Scarlette Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) My Reads for 2010 - Angel Time, Anne Rice - The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows - The Gormenghast Trilogy, Mervyn Peake - The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt - The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam, Lauren Liebenberg - The Rose Labyrinth, Titania Hardy - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon - Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Edgar Allan Poe - The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein, Peter Ackroyd -The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, Terry Pratchett - The Lying Tongue, Andrew Wilson - The Little Friend, Donna Tartt - Nocturnes, John Connolly - Murder on the Leviathan, Boris Akunin - Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad - Nervous Conditions, Tsitsi Dangarembga - The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald - Homer's The Odyssey - Homer's The Iliad - Sherlock Holmes Collection, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova - Let The Right One In - John Ajvide Lindqvist - Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte - The Infinities - John Banville (currently reading) Edited October 30, 2010 by Scarlette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 (edited) The Wish List - The Portrait of a Lady, Henry James - The Reader, Bernhard Schlink - Oscar Wilde and the Chandlelight Murders, Gyles Brandreth - The Behaviour of Moths, Poppy Adams - Perfume (The Story of a Murderer), Patrick Suskind - The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks - Love In The Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez - The Resurrectionist, James Bradley - La Cucina, Lily Prior - The Godfather, Mario Puzo - House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski - The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova - The Book of Lost Things, John Connolly - White Oleander, Janet Fitch - The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle - The First Detective Collection, Edgar Allan Poe (found and bought in a different compilation) - Vampire Stories, Arthur Conan Doyle - Tales of Terror and Mystery, Arthur Conan Doyle - The Sign of the Four, Arthur Conan Doyle - The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle - The Valley of Fear, Arthur Conan Doyle - Soul Music, Terry Pratchett - Hogfather, Terry Pratchett (and with that I would have read all the 'Death' novels in the series) - The Child Thief, Brom Edited February 22, 2010 by Scarlette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Actually, Scarlette, you could just delve into my bookshelves - there's, like, three books I've not got... How're you doing, chum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 Actually, Scarlette, you could just delve into my bookshelves - there's, like, three books I've not got... How're you doing, chum? When can I come over? I've been more or less alright, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Yes, I've read quite a lot, or have them on my wishlist. Excellent lists, Missy Scarlette. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Great looking reads there, Scarlette! I've read and loved quite a few on your TBR and wish lists, and I also have Jonathan Strange on my shelf waiting for me. Have you read any Matthew Pearl before? He's one of my favorites, and I'm dying to get my hand on a copy of Swan Thieves when it comes out this month! Happy reading . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted January 11, 2010 Author Share Posted January 11, 2010 I haven't read any Matthew Pearl, before, no, Peacefield. But I have heard good things about The Dante Club, so if The Poe Shadow turns out to be to my liking, I will certainly give that one a try, also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 I want to read The Poe Shadow! I couldn't get into The Dante Club, but then I tried The Last Dickens and enjoyed that, so I'm going to go back to The Dante Club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 (edited) I have been reading The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett for ages now, and I'm giving serious thought to letting this one go and moving on to something else on my list, as I'm simply not enjoying it as much as the Discworld-novels I've read before. I love Rincewind, but this one is just a bit too much on the fantasy side for my tastes. EDIT: Alright, Colour of Magic has found a new home - I passed it on to my little sister, since she seemed to be interested. And I'm free to move on to more entertaining reads. Edited January 17, 2010 by Scarlette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 (edited) I finished reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, today. It was a very heart-warming story and quite funny at times, too. I loved the main character, 15 year old Christoper Boone (who's also the narrator and suffers from Asperger's Syndrome) and the way he saw the world. I was in awe of his understanding of mathematics and logic and I enjoyed realizing all my own oddities as I read about Christopher's. Throughout the book, I felt that he edged towards a much more mature and brave character, even though he doesn't realize it himself until the end. Very enjoyable and easy read. Edited August 9, 2010 by Scarlette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisia Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I'm glad you enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, I thought it was a really good book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 (edited) I have (finally!) finished Anne Rice's Angel Time. First, the synopsis, courtesy of Loot.co.za: At the centre: Toby O'Dare - Lucky the Fox - a contract killer of underground fame. A soulless soul, a dead man walking...He's fallen far from grace, and lives under a series of aliases. Lucky takes his orders from someone he calls 'The Right Man', someone whose name and allegiances he doesn't know. When the novel opens, the time is the present. Lucky, who grew up in a New Orleans, son of an alcoholic mother and a murdered father, long ago dreamt of being a priest, craving rituals, taking refuge in history, books and lute music - but instead came to embody danger and violence - now seizes his chance. He is lifted in (angel) time and begins a journey of salvation that leads him from the medieval villages of England to the cities of