Janet Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share Posted July 19, 2013 Book club was postponed until 18 September so I've delayed The Night Circus for a bit or I'll forget what the story is! Instead I'm reading I Can't Stay Long by Laurie Lee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 27, 2013 Author Share Posted July 27, 2013 Book #29 - World Challenge, Israel Scenes from Village Life by Amos OzThe ‘blurb’A teenage son shoots himself under his parents' bed. They sleep that night unaware he is lying dead beneath them.A stranger turns up at a man's door to persude him that they must get rid of his ageing mother in order to sell the house.An old man grumbles to his daughter about the unexplained digging and banging he hears under the house at night.As each story unfolds, Amos Oz, builds a portrait of a village in Israel. It is a surreal and unsettling place. Each villager is searching for something, and behind each episode is another, hidden story. In this powerful, hynotic work Amos Oz peers into the darkness of our lives and gives us a glimpse of what goes on beneath the surface of everyday existence. Israel is a country I don’t know a great deal about, and I must admit that if I pictured it in my mind, I suppose I saw people living a simple life with little of modern civilisation around them, as ignorant as this perception now sounds! In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth and the people in this book could easily be transported to the West.The book is a series of short stories – each interlinked in some small way (eg, some of the people within the stories overlap). Oz writes very poetically and his stories give one a taste of life in Israel, although most leave the reader with a sense of unease at the end. Unfortunately, I put off this review and as it was a library book I no longer have it to refer to – which is shame because this review really doesn’t do it justice!The paperback is 265 pages long and is published by Vintage. It was first published in 2009. The ISBN number is 9780099541363.3½/5 (Somewhere between liked and loved it)(Finished 16 June 2013) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 27, 2013 Author Share Posted July 27, 2013 The BFG by Roald Dahl The ‘blurb’ Just imagine suddenly knowing you may be eaten for breakfast in the very near future; dropped like a rasher of bacon into a frying pan sizzling with fat. This is exactly what worries Sophie when she is snatched from her bed in the middle of the night by a giant with a stride as long as a tennis court. Luckily for Sophie, the BFG is far more jumbly than his disgusting neighbours whose favourite pastime is guzzling and swallomping nice little chiddlers. Sophie is determined to stop all this and so she and the BFG cook up an ingenious plan to rid the world of trogglehumping, bogthumping giants for ever! It wasn’t until after reading this that I learned it’s an expansion from an episode that took place in Danny the Champion of the World… which I haven’t read yet! Sophie lives in an orphanage – not a very happy orphanage as it happens. One day see meets the BFG, the Big Friendly Giant, who is not like the other giants – he is kind. The other giants are rotten and Sophie and the BFG resolve to get rid of them, which they do with the help of someone rather unexpected! I’m sure everyone knows that the Sophie in this book is Sophie Dahl, the model, who was Roald’s granddaughter. How lovely to be immortalised in the pages of this fun story which I enjoyed reading. I must try to see the film version now. There are rumours of a remake by Dreamworks – but the rights were bought in 2011 and nothing seems to have been mentioned since, maybe this won’t happen? The paperback is 208 pages long and is published by Puffin. It was first published in 1982. The ISBN number is 9780140315974. 3/5 (I liked it) (Finished 17 June 2013) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Scenes from Village Life has gone on the wishlist I think i've read nearly all Dahl's books to my youngest daughter & the BFG was one of my favourites. How lovely it must have been to have him as your grandad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I didn't know Dahl's granddaughter was the model for the book, so thanks for that information . I plan on reading this book in a while, I remember reading it when I was a child, though I don't remember as much of it as of say The Witches (a book I owned and thus read a lot) or Matilda (a book I loved a lot and so borrowed it often from the library). Nice review ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 Scenes from Village Life has gone on the wishlist I think i've read nearly all Dahl's books to my youngest daughter & the BFG was one of my favourites. How lovely it must have been to have him as your grandad I hope you enjoy it, Kidsmum. He must have been a brilliant granddad - you'd never be bored! I didn't know Dahl's granddaughter was the model for the book, so thanks for that information . I plan on reading this book in a while, I remember reading it when I was a child, though I don't remember as much of it as of say The Witches (a book I owned and thus read a lot) or Matilda (a book I loved a lot and so borrowed it often from the library). Nice review ! Thanks. I haven't read The Witches yet. I think I've got 10 left to go - but they include a few of the picture books, which I'm hoping to sneak into a library and read in situ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 Northanger Abbey by Jane AustenThe ‘blurb’Northanger Abbey tells the story of a young girl, Catherine Morland who leaves her sheltered, rural home to enter the busy, sophisticated world of Bath in the late 1790s. Austen observes with insight and humour the interaction between Catherine and the various characters whom she meets there, and tracks her growing understanding of the world about her.In this, her first full-length novel, Austen also fixes her sharp, ironic gaze on other kinds of contemporary novel, especially the Gothic school made famous by Ann Radcliffe. Catherine's reading becomes intertwined with her social and romantic adventures, adding to the uncertainties and embarrassments she must undergo before finding happiness. Before reading this, I had only read Pride and Prejudice by Austen – I chose this one as my next read of hers because it’s largely set in Bath, near to where I live and where Austen herself lived from 1801 to 1805.Rather shorter than later works, this tells the story of a young girl on the brink of womanhood, Catherine Morland, who is whisked away by family friends to experience the delights and social scenes of Bath. There she meets Parson Henry Tilney, to whom she is immediately attracted. She also meets brother and sister Isabelle and John Thorpe.Although she wishes to spend time with Henry she ends up spending more time with the Thorpes, and John tries to woo her. Eventually Catherine is invited by Henry’s father, Captain Tilney, to visit the titular Northanger Abbey with his daughter, Eleanor. On arrival at Northanger Abbey, (which doesn’t happen until quite a long way into the book!) and influenced by the gothic novels she’s read, her imagination runs riot. However, her visit comes to an abrupt end and Catherine heads home, confused as to what happened to prompt her quick expulsion from the Abbey – will this be the last she sees of the Tilney family? It is well documented that this book lampoons not only the expected social etiquette of the late 18th century, (“no young lady can be justified in falling in love before the gentleman’s love is declared “), but also the Gothic novels that were popular at the time. Whilst I preferred Pride and Prejudice, I very much enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more of Jane Austen’s work.The paperback is 288 pages long and is published by Penguin. It was first published in 1818. The ISBN number is 9780141439792.4/5 (I really liked it)(Finished 30 June 2013) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Molly Bihet A Child's War This book has been on my 'to read' pile since 2011. My mother-in-law died in 2010 and before she died she said she'd like me to have 'first dibs' on her books. When we cleared her house in 2011 I bought... probably about 20 books... back with me - including the title listed above. I spent some time yesterday day browsing the internet looking for choices for my World Challenge and was looking at the Channel Islands, and found the above title during a Google search - and discovered that Molly Bihet was born in Guernsey! It's only a short book (80 pages). I finished it this morning. Having read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows a few years ago it was nice to read a work of non-fiction about the same island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I know that really - I was being a bit tongue in cheek. I have actually read over the last few years - and really enjoyed (especially the latter) The Day of the Triffids (read this at school too), The Midwich Cuckoos and The War of the Worlds. I love this post! You and I have always said we don't read much sci-fi/fantasy and we shy away from the genre, but then again when we start digging, we've read actually quite a few books in those two genres. That teaches the lot who harass us into reading more sci-fi/fantasy Thanks, Alex. I know some people don't rate ACC, but I love it - and it really puts me in the Christmas mood! Surely you don't need much anything to put you in a Christmassy mood? For some odd coincidence I've seen you mention Christmas two or three times in the past few weeks I wish I had half as much enthusiasm for the holidays as you, it would be a whole lot more fun I'm so happy you enjoyd this one! Didn't you find some of it quite funny? I mean that one woman Catherine befriended, wasn't she just absolutely horrid, twisted, and a massive backstabbing bitc.... woman?? She's so annoying, but her opinions and thoughts and the way she manipulates other people... Brilliant stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 I love this post! You and I have always said we don't read much sci-fi/fantasy and we shy away from the genre, but then again when we start digging, we've read actually quite a few books in those two genres. That teaches the lot who harass us into reading more sci-fi/fantasy Don't tell anyone, but I added The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson to my Wish List last week. Shhhhhh! Surely you don't need much anything to put you in a Christmassy mood? For some odd coincidence I've seen you mention Christmas two or three times in the past few weeks I wish I had half as much enthusiasm for the holidays as you, it would be a whole lot more fun Hehe - I am a lot bit of a Christmas fan, it's true! Maybe not in August though... I'm so happy you enjoyd this one! Didn't you find some of it quite funny? I mean that one woman Catherine befriended, wasn't she just absolutely horrid, twisted, and a massive backstabbing bitc.... woman?? She's so annoying, but her opinions and thoughts and the way she manipulates