Soffitta1's 11 in 11 Step Challenge
ForumThe 11 in 11 Category Challenge
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1soffitta1
I have decided that as I have finished my original challenge to have a go at the Step Challenge.
I should be able to do it - 66 books before 31/12/11. :S
I hope to read lots of 1001 books, so here is another ticker to show my progress.
As with the 11 in 11, I am also trying to read books of my TBR pile, though as I am in Spain now, this will be more difficult. I am only counting books I had before 2011.
I should be able to do it - 66 books before 31/12/11. :S
I hope to read lots of 1001 books, so here is another ticker to show my progress.
As with the 11 in 11, I am also trying to read books of my TBR pile, though as I am in Spain now, this will be more difficult. I am only counting books I had before 2011.
2soffitta1
11x 1001 Books
1. Agnes Grey ** Group Read
2. The Vicar of Wakefield
3. Three Lives
4. Half of a Yellow Sun
5. Invisible Cities
6. Billiards at Half-Past Nine
7. Unless
8. On the Road
9. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
10. Choke
11. So Long a Letter
Picking the best among 1001 books is rather a big ask, but I just loved Invisible Cities, gorgeous narrative, and also Unless, which I just connected with in a big way (so much so, it has inspired a category in my 12 in 12 Challenge!).
As for the worst, On the Road wins hands down, I really didn't like it, I reckon it's one of those Marmite books.
1. Agnes Grey ** Group Read
2. The Vicar of Wakefield
3. Three Lives
4. Half of a Yellow Sun
5. Invisible Cities
6. Billiards at Half-Past Nine
7. Unless
8. On the Road
9. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
10. Choke
11. So Long a Letter
Picking the best among 1001 books is rather a big ask, but I just loved Invisible Cities, gorgeous narrative, and also Unless, which I just connected with in a big way (so much so, it has inspired a category in my 12 in 12 Challenge!).
As for the worst, On the Road wins hands down, I really didn't like it, I reckon it's one of those Marmite books.
3soffitta1
10x Crime
Crime, mystery, thriller
1. The Trial **1001 Book
2. The Ministry of Fear
3. The Winter Ghosts
4. The Ghost
5. Restless
6. Bangkok 8
7. The Righteous Men
8. Thirty three Teeth
9. Disco for the Departed
10. The Little Stranger
A good selection of books in all, one 1001. I bumped up this category when my Mum came to visit bearing a stack of thrillers. The top reads would have to be The Ministry of Fear, my find for the challenge as well as Colin Cotterill's Laotian series, though I must say that I enjoyed most of the books. I felt that the weaker books were Bangkok 8 and The Winter Ghosts, both of which were ok, but could have been better.
Crime, mystery, thriller
1. The Trial **1001 Book
2. The Ministry of Fear
3. The Winter Ghosts
4. The Ghost
5. Restless
6. Bangkok 8
7. The Righteous Men
8. Thirty three Teeth
9. Disco for the Departed
10. The Little Stranger
A good selection of books in all, one 1001. I bumped up this category when my Mum came to visit bearing a stack of thrillers. The top reads would have to be The Ministry of Fear, my find for the challenge as well as Colin Cotterill's Laotian series, though I must say that I enjoyed most of the books. I felt that the weaker books were Bangkok 8 and The Winter Ghosts, both of which were ok, but could have been better.
4soffitta1
9x Films
Books adapted for the big screen, small screen and stage.
1. The Diary of a Nobody ** 1001 book
2. The Age of Innocence ** 1001 book
3. The House of Sand and Fog
4. The Rainbow ** 1001 book
5. Timeline
6. The Good Soldier Schweik ** 1001 book
7. Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence
8. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
9. Into the Wild
I was pleased to read 4 1001 books for this category, the best being The Good Soldier Schweik, highly subversive and amusing, the second would be Age of Innocence, beautifully written. As for the rest, I enjoyed the questions posed by Timeline, and re-entering the world of Harry Potter in Beedle the Bard. As for the worst, well, none were clunkers, I just wish that Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence had been fleshed out more, as I so wanted to know more about the story, as well as the author's own.
Books adapted for the big screen, small screen and stage.
1. The Diary of a Nobody ** 1001 book
2. The Age of Innocence ** 1001 book
3. The House of Sand and Fog
4. The Rainbow ** 1001 book
5. Timeline
6. The Good Soldier Schweik ** 1001 book
7. Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence
8. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
9. Into the Wild
I was pleased to read 4 1001 books for this category, the best being The Good Soldier Schweik, highly subversive and amusing, the second would be Age of Innocence, beautifully written. As for the rest, I enjoyed the questions posed by Timeline, and re-entering the world of Harry Potter in Beedle the Bard. As for the worst, well, none were clunkers, I just wish that Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence had been fleshed out more, as I so wanted to know more about the story, as well as the author's own.
5soffitta1
8x Spanish
From Spanish speaking world or in Spanish
1. Dreaming in Cuban
2. Inkdeath (in Spanish)
3. Journey to the Alcarria **1001 Book
4. Bitter Grounds
5. The FARC ** Early Reviewer Programme
6. Still Love in Strange Places
7. Walking the Lions
8. Basta de Historias
Well, I bumped this category up to 8 books after my brother gave me a stack of books. Only one 1001 book, I must do better next year. I found the Early Reviewer copy of The FARC very interesting, a good introduction to the guerrillas. As for the best book, I really enjoyed Bitter Grounds, a good story with a well-constructed backdrop. The last book, Basta de Historias, was especially interesting as it dealt with education and how the state of one country's education system affects its economic wellbeing. I was also pleased to get a copy of Dreaming in Cuban, a long term wishlist book, and it was worth the wait.
From Spanish speaking world or in Spanish
1. Dreaming in Cuban
2. Inkdeath (in Spanish)
3. Journey to the Alcarria **1001 Book
4. Bitter Grounds
5. The FARC ** Early Reviewer Programme
6. Still Love in Strange Places
7. Walking the Lions
8. Basta de Historias
Well, I bumped this category up to 8 books after my brother gave me a stack of books. Only one 1001 book, I must do better next year. I found the Early Reviewer copy of The FARC very interesting, a good introduction to the guerrillas. As for the best book, I really enjoyed Bitter Grounds, a good story with a well-constructed backdrop. The last book, Basta de Historias, was especially interesting as it dealt with education and how the state of one country's education system affects its economic wellbeing. I was also pleased to get a copy of Dreaming in Cuban, a long term wishlist book, and it was worth the wait.
6soffitta1
7x British
Books from the British Isles.
1. Where have all the Boys Gone
2. Dinner for Two
3. Web
4. The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce
5. The Flood
6. The Swimming Pool Library ** 1001 book
7. Brazzaville Beach
Only one 1001 book, which wasn't my favourite of the group. I really enjoyed Brazzaville Beach, another good book from William Boyd and the cleverly crafted The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce. The duffer of the bunch would have to be Where have all the Boys Gone, but to be fair it was what I expected of its fluffy cover.
Books from the British Isles.
1. Where have all the Boys Gone
2. Dinner for Two
3. Web
4. The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce
5. The Flood
6. The Swimming Pool Library ** 1001 book
7. Brazzaville Beach
Only one 1001 book, which wasn't my favourite of the group. I really enjoyed Brazzaville Beach, another good book from William Boyd and the cleverly crafted The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce. The duffer of the bunch would have to be Where have all the Boys Gone, but to be fair it was what I expected of its fluffy cover.
7soffitta1
6x Asian Books
I usually read a lot of books set in Asia or by Asian writers, hopefully some from my huge TBR pile.
1. Jamilia
2. The Swallows of Kabul
3. Lord Jim ** 1001 book
4. Shanghai Baby
5. Chang
6. The Gunpowder Gardens
One 1001 book, a true classic, Jim's tale was grand and exciting. Jamilia, a beautiful love story, and The Gunpowder Gardens were my favourites of the bunch, the latter because I drink a lot of tea and also because the author's travels mirrored some of my own in HK and China.
As for the duffer, that would be Shanghai Baby, it tried too hard to be shocking and just ended up like cheap imitation.
I usually read a lot of books set in Asia or by Asian writers, hopefully some from my huge TBR pile.
1. Jamilia
2. The Swallows of Kabul
3. Lord Jim ** 1001 book
4. Shanghai Baby
5. Chang
6. The Gunpowder Gardens
One 1001 book, a true classic, Jim's tale was grand and exciting. Jamilia, a beautiful love story, and The Gunpowder Gardens were my favourites of the bunch, the latter because I drink a lot of tea and also because the author's travels mirrored some of my own in HK and China.
As for the duffer, that would be Shanghai Baby, it tried too hard to be shocking and just ended up like cheap imitation.
8soffitta1
5x Food & Drink
1. Water for Elephants
2. The Coroner's Lunch
3. The Secret Mandarin
4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
5. Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto
A strong category overall. I was really happy to be given a copy of Water for Elephants, I kept seeing other people reading it when travelling around. The Coroner's Lunch, the first in the Dr. Siri series, was also very good. I'm not going to pick a worst as I enjoyed them all.
1. Water for Elephants
2. The Coroner's Lunch
3. The Secret Mandarin
4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
5. Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto
A strong category overall. I was really happy to be given a copy of Water for Elephants, I kept seeing other people reading it when travelling around. The Coroner's Lunch, the first in the Dr. Siri series, was also very good. I'm not going to pick a worst as I enjoyed them all.
9soffitta1
4x History
1. Year of Wonders
2. The Alchemist's Daughter
3. The Resurrectionist
4. The Queen of Subtleties
The top book would have to be Year of Wonders, a story of the plague. Of the others, none was awful, but I felt both The Resurrectionist and The Queen of Subtleties missed the mark.
1. Year of Wonders
2. The Alchemist's Daughter
3. The Resurrectionist
4. The Queen of Subtleties
The top book would have to be Year of Wonders, a story of the plague. Of the others, none was awful, but I felt both The Resurrectionist and The Queen of Subtleties missed the mark.
10soffitta1
3x French
French Books
1. Suite Francaise **Group Read **1001 Book
2. Fantomas ** 1001 Book
3. The Immoralist **1001 Book
I think it is too hard to pick the best from these three, all good in different ways, but if I were forced to choose, it'd have to be Suite Francaise. Such great style, good plotlines.
French Books
1. Suite Francaise **Group Read **1001 Book
2. Fantomas ** 1001 Book
3. The Immoralist **1001 Book
I think it is too hard to pick the best from these three, all good in different ways, but if I were forced to choose, it'd have to be Suite Francaise. Such great style, good plotlines.
11soffitta1
2x Short Stories
1. Santaland Diaries
2. Close Range
I loved the sarcasm in Santaland Diaries, but must say that Close Range stood up to the reputation of Brokeback Mountain. I like reading short stories, it allows you to dip into a new world.
1. Santaland Diaries
2. Close Range
I loved the sarcasm in Santaland Diaries, but must say that Close Range stood up to the reputation of Brokeback Mountain. I like reading short stories, it allows you to dip into a new world.
13soffitta1
Here we go! I started the orginal 11 in 11 on 11/11/10, so I wasn't surprised to finish so early. I think I can make it through this challenge in time. I also really enjoy trying to slotting books in and finding others.
I'm going to put the comments about the books I have already read as Bonus for my other challenge here.
1. Agnes Grey
Group read. This flew by, with her family's fortunes worsening, Agnes decides to become a governess. Coming from a loving family, she imagines she will be helping to form young minds in a similar environment, unfortunately, neither of her positions could be classed as happy. Her charges range from selfish and bratty to downright demonic, and Agnes struggles to keep herself going. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as Agnes meets a nice young cleric. I did sympathise with Agnes, although she is rather self-righteous, and as a teacher I have had some trying students over the years! A good read, but I can see why it was knocked off the original 1001 list.
2. Diary of a Nobody
Very amusing! I have had this for a while, but it was only at Christmas that I realised it was on the 1001 list, so I bumped it up to the top of my reading pile. Mr. Charles Pooter is a nobody, well, he is no Pepys or Johnson, but he won't let that hold him back. His diary covers just over a year, a married man living in a suburb of London, the trials and tribulations of a clerk working in the City. What makes this funny is that Pooter takes himself rather seriously, opening himself up to being laughed at by others. I especially liked Pooter's insistance on making awful puns, and his repitition of them, to varying effect.
3. Suite Francaise
The group readalong.
Suite française are the two books that Irène Némirovsky wrote in WW2, before her death in Auschwitz. The two books themselves are rather different, but as can be seen from the first appendix, the author planned to tie the threads together.
This is not a book about heroes, rather this is the reality of people living in terrible times. At first, in the first book, I found it hard to sympathise with the characters, until I tried to place myself in their shoes, surely our own survival is the most basic of instincts.
I would definitely recommend this.
I'm going to put the comments about the books I have already read as Bonus for my other challenge here.
1. Agnes Grey
Group read. This flew by, with her family's fortunes worsening, Agnes decides to become a governess. Coming from a loving family, she imagines she will be helping to form young minds in a similar environment, unfortunately, neither of her positions could be classed as happy. Her charges range from selfish and bratty to downright demonic, and Agnes struggles to keep herself going. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as Agnes meets a nice young cleric. I did sympathise with Agnes, although she is rather self-righteous, and as a teacher I have had some trying students over the years! A good read, but I can see why it was knocked off the original 1001 list.
2. Diary of a Nobody
Very amusing! I have had this for a while, but it was only at Christmas that I realised it was on the 1001 list, so I bumped it up to the top of my reading pile. Mr. Charles Pooter is a nobody, well, he is no Pepys or Johnson, but he won't let that hold him back. His diary covers just over a year, a married man living in a suburb of London, the trials and tribulations of a clerk working in the City. What makes this funny is that Pooter takes himself rather seriously, opening himself up to being laughed at by others. I especially liked Pooter's insistance on making awful puns, and his repitition of them, to varying effect.
3. Suite Francaise
The group readalong.
Suite française are the two books that Irène Némirovsky wrote in WW2, before her death in Auschwitz. The two books themselves are rather different, but as can be seen from the first appendix, the author planned to tie the threads together.
This is not a book about heroes, rather this is the reality of people living in terrible times. At first, in the first book, I found it hard to sympathise with the characters, until I tried to place myself in their shoes, surely our own survival is the most basic of instincts.
I would definitely recommend this.
14soffitta1
4. Where have all the boys gone
A fluffy piece of chicklit, just what I needed for a post boozy Sunday picnic. Katie, a PR girl in London, is sent to Scotland for a job. She needs a change, London is lacking in decent men, whereas Fairlish has the opposite problem. Katie is there to help Harry save the local woodland from being turned into a golf course, but is getting distracted by green-eyed journalist, Iain. Add best friend and maneater Louise into the mix, and Fairlish doesn't know what has hit it.
I picked this off the shelf at work, wanting something light. It was funny to read about home: Michelle MacManus, Richard & Judy, Ewan McGregor. Not going to win prizes, but not bad as the genre goes.
5. Dinner for Two
Bloke-lit in the vain of Tony Parsons or Nick Hornby. I did enjoy seeing life from the other side of the gender divide. Dave is a music journalist, he has been with his wife for 6 years and is ecstatic when she announces she is pregnant. When Izzy miscarries and declares she doesn't want to try for another, he pretends to agree. Then the magazine he is working on, and he ends up as the new agony uncle on a teen magazine. Amongst the petitions for help, a letter arrives from a 13-year-old girl, Nicola, claiming to be his daughter.
Gayle manages to pull off a realistic family / relationship drama with flashes of humour, especially as a 30-something-year-old man struggles with working for a teen magazine. The musical references do date the book a bit, but as they are bands I remember, I liked them.
6. Dreaming in Cuban
I got this through a bookcrossing VBB, it had been on my wishlist since I read another book by the same author.
