flissp attempts to keep up with 2012 (& more DWJ reading...)

So. I was a bit rubbish at keeping up to date in 2011. This year, I'm going to try to keep a bit more on top of things, but I have decided that this means that I'm going to return to my two sentence max book comments, unless a) I have a lot more than that to say or b) the book is an ARC. This way, I won't hide from my own thread so much ;o) ...I'm also giving up on the idea of keeping track of how many new books I buy - it didn't much limit me anyway!

I do have reading plans though (because I like lining them up, even if I rarely complete them!)

Here's the ticker (arbitrary goal of 125 again):




Reviews for 2012 (incl LT Early Reviewers):

...and my list of goals for this years reading:

Goal 1: Non Fiction - same as 2010/11 - to read 10 non fiction books (excluding travel guides):

i) Zeitoun: Dave Eggers - Thread 1, Msg32
ii) Killing Bono: Neil McCormick - Thread 1, Msg35
iii) Reflections: Diana Wynne Jones (Reading)
iv) What Matters in Jane Austen: John Mullan (Reading)
v)
vi)
vii)
viii
ix)
x)

Goal 2: Group Reads (book links are to the group read spoiler thread):

i) Selected Steinbeckathon books:

- Cannery Row (didn't really contribute!)
- The Grapes of Wrath (May)

None lined up as yet, but I shall be keeping a better eye out this year (how could I have missed that there was a group read of North and South?!). Also, I know there was a fairly recent group read of this, but I wasn't ready to join in at the tinme - so I wonder if there was anyone not there last time that would like to join me for a group read of War and Peace later in the year (maybe starting Feb/Mar?)?

Goal 3: Books to read: (mostly books from my TBR pile I've been meaning to read for ages)

i) The Turn of the Screw: Henry James
ii) Oryx and Crake: Margaret Atwood
iii) Under the Frog: Tibor Fischer - Thread 1, Msg80
iv) A Wrinkle in Time: Madeleine L'Engle - Thread 1, Msg77
v) Ghostwritten: David Mitchell - The Gathering: Anne Enright - Thread 1, Msg37
vii) Perfume: Patrick Suskind - Thread 1, Msg32
viii Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter: Mario Vargas Llosa - Sophie's World: Jostein Gaarder
x) A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian: Marina Lewycka - Thread 1, Msg32
xi) The Master: Colm Toibin
xii) The Crash of Hennington: Patrick Ness - Thread 1, Msg81

Goal 4: Selected books from my uncompleted 2010/11 goals!:

i) Les Miserables: Victor Hugo (Reading) - ongoing from 2011
ii) The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles: Haruki Murakami - Thread 1, Msg 27
iii) I, Claudius: Robert Graves
iv) L'etranger: Albert Camus (in French) - 2nd year running...
v) Wuthering Heights: Emily Brontë - 4rd year running!
vi) War and Peace: Tolstoy
vii) Grapes of Wrath: John Steinbeck
viii) The Children's Book: A. S. Byatt
ix) Schindler's Arc: Thomas Keneally
x) Vilnius Poker: Ričardas Gavelis (a very old ARC that I feel guilty about)

Goal 5: All the novels of Diana Wynne Jones in publication author: (continued from 2011)
(see Msg3)

I shall update this map with each author's origin as I read:


(4%)
map

...and here are links to my previous threads:

Thread for 2011 pt2
Thread for 2011 pt1
Thread for 2010 pt4
Thread for 2010 pt3
Thread for 2010 pt2
Thread for 2010 pt1
Thread for 2009 pt2
Thread for 2009 pt1
Thread for 2008

Best New Read of the Month:
January: No new reads!
February: The Wind-up Bird Chronicles
March: A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian
April: The Song of Achilles
May: Under the Frog
June: The Hunger Games
July: Didn't read enough to have one that I'd pick (!!)
August: Embassytown
September:

Finally, a quick summary of 2011:

Top 5 for the year (unusually for me, more or less in order):
Jane Austen Selected Letters
A Monster Calls: Patrick Ness
The Night Circus: Erin Morgenstern
Oscar and Lucinda: Peter Carey
Case Histories - Kate Atkinson tied with The Master and Margarita: Mikhail Bulgakov

111 books read (a nice total for 2011!), shamefully, as ever, the vast majority of authors were from the UK (53%) and US (30%).

46% were written since Jan 2000; 41% 1950-1999; 5% 1900-1949; 8% pre 1900.

Unsurprisingly, 95% were fiction.

2011 Reviews:
The Last Dragon Slayer - Jasper Fforde
Jane Austen, Selected Letters (edited by R. W. Chapman)
Ghost of a Chance - Rhiannon Lassister (ER)
Naming the Bones - Louise Welsh (ER)
Evil Genius - Patricia Rice (ER)
Sebastian and the Afterlife - William J. Barry (ER)
pending (all LT ER ARCs):
Necropsy in E Minor: A Novel: Alan Ramón Clinton
Agents of the Reaper: William J. Barry (Pending)
Subversion: Various

Hey, Fliss! Glad to see you back with us again!

Following the death of one of my all time favourite authors, Diana Wynne Jones, last year, I decided to re-read all her fiction in publication order (just because):

I'm excluding The Skiver's Guide and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland (although I probably will read the latter at some point in the not too distant future) as non-fiction and as I've already read the former not long ago. Also excluded are Hidden Turnings and "Fantasy Stories" as collections of short stories that she's edited as there's only 1 of her stories in each - in both cases, they're both in other collections.

I've got a thread over on the DWJ fan group where I'm listing all of these together.

Read in 2011:
Changeover (1970) DWJ thread, Msg2
Wilkins' Tooth (1973) (aka Witch's Business) DWJ thread, Msg2
The Ogre Downstairs (1974) DWJ thread, Msg2
Eight Days of Luke (1975) DWJ thread, Msg2
Cart and Cwidder (1975) DWJ thread, Msg2
Dogsbody (1975) DWJ thread, Msg12
Power of Three (1976) DWJ thread, Msg12
Drowned Ammet (1977) DWJ thread, Msg16
Charmed Life (1977) DWJ thread, Msg16
Who Got Rid of Angus Flint (1978) (in Stopping for a Spell) DWJ thread, Msg16
Spellcoats (1979) The Magicians of Caprona (1980) DWJ thread, Msg25
The Four Grannies (1980) (in Stopping for a Spell) DWJ thread, Msg26
Time of the Ghost (1981) DWJ thread, Msg27
The Homeward Bounders (1981) DWJ thread, Msg28
Witch Week (1982) - DWJ thread, Msg35
Archer's Goon (1984) - DWJ thread, Msg35
Warlock at the Wheel (1984) (short story collection) - DWJ thread, Msg35
Fire and Hemlock (1985) - DWJ thread, Msg35
Howl's Moving Castle (1986) - DWJ thread, Msg46
A Tale of Time City (1987) - DWJ thread, Msg46
The Lives of Christopher Chant (1988) - DWJ thread, Msg46
Chair Person (1988) (in Stopping for a Spell) - DWJ thread, Msg47
Wild Robert (1989) - DWJ thread, Msg47
Castle in the Air (1990) - DWJ thread, Msg47
Black Maria (1991) (aka Aunt Maria) - DWJ thread, Msg47

Read in 2012:
A Sudden Wild Magic (1992) - comments pending
Yes, Dear (1992) - comments pending
The Crown of Dalemark (1993) - comments pending
Hexwood (1993) - comments pending
Everard's Ride (1995) (in Unexpected Magic) - comments pending
Minor Arcana (1996) (short story collection) - comments pending
Deep Secret (1997) - comments pending
The Dark Lord of Derkholm (1998) - comments pending
Puss in Boots (1999) - comments pending
Mixed Magics (2000) (short story collection) - comments pending
Year of the Griffin (2000) - comments pending
The Merlin Conspiracy (2003) - comments pending
(Unexpected Magic (2004) - comments pending)
Conrad's Fate (2005) - comments pending
The Pinhoe Egg (2006) - (Reading)
The Game (2007)
House of Many Ways (2008)
Enchanted Glass (2010)
Earwig and the Witch (2011)

Stasia, how do you do that?! Good to see you too - I'm going to duck out again for now, but will return this evening ;o)

ETA: Oh, but I can't quite resist adding this photo of my cousin's daughter (left) and my neice):

How do I do what?

I cannot believe how big Isla Rose is getting! My goodness.

Love the ladies!

And the idea of tracking country of origin for your reading, although I'm certain I'd just have two large clusters. :-/

I agree with Luxx...I love the ladies.

Happy New Year Fliss!

Happy New year Fliss!

Happy New Year, Fliss, and welcome back!

Welcome back Fliss and Happy New Year!

#1 I think War and Peace has the dubious honour of being the book which has been on my TBR pile the longest. So while part of me isn't sure I really have time to commit to such a long book the other part is really tempted to say yes to a group read so that I finally read it! So, the short answer is yes.

#3 Have you seen there's a new DWJ books to be released in May 2012. It's called Reflections: On the Magic of Writing with a foreward by Neil Gaiman. Amazon product description says:

"This collection of more than twenty-five papers, chosen by Diana herself, includes fascinating literary criticism (such as a study of narrative structure in The Lord of the Rings and a ringing endorsement of the value of learning Anglo Saxon) alongside autobiographical anecdotes about reading tours (including an account of her famous travel jinx), revelations about the origins of her books, and thoughts in general about the life of an author and the value of writing. The longest autobiographical piece, 'Something About the Author', details Diana's extraordinary childhood and is illustrated with family photographs. Reflections is essential reading for anyone interested in Diana's works, fantasy or creative writing.

The collection features a foreword by Neil Gaiman and an introduction and interview by Charlie Butler, a respected expert on fantasy writing."

#4 Cuties!

#5 I had both my first two posts pre-written and must have loaded them seconds apart, yet you managed to post in between - truly on the ball! ;o)

#6 Thanks Luxx - yep, mine are largely UK/US based, but having the map there encourages me to read a teeeny bit more broadly I think.

#7 - 9 Thanks Linda - and happy new year to you, Kerry and Roni too!

#10 Hi Heather. Woo! We'll have to see if we can gather up some more people to join in - I'll try to post a message on the main thread once I've caught up a bit (already behind - how can people already have 100s of messages?!)

Re the DWJ book, yep, I knew that was due for release early this year, but wasn't quite sure when, so thanks for posting for me - I shall go and pre-order now!

I preordered the DWJ a couple of days ago too. I'd say yes to the War and Peace GR as I read it when I was about 14 or 15 but have just committed to a year long GR of Don Quixote. Having just read War and Peace and Sonya which has grown on me since finishing it I've decided to read Tolstoy: A Russian Life at some stage this year.

Welcome back!

Hi there, got your thread starred and you have some great ideas to read in 2012.

#11 Sounds good :-) I'll post something on my thread too.

#12 I've had Tolstoy: A Russian Life on my wishlist since reading a review of it last year (I think).

