Poppy's Paperbacks 2010

[poppyshake]

The Secret History - Donna Tartt

Waterstones Synopsis: A misfit at an exclusive New England college, Richard finds kindred spirits in the five eccentric students of his ancient Greek class. But his new friends have a horrific secret. When blackmail and violence threaten to blow their privileged lives apart, they drag Richard into the nightmare that engulfs them. And soon they enter a terrifying heart of darkness from which they may never return.

Review: Now this one I really enjoyed, very creepy, unsettling and totally gripping. The book rather cleverly begins with a prologue telling the reader of the murder of Bunny Corcoran, moreover it's clear that he has been murdered by his friends. This made me positively itch to get going with the story. Our narrator Richard Papen then takes us back and recounts his lifestory .. or at least the most recent parts that have led him here. Richard had to fight tooth and nail (and tell a number of untruths, which is something Richard is rather practised at) to gain a place at New Hampshire College. He's not absolutely sure what he wants to study but he has more than an interest in the Greek classics and a meeting with the erudite classics teacher, Julian, settles it. It's here that he meets the five other students in Julian's class, Henry, Francis, Bunny, and twins Charles and Camilla. They're a bit of a supercilious bunch really, inclined to think highly of themselves and lowly of others. They're all fairly well connected (unlike Richard) and have the habit of littering their conversations with Greek literary and philosophical quotations often intentionally to exclude those around them. On the whole they're viewed as weirdo's by the rest of the students. As Richard recalls his first few weeks at New Hampshire we get to see a close-up of Bunny's behaviour (he is the first of the group to really extend the hand of friendship to Richard - the others seem a little reluctant to let him in) and it's easy to see that a little of Bunny goes a long, long, way. He's what you might call parasitic. Although his parents have wealth they are not inclined to share any of it with their offspring and actively encourage them to sponge off others. Bunny is a master at it. Richard can't help noticing that the others, Henry in particular, are surprisingly financially generous to Bunny even though they seem also to be irritated by him. Bunny also lets slip certain comments and remarks about his friends which seem to hint at his knowing something that they would prefer he kept hidden. As Richard gets to know his friends more the secrets come spilling out and eventually he finds himself inextricably caught up in their deception. Tartt's really good at scene setting, college life is headily depicted with student angst mixed with apathy, loose morals and plenty of drugs and booze (goodness, it's a wonder any of them could button up their shirt in the morning!) I actually felt like I needed a de-tox after reading it. The friendship of the group is often claustrophobic and guarded, especially between Henry, Francis, Camilla and Charles, outsiders are unwelcome and discouraged. There is a menace in this book that just builds and builds, you already know who murdered Bunny, but as time goes on, and the group's normal calm facade begins to disintegrate, you're not sure what they may do as a consequence, you're not even sure who they actually are, the plot really does thicken.
I liked it a lot and although it's a fairly hefty book and quite slow paced the pages flew by.
The only one tiny criticism is that I don't think she fully realised the character of Julian, we know how clever he was but we never really saw any evidence as to why he was so loved and admired by his students.
All in all though it was totally compelling and riveting.

I would be eager to read 'The Little Friend' now, only I've heard it can't be compared .. ah well.

9/10

Edited January 8, 2014 by poppyshake

[poppyshake]

 

Metamorphosis and other stories - Franz Kafka

 

Amazon Synopsis: Gregor Samsa awakens one morning to find himself transformed into a repulsive bug. Trapped inside this hideous form, his mind remains unchanged - until he sees the shocked reaction of those around him and begins to question the basis of human love and, indeed, his entire purpose in existence. But this, it seems, is only the beginning of his ordeal.

