Alexi's Reading 2014

[Alexi]

Hi Athena., 

 

I was really worried if I picked up another book I wouldn't be keen to go back to Dracula quickly, so would have forgotten the details and might have to reread! I persevered in the end and used the Readathon to finish it - even if it meant I didn't get much other reading done. I have read a few chapters of my next book though.

 

Reviews...reviews... 

 

#11 Step Back in Time by Ali McNamara 

 

Synopsis: When single career girl Jo-Jo steps onto a zebra crossing and gets hit by a car, she awakes to find herself in 1963. The fashion, the music, her job, even her romantic life: everything is different. And then it happens three more times, and Jo-Jo finds herself living a completely new life in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The only people she can rely on are Harry and Ellie, two companions from 2013, and George, the owner of a second-hand record store.

 

If she's ever to return from her travels, Jo-Jo must work out why she's jumping through time like this. And if she does make it back, will her old life ever be the same again? (From Amazon)

 

Thoughts: This isn't my normal fare these days - far too chick lit! However, it was bought for me for a Christmas present, so I began it with some trepidation in February (which is good for me, I still have some Xmas presents from 2012!). 

 

I was really pleasantly surprised. Yes, it's saccharine sweet, yes the ending is predictable and yes, you do have suspend disbelief on a number of occasions, but it was a really enjoyable read. 

 

Jo Jo is a workaholic, and is sent back in time to "learn her lesson". She ends up in the 1960s, which was my favourite part of the book, watching her cope as an office junior not the head of her own company and let loose a bit. But then she arrives in the 70s, 80s and 90s as she tries to get back to 2013. And there is always a Beatles theme, regardless of decade (which gets pretty annoying after a while as it seems every character has a related name!). 

 

It was fun seeing all the different decades come to life, and I enjoyed how she wasn't always the same age - she was a teenager in the 1970s for example. 

 

However, although I enjoy time travel books the idea of parallel realities as the same people kept turning up was a tad hard to swallow, and I'm not sure the author entirely thought through what would happen if 1960s Jo Jo met 1970s Jo Jo.... but there you are. 

 

On the whole, an easy, enjoyable read that pleasantly surprised me. 

 

3/5 

Edited March 9, 2014 by Alexi

[Alexi]

#12 Dracula by Bram Stoker 

 

Synopsis: When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: a ship runs aground on the shores of Whitby, its crew vanished; beautiful Lucy Westenra slowly succumbs to a mysterious, wasting illness, her blood drained away; and the lunatic Renfield raves about the imminent arrival of his 'master'. In the ensuing battle of wills between the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries - led by the intrepid vampire hunter Abraham van Helsing - Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.

 

​Thoughts: I found this really, really difficult to review, so apologies if I ramble or my thoughts don't make much sense. 

 

​I have had Dracula on my TBR for several years now - ever since I got first got a kindle app! I've always been a bit hesitant to read it - in case it didn't live up to its fearsome reputation, but I bit the bullet in 2014 as it was nominated for North Yorkshire in the English Counties Challenge. 

 

First of all, for the challenge: Although it is only set comparatively briefly in Whitby, with large parts in Transylvania and London, it gave a real sense of the place so I am left unsure as to whether it was the right choice! 

 

As for the rest, I did feel a bit let down. This took me a full 14 days to read, which is a very long time for me. I found the book very slow to get going and I didn't feel a sense of developing tension particularly. I thought the pacing was off - after being very slow to get going a lot of action took place in the last six pages and it seemed to end very abruptly! 

 

First of all we find ourselves following the fortunes of Jonathan, trapped in Castle Dracula. Then we abruptly switch to his fiancee Mina in Whitby, with no knowledge of how Jonathan is faring elsewhere. This was the part of the book I enjoyed the most, with everyone in the dark as to what exactly is happening to Lucy, who is wasting away. 

 

Some of the tension was bound to be lost as the tale of Dracula is so familiar, even to me who has never read the book or watched a film about it. I imagine it was quite creepy when first published! I did though find it very frustrating that when I knew what was going on (through the books hints and my own knowledge) it wad then explained to three or four people over and over again!! 

 

​I enjoyed the chase across Europe, but as I mentioned with the pacing not enough time was given over to this IMO whereas too much was given over to the initial recording of diary entries etc while in London. 

 

​The character of Mina was refreshing and excellent. For a woman in the 18th century she was confident, and always involved rather than being pushed back. Although the men all tried to protect her, she was at the forefront of the action throughout and I thought probably quite ahead of her time really. She might have given 18th century men a shock!