Hello! Welcome back and I have you starred now :-)

I've updated my summary thread (msg1) with my favourites for 2011, but I'll put them here too:

Top 5 for the year (unusually for me, more or less in order):
Jane Austen Selected Letters
A Monster Calls: Patrick Ness
The Night Circus: Erin Morgenstern
Oscar and Lucinda: Peter Carey
Case Histories - Kate Atkinson tied with The Master and Margarita: Mikhail Bulgakov

#12 Well, I don't plan to start the group read off just yet, so maybe we'll see how you feel when we do (*evil grin*). ...although actually, perhaps I should read Tolstoy: A Russian Life before then - what do you think?

#13 Hi dr n and thank you!

#14 ;o) Most of them pending still (although I'm working on that list)!

#15 right, will definitely be adding Tolstoy: A Russian Life to my non-fiction list...

#16 Hallo, thank you!

...of course that's actually a top 6...

But who's counting? Right?

;o)

Hey Fliss! Welcome back, and Happy New Year. I see the DWJ read-a-thon will continue into 2012.
I have to thank you for recommending A Monster Calls. It was my favorite book of 2011. So.. thank you.
Wow - how old is Isla Rose now? Very cute.

#21 Hi VB - and to you! Yep to the DWJ read-a-thon - I suppose it was unlikely I was going to finish them all by the end of the year unless I read nothing else (although I do seem to have been reading a lot recently!), so I'm going to make my deadline the 26th of March (ie, hopefully, I'll finally get to read Earwig and the Witch on the anniversary of her death, as a mini salute).

Woo re A Monster Calls! So glad you enjoyed it - it truly is a beautiful book, in both respects, isn't it?

Isla will be 1 very soon - on the 9th - amazing how quickly it goes, isn't it?! She's still very little for her age (although you can't tell from that photo really - her cousin will be 4 about the same time)

Hey, Fliss! Happy New Year. I've got you starred. I'm interested in seeing your DWJ reads continue, as there are a bunch on that list I haven't read yet.

Hello Fliss, just catching up!

The only two of your 'best of 2011' reads that I've read are the tied 5th ones, which were both good ones for me too - though I'm not sure I fully 'got' the Bulgakov. I have a collection of Austen's letters, I really should get round to those one day...

Did you deliberately exclude any DJW from your best of list?

#23 Hi! I've got a lot of DWJ catching up to do on that thread - I'll try to do some this weekend. I'm afraid I'm getting a little bit stuck with my comments, because my reasons for enjoying her books so much are pretty much the same for each book! I'll make sure I update my plot synopses at least though... Hope they're helpful to you anyway ;o)

#24 Hi Genny! I definitely recommend Austen's letters. Which collection have you got (I'm wondering if it's the same one)? The Bulgakov, I'm very glad that I read mostly over Christmas as I think I followed it a lot better than I would have done while at work - it took a little bit of getting in to for me.

Re DWJ on the best of list, my best of list only ever includes books that are new to me that year - this excludes DWJ's whole oeuvre as the only book of hers I haven't read is her newest (Earwig and the Witch), which I'm struggling to hold off reading until I've got the whole way through... ;o)

I owe an update on A Sudden Wild Magic and Yes, Dear (which I won't count in my list for the year as it's a short picture book). Will try to do so at the weekend.

I'm also reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle at the moment, which I'm very much enjoying...

Just realized I didn't have you starred yet! Well, I'm here now. Looks like your reading year is off to a good start!

#26 ...or not such a good start, given it's nearly a month since I last checked in...! Welcome back ;o)

OK, I'm at work, so I'm not going to update properly right now, but here's a place holder for what I've read so far this year. I started with a bit of a DWJ splurge, but have been reading quite slowly since then as The Wind-up Bird Chronicles is not a book to rush (and I just seem to keep getting waylaid with other stuff this year...). I'm currently reading Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and one of my overdue ARCs (Agents of the Reaper)

1) A Sudden Wild Magic - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in publication order
(Aug 1997, Cambridge)

To be updated. One of the few geard more towards adults than children.

2) The Crown of Dalemark - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in publication order
(Apr 2007, Cambridge)

To be updated. Last in the Dalemark quartet.

3) Hexwood - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in publication order
(Dec 2000, Cambridge)

To be updated. Another geared at older readers and one of those with a darker underlying theme.

4) The Wind-up Bird Chronicles - Haruki Murakami
Goal 4: Uncompleted goals from 2010/11
(Oct 2007, Cambridge)

To be updated. I enjoyed this very much, although it did depress my spirits somewhat - I probably shouldn't be following it up with Perfume!

Hi Fliss - good to see you checking in (and reading more DWJ!)

I really want to reread the Dalemark quartet--it's been ages. Good to see you checking in!

I read the first three Dalemark books last year . . . I really need to finish that fourth one soon. *sigh* So many books . . .

Hi Fliss! I'm interested in what you thought of The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. It's my favorite Murakami - despite the extra weirdness and the massive amount of unanswered questions/dropped threads.

Hi all! Hmmm, been a little while, hasn't it? Yet again, I'm just stopping by briefly, but hope everyone is well!

#28 Heather, I will always be reading more DWJ ;o)
#29 It had been a little while for me too Roni - but very much enjoyed!
#30 There are always too many books ;o) How did you enjoy the 4th? I think Spellcoats will always be my favourite, but I chop and change over Cart and Cwidder and The Crown of Dalemark being second...
#31 Hi VB! I'll try to post proper comments about The Wind-up Bird Chronicle at some point, because I have a fair few things to say, but suffice it to say that I enjoyed it very much! I quite like the extra weirdness and I'm always in favour of unanswered questions as they leave things to your imagination, although I agree, there are a couple of things I would have liked to see resolved.

Sooo. Since February. Hmmm.

5) Perfume - Patrick Süskind
Goal 3: Books to read
(May 2010, Cambridge)

Well this was an odd one. I 've had it on my wishlist/TBR pile for a while now on the recommendation of the wife of a friend. She's dyslexic, so doesn't read very much, but thought this was wonderful. I'm not sure that I did. It's a truly original story and some of the description was lovely, but I did just have a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth the whole way through. None of the characters are believable and it's actually a very nasty story. On the other hand, it was very absorbing (most of the time - there's a weak bit in the middle, when the protagonist is living in a cave, which I found rather dull) and the originality really did lift it.

6) Last Evenings on Earth - Roberto Bolaño
(May 2011, Cambridge)

This is one of those books that I pick up completely on spec in the bookshop - mostly because I was trying to find more non-European/non-US authors to read. I was quite surprised to realise that he's actually very well known. I really do have my head in the sand a lot of the time!

This is a collection of short stories all revolving around writers - all Chilean exiles (and, I felt, presumably with a fair dose of himself). I found it a rather depressing collection - he has quite a bleak voice in these stories and fairly dream-like.

I'm not sure that this particularly piqued my interest in his other work, although there were a couple of stories that stuck out. Firstly, the title track - a story of a young man and his father on holiday together in Acupulco - seems to be about the disintegrating relationship of father and son, but ends up the reverse. In "The Grub", the author (a student who skips most of his classes to spend time in bookshops) strikes up a friendship with a man who sits on a bench all day doing nothing. In another (I'll have to go back to the book to check out which), a friend leaves the author with a manuscript, asking him to hang on to it, but not to read it. The friend then disappears. I would have liked to have seen this story expanded a bit.

I thought that this would be a book I ended up ruminating about for a while, but I'm afraid I find I've largely forgotten what I've read, so I probably shan't read any more by him, unless to give a novel a go.

7) Everard's Ride - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in Publication Order
(Dec 2009, Cambridge - a novella in Unexpected Magic)

I need to have a massive DWJ comment catch up (I've got some which I shall have to update soon, but haven't got this far yet), so comments yet to be posted, but this isn't one of my favourites.

8) Minor Arcana - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in Publication Order

Again, to update later - this is a collection of short stories.

9) White is for Witching - Helen Oyeyemi
(Apr 2010, Cambridge)

Another book I picked up fairly randomly. A Brighton house haunts a rather odd family - twin brother and sister and their father (who is largely unaware). Starting with the disappearance of Miri (the daughter), this is told from the perspective of her brother, her friend/lover and the house itself and is quite original, but somehow never pulled me in. Again, I think this was down to a lack of empathy for the characters - I didn't feel as though I ever got to know them, they just weren't fleshed out enough, despite our being in their heads. Very readable though, once I'd worked out the rather complex writing style.

10) Married Love - Tessa Hadley
(Feb 2012, Rock Road Library)

A collection of short stories based around different types of love. When I came to pick this up at the library, I really wasn't sure why I'd requested it - I think I must have seen someone comment on it here. Didn't work for me I'm afraid - the stories were nearly all rather mundane and this was a very mediocre collection for me. Not bad, but forgotten almost instantly.

11) A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian - Marina Lewycka
Goal 3: Books to read
(Apr 2010, Cambridge)

I've been meaning to read this for a while - having picked it up after reading one of her short stories in collection. The 84 year old father of Nadezhda and Vera decides to marry again after the death of his wife - a much younger woman, Valentina, who wants to escape the Ukraine and come to live in the UK. Told from the perspective of Nadezhda, this is lovely book, gently humourous, but also very touching. The story may focus on Valentina, but it is really about the repair of the relationship between the two sisters, as they fight against a common foe and come to understand each other better. I've described that very badly (I'm not sure I'd pick this up based on these comments), so I may have to come back and re-write this...

12) Zeitoun - Dave Eggers
Goal 1: Non fiction
(Mar 2012, Rock Road Library)

I imagine most have you have already heard of this one. Read for Book Club, but this has been on my Wishlist for quite a long time now. I think I'm probably going to come back to comment properly after we've met to discuss this.

However, in the interim, I'm going to say that I've read and enjoyed Dave Eggers before, but I felt manipulated by this book - particularly by the first half (before Hurricane Katrina and in the immediate aftermath), which is odd, because I think it's a very disturbing (true) story - one which I'm very sympathetic to. Probably my issue was that this is non-fiction written almost as fiction and I didn't appreciate Dave Eggers telling us Zeitoun and his wife's day to day thoughts and feelings. There is no way these people could remember this level of detail and it feels like a clumsy way to say "look, these people are just like you and I, despite being Muslim", which I found rather patronising. It's frightening that something like this could happen to Zeitoun (and three friends), but I'm afraid I didn't enjoy the book that much.

...and now I've probably stirred up a hornet's nest as I know Zeitoun is very popular here on LT ;o)

Right, I'm off home now, but I will be back... ...hopefully not a month later next time...

It is my hope too that your next visit will be sooner ;-)

As I have read and liked A short history of Tractors in Ukrainian, I do understand your comments ;-)

Aha!! Here you are... Just as I was beginning to wonder whether we needed to send out an APB...

I kind of agree with you re Zeitoun; it's a book that irritates me more when I look back on it, too. And I really enjoyed Marina Lewycka's novel -- have her new one on my list to order from the UK should I ever feel rich enuf to do so!

#33 a leeetle bit sooner ;o) ...I really must try to make it over to other people's threads too...

Re "A short history..." - good, because my comments really don't do it justice!

#34 It may yet be necessary!

Kind of relieved to see someone else was irritated by Zeitoun - I've been feeling like it's a bit of a dirty secret! Book club is on the 11th, I'll be interested to see what everyone else has to say.

Re Marina Lewycka's new book - thanks for the heads up, I hadn't been aware of it - will keep an eye out. I saw that Peter Carey's also got a new book out. I may have to break my try-to-avoid-buying-hardbacks rule. Would it save on postage if I bought the Marina Lewycka and sent it over for you? I see it's available in paperback on Amazon (UK) for £8.44...

