Janet Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I'm really glad you enjoyed Friends Like These, Claire. I was lucky enough to find Yes Man for the princely sum of 50p in a charity shop last week! I'm saving that for a weekend away because, as you say, they're great holiday reads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I started reading the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter last year while on holiday, and devoured the first two books in a single day! The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women to the outside world is a private girls school for the gifted girls, but behind the facade, it prepares the next generation of skilled intelligence operatives. It's not just a secret within the school, it's one of the country's closely guarded secrets with not even the majority of the CIA knowing about its existence. After the death of her father, Cameron Morgan moves to The Gallagher Academy with her mother, who has removed herself from the intelligence world - to become the school headmistress. The books follow Cammie and her friends not only through their extraordinary classes but also through the pitfalls of being teenage girls! They're great fun, and quick reads, and there's something about a female spy story that I find glamorous and thrilling, despite the dangerous risks, and added with my current penchant for YA books, these were always going to be a winner with me. I've just finished the third book, Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover which was a great Sunday afternoon, lazy, but purely entertaining read. Can't wait for the next book to be out later this year. Great review Chesil, sounds a great series, another addition to my wishlist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 I'm really glad you enjoyed Friends Like These, Claire. I was lucky enough to find Yes Man for the princely sum of 50p in a charity shop last week! I'm saving that for a weekend away because, as you say, they're great holiday reads. Have you read Are You Dave Gorman? Janet? I read it many years ago, but for some reason, I don't remember Danny's writing particularly well, so I'm really pleased to have read this one and enjoyed it so much. Great review Chesil, sounds a great series, another addition to my wishlist Just pure adrenaline fuelled spy fun, mixed with the naturally confused state of being a teenage girl - what more could you want! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) No, but Are You Dave Gorman? and Googlewhack* are both on my Amazon Wish List - I may get round to them one day - I'm looking out for them to appear in a charity shop. *I realise Googlewhack isn't co-written by DW, but I think it might be amusing. Edited January 25, 2011 by Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 Although I normally insist on reading a series of books in order, I was promised that it wouldn't matter if I read the second book in The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper to start with. I did this over Christmas as it has a festive winter theme, but I've just gone back to the beginning and read Over Sea Under Stone, the first book in the series. A family go to spend the summer with their great uncle in Cornwall, and while exploring their holiday home on a rainy day, Simon, Jane and Barney discover an ancient map that sets them on a quest to discover that which as been hidden. Assisted by Great Uncle Merry, the children start their search only to find they are not the only ones after their treasure. This book was originally published in 1965, and I have to say, it completely transports me back to my own childhood (which wasn't this far back I hasten to add), and has the feel and tone of the adventure books I would read when I was young. The trouble is, I can't quite put my finger on what it is about the writing that makes me feel that way. The story is exciting, and gradually builds to an exciting crescendo, but there's an innocence and naivety about the children, and the idea of a family spending a whole summer away together, that just makes it feel of its time. I absolutely loved it, as much for how it reminded me of being an eight year old engrossed in an thrilling adventure as for the actual story and the writing itself. It seems obvious to me why this series has stood the test of time, and is still published today, as well as being transferred to the digital format as well, although maybe that's more for us older "kids" reliving the books of our childhood! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Had hoped to finish Never Let Me Go today, but as seems to be becoming a regular thing now, something happened just before my break and I was too het up to concentrate on my reading Was going to try and make up for it this evening, but got home to find I've got loads to do I wasn't expecting either, so after my cup of tea, I'll have to get one with other stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 3, 2011 Author Share Posted February 3, 2011 Well, I finished Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro today. There are a lot of factors that influenced my reading of this book, and I know it has affected my thoughts on the book. The background is that this was a chosen book for my reading group this month, so I didn't have the luxury of choosing when to read it to a certain extent. I'd wanted to read the book soon anyway, but again this was also influenced by the film adaptation coming out shortly. Along side the timing issue, again due to the film, I had already associated characters with the actors portraying them and I had an idea of the theme of the book. Another issue I had was that I'd only read this author once before and had been distinctly underwhelmed by the short story collection I read last year, yet his early novels had been highly recommended, so I was intrigued to know how I would find this later novel. So. Hmmm. While I was reading it, I thought the book was compelling. At the end of each session of reading, I was desperate to keep going to find out how the story would progress. But, here's my problem. By the end, I didn't feel that I knew the characters, I wasn't convinced by the development of the plot, and the voice of the narrator seemed young and naive, while the character was actually reflecting back on life after the revelations of the story. I've been thinking about it most of the afternoon and evening, and I still can't make up my mind about it! Maybe I need to think about it a bit longer ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mRose Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Well, I finished Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro today. There are a lot of factors that influenced my reading of this book, and I know it has affected my thoughts on the book. The background is that this was a chosen book for my reading group this month, so I didn't have the luxury of choosing when to read it to a certain extent. I'd wanted to read the book soon anyway, but again this was also influenced by the film adaptation coming out shortly. Along side the timing issue, again due to the film, I had already associated characters with the actors portraying them and I had an idea of the theme of the book. Another