Poppy's Paperbacks 2012

[Ruth]

Fabulous review of Watership Down I remember reading it years and years ago, and I loved it. I actually bought another copy a couple of years ago, with the intention of reading it again, but haven't got round to it yet (typical!)

 

Love the sound of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry as well

 

Night is on my tbr pile. I am fascinated by books about the holocaust, even though they are usually very disturbing and upsetting.

[~Andrea~]

Great review of Watership Down, one of my all time favourites. Glad you enjoyed it. It's definitely a 10/10 book.

[poppyshake]

What a romantic! *sigh* No wonder you’ve been going on so strong for so many years, you two lovebirds!

I obviously haven't told you about the time I threw a tub of butter at him .. or his frequent assertions that, of all impossible people in the world, I must be the impossiblest

Poppyshake, I noticed in one of your posts that you were reading The Prime of Miss Jean Brody and that you were actually liking it. It’s one of my most disliked books =D I was so looking forward to reading it at the time, the blurb promised such interesting events, but then it turned out that everything that had happened was told in the beginning, nothing was to happen afterwards, but the whole book was only going through the same thing again and again, events that didn’t even take place during the book! I will be terribly interested in reading your full review to see what it was that you liked about the novel.

I must do a review of it soon before I completely forget. I don't know if I can put my finger on exactly what I liked about it (helpful aye?) I like the way Muriel writes, she's funny but there's an edge. I found the whole teacher-pupil thing fascinating, I could see why the girls were drawn to Miss B .. even though there was something sinister about her. She was in her prime and what young girl wouldn't want to hear about her love life rather than learning English grammar?. I'm sure I would have wanted to be thought the crème de la crème too. I didn't mind knowing some of the outcome in advance .. I get quite shivery (in a good way) when I read about a characters future demise .. unless they are particular favourites .. then I'm a bit

I noticed you haven’t yet read Lord of the Flies… That dreadful, horrid book! Another one on your list that you haven’t read yet is The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty… I wrote a bit of a rant review on that one, hehe!

I will definitely read Lord of the Flies though I'm not looking forward to it much .. it's a book so many people mention though so it's a must read. I liked Catcher in the Rye when so many people didn't so it's possible I'll like LOTF too, it's always sounded pretty unpleasant though.

You have some great reads ahead of you, namely these:

32. Lolita - Vladimir Nabakov

87. Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow

91. Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice

113. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

140. Misery - Stephen King

157. A Home at the End of the World - Michael Cunningham

180. Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh

I also believe that all of these, except for Misery, are on the original 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list, the 2006 edition.

Isn't that great? ... kill two birds with one stone so to speak (and the 2006 edition is my favourite. I acknowledge there are other versions .. I even look at some of their additions/subtractions .. but 2006 is my bible ). I can't believe I haven't read Lolita yet .. as a book lover it seems almost a crime .. uncomfortable themes though .. that's what's put me off so far.

There isn’t any Murakami on the list because I believe he writes in Japanese.

Oh I see, I didn't know they weren't including translations (even though the clue is in the title)

I’m glad that you enjoyed the book, if one can say that. It’s a very harrowing read. And like you say, it’s not the first nor the last of the Holocaust books, but it is one that stays with you for a long time. When I read it I googled Wiesel and I think I wrote it in my review at the time that he was attacked by a Neo Nazi in the 2000s (?), it’s disgusting how many people still dismiss the Holocaust as Jewish propaganda. Sickening!

Yes, I remember us talking about it. I have no words (or no words fit for this forum) for people that think the holocaust is Jewish propaganda. I absolutely must read his other books.

What a wonderful review… I already have it on my wishlist, but it’s reminded me of how I need to read this one in particular when/if I ever get to Woolfing in more depth. I like it that Woolf’s not put on a pedestal. That Lee discusses her less pleasant traits as well as the great ones.

I'm not sure anyone that reads it comes out liking Virginia .. she's quite a snob and can be a bit vile about people but then the same could be said of Jane Austen .. though perhaps to a lesser extent. I tried to make allowances for differences of intellect and class etc (pity she couldn't do the same for me ) There was a lot to admire her for though and none of us are perfect .. except perhaps Colin Firth!

Another great review! I think I should probably start with this… if I don’t go for an English re-read of To The Lighthouse first. The problem with reading your log is that you read all these interesting books, but some of them are pinned down as ‘difficult’ ones, and I feel like I might not be up for it. I get a sense of underachievement from my own reads Yet it’s not an unwanted or completely negative notion: your log makes me want to reach a bit higher, to read more, to expand my horizons, to grab the difficult novels by the covers and just jump in.

I'm very happy to hear it .. I feel the same about your's and the reading blogs here in general. I don't think I would ever have picked up Woolf if I hadn't belonged to this forum, in fact I didn't know much about her before (I only knew that I was afraid of her .. but I didn't know why ) Stream of consciousness writing never makes for an easy read, it's a bit like flying a kite .. for a few mins it's swooping through the air all graceful and artistic .. the next minute it's smashed to the ground in a tangled heap. Orlando is an easy one to start with .. you won't have difficulties with it at all, you might hate the plot though or find it has too many lulls. I started with Flush and though it was as unlike Woolf as anything it gave me the feeling of having a foot on the ladder so it was useful (and an adorable story too). I still think I've done it all wrong in mixing up the chronology of her work .. I've dipped in and out too much, read both her first and last novel, those that aren't experimental at all, those that tie your head in a knot, those that were like 'holidays from writing' and so on .. so I've not really got the feel of how she was changing and what she was striving to achieve. Anyway, the very best of luck when you do start on her. To the Lighthouse is still my favourite I think (if you don't count A Room of One's Own .. which isn't strictly a novel .. although then again it is ) .. there were lots of bits I didn't get but the bits I did were marvellous and I can always go back at a later date for another chew on it.

I’d better not read your review on Tom-All-Alone’s because I’m about to read it soon myself.

Good luck .. I wonder what you will make of it?

[chaliepud]

I will definitely read Lord of the Flies though I'm not looking forward to it much .. it's a book so many people mention though so it's a must read. I liked Catcher in the Rye when so many people didn't so it's possible I'll like LOTF too, it's always sounded pretty unpleasant though.

 

I think there may be a male/female divide with this book, I read it for my O'Levels and hated it with a passion...My son is now doing it in English and is enjoying it very much, apparently the girls in the class are not so keen...

[frankie]

I obviously haven't told you about the time I threw a tub of butter at him .. or his frequent assertions that, of all impossible people in the world, I must be the impossiblest

 

Do tell!

 

I must do a review of it soon before I completely forget. I don't know if I can put my finger on exactly what I liked about it (helpful aye?)

 

I can imagine, I couldn't find anything good to say about it either.

 

I found the whole teacher-pupil thing fascinating, I could see why the girls were drawn to Miss B .. even though there was something sinister about her. She was in her prime and what young girl wouldn't want to hear about her love life rather than learning English grammar?. I'm sure I would have wanted to be thought the crème de la crème too. I didn't mind knowing some of the outcome in advance .. I get quite shivery (in a good way) when I read about a characters future demise .. unless they are particular favourites .. then I'm a bit

 

I also thought the premise of the novel, the teacher-pupil thing was intriguing, but for me it just didn't work. If I remember correctly, not a lot of us students reading the book for a British lit course enjoyed the book. It was my most disliked after the horrid, horrid Tess book.

 

And I guess I dont' remember very much about the book, because I remember Brodie being very old and not in her prime... But I think that might be due to the book cover of my edition. It wasn't very flattering. When I think of Brodie, I think of Olive in the Popeye comic series.

 

But then again, I've also thought every now and then that I ought to give it a re-read. Maybe it wasn't as bad as I remember. But then again, I also think the same about Tess, and then I always think, why the hell would I want to re-read Tess

 

I will definitely read Lord of the Flies though I'm not looking forward to it much .. it's a book so many people mention though so it's a must read. I liked Catcher in the Rye when so many people didn't so it's possible I'll like LOTF too, it's always sounded pretty unpleasant though.

 

This is probably not going to be very helpful but I never disliked CitR, eventhough I've never understood why it's been so hyped all over the world... but LotF was difficult. I struggled to get to the end. There was something so elementarily (is that even a word..) and primitively ugly and evil to the ... let's say happenings.

 

Isn't that great? ... kill two birds with one stone so to speak (and the 2006 edition is my favourite. I acknowledge there are other versions .. I even look at some of their additions/subtractions .. but 2006 is my bible ).

 

It's always great to be able to cross a book off from more than one list, yes A very satisfying feeling! And I agree, the 2006 edition is the real deal for me, too. I love it that you call it your Bible, a very apt description

 

I can't believe I haven't read Lolita yet .. as a book lover it seems almost a crime .. uncomfortable themes though .. that's what's put me off so far.

 

I only read it last year myself, if I remember correctly. I'd thought it would be a difficult book to get into, being a Russian classic of a sort, but I was sucked into it from the very first pages. Yes, the subject matter is inexcusable, but I don't think it's as off putting as you think. If one can say that.

 

Oh I see, I didn't know they weren't including translations (even though the clue is in the title)

 

Well, that's only my guess. I remember when I started studying English in elementary school, at the age of 8, and this one time the teacher asked us to bring English songs to the class so we could play them and rate them one by one, seeing which song was rated best in the class. After the class I went to the teacher, because I was very confused. I asked her if I could bring a cassette where I had an American song. She must've giggled a bit in her head. She told me it was fine, because it's still English, it's just like another dialect, like we have different dialects in Finland.

[frankie]

I'm not sure anyone that reads it comes out liking Virginia .. she's quite a snob and can be a bit vile about people but then the same could be said of Jane Austen .. though perhaps to a lesser extent. I tried to make allowances for differences of intellect and class etc (pity she couldn't do the same for me) There was a lot to admire her for though and none of us are perfect .. except perhaps Colin Firth!

 

Oh dear, I don't get along with snobs that well... When I was reading your review of the Hermione Lee book, I was cringing when you said Woolf thought she still did think she was the better author, after Mansfield had died. I was on the verge of a facepalm!

 

I'm very happy to hear it .. I feel the same about your's and the reading blogs here in general. I don't think I would ever have picked up Woolf if I hadn't belonged to this forum, in fact I didn't know much about her before (I only knew that I was afraid of her .. but I didn't know why)

 

Maybe it was the Edward Albee play called Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf that did it

 

I started with Flush and though it was as unlike Woolf as anything it gave me the feeling of having a foot on the ladder so it was useful (and an adorable story too).

 

Ah yes, that's another way to go. A more enjoyable one, as you know I love dogs!

 

I still think I've done it all wrong in mixing up the chronology of her work .. I've dipped in and out too much, read both her first and last novel, those that aren't experimental at all, those that tie your head in a knot, those that were like 'holidays from writing' and so on .. so I've not really got the feel of how she was changing and what she was striving to achieve.

 

This is sort of ringing a bell for me... I can't remember where it was, but I read in the last week or two that 'this book is the one with which one ought to start reading Woolf'. It might be from one of your reviews, but I have a feeling it might've been when I was at the library the last time, going through the English lit section, stopping to look at the Woolf titles. I was going through their blurbs... There were only copies of Mrs Dalloway, The Years, To the Lighthouse and some other available... Oh, this is going to bother me

 

You may have read the books you've read so far in a 'wrong' order, but you can always go back for a re-read and then read the books in the chronological order. It's not the same, but maybe it's better that way. You don't have to concentrate on 'getting' the story, because you've read the books once before, and this time round you could concentrate more on the structure and how and in what ways each book is different from the earlier ones.

[poppyshake]

That's an excellent picture! If he was drinking beer, what's that that you had? Vodka, perhaps? My lawd, quite a big one they serve there.

No lol ... that was also his (or it may have been his assistant's) and it was water .. I think

I remember when I saw Cloud Atlas at the library years ago, borrowed the book and then went home and realised, bloody hell, David Mitchell, as in David Mitchell from Peep Show?! Which was funny because I'd just recently (at the time) read somewhere that Mitchell said he'd like to write a book someday but didn't think he had it in him... I figured the interview must've been an old one and now he'd actually written a novel.

A few moments later I googled him and found out it was the other David Mitchell... Sigh! But now he has a memoir of his own, I'm actually happy he went that way instead of trying at a novel, because I so want to read about his life, as I'm sure others will want, too I did wonder, poppyshake, if you'd already started it. I don't think it's possible for the book to be bad, you know. It must be hella funny.

It is hella funny .. I am liking it lots. He has that distinctive voice that we talked about so I can hear him saying it all as plain as day. Someone asked him if he would use a pen name if he ever wrote a novel .. he had a bit of a rant about that (but only in jest )

Yes, stupid imminent marriage. But he was nice enough to sign the copy anyway, and not call the guards, right? Stalking by-proxy... poppyshake and frankie style

I think there might be stuff about her in the book I haven't come across it yet but the young guy interviewing him at the book signing mentioned it. I just hope she's good enough .. however, she won't be as good as you and so effectively he's missed out.

[poppyshake]

I love your cover of ...Wilfred Price, Kay - very prettyful.

Alas, it belongs to the library Janet but I did enjoy looking at it for the time it was in my custody

I read Watership Down for the first time a few years ago. It took me a while to get into it but once I did I loved it! I immediately downloaded Bright Eyes on finishing it! I hadn't seen the film either so my son bought it for me after I'd finished the book. It's very sad in places but a great read/film.

I went to good old Blockbusters yesterday and rented the film .. haven't seen it in a while and it was nice to catch up with it again. Of course I noticed all the bits they'd left out I think they did a lovely job on it though .. and what a fantastic voice cast.

I know we've chatted on FB about it, but I'm glad you enjoyed David Mitchell who wouldn't!. I am looking forward to eventually being able to read his book when my 'to read' pile has been reduced and when it's out in paperback!

You will love it I'm sure Janet .. it's making me howl with laughter.

I was going to say some thing else, but the phone rang in the middle of me typing and I've lost my train of thought...

That's not as bad as forgetting what you went upstairs for .. wish I could stop doing that .. it freaks me out.

OK now you've blown it

You won't regret it .. I can't see anyone not enjoying it (this has left me wide open now ) .. I can send you a copy if you haven't got one James

Fabulous review of Watership Down. I remember reading it years and years ago, and I loved it. I actually bought another copy a couple of years ago, with the intention of reading it again, but haven't got round to it yet (typical!)

Thanks Ruth it was so enjoyable .. I didn't want it to end.

Love the sound of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry as well

Lovely book, it'll be made into a film/drama for sure (so quick read it Ruth .. before they ruin it )

Night is on my tbr pile. I am fascinated by books about the holocaust, even though they are usually very disturbing and upsetting.

This one will be no exception, it's very harrowing. I'd rather know the truth though however upsetting.

Great review of Watership Down, one of my all time favourites. Glad you enjoyed it. It's definitely a 10/10 book.

Thank you Andrea .. not all classics deserve their reputation but this one does. I'll be recommending it forever

[poppyshake]

I think there may be a male/female divide with this book, I read it for my O'Levels and hated it with a passion...My son is now doing it in English and is enjoying it very much, apparently the girls in the class are not so keen...

That's interesting chalie .. I'm almost afraid of liking it now .. what would that say about me? .. other than I'm odd .. well, we know that already so nothing to fear really

Do tell!

I can't remember the argument much .. I remember more the cleaning process afterwards I expect the present occupier is still trying to get that butter out of the carpet. My aim is terrible luckily .. it missed Alan and hit a cabinet and split .. there was buttery carnage. Alan once threw a cushion at me .. not very threatening but it missed and hit one of my decorative plates on the wall which fell and smashed .. it was a 'Wind in the Willows' plate which .. on reflection .. was extremely hideous but at the time I loved it. He was so contrite .. I saw straight away that I could turn it into a 'toast in bed for a month' situation

I also thought the premise of the novel, the teacher-pupil thing was intriguing, but for me it just didn't work. If I remember correctly, not a lot of us students reading the book for a British lit course enjoyed the book. It was my most disliked after the horrid, horrid Tess book.

Oh poor Muriel .. that is sad news indeed

And I guess I dont' remember very much about the book, because I remember Brodie being very old and not in her prime... But I think that might be due to the book cover of my edition. It wasn't very flattering. When I think of Brodie, I think of Olive in the Popeye comic series.

Well she was both old and in her prime .. that is to say that the story ended with her being old but began with her being in her prime (though they mixed it up quite a lot in the middle .. with reflecting backward and forward and all that). Haha good old Olive Oyl .. she was in her prime too at least Popeye and Bluto thought so.

But then again, I've also thought every now and then that I ought to give it a re-read. Maybe it wasn't as bad as I remember. But then again, I also think the same about Tess, and then I always think, why the hell would I want to re-read Tess

Well the one thing very much in Brodie's favour and not in Tess's is that it's relatively short. I do believe I have read Tess more than once as I have it on unabridged audio .. even with a professional reading it to me it didn't improve .. I still wanted to kick her

This is probably not going to be very helpful but I never disliked CitR, eventhough I've never understood why it's been so hyped all over the world... but LotF was difficult. I struggled to get to the end. There was something so elementarily (is that even a word..) and primitively ugly and evil to the ... let's say happenings.

If the writing is good I can usually sail on even if I don't like the theme .. I can't watch a film of it though. Like We Need to Talk About Kevin .. I thought the book was great even though the themes made me uncomfortable. I did read bits of it through squinty eyes .. I'm not sure I actually read the details of the massacre for instance but when Alan rented it I couldn't watch it .. even though the peerless Tilda Swinton was in it. Alan said she and it were brilliant .. but I can't watch stuff like that.

I only read it last year myself, if I remember correctly. I'd thought it would be a difficult book to get into, being a Russian classic of a sort, but I was sucked into it from the very first pages. Yes, the subject matter is inexcusable, but I don't think it's as off putting as you think. If one can say that.

This is it .. I've probably just built up a pic in my head of what I think it's about and embroidered it. Talking of great Russian novels .. have you read Crime & Punishment yet? .. if not you have a great treat ahead

Well, that's only my guess. I remember when I started studying English in elementary school, at the age of 8, and this one time the teacher asked us to bring English songs to the class so we could play them and rate them one by one, seeing which song was rated best in the class. After the class I went to the teacher, because I was very confused. I asked her if I could bring a cassette where I had an American song. She must've giggled a bit in her head. She told me it was fine, because it's still English, it's just like another dialect, like we have different dialects in Finland.

Ahh bless I remember reading some American reviews of Billy Elliot .. they thought there should have been sub-titles .. but then again the Geordie accent is a difficult one to understand even for Brits. How do you get on with dialects like that .. Scottish ones for instance .. have you seen Trainspotting?

[poppyshake]

Oh dear, I don't get along with snobs that well... When I was reading your review of the Hermione Lee book, I was cringing when you said Woolf thought she still did think she was the better author, after Mansfield had died. I was on the verge of a facepalm!

Oh there's a lot of that .. but then Mansfield was a bit sniffy about her too .. it came down to rivalry I think, and I actually think it's because they did rate each other so highly that they were a bit dismissive. It's not very sporting but at least it's honest. Like I said, I do try and put myself in their situation when they're being a bit snobby. Virginia was so conflicted .. she was a socialist (or at least a member of the Labour party) but couldn't quite rid herself of feeling distaste for the working classes which I guess was a result of her early Victorian upbringing. She had an in built prejudice against Jews too .. and yet she was married to Leonard who was a Jew and would fire up if anyone criticised him .. oh, she was complicated

Maybe it was the Edward Albee play called Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf that did it

Yes, that's him .. that's the man that made us all afraid of VW even before we tackled her .. he sent us a subliminal message

Ah yes, that's another way to go. A more enjoyable one, as you know I love dogs!

You'd love that one .. I'm sure of it

This is sort of ringing a bell for me... I can't remember where it was, but I read in the last week or two that 'this book is the one with which one ought to start reading Woolf'. It might be from one of your reviews, but I have a feeling it might've been when I was at the library the last time, going through the English lit section, stopping to look at the Woolf titles. I was going through their blurbs... There were only copies of Mrs Dalloway, The Years, To the Lighthouse and some other available... Oh, this is going to bother me

You may have read the books you've read so far in a 'wrong' order, but you can always go back for a re-read and then read the books in the chronological order. It's not the same, but maybe it's better that way. You don't have to concentrate on 'getting' the story, because you've read the books once before, and this time round you could concentrate more on the structure and how and in what ways each book is different from the earlier ones.

Yes, I will do that most definitely .. go back and try to unravel the knots. Goodness knows how I will fare with The Waves (which apparently can't be said without an accompanying ) .. I mean to leave it until last which probably means I'll start it next week The Years I'm looking forward to and I want to read Michael Cunningham's The Hours soon too.

[willoyd]

Gosh - interesting discussions.

 

Virginia Woolf: I have to say that, having read the Lee biography, I think I DO like her. As you say Poppy, she's very complex, and there are some prejudices which we may not like with our 21st century viewpoint, but complex people are also interesting, along with which she was undoubtedly highly intelligent and, in her own way, a very strong individual. I would certainly love to have met/known her.

On working one's way into her writing: I found Flush comfortably the least interesting of her books. Orlando was fine, but unlike anything else, so probably not a great intro. My own favourite as a starter would be something like sThe Years or Mrs Dalloway: giving one a taste of her style and how it developed,without the complexity of, say, The Waves. Or maybe she is somebody who would be best to read chronologically?? I've yet to read The Voyage Out, so don't know, but certainly from what I have read, this does seem to be a good way to tackle her. Personally, I found To The Lighthouse very readable even though I read it early on, The Waves is the only one I've read so far that I've found 'difficult'. I'd agree that to get the most out of her demands a fair bit of work, but much of her work is still eminently readable without that. Incidentally, I dipped into Will Self's Umbrella in our local bookshop today. Now that really does look challenging - complete stream of consciousness. Found it fascinating, and strangely gripping, but one to save for when I can sit down over decent lengths of time and give it a real go - certainly not for dipping! As for The Hours, I was introduced to it via the film, one of my all-time favourites. Loved the book too (but one best read having read Mrs Dalloway).

 

Lord of the Flies: I've half tried Catcher in the Rye a couple of times, and have been singularly unimpressed on both occasions. I was introduced to LOTF in my early teens, and hated it with a passion for the next 40 years, but reread it last year, and found myself enjoying it (if enjoyment is quite the right word!). I think half the book's problem is that it's too often treated as a children's book, when in fact it's an adult book about children (or, at least, centring on children in the novel). I wonder if that is more an issue than gender (but then I'm a man, so maybe I'm just confirming the gender split?) Certainly very powerful!

 

Interesting this idea of 'hard' or otherwise. The book group I've just joined have James Herbert's Ash as their book to read this month, and I'm finding it desperately difficult to read, far harder than any Woolf or Golding. It's just so dull, with few if any redeeming features - characters are thin and the plotting tedious. I'm not far in, and maybe it'll improve, but if it doesn't within the next 50 pages or so, I'm not taking it any further. Thank goodness I'm leavening it with My Family and Other Animals. Not quite as amazing as I was led to believe, indeed I'm not convinced it's particularly well written at all, but it's certainly fun, and infinitely more enjoyable than the Herbert dross.

Edited October 20, 2012 by willoyd

[poppyshake]

Gosh - interesting discussions.

Virginia Woolf: I have to say that, having read the Lee biography, I think I DO like her. As you say Poppy, she's very complex, and there are some prejudices which we may not like with our 21st century viewpoint, but complex people are also interesting, along with which she was undoubtedly highly intelligent and, in her own way, a very strong individual. I would certainly love to have met/known her.

Oh so would I .. but I can't help thinking she would have thought me me a 'common little tart' .. despite the fact that, by todays standards, I'm quite respectable Nearly everyone she met she hated .. they all thought it had gone well and then she'd fire a letter off to someone or write a few words in her diary saying stuff like 'a criminal I should have said, if I met him on a bus'

On working one's way into her writing: I found Flush comfortably the least interesting of her books. Orlando was fine, but unlike anything else, so probably not a great intro. My own favourite as a starter would be something like sThe Years or Mrs Dalloway: giving one a taste of her style and how it developed,without the complexity of, say, The Waves. Or maybe she is somebody who would be best to read chronologically?? I've yet to read The Voyage Out, so don't know, but certainly from what I have read, this does seem to be a good way to tackle her. Personally, I found To The Lighthouse very readable even though I read it early on, The Waves is the only one I've read so far that I've found 'difficult'. I'd agree that to get the most out of her demands a fair bit of work, but much of her work is still eminently readable without that.

Well frankie loves dogs so a doggy story is always good. The Voyage Out reads like Jane Austen .. which is quite odd and unexpected but all the time I was reminded of Emma (the novel .. not the character) .. by rights I should be on to Night & Day and Jacob's Room but they're not so easy to find at the library. Between the Acts was a bit indifferent and I'm not convinced Virginia would have published it had she lived .. or not without a total revision anyway although Leonard's view was that she would have with a few alterations and he knows best. She was in turmoil when she wrote it though and she felt her work was done for good .. perhaps there might have been more in her had she lived to see peacetime.

Incidentally, I dipped into Will Self's Umbrella in our local bookshop today. Now that really does look challenging - complete stream of consciousness. Found it fascinating, and strangely gripping, but one to save for when I can sit down over decent lengths of time and give it a real go - certainly not for dipping!

I don't think I'm ready for another go on Will Self .. he completely boggled me with The Book Of Dave .. but Umbrella sounds intriguing. Interestingly I was in 'Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights' bookshop in Bath and the girls behind the counter were discussing 'The 2012 Man Booker Prize' which was taking place that evening and saying that they hoped he didn't win it as his head didn't need to get any bigger They also said that Hilary Mantel definitely wouldn't win .. I must say that gave me a chuckle later on. Have you read Bring Up the Bodies? I'm reading it at the moment and loving every word. Nobody could ever convince me that that's not exactly what Cromwell said to Henry and vice versa etc. It hardly ever crosses my mind that I'm reading a work of fiction .. ooh she's a bit brilliant old Mantel

As for The Hours, I was introduced to it via the film, one of my all-time favourites. Loved the book too (but one best read having read Mrs Dalloway).

Now, I've seen the movie but it was several years ago and before I had read Mrs Dalloway or any Woolf .. consequently it was all as clear as mud. I still enjoyed it and some things were familiar so it's amazing what you pick up without knowing it. I hope it will make more sense to me now but I'll read the novel (The Hours) first.

Lord of the Flies: I've half tried Catcher in the Rye a couple of times, and have been singularly unimpressed on both occasions. I was introduced to LOTF in my early teens, and hated it with a passion for the next 40 years, but reread it last year, and found myself enjoying it (if enjoyment is quite the right word!). I think half the book's problem is that it's too often treated as a children's book, when in fact it's an adult book about children (or, at least, centring on children in the novel). I wonder if that is more an issue than gender (but then I'm a man, so maybe I'm just confirming the gender split?) Certainly very powerful!

I don't think I've met with many people that liked Catcher in the Rye .. though obviously it's got a heavyweight reputation. I liked the suffocating nature of the narration .. and the feeling it had of Holden just being on the edge of disaster. I think I will like Lord of the Flies somehow .. though that of course is nonsense because I've not read one word of it but something just tells me I will. Though just hearing about the plot used to make me feel sick.

Interesting this idea of 'hard' or otherwise. The book group I've just joined have James Herbert's Ash as their book to read this month, and I'm finding it desperately difficult to read, far harder than any Woolf or Golding. It's just so dull, with few if any redeeming features - characters are thin and the plotting tedious. I'm not far in, and maybe it'll improve, but if it doesn't within the next 50 pages or so, I'm not taking it any further. Thank goodness I'm leavening it with My Family and Other Animals. Not quite as amazing as I was led to believe, indeed I'm not convinced it's particularly well written at all, but it's certainly fun, and infinitely more enjoyable than the Herbert dross.

Dull books are indeed more difficult than so called difficult books because you don't even want to try to get anything from them .. you just want it all to be over. The most dull (and difficult) book I've ever read was The Ambassadors by Henry James .. every new page felt like torture. And then as you say, a book that's not that well written or entertaining can be a joy because it's followed such a dud.

[vodkafan]

You won't regret it .. I can't see anyone not enjoying it (this has left me wide open now ) .. I can send you a copy if you haven't got one James

 

 

You would have to come with it Kay in order to tie me down while you read it to me, and gag me to stop me chewing off my own ears. I will however, be delighted to join you on Mount Virginia one of these days.

[willoyd]

The Voyage Out reads like Jane Austen .. which is quite odd and unexpected but all the time I was reminded of Emma (the novel .. not the character)

Must move that forward, not least because I loved Emma!

 

.. by rights I should be on to Night & Day and Jacob's Room but they're not so easy to find at the library. Between the Acts was a bit indifferent

I've only r ead Jacob's Room of these. I found this similar to The Years in style and structure, although not quite as well developed. Worth reading though, and pleasantly slim!

 

 

Have you read Bring Up the Bodies?

Not yet - it's on the shelf next to Wolf Hall, which I loved (in my top 10 all-time list). I'm saving it for a school holiday, so that I can properly bury myself in it.

 

 

The most dull (and difficult) book I've ever read was The Ambassadors by Henry James

Oh dear, that's on my bookshelf too. I read Portrait of a Lady a couple of years ago, and whilst it wasn't either the most gripping or easiest read, I feel in hindsight that I got a lot out of it, and wanted to read more James. We'll see! Edited October 21, 2012 by willoyd

[Kidsmum]

The most dull (and difficult) book I've ever read was The Ambassadors by Henry James .. every new page felt like torture.

 

 

I have The Golden Bowl on my shelves & that's where it's likely to stay after suffering The Ambassadors i'm in no hurry to start another of his.

[poppyshake]

You would have to come with it Kay in order to tie me down while you read it to me, and gag me to stop me chewing off my own ears.

That is what I usually do with my victims Am I to take it that .. you didn't like it?

I will however, be delighted to join you on Mount Virginia one of these days.

Yes .. that's a deal .. brilliant. Bring your abseiling equipment and plenty of Kendal mint cake

[poppyshake]

Must move that forward, not least because I loved Emma!

Well I hope I don't lead you falsely. The main character Rachel Vinrace could never match up to Emma .. she is more of a Catherine Morland (she would be outraged because she states that she doesn't like Jane Austen .. 'she's like a tight plait' ) but there's just something about the voyage and the outings etc that reminded me of the picnic and social engagements in Emma and some of the themes seem quite Austeny (it's basically a marriage plot). Mrs Dalloway first appears here .. only briefly but in contrast to Rachel she loves Jane Austen, she loves the Brontes too .. 'still, on the whole, I’d rather live without them than without Jane Austen.'

I've only read Jacob's Room of these. I found this similar to The Years in style and structure, although not quite as well developed. Worth reading though, and pleasantly slim!

I do like a nice slim book .. especially when it's part of a challenge. It's something to do with her brother Thoby isn't it?

Not yet - it's on the shelf next to Wolf Hall, which I loved (in my top 10 all-time list). I'm saving it for a school holiday, so that I can properly bury myself in it.

It's a treat .. I am devouring it .. but then I am slightly cheating in that it's an Audible download. I listened to Wolf Hall that way and enjoyed it so much (and didn't notice at all the problems with punctuation or lack of speech marks or whatever it was that I heard people complain of). Disappointingly it's read by a different person .. however, joy of joys, he's just as good (Simon Slater reads Wolf Hall and Simon Vance reads Bring Up the Bodies) I have the books too because I always read the books I listen to at a later date .. if I enjoy them that is.

Oh dear, that's on my bookshelf too. I read Portrait of a Lady a couple of years ago, and whilst it wasn't either the most gripping or easiest read, I feel in hindsight that I got a lot out of it, and wanted to read more James. We'll see!

I think he's like Woolf in that he experimented with different styles .. some of them are bound to be better than others. I do hope The Ambassadors isn't considered one of his best or boy are we in for it

I have The Golden Bowl on my shelves & that's where it's likely to stay after suffering The Ambassadors i'm in no hurry to start another of his.

Me either .. I've earmarked The Turn of the Screw but I can't say I'm enthusiastic .. and he's got no-one to blame but himself

[poppyshake]

 

The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography - Stephen Fry

 

Amazon Synopsis: Spanning 1979-1987, "The Fry Chronicles" charts Stephen's arrival at Cambridge up to his thirtieth birthday. "Heartbreaking, a delight, a lovely, comfy book". ("The Times"). "Perfect prose and excruciating honesty. A grand reminiscence of college and theatre and comedyland in the 1980s, with tone-perfect anecdotes and genuine readerly excitement. What Fry does, essentially, is tell us who he really is. Above all else, a thoughtful book. And namedroppy too, and funny, and marbled with melancholy". ("Observer"). "Arguably the greatest living Englishman". ("Independent on Sunday"). "Extremely enjoyable". ("Sunday Times"). "Fry's linguistic facility remains one of the Wildean wonders of the new media age. The patron saint of British intelligence". ("Daily Telegraph").

 

Review: I didn't enjoy this as much as Moab is My Washpot but that's no surprise because Moab was one of the best autobiographies I've ever read and Stephen was very naughty and un-Stephen-like in it which made it incredibly enjoyable in a gasp-out-loud-I-never-would-have-thought-it way. I still found this one funny and witty but it is a little more reflective and downbeat. Still, he is incapable of writing a dull sentence (I've put scaffolding up around that one Steve so you can't say anything ). He seems to pluck the right words out of his brain which, given how many there must be in there, is some sort of miracle and all conveyed in such a way as to seem as if he's there chatting away to you, although I may be getting confused .. I do spend a lot of my evenings watching 'Dave'

 

In this installment (and there are obviously more to come) he's sorted himself out a a bit. He's managed to pass the entrance exams to Cambridge and is busy trying to establish himself amongst their acting fraternity. He seems much more intent on this than continuing with his English Lit studies and the college don't seem too worried about it either .. they seem rather relaxed about it all.

 

Highlights for me were his reminisces about the Cambridge Footlights, Douglas Adams and his love of chocolate (Stephen's .. not Douglas's) most of which I remember well because I lived during the vintage age of confectionery too (when Brit's called 'Snickers' bars 'Marathon' and 'Starburst' 'Opal Fruits' etc and the 'Aztec' bar briefly reigned).

 

For all that he's a genius and very funny, he's also quite a negative person. He suffers from self loathing and this comes across a lot more here than it did in Moab. While at pains to give an honest account of himself he tells you unflattering things which he then feels the need to apologise for (and the need to apologise for feeling downbeat when he's obviously so privileged etc etc.) This can be a bit wearing but it did feel entirely genuine. He's a very supportive friend and it's lovely to read his accounts of time spent with, what I suppose you might call, the original 'alternative' comedians (though they all seem to hate that term). I'm always disappointed if I read that the two halves of a comedy double act actually loathe each other .. I can see how it can happen over time but I still find it a betrayal .. like they've pulled the wool over my eyes. Thankfully Stephen and Hugh adore each other and that comes over loud and clear. I suppose it does at times read like a bit of a luv-in, he is equally (I won't say gushing) complimentary about other friends such as Rowan Atkinson, Emma Thompson and Ben Elton, in fact he voices his displeasure at Alexei Sayle for constantly belittling Ben which was sort of gallant I thought .. seeing as he risked upsetting (or more likely annoying) Alexei who is also a friend. Still, if it was a contest I know who'd make me laugh.

 

This is a bit of a no-brainer really (I might need some more scaffolding around that ) .. but you're definitely going to need a dictionary It ends on a bit of a cliff hanger .. clever old Stephen.

If you like Stephen already then you will like this .. why didn't I just write that?

 

9/10

[willoyd]

It's a treat .. I am devouring it .. but then I am slightly cheating in that it's an Audible download. I listened to Wolf Hall that way and enjoyed it so much (and didn't notice at all the problems with punctuation or lack of speech marks or whatever it was that I heard people complain of). Disappointingly it's read by a different person .. however, joy of joys, he's just as good (Simon Slater reads Wolf Hall and Simon Vance reads Bring Up the Bodies) I have the books too because I always read the books I listen to at a later date .. if I enjoy them that is.

I've started listening to audiobooks, but have (temporarily) cancelled my Audible subscription, as I've got such a backlog building up behind Don Quixote, which I am enjoying but is taking forever (several months in now, and not quite halfway). However, Bring Up the Bodies is one I'd have to read for myself - it's just not a 'listener' for me, especially after Wolf Hall. I didn't notice the problems with punctuation, lack of speech marks etc either until I read some of the reviews after having read the boo.! There are far, far harder books to follow than Wolf Hall! (I'm thinking of Umbrella, amongst othrs, as I write, having just been dipping in recently).

Edited October 25, 2012 by willoyd

[poppyshake]

I've started listening to audiobooks, but have (temporarily) cancelled my Audible subscription, as I've got such a backlog building up behind Don Quixote, which I am enjoying but is taking forever (several months in now, and not quite halfway). However, Bring Up the Bodies is one I'd have to read for myself - it's just not a 'listener' for me, especially after Wolf Hall. I didn't notice the problems with punctuation, lack of speech marks etc either until I read some of the reviews after having read the boo.! There are far, far harder books to follow than Wolf Hall! (I'm thinking of Umbrella, amongst othrs, as I write, having just been dipping in recently).

I had a 'holiday' from Audible last year for a while but am back with them now. I do admit to choosing big tomes .. firstly because it makes the subscription more worthwhile but also because sometimes I have an in-built prejudice against them .. a sort of weariness that comes over me before I've even read a page .. just because of it's daunting size. Also .. I like to read when I'm ironing and cooking and sewing and that can get you into all sorts of scrapes if you try doing it with a book in hand. I go for long walks too and sometimes listen then although mostly to music. Wolf Hall was excellently read. I wasn't sure (because I'd read the opinions and they were divided) if I'd enjoy it, so when that's the case, and it's large and I've got a credit (and I like the sound of the sample .. phew .. that's a lot of hurdles) I usually download it. I didn't notice the punctuation problems either .. but strangely I have noticed the reverse .. in that in Bring Up the Bodies she writes 'he, Cromwell' or 'he, Henry' a lot which I guess is in answer to those that moaned about not knowing who was speaking. This month Audible offered a lot of free first chapter downloads to members .. they did it last year too and I've downloaded all of them but none really take my fancy. I'm scratching my head a bit over my next download but by the time my credit appears something will have caught my eye.

[willoyd]

I had a 'holiday' from Audible last year for a while but am back with them now.

That's how I see it to.

 

 

I do admit to choosing big tomes

Same here - or at least fairly substantial classics (with one or two exceptions). For instance, I've got several of Juliet Stephenson's Jane Austen readings, and indeed have picked up others of hers, as I think she is brilliant, including To The Lighthouse (just because I want to see what she makes of it) and Middlemarch.

[Kidsmum]

Hi Poppyshake, replying to you on here as the October thread is closed. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a re read for me i read it when i was much younger but after Ruth read & enjoyed it so much i decided i wanted to visit it again. I never used to bother going back to books till i joined BCF & re read Vanity Fair for the book circle & discovered that i enjoyed it more second time around i think because i am older & have a better understanding of life & love than when i was a teenager. Anyway after all that waffle i know you'll enjoy Anne Bronte when you get round to reading her

[poppyshake]

Hi Poppyshake, replying to you on here as the October thread is closed. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a re read for me i read it when i was much younger but after Ruth read & enjoyed it so much i decided i wanted to visit it again. I never used to bother going back to books till i joined BCF & re read Vanity Fair for the book circle & discovered that i enjoyed it more second time around i think because i am older & have a better understanding of life & love than when i was a teenager. Anyway after all that waffle i know you'll enjoy Anne Bronte when you get round to reading her

Thanks KM I have actually read Agnes Grey and enjoyed it but feel that The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is probably her masterpiece and because I read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre so long ago .. and re-read them and re-read them again .. it's like I'm getting a one-sided (or two sided ) view of the Bronte sisters. It's nice actually to have classics still to look forward to .. and I haven't even seen an adaptation of this one so I've no idea of the story

 

For instance, I've got several of Juliet Stephenson's Jane Austen readings, and indeed have picked up others of hers, as I think she is brilliant, including To The Lighthouse (just because I want to see what she makes of it) and Middlemarch.

I would listen to Juliet read anything .. she always brings the story alive.

Edited November 1, 2012 by poppyshake

[poppyshake]

 

The Tortoise and the Hare - Elizabeth Jenkins

 

Amazon Synopsis: In affairs of the heart the race is not necessarily won by the swift or the fair. Imogen, the beautiful and much younger wife of distinguished barrister Evelyn Gresham, is facing the greatest challenge of her married life. Their neighbour Blanche Silcox, competent, middle-aged and ungainly - the very opposite of Imogen - seems to be vying for Evelyn's attention. And to Imogen's increasing disbelief, she may be succeeding.

 

Review: A strange book.. I'm not sure if I enjoyed it or not (helpful aye?). I think on balance I did but I kept feeling as if I wanted to enter the story and slap everyone It's very odd in that I can quite happily read about Regency ladies lying on couches and being spoken to as if they're idiots (or delicate plants or whatnot) and Victorian ladies walking about their shrubberies and being patted on the head for attempting to be novelists but take me just a little way back and introduce me to some typical 1940's/50's chauvinism and my hackles start rising.

 

Here we have Imogen .. who I suppose is a bit of a trophy wife in that she's young, pretty, clever and articulate but not at all showy .. in fact she's quiet and unassuming (and of all dreadful words .. biddable) so all in all the perfect wife one would think Then there's her husband Evelyn (oh I know it's a male name but all through the book I kept forgetting and thinking him a woman for five secs ... there's a female character called Cecil too .. really is she just trying my patience? ) who straight away annoys. He's got chiseled good looks which puts your teeth on edge straight away and he's a successful barrister. He's quite a bit older than Imogen, rich, intelligent and more than a little used to getting his own way and liking things done exactly so (they didn't say he preferred his hankies starched and his underpants ironed with creases in but that's where my mind took me .. he had garters on his socks too .. in my head) .. not that Imogen has to do it .. they have a housekeeper (Mrs Malpas .. who was one of the few characters I had any connection with in as much as she talked about food all the time and said stuff like 'me meringues is in the oven') but it's still a full time job looking after him and making sure everything ticks over properly in Evelyn's (that's a he remember .. don't make my mistakes) world. They have a son, Gavin, who is sort of a mini-me .. but an Evelyn mini-me and not an Imogen mini-me which is greatly to his disadvantage. He sort of suffers his mother and is condescending to her .. she's like an irritating fly that he'd like to swat .. she doesn't feel he likes or respects her let alone loves her. Into this mix comes the next door neighbour Blanche. To all extents and purposes she's not the sort of woman that men fancy. She's middle aged like Evelyn, very dowdy and plump and a bit horsey so how come Evelyn is spending more and more time with her? Surely Imogen doesn't need to worry but then there's the constant whispered phone calls and his habit of wearing out a path to her door. Imogen's not thick as I said before but the warning bells were a little bit slow to start clanging in her head I thought and in any case she'd already made loads of fatal errors in her marriage .. never answering the phone for one thing and giving Evelyn his own space (never do that .. they'll only start filling it). Oh and she'd never learnt to drive either (she had tried poor dear but hadn't got far under Evelyn's satirical eye) and of course Evelyn likes being driven into town in a Rolls Royce which is lucky for Blanche because she's got one (just ordered it and the driving lessons from Acme no doubt!)

 

In my head I was just screaming at .. well, almost everybody, Imogen especially. I wanted to get in there and give her some good old 21st century ideas about what to do when your husband starts thinking he'll have his cake and eat it and you'll jolly well be decent about it and not make a scene. This is the sort of book that Persephone would discover and publish if someone else hadn't already done it, in fact I think one of her other stories is in their catalogue. Virginia Woolf mentions meeting her in her diaries though I'm not sure she was impressed (it's probably safe to say she wasn't .. that's the side to err on if you're not sure ) This one often makes the lists .. not the 1001 or anything but it's on Colm Toibin's The Modern Library for instance. It's not a difficult read but it did take a while for me to get into the rhythm of it (which was when I started shouting). It exasperated me beyond belief but it kept me reading on .. the characters got under my skin and I had to know the outcome.

 

8/10

[poppyshake]

 

Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch

 

Blurb: 'My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit - we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England. Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden . . . and there's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it's falling to me to bring order out of chaos - or die trying'.

 

Review: You don't really need another person on this forum telling you how great this book is .. there are so many brilliant reviews already and so all I really want to say is, if it sounds like your thing, read it .. you won't be sorry. However good you think it is, it's 100 times better. If I was selling it I'd offer a refund for unsatisfied customers .. that's how certain I am (I've learnt nothing from the rabbit book have I? )

 

However, this is a book blog and what else would I do if I didn't witter on to you? I'd only be playing with matches.

Firstly let's chat about the Harry Potter connection or lack thereof. I always fall for this whenever they write it on book jackets but this time there really is a similarity .. it's only very slight but it's there and our hero even makes jokes about it. However it's very much an adult book and it doesn't read at all like a HP sequel or anything so anyone who hated HP needn't beware. The humour of the book is one of it's biggest draws - Peter is hilarious but in a dry and droll way. He keeps up a running commentary in his head and a lot of it is LOL funny, he is the key to this book working as well as it does .. you spend a lot of time with him and so you have to at least find him interesting. Also a big draw is his relationship with WPC Leslie May, Peter fancies her like mad and it's all a bit will-they/won't-they, she's funny too and a perfect foil for him. The plot has a bit of everything .. crime, magic, murder and the supernatural all sort of bound together but it's effortless .. it doesn't jar or feel like a mish-mash (so night and day to this review in other words).

 

Anyway you'll be relieved to hear that Peter does not, and has never, lived in a broom cupboard, he's just a pretty ordinary copper going about his business until one evening, whilst investigating a crime, he takes a witness statement from a ghost and ends up as apprentice to DCI Nightingale - the last wizard in England.

 

Probably my fave characters outside Peter and Leslie are the spirits of the rivers themselves .. Old Father Thames and his boys and .. more importantly .. Mama Thames and her girls .. just ingenious. Inspector Nightingale's housekeeper Molly is also fascinatingly creepy .. what is she exactly? Modern day London features heavily which was a treat because, literarily speaking, I'm not often there unless it's surrounded by fog and stench.

 

I don't really watch crime drama on TV and that's because for the most part I find them dull or too gory. This was quite gory but it was never dull. The tension builds and builds to a terrifying climax .. proper heart in your mouth time. I didn't even know I could read or turn pages that fast. There are certain things that are inherently scary .. clowns, dolls, masks etc and this story includes just such another ..

Mr Punch (I never trusted him .. did you?)

The story is left on a bit of a cliff hanger with some of the ends tied but some left shockingly hanging so that you're immediately eager for the next. I had it waiting on my bookshelf .. oh, don't you just love it when that's the case?

 

Do yourself a favour .. read it!

 

10/10