OK, on to comments...

Firstly, one that I'm not going to include on the list, because it's a short picture book that I was investigating for my niece:

Crazy Hair - Neil Gaiman

I think that he's said this was inspired by bedtime stories with his youngest daughter Maddy. Basically, it's a poem about a man with (you guessed it...) crazy hair, containing a world of strange people and animals. It's fun, but I'm not sure that the rhyming scanned particularly well (which was a shame). Maybe that's just how I read it. I'll probably give it to Isla anyway, just because it's Neil Gaiman and I want to introduce her early...

13) Killing Bono - Neil McCormick (originally I was Bono's Doppelgänger)
Goal 1: Non fiction
(Mar 2012, Cambridge)

There's been a film made of this, which had wonderful reviews when it came out and I've been meaning to watch it for ages. Finally got round to it a couple of weekends ago (along with "Brick", which fits into the same category of films I've been meaning to see and I recommend if you're, like me, a Dashiel Hammet fan - odd, but good) and this was the point that I became aware that it was based on an autobiography.

Neil McCormick went to senior school with Bono (and the rest of U2) and like them, he and his brother were in a band. This basically charts the progress of both bands as U2 turn into megastars and Neil and his brother, well, don't. It's a very funny book and Neil McCormick writes with enthusiasm (and growing desperation) about a man (and a band) that he simultaneously worships and envies and the difficulties of cracking the music industry. I enjoyed this very much (and, funnily enough, liking Bono a bit more than I previously).

I should note, for anyone who has seen the film, it's great fun, but there are a lot of changes.

14) Agents of the Reaper - Willliam J Barry (ER ARC)
(Dec 2011, e-book)

This is one of 3 e-book ARCs I received through ER before Christmas, that I've been feeling very guilty about (having been very slow to read them). I presume I was selected for this as I also received and reviewed the ARC for the first in this series and I was a lot more efficient in my reviewing.

Anyway, I've finally got to it now and, oh dear. Not good. I suppose I could have guessed that from the flaws in the previous book, which are amplified here: weak, paper-thin characters, bad dialogue, an annoying habit of using inappropriate adjectives (I'll try to find some examples for you), insipid, see-through plot. Yes, Barry is definitely trying to ape J. K. Rowling's success - it may be a different setup, but he's clearly got a long-winded story arc that he wants to expand over several books. The problem is, he just doesn't write very well and the story lacks substance. Honestly, I think he'd be much better concentrating on the sub plots and developing the characters as the main story line of goody-vs-baddy is fundamentally rather boring. The problem is, I'm not sure he's capable of breathing any reality into che characters, so this probably wouldn't work well either - on the other hand, these bits were definitely the highlights of the book.

Hmmm, I realise that these comments are rather caustic, so I won't be posting this as a review. I'll try to come up with something a little more balanced to post. I just find writing like this rather offensive, so I had to share!

Hi Fliss. Hope you've had a good Easter weekend!

"because it's Neil Gaiman and I want to introduce her early..." :-) I'm waiting impatiently for my friend's children to get to the age where I can give them non-board books without them being at risk of getting torn to pieces.

#36 Did thanks Heather - hope you did too!

I've been risking the non-board books from the word go - I just couldn't quite wait! Surprisingly, Isla doesn't seem to have done them much damage at all yet and she does love "reading" them. I'm really looking forward to being able to move on to the slightly older children's books though. Not that I'm not enjoying discovering the board/toddler-friendly books (I discovered the most wonderful new one at the weekend: I Want My Hat Back - just brilliant - although probably better for adults than children!), but I have so many wonderful books I discovered, or was directed at when I was growing up and I can't wait to buy them for her. ...although (grumble, grumble), someone has already beaten me to the punch with The Magic Faraway Tree - bastards! ;o)

Anyone, in the US one of my university housemates was involved in the direction of this, it's very good and will be showing (in it's entirity!) on the Discovery channel on Sunday: Frozen Planet

Sooo. Books. Still to update the missing comments above and to write my proper review for Agents of the Reaper. Probably won't happen this weekend either as it's the birthday of a good mate and he's organised a bit of a weekend extravaganza. Will try to update it soon though, I feel bad about all my late ARC reviews....

15) The Gathering - Anne Enright
Goal 3: Books to read
(Sep 2010, Cambridge)

A previous Booker winner, I've had this a little while, hence being on my books-to-read list this year.

In the aftermath of her closest brother's wake, Veronica drifts into a shadow life - sleeping during the day, pacing the house and writing at night - remembering, in steps, her family and her childhood as one of a very large family of children and the hidden reasons behind her brother's death.

This book had a sort of dream-like quality to it that I usually enjoy and had a well described picture of grief, however I can't say why, but I never really got drawn into it.

16) Genus - Jonathan Trigell
(Aug 2011, Cambridge)

This was a hand-me-down from Rachael/FlossieT. I had his first novel, Boy A (Review here) as an ARC a few of years ago and it was a bit of a slow burner for me - but I continued to think about it for quite a while after. Jonathan Trigell clearly likes to write about subjects that will get you thinking. In this case, genetic manipulation and designer babies.

It was an interesting read. I can't say it made me think in quite the way Boy A did (I'm sorry, I just don't believe that one of the underlying concepts of the book - that we would be able to genetically manipulate a new race of "perfect" individuals, will ever be possible - and please bear in mind I'm a geneticist), but it was an interesting premise - and, I suspect, deliberately exagerated, in order to make us think.

The book is set many years in the future and advances in genetic manipulation mean that, with the addition of an extra chromosome pair, new babies can be immunised against disease, alcohol (and branded to only be able to drink certain alcohol) and (supremely unlikely) various characteristics. Everyone wants their children to have their children genetically altered and will mortgage themselves up to the eyeballs in order to do so - after all, this new race are, no argument, just better, more successful human beings. Those who are unmodified suffer discrimination and end up in the underbelly of professions - in London, they mostly end up in The Kross (previously Kings Cross).

Jonathan Trigell clearly does do his research thoroughly (I only had a couple of minor niggles beyond my main disbelief) and has thought about the issues invoved in detail before hand. The book is set at a time when the older generation are still all unenhanced and there are still men and women born naturally, which brings the set-up somehow closer to reality. I also rather liked that the central character was, essentially, Toulouse Lautrec, transposed to the UK and the future, although, beyond giving us a central character who is, perhaps, the extreme reverse of the new enhanced human race and yet who possesses great talent, this was a little bit of a gimmick. But then there are many interesting characters, with different backgrounds, almost all set up to give a slightly different perspective (something that has only just occurred to me!), so maybe not so much, now I think about it. ...and now I can see that I'm going to go away and think about it some more, just as I did for Boy A!

However, beyond all this, this book is also a (futuristic) detective thriller and perhaps this is why I haven't really thought about the issues that much, it was mostly just a speedy read with a bit of a bleak outlook on life. Enjoyable though.

Fliss, we could share the new Lewycka book, perhaps, if you wanted to read it too? I bet that if I paid 1/2 of the book and 1/2 of the postage, it would still be less than either of us paying full whack for the book alone... You could buy and read, and mail on to me when you had finished?? And I could pass it on to another LTer or give to Darryl to take back to you or... At any rate, it's 8 quid, Amazon shipping is 7 pounds (I think just going to the Post Office would make it a bit less), so at 15 pounds, that would be 7.50 each, less than the Amazon price. It's a thought!

17) The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake - Aimee Bender
(Aug 2011, Cambridge)

Another inheritance from Rachael/FlossieT.

To be updated

18) The Straw Men - Michael Marshall
(Nov 2011, Cambs)

Picked up at work - I loved Michael Marshall Smith's sci-fi/fantasy stuff and was frustrated when he moved over to writing more detective fiction (being a genre I don't read much of), so finally, many years of waiting for another sci-fi/fantasy book, I saw this being given away and thought I should give it a go.

To be updated, because it's time for me to go home!

...also still reading Les Miserables and have finally made it beyond the half way point - and, what is more, finally (briefly) made it to a bit of action. Of course, 30 pages later, I'm back on the waffle, but at least Marius has now almost met Jean Valjean & Cosette!

#30 Hi Suzanne - I actually caved in and bought it the other day (I've discovered a rather wonderful new bookshop at the new Kings Cross station - it's going to be lethal, I can tell right now). Soooo, I shall bump it up my TBR pile and, depending on Darryl's new London plans and my reading schedule, I am very happy to post it out to you/send it with Darryl one way or the other (if he is happy to be a book-mule - Darryl, we will lend you the book and buy you tea/coffee ;o)) when I'm done!

#37 Ooh, thank you. I'll try and remember I Want My Hat Back.

Enjoy your weekend extravaganza!

ETA: (Must hit F5 before I post) Hurrah for the halfway point of Les Mis!

#41 Hi Heather - one warning for I Want My Hat Back - read it first yourself. I've a feeling it might scar some children for life, although I know I would have loved it (given my love of Grimms Fairy Tales when I was little), it is a little wicked ;o)

Re weekend, thanks, looking forward to it!

...ETA: MUST...GO...HOME.... ;o)

*waving* at Fliss

I'm also a fan of I want my hat back and my 15 yr old daughter also loved it (she's my youngest!), so many really great books around for littlies.
Good to hear that you are still making progress on Les Mis. I went on and read Georgette Heyer's An infamous Army to get Waterloo from the English POV.

The characters from I Want My Hat Back make a cameo appearance in Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett (illustrated by Jon Klassen). It's just one scene, but it's kind of neat if you're a fan of I Want My Hat Back.

Hi, Fliss!

#44 *waves back* at Stasia!

#45 Every time I read it, it cracks me up! I'm thinking that I'm going to have to keep that copy and get another one for Isla ;o)

Re English POV on Waterloo, I don't know if you remember, but I had that massive Bernard Cornwall Sharpe marathon a couple of years ago - he was mostly a bit before Waterloo, but he did make it there (;o)), so for me, one of the interesting things about Les Mis has been the French POV on the same thing...

#46 ooooh, thank you! I shall have to see if I can find Extra Yarn - does it have the same wicked sense of humour though?

#47 Hi Roni!

I'll update the last couple of books shortly, but in the meantime:

19) The Land of Laughs - Jonathan Carroll
(Mar 2012, Cambridge)

A recommendation from Neil Gaiman's blog - and a very good one...

Thomas Abbey, son of the famous actor Stephen Abbey, decides to take a sabbatical from his teaching career to write a biography of his favourite childhood author, Marshall France - an author (the only author) who he can completely immerse himself in, who wrote about worlds and people that Thomas completely identifies with. By chance, he runs into another avid fan, Saxony Gardner and, together, they travel to Galen, a small town in Missouri where the reclusive author lived the majority of his life, with his daughter Anna, until his early death from a heart attack. It's a friendly town, but something isn't quite right.

I loved this - obviously (and, I suspect, in common with many people on LT), I can completely identify with someone obsessed by an author and Jonathan Carroll manages to convey the wonderful possibilities of his imaginary author enough that I would really love to read him. It's a strangely spooky story, given that, for most of the book, it's not really apparent what is going on - in fact, it is very hard to tell just which way the story is going to go, which is always a good thing!