 

Review: A very strange little tale of a man - Gregor Samsa - who wakes up and finds himself transformed into an insect (or bug .. as the purists would prefer but then I have always thought they were one and the same .. ignorance is bliss! Though I do know that insects are supposed to have not more than six legs and Gregor calls his legs 'numerous' still, six could still be called numerous when you are used to only two.) Gregor needs to get himself up and out of bed, he's going to miss his train if he does not and the family all rely on him and his work as a travelling salesman. His father, his mother and sister are all knocking on the various doors to his chamber, urging him to rise and that's all very well and good but how on earth can you rise when you've only just found out that you're a monstrous bug? There's a feeling of suffocation, that, as absurd as it seems, he can't even deal with this problem in peace and quiet without his family harassing him. Added pressure is put on by the eventual appearance of the chief clerk from Gregor's office who comes to find out if Gregor is swinging the lead and to add his urges to that of the others. Various thumps and crashes are heard coming from his room as Gregor struggles to do as they request which startle the family but the alarm really goes up when Gregor speaks ... "That was the voice of an animal." says the chief clerk. The doctor and the locksmith are sent for. Eventually the horror of what is actually residing in Gregor's bedroom is revealed to the rest of the family. It's an interesting concept isn't it, what would you do if you entered the room where a loved one sleeps only to find a giant bug there in their place? My first thought would be that it had eaten my loved one I'm sure and I'd probably phone up Rentokil or something and have the poor thing exterminated. Gregor would not have made it past the first fifteen pages. Poor Gregor continues to think as a human though and insists that he is still intending to get dressed if the clerk will only report back to the office to say that he has been temporarily incapacitated. The really interesting part of the book is seeing how the family adapt to having a bug for a son/brother. It can't be said that they do all that well, although they certainly do better than I would. Within a fairly short space of time they almost go back to living their life as before, for the most part ignoring Gregor and trying to act as normal. It's not only Gregor's life that is transformed though, each family member changes as the story progresses becoming quite different people by the end of it. I found it strangely touching and sad, it's amazing how quickly you can get used to the protagonist being a giant beetle and how you feel all of his discomfort and rejection. A sad little tale about how quickly one can become forgotten, not to say despised, when no longer useful.

Apparently there are over a hundred theories about what the Metamorphosis is really about, ideas range from how a family may cope with terminal or mental illness, feelings of alienation (citing Kafka as a German and a Jew living in Prague), the uneasy relationship between Kafka and his father - which is also touched upon in another short story in this collection The Judgment, an allegory for genocide etc etc. Nabakov even did a lecture on it.

It's only short but it's oddly touching.

Even shorter is another tale in the collection called Give Up! the entirety of which I will write here:

It was early in the morning, the streets clean and deserted, I was walking to the station. As I compared a tower clock with my watch, I saw that it was already much later that I had thought, I had to hurry, the shock of this discovery made me uncertain of the way, I was not yet very well acquainted with the town, fortunately there was a policeman nearby, I ran up to him and breathlessly asked him the way. he smiled and said "You are asking

me

the way?" "Yes," I said, "since I cannot find it myself." "Give up, give up." he said, and turned away with a great sweep, like people who want to be alone with their laughter.

I'm not sure what is meant but it reminded me of those days when you run around and around and get absolutely nowhere!! I have them all the time!

 

A quirky and thought provoking collection of short stories, but Metamorphosis is the stand-out story.

 

9/10

Edited November 16, 2010 by poppyshake

[Kylie]

Great review. I read this a while ago and was amazed by the story because I had no idea what it would be about. I haven't read any of his other short stories though so I'd better add that collection to my wish list.

Edited November 10, 2010 by Kylie

[poppyshake]

Great review. I read this a while ago and was amazed by the story because I had no idea what it would be about. I haven't read any of his other short stories though so I'd better add that collection to my wish list.

 

I'm suddenly getting into reading short stories, I picked up a volume by Edgar Allan Poe at the library .. it's quite satisfying to be able to read a story in ten minutes

 

[poppyshake]

Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders - Gyles Brandreth

 

Amazon Synopsis: London, 1889. Oscar Wilde, celebrated poet, wit, playwright and raconteur is the literary sensation of his age. All Europe lies at his feet. Yet when he chances across the naked corpse of sixteen-year-old Billy Wood, posed by candlelight in a dark, stifling attic room, he cannot ignore the brutal murder. With the help of fellow author Arthur Conan Doyle he sets out to solve the crime – but it is Wilde’s unparalleled access to all degrees of late Victorian life, from society drawing rooms and the bohemian demi-monde to the underclass, that will prove the decisive factor in their investigation of what turns out to be a series of brutal killings.

