Kell Posted July 28, 2006 Author Posted July 28, 2006 Another handful of reviews: Undead & Unwed by Maryjanice Davidson Broken by Kelley Armstrong Emma by Jane Austen We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Sugar Posted July 28, 2006 Posted July 28, 2006 The Posh Club August read just arrived - hurrah! I won't be reading it until perhaps the last week before we meet at the end of August (so it's fresh in my mind for discussion), but I'm looking forward to it: Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride: Oooh - I really enjoyed this one. I went straight out to get his second novel when I had finished it. The second one is slightly better, imo, as MacBride seems to be more confident. I do hope you enjoy it, Kell!
Kell Posted July 29, 2006 Author Posted July 29, 2006 Well, I finished The Case fo the General's Thumb by Andrey Kurkov (my OC entry for Ukraine) & I'm just not sure what I think of it. It seemed to me that there was too much going on all over the place with different people & very little of it tied in with anything else in any kind of coherant way. It felt rather rushed & kind of lost & I'm afraid it failed to impress me much. I'm hoping I'll enjoy my next choice a little more. Moving on to Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre (OC - Mexico)
Kell Posted July 31, 2006 Author Posted July 31, 2006 Another new book arrived this morning for my Olympic Challenge list: The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (OC - Sri Lanka) The final curtain is closing on the Second World War, and Hana, a nurse, stays behind in an abandoned Italian villa to tend to her only remaining patient. Rescued by Bedouins from a burning plane, he is English, anonymous, damaged beyond recognition and haunted by his memories of passion and betrayal. The only clue Hana has to his past is the one thing he clung on to through the fire? a copy of The Histories by Herodotus, covered with hand-written notes describing a painful and ultimately tragic love affair.
Maureen Posted July 31, 2006 Posted July 31, 2006 You'll do all the countries in no time at all at this rate Kell!
Kell Posted July 31, 2006 Author Posted July 31, 2006 You'll do all the countries in no time at all at this rate Kell! That's the plan - LOL! After Vernon God Little I'll be starting on my Chinese entry as it's the August reading circle choice, Empress Orchid - I'm looking forward to that one, but I didn't want to start it till it was August.
Kell Posted August 3, 2006 Author Posted August 3, 2006 I finished Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre last night and have to say I think this is the book that We Have to Talk About Kevin could have been. It’s all from the point of view of the protagonist, 15-year-old Vernon Little, who stands accused of a crime he maintains he did not commit, namely the massacre of his classmates. It’s very stylised and is filled with the little idiosyncrasies of the teenage boy trying to tell his story to a media-fuelled world that simply does not want to listen. There’s wit and humour as well as a few poignant moments as Vernon discovers that the truth may not be uncovered and he may well face execution if he is found guilty – which the public has already decided he is. Well worth a read – I give it 7/10. This was my Olympic Challenge choice for Mexico
Kell Posted August 3, 2006 Author Posted August 3, 2006 I know I said I was going to read Empress Orchid next, but I couldn’t resist picking up The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists by Gideon Defoe. It’s only a little book and should take me no time at all to read, but looks to be high jinks and hilarity on the high seas – it was begging to be read. I promise I’ll get onto Empress Orchid after this one though.
Michelle Posted August 3, 2006 Posted August 3, 2006 For once, I've finished the RC book before you've even picked it up! LOL
Kell Posted August 3, 2006 Author Posted August 3, 2006 Actually, people have been giving me funny looks again while I had my coffee break (I was reading Pirates!). I was sniggering like Muttley - that possibly had something to do with it. This is quite the silliest, funniest book I've read in ages. And tehre are little history lessons & environamentally sound messages in there too, woven into the tale like an incredibly well-woven thing! It was all I could do not to fall off my chair laughing, but had to steady myself as I'd end up with coffee all down my front & that just simply would not do! I'm already half-way through & I know that I am SO getting hold of the other Pirates! books as soon as possible! Gideon Defoe is a genius! Apparently, he wrote this book to try & persuade a woman to go out with him & it failed dismally. I would have said yes!
Michelle Posted August 3, 2006 Posted August 3, 2006 It's gotten some great reviews on Amazon too.. one to look out for.
Kell Posted August 3, 2006 Author Posted August 3, 2006 Well, it'll be going on my sale or swap list when I'm done, so it'll be up for grabs soon.
Sugar Posted August 3, 2006 Posted August 3, 2006 I was reading Pirates!). How come you never see the word Pirates in a book title without the exclamation mark?!
Maureen Posted August 3, 2006 Posted August 3, 2006 Perhaps because if one were to see pirates, one would exclaim, and curse and not be calm.
Kell Posted August 3, 2006 Author Posted August 3, 2006 Actually, I think I might just hold onto this one & get the others in the series - I love it that much!
Kell Posted August 4, 2006 Author Posted August 4, 2006 Thoughts on Empress Orchid by Anchee Min: I’m only a couple of chapters in, but so far I’m really enjoying it. The story seems to glide along very slowly, almost effortlessly, but although there’s not an awful lot “physically” going on, there’s the impression of a lot of background business happening at all times. The descriptions of the Forbidden City (told to Orchid by Fann) are particularly beautiful. The slow, deliberate style seems evocative of Zen teachings, actually (well, what little I know of them, anyway) and there’s a sense of peace and harmony in everything. I think I may well enjoy this a great deal – I’ve never read anything specifically to do with China or Chinese culture (although I’ve been reading a fair bit about Japanese lately, as you can see from my reading list), but I’m fascinated by the Orient and this is already significantly fuelling my interest in all things Eastern.
Icecream Posted August 4, 2006 Posted August 4, 2006 Maybe I can elaborate on the zen teachings after I have read the book, if I can get hold of it..
Kell Posted August 5, 2006 Author Posted August 5, 2006 Another lovely batch of books arrived this morning - my poor postie must have been groaning under the weight of them all: The Mystic Masseur by V. S. Naipaul (OC
Kell Posted August 5, 2006 Author Posted August 5, 2006 With all these extra books arriving, i realised I really am running out of space, so I've had a clear-out of my "to read" shelf as I also reallised that there were quite a few on there which I no longer had as much iterest in reading - my tastes have moved on a bit & the idea of them just isn't grabbing me- in fact, I've actively passed over some of them several times ni order to get onto something else more appealing to me. Anyway, the result of this is more than 30 books are about to get added to my sale or swap list. My to read ist is still HUGE, but it looks a little less scary now than it did a few minutes ago. I'll update my sale or swap list later on today...
Kell Posted August 5, 2006 Author Posted August 5, 2006 I do indeed - & so far I've not been disappointed - I always seem to get very decent, if not excellent, books from there.
Kell Posted August 8, 2006 Author Posted August 8, 2006 I finished Empress Orchid and very much enjoyed it, but thought it stopped rather abruptly, which is a bit of a shame as it took some of the shine off it for me... Still, that's another country checked off my Olympic Challenge list... Next up is Vampire Beach: Bloodlust by Alex Duval, which I'll be reviewing for CBUK...
Kell Posted August 9, 2006 Author Posted August 9, 2006 Finished Vampire Beach - very enjoyable & I think I may well get hold of the sequel too... Next up is another one for CBUK - The Cleopatra Curse by Katherine Roberts.
Kell Posted August 11, 2006 Author Posted August 11, 2006 Finished The Cleopatra Curse at lunch time today - not bad at all. I'll give it 7/10 I think. Started The Mob by Clem Martini (for CBUK). Seems quite interesting - all told from the point of view of a crow. I'm only a few chapters in but so far so good.
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