 

​In the end, I am glad I read it but I'm afraid it dragged for me and was certainly not a favourite. 

 

2.5/5

[Athena]

Great reviews! It makes sense you didn't want to start another book while reading Dracula.

 

Step Back in Time sounds quite interesting, I think I'd enjoy it. It's a shame it didn't have more depth but it sounds like an enjoyable read though.

 

I'm sorry you didn't like Dracula as much as you'd hoped. It was interesting for me to read your review though . I have the book on my TBR and do plan on reading it some time, I don't know whether I'll like it or not though (classics seem a bit of hit and miss with me).

[Alexi]

Thanks Athena

 

I hope you enjoy Dracula - plenty have! Classics are like anything I suppose - we'll enjoy some and not others.

 

I've gone non fiction now and am reading a series of newspaper articles put together in kindle ebook form by the Sunday Times concerning the fall of Lance Armstrong.

[Alexi]

#13 Lanced: The Shaming of Lance Armstrong by David Walsh

 

Synopsis: David Walsh was one of the few journalists who dared to doubt the miracle of the cancer survivor who came back to win the toughest race in sport. As the years went by, the other reporters largely melted away, feeling that if they could not tell the truth about the race and its winner, they didn’t want to write anything about it at all.

In this book The Sunday Times presents David Walsh’s articles, and a number written by other colleagues on The Sunday Times. They show the tenacity with which the newspaper pursued Armstrong and the drug cheats.

(From Amazon)

 

Thoughts: After my tangling with Dracula, I retreated to a shorter book of sports writing - my comfort zone, really! 

 

I am a huge sports fan, but cycling was not a sport I could really take a shine to - except at the Olympics where I watch the large majority of sports. I could especially never understand the fascination with the Tour de France - unlike my brother and cousin who have travelled to France together to watch it. 

 

That changed with the revelations about Lance Armstrong. I read The Secret Race, which tells Tyler Hamilton's story of his own doping, in the same team as Armstrong. (It's an excellent read, I strongly recommend it). Armstrong doesn't come across very well. 

 

I then picked up this little kindle ebook when it was free for a time, which has collated the articles written by David Walsh of the Sunday Times, right through from 1999 when Lance won his first tour, all the way through to when he was charged and his victories were rescinded. 

 

It's a brilliant structure, as you go on the journey with David from 1999 - when he has plenty of suspicion but no evidence - all the way through to his interviews with those who knew. This does mean it repeats itself of course, as the articles were written for the paper months apart and have to set the scene again, but they are all well-written and I really had a sense of Walsh's struggle to prove what he knew was true. 

 

Perhaps most revealing, one of the women who worked with Armstrong and spoke out, had to keep her silence about what she had seen with her own eyes due to Britain's libel laws. What she said would be fine in the US or France, but Armstrong could sue her in the UK. For speaking the truth. Mind-boggling really. 

 

I really like Walsh's writing style, and this book has me wanting to know everything about his chase of Armstrong - I will be buying his book about it, Seven Deadly Sins. Job done, Sunday Times. 

 

4/5 

[Alexi]

#14 The Fall of the Stone City by Ismail Kadare 

 

Synopsis: In September 1943, Nazi troops advance on the ancient gates of Gjirokastër, Albania. The very next day, the Germans vanish without a trace. As the townsfolk wonder if they might have dreamt the events of the previous night, rumours circulate of a childhood friendship between a local dignitary and the invading Nazi Colonel, a reunion in the town square and a fateful dinner party that would transform twentieth-century Europe. (From Amazon)

 

Thoughts: This counts for Albania in my World Challenge, and it gave a great flavour of the country's history and traditions (I assume, given I knew nothing about either before beginning this novel!).

 

Albanians in the 1940s and 50s went through the mill a bit! Initially under the control of Italy and Mussolini, that is passed to Germany in 1943 and the invading Nazis. The country then passes into the hands of the communists and Stalian post World War II. 

 

The narrative of these significant historical events is told with two doctors of the same name as the main protagonists. 'Big' Doctor Gurameto is the dignitary who meets the Nazi Colonel on that fateful night - but who is he, why are the hostages (including one Jew) released, and was a white flag waved in surrender? 

 

All of these questions remain central to the story into the 1950s, when Stalin has all doctors arrested due to suspicion over a plot to murder on the operating table. No matter how much you read about communist USSR and the Soviet Bloc, it never ceases to shock and this is no exception as medieval torture implements are used on men without any evidence of wrongdoing. 

