Janet's Log - Stardate 2015

[Athena]

It's great the three of you had a great time meeting up !

[bobblybear]

I didn't read any of the spoilers on We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, as I have it on my TBR pile to read. I've always felt lukewarm towards reading it, but I love the cover.

[Janet]

Do you know much about the book, Janet? It's written in two parts and half the books have been printed with one part at the beginning and the other half with the other half at the beginning, and the ebooks give you the option of which part you read first, without actually telling you anything about either part. Not sure which part you read in the sample, but I suspect from your comment, I know which one it was. I loved it, but then I love Smith so probably a teensy bit biased.    Hope you get on better with it once you get into it.

Claire - the first part is narrated by someone called Francesco.  I don't have a degree, but neither am I stupid, but I don't understand what on earth it's going on about.   It seems to make no sense at all and just seems like a string of unconnected words.    I'm loathe to give up on it at 6% because it's for book club, but I just don't want to pick up my Kindle to read it.  Also there don't seem to be any breaks in it - it says I have 6 hours and 20 minutes left in this chapter.   Help!

[chesilbeach]

You're reading it the same way that I did  In the first half, it's similar to stream of consciousness (I think that's what it's called?) writing, so she's stripped out a lot of the punctuation and grammar and just written it as if you're in Francesco's mind.  I can understand why you're finding it difficult, and I have to say, I actually started the book again as I put it aside for a couple of weeks and came back to it and found I needed to go back to the beginning to get back into it, but set aside a chunk of time to get into the right mindset.  It's typical of Smith to set aside our conventions of structure and format when it comes to writing, and I find that I just have to immerse myself in it and read long sections at a time.  The second half will be set in the modern day and be "normal" in its form, and you'll probably find it much easier to read.  The book can actually be read either way around, so if you want, you could go to the modern day section and read that first, then come back to the historical part.  Just a note on the Kindle edition, it's actually the same book twice, but the first half is the historical then the modern day, and the second half is the modern day followed by the historical, so you've actually got 12% of the way through, if that makes sense.
 
A lot of her writing plays with our notions of conventions in language and structure, and I think this is her most ambitious yet.  It's definitely not for everyone, and I have to put aside all my preconceptions about writing when I read her books, but for me, it's worth the challenge to my reading experience, as I connect to her stories emotionally.  I'm not the cleverest person (I don't have a degree either!) and I don't think that matters.  I think it's just something you either enjoy delving into or you don't.  I wouldn't blame you for not reading it, even as a book group book, or even just reading the modern day section.

[Nollaig]

...I am extremely intrigued by this book.

[Janet]

Thanks for your reply and all the useful info contained therein, Claire.     I will see if I can have a good go at it tomorrow afternoon and maybe that will help.  I'm loathe to give up on it after such a short period of time. 

 

Noll - it's definitely an odd one.  Maybe have a look at the 'look inside' feature on Amazon - that'll give you a taste of it.

[Nollaig]

I read a little bit, but on that Look Inside bit it's not even in pages, let alone chapters. I see what you mean, but I think I can follow it, sort of. If nothing else I might give it a go as a prelude to reading a more difficult version of the same writing style in another book that I have sitting on my TBR shelf. 

[chesilbeach]

Thanks for your reply and all the useful info contained therein, Claire.     I will see if I can have a good go at it tomorrow afternoon and maybe that will help.  I'm loathe to give up on it after such a short period of time.

 

You're welcome. Like you, I always try to read at least a good chunk of a book group book if I can, so even if I disliked it, I can at least discuss why, but I would still rather give up part way through than suffer a book needlessly. At least with this one, you can always try the modern day half as well, even if you can't get through the historical section, so it would get a bit of a second chance!

[Janet]

 

Prester John by John Buckan

 

The ‘blurb’

South Africa at the turn of the century. Crawfurd, his studies interrupted by his father's death, is off to work as a storekeeper. But a strange encounter and the whispers he hears on the journey tell him that Blaauwildebeestefontein may not be as predictable as he has supposed.

 

As a teen, David Crawfurd lives in a small Scottish village where his father is the local Minister.  Visiting the Kirk is a black pastor, Reverend John Laputa and one evening during his stay, David and his friends witness a sinister event on the beach.  Laputa chases them but fails to catch them.