 

Review: Again I listened to this read by Bill Wallis and again I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the first of the series so I've 'read' them in the wrong sequence but they stand alone easily like a Sir Arthur Conon Doyle novel. I love being immersed in Oscar's world (albeit an entirely fictional one) and I'm very fond of Gyles' version of Robert Sherard who narrates the books (though he really did need a good talking to in this story.) I found that although Oscar speaks in witticisms and bon mots far more than he probably did in real life, it didn't irritate me in the way that say things like 'Becoming Jane' irritated me ... that seemed to suggest that every time Jane said something she thought clever she wrote it down and put it in one of her books. The dialogue wherever possible was made up of Austen quotations ... as if she never had another thought in her head. I hated that, but somehow I like this, maybe it's because a lot of the quotations are fresh to me. Anyhow, although my rating for this book is the same as for the last I did slightly prefer Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death maybe because it included Lord Alfred Douglas and that added an extra touch of spice.

Another rattling read to luxuriate in and wonderfully read.

 

10/10

 

 

Something Sensational to Read on the Train - Gyles Brandreth

 

Waterstones Synopsis: This is a diary packed with famous names and extraordinary stories. It is also rich in incidental detail and wonderful observation, providing both a compelling record of five remarkable decades and a revealing, often hilarious and sometimes moving account of Gyles Brandreth's unusual life -- as a child living in London in the 'swinging' sixties, as a jumper-wearing TV presenter, as an MP and government whip, and as a royal biographer who has enjoyed unique access to the Queen and her family. Something Sensational to Read on the Train takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride from the era of Dixon of Dock Green to the age of The X Factor, from the end of the farthing to the arrival of the euro, from the Britain of Harold Macmillan and the Notting Hill race riots to the world of Barack Obama and Lewis Hamilton. With a cast list that runs from Richard Nixon and Richard Branson to Gordon Brown and David Cameron -- and includes princes, presidents and pop stars, as well as three archbishops and any number of actresses -- this is a book for anyone interested in contemporary history, politics and entertainment, royalty, gossip and life itself.

 

Review: I've never particularly liked Gyles, he just doesn't appeal and more often than not when you see him on TV the word that comes to mind is 'irritating' but, I've enjoyed his novels so when I saw this at the library I thought I'd dip in. I'm glad I did because it's an insight into a world that's so completely unlike my own it's fascinating. To say that he's an obsessive diarist is an understatement, since childhood he has kept a daily diary (plus a private diary) along with carefully collated archives of notices, reviews, letters, articles etc, and what we have here is only about a fiftieth of that material (and this is quite a large tome.) His jobs, and therefore his diaries, have been so varied (he once did a book signing tour for his publishers dressed as Snoopy to promote Snoopy's first foray into fiction, apparently the public went mad for him much to the annoyance of other book signing celebrities) and he has a lively, chatty, gossipy style. The book is littered with anecdotes, especially of the great actors such as Gielgud, Richardson and Redgrave (Gyles collects them), he had aspirations once to be an actor and performed in several plays but somehow he knew he'd never be great and if Gyles can't be the best at something then he's not really interested (he is godfather to several children but he freely admits he's a terrible godparent he simply isn't interested.) He has produced lots of plays, written many, many books, opened a teddy bear museum in Stratford (which housed the original Fozzie Bear and also at one point Tony Blairs teddy) and of course been an elected Tory minister. He also bizarrely was once best known for his enormous collection of knitted jumpers (there was even a book with various celebs wearing them.) The book is split into six parts: Schoolboy, Child of the Sixties - Man of the Seventies, Husband and Father, Under the Jumper, Member of Parliament and After the Fall. The part documenting his time as Tory MP for Chester is an eye opener, it turns out that 'Yes Minister' was more true to life than you might think. Probably it will only really be of interest to people in the UK because so much of the book deals with British TV/cinema/showbiz and politics etc. He's fairly indiscreet, I winced at a lot of his observations (Princess Diana) 'I thought (ungallantly) her skin had rather gone to pot: a sort of light pebble-dash effect on her beaky nose' .. (Barbara Cartland) 'she looked like a very old version of the sugar plum fairy' .. (Elizabeth Taylor) 'she has no presence, she is overweight and underwhelming'. I think his childhood interested me the most, he lived in London and went to Bedales boarding school before gaining entrance to Oxford, life was a succession of theatre, cinema, restaurants and travelling abroad. He probably had seen more plays by the time he was fourteen than I have in my whole lifetime .. miles more infact.