 

This is a clever little tale, weaving the historical events of the time through the apparently inconsequential lives of two doctors in Gjirokaster. The mystery of the fateful dinner remains throughout the story until the reveal at the end. That was a bit of a let down, but the book as a whole is well worth getting your hands on to see how the ordinary people of Albania lived through a number of dictatorial regimes, with the population negotiating sympathies between different governments and ideologies. 

 

A welcome return to my World Challenge. 

 

4/5

[Alexi]

#15 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 

 

Synopsis: Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

 

Thoughts: I have had this sitting on my kindle for a while but always avoided it, worrying it wouldn't live up to reputation and it wouldn't be "my type of thing'. Once again, I curse myself, because this is one of my favourite reads of the year so far. 

 

Charlie begins writing letters to "friend" on the eve of his first day at high school. One of his friends has recently committed suicide and he doesn't really fit in to what society considers as "normal". Initially an outsider, he befriends Sam and Patrick, seniors who help him come out of his shell and enjoy life. 

 

This book did sort of take me back to my adolescence (with some caveats, such as I did not take LSD!), but the themes are the same - struggling to fit in, coming to terms with sexuality etc etc. 

 

Charlie also has to battle with severe depression - an issue I can certainly relate to. 

 

I had to suspend disbelief on occasions (why would two seniors and their mates befriend a freshman for one thing, would not have happened in my high school!), but I loved reading about Charlie's life and the way he dealt with being a little way off society's definition of normal. In that way, the story being told in epistolary form really works, because you only see what Charlie is seeing and have to work out how others see the same situations. I find that works really well when the character is battling depression/mental illness etc. It makes me very wary of the film too. 

 

The book takes us through one year of Charlie's life as a freshman, and left me wanting desperate to know how his next year panned out. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it, so although it feels an odd sort of book to award full marks to, I sort of feel I have to!

 

5/5 

[Athena]

Great reviews ! I quite liked The Perks of Being a Wallflower too, so I'm glad you enjoyed it a lot .

[Alexi]

Thanks Athena. He certainly had a more...eventful first year of high school than me

 

I'm now reading Pigeon English and getting on reasonably well. I'm away a lot over the next few weeks but not sure how much reading I will get done. Roll on summer when work doesn't get in the way of reading so much

[bookmonkey]

I've added The Fall of the Stone City to my wishlist.  It sounds really interesting, and a time period I seem to be reading a lot about lately.

 

Also adding Making Sense of the Troubles.  I've always been interested in the issues in Ireland, and this book sounds like a really good one to learn about it.

[Alexi]

I've added The Fall of the Stone City to my wishlist.  It sounds really interesting, and a time period I seem to be reading a lot about lately.

 

Also adding Making Sense of the Troubles.  I've always been interested in the issues in Ireland, and this book sounds like a really good one to learn about it.

I would definitely recommend Making Sense of the Troubles. I've got a very poor knowledge of the events in Ireland and have now read a few books on the subject - this was the most accessible easily

 

I've got a bit behind in my reviews again, but book buying never seems to suffer from this problem!

 

#16 Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman

 

Eleven-year-old Harrison Opoku, the second best runner in Year 7, races through his new life in England with his personalised trainers - the Adidas stripes drawn on with marker pen - blissfully unaware of the very real threat around him. Newly-arrived from Ghana with his mother and older sister Lydia, Harri absorbs the many strange elements of city life, from the bewildering array of Haribo sweets, to the frightening, fascinating gang of older boys from his school. But his life is changed forever when one of his friends is murdered. As the victim's nearly new football boots hang in tribute on railings behind fluorescent tape and a police appeal draws only silence, Harri decides to act, unwittingly endangering the fragile web his mother has spun around her family to keep them safe.

 

Thoughts: I was a bit underwhelmed by this. (Someone on here warned I might be but if can't remember who now - poppy shake?)

 

It's been nominated for awards and my Mum's book club raved about it, but I found it disjointed and slow to get going. The disjointed aspect I'm sure was to reflect the bewildering London landscape Harri found, but it didn't make for a pleasant reading experience.

 

I also found Harri a bit unrealistic for an 11-year-old. Yes, he's come from Africa to London gangland where kids grow up faster, but I grew up in sheltered middle class suburbia and I'm sure I wasnt quite as 'childish' as Harri's thoughts portray him as here. He seems very naive about certain aspects of life - including the facts of life! It's probably realistic that he knows far too much about chooking - or stabbing - and little about other things, but sometimes he read like a 9 year old to be honest, not a lad adjusting to year 7 in an inner city high school.

