye-opener.

 

A large section is devoted to sanitation (or lack thereof) and it’s impact on developing nations.  Four in ten people have no access to any form of toilet (even a hole in the ground). Instead they go where they can, in forests or in the street, a practice referred to as ‘open defecation’. This lack of sanitation causes one in ten of the world’s illnesses. Diarrhoea (nearly 90% of which is caused by faecally contaminated food or water) kills a child every 15 seconds. In the poor world, proper disposal of human waste can reduce diarrhoea by nearly 40%. Currently 1.8 million child deaths relate to clean water and sanitation. No act of terrorism generates economic devastation on the same scale yet the issue barely registers on the international agenda.

 

It's very detailed reading, but the author leaves no stone unturned, so if you ever want to know about this particularly necessity, then I'd highly recommend this one.

 

4/6

[Devi]

The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste – Rose George

 

This turned out to be a very comprehensive book about human excrement and what happens to it. At nearly 300 pages long, it’s almost too detailed, but it certainly is an eye-opener.

 

A large section is devoted to sanitation (or lack thereof) and it’s impact on developing nations.  Four in ten people have no access to any form of toilet (even a hole in the ground). Instead they go where they can, in forests or in the street, a practice referred to as ‘open defecation’. This lack of sanitation causes one in ten of the world’s illnesses. Diarrhoea (nearly 90% of which is caused by faecally contaminated food or water) kills a child every 15 seconds. In the poor world, proper disposal of human waste can reduce diarrhoea by nearly 40%. Currently 1.8 million child deaths relate to clean water and sanitation. No act of terrorism generates economic devastation on the same scale yet the issue barely registers on the international agenda.

 

It's very detailed reading, but the author leaves no stone unturned, so if you ever want to know about this particularly necessity, then I'd highly recommend this one.

 

4/6

Added to my wishlist. I always find these types of books interesting. Anything to do with unusual jobs etc always has me interested, I don't know why.

[bobblybear]

I know I'm a few reviews behind, but I've selected the next chunk of books to read (in no particular order):

 

Hyperion - Dan Simmons

While We're Far Apart - Lynn Austin

The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt

Safe House - Chris Ewen
Plague - Lisa C Hinsley

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 - Sue Townsend

The World's Greatest Idea - John Farndon

Megacatastrophes! - David Darling & Dirk Schulze-Makuch

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce

World War Z - Max Brooks

Born Liars: Why We Can't Live Without Deceit - Ian Leslie