Kell's 2006 Reading Log - July to December

[Kell]

In alphabetical order by authors' surnames:

 

On My Shelf:

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Purple Hibiscus (OC - Nigeria)

Isobel Allende - Daughter of Fortune (OC - Chile)

Monica Ali - Brick Lane (OC - Bangladesh)

Adam Ant - Stand and Deliver: The Autobiography

Margaret Atwood - The Robber Bride

Louis de Bernieres - Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Trudi Canavan - The Magician's Guild (OC - Australia)

Elizabeth Chadwick – Shadows and Strongholds

Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist (OC - Brazil)

J M Coetze - Disgrace (OC - South Africa)

Kate Constable - The Waterless Sea (CBUK)

Michael Cordy – The Messiah Code

Bernard Cornwell – Excalibur (Warlord Chronicles Book 3)

Bernard Cornwell – Stonehenge

Bernard Cornwell – The Winter King (A Novel of Arthur Book 1)

Donna Cross - Pope Joan

Lindsey Davis - One Virgin Too Many

Bret Easton Ellis - American Psycho

Ben Elton - Chart Throb

Barbara Ewing – The Trespass

Michel Faber - The Crimson Petal & the White (OC - Netherlands)

Robert Finn – Adept

Richard E Grant - By Design (OC - Swaziland)

Philippa Gregory - The Boleyn Inheritance (OC - Kenya)

Philippa Gregory - A Respectable Trade (OC - Kenya)

Philippa Gregory - Wideacre (OC - Kenya)

Paul Hoeg - The Woman & the Ape (OC - Denmark)

Phil Hogan – Hitting the Groove

Conn Iggulden - Emperor: The Gates of Rome

Eddie Izzard - Dress to Kill (with David Quantick & Steve Double)

Christian Jacq – Beneath the Pyramid (OC - France)

Brian Jacques - The Ribbajack & Other Curious Yarns (CBUK)

Jeanne Kalagoris – The Borgia Bride

Nikos Kazantzakis - Zorba the Greek (OC - Greece)

Anthony Kedis - Scar Tissue (autobiography)

Alexander Kent – With All Despatch

Raymond Khoury - The Last Templar (OC - Lebanon)

Dean Koontz - Forever Odd

Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin - The Nanny Diaries

Marina Lewycka - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian (OC - Germany)

Tim Lott – Rumours of a Hurricane

Arnost Lustig - Lovely Green Eyes (OC - Czech Republic)

Gregory Maguire - Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Valerio Massimo Manfredi - The Last Legion (OC - Italy)

Henning Mankell - The Faceless Killers (Kurt Wallender Mystery S.) (OC – Sweden)

Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Of Love and Other Demons (OC - Colombia)

Richard Montanari – The Rosary Girls

V. S. Naipaul - The Mystic Masseur (OC - Trinidad & Tobago)

Jenny Nimmo - Emlyn's Moon (2nd in Snow Spider Trilogy)

Jenny Nimmo - The Chestnut Soldier (3rd in Snow Spider trilogy)

Michael Ondaatje - The English Patient (OC - Sri Lanka)

Jodi Piccoult – Salem Falls

Jean Plaidy – The King’s Secret Matter

Jean Plaidy – The Lady in the Tower

Christopher Priest - The Prestige

Simon Scarrow - Youngbloods (Revolution # 1)

Åsne Seierstad - The Book Seller of Kabul (OC - Norway)

Ahdaf Soueif - The Map of Love (OC - Egypt)

J M Warwick - An Open Vein

 

OC = Olympic Challenge

PC = Posh Club

CBUK = Children's Books UK

RC= Book Club Forum Reading Circle

 

I'll update the list as I work my way through it & add more books as I get them.