 

However, I did enjoy this book. It did improve and I was drawn into Harri's murder investigation - while screaming at him that he might be wiser to leave it alone! His skirmishes with the older gang are well-plotted, while it is interesting to see Harri's transition from Africa to the socially-deprived tower blocks of London.

 

 

It was enjoyable, just didn't live up to the hype.

 

3/5

[frankie]

Holidays mean plenty of time for reading (hurrah!) so a couple of reviews...

 

#2 A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

 

Thoughts: Putting my tin hat on before we starry because I think this will be seriously unpopular but here goes...

Don't worry, you aren't the only one. I didn't enjoy the book, either, and I think I read it before joining this forum... So I was surprised to read how many people on here had really enjoyed the book. I started to feel like maybe there was something the matter with me...

 

Like you, I didn't find the book funny at all. Certainly not as funny as some people on here did. It's amazing how people can have such different ideas about books. (I have been kind of tempted, though, to try and re-read the book to see if it was any better the second time... But now I'm not sure.)

 

My Mum warned me against Tractor but I ignored her. She hasn't refrained from telling me that's he told me so!!

 

Well, she did try to warn you, but would you listen? No!

 

 

I didn't like A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian either. I didn't even finish it - that's how much I disliked it.

Wow, so there are more of us!

 

 

Oh, I bought A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian in a charity shop, when a (unknown) woman did mention that it was a good read. Marmite book, it seems. Maybe the unknown woman was Marina Lewycka in the Red Cross shop that day.... . I will have to read this book this year sometime.

Alexi said that Brian and James enjoyed the story, and I know poppyshake did as well, and I'm sure there are a few others at least... I hope you are one of those who will love the book, so it doesn't go to waste

 

 

#5 An Awfully Big Adventure by Beryl Bainbridge

 

Thoughts: Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. 

 

I would have long since abandoned this book were it not for the Counties Challenge. It took me 5 long days to get through, despite being a mere 198 pages long, and I can find little to redeem it. 

 

...

 

The story does improve marginally towards the end, but it's too little, too late for me I'm afraid. 

 

 

Oh boy... A friend of mine did her thesis on this particular book. She made it sound interesting and funny and I've been meaning to read the book for years... I've picked it up a few times but I could never get past the first few sentences. Now I wonder if it's worth another try...

 

#7 The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

 

 ...

 

As for the book, I would definitely recommend it. I agree with the introduction though, it doesn't criticise Women's Lib at all, rather the opposite. It criticises men who seem to want nothing but perfectly docile beings who will do nothing except their bidding!

 

Great review! Have you read anything else by Ira Levin? I would recommend Rosemary's Baby and Sliver. It's really odd how Levin manages to create such intense reads in such comparatively short books. Good stuff!

 

That's weird about the intro... I mean people having said that the book criticises Women's Lib. Such an odd notion!

 

Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

Great review, and I'm so psyched you loved this book! Burroughs has this amazing talent to make the reader laugh at stuff that are actually quite horrendous and not a laughing matter. I would recommend his other books, too. I've not read them all, but the ones I've read, I've loved

[bobblybear]

Thoughts: I was a bit underwhelmed by this. (Someone on here warned I might be but if can't remember who now - poppy shake?)

 

It was probably me, as I remember commenting on it recently. My review is here. I didn't believe the voice of the main character either - in my review I said that he sounded like a 5 year old rather than an 11 year old.

[Alexi]

Hi Frankie! I would definitely like to read more by Augusten Burroughs, Running with Scissors has really stuck with me in the weeks since I finished it. Ditto with Ira Levin, and I shall add the two you have recommended to my wish list  

 

I have been really lucky so far this year actually, enjoyed most of what I have read and would seek out more work from these authors. Very few duffers! 

 

However, the early nominee for Duffer of the Year (if Willoyd will let me steal his phrase!) is the Bainbridge. But don't let me put you off too much, apparently it is very well thought of in some quarters! 

 

It was probably me, as I remember commenting on it recently. My review is here. I didn't believe the voice of the main character either - in my review I said that he sounded like a 5 year old rather than an 11 year old.

 

Haha! I was more generous than you with 9, but it definitely grated. I agree with largely with your review too. 

 

In other news I have already acquired 34 books so far this year 

[vodkafan]

Hi Alexi  good reviews. I was particularly interested in your review of The Perks Of Being A Wallflower as I was forced to sit through the film with my daughter and was really bored. But you made the book sound good. Is the girl character  (Emma Watson) not in the book?