 

Some years later, at the age of 19, and following the death of his father, Crawfurd heads to South Africa to take up a post as the assistant store keeper at a remote village called Blaauwildebeestefontein.  There are only a couple of other white men there – the store keeper himself and a teacher.  There is a great deal of unrest in the area due to a Zulu uprising and Crawfurd suspects the store keeper is somehow involved, but as he sets out to discover exactly what is going on, he risks putting himself in grave danger…

 

I wrongly thought this was my Grandad’s favourite book when he was a teen but it turns out it was actually my Mum’s and she read it many times. I had read The Thirty Nine Steps quite a few years ago and very much enjoyed it so I thought I’d try something else by Buchan.  Originally written as a story for children and (I believe) published in a boys’ magazine in instalments, this is a ripping yarn.   By today’s standards it is rather racist, but the reader has to accept that it is ‘of it’s time’ and in doing that it can be enjoyed for what it is – a fairly fast pace and exciting thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed.  I shall definitely be looking out for more of Buchan’s works, many of which are free on Kindle.

 

The Kindle edition is 232 pages long.  It was first published in 1910.  The ASIN is B0082Z5JHO.   It is currently out of print.

 

4/5 (I very much enjoyed it)

 

(Finished 4 July 2015)

[Janet]

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

The ‘blurb’
Agatha Christie’s first Tommy and Tuppence mystery adventure, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.

Tommy and Tuppence, two young people short of money and restless for excitement, embark on a daring business scheme – Young Adventurers Ltd.

Their advertisement says they are ‘willing to do anything, go anywhere’. But their first assignment, for the sinister Mr Whittington, plunges them into more danger than they ever imagined…

Generally, I love a good TV production of Agatha Christie – I have particular fondness for Poirot played by David Suchet and have also enjoyed Joan Hickson’s Marple (and other productions) in the past, so when I heard that the BBC were about to show a new drama based on Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence characters I thought I’d read the first book.

Having not seen one another for many years, Tommy and Tuppence bump into one another at a train station after Tommy is demobbed from the army and neither of them having work they decide to set up in business offering their services to “do anything and go anywhere”. They are overheard discussing their plans and are engaged to trace a young woman called Jane Finn who is missing after a man on the Lusitania entrusts some papers that are a matter of national security to her, believing she is the best chance for their safety.

As Tommy and Tuppence embark on their quest to find out what happened to Jane and the papers they are drawn into a dangerous race to find the missing woman before the mysterious Mr Brown, who is also searching for her, gets to her first.

I really enjoyed this Christie. The 2015 BBC adaptation isn’t the only one – there was one back in the ‘80s. I must admit I hadn’t heard of Tommy and Tuppence before and having read it I wasn’t sure why they hadn’t been more popular. As for the BBC adaptation – well, the first three episodes were based on this adventure but apart from the character names, it bore very little resemblance to the original. A shame really – I don’t understand why whoever adapted it felt the need to make changes to what was a very enjoyable and plausible story by the woman who is arguably the Queen of Crime.

The paperback edition is 400 pages long and is published by Harper. It was first published in 1922. The ISBN is 9780007111466. I downloaded it free from Project Gutenberg and read it on my Kindle.

4/5 (I really enjoyed it)

(Finished 11 July 2015)
 

[Janet]

You're reading it the same way that I did  In the first half, it's similar to stream of consciousness (I think that's what it's called?) writing, so she's stripped out a lot of the punctuation and grammar and just written it as if you're in Francesco's mind.  I can understand why you're finding it difficult, and I have to say, I actually started the book again as I put it aside for a couple of weeks and came back to it and found I needed to go back to the beginning to get back into it, but set aside a chunk of time to get into the right mindset.  It's typical of Smith to set aside our conventions of structure and format when it comes to writing, and I find that I just have to immerse myself in it and read long sections at a time.  The second half will be set in the modern day and be "normal" in its form, and you'll probably find it much easier to read.  The book can actually be read either way around, so if you want, you could go to the modern day section and read that first, then come back to the historical part.  Just a note on the Kindle edition, it's actually the same book twice, but the first half is the historical then the modern day, and the second half is the modern day followed by the historical, so you've actually got 12% of the way through, if that makes sense.

Claire - I have finished part 1.  I HAVE FINISHED PART 1!   

 

I'm some way in to part two and I'm enjoying that so much more! Phew - I'm glad I had them this way round!

