Bobblybear's Book List - 2014

[Athena]

I hope you enjoy the books you decide to read, BB !

[bobblybear]

Thanks, Athena.

 

So far this year, I have read 50 books, but I have purchased 55. That's not the way it's supposed to go!

[bobblybear]

TimeBomb - Scott K. Wilson

The story is set around three main characters – all teenagers - with the ability to travel in time. Kaz is a Polish immigrant who has left his job and is looking for a place to sleep. He is from the present time - 2013. Dora is a housemaid, only 14 and from Cornwall in 1645. Jana is from 2141 and is being hunted for something she has embedded in her head.

All three find themselves thrown together at Sweetclover Hall, with the aid of "Steve" who gives them a bit of guidance. They are told very little, just that they have this power and that their enemy is a woman named Quil.

I found all the time movements a bit disorientating, as things move around a lot and the story is very fast-paced. The characters are somewhat superficial, and due to all the action you never actually get to know much about them beneath the surface, and so never really get to connect with them.

Still, it was an ok read if you just want something action-oriented. However, it's not a book you can skim through - I found I really had to concentrate to keep track of who was doing what and which era they were in, and I was still pretty confused by the time I got to the end!

3/6

[bobblybear]

Ok - I'm 9 reviews behind! Why do I always get myself into this situation!
 
The Emergence of Judy Taylor - Angela Jackson

Judy is a part-time music teacher who feels at a cross roads with her life. She is happily married to Oliver and in everyone else's eyes is living the perfect life. But Judy feels she has lost her identity and individualism, and would really like to be able to have a conversation that doesn’t contain "and Oliver". At the start of the book she finds a lump in her breast; fortunately it is benign but propels her into making some drastic changes to her life.

When I started this, I thought it was very well written, with a witty and sharp sense of humour. I was chucking to myself quite a bit in the opening chapters. Judy was an interesting and smart character and she carried the story well. However about half way through, my interest started to wane as things just seemed to drag on, without much happening. The most interesting part was the beginning when Judy decides to actively change her life. However, after that it just seemed to be a bit dull, and I don't know if the writing style changed, but I didn't find the remainder of the book as sharply amusing (or amusing at all) as the beginning.  Mind you, I don't think it was specifically written to be funny, more just the occasional amusing moment.

 

It was a pretty decent read for the majority but it was let down in the final quarter. It just went downhill into a simpering ending that was quite non conclusive with nothing happening.

 

3/6

[bobblybear]

Updated reading plan:

 

The Ocean At The End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

I Am Pilgrim - Terry Jones

Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan

Blubber - Judy Blume

Deenie - Judy Blume

Forever - Judy Blume

Capital - John Lanchester

The Crow Road - Iain Banks

Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops - Jen Campbell

 

I will most likely finish the Gaiman book tonight, so then I have to choose between Capital and The Crow Road. Both are supposed to be very good, so I won't really mind which one I read first.

[bobblybear]

The Humans - Matt Haig

I wish I’d reviewed this sooner as I can’t remember many details (and there are so many phrases and insights that you want to remember), except that I really enjoyed it. It's the first Matt Haig book I have read and I was impressed by the originality, warmth and wittiness of the writing.

Professor Andrew Martin has solved one of the most complex problems in mathematics – the mystery of prime numbers - but to a race of otherwordly beings (the Vonnadorians) it is a step that humans aren’t ready for, so they intervene. One of them takes over Andrew Martin’s body with the intention of finding out if he has shared his knowledge with any other humans. If so, it is then his job to kill them. Andrew Martin, having been inhabited, is already "disposed of".

 

We see the human race from an aliens point of view, and it is a very witty and incisive view, that picks at all of our silly little idiosyncracies and makes you think "Why do we do that?".   To start with, the alien is repulsed by our food and our smell, and puzzled by the clothes that we wear. Unfamiliar with our culture, he picks up behavioural tips from reading material (Cosmopolitan magazine is the first thing he reads, unfortunately  ), and from observing others (which leads to some amusing moments where he believes spitting on someone is the normal way of greeting them).

 

Slowly though, he begins to enjoy the ways of humans – which is a problem given that he is there to kill some of them – and subconsciously begins to act more and more like them, to the disappointment of his fellow Vonnadorians back home.

 

Beyond the observational humour, there is also a pretty decent story as well as a nice heart-warming message, and I really enjoyed it. I shall definitely be reading more of Matt Haig’s books – and this one will also be going on the re-read pile.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to the next one of his to read?

 

5/6

[Athena]

This book sounds really good, I'm putting it on my wishlist .

 

Good luck catching up on your reviews!

[ladymacbeth]

Hi Bobblybear. I've been away from the forum for some time but remembered that I enjoyed quite a few of the same books as you a couple of years ago. I've read The Observations and The Rosie Project after going through this year's blog. Thought they were both excellent. Thanks for posting all your reviews.

[bobblybear]

Hi ladymacbeth - you're welcome. Nice to see you back here.   The two books you have mentioned were very enjoyable, and I'm glad you enjoyed them as much as I did.

[chesilbeach]

I wish I’d reviewed this sooner as I can’t remember many details (and there are so many phrases and insights that you want to remember), except that I really enjoyed it.

I had a pack of small bright pink post-its next to me when I was reading it, and the book is now peppered with them, reminding me of some of my favourite bits!

[bobblybear]

Tiger Eyes - Judy Blume

I’m revisiting my early teenage years with the glut of Judy Blume books I bought on Kindle. I was so chuffed to see these books available, as I adored them when I was a youngster.

