ladymacbeth Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Comfort books are awesome Sara - and healthier than comfort eating. I just re-read all of Harry Potter purely as a comfort read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted June 15, 2011 Author Share Posted June 15, 2011 I re-read "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman since it was this month's book, now I can discuss it in the book circle thread! I also read a little romance by Stella Cameron, in Swedish, and the original title is not shown in the book.. oh well, no great loss if you miss this one, just a standard romance. Then I finally finished "Palimpsest" by Catherynne M Valente, I have read "In the Cities of Coin and Spice" a couple of years ago, and it was one of the best books I've read ever. "Palimpsest" wasn't the same. In moments it's brilliant, and the writing is extraordinarily beautiful. But I felt the story isn't strong enough to hold together the bits and pieces. So I ended up reading it a few pages at a time, and maybe that did affect what I think about the book, too. I thought it was worth reading for the brilliant moments and beautiful words, but I'm finding it very hard to describe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 Since last I've read: "The devil in winter"- Lisa Kleypas. Fine to read if you want to read a romance. "Wicked widow"- Amanda Quick. See above. "Nature girl"- Carl Hiaasen- it felt a bit disorganised, so didn't enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed his books in the past. "Fem pärlor till jungfruns krona- Dottern"- Maria Gustavsdotter- Swedish historical, takes place when Sweden just has become Protestant, so 1520's. This was a good historical, doubt it will ever become translated, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 "Nature girl"- Carl Hiaasen- it felt a bit disorganised, so didn't enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed his books in the past. Have you read Skinny Dip? One of the funniest books I've read...loved it lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 I've read a couple of his kids books which I thought were great, but Nature Girl is the only one of his adult books I've read. I remember it being all over the place, but just thought it fitted with the characters and the style of the story. I really enjoyed it, though, and I've been meaning to read more, and it looks like I'll have to go with Skinny Dip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 I've read a couple of his kids books which I thought were great, but Nature Girl is the only one of his adult books I've read. I remember it being all over the place, but just thought it fitted with the characters and the style of the story. I really enjoyed it, though, and I've been meaning to read more, and it looks like I'll have to go with Skinny Dip! I insist you read Skinny Dip asap!!! Just don'r expect a thought provoking, compelling story.....it's pure beach read at it's best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Butter Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I agree with all of these. Carl Hiaasen is probably my favorite crime novelist, but Nature Girl wasn't one of his best - in fact, I think it was one of his weakest. Skinny Dip, though, is a good 'un, as are Lucky You, Native Tongue and Striptease (who could resist a character called Urbana Sprawl?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 I haven't read "Skinny dip". I can see that I should. Probably very soon. Pure beach read- that'll be perfect- one more day of work and then SUMMER HOLIDAYS. (Seriously, I wonder what will go wrong tomorrow. I've seen all kinds of alarms go off by mistake, and that's not so bad. If you get lucky, it's an eye candy policeman or fireman who comes running in. I've lost the keys to the bank somewhere outside the bank, and did find them just before they were going to call the locksmith and change all locks. I've terminated accounts that should be open- that's easy to fix, just a few clicks on the computer. I've had too little cash and too much, and sometimes I haven't been able to determine where I had done wrong. You'd think the customers would let you know at least if they get too little money that something's wrong, but nope. I have experienced computers behaving funnily, and giving up entirely. That's a nice day, banking is so computerised, there's not much you can do, except to drink tea and chat and hope that they don't get the computers fixed. I have done most everything there is to do, only thing I haven't seen is an actual bank robber. Maybe that's what'll happen tomorrow. I'm pretty positive I'll have too much or too little cash at the end of the day, that's pretty much the rule for the last day before some holiday, but I hope it won't be a big amount..) So, now I've finally read a book by