other people... Brilliant stuff! Yes, I thought it was quite funny. I love the way she takes the mickey out of social situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Yay .. you loved Northanger Abbey .. I'm so pleased < see .. told you I loved the depiction of the Thorpes and really they're not so different to the gold diggers these days .. same as it ever was I suppose. Btw people .. I AM GOING TO JANET'S TOMORROW .. I am super, super excited See you tomorrow Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 See you tomorrow! I'd better go to bed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Don't tell anyone, but I added The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson to my Wish List last week. Shhhhhh! Well at least I think it may have been Timstar's review that prompted you to do it, and not the other one, the one with the big head from the success of Replay... Yes, I thought it was quite funny. I love the way she takes the mickey out of social situations. Yep. But at the same time she's very conscious about those things and will act accordingly when it suits her agenda Btw people .. I AM GOING TO JANET'S TOMORROW .. I am super, super excited See you tomorrow Janet I'm so jealous!! :D You lucky thing, you! Are you going to sniff her books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Isn't Poppyshake more of a licker than a sniffer? You'd best keep an eye on her when she's around your books, Janet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 10, 2013 Author Share Posted August 10, 2013 Well at least I think it may have been Timstar's review that prompted you to do it, and not the other one, the one with the big head from the success of Replay... I'm so jealous!! You lucky thing, you! Are you going to sniff her books? Isn't Poppyshake more of a licker than a sniffer? You'd best keep an eye on her when she's around your books, Janet. There was no sniffing... or licking. Well, not unless it happened when I was in the kitchen! We had a lovely time with Kay and Alan - they're lovely company and so easy to chat to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 We had a lovely, lovely time Janet and lunch was delicious .. we popped in to see Alan's sister on the way home (Westbury) and your brownies are now legendary .. Alan said they were the best he's ever tasted and he's road-tested thousands. I can never hope to live up Thanks for a super time I didn't lick your books though I very much wanted to I can control myself in social situations as long as cider isn't involved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 11, 2013 Author Share Posted August 11, 2013 Westbury-on-Trym, I'm guessing? Thanks for the kind word about the brownies. They're nearly all gone now! We had a great time too. Well done on your restraint in not licking my books! I will be sure to hide the cider when you come again! xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 No .. just plain old Westbury in Wiltshire and it wasn't on the way home of course but it was only half an hour from yours so good opportunity to pop in and see Alan's sister and mum who live about five mins from each other (actually his mum was at his sisters which was a piece of luck). Didn't give them any warning but thankfully they didn't mind (and were in) ... Alan normally eats them out of house and home but thanks to your lovely food their biscuit tin was safe (and I apologise about the two puddings Janet .. never tell him he has choice on dessert .. he will always want to try both ) I'm not surprised the brownies are nearly all gone .. they were the sort that disappear very quickly Very wise to hide the cider because I'm sure the temptation to dive into your paddling pool from the terrace would be too great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 11, 2013 Author Share Posted August 11, 2013 Hehe! Normally Peter would eat both too, but he's not a fan of brownies! It wasn't a problem anyway - I made both to be eaten and I was more than happy that Alan tried both! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 17, 2013 Author Share Posted August 17, 2013 I Can’t Stay Long by Laurie LeeThe ‘blurb’Reading this book is like a holiday - an interlude of pure pleasure. In it Laurie Lee has collected all of his occasional writing that he cares to preserve, and proves himself to be as much a magician in essay form as he is in his full-length prose works. Some of these pieces come from a world which is now known and loved by almost everyone: that of the Gloucestershire childhood celebrated in Cider with Rosie. I Can’t Stay Long is a collection of essays from Laurie Lee, best known for the book, Cider with Rosie which is the first part of his autobiography.In three sections, the first contains more recollections of Lee’s childhood in Slad, Gloucestershire. In part two, the shortest section, he muses about his experiences of love, birth and death - and the final part is a travelogue where he speaks about places he’s visited over the years.Many of the essays are funny, some touching and one in particular is very moving. That is about the the Aberfan Disaster of 1966 when 116 children and 28 adults lost their lives after tons of mining debris slipped down the mountainside and engulfed a primary school. It is difficult not to be moved by this particular memory.Of course, a lot of this book is rather dated. The book was published in 1975 but many of the incidents recounted took place several decades before. It is a book of nostalgia for a bygone era and at times it can feel rather