Steve's Bookshelf 2014

[Anna Begins]

So the TBR list is going.  

 

I won't be keeping a count of the number of books I read, either, because I've found that I'm constantly trying to beat the total I read the previous year, which again means I am putting pressure on myself and trying to rush through books and am not enjoying them as a result.  

 

I'm also thinking that I'll probably stop giving scores as well

I think I might stop scoring books too.  In hindsight, I just either raise or lower them anyway.  Luckily, most of the books I've read this year have been good so mostly I wish I had given then a higher score.  I also don't think I will do a TBR, as the one I started off with in the beginning of the year, I just strayed too far.  But I do like the smaller ones that have developed through the year, I've had maybe 2 of those with 5-10 books on them of just what I immediately want to read. 

[Athena]

I was thinking about this a week or two back and have pretty much decided that next year I am going to abandon the statistics I keep in my thread(s).  The TBR list is the biggest culprit, as I've found I've spent too much time looking at that, and forcing myself to read books on there that I have lost interest in.  I've been trying to rush through books to get them off the TBR list instead of reading what I really want and slowing down to smell the roses (so to speak), and it's started to suck my enjoyment out of reading.  So the TBR list is going.  

 

I won't be keeping a count of the number of books I read, either, because I've found that I'm constantly trying to beat the total I read the previous year, which again means I am putting pressure on myself and trying to rush through books and am not enjoying them as a result.  

 

I'm also thinking that I'll probably stop giving scores as well

I'm sorry to hear the statistics and everything are making reading less fun for you . I think it's probably a good decision then, reading shouldn't be coupled with pressure and such, it should be enjoyable.

 

If you ask me, what the review details matters more than the score at the end, so if you feel it's the right decision I don't think anyone has claim to object since your reviews are always very detailed and well written (and of course, your reading is your own and you're not getting paid or anything, so you should do what feels right for you!).

[Karsa Orlong]

poppyshake, on 27 Oct 2014 - 1:16 PM, said:

Do we have to wait until you've been to another Rush concert?    

 

Good idea!  

 

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/rush-is-talking-about-putting-a-tour-together-for-next-spring-says-alex-lifeson/

 

 

Rats, I thought I might get away with it for a bit longer than that!

[poppyshake]

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/rush-is-talking-about-putting-a-tour-together-for-next-spring-says-alex-lifeson/

 

 

Rats, I thought I might get away with it for a bit longer than that!

Lord!! You fans are so lucky .. no waiting about for years for you! Well .. fill your boots .. we look forward to the pics

 

Going back to what you were saying about your book blog/statistics etc. I totally understand where you're coming from .. reading should be all pleasure .. not a chore or a mission. I think a book blog will work just as well without all the lists/statistics. I do get stressed over mine but this year have let go a lot and just laugh at the enormity of it   Also, though I've had a poor year for reading .. I'm not bothered about it   Consequently I'm choosing books I want to read and enjoying it .. rather that getting anxious about books that have hung around on the TBR for ages. I also get what you're saying about the scoring .. ultimately it's a bit meaningless. I think reading someone's thoughts about it is much more useful .. of course though that can also suck the joy out of reading .. worrying about the review and getting it done (this is not a problem for you however .. you are a demon reviewer ) .. of course there should be no pressure to review either. Shall we come here at all?     Only joking .. lots of people love organisation and lists and statistics .. I'm probably one of them   but there really is no need to go down that route if it's interfering with your enjoyment of reading. 

[Karsa Orlong]

I think I might stop scoring books too.  In hindsight, I just either raise or lower them anyway.  Luckily, most of the books I've read this year have been good so mostly I wish I had given then a higher score.  I also don't think I will do a TBR, as the one I started off with in the beginning of the year, I just strayed too far.  But I do like the smaller ones that have developed through the year, I've had maybe 2 of those with 5-10 books on them of just what I immediately want to read.

 

Sounds kind of like the mini reading plans I did last year, which were fun.  I may try doing it again - although that might involve looking at the TBR list which I'll no longer have 

 

 

 

Lord!! You fans are so lucky .. no waiting about for years for you! 

 

Not at the moment - they're getting as much touring in as they can to fill their pension funds for their retirement    I remember the dark days between 1983 and 1988, then 1988 and 1992, then 1992 and 2004 when they didn't tour over here, though

 

 

 

Going back to what you were saying about your book blog/statistics etc. I totally understand where you're coming from .. reading should be all pleasure .. not a chore or a mission. I think a book blog will work just as well without all the lists/statistics. I do get stressed over mine but this year have let go a lot and just laugh at the enormity of it   Also, though I've had a poor year for reading .. I'm not bothered about it   Consequently I'm choosing books I want to read and enjoying it .. rather that getting anxious about books that have hung around on the TBR for ages. I also get what you're saying about the scoring .. ultimately it's a bit meaningless. I think reading someone's thoughts about it is much more useful .. of course though that can also suck the joy out of reading .. worrying about the review and getting it done (this is not a problem for you however .. you are a demon reviewer ) .. of course there should be no pressure to review either. 