Jayne Anne Krentz as well (husband and sons out of town last night, nobody told me when to go to sleep, so I started it in the afternoon and finished it this morning. Yes I slept. Some.), "Lost & Found". Well worth a read if romance is your thing. The mystery at least in this one whas a little bit better than in some of the Amanda Quick books, but make no mistake, the romance is the main thing here. Also, hero was a bit bland, and hero's daughter a bit too accepting of a new step mum. I can see what this is. I need to read some books with seriously complicated relationships again. If you know a good book with seriously entangled and difficult relationships, do tell, I'm always looking for those. Happy ending optional, I'm predicting that I will be less stressed and depressed now that I can take a break from work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 Oh, and by the way: to all of you wondering what DID go wrong Friday, I can tell you that it was just the battery in my car that died. Thank you Dad for picking me up at work. The car is all better now. Have not been reading anything. I will eventually get "Skinny dip" through Bookmooch. I'm also hoping to find nice books to read next week in Edinburgh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 So, as expected, my trip to Edinburgh really had a positive effect on my reading. On the plane there I read "Berlin-The downfall" by Anthony Beevor, a non-fiction book which I truly recommend if you have any interest in the second World War. (I liked the book about Stalingrad by the same author a lot, too) (Also, I'm on holiday, with slightly less need for therapeutic reading..). Then, in Edinburgh, to appreciate the surroundings, I read "Pocket history of Edinburgh" by Dr Christopher McNab, all very interesting, and then in the plane back, "Haunting Violet" by Alyxandra Harvey, a YA-book, historical romance-mystery-like book. Also, Oxfam books in Stirling had "Sick Puppy" by Carl Hiaasen, so I have something to read while I wait for my mooched book by him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 I've read "The forgotten garden" by Kate Morton, a good story, and also one I found in Stirling. And since "Skinny dip" arrived, I read that, and have to agree, it's one of the better Carl Hiaasen books. I also read "White lies" by Jayne Anne Krentz. Just to let you know I am alive and reading books, I'm just living in our summer cottage just now, and use internet very sporadically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I've read "The forgotten garden" by Kate Morton, a good story, and also one I found in Stirling. And since "Skinny dip" arrived, I read that, and have to agree, it's one of the better Carl Hiaasen books. I also read "White lies" by Jayne Anne Krentz. Just to let you know I am alive and reading books, I'm just living in our summer cottage just now, and use internet very sporadically. am so glad you enjoyed Skinny Dip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 No comfort reading today (or yesterday), but lots of other reading instead. Remember I went to listen to a woman my age who gave lectures about her fight against cancer? Well she wrote a book, and I bought it of course, and have now finally read it. "Man ger inte bara upp" ("You just don't give up", my translation) by Eva-Maria Strömsholm. I could deal with it better when it was written down, I honestly felt awful to hear her tell her story, because it was like my story, but also nothing at all like it. I have issues. I'm going to have to face them, I can't go on feeling like I want to run and hide when I see the hospital building, for example. This was one way of not running and hiding. The literary qualities were so-so, she honestly just published her diary I think. Then a surprisingly wonderful book. "The end of Mr Y" by Scarlett Thomas. Remembered vaguely that I had heard about it, so picked it up when I saw it in the library. I sort of expected something like Dan Brown by the blurb on the back cover, but that, it wasn't. Fortunately. Weird people, strange events, philosophy and physics, what's not to like? Also, a book about a book, that's a good sign. I'm also fond of Adam the ex-priest, and the ending actually made me chuckle. (I'm not going to think too deeply about what this says about the state of my mental health, but there you go. I believe I could have a good conversation with Scarlett Thomas, though.