[frankie]

Hi Frankie! I would definitely like to read more by Augusten Burroughs, Running with Scissors has really stuck with me in the weeks since I finished it. Ditto with Ira Levin, and I shall add the two you have recommended to my wish list

I'm very pleased to hear you'll be reading more of Burroughs's books! Looking forward to your thoughts on his other books when you eventually get to them, and same goes with the Ira Levin books

 

 

However, the early nominee for Duffer of the Year (if Willoyd will let me steal his phrase!) is the Bainbridge. But don't let me put you off too much, apparently it is very well thought of in some quarters!

Thanks And it is a short book after all... I'll try and go into it with an open mind

 

 

In other news I have already acquired 34 books so far this year 

Was the news cancelled? Have you already bought other books so the amount of acquired books is no longer 34?

 

[Alexi]

Hi Alexi  good reviews. I was particularly interested in your review of The Perks Of Being A Wallflower as I was forced to sit through the film with my daughter and was really bored. But you made the book sound good. Is the girl character  (Emma Watson) not in the book?

 

Thanks VF I haven't seen the film, so I don't know how it compares, but I wasn't sure how well it would work as a film. One of the charming aspects of it for me was the epistolary nature of the novel - particularly as it is a boy trying to fit in. Who is he writing too? Why do they never write back? And also we see the story entirely from his point of view - we don't know how everyone else reacts except through what he is telling us. 

 

Or it just might be more my sort of book/film than yours I suppose  

 

I would guess Emma Watson plays Sam, one of the seniors who befriends freshman Charlie and who Charlie "falls in love with"  I didn't find that the interesting part of the story, which is why I didn't really mention her in my review! Whoops! She is a main character in the book, and I guess they might have made even more of her in the film. 

 

 

I'm very pleased to hear you'll be reading more of Burroughs's books! Looking forward to your thoughts on his other books when you eventually get to them, and same goes with the Ira Levin books

 

 

Thanks And it is a short book after all... I'll try and go into it with an open mind

 

 

Was the news cancelled? Have you already bought other books so the amount of acquired books is no longer 34?

 

 

I was just hoping no one would notice 

[Alexi]

#17 Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome 

 

Synopsis: It is the wholesome story of four young children, John, Susan, Titty and Roger, who set out in their boat (the Swallow of the title) to an island of adventure. All seems well until they encounter their enemy. At first they are angry at the invasion of their peaceful haven by these Amazon pirates, Nancy and Peggy, who claim ownership of the land. But in time a truce is called and the Swallows and Amazons become firm friends. Camping under open skies, swimming in clear water, fishing, exploring and making discoveries is the stuff of dreams which serves to make this so charming a tale. The author manages to capture the innocence of a time when all this was real and possible. Swallows and Amazons will transport children to a fantastical place where they can play safely and roam freely, without an adult in sight. 

 

Thoughts: This was selected for Cumbria as part of the English Counties Challenge. 

 

I read this as a child, so it was a revisit for me, and I remember loving it although many of the salient details had escaped me. My Grandad used to sail on Lake Windemere in Cumbria, and I remember going with him as a small child before he sold the boat, so this also has some ties for me. 

 

It's a simple story of an arguably simpler time - set in 1929. No iPads here, just four kids and a boat and some tents. (I did wonder if they ever got bored, which probably a sign I too am a modern child, but I admit I didn't think they took enough books!) The four children are given permission to go and camp by themselves on the island, and they get on remarkably well for siblings who employ a hierarchy system, with the older ones having the authority to tell the younger two what to do. 

 

They settle in on the island when they are "attacked" by Nancy and Peggy, and the two boats have a "war" before forming an alliance to take on Nancy and Peggy's Uncle Jim, who has ignored them all summer. 

 

It's an enjoyable read, although written very much for children in style, there is a lot of "he said, she said, he said, she said". But the story is a good one and I enjoyed the revisit. 

 

A couple of things: it does feel a bit sexist in places. Susan, the eldest girl, does all the cooking for them and often washes up as well - grave error there Susan. When they leave the camp, her memories are of "making camp and cooking for a large family" while the others remember swimming, or adventure (admittedly including the younger girl Titty - not sure you'd get away with that one in a modern book!). 

 

(I realise that this annoys me probably more than it should because I grew up as the only girl surrounded by four boys on every holiday, and if there was a job like that to do we were all told to pitch in, whereas I was told I could do exactly what the boys did. We were obsessed with Just William at the time and used to put on plays scripted by ourselves but using the characters. The boys were told I had to have a go at playing William - the main character - as well regardless of gender!)