 

A couple of typical entries below:

 

Sunday, 14 August 1960

Staying with the Paices in Dusseldorf. I have found a copy of Lolita by Vladimar Nabakov in my bedroom and I am reading it. It is about an old man who falls in love with a girl who is 12. I am 12. Interesting. 'Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo-Lee-Ta.'!!!

 

Saturday 15 July 1972 (at Gyles' first cabaret booking in Dorset)

... to cut to the chase: I spent the evening in my room, with my stomach churning. I had prepared an 'act', but I had not performed it out loud before. At around 9.30 pm. I went down to the dining room. Fred the spoons was on - and wowing them. With each succeeding number they loved him even more. And when he reached his finale - during which he played empty Coca Cola bottles - they simply went wild. When he'd finished, he introduced me. I went on - in silence, to silence. Or rather, to the sound of cutlery on china and the murmur of conversation. The diners looked up at me briefly and then turned back to their plates and carried on eating. My throat was dry, my heart was thumping. I stood on the tiny stage gazing out at the sea of heads bent over their dinners and began my act. To say that 'I died' would be an exaggeration since I made no impact whatsoever. The business of the dining room continued as though I was not there. I was terrible, of course - I lost my nerve, I lost my way, I gabbled my way through my material. When I got to the end I stood on my head - yes, I stood on my head on a tiny dais in the corner of this cramped and crowded dining room and NOBODY NOTICED. Waitresses passed in front of me, customers paid their bills and went on their way. I left the stage in silence.

 

Monday, 2 November 1981

I travelled down to the Penguin sales conference at the Saunton Sands Hotel, near Barnstaple, with Roald Dahl. He was not easy company. I think he likes to give off an air of menace. He sat, curled up, scowling in the corner of our railway compartment. He didn't read. He seemed to want to talk, but his conversation was awkward, random. He did tell me his idea for the perfect murder. The victim is bludgeoned to death with a frozen leg of lamb. The murderer then cooks the lamb and serves it to the police when they come calling - so getting rid of the evidence. He has a wonderful imagination but a somewhat alarming manner.

 

Great fun in places and even though Gyles' self interest is breathtaking there's something about the way he writes that makes him able to get away with stuff that would make other people seem insufferable. Quite outrageous and rude at times (he was once lewdly propositioned by Frankie Howerd .. and he seemed almost sorry that he couldn't accomodate him) but immensely readable. He's nicked the title of course from Gwendolen in Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of being Earnest' .. Oscar being another of GB's favourite subjects.

 

8/10

Edited November 16, 2010 by poppyshake

[Kylie]

I'm suddenly getting into reading short stories, I picked up a volume by Edgar Allan Poe at the library .. it's quite satisfying to be able to read a story in ten minutes

 

I was chatting to someone at work who recommended a volume of short stories by an Indian author named Rabindranath Tagore. His poetry is apparently excellent as well. I'm not sure I should recommended books and authors I've never read, but seeing as you're getting into short stories, I thought I'd mention them. They sound really interesting because the writing is supposed to be very evocative. I've added them to my wishlist.

[poppyshake]

I was chatting to someone at work who recommended a volume of short stories by an Indian author named Rabindranath Tagore. His poetry is apparently excellent as well. I'm not sure I should recommended books and authors I've never read, but seeing as you're getting into short stories, I thought I'd mention them. They sound really interesting because the writing is supposed to be very evocative. I've added them to my wishlist.

