Renniemist Posted September 2, 2007 Author Share Posted September 2, 2007 A Spot of Bother was a very entertaining book. For me it was one of these books that keep you reading with no effort and before you know where you are you have reached the end. Very funny. I am now starting on Exodus by Leon Uris Blurb Exodus is an extraordinary novel of one of the twentieth century Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted September 2, 2007 Share Posted September 2, 2007 I am now starting on Exodus by Leon Uris wow must have read this 25 years ago - it was more like a history lesson but a good read - very fat book if I remember Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted September 7, 2007 Author Share Posted September 7, 2007 Well that is Exodus finished and I am glad I made it to the end of this book. It started off quite well telling the harrowing story of several different Jewish families and how they came to be on their way to Palestine. In my opinion however, later on the book got bogged down in historic detail and it seemed that Uris could not quite make up his mind whether he was writing a novel or a textbook. I know that this book was a bestseller when it was published but I am afraid it was not for me. My next book will be Arthur and George by Julian Barnes Blurb Arthur and George grow up worlds apart in late-ninetieth-century Britain. Arthur in shabby-genteel Edinburgh, George in the vicarage of a small Staffordshire village. Arthur becomes a doctor, then a writer, George a solicitor in Birmingham. Arthur is to become one of the most famous men of his age, while George remains in hard working obscurity. But as the new century begins, they are brought together by a sequence of events, which made sensational headlines at the time as The Great Wyrley Outrages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted September 11, 2007 Author Share Posted September 11, 2007 When I started Arthur and George I had not realised that Arthur was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted September 23, 2007 Author Share Posted September 23, 2007 Despite having had The Sea by John Banville on my shelf for over a year now I was putting off reading it because I had heard some negative reviews. However I loved this book. It is beautifully written and very descriptive. I felt bereft when I finished it. Since reading The Sea I have also read On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. This was another really good read. It is the first McEwan that I have read but I will be looking for more shortly. I have also had The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood on my shelf for a while. I gave it a read on holiday and thoroughly enjoyed it. I managed to get a copy of Atonement by Ian McEwan. I wanted to read it before I see the film. This was a wonderful book. Definitely one of the best books I have read this year. I also managed to squeeze in The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd while away. This is a good easy read and interesting too. I am not quite sure what I will read next. I am ploughing my way through the 1400 posts that have appeared on this forum since I departed just over a week ago. That will keep me busy for a while I reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted September 26, 2007 Author Share Posted September 26, 2007 Well I eventually decided to read The Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle. Blurb from cover I swooned the first time I saw Charlo. I actually did. I didn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted October 1, 2007 Author Share Posted October 1, 2007 The Woman Who Walked into Doors was a pretty depressing story about domestic violence. The thing that is interesting about the book is that although we hear the disturbing account of abuse from Paula the victimised wife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 Barbara a lonely spinster who has a dislike for all of her colleagues in the comprehensive school where she works is the narrator of Notes On a Scandal. She is in her sixties and feels that she is superior to most other people that she comes across, so it is not a surprising that most of the characters are not particularly likeable since we see them through her eyes. The story is supposed to be about Sheba who has an affair with a 15 pupil by in reality we are learning more about Barbara. I absolutely loved this book and I could not help feeling rather sorry for Barbara despite how unlovable she seemed to be. I am now going to start on Animal's People by Indra Sinha. I picked this book up at Gatwick Airport when I went on holiday recently. It apparently has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, so I feel I should read it before they announce the winner. I expect I shall have to be quick. Blurb from book Ever since he can remember, animal has gone on all fours, the catastrophic result of what happened That Night when, thanks to an American chamical company, the Apocalypse visited his slum. Now not quite twenty he leads a hand to mouth existence with his dog Jara and a crazy old nun called Ma Franci, and spends his night fantasizing about Nisha the daughter of a local Musician, and wondering what it must be like to get laid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Barbara a lonely spinster who has a dislike for all of her colleagues in the comprehensive school where she works is the narrator of Notes On a Scandal. She is in her sixties and feels that she is superior to most other people that she comes across, so it is not a surprising that most of the characters are not particularly likeable since we see them through her eyes. The story is supposed to be about Sheba who has an affair with a 15 pupil by in reality we are learning more about Barbara. I absolutely loved this book and I could not help feeling rather sorry for Barbara despite how unlovable she seemed to be. . I thoroughly enjoyed it too - I recently watched the DVD as well - the ending has been altered but otherwise it's excellent with Judi Dench as Barbara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted October 6, 2007 Author Share Posted October 6, 2007 Yes I saw the film earlier in the year HanD. I really enjoyed it and that is why I went on to read the book. I think you are right the ending had been altered, but both were still excellent. When I was reading I could hear Judy Dench Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 When I was reading I could hear Judy Dench Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted October 15, 2007 Author Share Posted October 15, 2007 I thought that Animal's People was really good although it was not at all how I had expected it to be. I had thought that I would be quite depressing since it was about how a Chemical