[chesilbeach]

WOOHOO!!!!   

 

I'm glad you persevered and are enjoying the second half.

[Janet]

Thanks for the encouragement.    Book Club is next Wednesday - whatever I end up thinking, I definitely think it'll make for good discussion. 

[Janet]

The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine

The ‘blurb’

You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of Sinclair’s department store!

Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and MYSTERIES around every corner. WONDER at the daring theft of the priceless CLOCKWORK SPARROW! TREMBLE as the most DASTARDLY criminals in London enact their wicked plans! GASP as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, CRACK CODES, DEVOUR ICED BUNS and vow to bring the villains to justice…

Brought up in comfort, Sophie’s life takes a different direction when her father dies, leaving her penniless. She has to leave behind the life she knew and move into rented ‘digs’ and find a job to support herself. She finds a position at Sinclair’s department store and apart from a bit of trouble with some of the other girls who accuse her of being snobby she settles in well. However, a daring robbery from the store changes things and Sophie - together with her new friend Lil and Billy, apprentice porter - must solve the theft to prevent her from losing everything all over again.

I must admit that I was drawn to the cover of this excellent young adult mystery book. I was not disappointed – what is inside the cover is a well-crafted, enjoyable mystery with a great protagonist and ‘supporting cast’. I read it in Mallorca and it was a perfect holiday read.  I am looking forward to the next book by this author.

The paperback edition is 336 pages long and is published by Egmont. It was first published in 2015. The ISBN is 9781405276177.

4/5 (I really enjoyed it)

(Finished 12 July 2015)
 

[Janet]

 
The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
 
The ‘blurb’
Bookseller Laurent Letellier comes across an abandoned handbag on a Parisian street, and feels impelled to return it to its owner. The bag contains no money, phone or contact information. But a small red notebook with handwritten thoughts and jottings reveals a person that Laurent would very much like to meet. Without even a name to go on, and only a few of her possessions to help him, how is he to find one woman in a city of millions?
 
I loved The President’s Hat by the same author when I read it a couple of years ago and so I was really pleased when this popped up as Amazon’s Deal of the Day a few weeks before we went on holiday.  I’m really scared of flying and the audio book I’d downloaded to try to calm me down didn’t work because I couldn’t concentrate so I tried this instead and I was soon lost in the story.  It’s not great literature but is a charming story about a man who finds a handbag and, with scant information to go on, sets about tracking down the owner so he can return her lost property.  
 
I found it to be quite similar to The President’s Hat in style, and therefore maybe a little formulaic, and yet I really enjoyed it.  Roll on the next book by this author. 
 
The paperback edition is 208 pages long and is published by Gallic Books.  It was first published in 2015.  The ISBN is 9781908313867.  
 
4/5 (I really enjoyed it)
 
(Finished 13 July 2015)

[frankie]

 

The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain

 

The book is already on my wishlist, so you haven't managed to add to the list this time, unfortunately! I didn't realize it was by the same author who wrote The President's Hat! I have that on my wishlist as well, thanks to your review. There are copies of TRN at the library so I'm hoping that they've now ordered copies of the Hat book, too. They didn't have any back when I added the book to my wishlist... Shame! 

 

You might enjoy The Reader on the 6.27 which I think has certain similar elements as TRN  

[Janet]

Thanks, Sari.

 

That sounds good- I've added it to my wish list so thanks for the recommendation! 

[frankie]

Thanks, Sari.

 

That sounds good- I've added it to my wish list so thanks for the recommendation! 

 

Muahahahah You're welcomsies!  

[Janet]

WARNING – as this is a sequel, my review will obviously contain spoilers for The Rosie Project, so if you’re considering reading that (and why wouldn’t you – it’s great!) then please don’t read on. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rosie Effect   by Graeme Simsion

 

The ‘blurb’

Forty-one-year-old geneticist Don Tillman had never had a second date before he met Rosie.

 

Now, living in New York City, they have survived ten months and ten days of marriage, even if Don has had to sacrifice standardized meals and embrace unscheduled sex.

 

But then Rosie drops the mother of all bombshells. And Don must prepare for the biggest challenge of his previously ordered life - while dodging deportation, prosecution and professional disgrace.

 

Is Don Tillman ready to become the man he always dreamed of being? Or will he revert to his old ways and risk losing Rosie for ever?

