Poppyshake's Reading Year 2015

[poppyshake]

I think anything would be an improvement on my last audio book - The Trial by Kafka! That was HARD going!

Golly! It won't be hard going .. I can promise you that  

[Athena]

I hope you enjoy your new books.

 

Fully agree on clowns, I don't like them at all! (except Bassie from Bassie & Adriaan, he's the only one. But they're Dutch so you wouldn't know them I think. Though I always preferred Adriaan (he's not a clown) over Bassie, anyway..)

 

Such a shame about the fifth book not matching the covers of the other ones! I am glad you're enjoying the books though . I might try to find the first one at the library, they sound nice .

[Nollaig]

Glad you enjoyed The Girl On The Train, I forgave it its ending because I enjoyed it so much.

 

I've also added Cat Out Of Hell to my wishlist, great review

[poppyshake]

Glad you enjoyed The Girl On The Train, I forgave it its ending because I enjoyed it so much.

Yes .. me too. Though I was irritated .. it by no means ruined what had gone before .. I thought it was outstanding.

I've also added Cat Out Of Hell to my wishlist, great review

Thanks Noll! Great book, hope you enjoy it

[poppyshake]

I hope you enjoy your new books.

 

Fully agree on clowns, I don't like them at all! (except Bassie from Bassie & Adriaan, he's the only one. But they're Dutch so you wouldn't know them I think. Though I always preferred Adriaan (he's not a clown) over Bassie, anyway..)

 

Such a shame about the fifth book not matching the covers of the other ones! I am glad you're enjoying the books though . I might try to find the first one at the library, they sound nice .

They're lovely books. Do you ever listen to audiobooks Athena or are you not a fan?

 

I don't know Bassie & Adriaan .. I've looked them up though and Bassie looks creepy  

[poppyshake]

 If On a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino

Synopsis: You go into a bookshop and buy If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino. You like it. But alas there is a printer's error in your copy. You take it back to the shop and get a replacement. But the replacement seems to be a totally different story. You try to track down the original book you were reading but end up with a different narrative again. This remarkable novel leads you through many different books including a detective adventure, a romance, a satire, an erotic story, a diary and a quest. But the real hero is you, the reader.

Review: My oh my!! Heavens to Betsy! This was a struggle. I approached it wrongly in the first place. I tried to read it at the same time as reading two others. Well, not actually at the same time obviously .. that would take talent .. but I had three books on the go. That's an insult to this book really because what it demands is your complete attention and I wasn't giving it. You also require .. not an empty head .. that would be hopeless but a lot of thinking space and a quiet contemplative state of mind. I don't know about you but even when I'm reading .. part of my brain is thinking about other things .. food for example .. what's for tea etc. You can't do that here. You can't wander off even for a second because if you do you're sunk. You can forget breadcrumbs .. you're never going to find your way back.
Despite my divided attention it started off really well for me, the first chapter is marvellous .. in a way it lulled me into a false sense of security. Failure was just around the corner.

What you have to get your head around is that you, the reader, are very much a character in this novel. There is the you that's you but there's also the fictional you. The fictional me was a man .. I had trouble with that I kept forgetting he was me, the reader (by the way .. please bear in mind that I had only the most tenuous grasp on what was going on .. I might, and probably am, barking up the wrong tree entirely ) The chapters are split into two .. the first half is about the reader and his quest for a good story .. the second half is that story or I should say the first chapter of that story because just as it gets interesting the story ends. In a way I really loved this, we've all thought we could write a sensational opening chapter even if we've not much idea beyond that. The only problem for me was that some of them were incomprehensible and I got lost. Others though were truly engrossing and just like my fictional self ..I was desperate to see how they went on but they all stopped dead and you're left desperately searching for the rest of it only to be given another book .. said to be a continuation only no .. it's another subject and another author .. and it too will stop just as it gets interesting and so on. Just like tantric sex (I imagine ) .. but only frustration is prolonged and not pleasure.