[Kell]

RC = Reading Circle

PC = Posh Club

OC = Olympic Challenge

CBUK = Reviewed for Children's Books UK

A = reviewed at request of author

P = reviewed at request of publisher

Red = Unfinished

Green = 10/10

 

So far this year I've read (with marks out of 10):

 

Ongoing:

The Case of El Chupacabra by K Armstrong (online novella - being posted on her official site in instalments throughout the year) - 7

 

December (8) (ave. 7.75)

124. The Eagle's Prophecy ~ S Scarrow - 9

123. Buried Fire ~ J Stroud - 7

122. Hearts of Stone ~ K Ernst - 7 (P)

121. Never Let Me Go ~ K Ishiguro (OC) - 8

120. Gentlemen and Players ~ J Harris - 8

119. The Nanny Diaries ~ N Kraus & McLaughlin - 7

118. The Mistress of Spices ~ C B Divakaruni (OC) - 7

117. About the Author ~ J Colapinto - 9

November (10) (ave. 7.3)

116. Single White Vampire ~ L Sands - 7

115. The Snow Spider ~ J Nimmo - 8

114. Autobiography of a Geisha ~ S Masuda (OC) - 7

113. Notes on a Scandal ~ Z Heller (PC) - 5

112. Oracle ~ I Watson - 8

111. Bitten and Smitten ~ M Rowan - 7

110. Bimbos of the Death Sun ~ S McCrumb - 7

109. Undead & Unemployed ~ M Davidson - 7

108. The Secret Purposes ~ David Baddiel (RC) - 8

107. Dying Light ~ S Macbride - 9

October (10) (ave. 7.6)

106. The Angel Stone ~ L Michael (CBUK) - 7

105. The Abortionist's Daughter ~ E Hyde (PC) - 7

104. The Black Tattoo ~ S Enthoven (CBUK) - 7

103. Frankenstein ~ M Shelley - 7

102. Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony ~ E Colfer (CBUK) - 8

101. Clash of the Sky Galleons ~ P Stewart & C Riddell (CBUK) - 8

100. Vampire Beach: Initiation ~ A Duval - 8

99. The Kite Runner ~ K Hosseini - 9

98. The School for Husbands ~ W Holden - 7

97. A Tale Etched in Blood & Hard Black Pencil ~ C Brookmyre - 8

September (14) (ave. 7.6)

96. Wintersmith ~ T Pratchett - 7

95. Girl With a One-Track Mind ~ A Lee - 8

In the Frame ~ various (CBUK)

Redwall ~ B Jacques (CBUK)

94. The Medici Seal ~ T Breslin (CBUK) - 8

93. Freeglader ~ P Stewart & C Riddell (CBUK) - 7

92. Vox ~ P Stewart & C Riddell (CBUK) - 7

91. The Last of the Sky Pirates ~ P Stewart & C Riddell (CBUK) - 8

90. Midnight Over Sanctaphrax ~P Stewart & C Riddell (CBUK) - 7

89. Stormchaser ~ P Stewart & C Riddell (CBUK) - 8

88. Beyond the Deepwoods ~ P Stewart & C Riddell (CBUK) - 7

87. The Winter Knights ~ P Stewart & C Riddell (CBUK) - 8

86. The Curse of the Gloamglozer ~ P Stewart & C Riddell (CBUK) - 9

85. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief ~ R Riorden (CBUK) - 8

Eragon ~ C Paolini (RC)

The Queen of Tambourine ~ J Gardam (RC)

84. The Tale of the Miller's Daughter ~ J Vauderhooft (A) - 8

83. Ithaka ~ A Geras (CBUK) - 7

 

August (13) (ave. 7.5)

82. Captives ~ T Pow (CBUK) - 6

81. Vampire Mountain ~ D Shan - 8

80. The Big Over Easy ~ J Fforde - 8

79. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning ~ L Snicket - 6

78. Cold Granite ~ S McBride (PC) – 9

77. Hitler’s Canary ~ S Toksvig (CBUK/OC) – 8

76. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters ~ R Riorden (CBUK) – 7

75. The Mob ~ C Martini (CBUK) – 7

74. The Cleopatra Curse ~ K Roberts (CBUK) – 7

73. Vampire Beach: Bloodlust ~ A Duval (CBUK) – 7

72. Empress Orchid ~ A Min (RC/OC) – 8

71. The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists ~ G Defore – 9

70. Vernon God Little ~ DBC Pierre (OC) – 7

 

July (6) (ave. 6)

69. The Case of the General’s Thumb ~ A Kurkov (OC) – 4

68. Bad Kitty ~ M Jaffe (CBUK) – 8

67. We Need to Talk About Kevin ~ L Shriver (PC) – 3

66. The Rainbow Bridge ~ A Flegg (CBUK/OC) – 7

65. Emma ~ J Austen (RC/OC) – 6

64. Lolita ~ V Nabokov (OC) – 8

 

