Kylie's Literary Adventures in 2008

[Kylie]

It's ridiculous isn't it? We all read those children's books when we were young and are none the worse for wear!

 

I'm not sure if the original list of banned books I posted are just related to Canada or the whole world. I was hoping for the latter. Books have certainly been banned in the UK at various times, whether it be schools refusing to stock Harry Potter in their libraries, or the obscenity trial of DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover. Wikipedia has a list of banned books, showing several from the UK.

[Kylie]

Recent additions to the family:

 

John Banville: The Book of Evidence (birthday present from my brother)

Bill Bryson: The Lost Continent

Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere

 

I'll be due to finish my current book at lunch time so I might get started on Neverwhere today. That'll be highly unusual for me; my books average a wait on my TBR pile of about two years before they get read! I don't think I've ever before started reading a book on the same day that I bought it

[Kylie]

Z for Zachariah

Robert O'Brien

 

Rating: 7/10

 

Published: 1975

Number of pages: 188

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

Lone survivor after a nuclear holocaust, Ann Burden sees her solitary peace threatened by this unknown intruder. She hides, he watches, they both wait. Is he a friend and ally, or the terrifying near-maniac she begins to suspect? Just as Adam was the first man on earth, so this man must be Zachariah, the last...

 

Comments:

This is a quick and interesting read aimed at young adults. It's a story concerning the end of the world and the survival of a 16-year-old girl who believes she may be the last person alive...until she sees someone else entering her valley.

 

I thought the main character was a little too naive (or maybe just too optimistic) but I always love an ending that leaves something to the imagination. A pretty good read!

 

 

Started: 17 February 2008

Finished: 20 February 2008

[Kylie]

More books added to my wish list:

 

Charlotte Bronte: Shirley

Stephenie Meyer: Twilight

Gene Wilder: My French 'lady of the night'

[Kylie]

Neverwhere

Neil Gaiman

 

Rating: 8/10

 

Published: 1999

Number of pages: 372

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

Under the streets of London there's a place most people could never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks.

 

Richard Mayhew, a young businessman, is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre. And a strange destiny awaits him down here, beneath his native city: neverwhere.

 

Comments:

A very light and enjoyable read, full of vivid and unique characters. The world underneath London is nicely portrayed and bears striking similarities to London Above. It loses points for the way in which Gaiman describes the characters in the exact same way time after time (for example, Door's eyes). For the life of me I cannot think of anything else to write, except to repeat that it was very enjoyable, and that I'll be seeking out more Neil Gaiman in the future.

 

 

Started: 20 February 2008

Finished: 25 February 2008

[Kylie]

Animal Farm

George Orwell

 

Rating: 10/10

 

Published: 1945

Number of pages: 120

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

First published in 1945, Animal Farm has become the classic political fable of the twentieth century. Adding his own brand of poignancy and wit, George Orwell tells the story of a revolution among animals of a farm, and how idealism was betrayed by power, corruption and lies.

 

Comments:

This is probably the most technically brilliant novel I have ever read. It's not exactly a page-turner, but it is perfection (or as near it as you're going to get). The story is neither too long nor too short; there is not a single superfluous sentence in the entire novel.

 

Animal Farm is a political satire of Soviet socialism - the Rebellion of the farm animals against the humans represents (as far as I can understand it) the revolution of the Bolsheviks against the Russian government. The human owners are driven off the farm and the animals finally have their freedom. They determine to create a society in which all animals are equal and must work together in order to survive, but, of course, things start to fall apart and we learn that some animals are more equal than others. This story works on so many levels and really does a wonderful job in exploring the concepts of power and corruption. Very highly recommended.

 

 

Started: 26 February 2008

Finished: 27 February 2008

[Kylie]

I read 4 books last month, 3 down on January's total, but much more normal for me

 

With regards to my various challenges, my running total stands at:

 

CL: Classics Challenge (6/25)

1K: 1001 Books Challenge (4/20)

RD: Reading through the Decades Challenge (9/11)

BF: Book Club Forum Reading Circle Challenge (3/10)

YA: Young Adults Challenge (2/10)

SF: Sci Fi/Fantasy Challenge (4/8)

AU: Australian Literature Challenge (1/6)

DY: Dystopian Challenge (3/5)

BB: Banned Books Challenge (2/5)

 

I read books from all challenges except the Australian Literature Challenge. I'll try to rectify that during March.