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I am glad you enjoyed The End of Mr Y I also liked PopCo by the same author it appealed to me with it elements of Cryptography and numbers despite those being two things I am useless at, but I love seeing patterns in things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 Pickle, I will definately keep an eye open for more books by Scarlett Thomas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I've read "The forgotten garden" by Kate Morton, a good story, and also one I found in Stirling. And since "Skinny dip" arrived, I read that, and have to agree, it's one of the better Carl Hiaasen books. I also read "White lies" by Jayne Anne Krentz. Just to let you know I am alive and reading books, I'm just living in our summer cottage just now, and use internet very sporadically. I loved The Forgotten Garden, I presume you have read The House at Riverton too which I thought was even better? I didn't enjoy The Distant Hours quite so much sadly, was a bit too long.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 (edited) No comfort reading today (or yesterday), but lots of other reading instead. Remember I went to listen to a woman my age who gave lectures about her fight against cancer? Well she wrote a book, and I bought it of course, and have now finally read it. "Man ger inte bara upp" ("You just don't give up", my translation) by Eva-Maria Strömsholm. I could deal with it better when it was written down, I honestly felt awful to hear her tell her story, because it was like my story, but also nothing at all like it. I have issues. I'm going to have to face them, I can't go on feeling like I want to run and hide when I see the hospital building, for example. This was one way of not running and hiding. The literary qualities were so-so, she honestly just published her diary I think. Then a surprisingly wonderful book. "The end of Mr Y" by Scarlett Thomas. Remembered vaguely that I had heard about it, so picked it up when I saw it in the library. I sort of expected something like Dan Brown by the blurb on the back cover, but that, it wasn't. Fortunately. Weird people, strange events, philosophy and physics, what's not to like? Also, a book about a book, that's a good sign. I'm also fond of Adam the ex-priest, and the ending actually made me chuckle. (I'm not going to think too deeply about what this says about the state of my mental health, but there you go. I believe I could have a good conversation with Scarlett Thomas, though.) Great review Sara I have 'The end of Mr Y' waiting to be read, I'm looking forward to reading it. Edited July 27, 2011 by Weave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Yes, I have read "The House at Riverton", I believe that was last summer. Anyway, it's been a while since then, so I can't really say which one was better, that or "The forgotten garden", only that I enjoyed both. I have decided to abandon "Sepulchre" by Kate Mosse, I just can't seem to get into the story despite trying a few times. I hope the lady who mooched the book from me will find it worth her while. I also gave away some of my books (in Swedish) to a friend who lives in Korea just now. Apparently, English books aren't so difficult to find in Seoul, but Swedish books are rare! Also, the postage fees are really offputting, so I'm glad I found out she wanted some books now, while she's home för summer holidays. Now, this left some empty space in my shelf (well, not the actual shelf, that's pretty full still, but the imaginary shelf in my head was very empty) so when a colleague decided to give some books to charity, and gave me opportunity to pick out what I wanted first, I did find about 10 books. Not to worry, the Red Cross still got two full boxes of books. I have also finshed "Kafka on the shore", by Haruki Murakami, which I didn't quite like, to be honest. "The Wind-up bird chronicle" or "Norwegian Wood" were so much more interesting to read. Well, I still finished this book, so it wasn't totally horrible, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 "The wordsmith's tale" by Stephen Edden, and "Pretty Monsters" by Kelly Link, "Second Sight"- Amanda Quick, "Agnes and the hitman"- Jennifer Crusie and "Scandal in spring"- Lisa Kleypas are now read. The Lisa Kleypas' one was a typical for her, normal romance, and so my sister-in-law now has the book. Don't know what she likes about those Lisa Kleypas books, yes they're OK as far as romances go, but there are so many others like them, and so many more and better romances. Oh well, clearly we have some difference in taste, both of us thinking we have married the better brother.. I thought I knew what "The wordsmith's tale" was going to be like, but it's not an average historical. Well written, giving short pictures of a family's life over 100 years, but I think stories and storytelling have the main part in the book, more than any person. Amanda Quick. Scroll up and see what I said about the last book by her. Nothing to add to that. "Agnes and the hitman"- light funny romance. "Pretty monsters"- Kelly Link. I think maybe Kelly Link and Neil Gaiman live in the same world. I'm glad that sometimes they visit this world long enough to give the rest of us something to read. I'll just copy what it says