June (11) (ave. 7.7)

63. Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation ~ L Truss – 7

62. How to Kill Your Husband (and Other Handy Household Hints) ~ K Lette – 8

61. The Wicker Man ~ R Hardy & A Shaffer – 7

60. Undead and Unwed ~ M Davison – 7

59. Broken ~ K Armstrong (OC) – 8

If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things ~ J McGregor

58. The Five People You Meet in Heaven ~ M Albom (PC/OC) – 7

57. The Historian ~ E Kostova (RC) – 7

56. Orphan of the Sun ~ G Harvey (CBUK) – 8

55. Geisha of Gion ~ M Iwasaki (OC) – 9

54. Set in Stone ~ L Newbury (CBUK) – 9

53. I, Lucifer ~ G Duncan – 8

 

May (17) (ave. 7.2)

52. Sickened ~ J Gregory – 6

51. Tunnels of Blood ~ D Shan– 8

50. The Vampire’s Assistant ~ D Shan– 8

49. Cirque du Freak ~ D Shan – 8

48. The Constant Princess ~ P Gregory (OC) – 8

47. Confessions of a Bad Mother ~ S Coleman – 7

46. A Long Way Down ~ N Hornby – 7

45. Her Rightful Inheritance ~ B Brown – 7

44. A Man Named Dave ~ D Pelzer – 7

43. The Lost Boy ~ D Pelzer – 7

42. 44 Scotland Street ~ A McCall Smith (OC) – 6

41. The Doomspell ~ CMcNish – 6

40. Red Wulf’s Curse ~ C Priestley (CBUK) – 8

39. The White Rider ~ C Priestley (CBUK) – 8

38. Death and the Arrow ~ C Priestley (CBUK) – 9

37. Endymion Spring ~ M Skelton (CBUK) – 7

36. The Wise Woman ~ P Gregory – 6

 

April (9) (ave. 7)

35. Things We Knew Were True ~ N Gerard – 4

34. The Undomestic Goddess ~ S Kinsella – 8

33. Q&A ~ V Swarup (PC/OC) – 8

32. Life of Pi ~ Y Martel (OC) – 8

31. Wolf Girl ~ T Tomlinson (CBUK) – 9

30. Who Was Boudicca?: Warrior Queen ~ S Busby (CBUK) – 6

29. The Virgin’s Lover ~ P Gregory – 7

28. Plague Sorcerer ~ C Russell (CBUK) – 7

Jerome's Quest ~ D Hill (A)

27. A Ghost Among Us ~ D Hill (A) – 6

 

March (7) (ave. 7.4)

26. Chocolat ~ J Harris – 9

25. Not Quite a Mermaid: Mermaid Friends ~ L Chapman (CBUK) – 7

24. Blindsighted ~ K Slaughter (RC) – 6

23. The Queen’s Fool ~ P Gregory – 7

22. 24 Hours ~ G Iles – 9

21. The Land of the Wand ~ D Hill & S Brandenberg (A) – 7

20. Dying Voices ~ L Wilson – 7

 

February (9) (ave. 7.6)

19. Tambourlaine Must Die ~ L Welsh – 6

18. The Other Boleyn Girl ~ P Gregory – 8

17. Troll Fell ~ K Langrish - 7

16. How I Live Now ~ M Rosoff – 6

15. My Sister’s Keeper ~ J Piccoult (RC/PC) – 9

14. The Eagle’s Prey (Book 5) ~ S Scarrow – 10

13. Cross Stitch ~ D Gabaldon (PC) – 9

12. Otherworld Tales 2005 (e-collection) ~ K Armstrong – 6

11. American Gods ~ N Gaiman – 7

 

January (10) (ave. 7.3)

Letters From America ~ A Cooke (PC)

10. Beginnings (e-novella) ~ K Armstrong – 8

9. Ascension (e-novella) ~ K Armstrong – 8

8. Savage (e-novella) ~ K Armstrong – 7

7. The Devil in Gray ~ G Masterton (RC) – 6

6. The Jane Austen Book Club ~ K J Fowler – 7

5. Morality Play ~ B Unsworth – 8

4. The Eagle and the Wolves (Book 4) ~ S Scarrow – 9

Trace ~ P Cornwell (RC)