 

Thanks Kylie, I've jotted his name down on my library list I've been reading a few Shakespeare's plays too but they don't really count as short stories because I'm having to put the same amount of concentration in as I would for a 500 pager.

[pickle]

Thanks Kylie, I've jotted his name down on my library list I've been reading a few Shakespeare's plays too but they don't really count as short stories because I'm having to put the same amount of concentration in as I would for a 500 pager.

 

If you like short stories have you tried The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter they are excellent based on fairy tales and folktales

[poppyshake]

If you like short stories have you tried The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter they are excellent based on fairy tales and folktales

 

I haven't yet Pickle but I must because I really like what I've read of Angela's so far .. thanks for reminding me about them

 

[poppyshake]

Shakespeare - Bill Bryson

 

Waterstones Synopsis: This short biography of William Shakespeare by world famous writer Bill Bryson brims with the author's inimitable wit and intelligence. Shakespeare's life, despite the scrutiny of generations of biographers and scholars, is still a thicket of myths and traditions, some preposterous, some conflicting, arranged around the few scant facts known about the Bard -- from his birth in Stratford to the bequest of his second best bed to his wife when he died. Following his international bestsellers 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' and 'The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid', Bill Bryson has written a short biography of William Shakespeare for the Eminent Lives series -- which seeks to pair great subjects with writers known for their strong sensibilities and sharp, lively points of view.

 

Review: The world probably doesn't need another biography of Shakespeare, as Bill would be the first to acknowledge, especially as the main impression is always that we don't know much about him and there isn't much information available (we don't even know what he really looks like as the few images that we have of him are unreliable) but Bill sifts through the facts and tries to seperate them from the fiction with such wit and humour that, like all of his books, it's a pleasure to read. It's only a short book, but I like that, too often books about Shakespeare are filled with conjecture and guesswork, they ramble on for ages and then you realise that it's mostly supposition on the part of the author. It's quite astonishing really that someone who left such a legacy of written work behind him has left hardly any evidence as to who he actually was, but I guess that that mostly relates to the the times in which he lived and in fact I believe that we know more about him than any other dramatist of that time. People are still arguing over whether or not he wrote the plays that are attributed to him, Bill does cover a few of these conspiracy theories but it's clear that he believes fairly strongly that they are all nonsense and indeed, most of them have a whiff of desperation about them (although Sir Derek Jacobi is among the doubters and indeed he signed a 'declaration of reasonable doubt' on the subject.)

You won't learn much because there isn't much to learn but it's just as informative as other Shakespeare biographies and it has the added bonus of Bill's trademark humour.

 

8/10

Edited November 16, 2010 by poppyshake

[poppyshake]

 

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

 

Synopsis: "The Catcher in Rye" is the ultimate novel for disaffected youth, but it's relevant to all ages. The story is told by Holden Caulfield, a seventeen- year-old dropout who has just been kicked out of his fourth school. Throughout, Holden dissects the 'phony' aspects of society, and the 'phonies' themselves: the headmaster whose affability depends on the wealth of the parents, his roommate who scores with girls using sickly-sweet affection. Lazy in style, full of slang and swear words, it's a novel whose interest and appeal comes from its observations rather than its plot intrigues (in conventional terms, there is hardly any plot at all). Salinger's style creates an effect of conversation, it is as though Holden is speaking to you personally, as though you too have seen through the pretences of the American Dream and are growing up unable to see the point of living in, or contributing to, the society around you. Written with the clarity of a boy leaving childhood, it deals with society, love, loss, and expectations without ever falling into the clutch of a cliche.

 

Review: I wasn't expecting to like this one, I don't know why .. it has a bit of a difficult reputation but I liked it a lot. I loved the opening paragraph .. 'If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfied kind of c**p, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them. They're quite touchy about anything like that, especially my father. They're nice and all - I'm not saying that - but they're also touchy as hell.' ... that sort of sets the scene really and straight away you get a handle on the character of your narrator.

