Bobblybear's Book List - 2013

[Janet]

Yeah, I went through that phase! 

[Devi]

I went through that same phase too, a couple of months back... I still haven't touched any of my freebies yet. 

Edited February 23, 2013 by Devi

[bobblybear]

I've updated my purchased books list for this year. Remember that goal I set of 24 books purchased for the year? Well..... I'm up to 21, and we're only two months into the year.   Well, 4 of those were free, so technically they were downloads rather than 'purchases'....yup, I'm liking my logic!! 

 

 

[frankie]

I'm trying to clear my pre-2012 book purchases, and a few of them were classics so I'm going to tackle one of them next.

 

I'm very late with this and I know you've already read Treasure Island. I love A Tale of Two Cities, but it's really difficult to get into, so unless you're in the right mood for it, I wouldn't go with it. Looking at the list now, I think The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes might be something you'd find readable and interesting? I've not read the book but I think they are short(er) stories?

 

Thanks Janet, I shall leave Gulliver's Travels for later I think. Toilet humour does make me laugh though, so it might be my kind of book.

 

 Toilet humour's the best!  

 

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

 

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy this book

 

 

Last year I started on A Tale of Two Cities - understood almost next to nothing for a good dozen pages and was ready to give up.

I remember frankie encouraging me to carry on - and I did - and it's one of the best books I've read.

It broke my fear of classics - and it's simpler now to pick up one and try it.

 

Aww, I can't believe you remembered The book is so weird: it's one of the most difficult ones to get into, I struggled for the first 60 pages or so (I had to go from the English original to a Finnish translation, it was that difficult!) and didn't have any idea about what was going on. I only carried on because it was an obligatory read for an English lit class. But then it started getting easier and better and the rest is history I would recommend it to anyone, as long as they are ready to put up with a few dozen difficult pages (well, maybe not everyone finds them difficult, of course ).

 

 

That said, all classics are different—much like one contemporary fiction novel differs from the next—so it may just be that you haven't found one yet that really grabs you. Still, don't try to force it. There's absolutely nothing 'wrong' with you if you don't enjoy reading those types of books.

 

Kylie's right: there are so many different kinds of classics. If Candide was on your pre-2012 bought books list, I would say go with that, and I bet you would find it easy to read. And you might also find it really quirky, definitely odd, and maybe even hilarious.

 

 

I've updated my purchased books list for this year. Remember that goal I set of 24 books purchased for the year? Well..... I'm up to 21, and we're only two months into the year.   Well, 4 of those were free, so technically they were downloads rather than 'purchases'....yup, I'm liking my logic!! 

Ooooops Well, like you said, 4 were free, so they were not purchases but acquired, and you never said anything about acquired books, right?

 

And thanks for the review on We Bought A Zoo - Benjamin Mee, I'm thinking I need to add that to my wishlist I wonder if the book had anything to do with the movie... I googled it and it's also named We Bought a Zoo... I've been wanting to watch that movie. Partly because of the animals, partly because it seems interesting, and partly because of Patrick Fugit

[Janet]

I was going to be good and then I bought 16 Dickens books in one go!     

 

I only count downloads that cost money - I don't count all the freebies - I don't think I can count that high!

[frankie]

I was going to be good and then I bought 16 Dickens books in one go!     

 

I only count downloads that cost money - I don't count all the freebies - I don't think I can count that high!

 

 

This is one of the reasons why I'm happy I don't have an eReader Things would get seriously out of hand in my case if I had one!

[Janet]

For me, it's the opposite.  I don't feel at all stressed by my Kindle to read pile!    Lots and lots of books, and all guilt free (for me!). 

[frankie]

For me, it's the opposite.  I don't feel at all stressed by my Kindle to read pile!    Lots and lots of books, and all guilt free (for me!). 

 

I don't think I could be so lax about it, but I'm loving that you are Remember when you first got your Kindle and wasn't as impressed as one might've hoped? Now it's turned into the source of your guilt-free (and maybe even guilty) pleasures

[Janet]

I'm definitely embracing it more (it's only taken me 14 months ) - but mainly for freebies.  I've read a few classics recently that I doubt I'd have otherwise read - and I've really enjoyed them.  And also it was marvellous on a recent trip away - I finished one book on the London Underground and could start another without having to take two books in my backpack!      I can definitely see why they're not for everyone though and there are some books that I will always want in print - it's not a replacement for books - just an alternative when the moment suits.

[Karsa Orlong]

This is one of the reasons why I'm happy I don't have an eReader Things would get seriously out of hand in my case if I had one!

 

 

Says the person who has 530 books on her TBR pile

[frankie]

Says the person who has 530 books on her TBR pile

 

529!!!