3. The Dark Behind the Curtain ~ G Cross – 5

2. The Bad Mother’s Handbook ~ K Long – 7

1. Labyrinth ~ K Moss – 8

[Kell]

Short Stories (21)

The Canterville Ghost ~ O Wilde - 9/10

Dracula's Guest ~ B Stoker - 9/10

The Country of the Blind ~ H G Wells - 7/10

The Door in the Wall ~ H G Wells - 7/10

The Magic Shop ~ H G Wells - 8/10

The Jilting of Jane ~ H G Wells - 5/10

The Mask of the Red Death ~ E A Poe - 7/10

An Essay on Vampires ~ D Shan - 6/10

Annie's Diary ~D Shan - 7/10

Tiny Terrors ~ D Shan - 6/10

Transylvania Trek ~ D Shan - 6/10

Lonely Lefty ~ D Shan - 7/10

Bride of Sam Grest ~ D Shan - 6/10

(all the D Shan short stories connect to The Saga of Darren Shan series)

The Case of the Four & Twenty Blackbirds ~ N Gaiman - 9/10

I Cthulu ~ N Gaiman - 6/10

Bampot Central ~ C Brookmyre - 7/0

Mellow Doubt ~ C Brookmyre - 7/10

Playground Football ~ C Brookmyre - 7/10

Out of the Flesh ~ C Brookmyre - 7/10

Truth andConsequences ~ K Armstrong - 6/10

The Halloween House ~ K Armstrong - 6/10

 

 

I ran out of space on the previous post, so I had to continue it here!

 

I've followed Michelle's example & started a new thread for my reading log for the 2nd half of the year, as the old one was all over the place - LOL! My reading list is now shown in the 1st post & the books I've finished in the 2nd one - all nice & tidy.

[Michelle]

That's alot of book, Kell!

[Kell]

I know - I couldn't believe it once I'd got them all listed! A fair few of them are either shorter or aimed at a younger market & so didn't take as long to read, but I still couldn't believe it! If I can match it in the 2nd half, I'll be well happy!

[Kell]

Thoughts on Emma by Jane Austen

I'm only 3 chapters in, but I'm wondering if I'm being coerced into seeing Emma as she is seen by Mr Knightley, as he appears to feel she is a thoroughly spoiled creature who is completely enamoured of her own cleverness - exactly as I do so far. One could almost believe that the story is actually being narrated by Mr Knightley & that he is including himself as a character in the third person.

 

Although I'm having difficulty in getting to grips with the very formal language and style of writing, it's getting a little easier & I think it'll be easier still once I have a few longer reading sessions with fewer distractions!

[Kell]

I have another five books currently winging their way to me:

 

1. The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Tilo, an immigrant from India, runs a spice shop in Oakland, California. While she supplies the ingredients for curries and kormas, she also helps her customers to gain a more precious commodity: whatever they most desire. For Tilo is a Mistress of Spices, a priestess of the secret magical powers of spices.

 

Through those who visit and revisit her shop, she catches glimpses of the life of the local Indian expatriate community. To each, Tilo dispenses wisdom and the appropriate spice, for the restoration of sight, the cleansing of evil, the pain of rejection. But when a lonely American ventures into the store, a troubled Tilo cannot find the correct spice, for he arouses in her a forbidden desire - which if she follows will destroy her magical powers...

 

2. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Reading with The Posh Club)

Two years ago, Eva Khatchadourian's son, Kevin, murdered seven of his fellow high-school students, a cafeteria worker, and a popular algebra teacher. Because he was only fifteen at the time of the killings, he received a lenient sentence and is now in a prison for young offenders in upstate New York. Telling the story of Kevin's upbringing, Eva addresses herself to her estranged husband through a series of letters. Fearing that her own shortcomings may have shaped what her son has become, she confesses to a deep, long-standing ambivalence about both motherhood in general and Kevin in particular. How much is her fault? Lionel Shriver tells a compelling, absorbing, and resonant story while framing these horrifying tableaux of teenage carnage as metaphors for the larger tragedy - the tragedy of a country where everything works, nobody starves, and anything can be bought but a sense of purpose.

