Bobblybear's Book List - 2012

[chaliepud]

Great review BB, I have this on my wish list and now wish I'd bought it with my birthday money!!

[bobblybear]

Thanks chaliepud.

[lauraloves]

great review, The End Specialist sounds like a really good book

[bobblybear]

Thanks Laura. I really recommend it if you are into dystopian type books.

[lauraloves]

Thanks Laura. I really recommend it if you are into dystopian type books.

 

Its a genre that ive only recently discovered, but I'm really loving it! I think I will definitaly add it to one of my many lists!

[bobblybear]

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

 

Synopsis from Amazon:

Nine-year-old Liesel lives with her foster family on Himmel Street during the dark days of the Third Reich. Her Communist parents have been transported to a concentration camp, and during the funeral for her brother, she manages to steal a macabre book: it is, in fact, a gravediggers’ instruction manual. This is the first of many books which will pass through her hands as the carnage of the Second World War begins to hungrily claim lives. Both Liesel and her fellow inhabitants of Himmel Street will find themselves changed by both words on the printed page and the horrendous events happening around them.

 

My Thoughts:

This one is a re-read for me. I had been meaning to read it again for so long, since I absolutely loved it the first time around; as it has recently been mentioned here on this forum, it has inspired to read it sooner rather than later.

 

I just love this book, even though it is so heart-breakingly sad. I think it's marketed as a YA book, but I reckon adults will probably get a bit more out of it than YA.

 

The story is narrated by Death, but rather than being some scary figure, 'he' is a very compassionate being who just has to do a dirty job. I really like the writing style as well, with Death interjecting into the story his little opinions summaries or what has gone on. The ending is no surprise, as hints are dropped very early on, and I think this is what makes the book more powerful. As you read about some of the characters, you know how things will end and it makes it all that more poignant. All the main characters are very well developed and described, and you really feel for them as the onset of war takes over their lives.

 

Anyone who hasn't read this, I really urge you to pick it up and give it a ago. It grabs you right from the beginning, and I think once you start you won't be able to put it down.

 

10/10

[karen.d]

Great Review! I have heard so much about this book and how good it was, but never really knew what this was about. After reading the synopsis and your review, I think I am going to have to buy this book.

[bobblybear]

Thanks, Karen. I think everyone must read this book at least once. It's a rare person who isn't touched by the story.

[bobblybear]

The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck

 

 

Synopsis from Amazon:

 

When O-lan, a servant girl, marries the peasant Wang Lung, she toils tirelessly through four pregnancies for their family's survival. Reward at first is meagre, but there is sustenance in the land - until the famine comes. Half-starved, the family joins thousands of peasants to beg on the city streets. It seems that all is lost, until O-lan's desperate will to survive returns them home with undreamt of wealth. But they have betrayed the earth from which true wealth springs, and the family's money breeds only mistrust, deception - and heartbreak for the woman who had saved them. THE GOOD EARTH is a riveting family saga and story of female sacrifice - a classic of twentieth-century literature.

 

My Thoughts:

For some reason, it took me by surprise that this book was written in 1931. It seems more contemporary even though I know it was set quite a while in the past.

 

It’s an eye opener into pre-revolutionary life in China. The sons are nameless (except for one instance where a teacher names them), and the daughters are referred to as ‘slaves’ (even when they have just been born). Life is a constant struggle, and I enjoyed reading of Wang Lung’s slow struggle to become a wealthy land-owner. However I didn’t particularly like the character of Wang Lung until the end of the story, but I don’t think he was meant to be a likeable character – just an accurate one. My favorite character was O-lan, and her silent stoic bearing of events in her life. I did struggle with the book a bit after

she died, as I didn’t find Wang Lung to be an interesting enough character to hold the story on his own.

 

All in all, an enjoyable read.

 

7/10

[bobblybear]

Rules of Prey - John Sandford

 

Synopsis from Amazon:

THE MADDOG HAD ALWAYS LOVED GAMES. NOW HE WAS PLAYING AND HE WAS KILLING, AND THE JOY OF THE ACT MADE HIS BODY SING WITH PLEASURE.

For the killer who had Minneapolis in a grip of chilled terror, satisfaction came from the thrill of the contest. After each grisly murder he would leave behind one of the rules he had devised:

Never kill anyone you know.

Never have a motive

Never follow a discernible pattern.

He was no textbook psychopath, but Lieutenant Lucas Davenport was no ordinary detective. To bring an end to the maddog's trail of death he would have to play by his own rules.

 

My Thoughts:

This is the first in a series following Detective Lucas Davenport. It's a re-read for me, but since I hadn't read it in about 15 years it felt like a first time read. I'm quite surprised to see on Wikipedia that the series is still going strong - apparently the latest one was only published last month.

