Brian's 2012 Book Log

[Kylie]

Hi Brian, I love your book lists; our tastes seem quite similar.

 

I found Crime and Punishment to be quite a slog, but also a really rewarding read. I read Fight Club after seeing the movie, and I think they are both terrific.

 

I am making it my mission to plug Catch-22 as much as I can to anyone who'll listen, and I see you've got it on your TBR pile already. I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

[Brian.]

Hey Kylie, thanks for the kind words.

 

I've just finished reading Fight Club and as I expected I loved it, I shall stick up a proper review in the next day or so. Work has been pretty hectic for me the last few weeks so my amount of reading has been crushed. The same as you, I'm finding Crime and Punishment to be a bit of a slog but I am still enjoying it so I intend to stick with it. Reading it along side other books has certainly helped to keep the slog to a minimum.

 

I guess I should make Catch-22 my next read as you seem very insistent

[Kylie]

I guess I should make Catch-22 my next read as you seem very insistent

 

Yay!

[frankie]

I am after on peoples opinions on Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I remember it getting a lot of praise on a few podcast I listen to but I'm not sure if it is my thing or not.

 

Here's a thread on the subject, you might find it useful

 

I was going through your TBR list just now and I found it impressive. It's full of titles that I feel like I should read as well, but that seem to intimidate me somehow Maybe I'll read them after you, if you say they're any good and easy to read

 

Happy reading in 2012!

[Brian.]

Thanks for the link Frankie. Work is being a pain and really getting in the way of my reading. There will be another book before I get to Catch-22. I'm With Fatty by Edward Ugel, was given it by someone who found it and isn't a reader. Looks like it will be a quick an easy read. More than half way through Crime & Punishment, was going to spend today reading but spent it cooking instead, waiting for my Brownies to cool down. Mmmmm.

[Brian.]

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

Every weekend, in basements and parking lots across the country, young men with good white-collar jobs and absent fathers take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded for as long as they have to. Then they go back to those jobs with blackened eyes and loosened teeth and the sense that they can handle anything. Fight Club is the invention of Tyler Durden, projectionist, waiter and dark, anarchic genius. And it's only the beginning of his plans for revenge on a world where cancer support groups have the corner on human warmth. (Taken from Amazon)

 

 

My Thoughts

I'm a huge fan of the movie that is based on this book so I was a little apprehensive going into this one. I hoped it would live up to my expectations based on the movie but at the same time I didn't want it to make me like the movie any less. I was initially surprised at how small the book is, while I didn't expect a huge tome I thought it would be a little bigger than it is (220 Pg).

 

I shouldn't have been worried. As it turned out I love the book as much as I do the movie. I was unsure as to how I would like Palahniuk's style as it seems to be a bit marmite with people. It's pretty much perfect for my type of reading. I prefer economy of words instead of long drawn out descriptions. The style really fits well with the story and I can see why it leant itself to a screenplay so well.

 

One thing that has to taken into consideration after seeing the movie is that forever in my head the characters are the ones I saw in the movie and not a combination of my imagination and the book. The casting was pretty much spot on so its a help in my opinion. I really love this book and would reccomend it to everyone.

 

5/5

[Brian.]

I'm With Fatty by Edward Ugel

 

 

 

Synopsis

For most people, weight loss is spurred by a pair of tight pants or a photo that shows one too many chins. But Edward Ugel isn't most people. Ugel was forced to lose weight after his wife recorded him snoring--a sound so deafeningly horrible that his "turncoat" doctor made him wear a CPAP machine to sleep every night. That's when Ugel, weighing in at 263 pounds (or, as he likes to describe it; 119 kilograms), realized he had to lose 50 pounds in order to live (literally) and sleep like a normal guy, and so his wife could see his face when she refused to have sex with him.

"I'm with Fatty" is Ugel's honest and wickedly funny chronicle of a father, husband, and all-around-food-obsessed man as he attempts to lose 50 pounds in 50 weeks. A foodie who can't remember the last time he exercised but can describe every bite of his last Chinese takeout meal, Ugel is a typical guy. But "I'm with Fatty" is a far cry from a typical weight-loss memoir, a category usually reserved for perky, inspiring fatties-turned-aerobics instructors who want to sell their brand of you-can-do-it.

