Tagesmann's book lists

[dom]

Books read in 2004.

 

Twelve by Nick McDonell

One Man's Justice by Akira Yoshimura

The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

The Lord Of The Rings by JRR Tolkein

Thanksgiving by Michael Dibdin

The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)

Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)

Dream Country by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)

Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)

A Game Of You by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)

Fables and Reflections by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)

Brief Lives by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)

Worlds' End by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)

The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)

The Wake by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel)

A Study In Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle (e-book)

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell

B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton

Sharpe's Triumph by Bernard Cornwell

C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

Sharpe's Fortress by Bernard Cornwell

The Sign Of The Four by Arthur Conan Doyle (e-book)

D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton

Sharpe's Trafalgar by Bernard Cornwell

E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton

The Adventures Of Sherlock Homes by Arthur Conan Doyle (e-book)

Sharpe's Prey by Bernard Cornwell

F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton

Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell

The Memoirs Of Sherlock Homes by Arthur Conan Doyle (e-book)

G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton

Sharpe's Eagle by Bernard Cornwell

The Hound Of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (e-book)

H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton

Sharpe's Gold by Bernard Cornwell

I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton

Sharpe's Havoc by Bernard Cornwell

J is for Judgement by Sue Grafton

Sharpe's Escape by Bernard Cornwell

K is for Killer by Sue Grafton

The Return Of Sherlock Homes by Arthur Conan Doyle (e-book)

Pompeii by Robert Harris

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (e-book)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Tears Of The Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith

Morality For Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith

Absolute Friends by John le Carré

Morgan's Run by Colleen McCullough

Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas (e-book)

For The Term Of His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke

[dom]

Books read in 2005

 

Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka

Autumn Bridge by Takashi Matsuoka

The Boy-Bishop's Glovemaker by Michael Jecks

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro (Bookray)

The Bird Artist by Howard Norman (Bookray)

The Way the Crow Flies by Anne-Marie McDonald (Bookring)

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (Bookray)

My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin (Bookring)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (e-book)

Birds of Prey by Wilbur Smith

Monsoon by Wilbur Smith

Blue Horizon by Wilbur Smith

The Triumph Of The Sun by Wilbur Smith

Sharpe's Battle by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Company by Bernard Cornwell

L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton

Sharpe's Sword by Bernard Cornwell

The God Boy by Ian Cross (Bookring)

A History of The Soviet Union 1917-1991 by Geoffrey Hosking

Swamp Thing Volume 1 (graphic novel)

Swamp Thing Volume 2 (graphic novel)

Swamp Thing Volume 3 (graphic novel)

Swamp Thing Volume 4 (graphic novel)

Swamp Thing Volume 5 (graphic novel)

Swamp Thing Volume 6 (graphic novel)

Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan

Broken Angels by Richard Morgan

Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas (e-book)

Grass For His Pillow by Lian Hearn

Brilliance Of The Moon by Lian Hearn

The Fencing Master by Arturo Perez-Reverte (bookring)

Woken Furies by Richard Morgan

Sharpe's Enemy by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Honour by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Regiment by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Siege by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Revenge by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Waterloo by Bernard Cornwell

Wolves Eat Dogs by Martin Cruz Smith

Sharpe's Devil by Bernard Cornwell

[dom]

Books read in 2006

 

1. South Of The Border, West Of The Sun by Haruki Murakami (bookray)

2. The Dead Heart by Douglas Kennedy (bookring)

3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

4. Neverhwere by Neil Gaiman

5. The Kalahari Typing School For Men by Alexander McCall Smith

6. The Full Cupboard Of Life by Alexander McCall Smith

7. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (audiobook read by Emelia Fox)

8. In The Company Of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

9. Torpedo Run by Douglas Reeman (audiobook read by David Rintoul)

10. The Constant Gardener by John le Carre

11. The Ipcress File by Len Deighton (audiobook read by Paul Daneman)

12. The Colour by Rose Tremain

13. Atonement by Ian McEwan (bookring)

14. An Equal Music by Vikram Seth (audiobook read by Robert Powell)

15. The Seville Communion by Arturo Perez-Reverte (bookring)

16. The Touch by Colleen McCullough

17. Billion Dollar Brain by Len Deighton (audiobook read by Paul Daneman)

18. The Dumas Club by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (bookray)

19. This Is The Grass by Alan Marshall

20. The Guests Of War by Kit Pearson (bookring)

21. The Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd (booking)

22. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters (audiobook read by Juanita McMahon)