 

3. Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris

The place is St Oswald's, an old and long-established boys' grammar school in the north of England. A new year has just begun, and for the staff and boys of the school, a wind of unwelcome change is blowing. Suits, paperwork and Information Technology rule the world and Roy Straitley, Latin master, eccentric, and veteran of St Oswald's, is finally - reluctantly - contemplating retirement. But beneath the little rivalries, petty disputes and everyday crises of the school, a darker undercurrent stirs. And a bitter grudge, hidden and carefully nurtured for thirteen years, is about to erupt. Who is Mole, the mysterious insider, whose cruel practical jokes are gradually escalating towards violence - and perhaps, murder? And how can an old and half-forgotten scandal become the stone that brings down a giant?

 

4. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewucha (Olympic Challenge - Germany)

For years, Nadezhda and Vera, two Ukrainian sisters, raised in England by their refugee parents, have had as little as possible to do with each other - and they have their reasons. But now they find they'd better learn how to get along, because since their mother's death their aging father has been sliding into his second childhood, and an alarming new woman has just entered his life. Valentina, a bosomy young synthetic blonde from the Ukraine, seems to think their father is much richer than he is, and she is keen that he leave this world with as little money to his name as possible. If Nadazhda and Vera don't stop her, no one will. But separating their addled and annoyingly lecherous dad from his new love will prove to be no easy feat - Valentina is a ruthless pro and the two sisters swiftly realize that they are mere amateurs when it comes to ruthlessness. As Hurricane Valentina turns the family house upside down, old secrets come falling out, including the most deeply buried one of them all, from the War, the one that explains much about why Nadazhda and Vera are so different. In the meantime, oblivious to it all, their father carries on with the great work of his dotage, a grand history of the tractor.

 

5. Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

This is the follow-up novel to "Odd Thomas", from worldwide bestselling author, Dean Koontz. Odd Thomas, that unlikely hero, once more stands between us and our worst fears. Odd never asked to communicate with the dead - they sought him out. As the unofficial goodwill ambassador between our world and theirs, he has a duty to do the right thing. That's the way Odd sees it, and that's why he has already won over hearts on both sides of the great divide. For, though Odd lives in the small desert town of Pico Mundo, he stands between two worlds, and for him the heroic and the harrowing are everyday occurrences. A childhood friend of Odd's has disappeared and the worst is feared. But as Odd applies his unique talents to the task of finding the missing person, he discovers something worse than a dead body. New allies and new enemies gather around Odd, some living and some not. But the enemy he encounters is unspeakably cunning, and every sacrifice is needed to tip the balance between despair and hope as a life-changing revelation rushes towards us. In the battle to come, there can be no innocent bystanders...

 

 

So, it looks like I'll have some very interesting reading to add to my list!

[Kell]

In an attempt to further my forays into uncharted reading territory (well, uncharted by me, at least - LOL!), I've just requested three books (via RISI) that I think couldn't possibly prove to be more different: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis & Pope Joan by Donna Cross. Let's see if the swaps get accepted...

[Kell]

Got sent another couple of books from CBUK & picked up another by a foreign author yesterday to further my Olympic Challenge list:

 

1. Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe (CBUK)

Jas thinks that everyone has a super power. Everyone, that is, except herself - unless you count her extraordinary ability to get herself in trouble. But the last thing Jas expected to do on her family holiday in glitzy Las Vegas was to survive a cat attack and solve a celebrity murder mystery. As she finds herself tracking an unknown killer through a bevy of Vegas parties, Jas develops a huge crush on the possibly evil - but gorgeous - Jack, and manages to collect some valuable life lessons for her "Summer Meaningful Reflection Journal" along the way. Little Life Lesson Number 5: when you go to prison, try not to be wearing a bikini. But despite a few 'mishaps', Jas finally solves the case. And to top it all off, Jack isn't evil, and has a bit of a crush on Jas too. Perhaps she does have some super powers after all...