 

Awww, welcome back Don – I missed you! 

 

This is a sequel to the excellent The Rosie Project.   I guess the blurb for this book is a spoiler in itself (hence the warning at the top!) but I shall assume you have read the first one if you have got this far.  Don and Rosie are now happily married and living life to the full in New York.  Don has adjusted reasonably well to married life, all things considered.  But when Rosie has some unexpected news for him he goes into a bit of a meltdown and things start going wrong.  Can he pull himself together enough to be there for the woman he loves, or will he risk losing everything?

 

Don is such a great character but this book wasn’t as good as the first.  It was close, but it loses a mark for Rosie’s portrayal.  She just seemed rather… I don’t know – flat, perhaps… compared to the vibrant character she was in #1.  However I did enjoy it.  Will there be a third?  Would it work?  Maybe – or maybe it would be just too much of a good thing?  One thing’s for sure - if there is another one I will definitely give it a try.   

 

The paperback edition is 308 pages long and is published by Pan.  It was first published in 2014.  The ISBN is 9781405918060.  

 

4/5 (I enjoyed it)

 

(Finished 18 July 2015)

[Athena]

I'm glad you enjoyed the book . I also thought the first book was better (I gave the sequel the same rating as you too). I'm glad you liked the book though. Interesting thoughts about another sequel. I would read it .

[bobblybear]

I must read the sequel! Nice review.

[Janet]

 

Stig of the Dump by Clive King

 

The ‘blurb’

Barney is a solitary little boy, given to wandering off by himself. One day he is lying on the edge of a disused chalk-pit when it gives way and he lands in a sort of cave. Here he meets 'somebody with a lot of shaggy hair and two bright black eyes' wearing a rabbit skin and speaking in grunts. He names him Stig. Of course nobody believes Barney when he tells his family all about Stig, but for Barney cave-man Stig is totally real. They become great friends, learning each others ways and embarking on a series of unforgettable adventures.

 

This is one of those books that I always meant to read as a child, but never got round to doing so.  My Mum bought me this lovely edition which contains drawings by one of my favourite illustrators, Edward Ardizone. 

 

When Barney goes to stay with his grandparents he is warned to stay away from the quarry in case the chalk gives way and he has an accident.  But Barney is a curious boy and when he goes exploring the inevitable happens and Barney falls into the pit.  Fortunately he has a lucky escape when his fall is broken by shrubs, and when he opens his eyes it is to see a strange ‘Something’ standing in front of him.  The Something turns out to be a caveman called Barney and together, despite the language barrier, they have many exciting adventures…

 

There are some children’s books that I have read for the first time as an adult that I have absolutely loved - sadly this wasn’t one of them.  I enjoyed some of the stories but I just didn’t really warm to any of the characters.  Obviously I appreciate that I’m not the target audience, and I’m sure that had I read it when I was eight or so then I would have enjoyed it more but it didn’t really grab my attention.  I’m not sure how it would be for today’s eight year olds but as it’s still in print I’m sure it must be a firm favourite for many of them. In summary, I quite enjoyed it but I didn’t love it. 

 

The paperback edition is 272 pages long and is published by Puffin.  It was first published in 1963.  The ISBN is 9780141354859.  

 

3/5 (I quite enjoyed it)

 

(Finished 27 July 2015)

 

[Janet]

I'm glad you enjoyed the book . I also thought the first book was better (I gave the sequel the same rating as you too). I'm glad you liked the book though. Interesting thoughts about another sequel. I would read it .

I hope there will be a third book.  I Googled when I finished book #2 but I couldn't find any information to suggest there would be another sequel. 

 

I must read the sequel! Nice review.

Thanks.  I hope you enjoy it. 

[Janet]

 

The Cornish Coast Murder by John Bude

The ‘blurb’
'Never, even in his most optimistic moments, had he visualised a scene of this nature - himself in one arm-chair, a police officer in another, and between them - a mystery.' The Reverend Dodd, vicar of the quiet Cornish village of Boscawen, spends his evenings reading detective stories by the fireside - but heaven forbid that the shadow of any real crime should ever fall across his seaside parish. But the vicar's peace is shattered one stormy night when Julius Tregarthan, a secretive and ill-tempered magistrate, is found at his house in Boscawen with a bullet through his head. The local police inspector is baffled by the complete absence of clues. Suspicion seems to fall on Tregarthan's niece, Ruth - but surely that young woman lacks the motive to shoot her uncle dead in cold blood? Luckily for Inspector Bigswell, the Reverend Dodd is on hand, and ready to put his keen understanding of the criminal mind to the test. This classic mystery novel of the golden age of British crime fiction is set against the vividly described backdrop of a fishing village on Cornwall's Atlantic coast . It is now republished for the first time since the 1930s.