[bobblybear]

 

I'm very late with this and I know you've already read Treasure Island. I love A Tale of Two Cities, but it's really difficult to get into, so unless you're in the right mood for it, I wouldn't go with it. Looking at the list now, I think The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes might be something you'd find readable and interesting? I've not read the book but I think they are short(er) stories?

 

And thanks for the review on We Bought A Zoo - Benjamin Mee, I'm thinking I need to add that to my wishlist I wonder if the book had anything to do with the movie... I googled it and it's also named We Bought a Zoo... I've been wanting to watch that movie. Partly because of the animals, partly because it seems interesting, and partly because of Patrick Fugit

 

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.

 

We Bought A Zoo gives a really good insight into zoos. It's fascinating for anyone who has an interest in animals. Yes, the movie is based on the book (and I think there was a TV series as well) but I have yet to watch it.

 

 

This is one of the reasons why I'm happy I don't have an eReader Things would get seriously out of hand in my case if I had one!

 

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.

 

 

For me, it's the opposite.  I don't feel at all stressed by my Kindle to read pile!    Lots and lots of books, and all guilt free (for me!). 

 

I feel more guilty about my unread e-books than my unread paperbooks. I think it's because my e-books are relatively new (well, less than 3 years old) while my paperbooks have sat on my shelf for 5 - 15 years waiting to be read, and I've just gotten so used to having them there that I don't really even include them in my TBR pile.

[bobblybear]

I'm a few behind on my reviews, but hopefully I will be able to gather my thoughts over the weekend.

 

In the meantime, I like the idea of having a reading plan for the next 10 or so books to read, like some others here have done, so I have shamelessly copied!

 

Going through my TBR lists, my next selection of books to get through:
 

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

Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel

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
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

 

Plus the May Reading Circle Choice.

 

There's enough variety there to keep me busy I think, and it breaks my TBR list down into more manageable chunks.

Edited March 15, 2013 by bobblybear

[Athena]

I hope you like your books ! Bridget's Jones's Diary is on my wishlist, so I look forward to read your thoughts on that (I liked the film, have you seen it?). I liked The Devil Wears Prada, though I prefer the film (but I saw the film first..). I don't know much about the rest of the books in your list, though I look forward to read your reviews on them. Have fun!

[bobblybear]

Thanks, Athena. I loved the Bridget Jones' Diary film; how could I not with Colin Firth in it?

[lauraloves]

I really enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada hope you do too

[chesilbeach]

Another fan of The Devil Wears Prada here, although I read her next couple of books too, and didn't like them anywhere near as much. There's going to be a sequel to TDWP published later this year called Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns which I'll probably try too.

[bobblybear]

Oh goodie, I may read that one sooner rather than later then.

[bobblybear]

The Woman In Black - Susan Hill

 

Set in the Victorian era (correct me if I'm wrong) a young solicitor, Arthur Kipps, has been tasked with sorting out the paperwork for the recently deceased Alice Drablow. The house where she lived is separated from the mainland during high tide, and surrounded by marshland and dense fog, and he is required to spend some time there to unravel her life. Upon his arrival at the town, people behave strangely when they find out his reasons for being there and it's obvious there is something about this Alice Drablow that no-one wants to talk about. He also sees a mysterious woman in black when he attends Drablow’s funeral, and again at the Drablow house.

 

I was very surprised at how short this book was when I first picked it up. At a smidgen over 200 pages, it’s more a novella than a novel. The story is very simple, with quite a linear plot and no bells and whistles. There is not a lot of backstory or overly descriptive writing, or meanderings into characters and their lives, etc. It's fair to say that there isn't much filler. What you have is the basic story of Arthur Kipps' experiences, and not much more. That sounds like a criticism, but it's not. It's just something which stood out because it was in contrast to what I was expecting. I don't read many ghost stories, but I imagine them to usually be more complex with more mystery.

 

I would have preferred it to be more detailed and more fleshed out (Ok, so maybe that was a bit of a criticism ).  Something seemed to be lacking in it. It’s simplicity took me by surprise I think.

 

While I enjoyed it, it wasn’t actually as scary as I thought it would be. The ending was a bit abrupt, but thinking on it, there probably weren't many other ways it could end.

 

I don't think I would rush out to buy any more of Susan Hill's books, but if one fell into my lap and I didn't have anything else to read, I'd happily read it.

 

3/6

[bobblybear]

Zombie Fallout - Mark Tufo
 

In the rush to get a cure out for the H1N1 virus (swine flu), a ‘faulty vaccine’ is released and 95% of the recipients succumb to the vaccination, which kills them but also 'reanimates' them.

 

The story is told in diary entry by Mike Talbot, an ex-marine who is also a bit of a survivalist, with a previous fascination with zombie flicks. Early on, he tells us that he has watched every zombie movie from the early Dawn of the Dead to Shaun of the Dead, and so sees himself as someone totally prepared. He admits that he kind of welcomes this zombie apocalypse as a way to escape the responsibilities of every day life. That pretty much sets the tone going forward.

