Bobblybear's Book List - 2016

[bobblybear]

The Abominable - Dan Simmons

 

The book starts with the author himself - Dan Simmons - visiting an old man in a nursing home – Jake Perry - who claims to have a story to tell about his experiences on Mount Everest. Jake wants his story told and so writes the manuscript. Upon his death several months later it finds its way to Dan Simmons who publishes it. I fell for it and only googling it I learned it was a plot device. Jake Perry is very fictional indeed.

 

Anyway, the story starts in the 1920s with George Mallory and Sandy Irvine having just gone missing on Mount Everest. Jake Perry and his companions – who are all alpine mountain climbers – devise a plan to go to Everest to search for them. Their trek is funded by the mother of another climber who went missing along with Mallory, on the condition that they are to thoroughly search the mountain site for his body.

 

Once they get to Everest, things aren't quite what they seem and it appears there is another more sinister reason that their climb has been funded.

 

Boy, did this story take long to get going! It's a massive book to start with (736 pages but I'm sure my hardback was over 1,000!!!), and they didn't start their climb of Everest until the last third. It was very, very detailed about mountain climbing, almost too detailed, with every single aspect being described to the nth detail, over and over and over again. Seriously, I am not exaggerating.

 

On top of that, the blurb is completely misleading! The inside cover leads the reader to believe that a creature (ie. a yeti) is following them and hunting them, when this is not what happened at all. Not even close to what happened.

 

It weaves fiction with non-fiction, but unfortunately certain aspects of fiction was utterly, utterly ludicrous and when a key part of the story was revealed it was so over the top that I gave up on the book (100 pages from the end). It's a shame, as this part of the story was so unnecessary, and just ruined it for me.

 

2/6

 

[Athena]

Great reviews! The Murakami book sounds pretty good, I'm glad you enjoyed it (I don't have this one on my TBR but your review makes me think maybe it should be ). Shame the Simmons book wasn't so great (I don't have this one on my TBR, it sounds like one to avoid).

[bobblybear]

Thanks, Athena!   Yes, The Abominable was not what I was expecting at all!! A lot of people who reviewed it on Amazon had the same quibbles as I did.

[Nollaig]

The Abominable - Dan Simmons

 

On top of that, the blurb is completely misleading! The inside cover leads the reader to believe that a creature (ie. a yeti) is following them and hunting them, when this is not what happened at all. Not even close to what happened.

 

 

2/6

 

I'm curious what did actually happen - tell me in spoiler tags?

[bobblybear]

Ok, here it is for you Noll:

 

 

The climber whose body they were looking for turned out to be a spy, who had some top secret information on him at the time he was killed (it was suspected he was murdered). When the climbers are on Everest a bunch of angry Germans are trying to kill them, and it turns out they are also looking for this top secret info. The Germans were briefly disguised as Yetis (mostly to scare the sherpas), but the climbers realised they were humans (the guns gave them away....yetis don't tend to shoot people  ) pretty soon after. And this whole thing of the Germans chasing them only lasted one or two chapters....certainly not the whole of the book which is what you are led to believe. Anyway, this top secret info they were after turns out to be a series of photographs taken of Hitler in compromising positions with young boys. And that is 'the abominable' from the title.  

 

 

Pretty pants, huh?

[Nollaig]

Yeah that doesn't sound amazing. Dan Simmons seems to be very hit or miss doesn't he?

[bobblybear]

I've only read this and Hyperion, and I don't think I will be reading any more by him. I think you either "get" him or you don't.....and I don't .

[Nollaig]

I have his book Drood on my shelf, where its been sitting for years, because like most of his stuff it's giant. I've had The Terror recommended to me too. I've never actually read a full one of his books, so I'll give him a go, but I don't have high hopes.

[bobblybear]

I've actually heard good things about The Terror, but after my two reads of his I don't think I will bother with it (for a long while at least).

[bobblybear]

A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara

 

This is the story of the lives of four friends from university who together move to New York to start their adult lives. They are all different, with unique aspirations – architect, actor, artist and lawyer – and while we learn a lot about each of them, the main focus of the story is Jude (who wants to be a lawyer). His upbringing was very different from his friends, and although he keeps his background extremely private (even from his best friends), hints are given about the trauma and abuse he suffered in his childhood. However, his friends accept who he is with no pressure on him to share his story. But over the years, the effects of his childhood continue to haunt him (physically and emotionally) more and more, and he struggles to come to terms with everything he has been through.

 

This was a very depressing novel; there was absolutely no positivity to it so do not read it if you are in the mood for something light and uplifting. It was also a very long book – over 700 pages but actually felt a lot longer – but then again it does span about 35 years of these characters lives.

 

Now, the books approach is over the top to a certain extent, and towards the end I felt it was a bit heavy handed with the misery. It was just one miserable event (or flashback) after another. I wanted the author to ease up a bit because it was becoming repetitive, and had the feel of starting to enjoy wallowing in it's own misery.

 

I think it's one you will either love or you will utterly hate. I for one loved it but I did have my criticisms. It was self-indulgent and too long, but it was also well-written and a powerful story.