In the book, we follow the lives and loves of Celia Almeida, a Cuban, and of her family.
There are themes running through the book, such as the domination of women, the glue that binds the family together. Celia, the grandmother, an indominatble matriarch, has a strong personality, mirrored by those of her daughters. The daughters' problems with their mother is repeated with disconnection with their own children.
An important aspect of the book is the portrayal of many different Cubans: those who stayed, those who left; the content, the discontent. Garcia is reminding us that Cuba is an issue that divides people, divides families.
Garcia brings to life everyday Cuba, including Santeria, shortages and, of course, politics. I really enjoyed The Aguero Sisters, and while I found this book to be good, I think Sisters showed more honed writing. Still, this I would recommend this book
A fluffy piece of chicklit, just what I needed for a post boozy Sunday picnic. Katie, a PR girl in London, is sent to Scotland for a job. She needs a change, London is lacking in decent men, whereas Fairlish has the opposite problem. Katie is there to help Harry save the local woodland from being turned into a golf course, but is getting distracted by green-eyed journalist, Iain. Add best friend and maneater Louise into the mix, and Fairlish doesn't know what has hit it.
I picked this off the shelf at work, wanting something light. It was funny to read about home: Michelle MacManus, Richard & Judy, Ewan McGregor. Not going to win prizes, but not bad as the genre goes.
5. Dinner for Two
Bloke-lit in the vain of Tony Parsons or Nick Hornby. I did enjoy seeing life from the other side of the gender divide. Dave is a music journalist, he has been with his wife for 6 years and is ecstatic when she announces she is pregnant. When Izzy miscarries and declares she doesn't want to try for another, he pretends to agree. Then the magazine he is working on, and he ends up as the new agony uncle on a teen magazine. Amongst the petitions for help, a letter arrives from a 13-year-old girl, Nicola, claiming to be his daughter.
Gayle manages to pull off a realistic family / relationship drama with flashes of humour, especially as a 30-something-year-old man struggles with working for a teen magazine. The musical references do date the book a bit, but as they are bands I remember, I liked them.
6. Dreaming in Cuban
I got this through a bookcrossing VBB, it had been on my wishlist since I read another book by the same author.
In the book, we follow the lives and loves of Celia Almeida, a Cuban, and of her family.
There are themes running through the book, such as the domination of women, the glue that binds the family together. Celia, the grandmother, an indominatble matriarch, has a strong personality, mirrored by those of her daughters. The daughters' problems with their mother is repeated with disconnection with their own children.
An important aspect of the book is the portrayal of many different Cubans: those who stayed, those who left; the content, the discontent. Garcia is reminding us that Cuba is an issue that divides people, divides families.
Garcia brings to life everyday Cuba, including Santeria, shortages and, of course, politics. I really enjoyed The Aguero Sisters, and while I found this book to be good, I think Sisters showed more honed writing. Still, this I would recommend this book
15soffitta1
7. Lord Jim
I read Heart of Darkness a few years ago, and was pleased to see the return of the narrator Marlowe. This is a different story, while both books are linked to the sea, both the setting and the feel of it are different.
The titular Jim is marked forever by an act of cowardice early in his career, he, along with other officers, leave the passengers to their own fate after the boat starts to list. Jim tries to escape from his past, but something so infamous is bound to catch up with you, so he consents to a placement on Patusan, hidden far from Western eyes. His work on Patusan gives Jim the opportunity to reinvent himself, to become a strong, respected man known as 'Tuan' or lord.
Jim himself remains somewhat elusive, as we get his story second or even third hand, but he is an interesting literary hero. Redeemed characters are easy to like than people who are always good.
I read Heart of Darkness a few years ago, and was pleased to see the return of the narrator Marlowe. This is a different story, while both books are linked to the sea, both the setting and the feel of it are different.
The titular Jim is marked forever by an act of cowardice early in his career, he, along with other officers, leave the passengers to their own fate after the boat starts to list. Jim tries to escape from his past, but something so infamous is bound to catch up with you, so he consents to a placement on Patusan, hidden far from Western eyes. His work on Patusan gives Jim the opportunity to reinvent himself, to become a strong, respected man known as 'Tuan' or lord.
Jim himself remains somewhat elusive, as we get his story second or even third hand, but he is an interesting literary hero. Redeemed characters are easy to like than people who are always good.
16soffitta1
8. Santaland Diaries
I know that it is a wee bit early, even for Hallmark, but I couldn't resist dipping into this after hearing him on the radio. Short Story collections are usually a mixed blessing. I think Sedaris' style lends well to this genre as he can give a humourous slice of life that would be hard to sustain over a longer work.
A good gift for your local Scrooge, or anyone who quite rightly gets annoyed at hearing "Mistletoe and Wine" in a shop in October and wants to beat people over the head with a blow up Santa. (just me?!)
I know that it is a wee bit early, even for Hallmark, but I couldn't resist dipping into this after hearing him on the radio. Short Story collections are usually a mixed blessing. I think Sedaris' style lends well to this genre as he can give a humourous slice of life that would be hard to sustain over a longer work.
A good gift for your local Scrooge, or anyone who quite rightly gets annoyed at hearing "Mistletoe and Wine" in a shop in October and wants to beat people over the head with a blow up Santa. (just me?!)
17soffitta1
9. Jamilia
A short read I was sent as a bonus with another. Set in WW2, a boy tells the tale of his beloved and very different sister-in-law, Jamilia. Short, but worth a read as you get a glimpse into a small little-known country and its customs.
A short read I was sent as a bonus with another. Set in WW2, a boy tells the tale of his beloved and very different sister-in-law, Jamilia. Short, but worth a read as you get a glimpse into a small little-known country and its customs.
18cammykitty
I like the stepped challenge idea, and of course your "short story" you posted. Isn't that the truth!
19soffitta1
10. The Swallows of Kabul
Another book from a Bookcrossing VBB, a sad book about interconnected lives in Kabul.
It''s hard to know where to start with this book. It has been on my radar for a while, but when it arrived, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it as I knew it would be heavy going.
The setting is Kabul under the Taliban, and the book tells of lives that are connected through a series of dramatic events. The book begins with a woman being stoned. Mohsen, walking past, joins in, even hitting the woman on the head. He goes home where he confesses to his educated wife, not even really sure as to why he did it, how he got caught up in the moment. The second couple are Atiq and his wife Musarrat. Atiq, unlike Mohsen, works for the regime, as a prison officer. Yet it is Atiq who starts to question the regime first, firstly with the suffering of his ill wife and then through a female inmate.
To say this is a sad book is rather obvious, but it is, right from the start. That does not mean I regret reading it, but that it stayed with me, making me think.
I am nearly there with The Vicar of Wakefield, it is funny, but can get quite slow at times.
Another book from a Bookcrossing VBB, a sad book about interconnected lives in Kabul.
It''s hard to know where to start with this book. It has been on my radar for a while, but when it arrived, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it as I knew it would be heavy going.
The setting is Kabul under the Taliban, and the book tells of lives that are connected through a series of dramatic events. The book begins with a woman being stoned. Mohsen, walking past, joins in, even hitting the woman on the head. He goes home where he confesses to his educated wife, not even really sure as to why he did it, how he got caught up in the moment. The second couple are Atiq and his wife Musarrat. Atiq, unlike Mohsen, works for the regime, as a prison officer. Yet it is Atiq who starts to question the regime first, firstly with the suffering of his ill wife and then through a female inmate.
To say this is a sad book is rather obvious, but it is, right from the start. That does not mean I regret reading it, but that it stayed with me, making me think.
I am nearly there with The Vicar of Wakefield, it is funny, but can get quite slow at times.
20soffitta1
11. The Vicar of Wakefield
I knew nothing about this, but was interested by the title on a virtual bookbox list. The book follows the ups and downs of the titular vicar and his family. The vicar is seemingly obsessed with the institution of marriage, trying to marry off his children and seemingly everyone else in his parishes! It is rather amusing, as a lot of the downs are caused by the vicar's own vanity. An enjoyable satire of a certain kind of life at the time.
12. Restless
From Richard & Judy's Book Club, I also picked it up because I had read a set of short stories by the author.
The narrative is split into two timelines. The first covers the second world war experiences of Anglo-Russian Eva Delectorskaya who is recruited as a British Spy whilst living in Paris. The second is that of her daughter, Ruth, in the '70s teaching in English and avoiding writing her PHD thesis in Oxford, who believes her mother to be Sally Fairchild.
Eva Delectorskaya is recruited by the mysterious Romer after the death of her beloved Kolia, who had also been working for him. She leaves Paris where she was living with her invalid father and is sent to Blighty for espionage training. At the end of the war she reinvents herself as Sally Fairchild. Believing that someone is out to get her, she decides to write down her story for her story to read and also to pique her interest in tracking down an old contact.
All in all, this is a fast-paced thriller, well-written and I do recommend it.
I knew nothing about this, but was interested by the title on a virtual bookbox list. The book follows the ups and downs of the titular vicar and his family. The vicar is seemingly obsessed with the institution of marriage, trying to marry off his children and seemingly everyone else in his parishes! It is rather amusing, as a lot of the downs are caused by the vicar's own vanity. An enjoyable satire of a certain kind of life at the time.
12. Restless
From Richard & Judy's Book Club, I also picked it up because I had read a set of short stories by the author.
The narrative is split into two timelines. The first covers the second world war experiences of Anglo-Russian Eva Delectorskaya who is recruited as a British Spy whilst living in Paris. The second is that of her daughter, Ruth, in the '70s teaching in English and avoiding writing her PHD thesis in Oxford, who believes her mother to be Sally Fairchild.
Eva Delectorskaya is recruited by the mysterious Romer after the death of her beloved Kolia, who had also been working for him. She leaves Paris where she was living with her invalid father and is sent to Blighty for espionage training. At the end of the war she reinvents herself as Sally Fairchild. Believing that someone is out to get her, she decides to write down her story for her story to read and also to pique her interest in tracking down an old contact.
All in all, this is a fast-paced thriller, well-written and I do recommend it.
21soffitta1
13. Water for Elephants
Couldn't resist picking this up, I was sent it as it was on my wishlist. Good.
I received this as a RABCK, as it was on my wishlist and couldn't resist getting stuck in immediately. I haven't seen the film, and didn't know much about it before starting, all the better.
The book has two timelines, a man in an old folks' home is reliving his past, a very colourful past. Jacob worked on a circus as a young man, and here the story of his life on the road and his love, Marlena.
A bit like lifting the Wizard's curtain, it is both interesting and sad to see the life behind the shows. Success is everything, and anything surplas to requirements is discarded, sometimes forcibly from the train (red-lighting). Gruen also shows us the different parts of the circus, from animals to a fat lady, from the travelling to the hard graft. A good love story told against a rather unusual backdrop, though I felt it could have done with some tweaking to make it great.
I am busy playing around with my categories after staggering back to Spain with many books. I am sure they will change, but I actually have almost enough for the challenge :) I have lots of 1001 books, so am inventively stashing them in other categories.
Here are my current categories:
11x 1001
10x Film
9x Asia
8x British
7x Spanish
6x Crime
5x Food & Drink
4x History
3x French
2x Short Stories
1x Tome
Couldn't resist picking this up, I was sent it as it was on my wishlist. Good.
I received this as a RABCK, as it was on my wishlist and couldn't resist getting stuck in immediately. I haven't seen the film, and didn't know much about it before starting, all the better.
The book has two timelines, a man in an old folks' home is reliving his past, a very colourful past. Jacob worked on a circus as a young man, and here the story of his life on the road and his love, Marlena.
A bit like lifting the Wizard's curtain, it is both interesting and sad to see the life behind the shows. Success is everything, and anything surplas to requirements is discarded, sometimes forcibly from the train (red-lighting). Gruen also shows us the different parts of the circus, from animals to a fat lady, from the travelling to the hard graft. A good love story told against a rather unusual backdrop, though I felt it could have done with some tweaking to make it great.
I am busy playing around with my categories after staggering back to Spain with many books. I am sure they will change, but I actually have almost enough for the challenge :) I have lots of 1001 books, so am inventively stashing them in other categories.
Here are my current categories:
11x 1001
10x Film
9x Asia
8x British
7x Spanish
6x Crime
5x Food & Drink
4x History
3x French
2x Short Stories
1x Tome
22soffitta1
14. Web
I picked this up at a Bookcrossing meetup after having read two of Wyndham's other books - Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos.
Narrated by Delgrange, a man who deals with the loss of his family by signing up for a new project. A man looking to leave a legacy behind him buys up an island in the Pacific where a group would start a colony, ushering a new society. Unbeknown to these pioneers, Tanakuatua is no normal island, years before it had been evacuated before nuclear weapon testing. An islander placed the island under a curse, a taboo, meaning no one has been back in a while. Even as they approach Tanakuatua, there is something off about it. There are no birds flying and there is a mysterious white cloud on its peak. It seems the island is home to rather unusual spiders.
Not in the same league as the previously mentioned books, but Wyndham poses important questions, such as man versus nature, man as the chosen species, or rather the current leading species.
I picked this up at a Bookcrossing meetup after having read two of Wyndham's other books - Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos.
Narrated by Delgrange, a man who deals with the loss of his family by signing up for a new project. A man looking to leave a legacy behind him buys up an island in the Pacific where a group would start a colony, ushering a new society. Unbeknown to these pioneers, Tanakuatua is no normal island, years before it had been evacuated before nuclear weapon testing. An islander placed the island under a curse, a taboo, meaning no one has been back in a while. Even as they approach Tanakuatua, there is something off about it. There are no birds flying and there is a mysterious white cloud on its peak. It seems the island is home to rather unusual spiders.
Not in the same league as the previously mentioned books, but Wyndham poses important questions, such as man versus nature, man as the chosen species, or rather the current leading species.
23soffitta1
15. The Age of Innocence
I have had this for a long time, 3 years! I saw the film not long before picking this up at a Bookcrossing meeting.
A tale of clandestine love in the upper echelons of society in New York in the 1870s. Newland Archer is a young man, a model of a decent gentlemen, all set to marry May Welland, from one of the other great New York family. His world is thrown into upheaval as May's disgraced cousin, Ellen, arrives from Europe, separated from her husband, a Polish Count. Ellen and May could not be more different, the latter is the perfect society bride, brought up to keep moral standards and bring up her husband's children, while the former refuses to go back to her husband and is not scared to break with social etiquette. Archer is torn between love and desire on one side and social duty on the other.
Very good, not only because of a well-told romance, but also as a window into the society of the time.
I will write more for my review.
I have had this for a long time, 3 years! I saw the film not long before picking this up at a Bookcrossing meeting.
A tale of clandestine love in the upper echelons of society in New York in the 1870s. Newland Archer is a young man, a model of a decent gentlemen, all set to marry May Welland, from one of the other great New York family. His world is thrown into upheaval as May's disgraced cousin, Ellen, arrives from Europe, separated from her husband, a Polish Count. Ellen and May could not be more different, the latter is the perfect society bride, brought up to keep moral standards and bring up her husband's children, while the former refuses to go back to her husband and is not scared to break with social etiquette. Archer is torn between love and desire on one side and social duty on the other.
Very good, not only because of a well-told romance, but also as a window into the society of the time.
I will write more for my review.
24katrinasreads
I can't believe you are doing a second one, and already doing so well!
25soffitta1
:) I have time, with my flexible timetable! I am doing a summer camp at the moment, but am just doing boring number crunching until the academic year starts again. I NEED books to switch off from work ;)
16. Close range
Finally got round to reading this. This is a collection of short stories all set in Wyoming, cowboy country. As often is, the collection is a rather mixed affair, shorter stories, dramatic ones all the way through to the well-adapted Brokeback Mountain.