 

2. The Rainbow Bridge by Aubrey Flegg (CBUK) (Olympic Challenge - Ireland)

Over a century has elapsed since Louise sat for her portrait. The painting has passed from person to person, unsigned and unvalued. Then, in 1792, as Revolution sweeps through France, Gaston Morteau, a lieutenant in the Hussars, rescues the canvas from a canal in Holland. Louise becomes a very real presence in Gaston's life, sharing his experiences - the trauma of war, his meeting with Napoleon. When events force Gaston to give up the painting to the sinister Count du Bois, Louise becomes embroiled in a tale of political intrigue and Gothic horror. In the ashes of the Delft explosion, Louise made a choice for life. Now she has to face the realities of love, loss and pain that this life brings.

 

3. Lovely Green Eyes by Arnost Lustig (Olympic Challenge - Czech Republic)

Fifteen-year-old Hanka Kaudersova has ginger hair and clear, green eyes. When her family is deported to Auschwitz, her mother, father and younger brother are sent to the gas chamber. By a twist of fate, Hanka is faced with a simple alternative: follow her family, or work in an SS brothel behind the eastern front. She chooses to live, her Aryan looks allowing her to disguise the fact that she is Jewish. As the German army retreats from the Russian front, Hanka battles cold, hunger, fear and shame, sustained by her hatred for the men she entertains, her friendship with the mysterious Estelle, and her fierce, burning desire for life.

[Kell]

Thoughts on Emma by Jane Austen:

I've just finished Part 2 of Emma and as much as I can appreciate it, I can't say I'm actively enjoying it. I find too many of the characters thoroughly annoying in a million little ways and just can't see the attraction towards any of them as people. I know for a fact that if I were stuck with Highbury Society as shown here, I'd shun the lot of them. Except, perhaps, Mr Knightley, as I still find I agree with him and feel he's not in it nearly enough for my liking.

 

I will however, persevere to the end now, as I've passed the halfway mark and am determined to finish it. I'm getting to grips a little more with the excessively formal style, but find it feels stilted when I'm reading it and, as a result, it feels like it's taking forever to plough through this.

 

I think that the main part of the problem is that I'm finding the lives of those in Regency Society very trivial. I'm more used to something a bit meatier in my historical choices, such as the Elizabethan or Tudor courts, or Roman legions in Britain, whereas all these polite exchanges and constant gossiping is starting to wear on my nerves a little.*

 

I think I may be tempted to start another book in the meantime, but then again, if I do that, I'll be with this one for even longer. Oh, what a dilemma! Unfortunately, Emma is not tempting me to read any more of Austen's novels, which is a shame, because I had intended to, but I don't think I could stand to wade through them now.

 

* I'm aware that this doesn't actually qualify as historical fiction, as it was written as a contemporary novel, but it feels like historical fiction to me, if rather more bland than my usual tastes.

[Kell]

I'm almost finished Emma, so I didn't take it to work today as I didn't want to have to cart two books in my handbag in case I finished it early. In any case, I took The Rainbow Bridge by Aubrey Flegg with me instead & so far I'm finding it rather interesting - a strange mix of Napoleonic wars & possible ghost story - I'm not sure yet how it's going to turn out. I'll be reviewing this one for CBUK & it's my Olympic Challenge choice for Ireland...

 

I'll finish Emma in the bath tonight.

[Kell]

Two new arrivals via good old RISI:

 

1. Pope Joan by Donna Cross

Based on the life of one of the most fascinating, extraordinary women in Western history - Pope Joan, a controversial figure of historical record who, disguised as a man, rose to rule Christianity in the 9th century as the first and only woman to sit on the throne of St. Peter.

 

Brilliant and talented, young Joan rebels against the medieval social strictures forbidding women to learn to read and write. When her older brother is killed during a Viking attack, Joan takes up his cloak and identity, goes to the monastery of Fulda, and is initiated into the brotherhood in his place. As Brother John Anglicus, Joan distinguishes herself as a great Christian scholar. Eventually she is drawn to Rome, where she becomes enmeshed in a dangerous web of love, passion, and politics. Triumphing over appalling odds, she finally attains the highest throne in Christendom.