Who wouldn’t be drawn to this gorgeous cover! My Mum (who seems to have featured in the purchase of a lot of my recent reads!) bought this for my birthday after I was waxing lyrical about how pretty it is! Not necessarily a good reason to buy a book but it paid off in this case.

The Reverend Dodd and his friend Doctor Pendrill, the local GP, meet regularly to discuss books. They are interrupted one evening by the arrival of a policeman who reveals that a local man, magistrate Julius Tregarthan has been murdered in his own home by person or persons unknown. With the victim’s niece, Ruth acting suspiciously and the sudden disappearance of her friend Ronald Hardy, whom Ruth’s uncle disliked, it appears that the perpetrators aren’t too far from home. The Reverend Dodd disagrees. The police continue their investigation but seem far from discovering the truth, but with Reverend Dodd’s help they may just be able to solve this baffling crime…

I have read all of the Wycliffe books by W J Burley (written and set between 1968 and 2000) and this put me in mind of those – it was a very comfortable and enjoyable, undemanding read. Sure, it’s old-fashioned, and some of the methods of detection are laughable by today’s standards, but that didn’t matter a bit. I didn’t guess the ending, but then it wasn’t really spelled out for the reader to guess. In that respect it isn’t as solid a vintage crime novel as Christie’s works, but that didn’t really matter. I’m looking forward to reading The Lake District Murder which is already sitting on my ‘to read’ pile.

The paperback edition is 288 pages long and is published by The British Library Publishing Division. It was first published in 1935. The ISBN is 9780712357159.

4/5 (I really enjoyed it)

(Finished 29 July 2015)
 

[Janet]

A Boy in Kent by C. Henry Warren

The ‘blurb’
C. Henry Warren belongs to that line of writers which includes H E Bates, Adrian Bell and John Moore. In A Boy in Kent he recreates the countryside of his childhood and his pages sparkle with supreme joy.

We’ll talk of sunshine and of song,
And summer days, when we were young;
Sweet childish days, that were as long,
As twenty days are now…

This dedication, quoted from Wordsworth, sets the scene for what is to follow: a world of meadows and fields, the village pub and, in particular, the village shop, all seen through the eyes of a child. Everyone is a neighbour even though the village rambles over several square miles. A deep kindred spirit runs through its life and fills the pages of this vivid and beautiful memoir

Being either a Kentish Maid or a Maid of Kent (I'm never sure which I am!), I picked this up on a whim when I found it in a second-hand shop recently. It sounded reminiscent of Laurie Lee’s books and the ‘blurb’ mentions H E Bates who I also like. I thought it was an autobiography, but it’s actually an autobiographical fiction. Warren lived in a village called Mereworth, which in this book is called Fladmere, and this book is based on his early life and his experiences of growing up in Kent at the turn of the 20th Century. Warren’s father owned a shop in the village around which this fictional memoir centres. It recalls the characters who shopped in the store and the ‘Londoners’ who came down to pick hops in the summer which served as a paid holiday, amongst other things. The hop-picking episode put me in mind of George Orwell as he mentions the hop pickers in his book Down and Out in Paris and London and also in his work of fiction A Clergyman’s Daughter - one of my favourite of Orwell’s books.

According to the introduction, which was written by Warren’s nephew, the book caused some controversy on publication because a lot of the residents recognised themselves and weren’t very happy about how they were portrayed!

It was the word Kent that drew me to this book. It’s not the part of Kent that I grew up in, and nor is it an area of the county that I’m familiar with, but I like social history books and I enjoyed this one, although it probably wouldn’t be one I would recommend to anyone without the Kentish connection.

The paperback edition is 156 pages long and is published by Sutton Publishing Ltd. It was first published in 1938, but is out of print. The ISBN is 9780862991371.

3½/5 (I enjoyed it)

(Finished 6 August 2015)