Ruth Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 (edited) My 2009 reads so far... Crossed Wires, by Rosy Thornton - 4.5/5 The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler - 3.5/5 Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, by David Simon - 5/5 The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, by Jean-Dominique Bauby - 3.5/5 The Diary of a Provincial Lady, by E M Delafield - 4.5/5 Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett - 4.5/5 Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte - 5/5 Blind Faith, by Ben Elton - 4/5 Over, by Margaret Forster - 5/5 The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde - 5/5 Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh - 2.5/5 The Color Purple, by Alice Walker- 4/5 Autobiography of a Geisha, by Sayo Masuda - 4/5 Milk Glass Moon, by Adriana Trigiani - 4/5 Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen - 5/5 The Harmony Silk Factory, by Tash Aw- 4/5 The Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald - 5/5 The Unknown Terrorist, by Richard Flanagan - 3.5/5 Bad Dirt, by Annie Proulx - 3.5/5 Road to Paradise, by Paullina Simons- 4/5 A Partisan's Daughter, by Louis de Bernieres - 3.5/5 Mother's Milk, by Edward St. Aubyn - 2.5/5 The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood - 5/5 Death at Dawn, by Caro Peacock - 5/5 Windows on the Word, by Frederic Beigbeder - 3/5 Ferney, by James Long - 3.5/5 Un Lun Dun, by China Mieville - 3.75/5 Chocolat, by Joanne Harris - 4.5/5 Morality for Beautiful Girls, by Alexander McCall Smith - 4.5/5 Iris and Ruby, by Rosie Thomas - 5/5 A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess - 5/5 The Summer of Katya, by Trevanian - 3/5 Three Bags Full, by Leonie Swann - 4/5 The Painter of Shanghai, by Jennifer Cody Epstein - 4.5/5 The Road, by Cormac McCarthy - 5/5 Affinity, by Sarah Waters - 4.75/5 Biron's Mercy, by Ben Gibbins - 2/5 Cold Comfort Farm, by Stella Gibbons - 4/5 The White Family, by Maggie Gee - 4.75/5 Absolute Beginners, by Colin MacInnes - 3.5/5 Keeping Secrets, by Andrew Rosenheim - 3.25/5 According to the Rolling Stones, by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood - 3.5/5 Addition, by Toni Jordan - 4/5 The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory - 5/5 Born Bad, by Josephine Cox - 1.5/5 The Sixth Wife, by Suzannah Dunn - 3.5/5 The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov - 3.75/5 The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole, by Sue Townsend - 4.5/5 The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger - 4.5/5 Misery, by Stephen King - 4.5/5 Anagrams, by Lorrie Moore - 5/5 The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak - 5/5 The Resurrectionist, by James Bradley - 3.5/5 Fine Just the Way It Is, by Annie Proulx - 3.5/5 Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen, by Joanna Denny - 3/5 The Bone Collector, by Jeffrey Deaver - 4.5/5 Girl In a Red Tunic, by Alys Clare - 3.5/5 The Help, by Kathryn Stockett - 5/5 The Night Watch, by Sarah Waters - 5/5 The Rice Mother, by Rani Manicka - 4/5 Raven Black, by Ann Cleeves - 4/5 A Dog Named Christmas, by Greg Kincaid - 4/5 Catch Me When I Fall, by Nicci French - 3.5/5 The Bad Mother's Handbook, by Kate Long - 3.5/5 Edited December 31, 2009 by Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted January 2, 2009 Author Share Posted January 2, 2009 (edited) Just started rereading Homicide: Life on the Streets - had forgotten how long it is...my copy is well over 600 pages. Am normally put off by books this size, but I read this a few years ago, and remember absolutely flying through it, because it was so good. Edited January 6, 2009 by Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 Have finished Homicide - which I would recommend to anyone with even the slightest interest in police work. About to start The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Good amount of books for you to get through there! Let us know what you think of them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 Just finished Diary of a Provincial Lady - loved it! Tomorrow, am going to start Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, by Jean-Dominique Bauby - 3.5/5 This is on my wishlist and my Around The World list, after seeing the film, I was fascinated, what is the book like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Have finished Homicide - which I would recommend to anyone with even the slightest interest in police work. About to start The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Ruth - Am going to look into this Homicide book you're talking about.. sounds like it could be up my alley. Thanks for the suggestion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 This is on my wishlist and my Around The World list, after seeing the film, I was fascinated, what is the book like? A very quick read - I think I read it in about an hour and a half. It's interesting and certainly made me think, but it didn't move me as much as I thought it would. I did enjoy it though, and would recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 Ruth - Am going to look into this Homicide book you're talking about.. sounds like it could be up my alley. Thanks for the suggestion! It's a long book for me - over 600 pages, but I didn't care, because it was just so interesting! I have yet to read a bad review of it, and I have looked at various different sites! I hope you enjoy it:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 Just finished Bel Canto, which I enjoyed...time now to read one I haven't read in many years - Jane Eyre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 Loved loved loved Jane Eyre - a deserved classic. Next up is Blind Faith, by Ben Elton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 YEY! Glad to see you liked Jane Eyre, as it's what I'll be reading next. Sounds like you and I have some similar interests when it comes to our books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ii Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, by Jean-Dominique Bauby - 3.5/5 I'd love to hear more of your thoughts about this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 This was the review of it, which I posted on Library Thing: (in essence, I thought it was a good read, but very over-rated). "Having just finished this book, I am not sure what to make of it. Jean Dominique Bauby was the Editor in Chief of Elle Magazine, and had a full and happy life until he suffered a massive stroke in December 1995, and was left paralysed, and only able to communicate by blinking his left eyelid. And with a patient transcriber, this is how he dictated this book, in which he describes his life now, and details small vigniettes of his life before he fell ill. To write anything under such circumstances would be an amazing achievement, and in that sense, this book is a testament to the human spirit. However, it left me feeling strangely detached about what must have been one man's living hell. The problem with the book as far as I was concerned, was that I never felt as a reader, able to connect with the narrator. I was not able to visualise the people in his life as 'real' people, although they most certainly are. There were a few touching chapters - one where he describes his children visiting him on Father's Day, when he is distressed at not being able to hug his son or run his fingers through the boys hair; and the chapter where he describes the events which happened shortly before the stroke. I have seen this book described as 'life affirming', which I am afraid to say I don't particularly agree with (although at one point, it did make me think that I should stop getting upset about insignificant things at work, and count my blessings). However, all that is not to say that I did not enjoy the book - I did enjoy it, but I was left feeling somewhat unmoved by it." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ii Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Thank you, Ruth! That was a very good review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Do you think it's worth reading Ruth? I've been curious about reading it ever since I saw the film Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Good review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 Do you think it's worth reading Ruth? I've been curious about reading it ever since I saw the film Yes, on the whole I do think it's worth reading. I haven't seen the film, though I understand that a bit of poetic licence was used, but I guess that's almost always the way it is when real life stories are made into films. I would recommend it - and it's a very quick read (I think I read it in a couple of hours). If you do read it, I hope you enjoy it:) And thanks Enthusiast and ii, for your comments:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted February 8, 2009 Author Share Posted February 8, 2009 Finished 'Blind Faith' by Ben Elton...very enjoyable. Will be starting 'Over' by Margaret Forster tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookBee8 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Will be starting 'Over' by Margaret Forster tomorrow. I read that about a year ago. I found it to be a huge page turner despite the nature of the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 I finished 'Over' tonight, and I agree Bookbee - it was very compelling, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the sad subject matter. Starting The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I love The Eyre Affair - as soon as I read it, I went out and bought all Jasper Fforde's books, and went to "An evening with ... " the author at my local Waterstones and got a signed copy of First Among Sequels. Hope you enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Starting The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde next. Have you read Jane Eyre? If you have, you'll get all the little "in jokes" throughout The Eyre Affair. If not, you'll still be able to enjoy it, but you'll miss bits unless you know the story of JE quite well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 Yes, I read Jane Eyre at the end of Jan/beginning of Feb; that's partly why I wanted to read The Eyre Affair now, while JE is still fresh in my mind. I must say that so far, I am thoroughly enjoying it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister.g Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 It's a long book for me - over 600 pages, but I didn't care, because it was just so interesting! I have yet to read a bad review of it, and I have looked at various different sites! I hope you enjoy it:) I saw this a couple of weeks ago in HMV and nearly picked it up. After reading your thoughts on it i'll certainly pick it up when i next have the opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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