 

Yes, agree with all of that - well, maybe not the demon reviewer bit  I do find I have to post my thoughts straight away before moving onto my next read, otherwise I forget what I want to say.  I don't write notes or anything, so I have to do it there and then or never.  

 

Re the scoring, I do find my scores tend to get skewed as the year goes on - books I read earlier in the year and gave high marks to are suddenly scoring the same as books I've read more recently and preferred.  So yeah, it does render it a bit pointless, really.  I'll continue with scores till the end of the year and then see how I feel about it.

[willoyd]

I was thinking about this a week or two back and have pretty much decided that next year I am going to abandon the statistics I keep in my thread(s).....

Funnily enough, I've been wondering the same thing myself. I've not kept a TBR list as such, but have a number of checklists which I'm thinking of slimming down a lot. However, I haven't found them getting in the way of reading, and have helped me focus on 'what's next?' on occasions, so don't think I'll get rid completely.

I do find keeping a numbers count sometimes gets in the way, not least because I'm the opposite of your situation, and find myself occasionally shying away from some of the big doorstoppers on my shelves (not so much fiction, but mostly non-fiction, especially history). I need to read more of those, and if that means only 20 or so books in a year, so be it (I usually read around 50-60). But as soon as I keep a record, I know how many I've read.....!

As for scores, I'm sticking with those. I do find it interesting looking back, and they do make me think what I really thought about the book. I rarely revise, other than occasionally shifting a 5-star into the 6-star category (which is part of my process anyway) I agree though about the reviews being the important bit: I do keep a record of my reviews to go with the scores.

Problem is, I'm just too geeky to let go of the numbers/scores etc completely! I admire those who can and do.

[Karsa Orlong]

The Night Boat by Robert R. McCammon

 

 

 

1980 - Open Road Media ebook - 294 pages

 

 

From Amazon:

 

David Moore had a cushy life in Baltimore. The son of a bank president, he could have had the old man’s job if he’d just waited in line. But Moore isn’t the patient type, and rather than spend his life trapped behind a desk, he decamped for the Caribbean, to pass his days diving beneath the perfect blue sea. One day, diving deeper than usual, he spies a sunken ship. His investigations disrupt an unexploded depth charge, which hurls David to the surface with the sunken ship not far behind.

 

The U-boat, still seaworthy after all these decades, drifts towards the island and gets caught on the reef. A strange knocking echoes from inside the hull, as though something within is still alive. When David opens the long-closed hatch, he’ll learn that some sunken treasure is better left undisturbed.

 

 

Thoughts:

 

Set on a cruise ship in the late 70s, this is the story of a ship's captain and crew getting involved in romantic adventures on the high seas - oh, wait, that's The Love Boat     The Night Boat is a fairly typical story of boy meets girl, falls in love, loses girl in horrific boating accident (it wasn't a shark attack), goes diving one day looking for buried treasure, unearths a German U-boat (that decides to pop to the surface and beach itself in the harbour of an idyllic island), meets another girl - who just happens to be beautiful, of course - whilst the undead crew of said U-boat (zombie Nazis - or are they Nazi zombies?  There's a difference you know!!) set about eating everyone on the island.  Actually, if this had been an episode of The Love Boat I might actually have watched it   

 

I picked this book up because I'd mentioned Robert R. McCammon over in the 'Horror Month' threads and suddenly got a craving to read something else by him as we're fast approaching Halloween.  The Night Boat is reasonably short and seemed like a good bet.

 

This was the second novel written he wrote, and his third to be published, and it has all the hallmarks of an author still trying to figure out what works and what doesn't.  The setting has great potential but he seemed to fall into a halfway house, not making enough of it.  Whilst I was glad that the novel didn't overstay its welcome I did feel he could've done more with the setting in terms of building atmosphere and such.  The character's, too, are pretty flat, so that I never really cared about any of them, and there's no humour to speak of.  I mean, come on, the whole idea's daft so why not have a bit more fun with it?  There's a bit of gore, but nowhere near as over the top as some other horror novels I've read.  

 

It's not as bad as I'm making it sound, though.  I thought the central premise was quite good fun, and it generally reads pretty well.  In the latter stages it starts to feel uncannily like Jaws.  Suddenly it was as if the U-boat had stopped being an object and become a thing, a creature in its own right.  That was kind of weird, because the Nazi zombies/zombie Nazis were no longer the focus, where I thought they should've been. Earlier on in the book he'd started to sketch in their backgrounds via flashbacks and I felt he could have pursued that angle a little more, giving their fate a more tragic slant, but he abandoned that approach all too quickly.  In fact, there are a number of characters he introduced who seemed like they had a part to play but then they were gone before they'd had any impact.  We all know that people are going to get eaten in zombie stories, I suppose, but it seemed a shame to underuse them so.  

