Brian. Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 I spotted a copy of 'My Name Is Red' by Orhan Pamuk in a shop the other day and suddenly realised just how much of 'Snow' has stuck with me. I can easily recall the town in which the story happens in my minds eye and the oppressive atompshere of fear created in part by e gloomy snowy weather. Its funny how some books stay with you without you realising it at first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Just read your review of Nemesis, Brian. It's also reminded me how tense that sequence with Ellen was in The Redbreast. Glad you're enjoying the series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 Just read your review of Nemesis, Brian. It's also reminded me how tense that sequence with Ellen was in The Redbreast. Glad you're enjoying the series I am really loving it, Ive already got my eye on the next one once I'm done with Alone in Berlin. Did some shopping at the Centre in Milton Keynes. I knew it would be dangerous at it has 2 Waterstones and a WH Smiths. I ended up coming up with a great haul, I could easily have bought more, I was like a kid in a candy shop. The Road - Cormac McCarthy The New Moscow Philosophy - Vyacheslav Pyetsukh Ecstasy - Irvine Welsh Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut Brighton Rock - Graham Greene Disgrace - J.M Coetzee The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy Nausea - Jean-Paul Satre A Farewell To Arms - Ernest Hemingway Best of all while I was at the checkout, the checkout dude threw in 2 books for free. Judging by the labels on the front they come free if you pre-order certain books (none of which I have pre-ordered or bought) so he didn't have to do it. Needless to say, free books made my day. They were. The Rachel Papers - Martin Amis The Acid House - Irvine Welsh This lot should keep me going for a while at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I love it when something like that happens, although I have refused a free book once - I can't remember what it was but it was definitely something I would never read, so I politely said no thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Did some shopping at the Centre in Milton Keynes. I knew it would be dangerous at it has 2 Waterstones and a WH Smiths. I ended up coming up with a great haul, I could easily have bought more, I was like a kid in a candy shop. I'm from MK it is a great place to shop, just needs some independent and second hand book stores. Great haul, I hope you enjoy them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Great review on the Superfreakonomics! I didn't know there was a TV series, either. I found the topics and the economics behind the topics hugely fascinating. As the chapters went on I found myself laughing at some of the findings and amazed at others. I know nothing about economics apart from what is covered in the popular media with regards the financial markets. This opened up a whole new world to me, one that I didn't even know existed. As well as the topics being interesting I found the writing style very relaxed and pretty captivating. I would find myself reading a chunk of the book and then coming back to it 20 minutes later to read a bit more. I probably would have finished it in one day had it not been for the fact the I suffer from that most human of afflictions, needing sleep. This is what appeals to me: I feel I should know more about economics so I would have a better understanding of, well, a lot of things! But it's such a tiring subject if it's spoken in jargon terms and in a monotonous tone Reading this book and the other one would be a great way to go. Of course, one would have to take into account the nationality of the authors, I bet they aren't that familiar with my local economics, but anyways. And if an economics book makes you laugh, it's gotta be a great one I spotted a copy of 'My Name Is Red' by Orhan Pamuk in a shop the other day and suddenly realised just how much of 'Snow' has stuck with me. I can easily recall the town in which the story happens in my minds eye and the oppressive atompshere of fear created in part by e gloomy snowy weather. Its funny how some books stay with you without you realising it at first. It sure is The Road - Cormac McCarthy The New Moscow Philosophy - Vyacheslav Pyetsukh Ecstasy - Irvine Welsh Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut Brighton Rock - Graham Greene Disgrace - J.M Coetzee The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy Nausea - Jean-Paul Satre A Farewell To Arms - Ernest Hemingway Best of all while I was at the checkout, the checkout dude threw in 2 books for free. Judging by the labels on the front they come free if you pre-order certain books (none of which I have pre-ordered or bought) so he didn't have to do it. Needless to say, free books made my day. They were. The Rachel Papers - Martin Amis The Acid House - Irvine Welsh Awesome haul! I've read one Cormac McCarthy book, I didn't much like it, but I think The Road might be loads better, I think the movie was great eventhough it's one of the most harrowing ones I've ever seen. Fahrenheit 451 is great, Trainspotting is superb, and so is Slaughterhouse 5, I'm so pleased to hear you got these! I also have Nausea on TBR, and I love Hemingway. I'm also really curious about the Coetzee book. And Tolstoy... Did I already tell you your book haul is awesome?! Wohoo for free books! I hope The Acid House is great, I haven't read it myself so I'm looking forward to hearing how you like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Good haul Brian. I have only read 3 of those, which funny enough are 3 Frankie mentions above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I shall keep an eye out of Freakonomics then as I found SF so interesting. You wrote a song about SF? No! It's a saying, I guess. To buy something 'for a song' means that I bought it cheaply. What an awesome book haul! I've read and loved The Road, Fahrenheit 451 and Slaughterhouse 5. Several others are on my TBR pile. If I ever receive free books, they're usually leftover books that no-one wants (as in, they're not necessarily very good!) So I'm jealous that your free books are by Amis and Welsh. I don't know much about The Acid House, but The Rachel Papers is supposed to be very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) Wohoo for free books! I hope The Acid House is great, I haven't read it myself so I'm looking forward to hearing how you like it. I've seen a movie of the same title which is made up of 3 (i think) short stories. I'm fairly sure it must have been based on the book because it was very Welsh like in tale. No! It's a saying, I guess. To buy something 'for a song' means that I bought it cheaply. What an awesome book haul! I've read and loved The Road, Fahrenheit 451 and Slaughterhouse 5. Several others are on my TBR pile. If I ever receive free books, they're usually leftover books that no-one wants (as in, they're not necessarily very good!) So I'm jealous that your free books are by Amis and Welsh. I don't know much about The Acid House, but The Rachel Papers is supposed to be very good. I know the saying, I must have been having a sleepy moment and not picked up on it when I read your post I can have very dopey moments at time. I'm finished with Alone in Berlin, a full review will be coming up tomorrow once I'm done with work. All I'll say at the moment is WOW!! Also managed to read Fahrenheit 451 during a lull at work in the early hours of the morning, again a full review to come up tomorrow. Now I just need to decide what I want to read next. Edited July 8, 2012 by Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Wow, you managed to read the entire book at work? Either you're a very fast reader or that was some lull. Haha. No worries about the saying. It's pretty amusing to think of one writing an Ode to Superfreakonomics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Wow, you managed to read the entire book at work? Either you're a very fast reader or that was some lull. Haha. It was quite a lull, a 4 hour lull. It's a choice between sleeping or reading and I don't like sleeping at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada, translated by Michael Hofmann Synopsis Berlin, 1940, and the city is filled with fear. At the house on 55 Jablonski Strasse, its various occupants try to live under Nazi rule in their different ways: the bullying Hitler loyalists the Persickes, the retired judge Fromm and the unassuming couple Otto and Anna Quangel. Then the Quangels receive the news that their beloved son has been killed fighting in France. Shocked out of their quiet existence, they begin a silent campaign of defiance, and a deadly game of cat and mouse develops between the Quangels and the ambitious Gestapo inspector Escherich. When petty criminals Kluge and Borkhausen also become involved, deception, betrayal and murder ensue, tightening the noose around the Quangels’ necks … (Taken from Goodreads) My Thoughts This book has been on my TBR pile for a while, I think it was a Christmas gift two Christmas's ago in fact. I'm not sure why it has sat on my shelf for so long, perhaps the length put me off a little (602 pages) or perhaps I was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype. Both Goodreads and Amazon have it very highly rated by its users and it also features in the '1001 books' list. So, would it live up to the hype or would I be left feeling disappointed? Initially I found it a little slow going, I'm not sure if that was me or the story. Fallada writes about the small details a lot and so initially I couldn't help but feel that the story wasn't going anywhere. Fortunately Roland Butter, SueK & Karsa Orlong told me to stick with as it would be worth it once it got going. Well all I can say is WOW! The story is gripping. You really get a feeling of the over-bearing paranoia that the people not directly fighting in the war faced. Out right poverty and regular violence and blackmail faced anyone not part of the party. Despite that there is a glimpse into the human aspect of most of the characters. One minute you feel a bit of sympathy for the likes of Borkhausen & more so Escherich and then you despise them. Escherich is an interesting character. He is a gestapo officer and therefore should be very unlikeable. No doubt his job is not a moral one but at the same time you get the feeling he is only doing what he has to do to get by. He commits a horrible crime to get his superiors off his back, would he have done it if he didn't have that constant threat hanging over him, probably not. I really liked the writing style it is nice and relaxed and the story moves along but at a fairly slow pace. The tension really become ratcheted up over a long period and it really makes you want to read on when you know you have to stop and do something else. I regularly found myself reading at work, before going to sleep, while eating and as soon as I woke up. No book has ever done this to me before Normally books about the war are focused on soldiers and the holocaust, quite rightly so. However the suffering and sacrifice of normal people is just as an important subject and one that is often overlooked. I started off thinking that Otto Quangel was a