Claire's Book List 2015

[frankie]

Shut the front door... Do you mean to imply you already read the book?? Man, you're a lean mean reading machine!  

[chesilbeach]

I was already 75 pages in, but even so, it just flew by.  It really goes to show how a different frame of mind can affect my reading.

[Athena]

Well done Claire ! I'm glad you enjoyed the book.

 

Shut the front door... Do you mean to imply you already read the book?? Man, you're a lean mean reading machine!

On a completely unrelated note, I thought "shut the front door" is a weird expression, but I just looked it up and now know what it means . I've just not seen it used before on this forum, and by a Finn no less (is it Finn with double 'nn' in English? In Dutch it would have only one 'n'). I think I've heard it being used on some American TV or website on occasion. [ / off topic rambling ]

[Nollaig]

Just looked up One Last Thing Before You Go... sounds interesting, I'll be keeping an eye out for your review

 

Enjoy your next read!

[chesilbeach]

The World That Was Ours by Hilda Bernstein
 
Synopsis (from www.persephonebooks.co.uk):
The World that was Ours is about the events leading up to the 1964 Rivonia Trial when Hilda Bernstein's husband Rusty was acquitted but Mandela and the 'men of Rivonia' received life sentences. 'This passionately political memoir,' observed The Times, 'is vibrant with the dilemmas of everyday family life, quick-witted dialogue, fast-paced adventure and novelistic detail.' Yet the political background is not dwelt on: it is simply taken for granted that civilised South Africans fought apartheid and the uncivilised propped it up. The main strength of the book is as an outstanding personal memoir; in this respect it bears comparison with autobiographies by Nadezhda Mandelstam and Christabel Bielenberg.
 
Review:
I found this book completely engrossing.  Although I remember apartheid in South Africa (particularly when I was a teenager, when we all sang along with Free Nelson Mandela by The Specials), I don't really know that much about the politics of SA and nothing about how Mandela came to be imprisoned, so reading about it here was informative, but because the focus is on Hilda and her husband Rusty, you get a different perspective than a straight forward account of the trial.  It's obviously a single person perspective, but that doesn't detract or make me feel that I wanted to know more about the other side of the story.
 
The writing is lovely, and the story is so compelling, so the pages just fly by.  House arrests, curfews, held for ninety days without charge, unable to work, it's just hard to comprehend how you could even survive.  I can't imagine what it would be like to live is the society the Bernstein's did, but I can understand how emotionally and physically draining the whole process must have been, and Hilda's account demonstrates the toll it takes on her.  
 
I never would have read this book unless it was on the Persephone list, so yet again, I'm delighted to have found their books and by how they have broadened my reading.

[chesilbeach]

Finished The Gallery of Vanished Husbands today … another review I'll write later on … hoping to catch up over the next few days

 

The book jar has been very kind to me and my latest pick is The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gorman!   

[chesilbeach]

http://www.theguardian.com/books/quiz/2015/apr/20/rewritten-classic-fiction-quz

 

I never realised how many rewritten classics I'd read or knew about!  I got 10 out of 10 for this quiz, and only two answers were guesses!

[chesilbeach]

The book jar has given me Wuthering Heights as my next read.  It's one of the ones I was dreading.  I read it when I was 19 and hated it.  I can't even remember the details of why I took such a dislike to it, but I know it made me miserable.  I have a very distinct memory of being on the bus on the way to work and reading it, and desperately wanting to give up, but back then I never abandoned books.

 

When it came up on the English Counties Challenge list, I was in two minds as to whether to chose it or whether to pick a Brontë I hadn't read before, but it was a free Kindle book, so I thought I might give it another go.  Now it's come up, I'm not so sure.  It's one of the few books I've tried to read that gives me a sinking feeling in my stomach every time I pick it up.  I thought I'd be okay with it this time, now it was a book jar book, but I went to pick it up this morning to start it, and there is that feeling again.  I'm on a roll at the moment with an especially good batch of books, and I fear that this would take me a couple of weeks to read and ruin my enthusiasm.