 

Overall I didn't think The Night Boat was as good as some of his other books that I've read.  There are a lot of shortcomings.  Not a great book but by no means a bad one, just somewhere in between.

 

 

6/10

[Karsa Orlong]

Funnily enough, I've been wondering the same thing myself. I've not kept a TBR list as such, but have a number of checklists which I'm thinking of slimming down a lot. However, I haven't found them getting in the way of reading, and have helped me focus on 'what's next?' on occasions, so don't think I'll get rid completely.

I do find keeping a numbers count sometimes gets in the way, not least because I'm the opposite of your situation, and find myself occasionally shying away from some of the big doorstoppers on my shelves (not so much fiction, but mostly non-fiction, especially history). I need to read more of those, and if that means only 20 or so books in a year, so be it (I usually read around 50-60). But as soon as I keep a record, I know how many I've read.....!

As for scores, I'm sticking with those. I do find it interesting looking back, and they do make me think what I really thought about the book. I rarely revise, other than occasionally shifting a 5-star into the 6-star category (which is part of my process anyway) I agree though about the reviews being the important bit: I do keep a record of my reviews to go with the scores.

Problem is, I'm just too geeky to let go of the numbers/scores etc completely! I admire those who can and do.

 

I don't normally revise my scores.  I've done it once this year and, after a day or two, changed my mind and went and put it back to the original score

[Timstar]

I've also given up on reading plans and trying to catalogue any kind of TBR list, it's just depressing. What I am doing at the moment is a list of books or series that I would like to read soon just so I don't forget about them. This is pretty flexible though.

 

I avoid changing scores, it's a good way of remembering how I felt about the book after reading it and not with several months hindsight. But I understand why you might want to stop altogether though.

 

I haven't read any Nazi Zombies or Zombie Nazis books, I feel I should though, you know of any better then The Night Boat? I do love some of the brilliantly terrible films about them though!  

[Athena]

I also haven't read many books about zombies (yet), and none on nazi zombies. Great review, it's a shame it wasn't as good as you wanted it to be though I'm glad it was somewhat enjoyable .

[Karsa Orlong]

 

I haven't read any Nazi Zombies or Zombie Nazis books, I feel I should though, you know of any better then The Night Boat? I do love some of the brilliantly terrible films about them though!  

 

I can't remember reading any others

[Karsa Orlong]

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

 

 

 

1972 - Harper Voyager ebook - 145 pages

 

Thoughts:

 

It was a small town by a small river and a small lake in a small northern part of a Midwest state. There wasn't so much wilderness around you couldn't see the town. But on the other hand there wasn't so much town you couldn't see and feel and touch and smell the wilderness. The town was full of trees. And dry grass and dead flowers now that autumn was here. And full of fences to walk on and sidewalks to skate on and a large ravine to tumble in and yell across. And the town was full of...

Boys.

And it was the afternoon of Halloween.

And all the houses shut against a cool wind.

And the town was full of cold sunlight.

But suddenly, the day was gone.

Night came out from under each tree and spread.

 

 

Oh I just love the way he wrote     Those are the opening lines from this, one of his lesser known works.  It began life as a screenplay for an animated film that never got off the ground (there has since been an animated adaptation, made in 1992 and narrated by Bradbury himself) before he turned it into this novel for kids of all ages.

 

It's the story of eight boys, led by 13 year old Tom Skelton (Skeleton, geddit? ), setting off on Halloween for a bit of trick-or-treating.  Only there should be nine of them - the ninth boy, Pipkin (the 'greatest boy who ever lived'!), appears unwell, and tells them he'll meet them near the old haunted house at the edge of town (as you would!).  At the house they find the eponymous Halloween tree, full of thousands of jack-o'-lanterns, and there they meet the mysterious, friendly, and yet somehow sinister Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, who proceeds to take them on a magical adventure through time and various cultures to discover the origins of Halloween.

 

The wind outside nested in each tree, prowled the sidewalks in invisible treads like unseen cats.

 

 

Through his gorgeous, poetic prose, Bradbury creates atmosphere with ease, conjuring haunting images of autumns we can all recall from childhood, setting it in a timeless smalltown America full of warmth and love and yet with his knack for creating a hint of shadow, an undercurrent of darkness that infiltrates and pervades the innocent lives of these children.  And through this, somehow, he manages to celebrate life by celebrating death, and it touches on themes and emotions that I really didn't expect when I started it.

 

It's one fault, perhaps, is that in its brevity he never takes the time to delineate the characters.  Only Tom and Moundshroud really stand out and, although the others all have things to say, they all tend to sound the same.

 

Apart from that it is wonderful.  Hypnotic.  Magical. 

 

"If we fly fast, maybe we can catch Pipkin. Grab his sweet Halloween corn-candy soul. Bring him back, pop him in bed, toast him warm, save his breath. What say, lads? Search and seek for lost Pipkin, and solve Halloween, all in one fell dark blow?"

They thought of All Hallows' Night and the billion ghosts awandering the lonely lanes in cold winds and strange smokes.

They thought of Pipkin, no more than a thimbleful of boy and sheer summer delight, torn out like a tooth and carried off on a black tide of web and horn and black soot.

And, almost as one, they murmured: "Yes.” 

 

 

It was 99p when I bought the Kindle edition a week or so ago.  It's only £1.66 now.  Go on, if you've got a Kindle - buy it.  Curl up with it this coming Friday night, turn the lights down low, and enjoy a real treat.

 

 

9/10

 

 

[Athena]

This sounds really nice! Great review !

[Anna Begins]

Heck ya, I wanna read it!  Only offered as Audio over here, but that's ok, it is short.  Will have to check the budget  My reading has stalled this month, but an audiobook might work.  I've already listened to the sample and am drawn in.  You're right- great opening lines.

[Karsa Orlong]

Strange - when I looked on Amazon earlier it was £1.66, now it's back down to 99p again  Which is a good thing, of course! 

[Athena]

Strange - when I looked on Amazon earlier it was £1.66, now it's back down to 99p again  Which is a good thing, of course! 

I wish I could buy it for that . They'd charge me $ 6.20.

[Signor Finzione]

Ooh, The Halloween Tree sounds lovely.

[Karsa Orlong]

Ooh, The Halloween Tree sounds lovely.

 

Yeah, it really is.  I'm amazed there hasn't been a proper film version of it.  I can imagine what Tim Burton could do with it in a Nightmare Before Christmas/Corpse Bride way

[willoyd]

I've also given up on reading plans and trying to catalogue any kind of TBR list, it's just depressing. What I am doing at the moment is a list of books or series that I would like to read soon just so I don't forget about them. This is pretty flexible though.

I avoid changing scores, it's a good way of remembering how I felt about the book after reading it and not with several months hindsight. But I understand why you might want to stop altogether though.

That's a pretty good summary of where I'm at/going too. FWIW, the reason I sometimes change my 5star/6star scores is simply that 5 stars means outstanding: I tend to grade anything I think brilliant at that level pretty much immediately after reading. My 6 star scores are reserved for a short list of all-time favourites; I tend to leave considering upgrading to 6 stars until a while after reading, ie. a 5-star book that has got under my skin and stuck with me. Favourites are, for me, books that grow on you, and that can take a bit of time. Otherwise, ratings are pretty much an 'at-the-time' reaction, and stay that way!

 

The Halloween Tree sounds brilliant - am off to investigate!

Edited October 30, 2014 by willoyd

[poppyshake]

Yep .. great review of The Halloween Tree Steve .. I've just downloaded it (and no-one will be more surprised than my Kindle ) It'll be just the thing for a mini Halloween read-a-thon. If it scares me to death .. I (or my devastated loved ones) will hold you responsible   

[Karsa Orlong]

I've just downloaded it (and no-one will be more surprised than my Kindle )

I'm surprised on your Kindles' behalf  

 

 

If it scares me to death .. I (or my devastated loved ones) will hold you responsible   

 

  In retrospect I wish I'd saved it to read today    Mind you, given that the doorbell will probably ring every five minutes tonight, I probably wouldn't have got very far with it    

[Athena]

  In retrospect I wish I'd saved it to read today    Mind you, given that the doorbell will probably ring every five minutes tonight, I probably wouldn't have got very far with it    

Wow, I didn't know kids did that in the UK as well as the US. We don't have that here in the Netherlands, though Halloween items in shops seem to be getting more popular. I know there are some events for kids, but there's no ringing on doors as far as I know (but then, they probably wouldn't here anyway. Too little houses for too much area, exactly the same reason why we don't have cable or fast internet).

 

Good luck! I mean, I hope it won't be too annoying to answer the door a lot.

[willoyd]

Wow, I didn't know kids did that in the UK as well as the US.

A recent phenomenon, and high on my list of 'most annoying import' from the US.

[Ben]

I'd just like to thank you Steve for the review of The Halloween Tree. Recently read Fahrenheit 451 and loved his writing style. Just downloaded THT for tonight on your recommendation--sounds perfect for a little Halloween treat.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Ben

[Karsa Orlong]

Hope you enjoy it, Ben