Davey's (a girl, despite the name) father has recently been murdered in an armed robbery at his store. In an attempt to cope with their grief, Davey's mother moves them out to Los Alamos, to stay with her sister-in-law's family. Choosing to explore the canyons on her own, rather than participate in family activities she has no interest in, Davey meets a climber who calls himself Wolf –and rather than telling him her name, she calls herself Tiger Eyes. Sounds like a love story, but it really isn't, and the story is about Davey herself, rather than anything to do with a relationship (other than Davey's relationship with her mother and uncle and aunt). It's a powerful book and quite emotional, because it is told in rather blunt and painful terms about what happened and how Davey is reacting to it.

This was a short book and I read it over a couple of hours, but it was one of my favourites and I’m happy to say it stood the test of time. I’m also surprised by how much I remembered about it, but I’m pretty sure I read it multiple times when I was younger.

 

My only criticism of these Judy Blume re-releases are that the covers are quite naff compared to the originals.

 

5/6

[bobblybear]

I had a pack of small bright pink post-its next to me when I was reading it, and the book is now peppered with them, reminding me of some of my favourite bits!

 

I'm so surprised that I didn't have more Kindle highlights. I only had one passage highlighted!!   Either, my Kindle is broken, or the whole book was so brilliant that I figured all of it should be highlighted!

 

I loved the long list towards the end of the book, in the letter the "professor" wrote to Gulliver....that basically summed up all of the most memorable points of the book (for me, anyway).

[Signor Finzione]

TimeBomb - Scott K. Wilson

 

The story is set around three main characters – all teenagers - with the ability to travel in time. Kaz is a Polish immigrant who has left his job and is looking for a place to sleep. He is from the present time - 2013. Dora is a housemaid, only 14 and from Cornwall in 1645. Jana is from 2141 and is being hunted for something she has embedded in her head.

 

All three find themselves thrown together at Sweetclover Hall, with the aid of "Steve" who gives them a bit of guidance. They are told very little, just that they have this power and that their enemy is a woman named Quil.

 

I found all the time movements a bit disorientating, as things move around a lot and the story is very fast-paced. The characters are somewhat superficial, and due to all the action you never actually get to know much about them beneath the surface, and so never really get to connect with them.

 

Still, it was an ok read if you just want something action-oriented. However, it's not a book you can skim through - I found I really had to concentrate to keep track of who was doing what and which era they were in, and I was still pretty confused by the time I got to the end!

 

3/6

 

I was very confused towards the beginning, when the burned woman appears in Sweetclover Hall directly after Jana has timehopped. I thought it was Jana.

[bobblybear]

^ Yes, I remember thinking that too! If I recall correctly, that wasn't cleared up until towards the end.

[Anna Begins]

I looked through, did you do one for Horns yet?

[bobblybear]

No, not yet. I'm very behind on my reviews. By the time I review it I'm sure I will have forgotten what it was about.

[Alexi]

Hi BB I downloaded one Judy Blume but I mean to reread them all - although I never read Tiger Eyes as a kid! I seem to remember really enjoying Deenie, and also Just As Long as We're Together and Here's To You Rachel Robinson. I wonder if they have stood the test of time!

[bobblybear]

Which Judy Blume did you download? I think they have stood the test of time, but seem to be a lot shorter than I remembered.

[Alexi]

Are you There God? It's Me Margaret I remember reading that one (although not in as much detail as the three I remembered) and it was only 57 pennies!  

 

Although I remember being quite confused by her description of the items used for periods (can't think what they used to be called) when I had been shown tampons in sex education 

[bobblybear]

Are you There God? It's Me Margaret is one of my favourite Blume books. Are you talking about the sanitary pads that used to be worn with a belt? I remember struggling to figure that one out too.

[Alexi]

Yes! I was really confused for ages! I'm looking forward to rereading it

[bobblybear]

Hope you enjoy it when you do.

[bobblybear]

Deenie - Judy Blume

This was a firm favourite for me when I was a teenager, so I was quite excited to be able to read it again 25-odd years later.

 

Deenie is a 13 year old aspiring model. Actually it is her mother who keeps pushing her into modelling, whereas Deenie isn't too bothered. During cheerleader tryouts, the gym teacher notices something off about Deenie’s posture and suggests a visit to the doctor. From there, there are further visits to specialists, and it transpires that Deenie has scoliosis. Forced to wear a brace, Deenie is concerned about fitting in amongst her peers at school, especially with the boy she is keen on.

 

While I enjoyed reading it again, it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. I remembered it having more depth to it, and being more detailed, but I guess it just seemed that way when I was a teenager. It's a pretty typical Judy Blume book, with somewhat controversial teenage topics being discussed, and the usual dramas about boys and fitting in.

It was a short read, and can be finished in a couple of hours (or less). Glad I read it, but I doubt I will read it again.

 

3/6

[Athena]

It's a shame you didn't like it as much as you did when you were younger, though I'm glad you liked reading it again.

[bobblybear]

Forever - Judy Blume

My only memory of this book was that it was passed around at school amongst friends and we all had a good giggle at the ‘sex bits’. I don’t actually know if I read the book in full when I was a teenager. Maybe our library was one that banned it, as I'm sure I would have read it if it were available.

 

Out of all the Judy Blume’s I have read it’s probably my least favourite. It’s about firsts – first serious relationship, first time having sex, first complications in a relationship. I found it quite touching because of the optimistic view that Katherine and Michael have about their relationship, and their belief it will last forever, but I suppose you do think that way as a teenager.

 

It’s a bit dated, but that’s not surprising given that it was written in the 1970's. I wouldn't have thought that it would have the same impact on today's teenagers, but looking that Amazon reviews it would appear that it does. It's not the book I would recommend to start with if you haven't read a Judy Blume before. Like her other books, it's a very quick read and could be read in a couple of hours.

3/6