dated, but the writing is, as one would expect, very lyrical and poetic. This is what makes his books so enjoyable for me.The paperback is 230 pages long and is published by Penguin. It was first published in 1975. The ISBN number is 9780140043276 but is out of print.3½/5 (I liked it)(Finished 27 July 2013) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 17, 2013 Author Share Posted August 17, 2013 The Widow’s Cruise by Nicholas BlakeThe ‘blurb’When Nigel Strangeways books tickets for a holiday in the Greek islands with renowned sculptor Claire Massinger, he has no idea that the trip will end in tragedy.From the moment the boat sets sail it becomes clear that many of his fellow passengers – from a neurotic widow to the ship’s lecturer – have guilty secrets to hide, but do any of them also have a motive for murder? It will take all of Nigel’s insight and flair if he is to uncover the truth. I didn’t realise when I picked this up in the library that it was part of a series – number 13 of a series of 16 to be precise! I also didn’t realise that it was actually Cecil Day-Lewis writing under a nom de plume!The Widow’s Cruise tells of amateur sleuth, Nigel Strangeways - the nephew of an assistant commissioner of Scotland Yard. Nigel who goes of a cruise with a friend, and whilst onboard a murder takes place. Inevitably Nigel ends up investigating, with the help of Claire. Written in 1959 it is rather dated – the writing puts me in mind of an Agatha Christie book. It was slightly far-fetched in places, but overall it was a good tale and I wouldn’t mind reading some more, although this time I’ll probably look for the first book in the series!Incidentally, Peter and I went to Dorchester a few years ago, and whilst there we went to Stinsford church to visit Thomas Hardy’s grave – not realising that Cecil Day-Lewis, who was a great admirer of Hardy’s, is buried in the same churchyard, having asked to be buried nearby!The paperback is 192 pages long and is published by Vintage. It was first published in 1959. The ISBN number is 97800995656593½/5 (I liked it)(Finished 31 July 2013) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 we've read actually quite a few books in those two genres Har har, that gave me such a good laugh! the other one, the one with the big head from the success of Replay... That's not a very nice thing to say about Janet in her own thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 17, 2013 Author Share Posted August 17, 2013 Har har, that gave me such a good laugh! What's so funny?! That's not a very nice thing to say about Janet in her own thread! Cheeky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 17, 2013 Author Share Posted August 17, 2013 Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile ParkinThe ‘blurb’Baking Cakes in Kigali is a novel in fourteen irresistible confections each telling a story. As Angel helps her customers to work through their problems, they in turn help her lay to rest the demons she has hidden deep inside until, finally, she is able to face the truth and to achieve her own peace. First thing to mention is that after Googling the author, I discovered she’s white! I really thought she was going to be a black African because the way she writes Mama Angel is, certainly - from a naïve English white person’s perspective - very convincing! Maybe it’s because the image one builds up of Angel conforms to certain stereotypes and shows up my ignorance – I feel quite bad about that, actually, but there you go!Although, as the title suggests, this book is set in Rwanda, the author was born in Zambia, so it counts towards that country for my world challenge.Angel Tungaraza lives in a compound in Rwanda’s capital with her husband, Pius and her two grandchildren. Pius works as a consultant in the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology and Angel runs a business from home making and decorating cakes - and each new cake (14 in total, one for each chapter) brings a new problem to be explored, whether it be the devastating consequences of AIDS, Rwandan genocide, mayibobos (street children) or female genital mutilation – all serious subjects, tackled with humour but also with an element of gravity.It has been criticised for tackling too many subjects, and this is perhaps a fair criticism, but despite this it succeeds in being a fairly light read which I did enjoy, and I learned quite a lot about the people and culture of Rwanda. I haven’t read any of Alexander McCall Smith’s books, but it says on the front cover of this book that “Fans of Precious Ramotswe will love this”, so if you’ve read and enjoyed The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series then maybe you’ll enjoy this too?The paperback is 322 pages long and is published by Atlantic Books. It was first published in 2009. The ISBN number is 9781843547471. I read this on my Nook.4/5 (I really enjoyed it)(Finished 7 August 2013) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 A book about cakes Janet ... how did I not know about this? It sounds great, I did like the first couple of No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books (possibly would have liked more but decided not to continue .. too many books Janet ) so that bodes well. It'll be interesting to read about Rwanda too .. I know so little about it. Great review It's going on mount TBR .. that is the book is .. not the review .. I've read that (and very good it was too ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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