 

Holden has a naturally conspiratorial chatty style, his thoughts on all subjects just tumble out. It's clear he's depressed (for one thing that's his favourite expression .. he finds nearly everything depressing or phoney) but it's also clear that this depression has swung over into something more serious and stifling. Holden's younger brother Allie died and this is something which has obviously had a big effect on him, he has a great love for his younger sister too and a need to try and protect her. When asked what he really wants to be, Holden says that he wants to be the man who stands by the cliff at the edge of a field of rye catching the children and stopping them from accidentally going over the edge (Holden quotes Robert Burns' poem 'Coming through the Rye' in which he wrote 'gin a body meet a body coming thro' the rye' .. Holden has always thought the line was 'if a body catch a body coming through the rye'.)

 

As the synopsis says there isn't much of a plot to speak of, Holden has been kicked out of his fourth school but instead of going home at the end of term he decides to bunk off early by a few days and just wander around the city for a bit before facing the wrath of his parents. It's clear his teachers are bemused by him, he's clever but doesn't seem to want to apply himself, he doesn't really have any friends, he gets on with his roomies ok but he doesn't really like them, he likes women but finds it hard to sustain a relationship with any of them. Really, he just can't deal with the insincerity, lies and phoniness that are part of ordinary adult life. He doesn't want to communicate with anybody, he'd rather be mute .. even when he envisages a wife he has her writing her conversations down on paper. I think Salinger has captured the confused, withdrawn, cynical, adolescent world perfectly, Holden is a complex character but he's so open with his thoughts and feelings that it's fairly easy to see why his life has come to this. He repeats himself constantly which I took to be further signs of his troubled mind. One thing I was impressed with particularly is how Salinger gives us an insight into Holden's behaviour by the way the other characters react to him .. for instance during what looks like normal conversations (or at least Holden's normal rambling style) Holden is often told to stop shouting/screaming .. and you realise then that his behaviour is more erratic than you thought. The book doesn't tie up all the ends and I quite like that too, you're left to draw your own conclusions about Holden and his future.

 

9/10

Edited November 19, 2010 by poppyshake

[Mac]

I guess I'll give this another go at some point, but I have to admit to struggling with it last time. Nice review, though, mate.

[poppyshake]

 

Howards End is on the Landing - Susan Hill

 

Synopsis: This is a year of reading from home, by one of Britain's most distinguished authors. Early one autumn afternoon in pursuit of an elusive book on her shelves, Susan Hill encountered dozens of others that she had never read, or forgotten she owned, or wanted to read for a second time. The discovery inspired her to embark on a year-long voyage through her books, forsaking new purchases in order to get to know her own collection again. A book which is left on a shelf for a decade is a dead thing, but it is also a chrysalis, packed with the potential to burst into new life. Wandering through her house that day, Hill's eyes were opened to how much of that life was stored in her home, neglected for years. "Howard's End is on the Landing" charts the journey of one of the nation's most accomplished authors as she revisits the conversations, libraries and bookshelves of the past that have informed a lifetime of reading and writing.

 

Review: What could be more perfect, a book about books and book reading. It's clear that every single room in Susan's house is stuffed full of books, to say I was emerald green with envy would be an understatement .. her farmhouse just seemed to be a book lovers paradise. But most of us, even with more modest collections of books, have books than we own that we've never ever read and this is Susan's dilemma .. she's determined that she won't buy any new books for a year in an attempt to read or re-read some of her books. It's a book that will have you constantly jotting down book titles and googling authors etc, Susan is so enthusiastic about her subject that it's infectious. She ponders lots of questions that are frequent favourites here ... such as 'does a good book title make a difference' (Susan thinks so .. she says she can't be bothered to read a book that's just entitled something like 'Far and Near' .. though it does depend doesn't it .. The Road is not the most exciting of titles and yet it's premise makes it intriguing. She's particular about type face too .. not tolerating anything in sans serif .. particularly arial!.