For Ugel, losing 50 pounds isn't about looking good at the beach. It's about trying to save his life and figuring out how to live in a world without dim sum, smoked Italian meats, and the daily pleasure of cooking whatever, and however, he wants. Ugel merges this love of food with his all-male sensibility as he sets off on a yearlong journey to answer the questions, "Where does one draw the line between being a lifelong foodie and a food addict?" and "Can I really live without bacon?"

(Taken from Amazon)

 

 

My Thoughts

I obtained this book up after someone discarded it on an aeroplane. Most of the time these discarded books get trashed by the cleaners but if I can get there first I rescue them. It was left for me at work but a joker who assumed I would be annoyed (I'm carrying some extra timber these days). The cover caught my eye with the 'fifty miserable weeks' strap line. I knew this wouldn't be the usual feel good story of soomeone who got fit and loved every minute of this.

 

As Edward happily admits he wouldn't have undertaken this period of weight loss had it not been for the fact his weight had given him sleep apnea. This meant that he had to wear a breathing mask at night which he hated and scared his kids. It also scared him to think about what damage he had done to his body over the years.

 

I wont go much more into the ins and outs of what happens but will say he tells it with great humour. Not everything goes well and he really looks into why he fails when he does and what makes him push on when he doesnt want to. The tone is light hearted and this makes it a very easy read. The only slight downer is that he doesnt have a job during all this time as he is a writer and using the experience to write this book. This makes it a little hard to really identify with his life at times.

 

3/5

[Brian.]

I have managed to finally finish Crime & Punishment, its been a bit of a slog at times and an OU course I have been doing has got in the way of my reading a bit. I shall post a proper review in the next few days.

[Kidsmum]

Well done you! I look forward to your review

[Brian.]

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

 

 

 

Synopsis

Crime and Punishment is one of the greatest and most readable novels ever written. From the beginning we are locked into the frenzied consciousness of Raskolnikov who, against his better instincts, is inexorably drawn to commit a brutal double murder. From that moment on, we share his conflicting feelings of self-loathing and pride, of contempt for and need of others, and of terrible despair and hope of redemption: and, in a remarkable transformation of the detective novel, we follow his agonised efforts to probe and confront both his own motives for, and the consequences of, his crime. The result is a tragic novel built out of a series of supremely dramatic scenes that illuminate the eternal conflicts at the heart of human existence: most especially our desire for self-expression and self-fulfilment, as against the constraints of morality and human laws; and our agonised awareness of the world's harsh injustices and of our own mortality, as against the mysteries of divine justice and immortality.

(Taken from Amazon)

 

 

My Thoughts

Hmmm, where to start? I should come straight out and say from the start that this books has been sitting on my bookcase mocking me for a while. Mocking me because despite being just a book it intimidated me. Along with Ulysses this is one of those books that is so large and held in such esteem that it feels as though not liking it or celebrating it's greatness is a crime against writing. It was a crime that I did not want to commit but I also knew that I was drawn to it and that I should read it. Being a classic in the truest sense of the word doesn't help either, I find them a bit hit and miss.

 

Despite all this I found it to be a pretty readable even if it is very wordy. I decided to split reading this with an other book and read mainly at work. I found this to be a bit tricky because although readable I found that I had to concentrate on it. I certainly couldn't read it and take it all in with a TV on in the background for example but it didn't make me want to cut my eyes out like Thomas Hardy does.

 

I found Dostoyebsky's settings to be described very well, expecially the downtrodden, poor atomsphere they created. The ramblings of the main character Raskolnikov a little annoying at times especially when I couldn't see where they were going or what they achieved. The fact that the characters has more than one name (I assume it's a Russian thing) got to me on more than one occasion. Numerous times I found myself thinking 'who is this' and having to read on to find out which character was the focus at the particular time.