Explosion at a factory in a town in India (similar to Bhopal) had affected the inhabitants. In fact this is a book about the fight for compensation and justice. The characters are very vivid, especially Animal a twenty year old boy whose back is so twisted he has to go on all fours. He is foul mouthed, sex obsessed but he looks out for the elderly nun who brought him up when his parents died that awful night. He is also in love with Nisha who is in love with Zafar the leader of the campaign for justice. The descriptions of Khaufpur are colourful. The sights the sounds and smells are all there. I would recommend this book to anyone. I don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 I thoroughly enjoyed it too - I recently watched the DVD as well - the ending has been altered but otherwise it's excellent with Judi Dench as Barbara I watched this film as well. I have never read the book, but the film was very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 I thoroughly enjoyed it too - I recently watched the DVD as well - the ending has been altered but otherwise it's excellent with Judi Dench as Barbara It was actually one of the rare occasions where I far preferred the film as the book seemed (to me) to lack most of the intensity that was got a across in the movie version. And the cast was so excellent that I couldn't help but be glued to the screen - unlike the book, where I was bored much of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted October 20, 2007 Author Share Posted October 20, 2007 I could not settle after reading Animal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 The Forest by Edward Rutherfurd Blurb from the cover From the mysterious killing of King William Rufus, treachery and witchcraft, smuggling and poaching run through this epic tale of well-born ladies, lowly woodsmen, sailors, merchants and Cistercian monks. The feuds, wars, loyalties and passions of generations reach their climax in a crime that shatters the decorous society of Jane Austin’s Bath. From the cruel forest laws of the Normans to the danger of the Spanish Armada, from the free-roaming herds of ponies and wild deer to the mighty oaks, which gave Nelson his navy, Rutherfurd has captured the essence of this ancient place. Forest and sea: there is no more perfect English heartland. I had forgotten that I had this book on my shelf until several members of this forum started discussing the books of Edward Rutherfurd. I had read both Sarum and London many years ago and enjoyed both book so I decided it was time to dust of The Forest. At 882 pages it is not a light read and it seemed to me to be pretty slow to begin with. It starts at the time of William Rufus and follows the fortunes of the descendants of several Forest inhabitants over the centuries. There are many interesting descriptions of the flora and fauna of the forest and the impact that the many wars and other events throughout the period have had on the area. I became more interested in the families concerned and their connections to the other families in the forest, as I got deeper into the book. This is not the best Rutherfurd that I have read, as I think that honour goes to Sarum, but nevertheless it is an interesting tale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angerball Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 Sounds great - good old historical fiction. I have both Sarum and London, but have yet to read either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted November 6, 2007 Author Share Posted November 6, 2007 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque Synopsis from Amazon One by one the boys begin to fall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 I managed to avoid reading your review of AQotWF but I'm going to read it when I finish my current book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 Port Mungo by Patrick McGrath Blurb from the cover From the days of their privileged eccentric English childhood, Jack Rathbone has enjoyed the adoration of his sister Gin. When both attend St Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted November 20, 2007 Author Share Posted November 20, 2007 The Ruby in her Navel by Barry Unsworth Blurb from Cover Thurstan, a young Norman and would be knight at the court of King Roger in Palermo, has been in love since boyhood with Lady Alicia, now returned a widow from the Holy Land. At the same time, he is enthralled by the earthly sensuality of the dancer Nesrin, whose troupe he brings to the court to dance for the King. In a compelling tale of love, passion, intrigue and treachery, Thurstan finds himself caught in a tangle of plots and counter plots and deceptions that threaten to destroy him. This story is set in Sicily in the twelfth-century, a period of history that I know very little about and in an area that I am not at all familiar with but Barry Unsworth brings the scenes alive with vivid descriptions. It is quite a complex book with a great many characters introduced who seem initially have no place in the story. The book is well underway before you realise that everyone is important in this tale of love and deceit. It is a time of religious wars in a place where many different religions apparently co-exist in peace. Danger is never far away however and Thurstan finds himself right in the middle of a conspiracy. This is an enjoyable colourful tale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Blurb from Cover Eleven-year-old Owen Meany, playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire, hits a foul ball and kills his best friends mother. Owen doesn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted November 29, 2007 Author Share Posted November 29, 2007 Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson Blurb from the Book Motherless and anchorless Silver is taken in by the timeless Mr Pew, keeper of the Cape Wrath lighthouse. Pew tells Silver ancient tales of longing and rootlessness, of ties that bind and of the slippages that occur throughout every life. One life, Babel Dark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted December 2, 2007 Author Share Posted December 2, 2007 The Life of Pi by Yann Martel Blurb from Book After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, one solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild blue Pacific. The crew of the surviving vessel consists of a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan, a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger and Pi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 I loved Life pf Pi! It was recommended to me by my non-bookworm sister and I agreed with her that it was simply lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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