*waves hello* Just wandering through and trying to catch up a bit. :)

For all that Les Mis is enormous and full of waffle, I loved it and found it completely worthwhile slogging through the slow bits. *cheers you on through the next hundred pages*

Hi, Fliss! I've been reading your thread (as I have it starred), but I don't think I've posted a message on it yet. So, catching up...

>4 flissp: Nice photo of your niece. She doesn't look nearly as horrified as she did in older photos.

>17 flissp: I may have to give The Night Circus a try. So many folks here, especially Suz, have given it high marks. I was certain that I owned Oscar and Lucinda, but I was wrong. I'll have to read it at some point, as I'd like to read all of the better Booker winners. I'm planning to read The Master and Margarita this summer, so I'm glad that it was one of your favorites of 2011.

>27 flissp: I was tickled by the order of the first four books you read this year: DWJ, DWJ, DWJ, Murakami. It seems like a grade school test question: What comes next? Thinking...

I loved The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, so I'm glad that you also enjoyed it. Have you read anything else by him? Are you planning to read 1Q84 soon?

>32 flissp: I guessed wrong; I didn't think that Süskind was the author that would have followed Murakami.

Bolaño leaves me cold for the most part. I liked 2666 well enough, but I haven't enjoyed anything else I've read by him, including The Savage Detectives, Nazi Literature in the Americas and Monsieur Pain. The Third Reich was divided into four portions in the four issues of last year's Paris Review, so I might give it a try, but I'm in no hurry to do so.

I was bored by Tessa Hadley's latest book The London Train, so I won't be reading anything else by her.

More DWJ! How many books has she written? I wonder who is the more prolific author, her or Joyce Carol Oates.

Count me as a fan of Zeitoun and Dave Eggers. He adopted a similar style in What Is the What, a thinly fictionalized account of the life of a Sudanese refugee who emigrated to suburban Atlanta. I liked both books, but more for their stories rather than Eggers' writing technique. I do admire Eggers and his wife, author Vendela Vida, for their literary project for children, 826 Valencia, which began in San Francisco's Mission District and has moved to other cities, including London and Dublin. (Hmm, I should support the project by making a financial donation. I'll do that today.)

>38 flissp: I don't remember reading any glowing reviews about any of Anne Enright's books. I'm planning to read The Forgotten Waltz next month, since I'm trying to read this year's Orange Prize longlist before the award is announced on May 30th, but I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to get to it.

>38 flissp:, 41 I'm happy to be a book mule, and I can easily be bought off with a good cup of coffee or tea. It's looking more likely that I won't be coming to London in June, although I will definitely come there in late summer or early fall.

>48 flissp: The Land of Laughs sounds interesting; thanks for your very nice review of it.

I'm going to have to look out for a copy of The Land of Laughs as my library doesn't have it. Seeing Darryl just mentioned it I'll add that I finished Oscar and Lucinda earlier this week after several years of intending to read it.

I'm probably going to have to read those Sharpe novels at some point, isn't there a fair number on them?
Picture books - I've had two sweet ones out from the library recently Fearless and Fearless in Love.

#49 Hi Caty! Am having massive issues catching up with everyone this year - I just can't seem to keep on top of all the threads - every time I catch up with one, I lose track of another three...

Thank you for the cheering on ;o) I'm with you though - I've even quite enjoyed some of the waffle eg the first chapter about Waterloo and I'm now reading about the July Revolution, which is very interesting, even if it did cause a screeching halt to the momentum he'd just managed to gather up. It's definitely the right thing (for me) to read it as slowly as I am though!

#50 Hi Darryl, good to see you. I've been a bit rubbish at updating properly this year, so there hasn't been much to comment on ;o)

"She doesn't look nearly as horrified as she did in older photos" ;o)

Oh, I'm glad Suzanne enjoyed The Night Circus (comments must be in one of my thread reading lulls) - and I hope you do too if you read it. I do definitely recommend it, but I'm always a bit wary of recommending fantasy-type stuff to people who don't read very much of that genre - I'm not really sure why.

Re Oscar and Lucinda, well I found a first edition I couldn't help myself buying the other day (2nd hand and someone had left a newspaper clipping in it - I find that kind of thing hard to resist, even though I knew I had another copy), so I can give you my paperback edition when you're next over if you like?

The Master and Margarita is an interesting read - it took quite a while for me to get going with it, but I was whisked away with it when I did. It will help if you know something about Soviet Russia of that period - my edition had quite good notes and it did make a difference.

Re DWJ DWJ DWJ Murakami, I was in a bit of a reading slump (still reading slower than usual this year) and DWJ is always good to fall back on for occassions like that - of course, the fact that it allowed me to catch up a bit with my DWJ goal didn't hurt!

Re Murakami yep, I enjoyed it very much. I think I'm going to find it very difficult to write about though - I may have to leave my comments blank until I come to reread it. I've also read After Dark and after the quake, both of which I also enjoyed very much, particularly the former. I picked up a 2nd hand copy of Dance, Dance, Dance recently too, so I shall probably read that before buying 1Q84 and I shall give it a couple of months before reading something else by him as he's a little bleak to read back to back!

"I guessed wrong; I didn't think that Süskind was the author that would have followed Murakami" ;o) There's not much rhyme or reason behind my reading patterns!

Re Bolaño. Hmmm. I think I shall probably give him a miss then - there are plenty of other books I want to read that I'm never going to get to...

Yep, I can't say I was particularly excited by Tessa Hadley either. Won't be reading any more of her stuff either.

Re DWJ, everything fictional that she's written (bar one or two short stories in multi-author anthologies, most of which are in one of the short story collections, which are) is listed in my 2nd post - she wrote roughly a book a year from 1970 until she died last year (~50 books).

The only one I've not yet read is Earwig and the Witch - and this only because it was published after she died, so after I starting my "DWJ in publication order" marathon. As I know it's the last new thing of hers I have to read (bar 2 short stories, which are in multi-author anthologies and not her own collections and both of which I'm also saving - one because I've only just discovered it, the other in Neil Gaiman's Stories: All-New Tales, which came out around about the same time), I'm holding off reading it as then there will be NOTHING LEFT, which will make me very sad, no matter how many times I continue to re-read the others.

I've never read anything by Joyce Carol Oates...!

Re Dave Eggers, it's funny, because I did enjoy his own fictionalised autobiography very much. I can see that Zeitoun was important to write, I just did feel very preached at and I didn't like his filling in of other people's memories.

Re Anne Enright, that's interesting - I had thought that The Gathering was generally well reviewed, but then I mostly avoid reading reviews (outside LT) until I've read a book as I don't want someone else's opinion to alter the way I read something.

Re potential book mule - tea or coffee sounds like very reasonable payment to me ;o) Well, we'll see what your plans are and if Suzanne can hold out for the book ;o) (actually, I don't think I'm going to get to it for a few weeks anyway as I have a very large pile of library books at the moment).

Re Land of Laughs, thank you!

#51 Hi Kerry! I hope you enjoy Land of Laughs if you can find it! I had a similar experience with Oscar and Lucinda - what did you think? **SPOILERS**I have to say I was rather distraught by the end...**END SPOILERS**

Re Sharpe - just a few, yes ;o) They really are complete fluff, with not very good female characters and I got to the end of the series feeling like I could probably load and shoot a rifle myself (given the number of times he describes the process), but they're still great fun. Very silly swashbuckle. Have you seen any of the TV series? They should give you an idea of what to expect!

I've not heard of Fearless - thank you - I shall investigate!

Hmmm. Re Fearless - I can't seem to find it in the UK?

Hi Fliss, just delurking to say that I've starred your thread as I see that we have quite similar taste in books. I've added The Land of Laughs to my wishlist - I hadn't heard of this before and it looks like my sort of thing. Incidentally, I'm just down the road from you in Bishop's Stortford, so we are virtually next door neighbours in LT terms.

#52 "The only one I've not yet read is Earwig and the Witch" What about Reflections Diana Wynne Jones? Amazon says it's released on the 3rd May but I can't find any information about it on the publisher's website.

" This collection of more than twenty-five papers, chosen by Diana herself, includes fascinating literary criticism (such as a study of narrative structure in "The Lord of the Rings" and a ringing endorsement of the value of learning Anglo Saxon) alongside autobiographical anecdotes about reading tours (including an account of her famous travel jinx), revelations about the origins of her books, and thoughts in general about the life of an author and the value of writing. The longest autobiographical piece, "Something About the Author", details Diana's extraordinary childhood and is illustrated with family photographs. "Reflections" is essential reading for anyone interested in Diana's works, fantasy or creative writing. The collection features a foreword by Neil Gaiman and an introduction and interview by Charlie Butler, a respected expert on fantasy writing."

Charles Butler is the author of Four British Fantasists. I'm longing to buy it but my book budget for the next couple of months has already been spent on pre-orders for the new Hilary Mantel and the new Terry Pratchett. :-(

Oh good. Someone else who has been as rubbish as me at keeping up recently! That's all I came to say really ;)

#55 Yep, I haven't read "Reflections" either, obviously ;o) - but I was referring to her fiction - there are definitely pieces of her non-fiction I've not read. I've got it on order though! I know that I found out about it outside of Amazon - I had thought it was from the publisher's website (clearly not!), but maybe it was from her unofficial website? I'll have a root around later and see if I can find out. I'm pretty sure it will be out soon.

Re Four British Fantasists, I borrowed it from the library last year or the year before (my LT library has a link to my comments here) and I remember that it was a little bit of a slog to read - and not nearly enough about DWJ ;o) I got it through inter-library loan - I think there's 1 copy in East Anglia - not as cheap as actual library, but not as expensive as buying it (it's about £30 isn't it?) - have you tried that?

#56 Hi Jenny - how's stuff?! What happened to our Blickling Hall plans?! ;o)

#57 Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I got Four British Fantasists out of the library a couple of years ago and enjoyed it although, like you, I found it a little dry in places. I think it's Reflections itself that I'm going to have to wait a while to purchase.

#58 Aha, yes, I have a tendency to skim read LT threads, sorry, misread ;o)

20) Deep Secret - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in publication order
(1998, Bristol)

I'm going to have a massive DWJ comment catch up at some point in the not (hopefully) too distant future, so I'm not going to comment on this just now, other than to say that this is one of my favourites - possibly partly because large parts of it are set in places I am very familiar with! Anyway, I shall come back to post properly, but in the meantime, there's rather a good proper review here...

21) The Seven Towers - Patricia Wrede
(?2010, Cambridge)

A book I've had on my wishlist almost as long as I've been on LT - it finally showed up on, I think, Bookmooch, last year or the year before.

Jermain, former adviser to the King of Sevairn, falsely accused of treason and on the run tumbles into the path of sorceress Amberglas, who rescues him from the men trying to kill him. Back at home, Prince Eltiron struggles with an increasingly irrational father and his sinister new adviser, who now want him to marry Princess Crystalorn (what a name!) of the neighbouring kingdom with whom relations have previously been poor. But all of this is just background to the approaching destruction that is the Red Plague.

Silly, but fun, with likeable characters (mostly) and just what was needed for a sleepy train journey.