 

The subject matter that the book deals with is very interesting and is still relevant today which I guess is one of the reasons that the book has enjoyed such longevity. There were two things which stuck in my mind. Early on after the murder Razumikhin and Zosimov are discussing the current trend of crime and how it seems that there is trend for people wanting to make money as quickly as possible without paying heed to the morality of how that wealth is obtained. Although they are talking about murder, even today great wealth and morality are not often comfortable bed-fellows.

 

About halfway through the book Razumikhin and Raskolnikov are talking to Porfiry about how the law seems to treat people with different standing in society differently. Porify goes on to say that the ordinary must live in odebience and do not have the right to break the law. The extraordinary have the right to commit all sorts of crime. This is still and accurate judgement of society today and is evident most days on the news. I found the interactions between Raskolnikov and Porfiry to be my favourite parts of the book, especially where Porfiry lets on that he knows all about the crime commited by Raskolnikov.

 

Tension is ratcheted up really well in places with Dostoyevsky taking his time. It's during these phases that I enjoyed the book most. Sadly I found these to be few and far between with meandering ramblings to be the order of the day. Due to this I found it to be bit of a slog at times. I have a general rule that if, after 100 pages I find nothing to interest me then a book gets abandoned. Crime and Punishment never reached this point with me but I can't say I would recommend it to anyone unless they loved classic literature (in which case I suspect they will be well aware of it).

 

2/5 (It was OK)

[Brian.]

Made a start on Catch-22 last night and I'm really enjoying it so far so thanks Kylie. Its a massively different reading experience to Crime & Punishment and I'm loving the humour in it.

[Kylie]

Excellent! I'm so glad you're enjoying it.

[Brian.]

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

 

 

 

Synopsis

At the heart of Joseph Heller's bestselling novel, first published in 1961, is a satirical indicement of military madness and stupidity, and the desire of the ordinary man to survive it. It is a tale of the dangerously sane Captain Yossarian, who spends his time in Italy plotting to survive.

(Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

My Thoughts

First up, I've had this sitting on my TBR pile for ages, over a year I think and although I've picked it up when deciding what to read next I've always put it back down in favour of another title for some reason. Having just finished reading Crime & Punishment I was after something a little lighter and more straightforward to read. Having already promised Kylie that I would read this next it was with some trepidation that I picked it up. Although I knew very little about the story I knew that some people find it very hard to follow due to the chaotic structure and that put me off a bit.

 

I found it to be a little slow starting off but I immediately liked Yossarian and even though a lot of characters are introduced I never found it confusing. Some of the names used are absolutely awesome such as Milo Minderbinder and Lieutenant Schiesskopf. The use of humour is great and I found myself chuckling along quite often while reading.

 

The military bureaucracy shown the spotlight in the book is ludicrous but I couldnt help but feel that its only an exageration of what Heller must have experienced during his time in the military. For example, for a long time, Yossarian has a dead man in his tent. He was killed before records show that he was in the unit so no one would remove the body. To all intents and purposes he doesnt exist despite the existence of a body.

 

Along with all the humour and insanity of the bureaucracy there is crushing tradegy, the deaths of the enlisted men along side Yossarian. Some of the men are not afraid of death, being blinded by patriotic zeal or some other sense of duty. There is also Milo Minderbinder who is making vast profits off the war which he states many times is also owned (shared) by everyone. A lot if not all of the themes dealt with in the book are applicable to modern conflicts.

 

Despite my reservations I really enjoyed this book and I only wish I had read I earlier. I rarely re-read a book but I can see this being a book I revisit in the future. Thanks again Kylie.

 

4/5 (It really liked it)

[Brian.]

Fly By Wire by William Langewiesche

 

Synopsis

On January 15, 2009, a US Airways Airbus A320 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport in New York, when a flock of Canada geese collided with it, destroying both of its engines. Over the next three minutes, the plane's pilot Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger, managed to glide to a safe landing in the Hudson River. It was an instant media sensation, the "The Miracle on the Hudson", and Captain Sully was the hero. But, how much of the success of this dramatic landing can actually be credited to the genius of the pilot? To what extent is the "Miracle on the Hudson" the result of extraordinary - but not widely known, and in some cases quite controversial - advances in aviation and computer technology over the last twenty years?