23. Empire I: Midshipman by Richard Stotts (e-book)

24. Empire II: Heir To The Throne by Richard Stotts (e-book)

25. Empire III: Majesty by Richard Stotts (e-book)

26. Libby Tubberman At Large by Justin jones (e-book)

27. Empire IV: A'chon by Richard Stotts (e-book)

28. Stripped: Depeche Mode by Jonathan Miller

29. Empire V: Citizens Of The Empire by Richard Stotts (e-book)

30. One Night @ The Call Center by Chetan Bhagat (bookring)

31. Around The World In 80 Days by Michael Palin (audiobook read by Michael Palin)

32. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling

33. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

34. In Mine Own Heart by Alan Marshall

35. Ten Years Later by Alexandre Dumas (e-book)

36. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

37. Funeral In Berlin by Len Deighton (audiobook read by Paul Daneman)

38. Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire by JK Rowling

39. The Ten Thousand by Michael Curtis Ford (bookring)

40. Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix by JK Rowling

41. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling

42. An Artist Of The Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (bookring)

43. Holes by Louis Sacher (bookring)

44. The White Russian by Tom Bradby (audiobook read by Robert Powell)

45. The Accidental by Ali Smith

46. Pole To Pole by Michael Palin (audiobook read by Michael Palin)

47. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Spy by Len Deighton (audiobook read by Paul Daneman)

48. The Golden Mountain by Irene Kai (audiobook read by Anna Fields)

49. A Friend Of The Earth by TC Boyle (bookring)

50. Death In A Strange Country by Donna Leon (audiobook read by Anna Fields)

51. Tokyo by Mo Hayder (bookring)

52. Full Circle by Michael Palin (audiobook read by Michael Palin)

53. Alfot by Chang-Rae Lee (bookring)

[dom]

My Wish List.

 

Can be found here.

[dom]

Books to be read can be found here.

 

I've just spent a couple of days sorting out my loft. As a result, I have sorted out my TBRs from those I have read. I would have posted it here but as it is now up to 422 books, it would have been too long. The list includes books MOH has read that I plan to read but does not include e-books that I have downloaded or books that I have read before but am planning to read again either because I am working my way through a series for which I have unread books (e.g. Michael Dibden, Sue Grafton) or just want to read again (e.g. JK Rowling). Also I get audiobooks from the library to listen to in the car.

 

I think that based on my current reading speed I should have cleared Mount TBR by 2016.

[dom]

Books read in 2007.

 

30. Himalaya by Michael Palin (unabridged audiobook read by Michael Palin) ***

29. The Master Butchers Singing Club by Loyise Erdrich (bookring) ***

28. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (unabridged audiobook read by Frederick Davidson) *****

27. Balzac And the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie (Tr. Ina Rilke) (BGO read) ****

26. Winter by Len Deighton ****

25. The War Of the Worlds by HG Wells (e-book) **

24. Cabal by Michael Dibden ***

23. London Match by Len Deighton ****

22. The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. II by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill (graphic novel) **

21. The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill (graphic novel) ***

20. Fluke by Christopher Moore (bookring) **

19. The Jacaranda Tree by HE Bates (bookring) ***

18. The Man In The Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas *

17. Protector by Larry Niven (bookring) ***

16. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (BGO read) ****

15. The Quest by Wilbur Smith **

14. In The Country Of Men by Hisham Matar (bookring) **

13. Daisy's Wars by Meg Henderson (unabridged audiobook read by Phoebe James) ****

12. Vendetta by Michael Dibden ***

11. Take Me With You by Brad Newsham (BGO read) **

10. Mexico Set by Len Deighton **

9. Sahara by Michael Palin (abridged audibook read by Michael Palin) **

8. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth ***

7. A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami (unabridged audiobook read by Rupert Degas) ***

6. Death At La Fenice by Donna Leon ***

5. Hemingway Adventure by Michael Palin (unabridged audiobook read by Michael Palin) **

4. Louise de Valliere by Alexandre Dumas *

3. SS-GB by Len Deighton (unabridged audiobook read by James Faulkner) ***

2. Ratking by Michael Dibden ***

1. Berlin Game by Len Deighton ***

[dom]

I started reading The Three Musketeers in 2004 after downloading a digital edition from Project Gutenberg. I enjoyed the book so much that I decided to read the other two novels Twenty Years After and The Man In The Iron Mask. The latter I read in the four volume edition (consisting The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Ten Years Later, Louise de Valliere & The Man In The Iron Mask). And I've finally finished.

 

I thought Twenty Years After was another good story although it did drag at times. As for the various novels in The Man In The Iron Mask, I have to say I was disappointed. Apart from the sheer length, this wasn't so much a story of heroes as political and romantic intrigues.

 

If anyone is contemplating reading these, I would recommend the first two novels but advise you to avoid the third.

[dom]

The moonstone is a yellow diamond of unearthly beauty brought from India and given to Rachel Verrinder as an eighteenth birthday present, but the fabled diamond carries with it a terrible curse.

Very enjoyable, right from the start. The book is "narrated" by a number of different characters who are involved in the story. Some of these narratives are very amusing and the change of styles works well.

However I liked certain parts less than others and it had the usual weaknesses of most 19th Century detective novels. Otherwise a good story with a good plot and a good solution. But I had guessed very early who it was; I just didn't know how... Then I was a tad disappointed with the explanation .

My first suspect, who I didn't decide on him until quite late in the book, turned out to be guilty. I wasn't thrown by those tricks that authors like to use to mislead the reader. However, I didn't know why or how he had committed the crime.

[dom]

Egypt is struck by a series of terrible plagues that cripple the Kingdom, and then the ultimate disaster follows. The Nile fails. The waters that nourish and sustain the land dry up. Something catastrophic is taking place in the distant and totally unexplored depths of Africa from where the mighty river springs.

In desperation Pharoah sends for Taita, the only man who might be able to win through to the source of the Nile and discover the cause of all their woes. None of them can have any idea of what a terrible enemy lies in ambush for The Warlock in those mysterious lands at the end of their world.

The Quest continues the story of The Warlock, Taita, wise in the lore of the ancient Gods and a master of magic and the supernatural. It follows on from River God, The Seventh Scroll and Warlock.

Wilbur Smith is my favourite author. This is the fourth novel in his Egypt series.

I am afraid that I was disappointed with this. It is the first of Mr Smith's novels that I have felt that way about and I have read them all. I think my problem was with the witchcraft and magic and this wasn't a feature of the earlier novels in the series. I had liked their reliance on religion and the science of the time and this was just fantasy.

I can't wait for his next.

[dom]

His masterly account of a cruel flight from invasion.

Paterson, manager of a small rice-mill, organizes the evacuation of a small English community when Japanese forces invade Burma.

Paterson takes with him his Burmese mistress and her young brother. The rest of the party take along their prejudices, their pettiness and their squabbles, and a small enclave of English insularity moves north through Burma.

Swiftly and inevitably the journey becomes a tragic working out of tension and insoluble conflict.

I had only read one other novel by HE Bates before this (Fair Stood The Winds For France) and as I enjoyed that so much I thought I would give this a try. This isn't a long novel and the events take place over a few days. After, what I thought, was a slow start the story picked up pace and moved along to a good conclusion. A very simple story, well-told. If you have been put off trying HE Bates because of The Darling Buds Of May, this might be a good introduction to the other side of this underrated author.

[dom]

Set in 1979 this novel tells the story of the opposition to Gaddafi's regime through the eyes of nine-year-old Suileiman. While book is well written and has an easy style, I found it difficult to engage with the narrator, perhaps because of his age and perhaps because he wasn't written as a likeable boy. However, the description of what a family goes through when one of its members has perhaps been arrested by the authorities is brilliantly realised.

[dom]

I've just finished listening to an excellent audiobook of this novel that was read by Frederick Davidson. It was unabridged and lasted for 36 hours 13 minutes.

The narrator handled all of the characters very well even if some of the female characters sounded a bit weak.

I haven't read any Dickens for a long time. I have problems committing to long works. So I thought I would try an audiobook. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it worked really well. The medium could have been made for Dickens.

 

This is a fantastic story which I thoroughly enjoyed. It tells the story of David Copperfield (in the first person) from childhood to adulthood. The characters (minor and major) and so well imagined that you can't help but believe that they could be real. The villains of the piece are particularly well drawn and believable. But what stood out for me was how Dickens used the comedic features of many of the characters. This book is so funny.