I really enjoyed the brief, but darkly humourous The Blood Bay. A man is frozen to death, and a cowboy decides to take his boots, with his feet still in them. 55 Miles to the Gas Pump, another gruesome tale was also entertaining. The final story in the book is Brokeback Mountain, I had already seen the film, and feel that Ang Lee captured well the spirit of the story. It is beautifully written, full of regret and terse language.
16. Close range
Finally got round to reading this. This is a collection of short stories all set in Wyoming, cowboy country. As often is, the collection is a rather mixed affair, shorter stories, dramatic ones all the way through to the well-adapted Brokeback Mountain.
I really enjoyed the brief, but darkly humourous The Blood Bay. A man is frozen to death, and a cowboy decides to take his boots, with his feet still in them. 55 Miles to the Gas Pump, another gruesome tale was also entertaining. The final story in the book is Brokeback Mountain, I had already seen the film, and feel that Ang Lee captured well the spirit of the story. It is beautifully written, full of regret and terse language.
26soffitta1
17. The Coroner's Lunch
I started Three Lives, but couldn't concentrate on it, so picked up this instead. The first in the Dr. Siri series, a reluctant coroner in '70s Laos. The bodies of an official's wife and 3 Vietnamese torture victims cause the doctor to look more closely, especially when it becomes clear he is not wanted on either case.
Good read, Dr. Siri is a great character, and I also enjoyed the cultural references. Luckily, book 2 is waiting for me on my TBR pile ;)
I started Three Lives, but couldn't concentrate on it, so picked up this instead. The first in the Dr. Siri series, a reluctant coroner in '70s Laos. The bodies of an official's wife and 3 Vietnamese torture victims cause the doctor to look more closely, especially when it becomes clear he is not wanted on either case.
Good read, Dr. Siri is a great character, and I also enjoyed the cultural references. Luckily, book 2 is waiting for me on my TBR pile ;)
27soffitta1
Wow, first quarter down already!
Top reads:
Suite Francaise was excellent, it grabbed my attention from the off. I also really enjoyed The Age of Innocence, a book I had put off for years, but I am so glad I've read it.
From the pithier side of life, Santaland Diaries may not have seasonal, but it was very funny!
As for the best mystery, I can't decide between Restless, about espionage in WW2, or The Coroner's Lunch, the first installment in the Dr. Siri series set in Laos in the '70s.
As for the duds, well to be honest, I didn't expect much from Where have all the boys gone?, and it was much as it said on the tin. Fluffy, silly, but perfect for a heavy week.
Top reads:
Suite Francaise was excellent, it grabbed my attention from the off. I also really enjoyed The Age of Innocence, a book I had put off for years, but I am so glad I've read it.
From the pithier side of life, Santaland Diaries may not have seasonal, but it was very funny!
As for the best mystery, I can't decide between Restless, about espionage in WW2, or The Coroner's Lunch, the first installment in the Dr. Siri series set in Laos in the '70s.
As for the duds, well to be honest, I didn't expect much from Where have all the boys gone?, and it was much as it said on the tin. Fluffy, silly, but perfect for a heavy week.
28soffitta1
18. Thirty-three Teeth
The second in Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri series. Held up to the standard of the first book. Here Siri has two missions, first to discover how to open a box with a royal seal and second, to capture the creature terrorising Ventiene.
Bought a while back in Oxfam in Bristol. Second in the Dr. Siri mysteries.
The second in Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri series. Held up to the standard of the first book. Here Siri has two missions, first to discover how to open a box with a royal seal and second, to capture the creature terrorising Ventiene.
There are deaths to be explained and killers to be brought to justice. The first is rather odd death to investigate, two men on a bicycle by a fountain. Then bodies turn up bearing the marks of a beast, the word on the street is that it is the work of a bear which has recently escaped. Siri is not convinced, and there are rumours that the killer could be a weretiger, which would explain its ability to disappear.
Cotterill has kept up the high standard shown in the first book, producing another page-turning, entertaining mystery with great local colour. Luckily I already had book 3 on my shelf.
The second in Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri series. Held up to the standard of the first book. Here Siri has two missions, first to discover how to open a box with a royal seal and second, to capture the creature terrorising Ventiene.
Bought a while back in Oxfam in Bristol. Second in the Dr. Siri mysteries.
The second in Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri series. Held up to the standard of the first book. Here Siri has two missions, first to discover how to open a box with a royal seal and second, to capture the creature terrorising Ventiene.
There are deaths to be explained and killers to be brought to justice. The first is rather odd death to investigate, two men on a bicycle by a fountain. Then bodies turn up bearing the marks of a beast, the word on the street is that it is the work of a bear which has recently escaped. Siri is not convinced, and there are rumours that the killer could be a weretiger, which would explain its ability to disappear.
Cotterill has kept up the high standard shown in the first book, producing another page-turning, entertaining mystery with great local colour. Luckily I already had book 3 on my shelf.
29soffitta1
19. Three Lives
Took a while to read this, not because it was bad, but because the narrative is more like oral English, as if you are hearing someone tell their tale.
Took a while to read this, not because it was bad, but because the narrative is more like oral English, as if you are hearing someone tell their tale.
30soffitta1
20. Disco for the Departed
Number 3 in the Dr. Siri series, this time an arm is found sticking out of a concrete path. Siri and Dtui are called to investigate. Their investigation takes them to the north, to where the communists had their stronghold when fighting the monarchy, a series of interconnected caves. The caves, though, were made into headquarters with many mod cons. The arm belongs to a Cuban, who was in Laos in an advisory capacity, connected with the local hospital. Siri has stumbled over a deadly love story.
As with the previous two installments, I enjoyed the fusion of mystery and mysticism, all in all another good read. I must get my hands on books 4 and 5, I already have number 6.
Very good, I am really enjoying this series, only snag is I have book 6, but not book 4 or 5. I may crack my buying moratorium, as it means I can read book 6 which is on my TBR pile. That means it isn't really buying new books, doesn't it? ;)
Number 3 in the Dr. Siri series, this time an arm is found sticking out of a concrete path. Siri and Dtui are called to investigate. Their investigation takes them to the north, to where the communists had their stronghold when fighting the monarchy, a series of interconnected caves. The caves, though, were made into headquarters with many mod cons. The arm belongs to a Cuban, who was in Laos in an advisory capacity, connected with the local hospital. Siri has stumbled over a deadly love story.
As with the previous two installments, I enjoyed the fusion of mystery and mysticism, all in all another good read. I must get my hands on books 4 and 5, I already have number 6.
Very good, I am really enjoying this series, only snag is I have book 6, but not book 4 or 5. I may crack my buying moratorium, as it means I can read book 6 which is on my TBR pile. That means it isn't really buying new books, doesn't it? ;)
31mstrust
I'm catching up with you. I really liked The Santaland Diaries and there's nothing like hearing it in Sedaris' own voice.
And if you haven't seen it, find the film of Diary of a Nobody. I believe the actor's name is Hugh Bonneville (I know he played the father in Downton Abbey) and he's really funny.
And if you haven't seen it, find the film of Diary of a Nobody. I believe the actor's name is Hugh Bonneville (I know he played the father in Downton Abbey) and he's really funny.
32cammykitty
Arm sticking out of concrete? Eeeeyouuuu!!! But unique. Yes, you can acquire book 4 & 5 but don't think of it as buying them. They were just sticking out of concrete, and they tripped you on the way to book 6.
33soffitta1
re 32: Ha ha! I knew it was justified!
re 31: I'll have to look out for the film, I like Hugh Bonneville as an actor, he's great in Downton Abbey. I imagine the book would work well as a film, it is very visual comedy.
They have had more Sedaris readings on BBC Radio 4 Extra, he has a great, dry tone.
re 31: I'll have to look out for the film, I like Hugh Bonneville as an actor, he's great in Downton Abbey. I imagine the book would work well as a film, it is very visual comedy.
They have had more Sedaris readings on BBC Radio 4 Extra, he has a great, dry tone.
34soffitta1
21. The Trial
Josef K. is arrested at home for an unnamed crime, and the book follows his trying to pin down the charges so he can have them dismissed. K. is continually messed around by those in charge, he is summoned to the court, but not given the hour to call. After being advised to see the court painter, Titorelli, a man privy to the inner workings of the court, he finds out that no person who has been charged has ever got off, with some cases lasting for years.
I had had this on my shelf for a few months, I knew what to expect as I had studied Kafka at school and uni. A good, thought-provoking read. I did have a severe case of deja vu with the priest's description of the door keeper, but as none of the rest of the book seemed familiar, I think I had studied that section as part of background reading. Strange, but fitting I suppose!
Josef K. is arrested at home for an unnamed crime, and the book follows his trying to pin down the charges so he can have them dismissed. K. is continually messed around by those in charge, he is summoned to the court, but not given the hour to call. After being advised to see the court painter, Titorelli, a man privy to the inner workings of the court, he finds out that no person who has been charged has ever got off, with some cases lasting for years.
I had had this on my shelf for a few months, I knew what to expect as I had studied Kafka at school and uni. A good, thought-provoking read. I did have a severe case of deja vu with the priest's description of the door keeper, but as none of the rest of the book seemed familiar, I think I had studied that section as part of background reading. Strange, but fitting I suppose!
35cammykitty
Have you seen the Orson Wells movie The Trial? I've read it and seen it, but it was a while ago. It had a surreal, slice of life quality. I don't remember it having a nicely formed plot at all, so I came away from it (especially the movie) scratching my head.
36soffitta1
Exactly how I felt! I'll have a look for the film, I can see Orson Wells in the title role, getting more and more exasperated.
37cammykitty
Yes, that's about right. He directed it too. Apparently he said it was his personal favorite of all his movies. ... But The Third Man and Citizen Kane are classic.
38soffitta1
I have Citizen Kane at home, but have never watched it, I must remedy that. I think The Third Man is excellent, so tense and dramatic.
22. Fantomas
On the 1001 List, I knew nothing of this, being sent it through the 1001-Library. It was great fun, a mystery about famed mysterious criminal, Fantomas, and Juve, the detective determined to catch him. Three seemingly unlinked crimes, 2 rather gruesome, are connected by Juve and he sets off to find evidence. There are better books in the genre, but apparently this book was the inspiration for those which followed.
22. Fantomas
On the 1001 List, I knew nothing of this, being sent it through the 1001-Library. It was great fun, a mystery about famed mysterious criminal, Fantomas, and Juve, the detective determined to catch him. Three seemingly unlinked crimes, 2 rather gruesome, are connected by Juve and he sets off to find evidence. There are better books in the genre, but apparently this book was the inspiration for those which followed.
39soffitta1
23. The Immoralist
After a slow start, I raced through this. I am not sure what I thought of it, only that it is still playing on my mind. Newly wed Michel falls ill with TB, he slowly recovers, but is no longer the same man. Michel starts to question his life and decisions, which understandably have a knock-on effect on his life and marriage.
After a slow start, I raced through this. I am not sure what I thought of it, only that it is still playing on my mind. Newly wed Michel falls ill with TB, he slowly recovers, but is no longer the same man. Michel starts to question his life and decisions, which understandably have a knock-on effect on his life and marriage.
40soffitta1
24. The Ministry of Fear
Picked this up in the local library as I knew I had a copy at home from Mum.
Not what I thought it would be from the title - another wartime thriller. It is set in WW2, but is a a psychological thriller. Arthur Rowe is a man with a guilty conscience, he killed his ill wife, deemed a mercy killing, but he can't get past it. He goes to a fair, and on a whim goes to have his fortune read, accidentally giving the code phrase to the fortune-teller. He leaves with a cake, the weight of which was revealed to him by the fortune-teller, wondering why the fair organisers don't want to give it to him.
Good thriller, unexpectedly so from the cover.
Picked this up in the local library as I knew I had a copy at home from Mum.
Not what I thought it would be from the title - another wartime thriller. It is set in WW2, but is a a psychological thriller. Arthur Rowe is a man with a guilty conscience, he killed his ill wife, deemed a mercy killing, but he can't get past it. He goes to a fair, and on a whim goes to have his fortune read, accidentally giving the code phrase to the fortune-teller. He leaves with a cake, the weight of which was revealed to him by the fortune-teller, wondering why the fair organisers don't want to give it to him.
Good thriller, unexpectedly so from the cover.
41soffitta1
25. The Winter Ghosts
A real page turner, I sat down in a cafe to read " just a few more chapters" and ended up finishing the book!
I was already familiar with Mosse's work, having read Labyrinth a few years ago. The Winter Ghosts also takes place in the same area of France, the Languedoc region, famous for the Cathars. Starting in the inter war period, a young man walks into a shop with a piece of parchment with an almost forgotten language written on it, he then tells the story of how he came into possession of it.
I enjoyed the dual time period of the book, and Mosse certainly knows how to draw in her audience and paint a beautiful scene. Perfect after a long day at summer camp, it is the kind of book that sucks you, entertains you, but ultimately won't remain with you for long.
A real page turner, I sat down in a cafe to read " just a few more chapters" and ended up finishing the book!
I was already familiar with Mosse's work, having read Labyrinth a few years ago. The Winter Ghosts also takes place in the same area of France, the Languedoc region, famous for the Cathars. Starting in the inter war period, a young man walks into a shop with a piece of parchment with an almost forgotten language written on it, he then tells the story of how he came into possession of it.
I enjoyed the dual time period of the book, and Mosse certainly knows how to draw in her audience and paint a beautiful scene. Perfect after a long day at summer camp, it is the kind of book that sucks you, entertains you, but ultimately won't remain with you for long.
42cammykitty
Sounds like some good ones. I think Ministry of Fear has to go on my WL.
43soffitta1
It's not a long book, so wouldn't take you long!
26. The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce
The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce, another of my long term TBR books. I really enjoyed Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which is why I picked this up.
Wilberforce is a wine-lover, though that term doesn't really get close to how he really feels about the drink, he "inherited" a great wine cellar when he bought up a dying friend's collection. He justifies his drinking, claiming not to be an alcoholic as he only drinks great wine, not just any bottle.
The style of the book is unusual, with Wilberforce narrating his story, each part starts a year before the previous, so while you know how it will end, only slowly do you find why. I would recommend the book, for the literary style and also a, sometimes painful and often sad, intimate portrayal of a man's self-destruction.
Currently reading Half a Yellow Sun, good so far.
26. The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce
The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce, another of my long term TBR books. I really enjoyed Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which is why I picked this up.
Wilberforce is a wine-lover, though that term doesn't really get close to how he really feels about the drink, he "inherited" a great wine cellar when he bought up a dying friend's collection. He justifies his drinking, claiming not to be an alcoholic as he only drinks great wine, not just any bottle.
The style of the book is unusual, with Wilberforce narrating his story, each part starts a year before the previous, so while you know how it will end, only slowly do you find why. I would recommend the book, for the literary style and also a, sometimes painful and often sad, intimate portrayal of a man's self-destruction.
Currently reading Half a Yellow Sun, good so far.
44soffitta1
27. Half of a Yellow Sun
I thought I'd get through more books on my recent travels, but in the end only finished 2!
This is my second book by the author, I read, and thoroughly enjoyed, Purple Hibiscus a couple of years ago. In the centre of the novel there are twins Olanna and Kainene, very different in looks and personality, Olanna's lover, the professor, and his young houseboy and Kainene's own lover, a British ex-pat. Their relationships, complicated and often fraught, play out against the backdrop of a fracturing Nigeria.
Another good book by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, not just a warts and all account of civil war, but also a history lesson. I really felt drawn in by her narrative style and the story she wove, the terrible realities of civil war and very human reactions to it, the positive and the negative.
I am stuck well into The House of Sand and Fog, I picked it up after seeing the film, which was excellent.
I thought I'd get through more books on my recent travels, but in the end only finished 2!
