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Rennie's Books 2008


Renniemist

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The following are a list of books that are on my shelves that I hope to read during 2008

 

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

East Wind West Wind by Pearl S Buck

Northanger Abbey by Jan Austen

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

The Child in Time by Ian McEwan

Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd

What a Carve Up by Jonathan Coe

Half a yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

The Talented Mr Ripley

The Rice Mother by Rani Manicka

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Ghostwritten by David Mitchell

Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fford

Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini

 

It would be good to read them all but I suspect that the list will change and many may remain till next year as I also intend visiting the local library.:)

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The following are a list of books that are on my shelves that I hope to read during 2008

 

What a Carve Up by Jonathan Coe

 

 

Read it, read it! I can't think about intensive farming without thinking about this book. It's absolutely brilliant - and not just about farming - that's just one of the many aspects of it.

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Oct

 

48 The Closed Circle by Jonathan Coe 7/10

 

Sep

 

47 The Gathering by Anne Enright 6/10

46 The Valley of the Dolls by Jaqueline Susann 7/10

45 The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant 7/10

44 The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndam 9/10

 

Aug

 

43 Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith 7/10

42 The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia HIghsmith 7/10

41 Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross 6/10

40 The Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson 7/10

39 Sputnik Caledonia by Andrew Crumey 7/10

 

July

 

38 A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseine 8/10

36 The Blue Afternoon by William Boyd 7/10

35 The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham 9/10

34 Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver 7/10

33 No Other Life by Brian Moore 7/10

 

June

 

32 Red Dust by Gillian Slovo 8/10

31 The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry 7/10

30 Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier 7/10

29 The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (audio)8/10

28 This Much I Know is True by Wally Lamb 7/10

27 Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates 7/10

26 A Very Scotch Affair by Robin Jenkins 8/10

 

May

 

25 The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber 8/10

 

 

 

April

 

24 Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Graphic Novel) (7/10)

23 Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald (7/10)

22 No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub by virginia Ironside (6/10)

 

March

 

21 The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (7/10)

20 Saturday by Ian McEwan (7/10)

19 Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd (10/10)

18 A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (audio)7/10

17 The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (6/10)

16 The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson 10/10

 

February

 

15 Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively (10/10)

14 Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller (7/10)

13 Scribbling the Cat by Alexander Fuller(5/10)

12 The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald (9/10)

11 What a Carve Up by Jonathan Coe 9/10

10 Down Under by Bill Bryson 7/10

9 Sharpe’s Prey by Bernard Cornwell 7/10

 

January

 

8 The Book of Dave by Will Self 8/10

7 Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 7/10

6 Peripheral Vision by Patricia Ferguson 8/10

5 History of Modern Britain by Andrew Marr(audio)8/10

4 Squire Throwleigh's Heir by Michael Jecks 6/10

3 Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See 7/10

2 Digging to America by Anne Tyler 7/10

1 Northern Lights by Philip Pullman 7/10

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Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

 

 

Blurb from the book

The extraordinary story moves between parallel universes. Beginning in Oxford, it takes Lyra and her animal-daemon Pantalaimon on a dangerous rescue mission to the ice kingdoms of the far North, where she begins to learn about the mysterious particles they call dust

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and with Iris.

 

We’re taking tea in the drawing room,’ Rob’s mother had said, and disappeared, thank god; but there was no escape from her, no matter how carefully Iris washed her hands and dried each finger she was going to be ready eventually and there was Rob hanging about the coat place with his hands in his pockets.

‘She’s so…’

‘She’s so what? She’s only my Mum.’

‘She hates me!’

 

My first reaction to the name of the character: what did I do now?? And second: that's so me! Funny. I'd probably read the book just because of that, if I came across it in the the store.

 

Oh, and I absolutely hate it when there's typing errors in the book. Isn't that the reason they're proof read several times? It just distrupts any flow I might have with the story.

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Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

 

 

Blurb from book

 

When Elinor and Marianne Dashwood and their mother are unfairly swindled out of their family inheritance they are forced to leave the family home in Norwood and move to Barton cottage on Devonshire. The two sisters are soon accepted into their new society. Marianne falls for the roguish charms of John Willoughby while Elinor still mourns the loss of Edward Ferrars whom she has left behind.

 

Comments

It was a little difficult to get used to this book as I have not read anything by Jane Austen for a long while, but once I got used to it I found it a lovely read.

 

The two sisters seem to be quite different in nature. Marianne being very open and a little immature while Elinor in quieter and more thoughtful. They and their mother seem to have been very unfortunate in their relatives who are money grabbing and snobbish. However the friendliness of their new neighbour makes up for this.

 

The story progresses and each girl face disappointment in love. The book is about how they cope with this. By the end everything changes again.

 

Jane Austen is very perceptive and at times quite witty. I loved the following:

 

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The Book of Dave by Will Self

 

Blurb from book cover

 

The Book of Dave is a misogynistic, racist, homophobic rant written by a demented London cabbie, buried in November 2001 in the Hampstead garden of his hated ex-wife and addressed to the son he idealizes rather than fathers.

 

Several centuries pass and, as sea levels rise, the only land left in Central London becomes the isolated Isle of Ham. There The Six Families scratch a meagre living from the land. Their lives however are full of religion. For Dave

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Down Under by Bill Bryson

 

 

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I have read this book before, but it is a long time ago and I could not remember much about it. Moreover I have lost the jacket so I have no synopsis to consult.

 

Since I am considering a trip to Australia, never having been there before and unlike many British having no relatives there, I decided it was time to resurrect Bill Bryson

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