 

Unfortunately my good behaviour in January (buying only 6 books) didn't carry through to February, during which I acquired 22 new books.

 

I'm currently reading Jane Eyre and loving it. I feel another 10/10 coming on! I'll probably follow it up with The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.

[Kylie]

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte

 

Rating: 10/10

 

Published: 1847

Number of pages: 592

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

Jane comes from nothing but is hungry for everything that life can offer her. She manages to survive her tragic childhood through sheer spirit and strength of character. And when she finds work as a governess in a mysterious mansion, it seems she has finally met her match in the darkly fascinating Mr Rochester.

 

But Thornfield Hall contains a shameful secret - one that could keep Jane and Rochester apart for ever. Can she choose between what is right, and her one chance of happiness?

 

Comments:

I had been looking forward to reading Jane Eyre for quite a long time, and I wasn't disappointed. It's a beautifully written novel with great characterisation. I loved all of the chapters regarding Jane's early childhood. I thought it did a great job of setting up her personality and background.

 

I loved the character of Jane and could identify with her quite a bit, which isn't something that happens to me very often. She's smart, headstrong and passionate, and her dialogue with Mr Rochester, in particular, makes for some enjoyable reading. I started getting a little bored when she went on her excursion to Morton, but once it got back on track at the end it was truly wonderful.

 

I'm fairly certain I saw a movie version of this many years ago at school but fortunately I didn't remember a thing about it. So as far as I was concerned I knew nothing of the story. I would love to see those closing scenes being played out, and I'd really like to track down the Orson Welles version of the film, seeing as he's one of my favourite actors.

 

 

Started: 28 February 2008

Finished: 10 March 2008

[Janet]

I'm pretty certain my parents watched a BBC adaptation of this when I was a teenager. I seem to remember Timothy Dalton (sp? - he was a Bond) was Mr Rochester in it.

 

I've not read any of this type of classic. I must try to remedy that later on in the year.

 

Glad you enjoyed it so much.

[Kylie]

I've heard that that version is very good. I think I'll settle for any version I can find at the moment! I might call into a couple of video shops this afternoon and see what's around.

[Kylie]

I bought the following books today. There's a bookshop near my train station that sells new books very cheaply. It's a very addictive shop - every time I go in there lately I've come out with at least half a dozen books

 

John Banville: The Sea

Alex Garland: The Beach

Henry James: What Maisie Knew

John Steinbeck: The Red Pony

Evelyn Waugh: Brideshead Revisited

Thornton Wilder: The Bridge of San Luis Rey

 

Unfortunately none of these books were on my mile-long wish list, but they've been in the back of mind for a while so it doesn't matter. I've also added a few more books to my wish list.

 

Kyril Bonfiglioli: The Mortdecai Trilogy

Aldous Huxley: Brave New World Revisited

Dorothy Parker: The Portable Dorothy Parker

David Sedaris: Naked

[Weave]

Hi Kylie, how are you?

 

I hope you enjoy 'The Eyre Affair' as much as I did, I am currently reading 'The well of lost plots' (the third in the series).

[Kylie]

I'm well thanks Gyre. I hope you're doing well too!

 

I finished The Eyre Affair this morning and loved it. I'm really glad I read Jane Eyre first. Can't wait to read the rest of the series! I have all except the most recent on my TBR pile. I'll post a reivew sometime today, hopefully.

[Kylie]

The Eyre Affair

Jasper Fforde

 

Rating: 8/10

 

Published: 2001

Number of pages: 373

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

Meet Thursday Next, literary detective without equal, fear or boyfriend.

 

There is another 1985, where London's criminal gangs have moved into the lucrative literary market, and Thursday Next is on the trail of the new crime wave's Mr Big.