 

 

From the testing laboratories where engineers struggle to build a jet engine that can systematically resist bird attacks, through the creation of the A320 in France, to the political and social forces that have sought to minimize the impact of the revolutionary fly-by-wire technology, William Langewiesche assembles the untold stories necessary to truly understand "The Miracle on the Hudson", and makes us question our assumptions about human beings in modern aviation.

(Taken from Amazon)

 

 

My Thoughts

This is a really short book, only about 200 pages long so I managed to read it one go during some downtime at work. The subject is something I have a lot of experience in, I work in the avaition industry and on the type of aircraft the book is based on.

 

The tale needs no real introduction. On the morning of January 15th 2009 a US Airways A320 ingested a flock of Canada geese on take off from LA Guardia causing both engines to pretty much shut down. The captain Chelsey Sullenberger (Sully) landed the aircraft in the Hudson river. The decision of the pilots and the flight charcateristics of the aircraft meant that all the people on board lived and it became one of the greatest feats of modern flying.

 

This book takes a slightly different approach and instead of focusing on what could have been done to avoid the accident it tooks at the facts of the day. It dips in and out of historic examples of similar incidents and the background to the union disputes going on behind the scenes at US Airways at the time. The facts behind the day have been covered many times in the past and this book adds no more flesh to those details. However the comparisons with previous incidents are very interesting especially when looking at the differences between the A320 and other aircraft.

 

One thing that has always bothered me is the lack of explanation that the A320's flight systems and in particular its alpha protection pay a huge part in the reasons why the landing was successful. I've always thought that this was because it was an all American hero (Sully) landing in America on an aircraft which isn't American but from Boeings biggest rivals, Airbus. A lot has been pointed at the safety or claimed lack of safety when aircraft have computers taking more and more of the flying loads aways from pilots and its this part of the book which I found the most interesting.

 

The author takes a little while looking at the fact that humans seem to have a trait of taking more risks in situations that are meant to be safe. Think of the Titanic, a ship which was meant to be un-sinkable and yet sunk. Part of the reason is that the ship took on icebergs which would have been avoided in other ships. A similar thing has happened with the A320 in the past, a pilot at an airshow decided to bypass the safety systems to push it are close to stall possible just off the ground. His decision to bypass 3 levels of protection meant his miscalcualtions cost people their lives. In the Hudson case, a great peice of flying by Sulley coupled with the flight protections lead of an incredible landing and the saving of many lives.

 

The only down point to the book for me is that I felt it was missing a chapter at the end to tie everything together. The last chapter doesnt this to a small extent but I was still left feeling that there was a chapter missing.

 

4/5 (It really liked it)

[Brian.]

Made a start on The Dead Women of Juarez by Sam Hawken when I got in from work this morning. Was so tired I fell asleep about 20 pages in, not the fault of the book though.

[Brian.]

The Dead Women of Juarez by Sam Hawken

 

 

Synopsis

In the last twenty years, over 3000 women have disappeared from Ciudad Juárez, on the border between Mexico and the USA. Sam Hawken takes this story of mass murder and abduction and around it weaves the story of Kelly Courter, a washed up boxer from Texas, who doesn't mind playing the stooge in the ring, so long as he gets paid. Courter is sucked into the underworld of organised crime that flourishes in the city, soon finding himself in way over his head. As his life spins out of control he becomes obsessed with seeking the truth about the female victims of Juárez. Sam Hawken is a classic American voice and Kelly Courter is a timeless American hero, fighting for freedom and justice in this fast-paced and brutal novel.

(Taken from Amazon)

 

 

My Thoughts

I think I picked this up at my local Waterstones just after christmas, I was drawn in by the cover, the story sounded interesting and it has been short listed for a prize. I hadn't heard of Sam Hawken and I didn't realise that the story is based loosely around a real life phenomenom of women going missing and turning up dead in Juarez, Mexico.

 

The book starts with Kelly Courter who is a likeable character who is down on his luck and an ex drug addict trying to make ends meet by boxing in matches he has no chance or desire to win. Kelly and his back story is developed a little as the book goes on but I would have liked to know more about him. By the end of the book I felt pity but also dislike towards him and like all the charcaters in the book there just seems to be something missing from him.

 

Hawken seems to repeat several things throughout the book, he like vomit and urinating blood it would seem. There is also some sex in the book which seems graphic for the sake of being graphic and not much else. I suspect he was trying to make the story edgy and gritty but in these places it falls down. This is a shame because the descriptions of the places and the dusty, dry oppressive atompshere is got across very well and sets a really effective tone.

 

Overall its pretty easy to read and I kept picking it up to read whenever I had a spare 10 or 15 minutes. I found it to be ok, the story is predictable in a lot of places and I feel Hawken missed a trick in one part of the story when he went in one direction where another would have been better. I also couldn't help but feel that it was being set up for a sequel.

 

2/5 (It was ok)

[Brian.]

Bought a few more book this morning, 3 from an Oxfam bookshop and 2 from the supermarket as they were on special offer and I was bored.

 

 

 

Emma - Jane Austen

Journey to the Centre of the Earth - Jules Verne (published 1965 and in superb condition)

A Week in December - Sebastian Faulks

 

Trafficked - Sophie Hayes

The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt

[Brian.]

Just finished reading Journey to the Centre of the Earth and I loved it, proper review coming shortly. I was in town this morning just hanging around waiting for some glasses to be made (found out today I'm a little short sighted, especially in poor light) and found a new charity bookshop. The gentleman inside told me its been open since about the start of the year but it was the first time I had come across it. It was a little treasure trove, I could have come away with load of books but I always feel slightly guilty being greedy in charity bookshops. In the end I came away with

 

The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga

The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham

Around the World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne

On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan (I'm prepared to give him another chance, I hated Amsterdam)

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

 

All for £6, in the end I gave them £10 because I was so happy about what I found. I'm going to donate a load of books there next week that have been sitting in my swap thread for a while.

[poppyshake]

Hope you enjoy The Sisters Brothers Brian ... I thought it was brilliant Seriously good book haul.

[Brian.]

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne

 

 

Synopsis

When an eccentric professor acquires an ancient book, a riddle on a spare piece of parchment tucked neatly within its pages leads him and his nephew on an unparalleled adventure. The unlocked riddle brings them to a remote mountain on Iceland, where they enter an extinct volcano on a daring quest to reach the center of the earth. They soon find themselves at a giant underground ocean where the laws of science are constantly redefined and prehistoric creatures are in abundance. But in the bowels of the earth, a shocking discovery pits the travellers face to face with their own terrifying past.

(Taken from Amazon)

 

 

My Thoughts

I picked this up at a charity shop a few days ago and it may have sat on my TBR pile for a while if it wasnt for the wonderful cover you see above. The version I have was published in 1965 and its incredible to think that the book was originally written in 1864.

 

This is exactly the kind of story I would have loved to read as a child and I'm a little disapointed that I've only just got round to reading it. The desriptions of the places visited along with the mix of scientific theory works very well together. I think what makes it especially appealing to younger readers is the fact that the story is told from the point of view of the youngest character, Axel.

 

Jules Verne keeps the excitement ticking along as the story progresses with a few really nice twists along the way. The language used is both formal enough so as to not feel dumbed down and not rigid enough that it gets tiresome. I loved the book and picked up Around the World in Eighty Days on the strength of it.

 

 

5/5 (It was amazing)

[karen.d]

I loved 'Around the World in Eighty Days', I hope you enjoy it too. I'll add 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' to my TBR list.

[bobblybear]

The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga

 

I read this recently and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It was a really pleasant surprise and such an eye opener to life in India.

[Brian.]

Trafficked by Sophie Hayes

 

 

Synopsis

He’d been her friend for years. He said he loved her. Then she realised she didn’t know him at all…

 

When everything seemed to be falling apart in Sophie’s life, she was thankful for her friend Kas, who was always at the end of a phone, ready to listen and to offer comfort and advice.

Her father’s cold dislike of her and then her parents’ divorce had left her with a deep distrust of men. But, gradually, Kas made her believe there was at least one man who truly cared about her.

 

But she was wrong.