 

It's quite a formulaic story - detective chases serial killer and beds several women along the way. Not much originality there, but still an easy-read and there's enough in it to keep you interested. It's also just the right length for this kind of book, as I find I often run out of steam if these types of stories drag on.

 

Something to read if you don't want to tax your brain too much.

 

6.5/10

[bree]

The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck

...

7/10

A very well expressed review, bobblybear!

 

I read The Good Earth, about five years ago - I found O-lan's suffering an echo of so many stories here in India - and realised that there were so many similarities in rural cultures across Asia.

 

One of the bits that sticks in my mind about the The Good Earth is

how she silently takes a break from her work in the fields, delivers her first child on her own, and gets back to working after that.

 

It was so powerful - and expressed in such a matter-of-fact way - that I can't forget it, or her.

 

If you feel like picking up another of Buck's books, may I recommend Peony?

It's a lighter, and more personal story - not as much as a saga as The Good Earth, but much more enjoyable.

[bobblybear]

Thanks Bree. I shall keep Peony in mind.

[bobblybear]

I think I'll hold off reviewing Cloudstreet and save my comments for the Reading Circle thread.

 

Trade-Off - Tom Kasey

 

Synopsis from Amazon:

 

Meet Steven Hunter. A British policeman, he has been seconded to the FBI. When a corpse is found in Montana with a human femur driven through the top of its skull, it is beyond the capabilities of the local police. Hunter is assigned to the case. But someone doesn’t want him to solve it.

 

Hunter faces the deadliest test of his career – how to catch a killer while staying one step ahead of the most powerful forces on earth, and staying alive himself.

 

In this enthralling thriller, part conspiracy, part manhunt, and part sci-fi, Tom Kasey has woven a gripping story that takes the reader right into the innermost workings of government – and reveals the dark secrets that lurk within.

 

My Thoughts:

 

Well, where do I start with this one?! I would have scored it a lot higher, if not for the utterly ludicrous revelation towards the end. In fact, if this revelation had been told earlier in the story (and not 85% of the way through), I just would have stopped reading altogether, and possibly thrown my book against the wall (if it hadn't been the Kindle version!). That's how silly it is.

 

It has nearly all 5 star reviews on Amazon, so I thought it must be good. And it did actually start off very good. It's a fast-paced thriller, not too deep-and-meaningful, so you have to take it with a pinch of salt. So even when the two main characters (an FBI agent and a sheriff)

blow the director of the FBI to smithereens

, I thought I'd still keep reading, even though that was a bit over the top.

 

But then, the explanation behind the murders is given:

The US government has been collaborating with aliens, and selling them human flesh in exchange for their technology. No, not any human flesh, but young female human flesh, because apparently that's a delicacy in the alien world. Yes, the government has set up a huge warehouse, where young women are dismembered (while others watch, because apparently adrenalin infused female flesh is even tastier ) , their flesh packaged up and delivered to the basement where some aliens are living, and any surplus flesh is then sent out into space to feed the other aliens. And the technology such as CD players, all comes from the minds of aliens.

 

 

If you want a giggle, read the spoilers....please read the spoilers, it's that silly. You won't regret it. The thing that is really funny is that it is told in such a serious, straight-faced manner, as though this is really happening!!

 

So, anyway, the book was a great read until this ridiculous plot 'twist'.

 

Apparently Tom Kasey is a pseudonym for a very well known author, someone suggested Clive Cussler, but who knows?

 

4/10 would have been about 8/10 if not for the sheer stupidity of it.

[~Andrea~]

Haha - I can understand your reaction to the twist. I think I'll give that one a miss

[Ruth]

Those spoilers - especially the second one - made me laugh out loud!! I don't think I will be reading that book, but I certainly enjoyed reading your review of it

[bobblybear]

Yah, the author certainly knows how to ruin a decent book. Best missed, I think.

[bree]

Those spoilers - especially the second one - made me laugh out loud!! I don't think I will be reading that book, but I certainly enjoyed reading your review of it

 

Me too. Brilliant review bobblybear!

[bobblybear]

I've just updated my Books Purchased list, and I can't believe I've bought so many this year. I didn't think I bought that many, but I suppose it's so easy to buy them on the Kindle without really realising how many you are actually buying. I'm really going to have to crack on with my reading.

[frankie]

Re: Tom Kasey book: Thanks for the laughs I will stay away from the novel

[bobblybear]

Yeah, it's not one I'd recommend!

[chaliepud]

I've just updated my Books Purchased list, and I can't believe I've bought so many this year. I didn't think I bought that many, but I suppose it's so easy to buy them on the Kindle without really realising how many you are actually buying. I'm really going to have to crack on with my reading.

 

I knew there was a reason not to have a books purchased list, it's bad enough having an overflowing TBR shelf!!