This is my second book by the author, I read, and thoroughly enjoyed, Purple Hibiscus a couple of years ago. In the centre of the novel there are twins Olanna and Kainene, very different in looks and personality, Olanna's lover, the professor, and his young houseboy and Kainene's own lover, a British ex-pat. Their relationships, complicated and often fraught, play out against the backdrop of a fracturing Nigeria.
Another good book by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, not just a warts and all account of civil war, but also a history lesson. I really felt drawn in by her narrative style and the story she wove, the terrible realities of civil war and very human reactions to it, the positive and the negative.
I am stuck well into The House of Sand and Fog, I picked it up after seeing the film, which was excellent.
45soffitta1
28. The House of Sand and Fog
How a clerical error causes complete chaos for an American girl and an immigrant Iranian family.
Very tensely written, taking turns following the main characters, Kathy and Behrani (the head of the family).
In the blurb, one of the reviewers alludes to classical tragedy, I think this is spot on. The events are very much out of the control of the protagonists and there is a sense of doom hanging over the action right from page 1. I found myself quickly getting drawn into the drama of the story, into areas caused by the mistyping of an address and most of all into the clash of two very different cultures.I
How a clerical error causes complete chaos for an American girl and an immigrant Iranian family.
Very tensely written, taking turns following the main characters, Kathy and Behrani (the head of the family).
In the blurb, one of the reviewers alludes to classical tragedy, I think this is spot on. The events are very much out of the control of the protagonists and there is a sense of doom hanging over the action right from page 1. I found myself quickly getting drawn into the drama of the story, into areas caused by the mistyping of an address and most of all into the clash of two very different cultures.I
46soffitta1
29. Invisible Cities
I started this before I went away and finished it this morning. It is a short book, but not a quick read. The prose is beautifully written, Marco Polo's musing on cities as told to Kublai Khan, though really he is describing one city and throughout time. I will be looking out more by the author.
I started this before I went away and finished it this morning. It is a short book, but not a quick read. The prose is beautifully written, Marco Polo's musing on cities as told to Kublai Khan, though really he is describing one city and throughout time. I will be looking out more by the author.
47clfisha
I always wanted an illustrated version of Invisible Cities, I think it could be amazing.
48soffitta1
Absolutely, you really feel like you're there from his descriptions. I especially liked his comparison of a city to a carpet, just gorgeous.
49soffitta1
30. Muerte de Tinta
Finished this morning, as it is overdue at the library I was determined to get it read by this morning so I could return it today. As with her other books, it took me a while to get going, not because the book is boring / long-winded, but because Funke is setting the scene. Once I got half way through, the narrative gathered pace and I fairly devoured it!
After the cliff-hanging end of Inkspell, I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. I don't want to write too much, as it would spoil the series for people reading this post!
Inkworld is in its darkest hours. Adderhead and his brother-in-law rule over the land, and Bluejay is needed more than ever. I enjoyed reconnecting with all the characters, though Meggie has become a secondary character, only really showing up to agonise over her suitors, Farid and a newcomer, Daria. Funke's imagination shone through as with the other books, especially in the scenes between the giant and the ancient nests. One thing I didn't like was that there were too many threads, so you kept jumping from one bit of action to another. It was good to get a true end to the story, though Funke is left with quite a few threads she could follow up on.
Finished this morning, as it is overdue at the library I was determined to get it read by this morning so I could return it today. As with her other books, it took me a while to get going, not because the book is boring / long-winded, but because Funke is setting the scene. Once I got half way through, the narrative gathered pace and I fairly devoured it!
After the cliff-hanging end of Inkspell, I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. I don't want to write too much, as it would spoil the series for people reading this post!
Inkworld is in its darkest hours. Adderhead and his brother-in-law rule over the land, and Bluejay is needed more than ever. I enjoyed reconnecting with all the characters, though Meggie has become a secondary character, only really showing up to agonise over her suitors, Farid and a newcomer, Daria. Funke's imagination shone through as with the other books, especially in the scenes between the giant and the ancient nests. One thing I didn't like was that there were too many threads, so you kept jumping from one bit of action to another. It was good to get a true end to the story, though Funke is left with quite a few threads she could follow up on.
50soffitta1
31. The Ghost
A juicy thriller, I started this yesterday and just had to finish it off today. Harris takes as a starting point a ghost writer called in to help finish the memoirs of a former British PM, modelled on our very own Tony Blair. The deadline is looming and after the death of Adam Lang's aide, McAra, a pair of fresh eyes is very much needed.
What makes this a good thriller is the setting, we are living in the Post 9/11 world and here we have a take on why the British PM made the decisions he did. This is not non-fiction, but rather a story which takes its starting point in reality, covering many current grievences - the invasion of Iraq, the War on Terror, the use of torture, Guantanamo Bay, Britain's Pro-American stance under Blair. British readers will recognise tell-tale nods to the former PM and his wife, which are almost cruelly rehashed in this book, such as Lang's acting career and his unpopular, but much more astute wife.
A juicy thriller, I started this yesterday and just had to finish it off today. Harris takes as a starting point a ghost writer called in to help finish the memoirs of a former British PM, modelled on our very own Tony Blair. The deadline is looming and after the death of Adam Lang's aide, McAra, a pair of fresh eyes is very much needed.
What makes this a good thriller is the setting, we are living in the Post 9/11 world and here we have a take on why the British PM made the decisions he did. This is not non-fiction, but rather a story which takes its starting point in reality, covering many current grievences - the invasion of Iraq, the War on Terror, the use of torture, Guantanamo Bay, Britain's Pro-American stance under Blair. British readers will recognise tell-tale nods to the former PM and his wife, which are almost cruelly rehashed in this book, such as Lang's acting career and his unpopular, but much more astute wife.
51soffitta1
32. Journey to the Alcarria
A traveller in Nueva Castilla in the '40s. A window into life under Franco, villages and the people in them, the scenery and the observations of the traveller himself.
The traveller does not have a particular journey in mind, rather he follows the trails, often taking the more circuitous route. He seems to prefer chatting with people he meets, from travelling salesmen to old men on their donkeys.
The style of the book is simple, following the traveller's journey, all at a leisurely pace. While it was interesting to read about villages at a certain point in time, the traveller merely observed whereas I, as the reader, was hoping for more insight, although there was an episode where he questioned the meaning of some rhetoric that a teacher's "best student" had learnt. I would also like to know more about the traveller, he offers little of himself, and doesn't always tell the truth to those he speaks to. An interesting read, especially as I now live in Spain, but ultimately it left me feeling as if it lacked the right amount of substance.
I took this out of the local library, and I thought I should read it so I can hand my books back in on Monday or Tuesday. I got a dressing down on Friday, I went to hand back an overdue book (I had tried to renew it when I was on holiday, not realising you could only renew books once), and because of work, it was 10 days late. I asked the lady what my fine would be, she glared at me in a way that I haven't seen since I left school, as if I had not only scribbled over the book and dropped it in the bath (not that I have ever done that - OK, I have dropped a couple of books in the bath, sorry! - I meant she looked at me with a disparaging and disappointed look) and informed me that I was "to be suspended from all library activity until the 21st of August." She said this so sternly, that I squirmed ever so slightly, giving her my excuse in Spanish and she all but tutted at me. What was worse (and funnier in hindsight) was that there was a lady behind me in the queue looking on and I knew that I was being observed by most people there - a blonde girl in my local library is rather an unusual occurance. So, better finish my other book - The Flood - and get it back on time. I hate to think what they do to repeat offenders!!
A traveller in Nueva Castilla in the '40s. A window into life under Franco, villages and the people in them, the scenery and the observations of the traveller himself.
The traveller does not have a particular journey in mind, rather he follows the trails, often taking the more circuitous route. He seems to prefer chatting with people he meets, from travelling salesmen to old men on their donkeys.
The style of the book is simple, following the traveller's journey, all at a leisurely pace. While it was interesting to read about villages at a certain point in time, the traveller merely observed whereas I, as the reader, was hoping for more insight, although there was an episode where he questioned the meaning of some rhetoric that a teacher's "best student" had learnt. I would also like to know more about the traveller, he offers little of himself, and doesn't always tell the truth to those he speaks to. An interesting read, especially as I now live in Spain, but ultimately it left me feeling as if it lacked the right amount of substance.
I took this out of the local library, and I thought I should read it so I can hand my books back in on Monday or Tuesday. I got a dressing down on Friday, I went to hand back an overdue book (I had tried to renew it when I was on holiday, not realising you could only renew books once), and because of work, it was 10 days late. I asked the lady what my fine would be, she glared at me in a way that I haven't seen since I left school, as if I had not only scribbled over the book and dropped it in the bath (not that I have ever done that - OK, I have dropped a couple of books in the bath, sorry! - I meant she looked at me with a disparaging and disappointed look) and informed me that I was "to be suspended from all library activity until the 21st of August." She said this so sternly, that I squirmed ever so slightly, giving her my excuse in Spanish and she all but tutted at me. What was worse (and funnier in hindsight) was that there was a lady behind me in the queue looking on and I knew that I was being observed by most people there - a blonde girl in my local library is rather an unusual occurance. So, better finish my other book - The Flood - and get it back on time. I hate to think what they do to repeat offenders!!
52lkernagh
to be suspended from all library activity until the 21st of August
Ouch! Talk about a tough library system! My library system allows a patron to accrue $10 in fines and then suspends the patron's library activity, but only until the fine has been paid. Once paid, you are automatically in the good books again, in more ways than one!
Now, I will clarify, that is for physical books. The library is also part of a province-wide e-book circulation system. Love it as I can place holds and download books from anywhere with internet access - which means I can now check out library books while on vacation and traveling - but the downside is the e-book will 'disappear' from my e-reader on day 21, whether I have finished the book or not - no overdue fines happening here. I now strategically plan what I will read when with this in mind. ;-)
Ouch! Talk about a tough library system! My library system allows a patron to accrue $10 in fines and then suspends the patron's library activity, but only until the fine has been paid. Once paid, you are automatically in the good books again, in more ways than one!
Now, I will clarify, that is for physical books. The library is also part of a province-wide e-book circulation system. Love it as I can place holds and download books from anywhere with internet access - which means I can now check out library books while on vacation and traveling - but the downside is the e-book will 'disappear' from my e-reader on day 21, whether I have finished the book or not - no overdue fines happening here. I now strategically plan what I will read when with this in mind. ;-)
53soffitta1
That's a pain about e-books. Sometimes I get a book out, but don't get round to it for whatever reason and so often renew them online, so that system would catch me out all the time.
I don't have an e-reader, though the more I travel around, the more I think it'd be a good investment. Books are very expensive here in Spain, especially ones in English.
I don't have an e-reader, though the more I travel around, the more I think it'd be a good investment. Books are very expensive here in Spain, especially ones in English.
54soffitta1
33. The Flood
My second Ian Rankin, I read one of the Rebus books years ago (in fact I have the complete set in the U.K. waiting to be read). This is not a Rebus book, but one of his earlier works.
Mary is left with a permanent reminder of being pushed into the hot burn, her hair went silver over night. Despite being the victim of a bully's attack, sympathy turns to suspicion when the boy dies in the mines later. Mary is tarred with the same brush as her mother, coming from a line of traditional healers, they are thought to be witches. The action then jumps forward, with her son Sandy aged 15. Sandy, a gifted writer, has a few friends, but is becoming more and more drawn to other outsiders, Robert and Rian from the local gypsy camp. The unspoken past is driving a wedge between mother and son. With such darkness right from the start, a darkness that is all too realistic, you can't help but despair of a dark ending.
I don't often get to read books set in the area around where I went to school, especially not one which shows this side of Fife life. Small town superstition mixed with the harsh reality of unemployment, Rankin brings many elements together which make up this gripping read.
That's me at the half way point, a review is coming!
My second Ian Rankin, I read one of the Rebus books years ago (in fact I have the complete set in the U.K. waiting to be read). This is not a Rebus book, but one of his earlier works.
Mary is left with a permanent reminder of being pushed into the hot burn, her hair went silver over night. Despite being the victim of a bully's attack, sympathy turns to suspicion when the boy dies in the mines later. Mary is tarred with the same brush as her mother, coming from a line of traditional healers, they are thought to be witches. The action then jumps forward, with her son Sandy aged 15. Sandy, a gifted writer, has a few friends, but is becoming more and more drawn to other outsiders, Robert and Rian from the local gypsy camp. The unspoken past is driving a wedge between mother and son. With such darkness right from the start, a darkness that is all too realistic, you can't help but despair of a dark ending.
I don't often get to read books set in the area around where I went to school, especially not one which shows this side of Fife life. Small town superstition mixed with the harsh reality of unemployment, Rankin brings many elements together which make up this gripping read.
That's me at the half way point, a review is coming!
55soffitta1
I would say that The Ministry of Fear was the surprise of the quarter, very gripping, well-written and much more than it appeared from the rather dreadful cover. Another thriller I enjoyed was The Ghost, who doesn't want to know why our former PM went into Iraq! I utterly relished finishing the Dr. Siri books I had, books 2 and 3 continued in the same entertaining vein as number 1. I must get my hand on books 4 and 5 (I already have 6 at home).
As for my top 1001 book, that's tough. I finally read The Trial, which had been on my radar for many years. It was much as I expected, carefully constructed narrative pulling you in and then pulling the rug out from beneath you. Fantomas was fun, while it certainly wasn't the best crime book I've read, I could see how many modern writers have been inspired by the style. Though I have to say I was most impressed by Invisible Cities, such beautiful prose, I will have to get my own copy of the book to dip in and out of.
No duffers, which makes me very happy!
Edited to say that I am WAY behind with my reviews, something that I hope to rectify over the next few days.
As for my top 1001 book, that's tough. I finally read The Trial, which had been on my radar for many years. It was much as I expected, carefully constructed narrative pulling you in and then pulling the rug out from beneath you. Fantomas was fun, while it certainly wasn't the best crime book I've read, I could see how many modern writers have been inspired by the style. Though I have to say I was most impressed by Invisible Cities, such beautiful prose, I will have to get my own copy of the book to dip in and out of.
No duffers, which makes me very happy!
Edited to say that I am WAY behind with my reviews, something that I hope to rectify over the next few days.
56cammykitty
@52 Yes! Quite a draconian system there. Our librarians just say thank you as we pay our fines because our lack of organization helps fund the library. The worst they do is giggle.
57soffitta1
Well, I did manage to get the other 2 books I had in on time, so maybe they'll forgive me. Draconian really is the right word!
34. The Rainbow
In The Rainbow, we follow three generations of the Brangwen family from Nottinghamshire, their lives and loves, moving from the 1840s into the 20th Century.
Lawrence shows us that, while social and moral codes have changed, man's, and indeed woman's, desires haven't. The battle between sexual desire and identity is still going on today, although we are freer in our choices, less bound by social norms.
Strangely compelling, I say strangely because at times I wasn't sure what kept me reading. Curiousity maybe, interesting characters certainly, but also possibly because of the lack of external dialogue. I did find the reading exhausting, if that is the correct word, almost binging on a chunk of text, then having to put the book down to digest the narrative.
I read half of this years ago, so am glad to have read it all. I didn't realise that this went with Women in Love, so will have to snaffle a copy from somewhere.
I have also been reading Bangkok 8, for something in contrast to The Rainbow.
34. The Rainbow
In The Rainbow, we follow three generations of the Brangwen family from Nottinghamshire, their lives and loves, moving from the 1840s into the 20th Century.
Lawrence shows us that, while social and moral codes have changed, man's, and indeed woman's, desires haven't. The battle between sexual desire and identity is still going on today, although we are freer in our choices, less bound by social norms.
Strangely compelling, I say strangely because at times I wasn't sure what kept me reading. Curiousity maybe, interesting characters certainly, but also possibly because of the lack of external dialogue. I did find the reading exhausting, if that is the correct word, almost binging on a chunk of text, then having to put the book down to digest the narrative.