issue I had was that I'd only read this author once before and had been distinctly underwhelmed by the short story collection I read last year, yet his early novels had been highly recommended, so I was intrigued to know how I would find this later novel. So. Hmmm. While I was reading it, I thought the book was compelling. At the end of each session of reading, I was desperate to keep going to find out how the story would progress. But, here's my problem. By the end, I didn't feel that I knew the characters, I wasn't convinced by the development of the plot, and the voice of the narrator seemed young and naive, while the character was actually reflecting back on life after the revelations of the story. I've been thinking about it most of the afternoon and evening, and I still can't make up my mind about it! Maybe I need to think about it a bit longer ... Great review! I've been eyeing this book for a while but then I saw the movie a couple o weeks ago. Do think I will still enjoy the book even though I know what happens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 3, 2011 Author Share Posted February 3, 2011 Yes, I think you probably can enjoy it, but the more I've been thinking about it, while I found it compelling as I was reading, I was ultimately unsatisfied by the end (which you will already know, assuming they've been faithful to the book ), and with the attitudes of the characters after the "reveal" of who the characters are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 It's taken me four months to finish The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber, but I have loved every single page. A tale of a prostitute, Sugar, one of her customers, William Rackham, the unwilling heir to a perfume factory, and his wife, Agnes, a young woman whose health has failed her of late, all set in Victorian London. Written with the flavour of a Dickensian style and elegance, this modern novel is able to delve in to the real depths of Victorian morals, lifestyle and sexual attitudes, in a way that Dickens never could. Eminently readable, I felt instantly swept up in the story, but there is such a depth and detail to the lives of the characters on the page, that I couldn't read more than a chapter at a time, in order to savour and envelope myself in this society that Faber has created. There is no getting away from the fact that there are some graphic descriptions of sexual scenes, but they feel that they fit within both the plot and period of the story. But, for me, the overall glory of this epic book, is the wealth of characters. No character is too small or insignificant not to warrant a colourful description, from the larger secondary characters of, for example, William's brother, Henry, with his tortured goodness, to his shallow, hedonistic friends, Bodley and Ashwell, to the calculating servant, Cheeseman. All come alive on the page and alongside the descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells of historic London, made the whole world of this book a completely immersive place to visit each time I picked up the book. The end comes quite suddenly, and although you don't really get a resolution for the characters, this felt right, as no-one's life should be able to have all its loose ends tied up nicely, and after spending so long with these people, I was actually quite glad to be able to think for myself where their lives would take them next. I'm actually sad I've finished it, and won't get to come back tomorrow for another installment, which must surely be the highest praise I can give any book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Great review of The Crimson Petal and the White. Makes me want to read it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 Thanks bobblybear. It really was a great book, and unless I read some unbelievably incredible books this year, I think it'll be in my top five by the end of 2011! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I enjoyed reading your review Claire & agree with everything you've said. At the beginning of the book I loved Sugar she was such a fiesty independent woman so I was kind of disappointed with her for becoming so dependent on William. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 (edited) Goodness me, what an arduous read Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer was! The story of an American author who travels to the Ukraine to try to track down the people who helped save his grandfather during the second world war, it's told in three formats. Firstly, there is the story of the journey told by Alex, the young Ukranian man who acts as guide and translator for the author, and these sections are written as if Alex had written them himself in his broken English translation. In addition, Alex also writes letters to the author that accompany his chapters as he sends them to America. Finally, we are also told the story of the authors ancestors are told from the eighteen century onwards. I found the "translated" sections very hard going, and made slow progress as I was constantly trying to unravel the sentences and translate them into proper English myself. Having said that, at times they were in turns charming, funny and heartbreaking, but initially, I did have to force myself to keep reading as I waded through these chapters. On the other hand, I loved reading the historical chapters. Full of beauty and melancholy, I was able to slow down and savour these chapter, all the time guessing that it was likely to build to some tragedy at the end. Having said that, the final chapter is possibly my favourite of the book despite being another translated letter, and while sad to read, left me with a feeling of hope for the future of the characters, and felt like a fitting end to the book. I'm glad I read it, as it's one I've been meaning to read for a while, but I have to say, I read his second book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close a few years ago, and for me, it was a much more satisfying book to read, even though it had a similarly quirkiness to its style and language. Definitely an author I will look to read again in the future. Edited February 9, 2011 by chesilbeach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Excellent review, Claire. I'm currently enjoying this book, although for different reasons than you did, which is interesting! I can't wait to see how it ends now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 The Courage Consort by Michel Faber is a short novella (about 100 pages) about a five piece choral group who go to a chateau to rehearse a new piece of music they're going to premiere at a music festival, told from the point of view of the soprano, Catherine, who has been struggling with her health. There's a mystery from the forest surrounding the chateau and there's the building of tension between the five singers, confined in close quarters with each other, and rounds off with a shock ending, and a poignant final scene. I've yet to find a Michel Faber book I don't like, and this one was no exception. Much different in tone and style to The Crimson Petal and The White, but he is as accomplished at the shorter novella as he is at the epic, and his contemporary stories are as good as the historical. Another