 

Pope Joan is a sweeping historical drama set against the turbulent events of the 9th century -- the Saracen sack of St. Peter's, the famous fire in the Borgo that destroyed over three-quarters of the Vatican, the Battle of Fontenoy, arguably the bloodiest and most terrible of medieval conflicts. The novel is a fascinating vivid record of what life was really like during the so-called Dark Ages, as masterwork of suspense and passion that has as its center an unforgettable woman, reminiscent of Jean Auel's Ayla, Jane Austen's Emma, and other heroines who struggle against restrictions their souls will not accept. (Currently being made into a movie)

 

2. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

"Abandon hope all ye who enter". So begins a hellish descent into the world of Patrick Bateman, the novel's protagonist. Bateman is a handsome 26-year-old Wall Street yuppie, who spends his days listening to Whitney Houston and working out which exclusive restaurant to eat in and what clothes to wear in a dizzying parody of 1980s consumerism run mad. However, Bateman also has a darker side; he is a psychopathic serial killer, with a penchant for torturing and sexually abusing young women before killing them in the most gruesome and explicit fashion. (Made into a movie in 2000)

 

 

I look forward to both of these, although I've just noticed that Pope Joan is likened to Jane Austen's Emma, which has me a tad worried, as I've not really enjoyed Emma all that much...

[Kell]

Finished reading The Rainbow Bridge by Aubrey Flegg & it was rather enjoyable - 7/10 I'd say.

 

Am now starting on We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, as it's the Posh Club July book & I need to read it by 25 July or I won't know what anyone's talking about!

[Kell]

A few more books have arrived from RISI:

 

1. Autobiography of a Geisha by Sayo Masudo

Sayo Masuda's story is an extraordinary portrait of rural life in Japan and an illuminating contrast to the fictionalised lives of glamorous geishas. At the age of six masuda's poverty-stricken family sent her to work as a nursemaid. At the age of twelve, she was indentured to a geisha house. In "Autobiography of the Geisha", Masuda chronicles a harsh world in which young women faced the realities of sex for sale and were deprived of their freedom and identity. She also tells of her life after leaving the geisha house, painting a vivid panorama of the grinding poverty of rural life in wartime Japan. Many years later Masuda decided to tell her story. Although she could barely read or write she was determined to tell the truth about life as a geisha and explode the myths surrounding their secret world. Remarkable frank and incredibly moving, this is the record of one woman's survival on the margins of Japanese society.

 

2. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre (Olympic Challenge

[Kell]

Thoughts on We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver:

I

[Janet]

Sorrry you aren't enjoying it. I felt like that at the start, but felt that once it got going, it really got going!! Hope you get into it too.

[Kell]

Five more books have arrived, courtesy of that wonderful site, RISI:

 

1. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell (Olympic Challenge

[Kell]

More thoughts on We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver:

Well, in the end I finished it, but it took me till the end of lunchtime yesterday to plough my way through and I can’t honestly say I liked it all that much.

 

If you’re planning on reading this book at all, please don’t read the spoiler sections, as it really will spoil it for you – I’ll be talking about major plot revelations.

 

Are you sure you want to continue? OK, carry on:

 

 

The thing that disappointed me most is that the “major revelations” seemed very obvious to me:

 

1. The very fact that there were no replies shown to any of the letters led me to believe that Franklin either really hated Eva or was dead. I very quickly decided that he was deceased due to the romantic picture she kept painting of him being the All-American guy – she was almost reverential about it, so from this, I already had the idea he was a goner and that he’d most likely been killed by Kevin.

 

2. The details of the actual massacre weren’t given – no numbers, no mention of the weapon – the reader is just left to assume that it’s a gun. However, as soon as Kevin took up archery, I thought it was very obvious that this was his weapon of choice. I also thought the non-mention of specifics made it too obvious that his father was also a victim and therefore was dead (see note 1).

 

3. The fact that the daughter was never mentioned in day-to-day moments other than to say that she was “with Franklin” led me to believe that she was also dead and was murdered by her brother.

 

 

Character-wise, I found the Eva to be whingy, Franklin to be a wuss, Celia was clingy and annoying, and Kevin was an arrogant, cold, creepy child who needed a good slap.

 

 

Horrid as this is going to sound, I wanted to cheer when Eva threw her six-y-o son across the room and broke his arm. Like Kevin, I was just pleased to see some kind of reaction at long last and, frankly, I hated the kid so much I wouldn’t have blanched if she’d broken more than his arm! I’m not advocating child abuse in any way, it’s just that I felt so little sympathy for anyone involved, and the kid was so obnoxious, I wanted him given a good-and-proper spanking!