 

Definitely recommended, but you have to be in the right mood to appreciate it.

 

5/6

 

[Athena]

Great review! Is it based on a true story? It sounds like a book that's not for everyone. I don't know if it wouldn't be too depressing for me .

[bobblybear]

Thanks Athena.   No, it's not based on a true story. It definitely isn't for everyone. If you like your books to be a bit upbeat then you probably won't enjoy this one. It's the most depressing book I've ever read.

[Nollaig]

I've heard A Little Life mentioned so much - I'm trying to focus on shorter books at the moment to get me back on track with my reading after falling behind, but every time I hear about this book I become more intrigued by it! Definitely gonna check it out at some stage.

[bobblybear]

I think you'll know pretty quick whether you'll enjoy it or not. I hope you do enjoy it when you get to it.

[Alexi]

I bought this today. I'm intrigued - guess it's marmite but I hope I will love it (more than I do marmite )

 

Great review

[bobblybear]

Thanks! I really look forward to your thoughts on it, Alexi.   I hope you are one of those who enjoy it.

[Nollaig]

I bought this today. I'm intrigued - guess it's marmite but I hope I will love it (more than I do marmite )

 

Great review

 

I will also be looking forward to your thoughts - the more good reviews it gets the faster I'll get to it. Over 700 pages is daunting though

[Alexi]

I hate to disappoint you ladies but I do have a TBR of 334 Not actually sure when I will get to it!

[bobblybear]

Sorry, I should know better, having a TBR of a similar size.

[julie]

Hi Bobbly

It looks as if you are into some majorly big books right now ! Hope you are finding some good ones.

[bobblybear]

Hi Julie. Welcome back! Yes, reading some good ones this year.

[bobblybear]

The Long Song - Andrea Levy

 

This is set in Jamaica in the 1800's at the time of the abolition of slavery. July, our main character was born into slavery and now, many years later is telling her story through her son Thomas. Thomas interjects into the story (ie. to write the introduction, or to insert comments of his own) every now and then, to give a bit of background to July or some narration of her state of mind or to chastise her for hiding the truth.

 

It was typically well written by Andrea Levy, and I liked July as a youngster growing up. All the events leading to the abolition of slavery were interesting to read, especially July interacting with her 'mistress' .Both were quite funny characters, and I love the offbeat and sly humour that Levy has with all her characters. However, for me it fell down a bit at the end. It veered off in a very different direction (which tied it in with the present) which I didn't find particularly interesting but that is down to personal tastes.

 

4/6

 

[bobblybear]

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour - Joshua Ferris

 

The premise of this sounded interesting, but it went off on a few tangents that unfortunately made me lose interest from the middle section onwards.

 

Paul O'Rourke is a dentist; he's also a bit unsatisfied and frustrated with his life, and his dental practice seems to be the focus of every waking hour.

 

One day, someone sets up a website for the dentist practice, writing bios on him and his staff and using personal details that wouldn't commonly be known by others. He first suspects one of his staff, but they deny all knowledge. Soon after, a Facebook page and then a Twitter account appear in his name, and before long they all start to post pseudo philosophical comments to do with religion (when Paul himself is a pretty devout atheist). He becomes obsessed with tracing this person down and finding out why they have done this to him.

 

The style was pretty rambly, with a lot about his inner thoughts and drifting from one topic to another depending what happened to catch his attention. It started off well, and I was interested in his life and his practice, but once the focus was on this fringe religion I lost interest. Unfortunately that made up most of the second half of the book.

 

I'm sure there was a deeper meaning to this story but it escaped me, and I struggle to understand what the author was trying to achieve. So, on the whole I didn't enjoy it, which is such shame as I loved Then We Came To An End.

 

2/6

[Nollaig]

Awww I'm sorry you didn't enjoy To Rise Again. It's definitely not for everybody.

[bobblybear]

Once again I'm having to play 'catch-up' on reviews. Frankly I'm surprised I remember anything about the books I've read.

 

Our Endless Numbered Days - Claire Fuller

 

When Peggy was 8 years old she was taken away from the family home by her father, to live in 'die Hutte', in isolated woodland. Her father was a survivalist who was convinced that the end of the world was imminent and that their only chance for survival was far away from civilisation.

 

The book opens in 1985, when Peggy has just returned home as a 17 year old. We aren't yet told the circumstances of her return. The story goes back to her childhood in 1976 to give some background to her father, their lifestyle and what was the turning point which drove them away (or rather, which drove him to take them away). We follow Peggy as she is taken away by her father - not told they are leaving for good -  and their life and struggle during the nine long years they were away. This is interjected by parts of her life in the present and how she is struggling to cope and to relate to her mother (and a brother she had never met) again.

 

There is of course a twist or two towards the end, one of which didn't surprise me that much, but the other one had me floored.

 

It felt shorter than it ought to be and I couldn't help but feel like something was missing, but I can't put my finger on it. I wanted a bit more detail about their life in the woodland, and even though that time period was covered thoroughly I just felt like some of the depth was missing. But still it was a solid read, which I enjoyed a lot.

 

5/6