Kell Posted February 17, 2006 Author Share Posted February 17, 2006 How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff is one I've been planning on reading for a while now & I got it off Michelle recently, so it's next on the list. It was shortlisted for the Orange Award fro new writers & I seem to remember Richard & judy harping on about it (if not them, then someone else). I've heard a lot of good things about it, so it's time to get stuck in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 I'm about 3/4s of the way through How I Live Now & I'm still not sure how to take it. Im enjoying it, but I'm not sure why, as so far I haven't been able to fathom the poiint of the story. Maybe I'm missing something or it'll all become clear at the end. The way it's written is interesting. There is no dialogue, per se - any speach is included directly in the passages & indicated only by a capital letter in the middle of an otherwise ordinary sentence & notiofication of who it was who uttered the words. It's written as a constant stream of thought from a 15-yr-old mind (you know how it goes "And then she said that She wouldn't be having any of that, and he replied that She could just Do As She Pleased anyway"). It's an unusual style & one I haven't come across before - it works well with this story, but I'm not sure it would work so well in other books. I'll most likely finish this at some point today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 I finished How I Live Now at lunchtime, but Im' still not really any clearer on the motives behind any of it. It was a good read, right enough, but I'm a little confused & not altogether sure why! I'll get a review written later tonight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 Ill be starting Troll Fell by Katherine Langrish this evening. I'm not at all sure what it's about, but it looks rather interesting & promises to be full of Norse-type mythology from the looks of things, so I think I may well enjoy it a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 I'm rather enjoying Troll Fell so far. Langrish's style reminds me somewhat of Astrid Lindgren, which is always a good thing (especially if you've read the likes of Ronia the Robber's Daughter). It draws from the traditional Nordic folk tales & so far features both Trolls & a Nis (a house spirit that does housework if you feed it - kind of like a Brownie over here) as well as having a lot of familiar names (such as dogs called Loki & Grendel). It's a lot of fun, actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 Finished Troll Fell tonight whilst waiting for the rest of the Poshies to turn up. Very impressed with it, I have to say. I'll be writing 2 reviews tomorrow night - one for this & one for How I Live Now (I really should have done that one already, but I've been trying to think about what I want to say about it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 After much swithering over what to read next, I've decided on The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. I've been dying to read it for some time & I offered it as one of the choices to the Poshies tonight - the voting isn't finished yet as there's another meet on Thursday night (not everyone can make it on the same night). Either way, I'm reading it now. It'll keep me going till Paradise reaches everyone for the next Reading Circle (I'll be posting it on Thursday night after work, guys, so it should hopefully reach you all at the weekend & we'd be able to start with it next week if you want to). The Other Boleyn Girl was recently on TV as a mini-series or something, but I managed to miss it, despite meaning to watch it, so this will be completely new to me. I read The Lady in the Tower by Jean Plaidy years back, which is about Anne Boleyn, so it'll be interesting to have a similar style of story about her sister who was the lover of King Henry VIII before Anne was... Incidentally, I've heard this type of novel referred to as "Historical Faction" which I rather like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inanna Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 I have this sat on my shelf waiting to be read, looks rather good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 22, 2006 Author Share Posted February 22, 2006 The reviews for How I Live Now & Troll Fell are now both posted in the reviews forum if anyone's interested. And Troll Fell has a very cool website to boot - I'll be exploring it some more tonight when I get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 I'm about 1/3rd of the way through The Other Boleyn Girl & I'm really enjoying it. It's nice to hear the story of someone who played such an important part in history & yet is largely forgotten. Were it not for her, King Henry VIII might never have married Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I would never have been born legitimately. Hostory would have taken a completely different course & we'd have a huge chunk of some of the most interesting history missing from our culture. Not to mention no Blackadder II - LOL! The difference between the 2 sisters is amazing. The quiet, simplicity of Mary is a complete cnotrast to the calculated ambition of Mary - like night & day in both looks & temprament! It's also nice to se the other side of Anne through her sister's eyes - when I read The Lady in the Tower, Anne was portrayed as a victim (well, it was told from her POV), in this, both sisters are the victims of their family's ruthless ambition, but Anne knows better how to play the game... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tash Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I'm really glad you're enjoying that book Kell, it's one of my favourites and yes it does give you a lot of food for thought and help you to view history through different eyes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 And if it should go up for sale or swap, let me know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inanna Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I have this on my shelf to be read and look forward to getting to it soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 There were 2 copies of this in one of the charity shops I frequent, might see if it's still there tomorrow and pick it up seeing as you rate it highly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 And if it should go up for sale or swap, let me know I was planning to pop it on the swap list when I was done, but I can earmark it for you if you like, Michelle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Sounds good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 25, 2006 Author Share Posted February 25, 2006 I broke the rules & went & bought 2 new books today, but they were bargains, so Dale can't complaine too much (especially since I bought him some sweeties too - LOL). I got: Tamburlaine Must Die by Louise Welsh Things We Knew Were True by Nicci Gerrard I've never heard of either book or author, but they looked kind of interesting, so I had to bring them home with me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 26, 2006 Author Share Posted February 26, 2006 I'm about 400 pages into The Other Boleyn Girl, so not far to go. It's been a wonderful read so far & I really feel like I'm getting into the minds of the people involved, even if it is all from Marys POV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tash Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 You can't beat a book that puts you in the mind of the character Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 26, 2006 Author Share Posted February 26, 2006 You can't beat a book that puts you in the mind of the character Exactly - it's always nice to be able to properly get to grips with a character & really feel you're beginning to understand that choices they make under their circumstances. In this case, i'm finding I can get both into Mary's Mind and Anne's (partially because I've already read a book from her point of view, but partially because I think Mary understands Anne rather well at times, while still being able to be thrown by her sister when she makes some terribley wicked action). I'm also feeling a great deal of sympathy for George who is being forced by the times to live a lie - it must have been terrible to be homosexual during a time of such vehement persecution (I know there are still elements of this prejudice evident today, but not to the extent, in this country at least, where you can be executed for your sexual preference!). I have a lot of gay friends & to think of them being in such a position makes me want to weep for them & for poor George. I'm just glad we live in a more enlightened age! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 Finished The Other Boleyn Girl last night - excellent book. I'll be writing a proper review this evening most likely. I'll definitely be getting hold of some more work by Philippa Gregory - I like her style! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 I'm starting 2 new books today - Paradise for the Reading Circle & Tamburlaine Must Die because it's not very long & looks like it'll slot in nicely. SO, here's a little about them both: Paradise by A L Kennedy Hannah Luckraft knows the taste of paradise. It’s hidden in the peace of open country, it’s sweet on her lover’s skin, it flavours every drink she’s ever taken, but it never seems to stay. Almost forty and with nothing to show for it, even Hannah is starting to notice that her lifestyle is not entirely sustainable: her subconscious is turning against her and it may be that her soul is a little unwell. Her family is wounded, her friends are frankly odd, her body is not as reliable as it once was. Robert, an equally dissolute dentist, appears to offer a love she can understand, but he may only be one more symptom of the problem she must cure. From the North East of Scotland to Dublin, from London to Montreal, to Budapest and onwards, Hannah travels beyond her limits, beyond herself, in search of the ultimate altered state – the one where she can be happy, her paradise. Tamburlaine Must Die by Louise Welsh It is 1593 and London is a city on edge. Under threat from plague and war, strangers are unwelcome and severed heads grin from spikes on Tower Bridge. Playwright, poet and spy, Christopher Marlowe has three days to live. Three days in which to find the murderous Tamburlaine, a killer who has escaped from between the pages of his most violent play...Tamburlaine Must Die is a swashbuckling adventure story of a man who dares to defy both God and state - and discovers that there are worse fates than damnation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Tamburlaine Must Die by Louise Welsh That sounds a good one, Kell. Let me know what you think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 Tamburlaine Must Die by Louise Welsh That sounds a good one, Kell. Let me know what you think Well, I'm about half way through & heartily enjoying it so far. It's a very easy read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tash Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Finished The Other Boleyn Girl last night - excellent book. I'll be writing a proper review this evening most likely. I'll definitely be getting hold of some more work by Philippa Gregory - I like her style! I've yet to read a bad one from her. Her latest, The Constant Princess, the story of Katherine of Aragon was such an eye opener and like I believe I've mentioned somewhere round here before (I repeat myself often I'm afraid), it has made me want to delve into the life of her parents now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts