Timstar Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I'd love to see a Dying Earth series! Either films or a mini-series sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted September 29, 2012 Author Share Posted September 29, 2012 Truth Or Dare Celia Rees This is a Young Adult book. It was a very quick easy read with a straightfoward linear plot . 13 year old Joshua is not happy about having to spend his summer holiday with his mother at his grandmother's house because she is ill. However, he makes the best of it. He decides to sleep in the attic bedroom of his mysterious Uncle Patrick, who died when he was the same age as Josh. He finds some of Patrick's things and becomes more curious, beginning to doubt the small amount of information he has been told. His mother is also acting strangely, staying up at night writing compulsively on the computer. Eventually, with the help of an older girl next door Josh begins to unravel the mystery, which leads to a shocking but cathartic experience for the whole family. I liked this book and will pass it on to my kids. It evoked for me quite well the feeling of being that age and adults not telling you what is going on. I had forgotten what that was like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted September 29, 2012 Author Share Posted September 29, 2012 Only a couple of days left of September but I am starting two books simultaneously today and hope to read a big chunk of each. Tell -Tale (Sam Harris) and Berlin The Downfall (Antony Beevor) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 The Little Stranger Sarah Waters This one was on my shelf for a good six months. I did not know what to expect, but it still ended up being not what I expected, if that makes any sense. If someone was expecting a Woman In Black style ghost tale they might be disappointed , but I think that would be a shame because they would miss the point of a great story. Going to have to resort to spoilers here: I think the way Ms Waters tells the tale is quite masterful , all the way through you don't actually know whether there is a supernatural force at work or not, the reader can make up his/her own mind, even at the end . I really liked the ending, it was so ambiguous. The pace is slow , it was 180 pages before anything major happened, but she develops the characters so well it is not a chore at all and I was quite caught up in their lives. One thing I had fun doing was trying to work out where the fictional village of Lidcote was, as Waters mentions all the real towns roundabout quite often, Rugby, Southam, Daventry, Leamington and Warwick. All places I know well. I worked out through various clues that Lidcote must be just on the Leamington side of Southam . The novel is also about the British class system and how it changed after the war. The story is told in the first person by Dr Faraday, a country doctor who's parents sacrificed for his education. He has a chip on his shoulder and a slight connection with the great House in the story, as his mother was a servant there. I am a sucker for stories with crumbly old houses in them ( Mistress Masham's Repose, House of Silence, I Captured The Castle) and of course in this story Hundreds Hall is just such a house. Strange things are happening there. For most of the book Dr Faraday is the voice of reason and always has an alternative explanation. The reader of course can make up their own mind, not least about Dr Faraday himself ! A quick note about the character of Caroline. Sarah Waters usually writes about lesbian characters, and I just read another review of the book that surmised that Caroline is a lesbian hiding in plain sight, and showing all sorts of "clues" and allegories in the writing.. I read an interview with Sarah Waters where she said there were no lesbian characters in it, it was just a story she had inside her...I guess like the other themes of the book you can find all sorts of things if you want to, the characters are like real people. Great review, James I'm planning on reading all of Waters's books, after finding The Fingersmith so amazing. I'm not sure I like the thought of an ambiguous ending, though.... It's interesting that Caroline's seen as lesbian by some of the readers, and Waters saying she's not. Very, very interesting. That makes perfect sense! Oh, I hated the Cather in the Rye! I've actually re-read that book more than once trying to figure out why so many people love it. I just don't get it! Don't ever go and work in a library. I tell you, almost every day when I'm at work, somebody returns the book and I keep thinking 'what's so great about it, why do they keep borrowing the book'. If they ever make a film of a Jack Vance book I will take all 3 of you to the cinema !! I've spotted a few Jack Vance titles at the library... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted September 29, 2012 Author Share Posted September 29, 2012 Hi Frankie thanks for popping in. Glad that you have read and liked Fingersmith . When did you read this I must have missed your review ? Yes about Caroline, I actually felt sad to read that particular reviewer's view of her. Because in the book she doesn't have a particularly great life. And by trying to "nail her down" as a lesbian in my opinion that reviewer was sort of restricting her choices even more . I would rather that she had the freedom to be whatever she wanted to be. That's great that people are reading Jack Vance over in Finland. Evidence of a cultured and intelligent people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Hi Frankie thanks for popping in. Glad that you have read and liked Fingersmith . When did you read this I must have missed your review ? Oh, it must've been some years ago... *checks* Ah yes, it was back in 2008. That was a great year for me, I read some pretty spectacular books back then! I joined the forum in the autumn of 2008 so the chances are I never wrote a review on here. Yes about Caroline, I actually felt sad to read that particular reviewer's view of her. Because in the book she doesn't have a particularly great life. And by trying to "nail her down" as a lesbian in my opinion that reviewer was sort of restricting her choices even more . I would rather that she had the freedom to be whatever she wanted to be. Yeah, I dislike it when people try to categorize other people. But then again, I'm being a hypocrite, I do that myself, I guess it's our way of trying to make sense of the world. It's another matter if one does it to get negative results, though... That's great that people are reading Jack Vance over in Finland. Evidence of a cultured and intelligent people. Haha, I knew you'd be thrilled I saw it at the detective novel bookshelf, though, and I was amazed, because I had it in my head it was sci-fi. For some weird reason! Edit: No, wait, it might've been at the sci-fi section. I'm not sure now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted September 30, 2012 Author Share Posted September 30, 2012 Yeah, I dislike it when people try to categorize other people. But then again, I'm being a hypocrite, I do that myself, I guess it's our way of trying to make sense of the world. It's another matter if one does it to get negative results, though... It was sort of the reverse. The reviewer was a lesbian herself and she just wanted to see lesbians everywhere. About the Jack Vance book (s) you saw. He did write in other genres too. The Man In The Cage is a famous non-SF one of his. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 I saw loads of Jack Vance books at the book fair recently, VF. I thought of you, of course. I didn't get any though because I already had a lot of books and wouldn't have known where to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 . I didn't get any though because I already had a lot of books and wouldn't have known where to start. I am sure that is going to be an understatement! I better skip over to your blog and see what book mountain you came home with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Supernatural/Paranormal: The Hungry Ghosts Anne Berry I am glad that I chose this book for my excursion into the Supernatural, rather than one of the dozens of vampire or werewolf stories. This is a modern day ghost story. We meet the ghost right at the beginning of the book, a Chinese girl who is murdered by a Japanese soldier during WWII. It is sort of an accepted idea that most dead folks do not become ghosts, the few that do stick around because they don't want to cross over yet; they have unfinished business. To this Anne Berry adds another very logical reason for them to stay earthbound, bound up with Asian traditions; they are jealous of the living and hungry for more life. 25 years after her death Lin Shui is attracted (by a shared sense of melancholy?) to a lonely young English girl who's father is high up in the British Government in Hong Kong. Without asking permission she slips inside Alice and becomes her constant companion, living her unhappy life with her and becoming a sort of observer to all that happens in her disfunctional family. Cleverly , the ghost in this way also becomes a sort of dispassionate narrator in parts of the book ; other characters also tell parts of the story themselves in the first person. The mother is a true horror, she loves none of her children but reserves a special hatred for Alice who is her scapegoat. The book spans many years and almost all of Alice's life. The title of the book does say Ghosts in the plural which is not a mistake, but I don't want to give too much away. The book is sad but has lighter even comical moments. I liked it a lot. It is the author's first novel so I will watch out for her next one. Just found this review, I'm glad you enjoyed it VF, thought you might like to know that Anne Berry released another book last year - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Children-Anne-Berry/dp/0007303475/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349074145&sr=1-3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 Hey thanks chaliepud. She does seem to write books that are a bit different doesn't she? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 (edited) I like the sound of Truth or Dare. Edited October 3, 2012 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 Wow been neglecting this blog (and everybody elses) for a week. I am struggling with my genre challenge The Book Of God it is 900 + pages and I am only 100 pages in , holy crap it is boring. So I have started reading my other genre challenge book The Forsyte Saga at the same time in parallel. That is good so far and starts off in Victorian times so I am well happy there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 The Book Of God it is 900 + pages and I am only 100 pages in , holy crap it is boring. Intended pun? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 I just received my SF book prize from Michelle! This is great because as it is "newly published in 2012" I can sneak it into my Genre Challenge too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 It was sort of the reverse. The reviewer was a lesbian herself and she just wanted to see lesbians everywhere. Must've been horny then, she. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 I am enjoying The Forsyte Saga. I hope to finish the first book by tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 I just been shopping for books on Amazon. Haven't done that in a long time. Unfortunately I only had a tenner. I bought two second hand books on Victorian England (non -fiction ) and a low-priced Kindle book , then 3 or 4 kindle freebies. I can't remember any of the titles now so that will be a surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I am enjoying The Forsyte Saga. I hope to finish the first book by tonight. So glad your enjoying The Forsyte Saga VF i can only say that they get better & better as the series goes on. I know i felt bereft when i got to the end knowing there would be no more I'm halfway through The Little Stranger & really enjoying it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 So glad your enjoying The Forsyte Saga VF i can only say that they get better & better as the series goes on. I know i felt bereft when i got to the end knowing there would be no more I'm halfway through The Little Stranger & really enjoying it . Yes enjoying it. The men were so very stiff! Not allowed to show any emotion. I look forward to reading your thoughts on The Little Stranger. Can anybody guess who my avatar picture is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I'm guessing it's the author you mention most often - Jack Vance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 He looks very normal for someone that writes about Kragens and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 I'm guessing it's the author you mention most often - Jack Vance? Yep Claire you got it. Handsome devil wasn't he? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 He looks very normal for someone that writes about Kragens and stuff. Apparently he got all his ideas from things around him and stuff that happened to him. I found his autobiography on kindle real cheap I haven't bought/downloaded it yet but will do for sure, I am excited as the hardback was only available from the US and would have worked out about £40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Apparently he got all his ideas from things around him and stuff that happened to him. Either he has a vivid imagination or some scarey sh*t happened to him. It'll be interesting for you to find out all about it. Really cheap Kindle deals!! .. the death knell on all books I expect you can get all the volumes of old Proust's In Search of Lost Time for about 99p each or something .. all badly spelt and punctuated (like I'd notice ) Oh well, it's the future I suppose and I'm heading there whether I like it or not ... what will happen to the bookmark market though? I've only just thought of that .. my cross stitch bookmarks are my best sellers .. oh my .. you'll have to set up a charity for me .. a benevolent fund for poor old bookmark makers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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