 

She's fairly brave in her views and not afraid to say that she doesn't really enjoy Jane Austen and she's clearly not a fan of the electronic book either .. 'no one will sign an electronic book, no one can annotate in the margin, no one can leave a love letter casually between the leaves'. I was also relieved to read that she doesn't mind a bit of book abuse either, freely admitting to crimes such as scribbling in books and *in hushed tones* 'turning down the corners of pages'. One chapter has her spending a whole day looking through her collection of pop-up books of which she is a fan. I haven't got many, if any, pop up books, but I do love to collect illustrated books and it made me realise that I don't look at them nearly enough.

 

The book is full of anecdotes. Through the course of her life Susan has been lucky enough to meet several famous authors especially in her younger days (Edith Sitwell, WH Auden, Ian Fleming and most touchingly Iris Murdoch both before and after the onset of dementia) and the book has her reminiscing over these meetings. Like Gyles she isn't particularly a fan of Roald Dahl (in person that is, she's a huge fan of his writing - though she did say he'd mellowed with age - new wife apparently.)

 

One of the things I most liked about it was the discussions about Susan's top 40 essential books ... the 40 books she couldn't possibly do without and it's interesting to read how she makes her choices out of all the Shakespeare plays and all the novels of Dickens/Trollope etc and to see how your own thoughts correspond (or not). She gives us her final list on the last two pages but it is marred slightly by the fact that neither Susan or her editor noticed that one book went on the list twice.

That's just a tiny gripe though (because I'd love to know what book would have been elevated to the list after the amendment had been made.) On the whole I loved it and didn't want to finish it. It's fairly short and the sort of book that you can read easily in one sitting (if you've got a bit of time to spare) and I had to ration my reading so that I could eke out the enjoyment.

 

I didn't agree with all of her opinions but I could read them forever.

 

10/10

Edited November 19, 2010 by poppyshake

[poppyshake]

I guess I'll give this another go at some point, but I have to admit to struggling with it last time. Nice review, though, mate.

 

Thanks Mac maybe it was because I thought I'd struggle with it .. that I didn't! You know how perverse the mind can be You wouldn't be alone in finding it a trial .. far from it, but I hope you get more enjoyment out of it if you do re-read it.

[Kylie]

Howard's End is on the Landing sounds awesome! It's going straight on the wishlist!

[Mac]

What a lovely sounding book. I'm going to go and look for this today! Thanks, PS!

[poppyshake]

Howard's End is on the Landing sounds awesome! It's going straight on the wishlist!

 

I'm sure you'll love it Kylie I read a library copy and it's one that I must get for myself. It's a book that I'll enjoy dipping into, especially for inspiration when deciding what to read next.

 

What a lovely sounding book. I'm going to go and look for this today! Thanks, PS!

 

Hope you enjoy it Mac it's the perfect book for book lovers. I feel that although Susan's mission was to stop buying/borrowing new books, she has, rather unfairly I think, added to my list of TBR's!! ... very sneaky of her

[poppyshake]

 

Letters from Father Christmas - J.R.R. Tolkien

 

Waterstones Synopsis: The first ever B-format edition of Tolkien's complete Father Christmas letters, including a new introduction and rare archive materials. Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R.Tolkien's children. Inside would be a letter in strange spidery handwriting and a beautiful coloured drawing or some sketches. The letters were from Father Christmas. They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how all the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place; how the accident-prone Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas's house into the dining-room; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with the troublesome horde of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house! Sometimes the Polar Bear would scrawl a note, and sometimes Ilbereth the Elf would write in his elegant flowing script, adding yet more life and humour to the stories. No reader, young or old, can fail to be charmed by the inventiveness and 'authenticity' of Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas.