bit of a fool for not just toeing the line and keeping his head down. Over the course of the book though, I found myself questioning my own morality and thinking about how brave him and Anna were. As has been proven, apathy by normal people can as has lead to evil being carried out. When it is remarked that what they are doing is of tiny significance and putting their lives at risk his reply is that it is better to do something than to idly stand by while wrong is being committed. To be able to keep your morals and take a stand under these circumstances is something very few of us would do. They had an escape in some ways as they had a lot of money saved and could have lived elsewhere in Germany. The most harrowing part for me was the section that deals with the imprisonment and death of Otto Quangel. When the blade fell I was left a little numb and found myself just staring at the page. Again, no book has had the affect on me, the fact that this is a true story just reinforces this even more. Once again Otto & Anna have as escape in the form of Cyanide and don't take the easy way out. The edition I have is a Penguin Modern Classic and has some detail at the end about the true story and a few photos. Don't make the mistake I did, I have a habit of flicking to the back just to see how many pages there are in the book. Unfortunately I happened to see the title of a photo which spoiled a part of the story for me. There is one quote that really stood out for me. The worse it gets, the better it will be. The sooner it will all be over! This book is a keeper for me, it's something I will read again, there is no doubt about that. If you have a copy, read it now, seriously. 5/5 (It was amazing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I don't think I've ever been as tense when reading a book as I was with Alone in Berlin. Really glad you liked it, Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Great review of Alone in Berlin, sounds like a good book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Another book for the wish list, thanks Brian ( I think ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Synopsis The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden. Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires. And he enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs or the joy of watching pages consumed by flames, never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then Guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. And Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do... (Taken from Goodreads) My Thoughts Since the recent passing of Ray Bradbury I had been looking for a copy of this in my local book shops without any luck. In fact, a small independent book shop near hadn't heard of the book or the author, I guess that's why they are closing down. Last week I found a copy in Milton Keynes and snatched it up, I've been meaning to read this for quite a while. I managed to get through the book in the space of about 4 hours during a long quite period at work. This was due to the time I had available more than the book. Although it was a decent enough read it wasn't exactly gripping. I can't say whether this was down to the book entirely or in part because it followed my reading of Alone in Berlin. I liked the futuristic world Bradbury creates. It is pretty interesting and in truth perhaps less far fetched than we would hope it would be. I don't see books being burned in the future but, in their paper form they may well be under threat albeit from e-books. I don't agree that television is, or has been the great evil and I'm not convinced that TV has had all that much of a detrimental effect on the numbers of people reading these days. I don't know if more or less people read of even how well it could be measured. It remains an interesting argument even if it is swayed by the fact that by his own admission Bradbury pretty much lived in libraries for a large part of his life. I didn't really engage with any of the characters except maybe the fire chief Captain Beatty. That is down to the fact the his is portrayed as a fearsome beast of a man. Although it isn't a character as such, the idea of the mechanical hound is a great one and really helps paint a visual picture. 3/5 (I liked it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Hmm quite harsh marking though Brian, 3 out of 5. I take your point about the limited character development , it is more of an ideas story than a character story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 It's not for everyone, I guess. I loved it. I thought Montag's fury almost burned the pages on its own Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Hmm quite harsh marking though Brian, 3 out of 5. I take your point about the limited character development , it is more of an ideas story than a character story. Perhaps this is why it didn't really grab me, I didn't buy into the ideas completely. Obviously I like books and enjoy reading but not to the point where I ignore other forms of entertainment. Bradbury seemed to be arguing that books = good, everything else = evil. It's not for everyone, I guess. I loved it. I thought Montag's fury almost burned the pages on its own Different strokes for different folks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I suppose we don't see TV to be a great evil these days. Back when this book was written, though, TV was still relatively new, and I believe there were a lot of doomsayers around who despaired about the future of society. Today's doomsayers are perhaps more worried about social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and