 

Acheron Hades has been kidnapping characters from works of fiction and holding them to ransom. Jane Eyre is gone. Missing.

 

Thursday sets out to find a way into the book to repair the damage. But solving crimes against literature isn't easy when you also have to find time to halt the Crimean War, persuade the man you love to marry you, and figure out who really wrote Shakespeare's plays.

 

Perhaps today just isn't going to be Thursday's day. Join her on a truly breathtaking adventure, and find out for yourself. Fiction will never be the same again...

 

Comments:

An interesting concept and quite well done. I'm sure there are probably a lot of little jokes that I wasn't 'getting', but I think on re-reading it I'd probably pick up a bit more. The story was cliched (as it's meant to be, I'm sure), but it didn't bother me, which was strange, because I when the read the same sort of cliched detective story in David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas (The Luisa Rey Mystery), I just found it highly irritating.

 

It's certainly a gem of a book for a literary buff and contains a lot of intriguing little ideas and a quirky vision of the future. Not being much of an English history buff, there were some parts of the alternative history that I didn't quite get because I didn't know how that history had played out in our own time. The good thing about my ignorance is that books like these spur me on to research these events on the internet and thus learn while I'm enjoying the story.

 

Thursday Next is a great heroine and I can see a bit of myself in her, which is always nice. Having owned this book for so long and after seeing so many great reviews about it, I was glad not to be disappointed by it (as can often be the case when you go into a book with high expectations). I'm looking forward to continuing on with the series.

 

 

Started: 11 March 2008

Finished: 18 March 2008

[Kylie]

Wide Sargasso Sea

Jean Rhys

 

Rating: 5/10

 

Published: 1966

Number of pages: 177

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

Jean Rhys' late literary masterpiece, Wide Sargasso Sea, was inspired by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, and is set in the lush, beguiling landscape of Jamaica in the 1830s.

 

Born into an oppressive colonialist society, Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway meets a young Englishman who is drawn to her innocent sensuality and beauty. After their marriage disturbing rumours begin to circulate, poisoning her husband against her. Caught between his demands and her own precarious sense of belonging, Antoinette is driven towards madness.

 

Comments:

Nothing in this story particularly appealed to me. I found it very hard to identify with any of the characters or feel any sympathy for them. I don't think Rochester behaved or spoke in any way that was reminiscent of his character in Jane Eyre, so I struggled to make the connection between the two stories, although it improved slightly at the end, when the two books were overlapping.

 

However, I did find it interesting when taken in a historical context, having previously known nothing about colonial Jamaica or the Creoles and emancipated slaves who lived and suffered there. The descriptions of Coulibris and the surrounding countryside were evocative and quite beautiful, but that's about where my praise ends I'm afraid.

 

 

Started: 18 March 2008

Finished: 22 March 2008

Edited June 19, 2008 by Kylie

[Kylie]

A Fortunate Life

AB Facey

 

Rating: 9/10

 

Published: 1981

Number of pages: 326

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

Bert Facey sees himself as an ordinary man, but his remarkable story reveals a winner against impossible odds. At eight, his 'childhood' ended and he went out to work - clearing, ploughing, fencing, droving, sinking dams, boxing with a travelling troupe. He survived Gallipoli to become a farmer, but was forced to leave the land during the Depression.

 

Comments:

A Fortunate Life is the amazing true story of the life of Albert Facey, covering his life from his birth in 1894 to around 1976, six years before he died. Bert had little schooling and mostly taught himself to read and write. He began keeping notes about his life and eventually compiled them chronologically into this book at the urging of his family.

 

The writing is not at all flowery or lyrical - Facey tells the story straight up and betrays little emotion throughout, only occasionally mentioning his loneliness in the bush, his terror during the war, and his deep love for his wife and children. The story is so chock-full of events that, had overly descriptive language been used, the impact of his story would have been lessened.

 

A Fortunate Life moves along at a cracking pace and is a remarkable story of endurance and humbleness in the face of incredible hardship. The book gives a wonderful view of how life was lived in Australia during this time period. Highly recommended.