22) The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
(Apr 2012, South Bank)

Well, the title pretty much describes the story - this is a retelling of the story of Achilles and the siege of Troy from the point of view of his great friend/lover Patroclus.

I loved the Greek myths as I was growing up, so this drew me when I saw it had been selected for the Orange Prize longlist when I was browsing in Folyes on Saturday. Started reading it on the train home, didn't stop until 3am when I finished it. Basically, what I'm saying is that I loved it. Floods of tears.

One of the great problems for me with the heros of Greek and Roman myths is that it's all about the blood and the glory and less about the humanity. Madeline Miller makes all her characters very real, very credible and very sympathetic. I am glad to have read this while the Aeneid is still fresh in my memory from 2010 (comments here) as it fleshed out the background - and from the opposite, Trojan point of view, which was nice to have. The Trojan war was one of the best (if extraordinarily gory) bits of the Aeneid. It also reminded me that I still want to read the Illiad at some point (particularly as my Dad always defends it as being a lot more exciting than the Aeneid). Having said this, knowing the myth is absolutely not critical to reading this (just in case I'm scaring anyone off!)

I enjoyed your comments about The Song of Achilles, Fliss. BTW, has anyone not liked this book?

Glad you finally found a copy of The Seven Towers--it's a delightful little fantasy. This is early Wrede, but already has her sense of humor mixed with a touch of meaningfulness.

Not sure if I ever read Deep Secret, will have to scrounge up a copy. I preordered a copy of Reflections earlier this year though still haven't got round to The FOur Fantasists.
Re Oscar and Lucinda - that ending....OMG.....then I watched the movie as I just had to see a young Ralph Fiennes as Oscar. While the rural scenery was brilliant, too much was glossed over and they changed the ending.

#60 Thanks Darryl, I hadn't realised it was such a hot favourite - on the other hand, I can see why...

#61 Hi Roni, I certainly did - I rather liked that, although it's quite fluffy, the characters and story aren't at all black and white.

#62 Hi Kerry. The one problem with this reading DWJ in publication order thing is that I really wasn't in the right frame of mind to read Deep Secret again when I came to it (which is odd as it's one of those I've read most frequently - hmmm, maybe not so odd then, come to that) - one of the reasons why there's been a bit of a DWJ hiatus. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it (I always do), but I was a little bit more ready to spot the flaws this time round. I will definitely recommend it (it remains a favourite), but be aware that it's one of her books with one or two slightly difficult to believe in relationships (if you've read Charmed Life, which I think you have, think of Gwendolin - I always found her a bit hard to accept). I rather love her flawed central characters though ;o)

Re Oscar and Lucinda - there's a FILM?! Do I watch it? Changed ending is always frustrating, has it been Hollywood-ised?

Probably not worth viewing as it's more a souvenir of the book's highlights but catching O & L together in the voyage scenes is rather enjoyable. The church/river scenes are beautiful and yes, Hollywood has been at work on the ending, not as much as they could have but enough to annoy a reader of the book.

Regarding DWJ - I'm always happy to ignore a few flaws in character. You might enjoy this blog post about encountering one of her 'characters' in a Dickens novel.

#64 Ooooh yes! Chair Person! Thank you for the link Kerry ;o)

#54 Just realised I never replied to say hallo SandDune - Stortford eh? Very close! I do hope you enjoy Land of Laughs. I shall go and check out your thread now ;o)

Just a note to say I've updated my DWJ thread with comments for:

Howl's Moving Castle, A Tale of Time City and The Lives of Christopher Chant: DWJ thread, Msg46

and comments I made on my 2011 thread for Chair Person, Wild Robert, Castle in the Air and Black Maria: DWJ thread, Msg47

...so I'm now caught up on last year's DWJ reading...

Books I've read since The Song of Achilles, which I'll try to update soon:

The Lonely Dead - Michael Marshall (sequel to The Straw Men)
The Dark Lord of Derkholm - Diana Wynne Jones
Puss in Boots & Mixed Magics - Diana Wynne Jones (not going to the total as PIB is very short & I only read the stories in MM that I hadn't already read in Warlock at the Wheel last year).
Year of the Griffin - Diana Wynne Jones - yes, I've been on another DWJ kick - I received "Reflections" her final book, a collection of essays, talks and criticisms she's written/given at the start of the month and I'm trying not to read it too quickly (I'm allowed to read it out of squence as it's non fiction ;o)). It's wonderful, but it's been giving me monster cravings for certain books as I read.
The House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz (on Suzanne's recommendation)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer (a book club read)
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (one of my Goal 3 books) and
The Merlin Conspiracy - Diana Wynne Jones

...also (besides "Reflections"), currently reading Under the Frog and Les Miserables (still)...

Okay, over to check out the DWJ thread. Just finished a re-read of House of Many Ways last week myself.

Hi Fliss! Off to find the DWJ thread.

#67 I've never read any Diana Wynne Jones and I'm starting to think it's a real omission, especially as I've been studying children's literature recently. Is there any particular book you'd recommend for a newbie?

How did you find A Wrinkle in Time? I've seen many people on LT recommend it as one of their favourite children books, but when I looked at it a couple of years ago I couldn't see the attraction at all.

Ooh, I will have to buy Reflections when it comes out over here.

Here you are!!! Just a wave to say hello, and reassure you that I, too, have been undergoing periods of crapdom at keeping up with threads. As long as we all are keeping up with our reading, right?? :-)

#72 Thank you Suzanne, good to know I'm not alone, although I don't think you can quite match my crapdom ;o) ...but yes re the reading, although I feel I've been a little fluff-heavy recently!

#71 You definitely must! If you're in the US(?) it's not due out until September I think though sadly.

#70 Oh Rhian, where to start?!? Hmmm. Well a couple of general favourites are Archer's Goon, which is a stand alone, Howl's Moving Castle (first in a series, although easily the best of that series) and Fire and Hemlock (another stand alone, losely based on Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer). These three are all quite different.

I wrote a bit of a summary of her stuff for Linda/Whisper on her 2009 thread. You can find the post here. I'll also direct you to my DWJ thread - after she died last year, I decided to re-read all her fiction in publishing order, just because. I'm (briefly) commenting on them all over there. My thoughts on each book aren't particularly exciting and are starting to get a little repetitive, but I'm trying to give a brief single paragraph summary of each book too, so that might help direct you to youre kind of thing a bit better (hopefully). However, I'm currently very behind on my comments, so have only written about 24 of the 44.

Re A Wrinkle in Time, this is exactly how I came across the book myself (I'd never heard of it before I joined LT) and it's why it's one of this year's goals. Hmmm. Yes. I didn't dislike it, but I can't say it really caught my imagination - it seemed to move remarkably slowly for a book whose plot all happens pretty swiftly and I thought the religious aspect was a bit heavy handed (but then I'm not religious). I have found myself wondering whether to get the sequels though, so...

I think it may be one of those children's books that really does have to be read when you're a child. Incidentally, although DWJ is usually pretty good at writing for adults to enjoy too (in fact one of the reasons she started writing was due to her husband repeatedly falling asleep whilst reading to their kids), some of her books for younger readers would fit into this category too. For example, I don't think I would like Charmed Life half as well as I do if it hadn't been the book that introduced me to her, aged 9.

#69 Hi Heather! You do absolutely have to get "Reflections" ;o) It's had me laugh out loud more than once. I have to read it slowly though - like Salmon of Doubt, I keep finding myself close to tears as I read. ...I also keep having to put it down to read the next on my DWJ list... The piece on heros and Fire and Hemlock was particularly interesting.

#68 Hi Roni, see you over there! I've only The House of Many Ways twice as it's one of her newer ones, so I'm looking forward to that re-read - I remember enjoying it much more than Castle in the Air (although I think the Lubbock is possibly her nastiest ever invention - it really makes me cringe), but neither of them will ever live up to Howl's Moving Castle for me.

...and another few weeks goes by... Right. An update...

23) The Lonely Dead - Michael Marshall
(Apr 2012, Rock Road Library)

Well, I enjoyed The Straw Men (which I now notice I still haven't commented on - probably won't now) enough to want to continue with the story (and have the 3rd book lined up to read at some point).

Not my usual type of read - both were a bit gruesome thrillers of the ex-CIA chases down the man (and then sinister organisation) that killed his parents variety, but both swift, tense reads.

24) The Dark Lord of Derkholm - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in publication order
(Apr 2000, Cambridge)

Every year, Mr Chesney (a man from another world sounding a lot like our own) comes through to Wizard Derk's world to organise the hosting of a season of "Pilgrim Parties" (in which tourists get to go on fantastical adventures - ending in a final battle against the Dark Lord, whom they will "kill"). These tours are causing widespread destruction as the whole world is turned over to supporting the tourist industry, with not enough time to repair the damage caused in between - the only people to truly profit being the Guild of Thieves - and even they are getting bored. However, nothing can be done to stop them as Mr Chesney has a Demon in his pocket. The head of the Wizard University, Querida, has decided that enough is enough and forms a plan that will hopefully bring an end to the tours. This plan involves the bumbling Derk playing the role of this year's Dark Lord.

A favourite of a lot of LT people I think, this is DWJ's humourous satirical take on fantasy quest novels. I always enjoy reading this and it contains some of DWJ's more sympathetic characters, however personally, I find this a bit slow moving in patches - there's also a scene in which Derk's daughter is attacked, which is a little too casually dealt with for me and always leaves me a little unhappy. I'm also not a great reader of more traditional fantasy, so, while I recognise the satire, I probably don't appreciate it quite as much as someone who reads a lot of questing novels.

Puss in Boots - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in publication order
(Mar 2011, Cambridge)

Not counting towards my goal as it's very short.

A very DWJ retelling of the traditional story - has me chuckling away every time I read it - definitely one of her more amusing young children's books.

Mixed Magics - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in publication order
(May 2001, Cambridge)

Not counting towards my goal as I only reread the stories that aren't in Warlock at the Wheel as I've read the rest too recently. These are Stealer of Souls and Carol Oneir's 100th Dream - both set in Chrestomanci's world and both stories I was very pleased to discover as they follow up on characters I've always wanted to know what happens next to (Tonino & Mordacai Roberts in the former, Oneir in the latter).

In Stealer of Souls, Tonino, (shortly following on from The Magicians of Caprona) has just arrived in England to stay with Chrestomanci and his family, so that they can investigate his unusual magical gift. He is very homesick and Cat (of Charmed Life) is rather jealous that he is no longer the youngest and most coddled. On a visit to Gabriel de Witt, the previous Chrestomanci, who is now dying the two boys are kidnapped and must work together to escape.

Carol Oneir is a rather spoilt young girl, the daughter of Oneir (one of Chrestomanci's school mates in The Lives of Christopher Chant), who dreams narratives that can be syphoned off and used by other people. However, when she settles down for her special 100th dream, she finds that her dream cast has gone on strike. Chrestomanci steps in to help out. Fun.

Good to see you posting again.
I read the Dark Lord of Derkholm last year and must pick up the sequel and I'm about to start her Reflections as soon as I finish up the last 50pgs of my current nonfiction read.
Will you be heading to Edinburgh again this year?

#75 Hi Kerry! I'm really struggling to keep up with LT these days, I don't know why really ;o)

I do recommend Year of the Griffin - hope you enjoy it! I'm pretty certain that you're going to enjoy Reflections too - I've still not finished it as I keep waylaying myself, but that doesn't mean I'm not enjyoing it!