 

Despite this all being as clear as mud it still doesn't convey the sheer mind bogglingness (??) of it. Sometimes I read whole chapters without any comprehension at all. Individually I knew the words (though not all of them .. never have I met with so many unfamiliar words) but they were strung together in a way that made them a mystery to me. At other times it was more plain sailing .. the relief when this happened was immense. It was as if my little boat, having been pitched and tossed about on an angry ocean, finally found its way into calm waters and dolphins were wanting to swim with me

There were passages and chapters to make you weep with pleasure at the sheer inventiveness, wit and brilliance of Calvino's writing and there were passages to make you sit in a corner with a blanket over your head. I loved the closing chapter and not just because it was the closing chapter It knitted things together neatly. Ideal for people who love words, experimental fiction and a brain workout. I will re-visit it one day and see what I can make of it. I loved some of it and hated other bits which amounts to a .. Liked it!

[Kylie]

I'm glad it rated a 'Liked it'. I should have perhaps warned you that it's not the easiest read, sorry.  I think I've blocked out the more difficult stuff and just remember the overall feel of it. And especially the part at the beginning, which describes the reader buying the book and taking it home.

 

I've only read one other book by Calvino, Invisible Cities, and I found that even more difficult to read than IOAWNAT. It's basically a collection of very small chapters that each describe some sort of mythical city (described by Marco Polo to Kublai Khan). They were all so strange that they were really hard to visualise, which made it really difficult to read. Calvino really makes you work for it, but I think it's worth it in the end (at least in the case of IOAWNAT—I probably wouldn't recommend IC).

 

 

In case you're interested, Calvino was part of the group of Oulipo writers. I've shamelessly copied the below from a post I wrote a few years ago:

 

Oulipo stands for 'Ouvroir de litterature potentielle', or the 'Workshop of Potential Literature'. Now, I have no easy way of explaining this, so I'm going to quote Wikipedia, which explains it as 'the seeking of new structures and patterns which may be used by writers in any way they enjoy'. That's probably not helpful. See this Wikipedia article for more info. It was a group formed by French writers in the 1960s, comprising such brilliant writers as Italo Calvino and Georges Perec. Goodreads has a list of Oulipo books as voted by readers, so you can see some more recent examples (Ella Minnow Pea, Cloud Atlas...basically any books that have really unique writing styles).

[Nollaig]

Oh my god by the end of that review I was laughing my bum off! You sound utterly bewildered by that book haha!

 

He sounds like a very intriguing writer, I know I had something by him on my wishlist years ago but can't remember what it was. Despite the fact that I get frustrated easily with difficult books, I'm very tempted!

[Athena]

They're lovely books. Do you ever listen to audiobooks Athena or are you not a fan?

 

I don't ever listen to audiobooks, because it would be way too tiring for me. Reading words on a page costs me a lot less energy than having to process sounds. I always watch TV shows and films (and video games) with subtitles (if available) and I have trouble watching anything without subtitles (sometimes I watch things without sound and just read the subtitles instead, or I just watch the video if the sound is just a random music track underneath a video on YouTube). With sound you have to concentrate on it constantly and I find this very difficult. When I was in university I'd often stare at the Powerpoint presentation and read that, because I found that a lot easier than to listen to a lecturer. With words on a page, I'm less distracted and it costs me a lot less energy. If I am distracted, I can easily stop and start again. With sound, I'll have missed out on some words or sentences (unless I keep pressing the stop and start button). Whenever there's more than one sound going on, like if in a room several conversations are going on, all the words blur together for me into one giant ball of noise and I can't make heads of tails of it, often hearing some individual words from all conversations in the room. I don't even listen to much music anymore because it's too tiring (mainly when I'm trying to fade out other noise, such as people on the train talking. Then my music, known input, is preferred over people chatting, unknown input). Hearing a lot of sounds tires me quickly and it's one of the reasons I can't just go out for dinner in a restaurant or go shopping or even talk with my family for a while (having to process body language is another reason). Almost all input costs me processing power and makes me tired. I'm so glad reading a physical book (or from a ereader) isn't too bad on that scale. It does cost me energy, particularly if the language is more difficult or if it's a difficult subject to process or if a lot is going on. But it doesn't cost me near as much energy as it would cost me to have to listen to an audiobook. It just wouldn't be worth the cost in energy for me. I do watch TV shows and films, because I like them, but I have to limit myself how often I do this because usually I am tired out after watching one episode of something (or playing a video game for a little while). With everything I do, I have to think about how tired it will make me, whether I have that energy, whether I need to save my energy for something else later in the day or week, and whether I think it'll be worth the energy it costs and the pain I will have afterwards.