I read half of this years ago, so am glad to have read it all. I didn't realise that this went with Women in Love, so will have to snaffle a copy from somewhere.
I have also been reading Bangkok 8, for something in contrast to The Rainbow.
58soffitta1
35. Bangkok 8
Set in the underbelly of Bangkok society, Bangkok is the first in a series of crime novels starring Sonchai Jitpleecheap, a Eurasian cop.
Sonchai and his partner, both devout Buddhists after being involved in a murder, are unusual policemen, they are not corrupt. This makes them the perfect duo to follow an American serviceman who is up to now good. They see him die a violent death, one in which Sonchai's fellow officer is also killed. Sonchai starts digging in order to get revenge on whoever the murderer is.
Bangkok 8 moves at quick pace, but at times it feels like Burdett is throwing too many criminal ingredients into the pot, watering down their individual flavour. Highly entertaining at times, especially in the contradiction of the main character and also in his interaction with his female American counterpart. I'd recommend this as a beach read, but would say it's better than the average potboiler.
Set in the underbelly of Bangkok society, Bangkok is the first in a series of crime novels starring Sonchai Jitpleecheap, a Eurasian cop.
Sonchai and his partner, both devout Buddhists after being involved in a murder, are unusual policemen, they are not corrupt. This makes them the perfect duo to follow an American serviceman who is up to now good. They see him die a violent death, one in which Sonchai's fellow officer is also killed. Sonchai starts digging in order to get revenge on whoever the murderer is.
Bangkok 8 moves at quick pace, but at times it feels like Burdett is throwing too many criminal ingredients into the pot, watering down their individual flavour. Highly entertaining at times, especially in the contradiction of the main character and also in his interaction with his female American counterpart. I'd recommend this as a beach read, but would say it's better than the average potboiler.
59katrinasreads
Have you read Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge? It's similar in a way to Inkheart - I've only read the first of these. If not I'll have to see if I still have my copy and send you it, definitely worth a read.
60soffitta1
Thanks for the offer, that's a new series on me! If you still had it, that'd be great. Always looking for new books, though I know I should be reading from that stack in the UK ;)
61soffitta1
36. Timeline
I got this at a second hand bookshop in Segovia having already seen the film.
Physics wunderkind Doniger is the owner of ITC, an advanced, but highly secretive, facility in New Mexico. Suspicions are raised when one of his employees is found wandering in the desert dressed as a monk and clutching a map of a 14th Century French church. When 'contamination', a lens from the professor's glasses, are found in a sealed room on a dig, Johnston's team are let in on the big secret, ITC have found a way to travel back in time. There is a catch though, the professor is trapped back there and needs to be rescued, but the technology is not reliable.
As with Jurassic Park, I liked reading about a possible scenario brought about by technological advances. Crichton doesn't only show us the alternative reality, but also seems to encourage the reader to think about its implications, such as whether time travellers can / should change the past through interference, whether the human body is too complicated to be transported as a piece of code, and also how each time has its own code for living.
Crichton packs in a lot of technological detail, adding another dimension to the plot, turning it into a page-turning sci-fi thriller.
37. The Righteous Men
I got this through Bookmooch after reading and enjoying The Final Reckoning a couple of years ago.
Here we have a cracking thriller where Anglo-American journalist, Will stumbles across a big story, the magnitude of it confirmed by the kidnapping of his wife, Beth.
As the book deals with a religious prophecy, it is unsurprising that comparisons are made between it and The Da Vinci Code (such as the blurb on the book itself). While I believe a Da Vinci Code fan would enjoy this book, there are major differences. Will, unlike Landon, may be the sleuth, but he is not expert, this means we learn new information as he does, and making him much more likeable. As a journalist, Bourne has a good style, with few unnecessary passages. I recommend this for anyone looking for a well-written thriller.
I got this at a second hand bookshop in Segovia having already seen the film.
Physics wunderkind Doniger is the owner of ITC, an advanced, but highly secretive, facility in New Mexico. Suspicions are raised when one of his employees is found wandering in the desert dressed as a monk and clutching a map of a 14th Century French church. When 'contamination', a lens from the professor's glasses, are found in a sealed room on a dig, Johnston's team are let in on the big secret, ITC have found a way to travel back in time. There is a catch though, the professor is trapped back there and needs to be rescued, but the technology is not reliable.
As with Jurassic Park, I liked reading about a possible scenario brought about by technological advances. Crichton doesn't only show us the alternative reality, but also seems to encourage the reader to think about its implications, such as whether time travellers can / should change the past through interference, whether the human body is too complicated to be transported as a piece of code, and also how each time has its own code for living.
Crichton packs in a lot of technological detail, adding another dimension to the plot, turning it into a page-turning sci-fi thriller.
37. The Righteous Men
I got this through Bookmooch after reading and enjoying The Final Reckoning a couple of years ago.
Here we have a cracking thriller where Anglo-American journalist, Will stumbles across a big story, the magnitude of it confirmed by the kidnapping of his wife, Beth.
As the book deals with a religious prophecy, it is unsurprising that comparisons are made between it and The Da Vinci Code (such as the blurb on the book itself). While I believe a Da Vinci Code fan would enjoy this book, there are major differences. Will, unlike Landon, may be the sleuth, but he is not expert, this means we learn new information as he does, and making him much more likeable. As a journalist, Bourne has a good style, with few unnecessary passages. I recommend this for anyone looking for a well-written thriller.
62soffitta1
38. Billiards at Half-Past Nine
I was keen to read this having studied another of Boell's books at school.
There are two types of people, those who take the Host of the Lamb and those who take the Host of the Beast, or in other words, those who are for peace and those who are for war. Billiards at Half-past Nine shares this anti-war, anti-establishment theme with Katharina Blum, but this time there isn't one main character, rather we see how different generations of family have been tainted by war.
I enjoyed reading my second Boell, and the style of the book, in which the narrative jumped from person to person.
I was keen to read this having studied another of Boell's books at school.
There are two types of people, those who take the Host of the Lamb and those who take the Host of the Beast, or in other words, those who are for peace and those who are for war. Billiards at Half-past Nine shares this anti-war, anti-establishment theme with Katharina Blum, but this time there isn't one main character, rather we see how different generations of family have been tainted by war.
I enjoyed reading my second Boell, and the style of the book, in which the narrative jumped from person to person.
63soffitta1
39. Bitter Grounds
Benitez takes us through modern history of El Salvador through the relationships of three generations of women from two very different backgrounds.
The political situation affects everyone's lives in the book, from the Matanza to the violence of the 1970s. Setting these three pairs and their stories against such a background helps to humanise the history, making it more real to a reader unfamiliar with El Salvador. Women dominate the book, as mothers, home-makers, but also as the ones left to deal with the aftermath. Benitez shows the bonds that transcend wealth and situation, bonds so strong that it makes the betrayals so much more painful.
I enjoyed the touches of magical realism, from Mercedes seeing the ghosts or spirits of the dead to Elena's ring which seems bewitched. Another enjoyable thread running through the book was that of the radio soap opera to which everyone is addicted, another element which transcends class, but also mirrors aspects of the main plot.
Benitez takes us through modern history of El Salvador through the relationships of three generations of women from two very different backgrounds.
The political situation affects everyone's lives in the book, from the Matanza to the violence of the 1970s. Setting these three pairs and their stories against such a background helps to humanise the history, making it more real to a reader unfamiliar with El Salvador. Women dominate the book, as mothers, home-makers, but also as the ones left to deal with the aftermath. Benitez shows the bonds that transcend wealth and situation, bonds so strong that it makes the betrayals so much more painful.
I enjoyed the touches of magical realism, from Mercedes seeing the ghosts or spirits of the dead to Elena's ring which seems bewitched. Another enjoyable thread running through the book was that of the radio soap opera to which everyone is addicted, another element which transcends class, but also mirrors aspects of the main plot.
64soffitta1
40. The Swimming Pool Library
I had already read a book by the author and was keen to see how this one measured up.
Through the proganist's life and that of his friends, and especially Nantwich's diaries, the reader gets a slice of the life of a British gay man and attitudes have changed.
I started out enjoying the book, but when it seemed to just turn into one anonymous liason after another, I felt I lost interest in it.
I had already read a book by the author and was keen to see how this one measured up.
Through the proganist's life and that of his friends, and especially Nantwich's diaries, the reader gets a slice of the life of a British gay man and attitudes have changed.
I started out enjoying the book, but when it seemed to just turn into one anonymous liason after another, I felt I lost interest in it.
65cammykitty
Bitter Grounds looks like a good book for the WL. There are quite a few Salvadoran immigrants in the school I work at.
67cammykitty
Ah, I requested The FARC but got something else. I'll be interested in see what you think. 13 13 challenge, I'll have to have a Central America section!
68soffitta1
I was torn between requesting The FARC and another from the same press about Chocolate.
Re Central America - sounds like a great plan, such a diverse region! My brother has been passing on interesting books, and there are more of his at my parents'. Next up from Latin America is Still Love in Strange Places. With the amount of books I have TBR, I could lay out my 12 12 and 13 13 Challenges without buying a book! Of course, that wouldn't be as fun as stealing ideas from other threads...
41. The FARC
Journalist Garry Leech takes us through the history of the Colombian guerrilla group, emerging out of the La Violencia up to today. Told in chronological order, we can see that while the FARC has changed both in itself and in the perception of others - as best shown in chapter 5 : 'Narco-guerrillas' to Narco-terrorists' – the reason for its success appears to have remained constant, the government's lack of interest in the poorer areas of the country. Another important issue covered in the book is that of US intervention in Colombia, ostensibly due to the war on drugs.
My main criticism would be its length, while it is great as an introduction, I would have liked to have gone into more detail, though this would be a good book for someone who wants to get an outline of the FARC.
42. Unless
Definitely one of the best books I have read all year. I was happy to see this in the 1001-Library as I had read “The Stone Diaries” a couple of years ago and was very impressed by it.
Unless takes you through a difficult year for the Winters, a middle-class Toronto family, composed of happily married parents, Tom and Reta, and their three girls. This makes it even harder for them to comprehend why their eldest daughter, Norah, a promising uni student, is sitting on a street corner with a sign saying “goodness” and sleeping in a shelter. Through Reta, who narrates the book, we see a family's struggle to understand both Norah's action and her enigmatic sign.
Unsurprisingly, the book revolves around female characters: Reta and her daughters, Reta's quiet mother-in-law, Mrs. McGinn, the unknown previous inhabitant of Reta's house as well has her writing circle, and of course Danielle Westerman. Their lives are very different, each making decisions faced by all women – family, career, sexuality. It is Danielle Westerman who expresses the problem faced by women, doomed to goodness and not greatness. This is the underlying theme of the novel, echoing the struggle for equality that Reta describes in her book, which, while it is not a problem in her marriage, is a reality in her life. It is most eloquently expressed in her ever angrier letters she writes, her outrage at how women are treated, how they are glossed over in the literary world. I was interested to see, though, that in her adopted country of Canada, women are more than well-represented on the 1001 list.
One of those books that sneaks up on you, I thought it was going to drag me through the emotional wringer, but I wasn't expecting such a discussion on the state of women today. I will have to get another copy to keep.
Re Central America - sounds like a great plan, such a diverse region! My brother has been passing on interesting books, and there are more of his at my parents'. Next up from Latin America is Still Love in Strange Places. With the amount of books I have TBR, I could lay out my 12 12 and 13 13 Challenges without buying a book! Of course, that wouldn't be as fun as stealing ideas from other threads...
41. The FARC
Journalist Garry Leech takes us through the history of the Colombian guerrilla group, emerging out of the La Violencia up to today. Told in chronological order, we can see that while the FARC has changed both in itself and in the perception of others - as best shown in chapter 5 : 'Narco-guerrillas' to Narco-terrorists' – the reason for its success appears to have remained constant, the government's lack of interest in the poorer areas of the country. Another important issue covered in the book is that of US intervention in Colombia, ostensibly due to the war on drugs.
My main criticism would be its length, while it is great as an introduction, I would have liked to have gone into more detail, though this would be a good book for someone who wants to get an outline of the FARC.
42. Unless
Definitely one of the best books I have read all year. I was happy to see this in the 1001-Library as I had read “The Stone Diaries” a couple of years ago and was very impressed by it.
Unless takes you through a difficult year for the Winters, a middle-class Toronto family, composed of happily married parents, Tom and Reta, and their three girls. This makes it even harder for them to comprehend why their eldest daughter, Norah, a promising uni student, is sitting on a street corner with a sign saying “goodness” and sleeping in a shelter. Through Reta, who narrates the book, we see a family's struggle to understand both Norah's action and her enigmatic sign.
Unsurprisingly, the book revolves around female characters: Reta and her daughters, Reta's quiet mother-in-law, Mrs. McGinn, the unknown previous inhabitant of Reta's house as well has her writing circle, and of course Danielle Westerman. Their lives are very different, each making decisions faced by all women – family, career, sexuality. It is Danielle Westerman who expresses the problem faced by women, doomed to goodness and not greatness. This is the underlying theme of the novel, echoing the struggle for equality that Reta describes in her book, which, while it is not a problem in her marriage, is a reality in her life. It is most eloquently expressed in her ever angrier letters she writes, her outrage at how women are treated, how they are glossed over in the literary world. I was interested to see, though, that in her adopted country of Canada, women are more than well-represented on the 1001 list.
One of those books that sneaks up on you, I thought it was going to drag me through the emotional wringer, but I wasn't expecting such a discussion on the state of women today. I will have to get another copy to keep.
69cammykitty
I think I will look into the FARC. The ya adventure book I read, First Descent, was even more cynical. She implied that the war was being waged on and around indigenous land, and everyone wanted the indigenous people out of there so the land could be used for something else. Ugly situation.
70soffitta1
This is also mentioned in The FARC, Leech underlines the fact that the majority of victims are bystanders and that despite attempts to stay out of the conflict, indigenous areas have become battle zones. As for First Descent, another one to add to the wishlist!
43. Still Love in Strange Places
Another El Salvador book from my brother, though this one is based on the family history of the author's husband. Not as good as Bitter Grounds, mainly because I found the author's interjections jarring, as if she was trying to appropriate her husband's background for her own. It did get better, as the book went on. It was interesting to read two books in close succession on a country I knew very little about, and of very different styles. This one dealt more with the family's relationship with the land rather than between people.
43. Still Love in Strange Places
Another El Salvador book from my brother, though this one is based on the family history of the author's husband. Not as good as Bitter Grounds, mainly because I found the author's interjections jarring, as if she was trying to appropriate her husband's background for her own. It did get better, as the book went on. It was interesting to read two books in close succession on a country I knew very little about, and of very different styles. This one dealt more with the family's relationship with the land rather than between people.
71cammykitty
70 the majority of victims are bystanders That's the saddest thing about it. First Descent, although it's primary reason to be is as an adventure story, made it real clear that the indigenous people were caught in the middle, even having their crops and fish killed by the duster planes that were meant to destroy coca crops.
72soffitta1
The book also told of farmers who'd moved away from coca having their crops destroyed in the spraying, and also of damage to their health.
44. Year of Wonders
After reading March, I went looking for Brooks' back catalogue and found this, her début novel.
The book is narrated by Anna, a maid living in a small English village, Eyram The book opens a year after the Black Death hits the local population, the first victim in Anna's own cottage. On the impassioned advice of the rector, Mompellion, the village quarantines itself so as not to infect others through their flight. The contact with the outside world is reduced to food left at the boundary stone, where villages can also leave requests for other items.
The narrative is split, starting a year after the plague striking before jumping back to the first case, and finally continuing Anna's story. This technique, while giving us some of the ending in advance, actually heightens the tension as you read on to find out how the plot unfolds.