Absolutely planning to go to Edinburgh this year ;o) The Fringe programme arrived in the post at the end of May - very exciting! Lots of programme trawling ensued and I've got a couple of things booked in advance - (The Stand Late Show and Miriam Margolyes' Dickens' Women) and many, many more lined up as possibles (far more than I'll ever see and I usually end up going to several randoms anyway). Can't wait!

Sadly though, the B&B that I've stayed in for the last 6/7 years (where they always remember me and give me the previous years rates) has just closed up shop, so I've had to find a new place (although they did recommend it to me). Still, it's in the same area of town and it's a bad thing to get too stuck in your ways ;o) Actually, it's quite sweet - the man running the place is quite shy and a little odd, but very kind (the year I arrived having locked up my shoulder bag - with wallet etc in - locked up in the house of my friends in Kirkcaldy, while they were at work, he bent over backwards to help sort it out), and I've watched him (at a great distance and only with yearly updates, obviously) find a partner, get married (a couple of Edinburgh's ago) and have a baby (just after last Edinburgh) - they're now moving up North to settle down and this actually makes me quite happy, even if it does deprive me of a home-from-home ;o)

I've also got holiday plans for Lisbon in the middle of July. There's a (music) festival there (Optimus Alive) that has an amazing line up this year and as most Continental European festivals (including this one) happen in the evenings until the small hours of the morning (unlike the UK festivals where they go on all day and end earlier), it means I can do lots of touristy stuff during the daytime and watch lots of music in the evenings - very much looking forward to it!

Now for some updates...:

25) Year of the Griffin - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in publication order
(Nov 2000, Cambridge)

It's hard to get myself down from a DWJ streak when I'm in the right frame of mind and this is the sequel to The Dark Lord of Derkholm, so I had to continue ;o)

This picks everything up 10 years after The Dark Lord of Derkholm, in a world still recovering from the aftershock of Mr Chesney's Pilgrim Tours. Derk's youngest griffin daughter and her group of talented misfit friends challenge the stodgy teaching of the University. An enjoyable follow up.

26) The House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz
(May 2012, Rock Road Library)

Groosham Grange was one of my favourite children's books when growing up - quite dark. So, when I saw that Anthony Horowitz had written a Sherlock Holmes book, on the recommendation of Suzanne (given that I've never got round to reading any Sherlock Holmes stories), I gave it a go.

I'd be interested to know how well his style compares to Arthur Conan Doyle (I will get round to him one day, he's just never been at the top of my list of authors to read) - I say this partly because the voice of John Watson occasionally felt a little contrived to me - something that's not uncommon when reading books set in a period before they were written - somehow, the spoken language quite frequently feels overdone. This was just one of my major problems with both the "Another Author"'s half of The Watsons (it was incredibly easy to tell where Jane Austen finished and "Another" began) and Death Comes to Pemberley. Having said this, it really was only very occassionally in this case and may have been all in my head - as I say, I've never read any of the originals.

Besides this though, I did enjoy the book, although it took a little while to get going for me and somehow never quite caught alight.

27) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
Book Club
(May 2012, Rock Road Library)

This was a book club read that I'll admit I'd never heard of before it was suggested, so I was rather surprised to discover it's one of those books that people keep recommending.

A little odd, but I loved the format - interweaving graphical stuff into the text.

Written in the first person from three different points of view - mostly that of a very precocious little boy, who's father died in the twin towers terrorist attack, but with occasional breaks for his grandparents point of view.

Oskar's father used to set all sorts of puzzles for him to do, the last of which (the one which was still unsolved when his father died) had him trawling Central Park with a metal detector, not really knowing what he was looking for. So when Oskar discovers an unlabelled key in a vase in the wardrobe with his fathers clothes, he assumes that this is another clue - a clue that leads to him travelling all around New York for anyone with the surname "Black". At the same time, we hear the story of Oskar's grandparents and their unhappy marriage, from their point of view. Both lived through the WWII Dresden bombings and then emmigrated to America at separate times.

There was a feeling in our book group that the story of the grandparents was a bit of a distraction, or that if there was meant to be a parallel drawn somehow, it didn't really work, although both storylines are about trauma and dealing with death. My feeling is that the book doesn't really handle close inspection very well, but it was still an absorbing read that kept me guessing and I did like the design.

28) A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
Goal 3: Books to read
(Nov 2010, Cambridge)

Picked up a while back because it seems to be on many LTer's favourite childhood books lists (so I won't describe it).

I don't know - I've summarised my main thoughts in Msg73 - I'm afraid it didn't move me particularly and I do think it suffers from the fact that I read it for the first time as an adult (I had a similar response to Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain). I enjoyed it enough that when I got to the end, I thought I'd like to know what happens next, but, now a few weeks later, I'm thinking that there are other books I'm far more interested in reading first, so I'm not sure I will. Sorry people!

29) The Merlin Conspiracy - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in publication order
(2003, Cambridge)

I'll update this later...

Unexpected Magic - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in publication order

Again, not counting to this year's goal as I only read the stories I haven't already read recently in Warlock at the Wheel, Minor Arcana and Mixed Magics.

...and I'll also update this one later...

...and more still to update:

30) Under the Frog - Tibor Fischer
31) The Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
32) Moon Over Soho - Ben Aaronovitch
33) The Dud Avocado - Elaine Dundy

Hi Fliss! I'd like to try The House of Silk but I'm determined to finish my SH reread first.

What did you think of the Ben Aaronovitch books?

I think one of the things I like so much about Dark Lord of Derkholm and The Year of the Griffin is the relationships within the family.

#78 Hi Heather - I quite enjoyed it, but then I've never read any real Sherlock Holmes books, so I don't have anything to compare it to.

The Ben Aaronovitch books weren't bad fluff - nothing amazing, but I'll probably continue reading the series. I'd put them in the same bracket as The Dresden Files books - enjoyable nonsense.

#79 I agree ;o)

Sooo....

30) Under the Frog - Tibor Fischer
Goal 3: Boosk to read
(May 2011, Cambridge)

This was a book I picked out before I went to Hungary last year (recommended by Rough Guides in fact), but I didn't manage to get hold of a copy in time.

Tibor Fischer is the British son of two Hungarian refugees and a lot of the detail is biographically based on his Father.

Set mostly in Budapest in the years following WWII and culminating in the 1956 uprising, this is a blackly comic book about communist Hungary from the point of view of Gyuri, a young professionaly basketball player (14 when the war ended) and his team mates. It's very dark humour - the brutality of the Russian invasion at the end of the war; the day to day difficulties and terror of living under the repressive communist regime; and finally, the horror of the 1956 uprising are all very wittily described, mostly from Gyuri and his friend Pataki's points of view, making the reality of what they're describing even more disturbing. The title comes from a Hungarian expression, describing any situation when things can't seem to get any worse ("under a frog's arse down a coal mine").

Highly recommended.

31) The Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
(May 2012, Cambridge)
32) Moon Over Soho - Ben Aaronovitch
(Jun 2012, Cambridge)

Well, I've summed up most of what I want to say about these in my comment to Heather. The central character, Peter Grant, is a probationary police officer working for the Met - London born and bred, who is suddenly introduced to a more magical world. As I say, silly, but enjoyable fluff, but nothing special.

Both books are told in the first person, by Peter himself and, while this is done well, his grammar did occasionally niggle - I'm sure that it's very authentic and everything, but one of my pet grammar dislikes is people describing how "me and Sally went to the supermarket" etc etc. Also (another nerdy point here), you would have thought that someone who has, occasionaly, written for Dr Who would know that he's not actually called "Dr Who", he's called "The Doctor" ;o) *cringe, I just had to say something*

33) The Dud Avocado - Elaine Dundy
(Dec 2011, Cambridge)

Another LT recommendation (Kerry/avatiakh I believe), this was fun. Semi-autobiographical, about Dundy's time in Paris in the '50s.

I'm going to point you at Kerry's comments on the book here as she's summed it very nicely.

I've been pretty rubbish this year, haven't I... I also haven't really been reading that much, unusually for me. Maybe I'll suddenly start racing through books later on in the year...

I've also been pretty hopeless at keeping my allotment in good order - mind you, the last several months weather really hasn't helped. Every time I actually have some free time I think I can spend sorting it out, it seems to be pouring with rain. Gah. I had some mates to stay at the weekend and we ambled over there, just to get a (very little) bit of exercise after lunch and I was absolutely horrified by a jungle that was almost as bad as I've ever seen it. So, fingers crossed everyone please, that we get a good weekend as I've actually got a completely free Saturday and I've taken Monday off work!

Some more books... (I'll come back to update these when I'm not at work...):

34) Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
(May 2012, Cambridge)

One of those books that leaps out from the shelf at you, due to it's physical design. Ransom Riggs has wound an intriguing story around a selection of real Victorian faked photos (children levitating, or headless, etc). Interesting, but didn't quite live up to my hopes for it (although it ended better than I was expecting it to).

35) The Crash of Hennington - Patrick Ness
Goal 3: Books to read
(Dec 2009, Cambridge)

to be updated

Also, have now officially made it through 3/4 of Les Miserables - woo! Currently stuck in a bunch of chapters waffling on about slang though - very tempted to bypass them as he's being extremely pompous about it...

#80 Strangely I enjoyed the Ben Aaronovitch books a lot more than I enjoyed the Harry Dresden books - in fact I would go so far as to say I thought they were really good (although I hadn't noticed the Dr Who slip you picked up on - ooops). I think it must just have been that the humour in the Aaronovitch books was more my thing than the Harry Dresden ones.

#81 Congratulations on getting to the 3/4 mark with Les Mis - I remember quite a lot of seemingly random chapters. There was one which just listed loads of names I'd never heard of which presumably meant a lot to a contemporary reader but pre-easy internet access in a cheap edition with no notes they meant absolutely nothing to me....

Was anyone else watching the tennis just now?!!!! What an amazing match!

#82 Re Dresden, I wasn't terribly impressed by the first couple, but they grew on me. I think Ben Aaronovitch writes better, but I've preferred the Jim Butcher characters and stories.

"There was one which just listed loads of names..." - just one?! ;o) Yep, lots of random chapters, although some of them (eg the first Waterloo one), while frustrating, are kind of fascinating...

Thanks for pointing everyone my way (blush) with the Dud Avocado. I gave up on Harry Dresden at book 2, though I just read on another thread that book 2 is the weakest and I should at least try book 3. I enjoyed the Ben Aaronovich books and am eagerly awaiting the next installment. Also was a fan of Under the frog though I haven't gone on to read more of his work.

I didn't enjoy Miss Peregrine that much, I'm not a fan of the photographs and didn't like the contrivance to fit the story around them.

Great to see you still going on Les Miserables - you can do it!

#84 Well, the Dresden books aren't very well written and are full of cliches, but I did get more and more into them as I went along. Definitely fluff though.

I've got another book by Tibor Fischer, which I'll probably read later this year, we'll have to see how it compares...

Re Miss Peregrine, I agree re contrivance, it was my biggest problem with the book, but I did quite like the photos and about half way through, I thought the story was going to go in a far sillier direction than it did, so I was very glad when it didn't (if you see what I mean!). This said, I expected much more from it and, while I did enjoy the read, ultimately, I was disappointed.