on the inside of the front cover. "This book contains: -A phone booth in Las Vegas -Aliens -Unhelpful wizards -possibly carnivorous sofas - A handbag with a village inside it - Tennessee Fainting Goats - Dueling librarians - A statue of George Washington - A boy named Onion - Pirates - An undead babysitter - A nationally ranked soccer player - Evil Cinderella - Shapeshifters -An unexpected campfire guest". That is the ingredients of a very fine short story collection. Not to mention, short stories are perfect when you are trying to make birthday cakes and clean up the house, and really isn't supposed to dive into a book. I'm wondering what it says about me that I really want to live in that world where Neil Gaiman and Kelly Link live, scary though it seems to be. Come to think of it, Scarlett Thomas probably lives there as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 (edited) "Angelology"- Danielle Trussoni. A nun discovers some hidden letters about a big secret, hidden somewhere. I didn't enjoy this one, I'm afraid. I didn't get any feeling for Evangeline, or any of the other characters for that matter. The ending was a bit unexpected for a book that so far had been rather predictable, and that did make me kind of enjoy the reading after all. Still, glad it was a library book. "All night long"- Jayne Anne Krentz. She's true to her formula, is Jayne Anne Krentz. Well, if you are good at something, why not stick to it. "Garden spells"- Sarah Addison Allen. Long lost sister returns home with daughter, stranger moves in next door, and that's about all that happens in this book. But it's well written, cosy and there's a fair bit of cooking involved. And there's an apple tree with an attitude. So who needs action anyway? Definately enjoyable. Edited August 24, 2011 by SaraPepparkaka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 Read an enjoyable historical detective story. "Mistress of the art of death" by Ariana Franklin. This was a book I bought in the Oxfam bookshop in Stirling, Scotland! Well written, I had a hunch who might be the killer almost from start, but it turns out I was only partly right. A female doctor specialised in the study of corpses, comes to Cambridge to try and solve the mystery of a murdered and several disappeared children. Many sympathetic and interesting characters, generally a nice book. And would you know, it's the FIRST book in a series! I have managed for once to read the first book first! When does that ever happen to me! Also read "Kleopatras kam" by Maria Ernestam, a fantastic tale of a firm started by three friends. The firm promises to solve all their client's problems, but they stop short of murder- or do they? Lovely complicated relationships, well written, well worth a read if you read books in Swedish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Butter Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 I happened to get the next book in the series, The Death Maze, as a publisher's freebie, Sara, and quite enjoyed it, although I'm not a huge fan of historical detective novels generally. Sadly, Arianna Franklin died earlier this year - she was married to Barry Norman, who was a well-known film critic on the BBC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted September 4, 2011 Author Share Posted September 4, 2011 Yes, I heard she had died. And apparently wasn't quite finished with this series of books either. Sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mRose Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Also read "Kleopatras kam" by Maria Ernestam, a fantastic tale of a firm started by three friends. The firm promises to solve all their client's problems, but they stop short of murder- or do they? Lovely complicated relationships, well written, well worth a read if you read books in Swedish. This one sounds interesting. I haven't read a good Swedish book in a while. Perhaps I'll persuade my mom to buy and and the borrow it from her... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted September 9, 2011 Author Share Posted September 9, 2011 Another book read: "The death of Achilles" by Boris Akunin. It's Erast Fandorin returning to Moscow. To be honest, I was almost losing interest somewhere in the middle of the book, but then the murderer starts to tell the story from his point of view, and that adds a lot of new dimensions to the story, and I was happily reading along again. I really like the Japanese butler Masa. An average read, on the whole. I haven't managed to find any sister Pelagia books in the two libraries I go to (Boris Akunin writes about her too), I do think I would enjoy reading those books too, but not enough that it would make me actually BUY them. Ah- of course- Bookmooch might have them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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