The novel makes the reader ask themselves how they would act, and react, in such difficult circumstances. Would we be stoic, putting the well-being of others before ourselves as Mompellion, Elinor and Anna do in different ways, or would we take advantage as in the case of Anna's father? This is a well-researched book with good characters, and I like a book that provokes.
44. Year of Wonders
After reading March, I went looking for Brooks' back catalogue and found this, her début novel.
The book is narrated by Anna, a maid living in a small English village, Eyram The book opens a year after the Black Death hits the local population, the first victim in Anna's own cottage. On the impassioned advice of the rector, Mompellion, the village quarantines itself so as not to infect others through their flight. The contact with the outside world is reduced to food left at the boundary stone, where villages can also leave requests for other items.
The narrative is split, starting a year after the plague striking before jumping back to the first case, and finally continuing Anna's story. This technique, while giving us some of the ending in advance, actually heightens the tension as you read on to find out how the plot unfolds.
The novel makes the reader ask themselves how they would act, and react, in such difficult circumstances. Would we be stoic, putting the well-being of others before ourselves as Mompellion, Elinor and Anna do in different ways, or would we take advantage as in the case of Anna's father? This is a well-researched book with good characters, and I like a book that provokes.
73soffitta1
45. On the Road
I've had this book on my shelf for a while, bought as part of a Penguin 10 pack from a charity shop.
Who hasn't dreamt of chucking it all in and hitting the road, seeing how far you can get and meeting strange, new people? Sal Paradise is ready for a new experience, recently divorced, he's a writer always on the look out for inspiration.
I was disappointed with this, I suppose it was because I didn't connect with Sal and I know that if I met Dean in real life, I would want to slap him. I did enjoy Kerouac's style of narrative, fittingly like listening to someone telling you a story over a pint, but found my interest waning as he described the truly egotistical Dean jumping in with both feet yet again, never thinking of others.
I've had this book on my shelf for a while, bought as part of a Penguin 10 pack from a charity shop.
Who hasn't dreamt of chucking it all in and hitting the road, seeing how far you can get and meeting strange, new people? Sal Paradise is ready for a new experience, recently divorced, he's a writer always on the look out for inspiration.
I was disappointed with this, I suppose it was because I didn't connect with Sal and I know that if I met Dean in real life, I would want to slap him. I did enjoy Kerouac's style of narrative, fittingly like listening to someone telling you a story over a pint, but found my interest waning as he described the truly egotistical Dean jumping in with both feet yet again, never thinking of others.
74soffitta1
46. The Little Stranger
Finished in the cafe today, really enjoyed it.
I would count Fingersmith as one of my favourite books, Waters' carefully constructed text and great plot blew me away. I made sure to get hold of all her other books, and was excited to see she has a new book.
Dr. Faraday is called out to Hundreds, a slowly decaying stately home in Warwickshire, to see to the young housemaid, Betty. Betty complains of a stomach trouble, but the doctor can tell she is faking. She confessed this to be true, confiding in him her fear of the house, of a strange presence.
Strange things start happening in the house, are they the feverish imaginings of over-stretched minds, or does tragedy beget tragedy? Or is there really a malignant presence doing its best to drive the inhabitants to madness? I enjoyed the tension Waters created, a constant state of agitation in which the reader waits for the house's “infection”, as one of the characters calls it, to manifest itself. The Little Stranger is quite a departure from her previous work, while she has used the supernatural as a secondary device before, here we have all the hallmark elements of a classic ghost story, a seemingly haunted house with strange happenings, a family touched by tragedy and mental anguish. Highly recommended.
I've started One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, it's barely nine a.m. in the book and Ivan has already been punished on a false charge, had to eat a cold breakfast (cruel as it is winter), failed to be signed of sick and is having to undress outside. I feel that it will indeed be a long (and cold) day.
I had meant to start Cider with Rosie, but still can't shake the memory of having it forced on me at school.
Finished in the cafe today, really enjoyed it.
I would count Fingersmith as one of my favourite books, Waters' carefully constructed text and great plot blew me away. I made sure to get hold of all her other books, and was excited to see she has a new book.
Dr. Faraday is called out to Hundreds, a slowly decaying stately home in Warwickshire, to see to the young housemaid, Betty. Betty complains of a stomach trouble, but the doctor can tell she is faking. She confessed this to be true, confiding in him her fear of the house, of a strange presence.
Strange things start happening in the house, are they the feverish imaginings of over-stretched minds, or does tragedy beget tragedy? Or is there really a malignant presence doing its best to drive the inhabitants to madness? I enjoyed the tension Waters created, a constant state of agitation in which the reader waits for the house's “infection”, as one of the characters calls it, to manifest itself. The Little Stranger is quite a departure from her previous work, while she has used the supernatural as a secondary device before, here we have all the hallmark elements of a classic ghost story, a seemingly haunted house with strange happenings, a family touched by tragedy and mental anguish. Highly recommended.
I've started One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, it's barely nine a.m. in the book and Ivan has already been punished on a false charge, had to eat a cold breakfast (cruel as it is winter), failed to be signed of sick and is having to undress outside. I feel that it will indeed be a long (and cold) day.
I had meant to start Cider with Rosie, but still can't shake the memory of having it forced on me at school.
75cammykitty
Poor Ivan! I haven't read that one yet, & will be looking forward to your review. At this moment, sounds like the literary version of Alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad day. ;)
76soffitta1
It was really good, the book, and short (not many 1001 books are 150 pages!). Ivan was a good character to follow, just the average Joe caught up by the regime, 8 years into a 10 year stretch, he has learnt how to survive without losing his humanity.
47. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
As the title says, this is a day in the life of a man in a Gulag, from reveille to bedtime. Taking us through the daily struggle to make food last and even get your hands on more, the work they must do and the complicated structure of the camp itself. Most of the time, the main character, Shukhov, is preoccupied with food, the lack of it, how to get more of it, and if that is possible, how to safeguard it from other hungry inmates.
The fact Shukhov doesn't see this as a “bad” day, despite such hardship, gives the reader quite a jolt, especially when you know that the author spent time in a similar camp. Shukhov does show up the ridiculousness of both the regime that has punished him and the system he has to live under in the camp, with paranoia and strange decisions being taken all the time. He has learnt how to survive without losing his humanity.
I would highly recommend this, both for the style of prose and also for the study of man in such a harsh situation.
47. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
As the title says, this is a day in the life of a man in a Gulag, from reveille to bedtime. Taking us through the daily struggle to make food last and even get your hands on more, the work they must do and the complicated structure of the camp itself. Most of the time, the main character, Shukhov, is preoccupied with food, the lack of it, how to get more of it, and if that is possible, how to safeguard it from other hungry inmates.
The fact Shukhov doesn't see this as a “bad” day, despite such hardship, gives the reader quite a jolt, especially when you know that the author spent time in a similar camp. Shukhov does show up the ridiculousness of both the regime that has punished him and the system he has to live under in the camp, with paranoia and strange decisions being taken all the time. He has learnt how to survive without losing his humanity.
I would highly recommend this, both for the style of prose and also for the study of man in such a harsh situation.
77soffitta1
48. The Good Soldier Schweik
I loved this! It was amusing, as well as insightful on the different nations that made up the Austro-Hungarian empire. Hašek gives us not only a satire on the army and war, but also of the church and people in power. Whilst it is very much set in a specific period, we still live in an time with war, so this anti-war novel is still relevant.
I loved this! It was amusing, as well as insightful on the different nations that made up the Austro-Hungarian empire. Hašek gives us not only a satire on the army and war, but also of the church and people in power. Whilst it is very much set in a specific period, we still live in an time with war, so this anti-war novel is still relevant.
78soffitta1
49. The Alchemist's Daughter
Another long term TBR.
Emilie is the daughter in question, brought up in the country by her father, an follower of Newton. She is taught from an early age to think analytically, to aid her father in his experiments. Every year, Emilie finds a perfect rose in the garden which they dry out under glass, trying to find a way to reanimate it. Unfortunately, while Emilie's education has been well-fostered, she has been shielded from the real world by those around her, with her intelligence matched only by her naivety.
There is nothing that surprising in this historical romance, but the science of the time seemed well-researched. Many scientific norms we take for granted now where the subject of experimenting at that time, for example the science of fire.
Enjoyable historical romance, I look forward to reading more of her work.
Another long term TBR.
Emilie is the daughter in question, brought up in the country by her father, an follower of Newton. She is taught from an early age to think analytically, to aid her father in his experiments. Every year, Emilie finds a perfect rose in the garden which they dry out under glass, trying to find a way to reanimate it. Unfortunately, while Emilie's education has been well-fostered, she has been shielded from the real world by those around her, with her intelligence matched only by her naivety.
There is nothing that surprising in this historical romance, but the science of the time seemed well-researched. Many scientific norms we take for granted now where the subject of experimenting at that time, for example the science of fire.
Enjoyable historical romance, I look forward to reading more of her work.
79soffitta1
50. Brazzaville Beach
Knocking off yet another from Mount TBR. Not what I was expecting, neither from the cover nor the blurb, but still good.
Knocking off yet another from Mount TBR.
The book was not what I was expecting, neither from the cover nor the blurb. The book starts with the main character, Hope, on the titular beach and then diverges, going over her experiences in Angola, her marriage to a maths professor and continuing her current story.
The book covers a lot of different areas - research on chimps, maths theories and the Angolan civil war - but mostly it dealt with humans and how they act and treat each other.
I did enjoy the book, it is my 4th Boyd, and very different from the others. I would agree with a review I read that the main character, Hope, didn't always ring true as a woman. Overall, though, I would recommend this book.
Knocking off yet another from Mount TBR. Not what I was expecting, neither from the cover nor the blurb, but still good.
Knocking off yet another from Mount TBR.
The book was not what I was expecting, neither from the cover nor the blurb. The book starts with the main character, Hope, on the titular beach and then diverges, going over her experiences in Angola, her marriage to a maths professor and continuing her current story.
The book covers a lot of different areas - research on chimps, maths theories and the Angolan civil war - but mostly it dealt with humans and how they act and treat each other.
I did enjoy the book, it is my 4th Boyd, and very different from the others. I would agree with a review I read that the main character, Hope, didn't always ring true as a woman. Overall, though, I would recommend this book.
80AHS-Wolfy
Brazzaville Beach is one of a few that's on my tbr shelves by William Boyd. Glad you enjoyed it.
81soffitta1
I'd recommend it. I would agree with a review I read that the main character, Hope, didn't always ring true as a woman. It touches on a lot of different areas - research on chimps, maths theories and the Angolan civil war - but mostly it dealt with humans and how they act and treat each other. It was my 4th Boyd.
82AHS-Wolfy
The only one I've read so far is Ordinary Thunderstorms and liked it well enough to pick up a few others but haven't got round to reading any yet. Will have to move one further up the queue.
83soffitta1
What a coincidence, I bought that today! I went to the charity shops in the small town where my parents live and saw it on the shelf. I have to admit, I may have bought a few books, I couldn't resist when the most expensive were £1.40 each! I got a bargain with The New York Trilogy for 90p.
I am going to see if I can resist them and read some more from my shelves.
Picked up Shanghai Baby, been on the TBR pile for a couple of years.
I am going to see if I can resist them and read some more from my shelves.
Picked up Shanghai Baby, been on the TBR pile for a couple of years.
84soffitta1
The third quarter for my 11 in 11 Step Challenge has gone quickly as I am on holiday. I cracked on with my 52x 1001 books in 2011, nearly completing the category. I had a wee bit of a reshuffle after my Mum brought out another stack of books to Spain, and as I'm going back home for a few days, there will be more changes to come. This will help with tackling my TBR pile.
Top 1001 books include The Rainbow, following three generations of the Brangwen family from Nottinghamshire, their lives and loves, moving from the 1840s into the 20th Century. I have managed to get a copy of Women in Love through Bookmooch which continues the story. I think my favourite, though, was Unless, which just blew me away. I would also recommend One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and the very funny The Good Soldier Schweik.
As for the rest, I read the thriller The Righteous Men, which was a thriller in the vein of The Da Vinci Code, though more readable. The Little Stranger was up to Sarah Waters' high standards. Bitter Grounds was a good read, one of a stack of Latin American books my brother has passed on to me since moving over there for work. The history of El Salvador came alive with the story of three generations of women. I also got some long term TBR books off my conscience, the best being Year of Wonders, about the Black Death, and Brazzaville Beach.
As for the other end of the scale, I found On the Road very disappointing, it just didn't live up to the hype for me.
Top 1001 books include The Rainbow, following three generations of the Brangwen family from Nottinghamshire, their lives and loves, moving from the 1840s into the 20th Century. I have managed to get a copy of Women in Love through Bookmooch which continues the story. I think my favourite, though, was Unless, which just blew me away. I would also recommend One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and the very funny The Good Soldier Schweik.
As for the rest, I read the thriller The Righteous Men, which was a thriller in the vein of The Da Vinci Code, though more readable. The Little Stranger was up to Sarah Waters' high standards. Bitter Grounds was a good read, one of a stack of Latin American books my brother has passed on to me since moving over there for work. The history of El Salvador came alive with the story of three generations of women. I also got some long term TBR books off my conscience, the best being Year of Wonders, about the Black Death, and Brazzaville Beach.
As for the other end of the scale, I found On the Road very disappointing, it just didn't live up to the hype for me.
85soffitta1
51. Shanghai Baby
I saw this on my shelf and thought I should pick it up, it has been there a while! I spent a few weeks in Shanghai back in 2004, so this really caught my eye.
It is all about a love triangle between Coco, her boyfriendl, Tian Tian, and German expat, Mark. This is a side of Shanghai that you don't often see in literature, in fact if the locations had been changed, you would have believed it had taken place in New York or London. In the end, it wasn't what I hoped it would be, it seemed as if the writer was trying too hard to be shocking.
I saw this on my shelf and thought I should pick it up, it has been there a while! I spent a few weeks in Shanghai back in 2004, so this really caught my eye.
It is all about a love triangle between Coco, her boyfriendl, Tian Tian, and German expat, Mark. This is a side of Shanghai that you don't often see in literature, in fact if the locations had been changed, you would have believed it had taken place in New York or London. In the end, it wasn't what I hoped it would be, it seemed as if the writer was trying too hard to be shocking.
86soffitta1
52. Rabbit Proof Fence
Again, had this for a while.
This is the story of three girls taken from their family to be brought up in a facility in the south of Australia who escape and make their way back home. The three girls in question are Molly, Daisy and their cousin, Gracie, mixed race children from Jigalong, are removed from their family to be trained as domestic servants. They leave the facility one night and manage to get home, using the rabbit-proof fence which ran north to south as their guide.
I enjoyed the book, but ultimately wish it had been longer and included Pilkington's own story
Again, had this for a while.
This is the story of three girls taken from their family to be brought up in a facility in the south of Australia who escape and make their way back home. The three girls in question are Molly, Daisy and their cousin, Gracie, mixed race children from Jigalong, are removed from their family to be trained as domestic servants. They leave the facility one night and manage to get home, using the rabbit-proof fence which ran north to south as their guide.
I enjoyed the book, but ultimately wish it had been longer and included Pilkington's own story
87soffitta1
53. Walking the Lions
Another from the TBR mountain.
Alex inherits a farm from his aunt in Catalonia, an aunt he thought had died young. He flies in from the States, into an unknown place, where even the language, Catalan, is new to him. Right from the off, there is something bad about the inheritance. Alex is sure he is being followed, and when he goes to check out the farm, he is threatened.
I did enjoy the book, though it felt like he was throwing too many elements at us all at once. It did bring up some good questions, do people really want to know what happened in the Spanish Civil War? When do we draw a line? I really liked the cultural references, I am a complete language geek, so I could related to Alex writing down Catalan words, trying to make sense of both the language and the culture
Another from the TBR mountain.