 

 

Action-wise, absolutely nothing happens for almost the first half of the book, making it very slow-going and an incredible chore to read. If I hadn’t been reading it for the Posh Club I wouldn’t have bothered as I was so bored with it that I was opting to do displacement activities such as doing the washing up, rather than read it for lengthy stretches.

 

 

The big turn-around with the “loving his mother after all” at the very end felt like the biggest cop-out ever. It felt incredibly contrived and made me want to throw the book across the room as I felt I had wasted my time (and such a lot of it!) with this book.

 

 

My major beef, however, was with the style of writing itself. If you’re going to write a book that’s supposed to be a series of letters, at least make them plausible as letters! I have never heard of anyone writing huge swathes of dialogue and going into such intricate detail of events at which the addressee was present. If you were relating to a mutual event or conversation, at most you’d say “Do you remember the time we went to ___ and you said ___?” That would be it. I know the detail has to be included for the plot to unfold, but this felt false. If it had just been written as a novel without the whole “letters to Franklin” theme, it wouldn’t have been so bad. In the end, I had to ignore it completely in order to carry on.

 

As you can gather, I found very little, if anything, to recommend We Need to Talk About Kevin. In fact, the very title is a misnomer – it should maybe have been called We Needed to Talk About Kevin, as they rarely did in any significant way and it’s the one thing that might have made a difference to everyone concerned.

 

I’ll be generous and give it 3/10, but that’s as high as I can go.

[Kell]

Have started reading Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe and I've been giggling from the get-go. What a refreshing change after two books that have left me cold (those would by Emma and Kevin). It's a lighthearted, witty story and the characters have so far been a lot of fun. The story is engaging and it's the first in what looks to be a good series. I'll look forward to reading the rest of it!

[Kell]

More books heading my way via RISI:

 

1. The Book Seller of Kabul by

[Kell]

To save me copying & pasting all the reviews, here are the links to the five I've just written - long overdue, I might add - & posted over at On the Shelf. I'll add the rest as I do them:

 

Happy Birthday, Jamela! by Niki Daly (for CBUK)

There Once Was a Boy Called Tashi by Anna & Barbara Fienberg (for CBUK)

The Rainbow Bridge by Aubrey Flegg (for CBUK) (Olympic Challenge - Ireland)

Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe (for CBUK)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

[Sugar]

Just read your opinions on Kevin, and now I have a huge sense of dread as I too have to read it for a book club choice this month. I was really looking forward to it, but not so convinced now. (I managed to avoid the spoilers though!).

[Kell]

I'm glad you avoided the spoilers as that really would have ruined it for you. At the Posh Club, everyone was completely divided over what they thought of this book - there wwere a handful of us who really hated it, but the majority seemed to really enjoy it, so it may be that you have completely different feelings about it - I hope you do!

[Renniemist]

I really believe you are right with your analysis of We Need To Talk About Kevin. I felt just the same irritation with it when I read it on holiday last month.

 

Having said that I think it is a book that I will always remember or at least will not easily forget, so I can see why many people really liked it.

 

I would probably have given it much the same score as you did, but I do think people should read it and see what they think.

[Kell]

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:

The debut thriller from a bright new Scottish talent set to rival Ian Rankin. It's DS Logan McRae's first day back on the job after a year off on the sick, and it couldn't get much worse. Four-year-old David Reid's body is discovered in a ditch, strangled, mutilated and a long time dead. There's a killer stalking the Granite City and the local media are baying for blood. If that wasn't enough, Logan also has to contend with a new boss, DI Insch, who doesn't suffer fools gladly and thinks everyone's a fool, and his own ex-girlfriend, the beautiful but chilly Isobel MacAlister, who also happens to be the chief pathologist. The only good news is WPC 'Ball Breaker' Watson, Logan's new guardian angel. The dead are piling up in the morgue almost as fast as the snow on the streets, and Logan knows time is running out. More children are going missing. More are going to die. If Logan isn't careful, he's going to end up joining them.;Set in Aberdeen, where the rainy season lasts all year, criminal gangs vie for supremacy on the streets and the oil industry brings an influx of wealth and vice, this is a gritty, powerful and page-turning debut thriller by a writer with a wonderfully observant eye and a characteristically Scottish sense of gallows humour.