Yep, will get there in the end with Les Mis! It actually works quite well episodically - which is a good thing... ;o)

...and I've been absorbed by The Hunger Games recently. When I saw the first comments on the first in the trilogy here on LT, the book sounded interesting, but also sounded a bit like a revamp of Battle Royale, so, while the trilogy have been on my list, the books weren't that high. Then the film came out and I decided that I couldn't possibly see it without reading them first, but by that point, they'd become a bit of a phenomenon and I don't like jumping on the bandwaggon very much.

However, there was a Book People booksale at work on Wednesday and they were selling the whole trio for £5, which I couldn't resist, particularly as I'm in a bit of a fluffy-fiction mode at the moment. Picked the first one up at 11.30pm that night and couldn't put it down....

If you're enjoying the Hunger Games you might also like Divergent and Blood Red Road, both were hard to put down once started.

Hi fliss! Nice to see you back and posting again.
I second Kerry's recommendation of Divergent. It's one of the best books that I've read this year. Enjoy The Hunger Games- the series is very good. Have you read Battle Royale? I'm considering reading it for comparison.
The Land of Laughs is my favorite Carroll novel. I'd also recommend two more of his earlier works: Outside the Dog Museum and Bones of the Moon. I'm not a fan of his more recent work.
I just purchased The Crash of Hennington as one of my Thingaversary books. It'll probably be years before I actually get to read it.
Congrats on reaching the 3/4 mark in Les Mis. WooHoo.

#86 Hi Kerry, thanks for the recommendations. Do you have comments on them on your thread (am slowly - and probably briefly - catching up on everyone's threads, but as I've not been very methodical about it, I've missed a lot...)?

I've heard of Divergent - sounds intriguing, although I read a lot of dystopian fiction when I was growing up, so I now have to pace myself in reading it, or I'll have to run away and build a house for myself somewhere up a mountain, in the middle of nowhere. I already have dreams of one day owning a house with solar power, a generator, a field, lots of tinned food and it's own natural spring that I can escape to in the event of a) a plague that destroys most of the population of the world b) flooding that destroys most of the population of the world c) asteroids/killer flowers that destroy most of the population of the world d) nuclear war that.... ;o) I would also need to somehow, miraculously, gain a lot better hand-eye coordination than I currently have...

#87 Hi VB - sporadically! I love dropping by LT and catching up with you all, but the current pace (well, last year onwards really) of posting in this group really intimidates me - I find it absolutely impossible to keep up!

Right, if both of you (who I think have fairly similar taste to me a lot of the time?) recommend Divergent, it's definitely going on my wishlist - I'll get to it!

Re Battle Royale, no, I haven't read it, but I did see the (first) film quite some time ago. Having seen it, I'm not sure I can quite bring myself to read it as it's really quite violent. I did enjoy it, but I don't think I ever want to see it again...

Thanks for the Jonathan Carrol recommendations - noted - I definitely want to read more of his stuff.

Re The Crash of Hennington, well, I enjoyed it, but you can definitely tell it's a first novel. Nothing like as good as A Monster Calls or the Chaos Walking trilogy - or, in fact, his other adult book Topics About Which I Know Nothing. I'm not sure I'm going to be very good about commenting on it, but I'll try (although not right now).

I'm really looking forward to his next book (first adult novel in a while) "The Crane Wife" though... That has to be a reference to the Decemberists song/album doesn't it?

OK, well, I finished the last Hunger Games book last night (I'm going to have some serious sleep catching up to do tomorrow - the tennis has gone on quite late the last 4 nights on the trot, which has meant I've been up to between 3am - 5am finishing each book ;o) Very fast paced...

36) The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
37) Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
38) Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
(Jun 2012, Hinxton)

Set in a dystopian future US, where the country has been divided into 12 Districts (previously 13) surrounding the Capital, from where the country is run. Each district is responsible for one part of the economy (mining in 12, farming in 11 etc etc), and all are subsurvient to the Capital, even the comparably wealthy 1st District. 74 years ago, the Districts rebelled against the Capital - this rebellion was put down, the 13th District completely destroyed in the process and the districts kept in poverty and hunger. Every year since, in order to teach the Districts a lesson and keep them in tow, the Capital runs the Hunger Games, in which a boy and a girl (between 12 & 18) from each District are put together in an arena and expected to kill each other until only one of them is left alive. The victor wins enough food and money for life and everyone in their District will get a large food package once a month for a year until the next Hunger Games. When Katniss' little 12 year old sister, Prim, is selected as a contender in her very first year of being eligible, Katniss throws herself forward to stand in her place.

I can't really go into the plot of the next two books (except maybe I won't be giving too much away to say that they're all about rebellion and survival), but all 3 are exciting, fast paced and I couldn't put them down. As is so frequently the case in the middle book of a trilogy, The Hunger Games is really the best of the trilogy - Catching Fire is a bit slower moving and feels a little like it's there just to bridge the gap, but this doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. Mockingjay, well, Mockingjay is all about repercussions from your (and other people's) actions and is, if possible, darker than the other two. I finished it in the small hours this morning and knew I'd have to read something cheery next...

Glad you've finally got The Hunger Games trilogy under your belt, agree with you regarding the Miss Peregrine book, and have had the Aaronovitch books recommended over on the sf thread.

#89 Hi Roni! Yep, very much enjoyed them and have passed them on to a colleague...

Very excited, have just booked flights to Iceland for the end of September. I've always wanted to go there and, while that's not the best time to visit tourist-wise, it is a good time for potentially seeing the Northern Lights, which is right at the top of my list of things I want to do/see one day.

I've put off trying to book to do this for quite a while as trying to see the Northern Lights is one of those things that is always hit and miss if you don't actually live in a place that you can see them and the best places to see them (eg Alaska - I badly want to visit Alaska one of these days) are just way out of my travel budget. However there's supposed to be heightened solar activity in 2012/13, so I thought I'd have as good a chance seeing them this year as I'm likely to get in the near future. So, Iceland it is! Woo!

...and I'm going to Lisbon next Thursday, mostly for the Optimus Alive festival. Can't wait. Continental festivals, unlike most UK festivals happen predominantly in the evenings, which means I'll be able to potter about exploring Lisbon (and swim in the sea) during the day. One of my mates is also going to join me for most of the time, which should be fun too - I usually go travelling on my own.

Anyway, to continue...:

39) Snuff - Terry Pratchett
(Oct 2011, Cambridge)

I'm quite surprised that it's taken me this long to get round to reading this - I usually knock off the new Terry Pratchett within a couple of days of receiving it (and I haven't had to buy any for years!)

Part of the Watch series within the Discworld. Sam Vimes is forced, for the first time ever, to go on holiday by his wife, to her seat in the country. Naturally enough, he soon discoveres that something odd is going on and he's determined to get to the bottom of it.

A quick enjoyable read, as always - I've very seldom been let down by Terry Pratchett, but not one of the stand out ones (but then The Watch books have never been my favourites). I did feel that this wasn't quite as tight as usual however.

I'm also currently re-reading The Bloody Chamber for Book Club tonight (although have miserably failed to finish it in time, having been a bit distracted by other things). Also, Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen by Marilyn Chin (which I'm finding a little mediocre) and a book called What Matters in Jane Austen, which my Dad gave me for my birthday and which I'll probably read quite slowly, but am enjoying so far (even if I don't think John Mullan completely understands the relationship between sisters). ...and of course Les Miserables still!

I am so envious of you going to Iceland - it is somewhere I have always wanted to visit, but I have never been able to persuade family that it is such a brilliant idea.

#91 I promise to report back! It's been on my list of places to visit for absolutely ages in fact - I've a feeling I'll probably have to go back for a second visit in the summer as there are whole parts of the island I probably won't be able to visit at that time of year, without 4 wheel drive. I may have to hire a car for part of the time I'm there...

So, back from Lisbon, suitably exhausted (I think our earliest night was 2am and it didn't help that I'd been out the night before I left...) Some photos:




(click on any of the images to see many more!)

Can't say I read as much as I would have done usually (this is one of the differences with going on holiday with mates I suppose!), but I did read some more fluff:

40) Blood of Angels - Michael Marshall
(Jul 2012, Rock Road Library)

Next in his "Straw Men" series - page turners which are occasionally rather gruesome, but speedy reads and an increasingly extreme conspiracy theory at the heart of them...

Time Out Lisbon - Time Out

Not counted as it's a guide book and thus I never read the whole lot.

Lots of rather dry background and restaurant recommendations (although I only went to one as we were at the festival in the evenings - I also had many, many recommendations already from various colleauges from Lisbon). The guest house was as described and just what we were after (ie cheap, clean and central, if up 3 flights of stairs). The maps are good and detailed, but don't overlap at all, even in the central area (which is annoying when the place you're looking for is on the edge of a map!) - they're also not linked to the sights at all (although were to restaurants, cafes and hotels - the point of a Time Out guide I suppose), which was occasionally very frustrating when trying to find somewhere.

My friend had a copy of the Lonely Planet Guide to Lisbon however and, while there was a lot less information in that, it was a lot easier to navigate and was humourously written (unusual in a Lonely Planet - usually my complaint about that travel series is that the writers never express opinions, so are extremely dry to read). I think in a way, the Time Out guide also suffered from having just a little too much detail - a couple of pages of "things not to miss" might have been nice as I was only there for a long weekend really, so didn't have much time to pick and chose what I/we went to see. Probably would have been better for a longer holiday.

My copy is now massively annotated (even more so than usual anyway...)

Beyond this, The Bloody Chamber is briefly on haitus as that book club has now been and gone and I want to read the next book club book first (March by Geraldine Brooks - not a book I'd usually pick to read). I've also finally given up (about 1/3 the way through) on Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen as I just wasn't enjoying it at all, despite my best efforts. ...and, of course, the non-fiction books are still slowly ongoing, as is Les Mis...

Hope everyone's happy - I've not been round the threads very much recently, despite my promises to myself, but I have a COMPLETELY FREE weekend coming up (can I say that again? COMPLETELY FREE, for the first time in months), so I'll probably do some catching up then, although my netbook is playing up and my jungle/allotment needs some serious TLC (assuming that the predicted sunshine actually happens, which I confess, I don't hold out much hope for...)

Clearly the COMPLETELY FREE weekend was spent doing other things!

OK, so here's a speedy catch up:

Firstly, have just spotted that, according to my excel spreadsheet of my reading (! ;o)) I skipped a book in between 25) & 26), so:

25.5) / 41) Fantasy Stories - edited by Diana Wynne Jones
(May 2012, Rock Road Library)

Pretty much what it says - a collection of fantasy stories! Unfortunately, I don't recall it very well now - I know that there were one or two I really enjoyed and I don't think there were any I disliked, but beyond that, I'm not sure. I've a feeling I wrote a couple of notes down somewhere at the time, so I'll have to have a bit of a look around...

42) March - Geraldine Brooks
Book Group
(July 2012, Rock Road Library)

This is an (obviously) fictional first person account of the father of L. M. Montgomery's Little Women, in the form of letters to his wife, interspersed with memories of his life on the road before he met Marmie, their story and, more currently, his experience of the American Cival war (him being off scene for almost the entirety of Little Women).