 

I don't know Bassie & Adriaan .. I've looked them up though and Bassie looks creepy

Haha, he's actually somewhat funny and playing dumb. Adriaan was always more my favourite. They are a duo (two brothers) that have made a lot of good children's television shows and films, catching the bad guys. They also did a lot of educational things, teaching children about many things in their TV episodes and films and such. They sang a lot of songs, too. A lot of children born in the Netherlands around the same time as me, agree that they made some of the best Dutch children's television at the time. My sister and brother loved it too.

 

Here is a video that explains about them in English (from their official YouTube channel):

 

 

If On a Winter's Night a Traveller sounds mind boggling!

[Anna Begins]

I loved the closing chapter and not just because it was the closing chapter

But  on the Calvino!

[Alexi]

Damn it, Kay, stop writing fantastic reviews!!!!   I haven't even gotten to The Mangle Street Murders yet, and you've already got me wanting to read the sequel as well 

 

This, this and this! You're having a fantastic 2015 Kay, but please... it's not good for my wish list 

 

Although I don't think the Calvino will be making its way there any time soon, but a fantastic review which did make me giggle!

[poppyshake]

I'm glad it rated a 'Liked it'. I should have perhaps warned you that it's not the easiest read, sorry.  I think I've blocked out the more difficult stuff and just remember the overall feel of it. And especially the part at the beginning, which describes the reader buying the book and taking it home.

 

I've only read one other book by Calvino, Invisible Cities, and I found that even more difficult to read than IOAWNAT. It's basically a collection of very small chapters that each describe some sort of mythical city (described by Marco Polo to Kublai Khan). They were all so strange that they were really hard to visualise, which made it really difficult to read. Calvino really makes you work for it, but I think it's worth it in the end (at least in the case of IOAWNAT—I probably wouldn't recommend IC).

 

In case you're interested, Calvino was part of the group of Oulipo writers. I've shamelessly copied the below from a post I wrote a few years ago:

 

Oulipo stands for 'Ouvroir de litterature potentielle', or the 'Workshop of Potential Literature'. Now, I have no easy way of explaining this, so I'm going to quote Wikipedia, which explains it as 'the seeking of new structures and patterns which may be used by writers in any way they enjoy'. That's probably not helpful. See this Wikipedia article for more info. It was a group formed by French writers in the 1960s, comprising such brilliant writers as Italo Calvino and Georges Perec. Goodreads has a list of Oulipo books as voted by readers, so you can see some more recent examples (Ella Minnow Pea, Cloud Atlas...basically any books that have really unique writing styles).

I totally agree .. the opening chapter is phenomenal. Though the book did mess with my head a little .. I'm happy to have read it .. I've long wanted to and one has to challenge oneself even if one is doomed to fail I'm not at all surprised that the tricksy David Mitchell quotes Calvino as an inspiration or to see William Faulkner on the list .. these authors have boggled my head before

I think I can get more out of it in the future .. I've already got a foot in the door so I've got an inkling this time and I can build on that  

[poppyshake]

Oh my god by the end of that review I was laughing my bum off! You sound utterly bewildered by that book haha!

 

He sounds like a very intriguing writer, I know I had something by him on my wishlist years ago but can't remember what it was. Despite the fact that I get frustrated easily with difficult books, I'm very tempted!

Definitely give it a go .. you may well find it not difficult at all. I don't read enough experimental novels .. I don't even eat experimental food. I haven't even tried sushi FGS!!     