 

I'm wondering whether to go for an audiobook instead … I already know the story, and I get on well with classics on audio, but it would cost me more money to buy it, and if I hated it, then that would feel like a waste too.

 

I'd really like to read Agnes Grey or The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, so there are other options for the challenge, but I feel like I *should* read WH again.  I'm tempted to put it back in the jar and try for another pick just this once, and make the decision at a later date.

[Athena]

Awww, I'm sorry you're feeling so bad about it . You could try reading a few pages, see how that goes? An audiobook is an option but it would cost you more. You could try to watch a video on Youtubem a free audiobook (I don't know about the quality of this as I have my audio turned off, perhaps the narrators are volunteers so they might not sound as good as the professionals, I'm not sure of that.). You could listen to something like this for a little while, to see if the story is interesting enough to keep going (ie. if you think you like what you're hearing and want something more professional, you could buy the audio book).

 

If you don't like the book after a little while though, or if you don't like the audiobook either, then maybe it'd be best to read something instead that you think you will enjoy. Reading should be fun after all (unless one needs to read something for school, university or job or such).

[chesilbeach]

Decided to pick another book from the jar, and first off I picked Heap House which I'd already read (well, started and abandoned), so I tried again, and came up with Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren.  Read the first four chapters this morning, but then later on, was sat on the bench, and decided I'd have a look at my Kindle, and Val McDermid's modern retelling of Northanger Abbey jumped out at me, and I read the first page, and was hooked, so I'm now reading this one too.  

 

Postponing West Yorkshire … decision pending. 

[Nollaig]

I'm sorry you have such bad memories of Wuthering Heights - I love that book so so much! If you do decide to give it another go, I hope you enjoy it more than last time.

[Anna Begins]

I'm sorry you have such bad memories of Wuthering Heights - I love that book so so much! If you do decide to give it another go, I hope you enjoy it more than last time.

I'm sorry too, I did like the book as well. 

 

came up with Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren.  Read the first four chapters this morning, but then later on, was sat on the bench, and decided I'd have a look at my Kindle, and Val McDermid's modern retelling of Northanger Abbey jumped out at me, and I read the first page, and was hooked, so I'm now reading this one too.  

But glad you found a read (or two) to enjoy.

[chesilbeach]

Thanks all.  I'm still not sure I'll actually try reading Wuthering Heights again, but I'm really pleased to have put it aside for now.

 

I finished Pippi Longstocking this morning, and I'm really enjoying Northanger Abbey brought into the social media age!

[chesilbeach]

Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid was fabulous, I enjoyed it immensely, and it was my 50th book of the year.

Just had a nice little session checking my book lists, then sorting out the book jar (taking out the books I've read without picking them out of the jar and making sure all my new books had been added), so I now know I have 44 books left in the jar to pick from, plus 9 I've set aside for holiday reading and 3 that are books in a series where I'm waiting to buy earlier books in the series before reading them.

Decided to pick my next book from the jar, and it's come up with The Beautifull Cassandra by Jane Austen … what a coincidence!

[Athena]

I hope you enjoy The Beautiful Cassandra, I haven't heard of that one I must admit .

[chesilbeach]

Short and sweet, I've already finished The Beautifull Cassandra (in my defence, it's only 54 pages long ).

 

Gone back to the book jar, and have picked out House-Bound by Winifred Peck, which is another from my Persephone TBR.

[chesilbeach]

The Curate's Wife by E. H. Young
 
Dahlia has just married Cecil, the curate of the parish.  The book starts on their first day home after their honeymoon, and you realise immediately that this marriage has baggage with it.  Dahlia's mother has a past that has tainted the reputation of her daughters, and unable to face living with their mother and her new husband, the girls have been forced to find new homes, which has led Dahlia to marry Cecil, who fell in love with this beautiful girl, while Dahlia knows she must make the best of her new life.
 
Another of E. H. Young's novels set in Clifton, Bristol, although it's never mentioned as such, I could again picture the setting and felt I could see my old stomping ground on the page. 
 