 

 

Started: 22 March 2008

Finished: 26 March 2008

[Kylie]

Cliver Barker: Weaveworld

Roald Dahl: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

HV Evatt: Rum Rebellion

George Grossmith: Diary of a Nobody (I read an ebook version of this last year and found a lovely illustrated version)

Banjo Paterson: The Man from Snowy River

[Kylie]

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L'Engle

 

Rating: 8/10

 

Published: 1962

Number of pages: 217

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

Charles goes searching for his lost father through 'a wrinkle in time' with his sister Meg and friend Calvin. They find themselves on an evil planet, where all life is ruled by a huge, pulsating brain known as IT.

 

The story of their journey through a myriad of dangers is now established as one of the most compelling fantasy classics of our time.

 

Comments:

A charming book and utterly enjoyable. As far as I was aware, this was the first time I'd read A Wrinkle in Time and yet I had a strange moment, as the children were first walking along the streets of Camazotz, when I realised that it was all sounding very familiar - I'd read this book before! It was such a strong feeling that I'm sure it must be true, in which case I'm glad I'd forgotten the plot as it gave me a chance to read and appreciate the story anew.

 

I loved all of the characters, particularly Charles Wallace. A lot of questions were left unanswered, but I hope that if and when I read the rest of the series these might be resolved. A very pleasant read.

 

 

Started: 28 March 2008

Finished: 30 March 2008

[Kylie]

I read 5 books last month, and my total for the year now stands at 16.

 

With regards to my various challenges, my running total stands at:

 

CL: Classics Challenge (9/25)

1K: 1001 Books Challenge (6/20)

RD: Reading through the Decades Challenge (9/11)

BF: Book Club Forum Reading Circle Challenge (3/10)

YA: Young Adults Challenge (3/10)

SF: Sci Fi/Fantasy Challenge (6/8)

AU: Australian Literature Challenge (2/6)

DY: Dystopian Challenge (4/5)

BB: Banned Books Challenge (3/5)

 

My book-buying in March was a little more restrained. I bought only 13 (compared to February's 22). To be fair, a few of them are quite short and one is book that I read last year as an ebook, so I really only added 12 to my TBR pile.

 

I'm currently reading John Banville's The Book of Evidence. I had to put it to the side for a few days because I was having trouble concentrating, but now I've gotten into the swing of things and I'm really enjoying it. I love Banville's style of writing.

[Michelle]

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L'Engle

 

I keep meaning to get hold of this book.. purely because it's apparently important to Lost!

[Kylie]

Ah, that explains all the Lost references I saw in a lengthy review of the book on GoodReads. You may find it interesting, Michelle, as the author of the review goes into quite a bit of detail comparing the book and the show. I didn't read much of it myself so I'm not sure if there are any spoilers or anything. It can be found here.

[Kylie]

I bought the following today:

 

Margaret Atwood: Cat's Eye

John Banville: Athena

John Banville: Doctor Copernicus

John Banville: Kepler

John Banville: Mephisto

Susanna Clarke: The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories

David Mitchell: Black Swan Green

 

And added a couple more to my wish list:

 

Alexandre Dumas: The Last Cavalier

Alexandre Dumas: The Three Musketeers

Jack Kerouac: On the Road (The Original Scroll)

[Janet]

Jack Kerouac: On the Road (The Original Scroll)

Without wishing to appear dense, what do you mean by the bit in brackets? It's one of our future Bookworms reads. Are their different versions of it?

[Kylie]

Not dense at all Janet!

 

Basically, Kerouac originally wrote On the Road over a period of three weeks, from notes he had already made. He typed it on a continuous roll of paper which he taped together, apparently 120 feet long, without margins or paragraphs breaks.

 

Eventually he edited it, changing the names of the characters and deleting some sections, including removing scenes of an explicit nature. This is the version that was published and that everyone knows.

 

The original, longer version, was published last year, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the original publication. It hasn't come out in paperback yet (at least, over here it hasn't), but when it does I'll be first in line! I hope that helps

[Guest]

Oh bum. And I bought it a while back. Are you telling me the edition I have is the non-juicy printing?