tunn300 Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Wishing you and your wife every happiness in your new home Tunn A new boiler .. isn't that just typical! Hope you didn't have to go without heat or hot water in this weather. Get those shelves up ... it will really look like home then. Love your review of The Graveyard Book It's such a great book. Thanks Poppy!! Unfortunately we had no hot water for about a week which was no fun. I have made a start on 'Shatter' by Michael Robotham this week and am enjoying it thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelley.s Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 The Graveyard Book sounds really good. I might try another book by Neil Gaiman at some point. Everyone gives him such good reviews but after reading Anansi boys when I was younger I've never read another book of his because I hated it. Anansi boys was the first book I've ever abandoned and although id like to try another book of his I'm not sure which one to choose. I've got a feeling that I read his worst book first which hasnt really done him any justice so I might try something else! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) Everyone gives him such good reviews but after reading Anansi boys when I was younger I've never read another book of his because I hated it. Anansi boys was the first book I've ever abandoned and although id like to try another book of his I'm not sure which one to choose. I haven't read The Graveyard Book, but have to say that having tried a couple of others (Neverwhere, American Gods), I've been distinctly unimpressed. People do rave about him, but I struggle to see why: some interesting ideas from a plot point of view (no doubt of his imagination!), but little depth otherwise. But then I don't go a great bundle on the sort of semi-fantasy style that Gaiman specialises in, and which is obviously very popular, so an element of prejudice may be creeping in. Don't think you are alone though! Edited February 5, 2012 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelley.s Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I haven't read The Graveyard Book, but have to say that having tried a couple of others (Neverwhere, American Gods), I've been distinctly unimpressed. People do rave about him, but I struggle to see why: some interesting ideas and twists from a plot point of view, but not a lot otherwise. But then I don't go a great bundle on the sort of semi-fantasy style that Gaiman specialises in, and which is very popular, so probably just me. But don't think you are alone! Glad its not just me! I really didnt like anything abut Anansi boys but everyone else thought it was great. I felt nothing for the characters and the plot was really uninteresting, I just assumed it was an off book seeing as Neil Gaiman generally has quite a large following. Maybe I'll not bother with another book after all! If thats just his style of writing, I know I wont enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I would call myself a Gaiman fan, but it really is a case of completely accepting the central premise for each of his books at the start for the story to 'work'. If it doesn't grab you straightaway then they can read as a writer trying to be clever, rather than actually being clever. I havent read Anansi Boys, but have read and enjoyed Neverwhere, American Gods and The Graveyard Book. How cool is it that we each enjoy different authors, books and styles of writing and can always find others that feel the same about them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelley.s Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I would call myself a Gaiman fan, but it really is a case of completely accepting the central premise for each of his books at the start for the story to 'work'. If it doesn't grab you straightaway then they can read as a writer trying to be clever, rather than actually being clever. I havent read Anansi Boys, but have read and enjoyed Neverwhere, American Gods and The Graveyard Book. How cool is it that we each enjoy different authors, books and styles of writing and can always find others that feel the same about them? One mans trash is another mans treasure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 One mans trash is another mans treasure Absolutely! There are a few books out there that leave me baffled by their popularity, and some of them are incredibly similar in style to ones I adore. Sometimes that line between my trash and treasure is damned thin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 One mans trash is another mans treasure And all the healthier for being so (leads to some good discussions too!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) Sorry I have not been on here in a couple of weeks as I have been caught up with work. An interesting debate about Gaiman's writing appears to have developed whilst I have been away. I can't put my finger on exactly why but I certainly enjoyed his writing style and will read more of his work at some point in the future but I can defintely understand why some would not like his work. Today I have managed to finish 'Shatter' and am hoping to make a start on 'The Sisters Brother' later. Hopefully I will get this finshed, or at least pretty close to it, before starting back to work Monday. I have also purchased my first book of the year today. It was Simon Beckett's new book 'The Calling of the Grave' which I have wanted since it was released last year and have waited for the price to come down on kindle when the paperback was released this month. It has finally done so and I picked it up. I think I have done well to get to Feb 15th before purchasing a book. Edited February 15, 2012 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 Shatter - Michael Robotham Synopsis Amazon A naked woman in red high-heeled shoes is perched on the edge of Clifton Suspension Bridge with her back pressed to the safety fence, weeping into a mobile phone. Clinical psychologist Joseph O'Loughlin is only feet away, desperately trying to talk her down. She whispers, 'you don't understand,' and jumps. Later, Joe has a visitor - the woman's teenage daughter, a runaway from boarding school. She refuses to believe