[bobblybear]

Yeah, I keep looking at it and thinking 'When am I going to get around to reading these??" But I just can't help it, if they sound like a good read, I have to buy them.

[bobblybear]

The Quest For Anna Klein - Thomas H. Cook

 

Synopsis from Amazon:

 

One freezing night in 1939, Thomas Danforth accepts a mission that will change his life forever: travel to Nazi Germany as cover for an enigmatic female assassin, Anna Klein.

Danforth is captivated by this beautiful, mysterious woman. But just as he starts to discover more about her, she disappears...

Desperately searching for her through a Europe ravaged by war, Danforth becomes ensnared in a maelstrom of love and vengeance, of shifting loyalties and betrayals. His quest will span decades, implicate him in a world-wide conspiracy, and take him to the brink of madness. But he cannot shake the obsession that drives his every waking moment: Who is Anna Klein?

 

My thoughts:

 

I can't really write a review on The Quest For Anna Klein by Thomas H Cook, as I didn't finish it, but I can perhaps make a few comments.

 

I absolutely loved Red Leaves by him, I think it's one of the best books I have read in a long time in terms of the emotional impact the story had. I read reviews of The Quest For Anna Klein on Amazon, and they were all 5 stars, so I thought it would be a great choice. I did try very hard to get into it, but I just couldn't. It may be the subject matter which didn't really interest me. Also the point of the story was to find out more about Anna Klein and try to solve the mystery about her, but to be honest, I didn't care at all about her. She had no story to her at the start of the book, so I just found it very hard to stay interested when the main character was talking about her.

 

I wonder if I'm missing something with it. Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind, but it was one of those books where I'd be flipping the pages, then realise 5 pages later that I'm planning about what to cook for dinner, or whether to put the washing on the line, etc, instead of reading the words in front of me. I don't think I'll revisit it again - maybe if I run out of books to read, but I don't see that happening any time soon (or ever!).

[bobblybear]

Tune In Tokyo: The Gaijin Diaries - Tim Anderson

 

Synopsis from Amazon:

 

When Anderson decides his life in North Carolina is in a rut, he chooses to make a dramatic change and moves to Japan to teach English, as he chronicles in this hilarious, enlightening, and insightful memoir. Anderson is tall, white, and extremely gay—all things that distinguish him from the average person in Japan. His various adventures—accidentally stumbling into the adult area of Tokyo and learning that Japanese porn cuts out all the good parts; discovering the hard way the low standards some English academies have for their teachers; experiencing the joys of karaoke and experimental music—help Anderson begin to understand the differences between American and Japanese culture. A gifted writer, Anderson is sensitive to cultural differences, delightful in his irreverence, and astutely aware of himself and his particular perspective. His observations are often laugh-out-loud funny and will leave readers with the desire to travel and to keep turning the pages, wondering, by the end, where Anderson will travel to next.

 

My Thoughts:

 

I struggled a bit with this one, and it never really seemed to find it’s flow with me. That could partly be my expectations, and I think I was hoping for a linear story from beginning to end, where the author goes through some sort of change, or follows some kind of path, like a conventional tale. However it was just about the author’s experience as an English teacher in Japan for 2 years, and the differences between life in Japan and life in America. It is a series of blog entries, and the author actually has a blog.

 

I wouldn't say I found it particularly funny, though in some parts it was clear that the writer was trying very hard to be funny. I found that a bit off putting as well. Nothing like someone trying to shove humour in your face, and failing dramatically. It would have been a more worthwhile read if he had just stuck to the facts, instead of trying to be so different/funny/entertaining.

 

6.5/10

[willoyd]

I can't really write a review on The Quest For Anna Klein by Thomas H Cook, as I didn't finish it, but I can perhaps make a few comments.

 

This is something that always mystifies me: if anybody writes a review of a book which they haven't on, say, Amazon (or other review sites), somebody, somewhere is bound to comment that you can't review a book that you haven't finished.

 

I have to say, I disagree. OK, if you've only read a few pages, then maybe this is a valid point, but if you've given the book a genuine go, and it really hasn't kept you going (and it's the book, not one's mood at the time), then I think one's views are just as valid as somebody who has gone the whole way. It's true that I've sometimes read books that have improved as they've gone through, and maybe you've missed the end or whatever, but if a book hasn't sustained your interest sufficiently to that end, then it should still be reviewable.

 

So, don't be shy bobblybear. Your views are just as valid and just as important as those of somebody who has finished. Life's too short for the alternative!

 

BTW, I agree with you about humour in books. There are far too many books around where the humour is anything but funny, especially in the travel genre. I've got a steadily growing list of writers whose books I positively avoid because what they think of as being funny, I find downright patronising/rude/juvenile. I think it's one of the hardest things to do, and very few achieve it.