 

This was such a fun and funny read. It was written with gusto and enthusiasm and huge amounts of humor. It was very gory but in an over the top, tongue in cheek way, that is just 100% silly (but brilliant in it's own way).

 

The writing isn’t the greatest, and it won’t win the Man Booker Prize that’s for sure, but as far as being a fun and entertaining read, this one gets top marks.

 

I thought this was a Kindle freebie, but it wasn’t, though at £0.77 it’s near enough. Looks like there's 6 others in the series. I wouldn't rush out and buy them all (as much as I loved the first one) but if they drop in price I'll give them a go. Good for total escapism!

 

4/6

Edited March 17, 2013 by bobblybear

[bobblybear]

Playing it Safe: Crazy Stories from the World of Britain's Health and Safety Regulations - Alan Pearce

 

In 1998 the Lord Chancellor ended Legal Aid for personal injury clams and recommended that all future claimants seek redress through ‘no win, no fee’ legal firms. The author says that this opened the floodgates to courtcases, and led to the current Health and Safety obsession, due to the ‘compensation culture' which resulted.

 

It's a very relevant read, with all the emphasis on Health and Safety these days which seems to have taken over everyone’s lives.

 

Selection of articles from various papers, so easy to pick up when you have a few minutes to spare.

 

Some memorable ones:

 

 - Elderly residents being banned from receiving cakes from friends.

 

 - The Greater Manchester fire service has drawn up a 4 page safety manual on how to instruct crews to sit in a reclining chair. They’ve been banned from using the chair until they have received the training.

 - A shop policy on 'no-hoodies' made a grandmother remove the hood her 2 year old grandson was wearing.

 

 - A councillor wanted rose bushes dug out in the village in case they harm children.
 

- Children being banned from playing tag, because of the physical contact.

 - The government spending £100K on a study into the problem of opening plastic bags.

 

 - Yo-yos, daisy chains and climbing frames being banned at a school (I remember the climbing frames in our school when I was growing up. They must have been about 10 ft tall (or so they seemed at the time). You used to have to climb all the way up the top, and then use a 'fireman's pole' to slide all the way down. Loads of fun!)

 - Flowers in vases being banned at a cemetery because a child cut himself.

 

Not much else to add really. It doesn't mention anything that you wouldn't pick up from reading the local news. Still, somewhat interesting.

 

2/6

[bobblybear]

Dangerous Liaisons - Choderlos de Laclos

Set in the 18th Century, this story is told solely in the form of letters between the characters, with the two deplorable key players - Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont - engaging in a "game" to corrupt a young innocent girl, recently returning from a convent and due to be married. It's quite a nasty story, full of manipulation and deceit. There were some humorous insightful parts, but mostly the characters were just so unlikeable I just couldn’t engage with them. When I wasn't hating the characters, I was despairing at their weakness.

 

I made two attempts at this. The first was a horrible translation by Ernest Dowson, and my next attempt was a Penguin Classic translation by Helen Constantine. While this second one was more readable in terms of language and sentence structure, I still struggled and gave up around the half way mark. It started off interesting, but my interest waned as nothing seemed to happen and the same things were discussed over and over in the letters. The characters really seemed in love with their own dialogue and I found myself getting more and more irritated. In the end I had to give up on it before it permanently killed off my mojo!
 

I saw the movie (with Glenn Close) many years ago and enjoyed it but unfortunately can’t remember it now. I looked up the synopsis of the book on Wikipedia, and the story actually seems quite interesting, so it is just the delivery that I didn’t enjoy.

 

Strange I'm not ranking it 1/6 given that I didn't finish it, but I can see how some people really would enjoy it. Unfortunately it just wasn't my kind of book.

 

2/6

[bobblybear]

Updated reading plan (only minor updates unfortunately):

 

The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste - Rose George. Reading this one now. It's an eye-opener and a lot more detailed than I thought it would be.

 

Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel. Unfortunately I think I have to concede defeat, much to my annoyance and disappointment. I've just looked at my hardback, and seen where my bookmark is and there's just too much left to read, and I can't bear the thought of forcing myself. This will be the second Reading Circle book in a row I have given up on, and it's also one I nominated, so I'm very disappointed, but there is just zero enjoyment to be had with 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

Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel - Helen Fielding. I think this will be my next read, as I am desperate for something lighthearted and easy after the horror of Wolf Hall.

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

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

[Devi]

The Big Necessity caught my eye. I always find what people call odd jobs to be rather interesting, and want to always learn more.

[bobblybear]

It's a very interesting read, and says a lot about the state of poverty in various countries. I thought it would be a light and humorous read, but it is actually a serious and sobering one.