I loved this book, probably even more that Celia.  It's very much a story of the early months of a marriage already under strain before it's started, due to Dahlia's mother's indiscretion, and the disapproval of the wife of the vicar Cecil works for, and this is very much a look at their parochial society.  I felt there was a touch more humour in The Curate's Wife than in Celia, but there were also some much stronger scenes between husband and wife, but mostly told through their thoughts rather than their dialogue, so you felt more involved than you might if you just saw that they said to each other.  It's quite intense at times, and you see these little glimpses of a very real relationship and conversation.
 
I'm so glad my book jar has finally got me started reading my E. H. Young books, as I'm really enjoying them.  One of my favourite books of the year so far.

[chesilbeach]

One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper
 
Synopsis (from amazon.co.uk):
Meet Silver. Forty-four, divorced and living alone. His once celebrated music career is now a faded memory and his ex-wife is about to marry another man. The only good thing in Silver's life is his Princeton-bound teenage daughter, Casey - and she would probably say the exact opposite about him. So in Silver's opinion, things could be going better ... a lot better.
 
Then Casey drops a bombshell: she's pregnant. Yes, it was her first time, and, no, she hasn't told her mom. Silver knows things have got to change, and when he discovers he has a fatal heart condition that means he could drop dead at any minute, he decides it's time to make a list:
 
1. Be a better father
2. Be a better man
3. Fall in love
4. Die
 
But the question is, can Silver rebuild his life, regain the respect of his family, and be there for Casey when she needs him most, or has he left it all too late?
 
Review:
This book was a perfect example of why I should give books a second chance!  I bought it last summer and read about 50 pages and put it aside because I hadn't found it engaging, and it felt as though nothing had happened.  I put it aside, but when I created my book jar, I added it as I thought I'd probably give it another go, and I'm so glad I did.  When I picked it up again, I was obviously in a completely different frame of mind, as I got into it almost immediately, and finished it the next day.
 
Despite the fact that this is a book about a man who has found out he has a very serious heart problem, it actually reads like a romantic comedy, with some family drama thrown in.  It makes a refreshing change to read this type of book from a male perspective, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It's not too taxing to read, and the pages fly by, but I felt an affection for Silver and his family and friends, and as the book goes on, I got more and more involved.  I'm not going to say what the ending is, obviously, but I loved it.  I never expected to end how it did, but I'm so glad, as it left me exactly where I wanted to be with the Silver's story.
 
This is the second book I've read of Jonathan Tropper's and I won't hesitate to buy another if I see one in the bookshop.  

[chesilbeach]

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons

 

Synopsis (from amazon.co.uk):

At thirty a woman has a directness in her eye. Juliet Montague did anyhow. She knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted to buy a refrigerator.  But in a rash moment, Juliet commissions a portrait of herself instead. She has been closeted by her conservative Jewish community for too long, ever since her husband disappeared. Now she is ready to be seen.

 

So begins the journey of a suburban wife and mother into the heart of '60s London and its thriving art world, where she proves an astute spotter of talent. Yet she remains an outsider: drawn to a reclusive artist who never leaves Dorset and unable to feel free until she has tracked down her husband - a quest that leads to California and a startling discovery.

 

Review:

I'm in two minds about this book.  On the one hand, I enjoyed reading it, it flowed very well and I never felt it a struggle to read.  On the other hand, I never felt that compulsion to read it and it hasn't left a lasting impression on me.

 

I think, if I'm honest, I never felt completely convinced by Juliet and her story, and although an interesting look at the changing society of the 1960s in London, while Juliet always slightly remained an outsider, I also felt an outsider to her story, and I never completely connected with her as a character.  The startling discovery about her husband wasn't that startling to me, but I wonder if that's because I'm reading it in the twenty first century, and not in the period when it's set.  I enjoyed the art world setting, the different styles and lives of the artists, and the description of some of the artworks and I liked how the story was tied into the various portraits of Juliet. 

 

But, overall, I did enjoy it, although not as much as I enjoyed her previous books.

[Anna Begins]

Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid was fabulous, I enjoyed it immensely, and it was my 50th book of the year.

OF THE YEAR!!   Amazing! 