 

It is 1929 of course, but the girls are expected to stay home, while John and Roger who know they will one day go to sea (like Dad, who is in the navy). 

 

Nancy and Peggy are much better, girls with adventurous spirits, so it's not THAT old-fashioned, but it did grate a bit. 

 

3.5/5

Edited April 10, 2014 by Alexi

[Alexi]

#18 Set in Stone by Robert Goddard

 

Synopsis: Recovering from the tragic death of his wife, Tony Sheridan goes to stay with his sister-in-law, Lucy, and her husband.Their home is a bizarre moated house deep in the Rutland countryside, known as Otherways.

 

Disturbed by memories of his wife, and a growing attraction to Lucy, Sheridan is also troubled by weird and vivid dreams. Soon he learns that Otherways is a house steeped in a history of murder and wartime treason. And it seems that these crimes hold an eerie influence over the present inhabitants.

 

Thoughts: I read this as part of the English Counties Challenge - it was selected for Rutland. There was a lot of reference to Rutland Water, as the house was built next to it and before its construction in 1976. There is also a lot of reference to the history of the house and crime there before the Rutland Water, so I think it was a decent selection. 

 

I certainly didn't know anything about the construction of the reservoir before reading this book at any rate! 

 

Tony Sheridan is our narrator, and he is telling the story to his dead wife Marina, and the book starts at the time of her death (although Tony is telling the story retrospectively, he know how it ended from page 1 if that makes sense). 

 

He goes to stay with Lucy (marina's sister) and Matt (his best friend) in Rutland early on, in their unusual house with an unusual history. The book gets a bit confusing at this point - he starts having very vivid dreams of things that could and sometimes do happen in the future, while there is a big mystery surrounding the death of a woman murdered in the garden of the house decades earlier. 

 

I was unsure for the first 100 pages what this book was trying to be - ghost story or thriller? But after that the story picked up and it raced along to a conclusion that kept me guessing and left me unwilling to put the book down. 

 

It is a bit weird, it is a bit confusing, but I thought it was great. His characters lie and deceive, but that makes them feel quite real, and the thriller element combined with more than a hint of the supernatural actually worked really well for me once I had reached the conclusion. 

 

I struggled at first, but it was well worth the perseverance. 

 

4/5

[vodkafan]

Set In Stone sounds very good . Yes in POBAW Emma Watson does play Sam. I had forgotten that Sam was a girl and in your review I just assumed Sam and Patrick were both chaps from the names. As I said the film didn't make a huge impression on me....  

[julie]

Alexi

I love Robert Goddard, but haven't read the book you mentioned, or the last few of his . Not sure why, other than I just have too many books waiting and haven't gotten to them yet . I really enjoy his books, and they are hard to categorize. A bit of mystery, suspense ,but a whole lot more meat to them than the normal type books in that genre.

[Athena]

I've read one book by Robert Goddard (Sight Unseen) and liked it, this one sounds good too! Great reviews .

[Alexi]

Set In Stone sounds very good . Yes in POBAW Emma Watson does play Sam. I had forgotten that Sam was a girl and in your review I just assumed Sam and Patrick were both chaps from the names. As I said the film didn't make a huge impression on me....

 

 

I'm not sure whether I shall bother with the film - I enjoyed the book and it seems a shame to potentially ruin it. Plus I hardly ever watch films!

 

Alexi

I love Robert Goddard, but haven't read the book you mentioned, or the last few of his . Not sure why, other than I just have too many books waiting and haven't gotten to them yet . I really enjoy his books, and they are hard to categorize. A bit of mystery, suspense ,but a whole lot more meat to them than the normal type books in that genre.

 

I've read one book by Robert Goddard (Sight Unseen) and liked it, this one sounds good too! Great reviews .

I shall definitely look out for more of his work after enjoying Set in Stone and the positive comments from you guys. It was a really unusual approach to a thriller type story I thought.

 

I've finished The Hacienda by Peter Hook - full review to follow but an enjoyable read, although I wanted to throttle them all at one stage or another!

 

Now starting The Cuckoo's Calling by J K Rowling Robert Galbraith.

Edited April 11, 2014 by Alexi

[ian]

I've read a few Robert Goddard, and do find him a bit hit and miss to be honest. I'd convinced myself that I had read this, but reading the synopsis, I realise I haven't. Great review, Alexi and another book on the wish list!

[Alexi]

Thanks Ian! I shall have to look out for another and hope it lives up to the first!