chesilbeach Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Didn't get round to starting the Agatha Raisin book last night, but have had a lovely, cosy Sunday morning reading it instead. Funny and fast-paced - the Agatha Raisin books are pure indulgence, and Agatha Raisin and a Spoonful of Poison was no exception. Already looking forward to the next! The next book at the top of my TBR pile will, I suspect, need a bit more brain power and attention. It's Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer. I'm not a huge reader of non-fiction (other than travel literature), but I've heard her interviewed about the book on a few different radio programmes, and she makes it sound fascinating, so I thought I'd give it a go. Might take a break from reading for today though, and start to tackle it tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Finally managed to finish Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer. It was a bit dry and academic in places, and as I've seen and heard her talk on television and radio, I could actually hear her voice throughout her writing, with her phrasing and intonation jumping off of the page at me! I've don't read much non-fiction, and never any academic history books, but this was, for the most part, a fascinating conjecture on the life of Ann Hathaway. As well as evaluating the evidence and theories previously put forward by other scholars and historians, Greer also sets out her views on laws, customs and the society that Shakespeare and his wife would have inhabited. It required plenty of effort and concentration to read and contemplate the theories put forward, but a very satisfying and educating book. I needed a bit of light relief after that, so it was on to Size Doesn't Matter by Meg Cabot. The third of her series of Heather Wells mysteries, it was a fun, easy, light-hearted murder mystery novel, and an excellent antidote to all the brainpower required for the previous book! I love Meg Cabot's writing for pure escapism and entertainment, and this one was no exception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eschulenburg Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 HAH! I love it when you can hear someone's voice talking at you while you are reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 HAH! I love it when you can hear someone's voice talking at you while you are reading. I always get it when re-reading the Harry Potter books as well, when I hear Stephen Fry's voice - it's fatal listening to an audio book you then go on to read, when I always get the readers voice in my head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 This weekend I read The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle. It's this month's selection for my library reading group, and has been distributed as part of The Lost World Big Read 2009, celebrating the anniversaries of the births of both Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Darwin. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was so much better than I could have hoped. A fast paced, good old-fashioned, action packed, boys own adventure; it reminded me a lot of the David Niven film of Around The World in Eighty Days and those type of 1960's films of Victorian capers. It sped along at a great pace, and I thoroughly enjoyed wallowing in the fun and action of the adventure. I'm planning to start Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death by Giles Brandreth this evening, which I'm hoping will be fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I'm planning to start Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death by Giles Brandreth this evening, which I'm hoping will be fantastic. I'm looking forward to reading your review about this, I'd never even heard of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 Finished Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death by Gyles Brandreth, which was everything I'd hoped it would be! A fabulous Victorian murder mystery, with the famous author starting a game of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 14, 2009 Author Share Posted March 14, 2009 Savoured the second half of Nicholas Again this morning. These books are just so lovely, and my copies from Phaidon are gorgeous. A mixture of innocence and mischief, I'd imagine these would be lovely bedtime reading for young boys, with the odd titbit for the parent to enjoy as well. Smashing. I was out reading in my favourite place this morning, so had limited choice of books with me to start after finishing Nicholas Again, and eventually decided to go with Small Steps by Louis Sacher. It follows the story of two supporting characters from his successful novel Holes (made into a film starring Shia LeBeouf, Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voight). I'm enjoying it so far, and I'm about a quarter of the way through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Have you read Holes as well? I heard it was good but have only seen the film Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 15, 2009 Author Share Posted March 15, 2009 Yes, I read the book just before seeing the film, which was a surprisingly good adaptation. I enjoyed the book a lot, so when I saw Small Steps in the 3 for 2 section, I couldn't resist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 hmm I was thinking of reading it anyway...shall add it to my wishlist I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Finished Small Steps by Louis Sachar today. It was okay, but didn't stand out as anything particularly special as Holes did. Nice easy, entertaining book, but maybe my expectations were too high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share Posted March 23, 2009 Finished Second Chance by Jane Green at lunchtime. It was okay, but not her best, and thought her next book The Beach House was much better. A couple of things niggled me, and I think her knowledge of living in England, and the scenes in Gloucestershire, seemed a bit outdated. Perhaps she would be better sticking to setting her work Stateside now, as she's settled there and of her recent works, the American settings have seemed more realistic and contemporary to me (probably because I only have fiction and films as a frame of reference for American society!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 I devoured Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver in just a few hours. This was an amazingly well written book, with not only a thrilling adventure of a plot and interesting characters, but a beautiful use of language as well. I've already got the next two books in the series on my shelf, but going to try and stick to my TBR list, and move to another genre next, but at least it will give me the incentive to keep up with my reading in order to get onto the next one sooner rather than later! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 29, 2009 Author Share Posted March 29, 2009 Finally made it to the end of Rescuing Rose by Isabel Wolff today. I've written a full review in the Women's fiction/Chick lit board here. Looking forward to starting my next book, Someone At A Distance by Dorothy Whipple, which has been jumping out at me every time I've seen it in the bookshop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Finished Someone At A Distance by Dorothy Whipple today - what a fantastic book. I've written a review here. Starting on Nicholas on Holiday by Goscinny and Semp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Finished Nicholas on Holiday already! Full of joy and mischief, I would think it's a pretty much perfect set of books to encourage young boys to read. Not quite sure I'm exactly the demographic the publisher was thinking of for it, but still totally enjoyed reading these books. Anyway, my library book group books for next month beckon, so it's onto The Sea House by Esther Freud next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 I finished reading The Sea House this evening. It's the third Esther Freud book I've read, and I love her style of writing, but Grae and his girls reminded me of characters in her book The Wild which I read a few years back. I loved how the chapters alternated between the two stories, and I was pleased that the the ending lived up to the rest of the book and didn't fall away into clich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 I finished Becoming Strangers by Louise Dean this evening, and thank goodness for that. I didn't enjoy it at all; the characters were flat, I couldn't warm to any of them, and to me they all just seemed selfish, boring people. The story is set in an high-end Caribbean hotel, but the location wasn't particularly well described, and what descriptions there were of both the physical setting and the staff of the hotel, didn't seem to match up with my expectations of that type of resort. In fact, the only reason I actually finished it, was because it's for my reading group in a couple of weeks, and I do try to finish both the books if I can, even if it's only so that I can talk about why I didn't like them! I was stunned to read some of the quotes on the cover, including the comment, "The best book in its genre that I have read in a long time," from Jenni Murray. Really? Were we reading the same book? Up next is Sacred Sierra by Jason Webster. I read his first book Duende last year, mainly because it was about his attempts to learn flamenco guitar, and I was interested in the dance side of flamenco. It was a very evocative, atmospheric journey, and I absolutely adored it, but I haven't been tempted by the subjects of his other books until I saw Sacred Sierra about six weeks ago, and had to buy it, despite a hefty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Hey there. I'm impressed that you stuck with the novel (although, if you have to justify hating something in front of a panel, it's often good to have the big picture, I guess). I just can't seem to do this. If I am reading something that doesn't keep me ensnared, I get fidgety and chuck the book away. It's a bad habit that I could do with breaking, because some novels are possibly slow burners. Take Donna Tartt for example. I adored The Secret History and waited most patiently for her second novel but was terribly disappointed with it and barely got half-way through the blessed thing before I said "Whoa, Tiger! Life's too short!" I probably need to have a word with myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 Hi Mac - I have to admit if it is truly awful, then I will put a book down. This one wasn't that bad, it was just very mediocre, and not very engaging! It's only 291 pages though, and it only took me about 4-5 hours to read, and I did skim read a few pages that I found particularly irritating (probably about 20 pages towards the end of the book, but by the point I thought I might as well try and finish it!). But at least now, I feel I can justify my feelings on the book having completed it. But generally I would agree - life's too short to read a book you're not enjoying. Don't beat yourself up about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted April 6, 2009 Author Share Posted April 6, 2009 I've finished Sacred Sierra by Jason Webster, and it was worth every single penny of the Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 I've just finished The Flirt by Kathleen Tessaro - an entertaining diversion of the chick lit variety. I thought it might take me a while, as it's over 450 pages long, but with a small font and big line spacing and margins, it was actually a very quick read, and got through about 90-100 pages per hour (my usual reading rate is 40-60 pages per hour depending on the subject, style and layout of the text). I won't be starting another book tonight, but tomorrows reading matter will be Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier. The cover drew me to the book a few times in the book shop before I decided to buy it, as it doesn't sound like the sort of book I would normally read based on the blurb on the back, but I'll give it a go and see how I get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 I finally gave up on Night Train to Lisbon last week, after reading about 100 pages over the Easter weekend, I just couldn't find any sympathy or empathy with the main character. I skipped forward about 50 pages, then another 100 pages, and eventually looked at one of the last chapters, and even at this point I felt that I was still following the story and couldn't find anything to interest me in carrying on, so I decided to give up. This dampened my reading mood, as I hate giving up on a book, but it really made me annoyed with myself for wasting over a week on a book I wasn't enjoying. However, normal service has now been restored, as I've just finished the fantastic Spirit Walker by Michelle Paver. The second in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, I am completely entranced by these books. I think Paver uses language in a brilliant way to make distinctive voices for the characters and to evoke a sense of time and place. On top of that, they're thrilling adventures, full of excitement and peril. I know they're children's books, but I think they are great reads. It was my library reading group this week, and we've just got one book for next month, The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris. This is the follow up to Chocolat which I read in hardback when it first came out 10 years ago, so I'm going to re-read it before starting The Lollipop Shoes, just to properly remind myself of the story (as I've seen the film adaptation way too many times, and I know it has significant differences to the book, and I don't want to be swayed by that, no matter how much I love Johnny Depp). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ii Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I've just finished The Flirt by Kathleen Tessaro - an entertaining diversion of the chick lit variety. I thought it might take me a while, as it's over 450 pages long, but with a small font and big line spacing and margins, it was actually a very quick read, and got through about 90-100 pages per hour (my usual reading rate is 40-60 pages per hour depending on the subject, style and layout of the text). Oh, I have this on my TBR pile. Have you read her earlier book, Elegance? I quite enjoyed that one, which was why I got The Flirt in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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