[Athena]

Great reviews ! The Jonathan Tropper book sounds nice, my library has a few of his books (in English!) so I'll loan one of them some time (I don't know if they have this specific one, I'll have to look) .

[frankie]

 

On a completely unrelated note, I thought "shut the front door" is a weird expression, but I just looked it up and now know what it means . I've just not seen it used before on this forum, and by a Finn no less (is it Finn with double 'nn' in English? In Dutch it would have only one 'n'). I think I've heard it being used on some American TV or website on occasion. [ / off topic rambling ]

 

I love it when people say 'Shut the front door ' It always makes me laugh

 

Yes, it's Finn with two n's in English Fin would be a part of fish, with a capital F. We like to set ourselves apart from ze swimming water livers...  

 

One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper

 

 

Review:

This book was a perfect example of why I should give books a second chance!  I bought it last summer and read about 50 pages and put it aside because I hadn't found it engaging, and it felt as though nothing had happened.  I put it aside, but when I created my book jar, I added it as I thought I'd probably give it another go, and I'm so glad I did.  When I picked it up again, I was obviously in a completely different frame of mind, as I got into it almost immediately, and finished it the next day.

 

Despite the fact that this is a book about a man who has found out he has a very serious heart problem, it actually reads like a romantic comedy, with some family drama thrown in.  It makes a refreshing change to read this type of book from a male perspective, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It's not too taxing to read, and the pages fly by, but I felt an affection for Silver and his family and friends, and as the book goes on, I got more and more involved.  I'm not going to say what the ending is, obviously, but I loved it.  I never expected to end how it did, but I'm so glad, as it left me exactly where I wanted to be with the Silver's story.

 

This is the second book I've read of Jonathan Tropper's and I won't hesitate to buy another if I see one in the bookshop.  

 

I'm so happy you enjoyed this! And you're right, a second chance can sometimes make a world of difference! Sometimes it's the third, or the fourth chance... It's so incredible but wonderful how differently you view a book at some other time. It's scary though, when it goes the other way... When you re-read a favorite book and don't like it at all as much as you did the first time ...  

 

Looking forward to stalking you to see if and when you read another Tropper book  

[Athena]

Yes, it's Finn with two n's in English Fin would be a part of fish, with a capital F. We like to set ourselves apart from ze swimming water livers...

Haha .

 

That's very true, about giving books a second chance, sometimes it makes a lot of difference and you end up liking the book a lot more than the first time you tried to read it . It's true, it can also go the other way .

[chesilbeach]

I'm so happy you enjoyed this! And you're right, a second chance can sometimes make a world of difference! Sometimes it's the third, or the fourth chance... It's so incredible but wonderful how differently you view a book at some other time. It's scary though, when it goes the other way... When you re-read a favorite book and don't like it at all as much as you did the first time ...  

I think two times would be my limit - I don't think I could face picking up a book a third time despite the difference in how I felt with this book on the second attempt.

 

Looking forward to stalking you to see if and when you read another Tropper book  

It might be a while, but I'm sure I will pick up another one at some point.

[chesilbeach]

Have had a monster reading week … I love holiday reading!

 

In the last week, I've read:

 

The Ghost and Lady Alice by M. C. Beaton

The Bloody Tower by Carola Dunn

Lady Lucy's Lover by M. C. Beaton

The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Chocolate Debutante by M. C. Beaton

Obsidian Curse by Barbra Annino

Summer at the Beach Street Café by Jenny Colgan

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The Viscount's Revenge by M. C. Beaton

The Boy in the Smoke by Maureen Johnson

The Green Hill Murder by Kerry Greenwood

The Black Ship by Carola Dunn

A Marriage of Inconvenience by M. C. Beaton

A Governess of Distinction by M. C. Beaton

 

I don't like to read serious books that require concentration on holiday, I like to be entertained and just relax, so there's a lot of romantic comedies and historical crime in there!   Good to catch up with the next couple of Daisy Dalrymple murder mysteries, and also the next Phryne Fisher book too.  I won't review all these books, and I'm way behind with others too, but I'll try and catch up later.