 

At first when Sophie went to stay for a few days with Kas in Italy, he was kind and caring, as he’d always been. But three days after she arrived, everything changed.

 

His eyes were cold as he described the things he expected her to do ‘for love’. But soon Sophie’s bewilderment turned to fear as he punched and shouted at her and threatened to kill her adored younger brothers if she didn’t do exactly as she was told…to sell her body on the streets to pay off Kas’s debts.

 

Terrified of Kas, the police and the men whose pleasures she was forced to satisfy, Sophie worked seven nights a week for the next six months on the dark and lonely streets of a town in northern Italy.

 

Subjected regularly to Kas’s verbal, mental and physical abuse, she knew she would never escape.

(Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

My Thoughts

I picked this up as part of a 2 for £7 deal at local supermarket, I only really bought it because I wanted The Sisters Brothers and I'm a sucker for a special offer. I quite like a bit of true crime and although this doesn't really fit into that category I have read 2 similar books in the past and I shall be refering to these at times as well.

 

The other books are Slave Girl by Sarah Forsyth and 3,096 Days by Natascha Kampusch. This book has a closer tie to Slave Girl story wise but is far better written and feels most honest. She looks at the reasons she made certain decisions and tries to explain why she didn't try to run at certain times and how she feels she fell into the trap she did. She is also very keen to stress that she wasn't from a poor background and that trafficking can happen to anyone if they are not careful.

 

In the same way as 3,096 Days I found this to be very quick read and towards the end of the book I was constantly wondering when she would get away and what would happen next. This isn't down to the way it's written (its not sensationalist) but the fact that you are willing her to safety at every step.

 

As bad as it sounds Slave Girl came across to me as if it was over told in places. That is not to take away from the struggles but looking at reviews once I read it it seems others felt the same way. Trafficked does not feel like this, the story takes place over a shortish time frame and is laid bare as is.

 

I think this is a great book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed 3,096 Days.

 

4/5 (I really liked it)

[Brian.]

Slam by Nick Hornby

 

 

Synopsis

Just when everything is coming together for Sam, his girlfriend Alicia drops a bombshell. Make that ex-girlfriend—because by the time she tells him she's pregnant, they've already called it quits. Sam does not want to be a teenage dad.

There's only one person Sam can turn to—his hero, skating legend Tony Hawk. Sam believes the answers to life's hurdles can be found in Hawk's autobiography. But even Tony Hawk isn't offering answers this time—or is he? In this wonderfully witty, poignant story about a teenage boy unexpectedly thrust into fatherhood, it's up to Sam to make the right decisions so the bad things that could happen, well, don't.

(Taken from Goodreads)

 

 

My Thoughts

I got this book from our very own Frankie as a swap (more people need to do this) and its been sitting on the shelf for a while looking a little neglected. I started reading it last night and managed to blaze through in no time at all. It's the first Nick Hornby book that I've read and maybe it wasn't the one to start with.

 

This is aimed at the Young Adult market which is something that I wouldn't normally read but I will give most things a go at least once. The language used is meant to be typical of teenagers and I found it a bit too much at times. Sam has a habit of saying DER!!! which gets a bit warying as it's used far too often.

 

The story itself is fine and there are some really funny moments in it, so much so, that I actually laughed out loud a few times. I got an odd look in the tattooist waiting room for this . There is a part where Sam runs away to Hastings and that just didn't work either for me. The act of running away was fine but what happened in Hastings just didnt seem right and felt nailed on.

 

I liked the use of Tony Hawk in the book, we've all thought at times what would 'x' do in this situation. The plot device to whizzing Sam forward in the future is a bit naff after the first time as well. Despite all this it was an ok book, easy to get throuugh and like I said there was a fair bit of humour in there. I think I should search out some of Hornby's other, higher regarded titles.

 

2/5 (It was ok)

Edited March 21, 2012 by Brian.

[Kylie]

Great review of Catch-22, Brian. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I'm always scared when I recommend one of my favourite books to someone - I would have been devastated if you didn't like it.

 

I love that everyone thinks Yossarian is crazy when he appears to be the most sane character there! Another character's name I love is Major Major Major Major, and the whole story behind how he got his name.