that her mother would have jumped off the bridge - not only would she not commit suicide, she is terrified of heights. Joe wants to believe her, but what would drive a woman to such a desperate act? Whose voice? What evil? Review I have had this on my TBR pile for a while now after having this author recommended to me on this forum and spotting it in a bargain bin in Tesco. The story centres around Joe O'Loughlin who is a clinical psychologist that now lectures at Bristol university. Early in the book he is asked to attend the scene of a woman standing on the edge of Clifton Suspension Bridge. Joe is unable to talk her down and she jumps to her death. Darcy her daughter then seeks out Joe to explain that her mother would never have jumped off a bridge and to look at the case from another angle. I found this book very interesting as it differs from many crime novles in the way it is told from a psychologists point of view rather than the police. The way Joe learns more about the killer is fascinating and as the bodies begin to mount up it builds to a tense and dramatic conclusion. The book had me hooked for the finl 200 or so pages as I had to know what would happen. The action is fairly fast paced and the narrative usually follows Joe although is interspersed with chapters from the killers perspective. I knew nothing of this author when I began this book but get the impression Joe appears in other books he has written. This did not effect my enjoyment of the book adn there were only a few references back to past cases. Overall I really enjoyed this book and as usual the forum has turned up another gem of an author. I will certainly be reading more of his work. 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I've read Suspect by him, it was pretty good. Shatter sounds really interesting, will look for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiara Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I really liked The secret history and The Time Traveler's wife (re-reading it again!). They're both great books and I hope you will enjoy them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 Well have made a start on The Sisters Brothers and wow what an excellent book so far. Am about 1/3 of the way into it and am enjoying every minute. It is another book that was nominated for the Man Booker prize last year and again another book that does not disappoint. Of all the books I have read from last years list so far the only real disappointment has been the actual winner. Off now to enjoy some more of The Sisters Brother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Glad you're enjoying The Sisters Brothers .. it's such a great book isn't it. I haven't heard very good things about The Sense of an Ending .. and don't feel at all inclined to read it. It's strange isn't it, it's the one book from the list that nobody seems to rave about. I wonder why they chose it? .. I've heard that it's often the second or third choices that win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 I wouldn't rush to read 'The Sense of an Ending' Poppy as it is really rather average and the rest of the list contains such excellent books. You will be glad to hear that I have borrowed 'The Sisters Brothers' from Swindon library and so am helping once again to raise visitor numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) I wouldn't rush to read 'The Sense of an Ending' Poppy as it is really rather average and the rest of the list contains such excellent books. I agree that The Sense of an Ending wasn't perhaps as good as one would hope of a Booker winner, but that happens quite often. It's certainly no worse than many (most?), and distinctly better than the likes of, for instance, Vernon God Little (what were the judges thinking of that year?). I enjoyed it and would rank it above average, even within the limitations of the fact that Julian Barnes's books tend to strike me as more ones style than substance. I've got one or two of the short list on my TBR pile which look promising, but the only one I've read, Snowdrops, was distinctly mediocre. Having said that, I'm looking forward to Jamrach's Menagerie and Half-Blood Blues. I'm more and more attracted to the idea of The Sisters Brothers, and as I can't recall ever having read a Western before, maybe this should be the first! Edited February 17, 2012 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt Synopsis Amazon Oregon, 1851. Eli and Charlie Sisters, notorious professional killers, are on their way to California to kill a man named Hermann Kermit Warm. On the way, the brothers have a series of unsettling and violent experiences in the Darwinian landscape of Gold Rush America. Charlie makes money and kills anyone who stands in his way; Eli doubts his vocation and falls in love. And they bicker a lot. Then they get to California, and discover that Warm is an inventor who has come up with a magical formula, which could make all of them very rich. What happens next is utterly gripping, strange and sad. Told in deWitt's darkly comic and arresting style, THE SISTERS BROTHERS is the kind of Western the Coen Brothers might write - stark, unsettling and with a keen eye for the perversity of human motivation. Like his debut novel ABLUTIONS, THE SISTERS BROTHERS is a novel about the things you tell yourself in order to be able to continue to live the life you find yourself in, and what happens when those stories no longer work. It is an inventive and strange and beautifully controlled piece of fiction, which shows an exciting expansion of Dewitt's range Review It has taken a while for me to finish this book but that is through no fault of the book which I have found excellent. It first caught my attention on the long list for the Man Booker prize last year and though it did get onto the shortlist it failed to win. The story follows two brothers, Eli and Charlie, who are essentially guns for hire in the wild west. It follows the brothers on a task to hunt down and kill someone wh ohas upset the commodore in their local town in some way. As we follow the brothers long journey across America to California we learn more and more about their characters and what drives them. Both brothers are markedly different and I found myself warming more and more to Eli as the story progressed. I really enjoyed all the small set pieces that occur as their journey continues and foud the other characters we meet very entertining. It is fast paced with short, sharp chapters that kept me reading and wanting to find out exaclty what would happen next. The book was amusing in places but also incredibly sad in others. I would highly recommend this book to others, even those who like me have never read a western before. 