London and Paris as his quest becomes a story of danger and flight, loyalty and betrayal, selflessness and love. I anxiously awaited the release of this novel, part of Rice's new Songs of the Seraphim series, for ages after first hearing about it. Unfortunately, after reading it, I am just a little bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it's a good piece of work, Rice certainly still has her flair for descriptive language and at it's core is a good enough story, but... I found it rather difficult to get into this book and the story didn't quite pick up until mid-way through chapter 4, after which it continued quite strongly until slacking off somewhat, then recapturing my attention near the end. This isn't Rice's first venture into the divine, but since I haven't read her Christ the Lord series, yet, I only had the Vampire Chronicles to compare this novel to. And considering how brilliantly she wrote both about Lestat (Memnoch the Devil) and Vittorio's (Vittorio the Vampire) encounters with the heavenly, I thought Angel Time would be equally imaginative and intriguing. There are specific things I would have liked to be done differently in this novel: Toby's sudden decision to become a killer is rather too sudden. I would have liked there to have been more of a story, more reason, to it, than what was offered in the novel. Also, he seemed too accepting of what Malchiah the angel told him and wanted him to do - I think there should have been more of a struggle for Toby to accept God and leave his old life behind. This is alright as an introductory novel and I think it has a lot of potential. I would like to read the rest of the series, before deciding whether I like this new direction Rice has taken with her writing, but thus far I still prefer her vampiric tales, which has plenty of spiritual references and struggles of their own. Edited August 9, 2010 by Scarlette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Great review Scarlette, I haven't read 'Maurice and his Educated Rodents' but I've heard it read by Tony Robinson and thought it was fantastic. As you say, a little different from the normal Discworld novels (if there is such a thing) but still full of Terry's usual wit and satire .. I loved it. Is there such a thing as a bad Terry Pratchett novel? .. I haven't read/heard one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted April 8, 2010 Author Share Posted April 8, 2010 (edited) Is there such a thing as a bad Terry Pratchett novel? .. I haven't read/heard one yet. I actually didn't very much enjoy The Colour of Magic - which is the first Discworld novel if I'm not mistaken. Luckily that wasn't my introduction to the series, otherwise I probably wouldn't have given it a fair chance. I haven't updated this thread in an eternity. But I have been reading - if only for college purposes. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad synopsis courtesy of Loot.co.za "Heart of Darkness" has been considered for most of this century as a literary classic, and also as a powerful indictment of the evils of imperialism. It reflects the savage repressions carried out in the Congo by the Belgians in one of the largest acts of genocide committed up to that time. Conrad's narrator encounters at the end of the story a man named Kurtz, dying, insane, and guilty of unspeakable atrocities. First appearing as a three-part series in "Blackwood's Magazine" in 1899, it was soon after published as a novella, in 1902 in the volume "Youth: A Narrative"; and "Two Other Stories". When I first started reading this, I was rather apprehensive (because it's a classic) and almost switched novels within reading the first few pages. But I persevered and am endlessly glad for that. This is a very good novella. From the above synopsis, you can probably tell that it touches on rather sensitive issues, and throughout reading it I was certainly affected. It's one of those stories that's horrifically brilliant. It's never as graphic as it might have been had it been written today, but it's still disturbing. I made use of an edition which includes a study guide, and knowing that certain characters have a symbolic function, as well as learning more about the story's backdrop, made it even more fascinating. I will most certainly have a look at more of Conrad's work and reread this at some point. Very well done. Edited August 9, 2010 by Scarlette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirinrob Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Heart of Darkness is one I enjoyed as well. As you say it is disturbing, but also haunting in it's beauty. I'm looking at getting a copy of The Shadow Line, one of his later works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted October 30, 2010 Author Share Posted October 30, 2010 The deserted. Before continuing with thoughts on the books I've enjoyed reading, I thought to include a short post on those I've discarded. The Turn of the Screw and other stories, Henry James I'm afraid that James' writing style is just a bit too dull for my tastes. I couldn't quite get into how he presented the stories in this compilation and I thought it a pity, since I do appreciate a good ghost story and was looking forward to them. The Poe Shadow, Matthew Pearl A novel I kept off reading for such a long time, convinced that I would enjoy it so much, I'd be disappointed when it ends. I might have ruined it for myself with having such high expectations, because when I finally got to reading it, it simply didn't grab my attention. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Suzanna Clarke I don't recall reading more than two chapters of this novel. I had a gorgeous edition and nearly wept when I decided to give up and pass it on to someone else, but it was just so dreary and drawn out that it soon became unreadable. American Gods (author's preferred text), Neil Gaiman; Dracula The Un-dead, Dacre Stoker; The Godfather compilation, Mario Puzo I'll lump these three together under the same heading, since the same thing put me off in each case. I've never been a great fan of anything overly sexual when it comes to novels, but in most cases I have no problem with it being included. However, the above three novels were all ruined for me on the basis of graphic scenes or simply sexual wording being used unnecessarily (Un-dead). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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