[poppyshake]

I don't ever listen to audiobooks, because it would be way too tiring for me. Reading words on a page costs me a lot less energy than having to process sounds. I always watch TV shows and films (and video games) with subtitles (if available) and I have trouble watching anything without subtitles (sometimes I watch things without sound and just read the subtitles instead, or I just watch the video if the sound is just a random music track underneath a video on YouTube). With sound you have to concentrate on it constantly and I find this very difficult. When I was in university I'd often stare at the Powerpoint presentation and read that, because I found that a lot easier than to listen to a lecturer. With words on a page, I'm less distracted and it costs me a lot less energy. If I am distracted, I can easily stop and start again. With sound, I'll have missed out on some words or sentences (unless I keep pressing the stop and start button). Whenever there's more than one sound going on, like if in a room several conversations are going on, all the words blur together for me into one giant ball of noise and I can't make heads of tails of it, often hearing some individual words from all conversations in the room. I don't even listen to much music anymore because it's too tiring (mainly when I'm trying to fade out other noise, such as people on the train talking. Then my music, known input, is preferred over people chatting, unknown input). Hearing a lot of sounds tires me quickly and it's one of the reasons I can't just go out for dinner in a restaurant or go shopping or even talk with my family for a while (having to process body language is another reason). Almost all input costs me processing power and makes me tired. I'm so glad reading a physical book (or from a ereader) isn't too bad on that scale. It does cost me energy, particularly if the language is more difficult or if it's a difficult subject to process or if a lot is going on. But it doesn't cost me near as much energy as it would cost me to have to listen to an audiobook. It just wouldn't be worth the cost in energy for me. I do watch TV shows and films, because I like them, but I have to limit myself how often I do this because usually I am tired out after watching one episode of something (or playing a video game for a little while). With everything I do, I have to think about how tired it will make me, whether I have that energy, whether I need to save my energy for something else later in the day or week, and whether I think it'll be worth the energy it costs and the pain I will have afterwards.

I'm sorry to hear that Thanks for explaining. Listening to audios really helps me out especially during the times I can't read. They also help me when out walking as I can't stand listening to traffic noise .. often I have music on but it's nice to get into a story. I'm glad you can still listen to music to block out sound .. it's obviously not ideal but it helps. It's great too that you can read from your eReader etc and that it doesn't cost you too much energy. Books are great .. so many ways to enjoy them Does it make a difference what sort of story you're reading .. would a more action packed story tire you more or would you process it the same? 

Haha, he's actually somewhat funny and playing dumb. Adriaan was always more my favourite. They are a duo (two brothers) that have made a lot of good children's television shows and films, catching the bad guys. They also did a lot of educational things, teaching children about many things in their TV episodes and films and such. They sang a lot of songs, too. A lot of children born in the Netherlands around the same time as me, agree that they made some of the best Dutch children's television at the time. My sister and brother loved it too.

 

Here is a video that explains about them in English (from their official YouTube channel):

 

Well .. he doesn't look sinister now I see him in action

But  on the Calvino!

Yes .. quite! I'm pretty sure he was responsible for the great quantity of comfort eating I did earlier this week   

[poppyshake]

This, this and this! You're having a fantastic 2015 Kay, but please... it's not good for my wish list 

I'm having a good time of it .. I'm just a tiny bit disappointed that I haven't abandoned a book yet  I'm almost wishing a bad book would turn up soon.

Although I don't think the Calvino will be making its way there any time soon, but a fantastic review which did make me giggle!

Thanks Alexi I hope I haven't frightened anyone away from Calvino .. I am incredibly obtuse when it comes to experimental literature .. don't make the mistake of thinking my experience with it would be like your own. As a child I had big problems with Alice I was okay with Narnia .. you went through a wardrobe and ended up in a world a bit like this one .. talking animals and an ice queen but apart from that .. not dissimilar. Alice's world was full of weird sh*t  

[Athena]

I'm sorry to hear that Thanks for explaining. Listening to audios really helps me out especially during the times I can't read. They also help me when out walking as I can't stand listening to traffic noise .. often I have music on but it's nice to get into a story. I'm glad you can still listen to music to block out sound .. it's obviously not ideal but it helps. It's great too that you can read from your eReader etc and that it doesn't cost you too much energy. Books are great .. so many ways to enjoy them Does it make a difference what sort of story you're reading .. would a more action packed story tire you more or would you process it the same? 

 

Well .. he doesn't look sinister now I see him in action

 

Thanks Kay , you're welcome. I'm glad listening to audiobooks helps you . I'm glad we can all enjoy books in various ways.