Alex inherits a farm from his aunt in Catalonia, an aunt he thought had died young. He flies in from the States, into an unknown place, where even the language, Catalan, is new to him. Right from the off, there is something bad about the inheritance. Alex is sure he is being followed, and when he goes to check out the farm, he is threatened.
I did enjoy the book, though it felt like he was throwing too many elements at us all at once. It did bring up some good questions, do people really want to know what happened in the Spanish Civil War? When do we draw a line? I really liked the cultural references, I am a complete language geek, so I could related to Alex writing down Catalan words, trying to make sense of both the language and the culture
88soffitta1
54. Beedle the Bard
Mum gave it to us for Christmas, a family copy which disappeared into my brother's room. Yesterday I decided to snaffle it. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the comments by Dumbledore. I only wish Cornelia Funke would do a similar book for Inkheart.
I've had this for a while, but decided to dust it off and read it after seeing the last film. Rowling gives us 5 tales, well-known in the wizarding world, along with Dumbledore's notes on them.
Of the 5, the most familiar is the last, The Tale of the Three Brothers, an integral part of the Harry Potter plots. Three of the others are mentioned by name in the books, but the third is new, The Warlock's Hairy Heart.
Rowling takes the traditional fairy tale and gives it a twist, for the stories are told to those who live in a world of magic. Like fairy tales, there are morals to be learnt. Rowling's inclusion of Dumbledore's notes on the stories which include his interpretation of them as well as telling us about how others regard the books, including Lucius Malfoy's complaints about the muggle-loving aspect, give the book an added dimension for the Harry Potter fan. Though, it must be said that the stories could be read and enjoyed by someone who didn't not follow the Harry Potter stories. This is a book to keep at hand, to reread, especially because of the great illustrations.
Mum gave it to us for Christmas, a family copy which disappeared into my brother's room. Yesterday I decided to snaffle it. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the comments by Dumbledore. I only wish Cornelia Funke would do a similar book for Inkheart.
I've had this for a while, but decided to dust it off and read it after seeing the last film. Rowling gives us 5 tales, well-known in the wizarding world, along with Dumbledore's notes on them.
Of the 5, the most familiar is the last, The Tale of the Three Brothers, an integral part of the Harry Potter plots. Three of the others are mentioned by name in the books, but the third is new, The Warlock's Hairy Heart.
Rowling takes the traditional fairy tale and gives it a twist, for the stories are told to those who live in a world of magic. Like fairy tales, there are morals to be learnt. Rowling's inclusion of Dumbledore's notes on the stories which include his interpretation of them as well as telling us about how others regard the books, including Lucius Malfoy's complaints about the muggle-loving aspect, give the book an added dimension for the Harry Potter fan. Though, it must be said that the stories could be read and enjoyed by someone who didn't not follow the Harry Potter stories. This is a book to keep at hand, to reread, especially because of the great illustrations.
90cammykitty
Walking the Lions sounds good.
91soffitta1
It was different, I was surprised to see that the author hasn't written any other fiction, though his non-fiction about language sounds good.
55. Into the Wild
I wasn't sure what to expect, I haven't seen the film. A young graduate walks out of his life and is found dead 2 years later in Alaska. The author tries to track down his route and discuss why he went to Alaska. It was interesting, I think everyone has dreamed about getting away at some point in their life, but few would take it to the extreme that Alex / Chris did.
55. Into the Wild
I wasn't sure what to expect, I haven't seen the film. A young graduate walks out of his life and is found dead 2 years later in Alaska. The author tries to track down his route and discuss why he went to Alaska. It was interesting, I think everyone has dreamed about getting away at some point in their life, but few would take it to the extreme that Alex / Chris did.
92soffitta1
56. The Secret Mandarin
Another long term TBR. An actress gives birth to a love child and is banished from London, she ends up travelling with her brother-in-law, a botanist with a mission. His assignment is to sneak the closely guarded tea plant from Chinese soil. As foreigners are forbidden to travel in China, and the removal of tea a capital offence, the two must travel in disguise, as Chinese.
I enjoyed this, it wasn't a ground breaking romance, but the back story and setting made it worth a read.
I am sneaking this into my food category, even though it is the wrong type of mandarin ;)
Another long term TBR. An actress gives birth to a love child and is banished from London, she ends up travelling with her brother-in-law, a botanist with a mission. His assignment is to sneak the closely guarded tea plant from Chinese soil. As foreigners are forbidden to travel in China, and the removal of tea a capital offence, the two must travel in disguise, as Chinese.
I enjoyed this, it wasn't a ground breaking romance, but the back story and setting made it worth a read.
I am sneaking this into my food category, even though it is the wrong type of mandarin ;)
93cammykitty
Ah, but it involves tea -- which falls into the category "food & drink." I put Life of Pi in my animal behavior category, so go for it. You aren't cheating any more than the rest of us. ;)
94soffitta1
True!
57. The Resurrectionist
The dark world of the early days of anatomy and those who supplied them with the bodies. Gabriel Swift starts the book as an apprentice, preparing bodies for anatomy lectures, but becomes involved with the men that supply the bodies, which pushes him down the road to social and moral ruin.
The historical detail is very interesting, from the descriptions of the anatomy sessions and foetuses suspended in embalming fluid to how the corpses are seemingly taken by order from graves. But there is a but. I did enjoy the writing, but found it rather strange, sparingly written, which sometimes left me cold and I lost my sympathy for Swift. Interesting read, but I feel it lacked the necessary substance to be good.
I'd like to think that the fact I am reading long term TBR books had made a dent in the pile, but it doesn't seem to have!
57. The Resurrectionist
The dark world of the early days of anatomy and those who supplied them with the bodies. Gabriel Swift starts the book as an apprentice, preparing bodies for anatomy lectures, but becomes involved with the men that supply the bodies, which pushes him down the road to social and moral ruin.
The historical detail is very interesting, from the descriptions of the anatomy sessions and foetuses suspended in embalming fluid to how the corpses are seemingly taken by order from graves. But there is a but. I did enjoy the writing, but found it rather strange, sparingly written, which sometimes left me cold and I lost my sympathy for Swift. Interesting read, but I feel it lacked the necessary substance to be good.
I'd like to think that the fact I am reading long term TBR books had made a dent in the pile, but it doesn't seem to have!
95soffitta1
COMPLETED CATEGORY:
10x Crime
Crime, mystery, thriller
1. The Trial **1001 Book
2. The Ministry of Fear
3. The Winter Ghosts
4. The Ghost
5. Restless
6. Bangkok 8
7. The Righteous Men
8. Thirty three Teeth
9. Disco for the Departed
10. The Little Stranger
A good selection of books in all, one 1001. I bumped up this category when my Mum came to visit bearing a stack of thrillers. The top reads would have to be The Ministry of Fear, my find for the challenge as well as Colin Cotterill's Laotian series, though I must say that I enjoyed most of the books. I felt that the weaker books were Bangkok 8 and The Winter Ghosts, both of which were ok, but could have been better.
10x Crime
Crime, mystery, thriller
1. The Trial **1001 Book
2. The Ministry of Fear
3. The Winter Ghosts
4. The Ghost
5. Restless
6. Bangkok 8
7. The Righteous Men
8. Thirty three Teeth
9. Disco for the Departed
10. The Little Stranger
A good selection of books in all, one 1001. I bumped up this category when my Mum came to visit bearing a stack of thrillers. The top reads would have to be The Ministry of Fear, my find for the challenge as well as Colin Cotterill's Laotian series, though I must say that I enjoyed most of the books. I felt that the weaker books were Bangkok 8 and The Winter Ghosts, both of which were ok, but could have been better.
96soffitta1
COMPLETED CATEGORY
9x Films
Books adapted for the big screen, small screen and stage.
1. The Diary of a Nobody ** 1001 book
2. The Age of Innocence ** 1001 book
3. The House of Sand and Fog
4. The Rainbow ** 1001 book
5. Timeline
6. The Good Soldier Schweik ** 1001 book
7. Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence
8. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
9. Into the Wild
I was pleased to read 4 1001 books for this category, the best being The Good Soldier Schweik, highly subversive and amusing, the second would be Age of Innocence, beautifully written. As for the rest, I enjoyed the questions posed by Timeline, and re-entering the world of Harry Potter in Beedle the Bard. As for the worst, well, none were clunkers, I just wish that Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence had been fleshed out more, as I so wanted to know more about the story, as well as the author's own.
9x Films
Books adapted for the big screen, small screen and stage.
1. The Diary of a Nobody ** 1001 book
2. The Age of Innocence ** 1001 book
3. The House of Sand and Fog
4. The Rainbow ** 1001 book
5. Timeline
6. The Good Soldier Schweik ** 1001 book
7. Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence
8. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
9. Into the Wild
I was pleased to read 4 1001 books for this category, the best being The Good Soldier Schweik, highly subversive and amusing, the second would be Age of Innocence, beautifully written. As for the rest, I enjoyed the questions posed by Timeline, and re-entering the world of Harry Potter in Beedle the Bard. As for the worst, well, none were clunkers, I just wish that Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence had been fleshed out more, as I so wanted to know more about the story, as well as the author's own.
97VictoriaPL
Look at you, just knocking them down right and left! Congratulations!
98soffitta1
COMPLETED CATEGORY
7x British
Books from the British Isles.
1. Where have all the Boys Gone
2. Dinner for Two
3. Web
4. The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce
5. The Flood
6. The Swimming Pool Library ** 1001 book
7. Brazzaville Beach
Only one 1001 book, which wasn't my favourite of the group. I really enjoyed Brazzaville Beach, another good book from William Boyd and the cleverly crafted The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce. The duffer of the bunch would have to be Where have all the Boys Gone, but to be fair it was what I expected of its fluffy cover.
7x British
Books from the British Isles.
1. Where have all the Boys Gone
2. Dinner for Two
3. Web
4. The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce
5. The Flood
6. The Swimming Pool Library ** 1001 book
7. Brazzaville Beach
Only one 1001 book, which wasn't my favourite of the group. I really enjoyed Brazzaville Beach, another good book from William Boyd and the cleverly crafted The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce. The duffer of the bunch would have to be Where have all the Boys Gone, but to be fair it was what I expected of its fluffy cover.
99soffitta1
COMPLETED CATEGORY
3x French
French Books
1. Suite Francaise **Group Read **1001 Book
2. Fantomas ** 1001 Book
3. The Immoralist **1001 Book
I think it is too hard to pick the best from these three, all good in different ways, but if I were forced to choose, it'd have to be Suite Francaise. Such great style, good plotlines.
3x French
French Books
1. Suite Francaise **Group Read **1001 Book
2. Fantomas ** 1001 Book
3. The Immoralist **1001 Book
I think it is too hard to pick the best from these three, all good in different ways, but if I were forced to choose, it'd have to be Suite Francaise. Such great style, good plotlines.
100soffitta1
COMPLETED CATEGORY
2x Short Stories
1. Santaland Diaries
2. Close Range
I loved the sarcasm in Santaland Diaries, but must say that Close Range stood up to the reputation of Brokeback Mountain. I like reading short stories, it allows you to dip into a new world.
2x Short Stories
1. Santaland Diaries
2. Close Range
I loved the sarcasm in Santaland Diaries, but must say that Close Range stood up to the reputation of Brokeback Mountain. I like reading short stories, it allows you to dip into a new world.
101cammykitty
Looks good! I did finally get a chance to see the BBC Wales production of Diary of a Nobody. ROFL! That was great, good humor. I imagine the book was like that too. Very subtle, but grows on you.
102soffitta1
Re 97 - Thanks! I've had a few finished for a while, but now I have pretty much lined up the last few books, so no more shuffling.
Re 101 - another DVD I need to get hold of, no bad thing as it will be a long, cold winter in Avila! I was thinking about getting it the other day as I was watching Downton Abbey, which also stars Bonneville.
Re 101 - another DVD I need to get hold of, no bad thing as it will be a long, cold winter in Avila! I was thinking about getting it the other day as I was watching Downton Abbey, which also stars Bonneville.
103soffitta1
58. Chang
I was given this by Dad, he read it as a child. Chang means elephant in Thai, and this tale is about a young boy, Savat, whose fate is entwined with those large creatures. His adventure takes him from the jungle to the elephants' secret graveyard to the capital of Siam itself. Great fun, good illustrations.
I was given this by Dad, he read it as a child. Chang means elephant in Thai, and this tale is about a young boy, Savat, whose fate is entwined with those large creatures. His adventure takes him from the jungle to the elephants' secret graveyard to the capital of Siam itself. Great fun, good illustrations.
104soffitta1
59. Basta de Historias
A look into education and economy in Latin America and the Caribbean, with the author travelling around his own continent and the world to look at different systems. Recommended.
A look into education and economy in Latin America and the Caribbean, with the author travelling around his own continent and the world to look at different systems. Recommended.
105soffitta1
COMPLETED CATEGORY
8x Spanish
From Spanish speaking world or in Spanish
1. Dreaming in Cuban
2. Inkdeath (in Spanish)
3. Journey to the Alcarria **1001 Book
4. Bitter Grounds
5. The FARC ** Early Reviewer Programme
6. Still Love in Strange Places
7. Walking the Lions
8. Basta de Historias
Well, I bumped this category up to 8 books after my brother gave me a stack of books. Only one 1001 book, I must do better next year. I found the Early Reviewer copy of The FARC very interesting, a good introduction to the guerrillas. As for the best book, I really enjoyed Bitter Grounds, a good story with a well-constructed backdrop. The last book, Basta de Historias, was especially interesting as it dealt with education and how the state of one country's education system affects its economic wellbeing. I was also pleased to get a copy of Dreaming in Cuban, a long term wishlist book, and it was worth the wait.
8x Spanish
From Spanish speaking world or in Spanish
1. Dreaming in Cuban
2. Inkdeath (in Spanish)
3. Journey to the Alcarria **1001 Book
4. Bitter Grounds
5. The FARC ** Early Reviewer Programme
6. Still Love in Strange Places
7. Walking the Lions
8. Basta de Historias
Well, I bumped this category up to 8 books after my brother gave me a stack of books. Only one 1001 book, I must do better next year. I found the Early Reviewer copy of The FARC very interesting, a good introduction to the guerrillas. As for the best book, I really enjoyed Bitter Grounds, a good story with a well-constructed backdrop. The last book, Basta de Historias, was especially interesting as it dealt with education and how the state of one country's education system affects its economic wellbeing. I was also pleased to get a copy of Dreaming in Cuban, a long term wishlist book, and it was worth the wait.
106cammykitty
Congrats on finishing the Spanish section. I'll be looking for a lot of these particular books.
107soffitta1
Thanks, and I've got a good stack for the 12 in 12, including another by the author of Basta de Historias and a Tintin set in the Americas.
60. The Famished Road
Very strange and quiet draining too read, good but very, very strange.
Azaro is a spirit that didn't seem to leave the other side, which leaves him more connected than others to the other world. Azaro's mother loves him dearly, but both mother and son struggle with their his father's idealism, which often leaves them without food or money.
I've had this for ages, but something kept making me put it back. I'm glad I have now read it, but I still think I missed a lot of the internal references. I imagine I would get a lot more out of it on a second reading.
60. The Famished Road
Very strange and quiet draining too read, good but very, very strange.
Azaro is a spirit that didn't seem to leave the other side, which leaves him more connected than others to the other world. Azaro's mother loves him dearly, but both mother and son struggle with their his father's idealism, which often leaves them without food or money.
I've had this for ages, but something kept making me put it back. I'm glad I have now read it, but I still think I missed a lot of the internal references. I imagine I would get a lot more out of it on a second reading.
108soffitta1
61. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
I've been babysitting my niece and found this in my sister's box of books, great fun to read it again.
Willy Wonka, tired of industrial espionage, closed his factory to all outsiders. Now he is opening his gates for 5 lucky golden ticket holders, a dream for any chocolate-loving child.