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 Made a start at the weekend of Star Island by Carl Hiaasen. I am a real fan of his writing and am really enjoying this one so far. Have about 1/3 left to read so will hopefully get it finished over the weekend. I also bought only my 2nd book of the year this week, The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue. I know it has not had the greatest of reviews but I enjoyed her first book so much and at only £3 I couldn't resist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Made a start at the weekend of Star Island by Carl Hiaasen. I am a real fan of his writing and am really enjoying this one so far. Have about 1/3 left to read so will hopefully get it finished over the weekend. He is funny as hell! Did you read Skinny Dip? Hysterical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 He is funny as hell! Did you read Skinny Dip? Hysterical Yes, I have read most of his books and am always astonished by the fantastic characters he creates, even the minor characters are so well developed. I finished reading Star Island this morning and it is defiantly another cracker. Will post review over the next couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Yes, I have read most of his books and am always astonished by the fantastic characters he creates, even the minor characters are so well developed. I finished reading Star Island this morning and it is defiantly another cracker. Will post review over the next couple of days. I look forward to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted March 18, 2012 Author Share Posted March 18, 2012 Star Island - Carl Hiaasen Synopsis Amazon Twenty-two-year-old pop star Cherry Pye is attempting a comeback from her latest drug and alcohol disaster. Ann DeLusia is Cherry's 'undercover stunt double', standing in for Cherry whenever the singer is too wasted to go out in public. But, one night, Ann-as-Cherry is mistakenly kidnapped from a Miami hotel by an obsessed paparazzo named Bang Abbott. Now the challenge for Cherry's handlers (comprising the world's pushiest stage mother; perverted record producer; nipped-and-tucked twin publicists; weed-strimmer-wielding bodyguard) is to rescue Ann while keeping her existence secret from the public. Will Bang achieve his fantasy of a private photo session with Cherry? Will Cherry sober up in time to lip-synch her concert tour and promote her new album, Skantily Klad? And will Ann escape from Cherry's shadow? Review I recently read a review of this in the newspapers which alerted me to its existence. I have long been a fan of Hiaasen and when I spotted this book in the library I snapped it up. The story follows Cheery Pye, who is the epitomy of modern day processed pop stars. Cherry has absolutely no talent but is good looking and so hashad a reasonably successfull career as a pop star. So much so in fact that she is no a bona-fide drug addict and requires her own double to take over her duties when she is incapacitated. As the book develops we learn more and more about these two characters and also about Bang Abbott a papparazzo who is a bit too fond of Cherry. As with all Hiaasen's books his real strength are the characters that he develops which are so ridiculous but at the same time entirely plausible. Some of the comic situations are hilarious and I was actually laughng out loud at points. Even the smallest of characters are completely developed and Hiaasen offers a summary of what happened to each of them at the end of the book. I highly recommend this book, especially to those that have not experienced Hiaasen's comic talents before. 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted March 21, 2012 Author Share Posted March 21, 2012 I have made a start on 'The Report' by Jessica Francis Kane. It is a novel basd upon real wartime events and specifically the evening 173 people lost their lives at Bethnal Green tube station air raid shelter yet no bombs were actully dropped. Only a couple of chapters in it already has me hooked. This is yet another library loan as after moving house two months ago I have had to tighten the purse strings for a while. So far this year I have read more physical books than ebooks, which is a bit of a surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I have made a start on 'The Report' by Jessica Francis Kane. It is a novel basd upon real wartime events and specifically the evening 173 people lost their lives at Bethnal Green tube station air raid shelter yet no bombs were actully dropped. Only a couple of chapters in it already has me hooked. This is yet another library loan as after moving house two months ago I have had to tighten the purse strings for a while. So far this year I have read more physical books than ebooks, which is a bit of a surprise. I'll be interested to hear what you think of this when you've read it Tunn, it's another one on my TBR pile and I'll be getting to it in the next couple of months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 (edited) So the holidays have arrived for me and hopefully a chance to get some mo reading done. Although I had already started 'The Report' I decided after many recommendations to read 'The Hunger Games' alongside it. Well I ploughed through that book in about 4 sittings over 2 days and went to see the film about 4 hours after finishing the book. Will post my thoughts on it soon. I have now started the new Simon Kernick novel 'Siege' and as its a fast back at the library I have till Sunday to read it. I will finish 'The Report' at some point but just now it is not gripping me. Edited April 3, 2012 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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