the Internet in general. I agree that Fahrenheit 451 is more of an ideas book. I think I originally marked it down a little because I also found it hard to identify with the characters. Yet the ideas are great enough for me that I still consider it one of my favourite books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I suppose we don't see TV to be a great evil these days. I don't know. I reckon Bradbury looked into the future and saw pretty much everything on ITV's schedules Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 I don't know. I reckon Bradbury looked into the future and saw pretty much everything on ITV's schedules He may well have hit the nail on the head regarding Big Brother, talent shows and all the celebrity guff on TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 The Death of Ivan Ilyich/The Devil by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Hugh Aplin Synopsis The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The judge Ivan Ilyich Golovin has spent his life in the pursuit of wealth and status, devoting himself obsessively to work and often neglecting his family in the process. When, after a small accident, he fails to make the expected recovery, it gradually becomes clear that he is soon to die. Ivan Ilyich then starts to question the futility and barrenness of his previous existence, realizing to his horror, as he grapples with the meaning of life and death, that he is totally alone. The Devil Yevgeny Irtenyev, who, before his marriage, having inherited an estate in the country, finds himself in a position where he needs to have his lust satisfied. ("He was not a libertine, yet neither, as he told himself, was he a monk.") There is a funny side to this, especially from a modern perspective; but a modern perspective won't quite do here. Even so, you might think that the way Tolstoy wipes the smile off our faces is a little extreme; and here he is the full-bearded, stern-looking moralist that he has come to be known as. We are provided with an alternative ending; each is grim. (Taken from Goodreads & The Guardian) My Thoughts I grabbed this last week as Tolstoy is one of those authors who you just have to read and I didn't know where to start. Rather than jumping in at the deep end and regretting it I decided that a novella was the place to go to. This edition of The Death of Ivan Ilyich also contains The Devil with both it's endings and some background on Tolstoy himself. The whole book is only about 160 pages long so I decided I had nothing to lose and jumped right in. I'll start with The Death of Ivan Ilyich, which is basically a commentary on life and what we achieve during our time on the earth. I have to say I had my doubts about this. I don't buy into the whole concept of living every day as if it is your last on earth, its just no something I see as being possible. This book has not changed my outlook in this respect but it does bring up some interesting emotions. Ivan Ilyich has everything that should mean that he has had a meaningful and pleasant life. He is successful and well regarded in his field and community, he is also fairly wealthy. All is well until he has an accident that he laughs off. From then on in things slowly start to go awry with his health and he succumbs to an illness I would say sounds a lot like cancer. As he is dying he is in a lot of anguish both physically and mentally and this leads him to contemplate if he spent his life chasing the wrong things. Did he heave too much importance on gaining material things instead of spiritual development? This is the exact thing that grabbed my attention and it has to be said it really got into my head a bit. I can really see the similar thinking to some Buddhist and Eastern spiritual books that I have read. The Devil is a very different tale all together and legend has it that Tolstoy wrote this while cheating on his wife and had to keep it hidden from her lest he was caught out. The tale is an interesting one but not a huge amount really grabbed me until the closing sections of the book when things get a little crazy. I think its clear to see that Tolstoy was hugely tormented by his feelings for 2 women and as much as he tried to fight his emotions he ultimately succumbed to them. I liked the fact that there were two different endings. The fact they both ended with Yevgeny either dead or a destitute alcoholic is a telling example of how much turmoil Tolstoy was going through at the time. I would have liked a 3rd ending (yes I know I'm being greedy) that dealt with the option of killing his wife although I suspect the outcome would have been the destitute alcoholic one. His wife's social status may have meant he spent a longer time in prison though. The two novellas were very enjoyable to read and really got me thinking. 4/5 (I really liked it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 My next read is The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo. I've really enjoyed the series so far and already it feels like something comfortable and familiar. I'm also hoping Waaler gets what's coming to him but I'll have to wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Great reviews Brian. I've added Alone in Berlin to my immediate wish list (!) and I know I'd like to tackle Tolstoy some day, not least to complete the 1001 challenge, and those novellas definitely seem like a sensible place to start. I have the Snowman by Jo Nesbo on my TBR pile, and everything I read about these books seems to suggest I should tackle it soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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