 

Yeah it really depends on the story how hard or easy it is for me to process. Obviously re-reads are easier because I know what's going to happen, and generally I find children's books easier to process than adult books that are complicated (or that have a lot of characters or plot twists). I think an action packed story does cost me a bit more energy than a story that has not so much action in it. The language in the book matters a bit too, I find it the easiest to process either 'modern' Dutch or 'modern' English, anything written before 1880, (in the original version) I have trouble with the language use (anything written in languages that aren't Dutch (or slightly Flemish) or English is very difficult obviously). It also matters if there are a lot of hidden meanings behind lines or whether the book is easier to understand. My 'people skills' aren't great so I find it the easiest if the author makes it clear to me why characters do certain things.

 

I think my energy is one of the reasons why for a read-a-thon I choose to read shorter, usually children's books rather than one long adult book. When I read a long adult book, such as a big book by Stephen King, or a big fantasy book like A Game of Thrones with a lot of characters and unexpected plot twists, I can't read it for too long or I need to stop and process everything that's happened. This is why it takes me longer to read big, epic books (aside from the obvious: it's got more pages) than smaller ones. I do quite like to read big epic books sometimes though, as there are a lot of great ones out there, though I have to admit since the year started I haven't read that many long books yet. I hope to work on this in the future though.

 

I'm glad Bassie looked better when you saw him in action !

[chesilbeach]

I like writers who play with language, words and structure, so I'm definitely intrigued by the Calvino.  Great review, Kay, made me chuckle as usual!

[frankie]

 Best she knows from the start .. how will you explain the incontinence pants otherwise?

 

Well I don't leave them in plain sight! They are in my room, in a cupboard. I have no room for clothes there...  

 

Nah ... I deliberately gave Alan the smaller of two cakes last week 

 

Did he notice??

 

I had forgotten all about ordering Peter Reich's book A Book of Dreams. It's been out of print for a while and copies were being sold for astronomical prices but last year, due to all the Kate mania no doubt, news came that it was being reissued and I pre-ordered it at Amazon. Actually when it came its cover was all rucked up .. frustrating really ..I'm annoyed enough with Amazon as it is but cannot be dealing with sorting out the exchange so I think I'll let it pass. It's not too bad anyway.

A Book of Dreams was the book that inspired Kate to write Cloudbusting.

 

Amazon says this about it ..  

This famous book, the inspiration behind Kate Bush's 1985 hit song Cloudbusting, is the extraordinary account of life as friend, confidant and child of the brilliant but persecuted Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich. Peter, his son, shared with his father the revolutionary concept of a world where dream and reality are virtually indistinguishable, and the sense of mission which set him and his followers apart from the rest of the human race. Here, Peter Reich writes vividly and movingly of the mysterious experiences he shared with his father: of flying saucers; the 'cloudbuster' rain-makers and the FDA narks; and of the final tragic realization of his father's death, which woke him up to the necessity of living out his life in an alien world. Already regarded as a modern classic, A Book of Dreams is not only a beautifully written narrative of a remarkable friendship and collaboration, but a loving son's heartfelt tribute to a loving father. 

 

Sounds like a really intriguing book! I'm tempted. But I shall wait for your review. 

 

It's all great stuff for dipping into. I didn't dare rush in and start dipping earlier because Alan hadn't read them and I didn't want him to think that I had my eye on them or that it was at all a consideration when I bought HomeGround or asked Mum to buy Cathy 

He has read them all now though so I can dip in to my heart's content 

 

I bet this makes up for the cake sharing  

 

Great review on The Girl on the Train! It's going on my wishlist And Murder Most Unladylike would also go on the list had I not already put it there thanks to you and Claire talking about it in the Book Activity thread  

 

Bought a book today ... The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain Was not on ANY of my lists .. don't even think it has the 'right' coloured spine. I just saw it and wanted it

 

Blurb says: 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?

 

This sounds lovely I might keep my eyes out for it! 

 

Your review on If On a Winter's Night a Traveler was absolutely smashing (And I love the edition you have! It's gorgeous!)

 

 

Just like tantric sex (I imagine ) .. but only frustration is prolonged and not pleasure.

Yes, just how we like our books...

[chesilbeach]

Great review on The Girl on the Train! It's going on my wishlist And Murder Most Unladylike would also go on the list had I not already put it there thanks to you and Claire talking about it in the Book Activity thread

 

Yay, I think you'll love Murder Most Unladylike!