enjoyable read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 It didn't take as long as I expected to collect my thoughts on Gilead by Marilynne Robinson! Here goes ... John Ames is a seventy-six year old Iowan preacher whose ill health leads him to write a letter (although more of a journal) to his seven year old son from his second marriage. In the letter he wants to tell his future grown up son all the things he isn't able to tell a child, from the history of his family including his grandfather who fought in the Civil War, and his pacifist father, both of whom were also ministers, to his innermost thoughts on the nature of faith, religion and life. The format gives short journal style entries which could be a tale from his childhood, or a reflection on a piece of poetry, or an event of the day, but over the course of the book gradual reveal the life of a father and how he became the man he is, with an insight into his thoughts on his own impending death. Robinson at times treats us to wonderfully lyrical phrases, but on the whole, I found it difficult to keep track of characters, as they were mostly referred to as "my father", "his father", "your father" and "their father" rather than by name, and I found it a challenge to remember or figure out which character and which period was being recounted at any time, and was only more confused by the non-linear (and to be honest, mostly non-existent) storyline. I also don't think it gives enough development to characters other than the narrator, or explains the history or events in enough detail to be fully successful. I have to admit, I'd been purposely avoiding this book as I didn't think I would be remotely interested in it, but it came up for my reading group this month. If it hadn't been for that, I would never have picked it up. In fact, I was still unconvinced and only downloaded a sample of the book initially, but I was initially intrigued enough to decide to read the whole book. However, after about the first third of the book, I think if it wasn't for my reading group, I don't think I would have finished it, but we meet this week so I decided I would make the effort to get to the end but an effort it was, nevertheless. I can understand why other people would enjoy it, and some people I know claim it to be one of the best books they've read, but I suspect this is because of their religion and faith as much as their love of literature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Thanks for your review on Gilead I've been unsure whether to read it or not after all, and whether I would like it, and having read your review, I'm all the more confused. Maybe I'll just give it a go and see. Robinson at times treats us to wonderfully lyrical phrases, but on the whole, I found it difficult to keep track of characters, as they were mostly referred to as "my father", "his father", "your father" and "their father" rather than by name, and I found it a challenge to remember or figure out which character and which period was being recounted at any time, and was only more confused by the non-linear (and to be honest, mostly non-existent) storyline. I also don't think it gives enough development to characters other than the narrator, or explains the history or events in enough detail to be fully successful. To me, this seems like I could've written that myself, based on reading the historical parts on Everything Is Illuminated I don't know if I can deal with another 'who's this character and how is s/he related to the story' read so soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 Thanks for your review on Gilead I've been unsure whether to read it or not after all, and whether I would like it, and having read your review, I'm all the more confused. Maybe I'll just give it a go and see. Oops! Sorry to confuse you, frankie Seriously, I think you should give it a go, as I know lots of people who have loved it, so it might be just my own personal taste it didn't suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Yep, I'll give it a go. And it's not like it's a massive book to read. And like you said, perhaps the timing wasn't right for you because you had to finish it for your reading group. Who knows if you'd left it till later, you might've enjoyed it more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 Decided it was time for a re-read of the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde since the new book in the series is published next week. That means trying to read five books before next Tuesday, but I'm sure I can manage it I've just finished The Eyre Affair. When I read this the first time, I hadn't read Jane Eyre but vaguely knew the story, but since then I've read it, and it made my re-read of The Eyre Affair an even more enjoyable experience! I'm not going to write a full review, but I love this series. A must read for book lovers and so, so, so funny! Can't wait to move on to the next one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 As with The Eyre Affair, since my first reading of Lost In A Good Book I've read so many more of the classics and authors who are mentioned in the series, that my enjoyment of this second Thursday Next book has increased significantly on re-reading. Very funny, and I love how he's managed to finish the story of this book satisfyingly, but still introduced new ideas and characters right at the end to lead you into the story of the next instalment and whet your appetite to make sure you go out and buy book three! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Wow, great reviews Claire, you're on fire girl! You seem to have had some cracking reads so far, I hope it continues for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Decided it was time for a re-read of the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde since the new book in the series is published next week. That means trying to read five books before next Tuesday, but I'm sure I can manage it I've just finished The Eyre Affair. When I read this the first time, I hadn't read Jane Eyre but vaguely knew the story, but since then I've read it, and it made my re-read of The Eyre Affair an even more enjoyable experience! I'm not going to write a full review, but I love this series. A must read for book lovers and so, so, so funny! Can't wait to move on to the next one I'm planning on reading this next Claire, I have read Jane Eyre but quite a few years ago so would you recommend re reading it before I start on the Eyre Affair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 (edited) I'm planning on reading this next Claire, I have read Jane Eyre but quite a few years ago so would you recommend re reading it before I start on the Eyre Affair? No, as long as you've read the book, you'll know all you need to in order to appreciate the story. I read Jane Eyre in 2007 and I still got more out of The Eyre Affair this time so I'm sure you don't need to read it again. Wow, great reviews Claire, you're on fire girl! You seem to have had some cracking reads so far, I hope it continues for you We're both having a pretty good year, aren't we? Edited February 20, 2011 by chesilbeach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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