 

Review: Well, I know it's a little bit early, and I did mean to ration myself, but once you pick this book up you just can't stop yourself from reading all of it. It's an absolute delight. Of course, it's meant to be for children but I found myself totally absorbed in the letters that Tolkien's Father Christmas sent to his children each and every December. The beautiful pictures alone were worth the purchase price ... they're stunning. Father Christmas's letters are full of wonderful tales about the North Polar Bear and how, although he meant well, he nearly always caused a disaster of some sort in the run up to Christmas, tales of terrible goblins and their attempts to sabotage things and stories about Snow Elves, Penguins, Red Gnomes and Cave Bears. Often the North Polar Bear writes too, adding comments or writing little letters himself .. his spelling is atrocious but then .. he is a bear, and it's all he can do to hold a pen.

 

I was very fond of my own Dad's attempts to be Father Christmas but tbh .. compared to this he didn't come close (though I would never tell him) it was too easy to suss him out. But I'm sure the Tolkien children must have been completely taken in ... I was (and I know the truth!!) As we already know from his books, he has a wonderful imagination and an innate understanding of how to connect with children, the letters are funny and completely magical and what was clever too is that he sometimes explained why he couldn't get a certain present or why maybe the presents weren't as plentiful as perhaps they had been in past years, lessening the disappointment and the complaints presumably (who would have guessed that goblins would do anything to get their evil mitts on anything related to Hornby trains?!?) These letters date from the 1920's until the 40's when I guess his youngest child, Priscilla, had got too old for the letters anymore .. I would have insisted upon them continuing if I'd have been her .. even if I had sussed him out by then. I thought Priscilla got a bit of a raw deal compared to the others, her letters seemed a bit more hasty and she didn't always get a picture but then it was the war years and Tolkien was also a lot older by then so it's understandable.

 

Glorious, a perfect Christmas present for anyone .. adult or child.

 

10/10

[Kylie]

Now really, Poppy, this is getting a little bit ridiculous. If you keep on reading all these excellent books and writing so many awesome reviews about them, how on earth will I ever get my TBR pile down? You're like a little devil (or is that angel?) on my shoulder constantly telling me to 'buy more books!'

 

I'm going to have to ban myself from reading your thread. Do you suppose it's possible for a mod to ban a member from entering a specific thread? Can one enable an intervention on oneself?

[Mac]

I'm going to have to ban myself from reading your thread. Do you suppose it's possible for a mod to ban a member from entering a specific thread? Can one enable an intervention on oneself?

 

I have forbidden myself from reading this thread, actually. I've had some Techno Whizz fix my computer so that whenever I click onto Poppyshake's threads I get a mild electric shock, my computer shuts down and somewhere a kitten dies. Curse you, Poppyshake! Grrrr...

[Kylie]

You killed a kitten just to post a reply? You're a monster!

[Mac]

You killed a kitten just to post a reply? You're a monster!

 

Just to be clear. It was the Techno Whizz who fixed it so that my computer won't allow me to pop onto this thread.

 

And, of course, I'm merely fooling around.

 

Because I'm a pillock.

[Kylie]

Because I'm a pillock.

 

You take that back!

 

I'm glad the kitten is safe, and I assume you are safe also from electric shocks.

 

(Sorry to hijack your thread Poppy, but really, it's all your fault...)

[poppyshake]

Oh dear!! but you know it's only fair because you all do the same to me. I can't condone the killing of kittens so I promise that I'll try and only read and review books that you're guaranteed to loathe .. you'll have to suggest some titles. As I usually like the same books as you both I'm in for a pretty rough time of it .. but I'm prepared to suffer if it will save a furry friend. No Danielle Steel books though please, the covers alone bring me out in a sweat and if it was a straight choice between her and some kittens .. well, let's not go there.

Anyway, I'm sure there is an immunity vaccine available on here somewhere .. I need it whenever I pop into the Rory Gilmore thread. I've never ever seen the programme (for the longest time I thought Rory was a boy) but I love that list of books and it's mercilessly adding to my TBR's.

[Kylie]

We would be devastated if you stopped reviewing our types of books! I vote we go back to our regular schedule of programming so we can continue to enjoy your reviews. I promise no kitties will be harmed (right Mac? Right?)

 

Could I tempt you into watching the show one day? It really is a remarkable show with very clever and witty writing. The characters are quirky and it's always fun to try to spot what different characters are reading.