 

Saw this tweet and thought of you, Kay https://twitter.com/MicheleGormanUK/status/576340292728664065

[poppyshake]

Thanks Kay , you're welcome. I'm glad listening to audiobooks helps you . I'm glad we can all enjoy books in various ways.

 

Yeah it really depends on the story how hard or easy it is for me to process. Obviously re-reads are easier because I know what's going to happen, and generally I find children's books easier to process than adult books that are complicated (or that have a lot of characters or plot twists). I think an action packed story does cost me a bit more energy than a story that has not so much action in it. The language in the book matters a bit too, I find it the easiest to process either 'modern' Dutch or 'modern' English, anything written before 1880, (in the original version) I have trouble with the language use (anything written in languages that aren't Dutch (or slightly Flemish) or English is very difficult obviously). It also matters if there are a lot of hidden meanings behind lines or whether the book is easier to understand. My 'people skills' aren't great so I find it the easiest if the author makes it clear to me why characters do certain things.

 

I think my energy is one of the reasons why for a read-a-thon I choose to read shorter, usually children's books rather than one long adult book. When I read a long adult book, such as a big book by Stephen King, or a big fantasy book like A Game of Thrones with a lot of characters and unexpected plot twists, I can't read it for too long or I need to stop and process everything that's happened. This is why it takes me longer to read big, epic books (aside from the obvious: it's got more pages) than smaller ones. I do quite like to read big epic books sometimes though, as there are a lot of great ones out there, though I have to admit since the year started I haven't read that many long books yet. I hope to work on this in the future though.

Thanks for explaining Gaia .. hope I wasn't being too nosey   

Edited March 13, 2015 by poppyshake

[poppyshake]

I like writers who play with language, words and structure, so I'm definitely intrigued by the Calvino.  Great review, Kay, made me chuckle as usual!

Well .. I have sandwiched it in between Murder Most Unladylike and The Apple Tart of Hope .. in your pile of books Claire. Hope you have fun with it I'm also adding the St Clare's books .. only one so far but should get through the rest soon.

[poppyshake]

Well I don't leave them in plain sight! They are in my room, in a cupboard. I have no room for clothes there...

Hasn't she noticed the waterproof throw on the sofa?

Did he notice??

No Just put a cake before him and he notices nothing else. If I buy too many books then I always buy a cake .. perfect distraction technique  

Sounds like a really intriguing book! I'm tempted. But I shall wait for your review.

I'm a bit scared of it already and I haven't even looked at the first page   Kate was inspired by it so I like to think I will be too .. I don't think there's any possibility of me writing a hit song but perhaps I can carve some rainclouds into a piece of toast?

I bet this makes up for the cake sharing

Indeed it does.

[poppyshake]

Great review on The Girl on the Train! It's going on my wishlist. And Murder Most Unladylike would also go on the list had I not already put it there thanks to you and Claire talking about it in the Book Activity thread.

I hope and trust and believe that you will like them both. You will definitely love Murder Most Unladylike Actually, I've also seen it called Murder is Bad Manners   

This sounds lovely. I might keep my eyes out for it!

I hope to start it this weekend

Your review on If On a Winter's Night a Traveler was absolutely smashing. (And I love the edition you have! It's gorgeous!)

Thank you The cover is lovely .. but it's good old Vintage and so has a red spine   So many red spines .. and not enough pink .. the old story   

Yes, just how we like our books...

 Speak for yourself  

[poppyshake]

Yay, I think you'll love Murder Most Unladylike!

 

Saw this tweet and thought of you, Kay https://twitter.com/MicheleGormanUK/status/576340292728664065

Love it!! I definitely want to read about that character   Have you read any of Michele's books Claire? 

[chesilbeach]

Love it!! I definitely want to read about that character   Have you read any of Michele's books Claire? 

Yes, I've read most of them since she was one of the featured authors on her a couple of years ago. I've still got Perfect Girl and The Curvy Girls Club to read, but they're in the jar waiting for me. She writes modern romcoms, although it's not really about girl searching for Mr. Right, but more often about girl realising she's somehow drifted or settled, and she searches for a better life with a bit of romance along the way.