The children are taken around Wonka's magical, and very strange, factory, through rooms where his amazing chocolates are made and he is conducting experiments, as well his workers, the most famous being the oompa-loompas, whose songs comment darkly on the tour as it goes on.
I loved the book as a child, knowing that children aren't all sweetness and light, and enjoyed it on this reread almost 20 years later. Despite the darkness of the story, there are positive elements. I don't think that Dahl meant this to be a moral tale, but the good are rewarded and the bad are punished in a way that the Greek gods would be proud of! Kids will love the book for its darkness, the sights and sounds of Wonka's world. Still a classic in my book.
I've been babysitting my niece and found this in my sister's box of books, great fun to read it again.
Willy Wonka, tired of industrial espionage, closed his factory to all outsiders. Now he is opening his gates for 5 lucky golden ticket holders, a dream for any chocolate-loving child.
The children are taken around Wonka's magical, and very strange, factory, through rooms where his amazing chocolates are made and he is conducting experiments, as well his workers, the most famous being the oompa-loompas, whose songs comment darkly on the tour as it goes on.
I loved the book as a child, knowing that children aren't all sweetness and light, and enjoyed it on this reread almost 20 years later. Despite the darkness of the story, there are positive elements. I don't think that Dahl meant this to be a moral tale, but the good are rewarded and the bad are punished in a way that the Greek gods would be proud of! Kids will love the book for its darkness, the sights and sounds of Wonka's world. Still a classic in my book.
109soffitta1
62. Goodbye Tsugumi
I've had the book for nearly 2 years! I enjoyed this, will add thoughts in a bit.
I enjoyed this, a story of a close relationship, as well as first loves and the complications of family lives. It has the feel of a coming of age novel, the summer that changed your life. I also liked the fact that the story is universal, but has well-depicted Japanese roots.
I've had the book for nearly 2 years! I enjoyed this, will add thoughts in a bit.
I enjoyed this, a story of a close relationship, as well as first loves and the complications of family lives. It has the feel of a coming of age novel, the summer that changed your life. I also liked the fact that the story is universal, but has well-depicted Japanese roots.
110soffitta1
COMPLETED CATEGORY
5x Food & Drink
1. Water for Elephants
2. The Coroner's Lunch
3. The Secret Mandarin
4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
5. Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto
A strong category overall. I was really happy to be given a copy of Water for Elephants, I kept seeing other people reading it when travelling around. The Coroner's Lunch, the first in the Dr. Siri series, was also very good. I'm not going to pick a worst as I enjoyed them all.
5x Food & Drink
1. Water for Elephants
2. The Coroner's Lunch
3. The Secret Mandarin
4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
5. Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto
A strong category overall. I was really happy to be given a copy of Water for Elephants, I kept seeing other people reading it when travelling around. The Coroner's Lunch, the first in the Dr. Siri series, was also very good. I'm not going to pick a worst as I enjoyed them all.
111soffitta1
63. Choke
I had an inkling of what to expect after seeing Fight Club, but found this much more amusing than I would have expected.
Victor is a man down on his luck, but with a novel way of keeping his head above water. He pretends to choke in restaurants, causing his saviours to both feel good about saving him, and also somehow responsible, thus ensuring his survival.
I know I wasn't supposed to like Victor, he even tells you not to, especially after finding out more information about him. I think it was the style and tone that drew me in, the conversational musings of Victor and, of course, his strange life. I did not feel pity for him, but I did hope he would find some sort of redemption or closure.
I had an inkling of what to expect after seeing Fight Club, but found this much more amusing than I would have expected.
Victor is a man down on his luck, but with a novel way of keeping his head above water. He pretends to choke in restaurants, causing his saviours to both feel good about saving him, and also somehow responsible, thus ensuring his survival.
I know I wasn't supposed to like Victor, he even tells you not to, especially after finding out more information about him. I think it was the style and tone that drew me in, the conversational musings of Victor and, of course, his strange life. I did not feel pity for him, but I did hope he would find some sort of redemption or closure.
112cammykitty
?Banana? I'll be looking forward to your thoughts. Can't imagine a book by an author named Banana. I'm envisioning Koko's memoirs, but I'm sure that wasn't it at all.
113soffitta1
64. The Gunpowder Gardens
Good travelogue about tea, I enjoyed this a lot.
I have read and enjoyed the first two books in Goodwin's Yashim series and was given this as a gift, what Brit could resist a book on tea, especially one from an Empire family!
Goodwin has tea in his roots on both sides, Chinese and Indian, and the book follows his family's relation with tea as well as the history of the plant itself.
It is possible that I have given this a higher rating than most because of nostalgia, I lived in Hong Kong twice, the second time just before the book was written, as well as in Guangzhou later on,it helped tha I had heard of the places in the book. I enjoyed his writing style, as well as his account of the people he met along the way. Well-researched and enjoyable, just what you want in a travelogue.
Good travelogue about tea, I enjoyed this a lot.
I have read and enjoyed the first two books in Goodwin's Yashim series and was given this as a gift, what Brit could resist a book on tea, especially one from an Empire family!
Goodwin has tea in his roots on both sides, Chinese and Indian, and the book follows his family's relation with tea as well as the history of the plant itself.
It is possible that I have given this a higher rating than most because of nostalgia, I lived in Hong Kong twice, the second time just before the book was written, as well as in Guangzhou later on,it helped tha I had heard of the places in the book. I enjoyed his writing style, as well as his account of the people he met along the way. Well-researched and enjoyable, just what you want in a travelogue.
114soffitta1
65. The Queen of Subtleties
Hmm, not sure, the book alternated narrative from Anne Boleyn and Henry's confectioner, but not sure it really worked.
Many tales have been told about Anne Boleyn, the wife of Henry the Eighth, a marriage which changed British history forever. Dunn tries to give us another side to the story, altenating the narrative between Anne Boleyn and Henry's confectioner, a real historical figure. The narratives are told from different times, Anne Boleyn is in the tower telling her personal story for her daughter. Lucy Cornwallis' story starts earlier, with her unique view from Henry's sweets kitchen.
As with Dunn's other books, there is a lot of historical detail, but ultimately, I don't believe that this worked. Firstly, the two stories had little overlap, and Lucy's just stopped. Secondly, Boleyn spoke in modern English, while I appreciate that "thee" and "thou" all the time would sound terribly affected, it just got to me.
Hmm, not sure, the book alternated narrative from Anne Boleyn and Henry's confectioner, but not sure it really worked.
Many tales have been told about Anne Boleyn, the wife of Henry the Eighth, a marriage which changed British history forever. Dunn tries to give us another side to the story, altenating the narrative between Anne Boleyn and Henry's confectioner, a real historical figure. The narratives are told from different times, Anne Boleyn is in the tower telling her personal story for her daughter. Lucy Cornwallis' story starts earlier, with her unique view from Henry's sweets kitchen.
As with Dunn's other books, there is a lot of historical detail, but ultimately, I don't believe that this worked. Firstly, the two stories had little overlap, and Lucy's just stopped. Secondly, Boleyn spoke in modern English, while I appreciate that "thee" and "thou" all the time would sound terribly affected, it just got to me.
115soffitta1
66. So Long a Letter
I finished this by mobile light on the way to the airport this morning. A short book, but one that had been sat for too long on my TBR pile. Not what I expected, the narrator is a widow looking back on her marriage, and how her husband took a second wife.
I am done, but I am behind on my reviews, so will try and catch up this weekend.
I finished this by mobile light on the way to the airport this morning. A short book, but one that had been sat for too long on my TBR pile. Not what I expected, the narrator is a widow looking back on her marriage, and how her husband took a second wife.
I am done, but I am behind on my reviews, so will try and catch up this weekend.
116thornton37814
Gunpowder Gardens sounds interesting. I like travelogues, and I like reading about tea, so this one is getting added to my monstrous wish list.
117lkernagh
Adding So Long a Letter to my TBR pile. Thank you for bringing that book to my attention with your comments.
118cammykitty
Congrats!!! See ya on 12 12.
120katrinasreads
wow two lots finished! Well done
122soffitta1
COMPLETED CATEGORY
11x 1001 Books
1. Agnes Grey ** Group Read
2. The Vicar of Wakefield
3. Three Lives
4. Half of a Yellow Sun
5. Invisible Cities
6. Billiards at Half-Past Nine
7. Unless
8. On the Road
9. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
10. Choke
11. So Long a Letter
Picking the best among 1001 books is rather a big ask, but I just loved Invisible Cities, gorgeous narrative, and also Unless, which I just connected with in a big way (so much so, it has inspired a category in my 12 in 12 Challenge!).
As for the worst, On the Road wins hands down, I really didn't like it, I reckon it's one of those Marmite books.
11x 1001 Books
1. Agnes Grey ** Group Read
2. The Vicar of Wakefield
3. Three Lives
4. Half of a Yellow Sun
5. Invisible Cities
6. Billiards at Half-Past Nine
7. Unless
8. On the Road
9. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
10. Choke
11. So Long a Letter
Picking the best among 1001 books is rather a big ask, but I just loved Invisible Cities, gorgeous narrative, and also Unless, which I just connected with in a big way (so much so, it has inspired a category in my 12 in 12 Challenge!).
As for the worst, On the Road wins hands down, I really didn't like it, I reckon it's one of those Marmite books.
123soffitta1
COMPLETED CATEGORY
6x Asian Books
I usually read a lot of books set in Asia or by Asian writers, hopefully some from my huge TBR pile.
1. Jamilia
2. The Swallows of Kabul
3. Lord Jim ** 1001 book
4. Shanghai Baby
5. Chang
6. The Gunpowder Gardens
One 1001 book, a true classic, Jim's tale was grand and exciting. Jamilia, a beautiful love story, and The Gunpowder Gardens were my favourites of the bunch, the latter because I drink a lot of tea and also because the author's travels mirrored some of my own in HK and China.
As for the duffer, that would be Shanghai Baby, it tried too hard to be shocking and just ended up like cheap imitation.
6x Asian Books
I usually read a lot of books set in Asia or by Asian writers, hopefully some from my huge TBR pile.
1. Jamilia
2. The Swallows of Kabul
3. Lord Jim ** 1001 book
4. Shanghai Baby
5. Chang
6. The Gunpowder Gardens
One 1001 book, a true classic, Jim's tale was grand and exciting. Jamilia, a beautiful love story, and The Gunpowder Gardens were my favourites of the bunch, the latter because I drink a lot of tea and also because the author's travels mirrored some of my own in HK and China.
As for the duffer, that would be Shanghai Baby, it tried too hard to be shocking and just ended up like cheap imitation.
124soffitta1
COMPLETED CATEGORY
4x History
1. Year of Wonders
2. The Alchemist's Daughter
3. The Resurrectionist
4. The Queen of Subtleties
The top book would have to be Year of Wonders, a story of the plague. Of the others, none was awful, but I felt both The Resurrectionist and The Queen of Subtleties missed the mark.
4x History
1. Year of Wonders
2. The Alchemist's Daughter
3. The Resurrectionist
4. The Queen of Subtleties
The top book would have to be Year of Wonders, a story of the plague. Of the others, none was awful, but I felt both The Resurrectionist and The Queen of Subtleties missed the mark.
125soffitta1
COMPLETED CATEGORY
1x Tome
A big, fat, scary book.
1. The Famished Road
A long term TBR, and exactly 500 pages long.
1x Tome
A big, fat, scary book.
1. The Famished Road
A long term TBR, and exactly 500 pages long.
126soffitta1
Thanks for the congratulations! I had great fun again in reading for this challenge, and also commenting. I'm still behind in writing reviews and also am umming and ahing about my final top/bottom lists.
The Final Quarter
The final quarter of my 11 in 11 Step Challenge brought a few surprises, I was at home, so ended up reading completely different books to what I had expected. Reading a lot of long-term TBR books, I found some gems, but a few were mediocre.
The top books would be, unsurprisingly, the two 1001 books, Choke and So Long a Letter. The former about a sex addict and mental health was amusing and I read it rather quickly, the latter was a short, but interesting book, Mariama Ba had a great writing style, with her work offering insight into Senegalese culture. Basta de Historias, a journalist journey around the world trying to find out why some countries out do others in education, looking at politics, culture and education systems. As a teacher, I found it very thought-provoking. I also thoroughly enjoyed The Gunpowder Gardens, a travalogue following tea through China and India., while the book was written 20 years ago, it was still worth a read. Reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard was great fun, especially as I'd just seen the final Harry Potter film.
The two most disappointing books were Shanghai Baby and Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence, the former because it just dragged and didn't ring true, the latter because I wanted to know more, this book is too short and leaves you with more questions than answers.
The Final Quarter
The final quarter of my 11 in 11 Step Challenge brought a few surprises, I was at home, so ended up reading completely different books to what I had expected. Reading a lot of long-term TBR books, I found some gems, but a few were mediocre.
The top books would be, unsurprisingly, the two 1001 books, Choke and So Long a Letter. The former about a sex addict and mental health was amusing and I read it rather quickly, the latter was a short, but interesting book, Mariama Ba had a great writing style, with her work offering insight into Senegalese culture. Basta de Historias, a journalist journey around the world trying to find out why some countries out do others in education, looking at politics, culture and education systems. As a teacher, I found it very thought-provoking. I also thoroughly enjoyed The Gunpowder Gardens, a travalogue following tea through China and India., while the book was written 20 years ago, it was still worth a read. Reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard was great fun, especially as I'd just seen the final Harry Potter film.
The two most disappointing books were Shanghai Baby and Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence, the former because it just dragged and didn't ring true, the latter because I wanted to know more, this book is too short and leaves you with more questions than answers.
127soffitta1
Final Overview:
Well, I appear to have a three-way-tie for the top 1001, all good, but very different. Invisible Cities wins the prize for the mst beautifully written, Good Soldier Schweik for the best satire and Unless for being the most thought-provoking.
The best mystery goes to The Little Stranger, a book which combined all the classic ghost story elements. The funniest goes to The Diary of a Nobody and the most fun to Fantomas. The most romantic goes to Jamilia.
As for the other end of the scale, the most overhyped goes to On the Road, and for promise shown that ultimately led nowhere, the prize goes jointly to The Resurrectionist and The Swimming Pool Library.
I am happy though, I gave far more 4 and 4 1/2 star ratings than 2 1/2. I found some new authors, dusted off some long-term TBR's, and had great conversations with people about them.
All that's left now is to finish my reviews :S
Well, I appear to have a three-way-tie for the top 1001, all good, but very different. Invisible Cities wins the prize for the mst beautifully written, Good Soldier Schweik for the best satire and Unless for being the most thought-provoking.
The best mystery goes to The Little Stranger, a book which combined all the classic ghost story elements. The funniest goes to The Diary of a Nobody and the most fun to Fantomas. The most romantic goes to Jamilia.
As for the other end of the scale, the most overhyped goes to On the Road, and for promise shown that ultimately led nowhere, the prize goes jointly to The Resurrectionist and The Swimming Pool Library.
I am happy though, I gave far more 4 and 4 1/2 star ratings than 2 1/2. I found some new authors, dusted off some long-term TBR's, and had great conversations with people about them.
All that's left now is to finish my reviews :S
128lkernagh
Love your prize winners list... I am looking forward to starting The Little Stranger this week and I agree with you, Unless was a thought-provoking read.
129VictoriaPL
Congrats!
130cammykitty
LOL, most over hyped to On the Road. No surprise there! I love your wrap up too. Congrats!
131soffitta1
Thanks!
Finally finished my reviews, now I can officially be finished with the 11 in 11! I enjoyed it a lot.
Finally finished my reviews, now I can officially be finished with the 11 in 11! I enjoyed it a lot.
132DeltaQueen50
Congratulations on completing your 11 in 11.