It's not a book I would have chosen to read for myself, but I didn't object to reading it - I loved Little Women etc when I read them all (~9/10 years old?), although I suspect I might have trouble with them now. It was an easy read though and it was quite pleasing that Marmie was not the angel she is in Little Women, but someone who, like Jo has to fight with her temper. Anyway, I can't say I was blown away by it and I don't think I enjoyed it as much as other members of our group did, but I don't regret the time spent reading it. If nothing else, the bibliography was interesting - there were a couple of books there (first hand accounts from ex-slaves) that I've noted down and will have to read at some point.

43) Conrad's Fate - Diana Wynne Jones
Goal 5: DWJ in publication order
(Feb 2005, Cambridge)

I need to have a massive DWJ update at some point, so I'll write about this then.

44) Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter - Mario Vargas Llosa
Goal 3: Books to read
(Apr 2010, Cambridge)

I discovered this on Darryl's thread a year or two ago - it intrigued me, so it's been on my TBR pile since then.

A bit of an odd one, but very enjoyable, this is semi-autobiographical about Mario Vargas Llosa's relationship with his first wife, who was indeed his divorced Aunt Julia. Interspersed with this is the story of Pedro Camacho a Bolivian radio play scriptwriter and extracts of his ever increasingly extreme plays. Great fun to read, I shall definitely have to explore Vargas Llosa further.

45) Ghostwritten - David Mitchell
Goal 3: Books to read
(Sept 2010, South Bank)

The only book by David Mitchell I hadn't yet got around to reading (and his first). Like Cloud Atlas, this book is divided up into different sections, focusing around one individual, each section linked somehow to the one before, the common thread only starting to emerge in the last section of the book. Like Cloud Atlas, I enjoyed some sections more than others. I think one of these days I'm going to want to read all of David Mitchell's again books in succession as I know there are links between them all, but it's been quite a while since I read my last...

46) Embassytown - China Miéville
(July 2012, Kings Cross)

I enjoyed this very much - it took much less getting into than Un Lun Dun and The City and the City (although I would say I ended up enjoying Un Lun Dun the most). The central theme is language and communication.

I've got more to say about this, but as I'm at work now, I will come back to do so a bit later on.

47) Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks
(Aug 2012, Cambridge)

When we were discussing March during our Book Group, this book was mentioned - it's a fictionalised retelling of the story of Eyam - a village in the Peak District in the UK which, when the Plague (of 1665-6) arrived at the instigation of the vicar, shut itself off almost completely from the surrounding villages and countryside, thus massively reducing the spread of the plague in that area (although about 2/3 of the village died). There's more detail here. It's one of the few things I learned about in junior school that I still remember very clearly and, as I was going through that part of the world on my way up to Edinburgh this year, I decided to make a detour and to read this book at the same time.

Again, Geraldine Brooks writes in a style that is very easy to read and I did find myself engrossed.

However. I really did feel that she puts too much modern day mentality into the story. I have a P.S. edition and she does actually say in this section that she does this because she doesn't believe that people hundreds of years ago were any different from the way they are now. I disagree. I think that essentially people have the same driving forces, but we're all products of our environment and I'm sorry, but your cultural background does in part at least shape who you are.

The book also ends completely ridiculously, which I felt let it down considerably.

48) Darke - Angie Sage
(need to check)

Next in Angie Sage's wonderful series of children's fanatasy, focusing around Septimus Heap (the seventh son of a seventh son) and his family. They're always great fun to read.

49) Demain - Herman Hesse
Book Group
(June 2012, Cambridge)

This was another Book Group selection that we met to chat about last night in fact. I think I'm also going to update this properly later on....

So, what else, Edinburgh has been and gone and was great fun as always (photos to follow probably) and I'm now looking forward to going to Iceland next week (can't wait!). In the meantime, I'm still slowly reading Les Mis, Reflections and What Matters in Jane Austen and am also reading Michael Chabon's Gentlemen of the Road, which I'm very much enjoying.

Hope everyone's happy!

Too much to comment on. I thought of you in Harrogate in July, where I met a woman in a secondhand bookshop with a big children's book section frantically looking for some Diana Wynne Jones' books - she'd got rid of them in a clearout (why?????) and regretted it.

I loved the new Marina Lewycka book, Various Pets Alive and Dead - hope to write a review for it some time (as I had the chance to go to a Penguin Bloggers party for www.curiousbookfans.co.uk and snaffle a freebie) and lend it to my mum, and I need to do that soon.

Nice list of books, Fliss. I'm glad that you enjoyed Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, and I'm curious to see what MVL novel you'll read next. My favorites are The War of the End of the World, Conversation in the Cathedral, The Time of the Hero, and The Feast of the Goat, all of which are very different from Aunt Julia. The first two novels are more challenging and require more closer reading than the latter two, but both are well worth the effort IMO.

Hi Fliss! *waves*

I had some issues with March when I read it earlier this year and your review of Year of Wonders hasn't convinced me that Geraldine Brooks is an author I'm going to like.

"I think that essentially people have the same driving forces, but we're all products of our environment and I'm sorry, but your cultural background does in part at least shape who you are." Completely agree - I thought there was a bit too much of a modern day mentality to March as well.

Lisbon looked fantastic, Iceland sounds wonderful, the DWJs are great of course, and I also like Angie Sage's series.

#94 Hi Lucy! Nooooo - how could she give away her DWJs? No wonder she regretted it! ;o)

Very much looking forward to Various Pets Alive and Dead - it's been sitting beside my bed for months now - I really must read that next. Or maybe after I've been to Iceland.

I have a big Iceland dilemma - I'm only going for 5 nights so didn't book for hold luggage (and don't really want to take an extra bag anyway, particularly as I'm staying 4 of those nights in a YHA), BUT, half the reason I'm going is in the hope that I see the Northern Lights, so I want to take a proper SLR camera with me along with my tripod. Given that I'm flying Easyjet, that means I'm probably only going to be able to take one book besides my guide book weight wise and I'll probably have to wear all my clothes onto the plane (*imagines michelin man self stepping on to the plane*). Argh! I shall have to weigh it out this weekend... It may be the time to invest in a Kindle - except that I've probably left it too late for it to arrive in time now and all the books I want to read I've already got in physical format... Maybe I should cave in and put my usual "handluggage" into the hold and just carry my camera separately...

If I click on the www.curiousbookfans.co.uk link, will I end up doubling my TBR pile again (which is looking very robust at the moment anyway)?

#95 Hi Darryl - you preempted me, I was about to ask you for MVL recommendations, as I know you're a big fan. I shall have to take a peruse of your suggestions... Thank you! ;o)

#96 Hi Heather! *waves back*

No, I think I'm with you on Geraldine Brooks - I probably wouldn't have read any others if I hadn't been going to Eyam on my way up to Scotland and I'm probably done with her now. I think she's very easy to read and I don't regret reading either, but, but, but.... I had one or two issues with March also, but fewer than with Year of Wonders (so maybe don't read it) - actually, I was rather surprised at just how well the latter seems to have been received in general. At best I'd say it was a speedy but mediocre read, with a really dodgy ending.

#98 Hi Roni! Lisbon was fantastic, can't wait for Iceland and Yay for DWJ & Angie Sage! ;o)

Happy Day to you Fliss!

You can invest in a Kindle in a real shop - Tesco sell them and I think other places now do too. My mum's husband bought his second Kindle from Currys. You could put some out of copyright freebies on it for now. It might be too late for this trip, I guess. The Kindle deals include a little bit of fantasy/YA fantasy, probably not as much as crime fiction. The other bargains vary across genres, though some are probably more represented than others. About 6 months ago they offered the whole Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series for £2.19 but mostly it's one book for 99p or sometimes a few books for 99p each.

#98 Oh no - what a dilemma! If you're not sure about getting a kindle and the Easyjet charge for taking hold luggage is less than the cost of a kindle then I think I'd pay for the hold luggage. I can't imagine anything worse than not having enough books to read on holiday (although not having a camera to take photos of the Northern Lights might come close).

Hi fliss! Hope you're enjoying Iceland. I love it there- friendly people, great vegetarian food. I always went too late in the year to see the northern lights though. I hope the weather conditions are favorable and you get some great pics.

Hi Fliss, catching up - your Lisbon trip looks lovely, here's hoping you've managed to get some good photos of Iceland, including Northern Lights. I've always wanted to go to Iceland too - ever since I was 16 and reading some of the sagas, and also wanting to get far away from my family!

#100 ...and an EXTREMELY belated Happy Day to you too Linda! ;o)

#101-2 Thanks both - it did occur to me to buy one in person, but I discovered that my tripod wouldn't have fitted in my hand luggage anyway (too long), so I decided to hire one out there if I needed it. I am going to invest in a Kindle (or alternative) at some point, but I hadn't quite decided what type I wanted at that point.

The main plan was to get one before going to Australia next year (for the wedding of a family friend), but that wedding has now been postponed (nothing bad), so there's less impetus to get something immediately. On the other hand, I seem to be accumulating rather a lot of pdfs of graphic novels, which aren't great to read on a desktop, so....

#103 Thanks VB - had a lovely time, although things did seem to keep going wrong, which normally is something that makes a holiday special (unexpected revisions to plans etc), but this time, mostly involved a lot of irritation and waiting around doing nothing. Still saw some amazing sights and will definitely be going back.

Sadly, I didn't see the Northern Lights at all - apparently they were there 3 nights on the trot just before I came (with a particularly bright and colourful display, visible clearly even in Reyjavik the night before I arrived) and they were back again immediately after I was there, but it was overcast most of the time I was in Iceland and when it wasn't, they weren't visible. Boooooooo. Clearly I shall have to go back again...

Some catch up pics from the summer:




Top: South Bank Book maze; Mo Farah winning Gold on the Potter's Field outside screen by Tower Bridge; Dunstunburgh Castle
Bottom: Edinburgh Fringe x2; Hadrian's Wall

...and from Iceland:





Right, some actual books...:

Oooh, gorgeous pictures! Hey, everyone, Fliss is back!!!!

50) Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon
(Sept 2012, South Bank)

This is the first story I've read by Michael Chabon for some reason and I did enjoy it. A rather silly story of two two ex-soldiers/con-men who end up with the charge of a a fugitive Khazar prince intent on revenge. Good fun - I look forward to reading more of his stuff.

51) The Vanishing Act - Mette Jackobsen
(Sept 2012, Kings X)

Now this is an odd one. On the whole it didn't quite live up to my expectations of it, but it was an absorbing read nonetheless. The frozen corpse of a boy washes up on the shore of a remote island inhabited only by a girl, her father, a magical cabinet builder and a priest. The father and daughter hang on to the body for 3 days (it's winter on the island) - the father certain that he has the key to his search for the meaning of everything, the girl telling him the story of the disappearance of her mother. Told from the POV of the little girl, the fact that (apparently) it's a bit of a philosophy trainer almost completely passed me by. What was good was the unreliable narration of a little girl who neither wants to face up to what happened to her mother nor fully understands everything that's going on around her.

52) The Children's Book - A.S. Byatt
Goal 4: Uncompleted goals from 2010/11
(Jan 2010, Cambridge)

As with Posession, this was quite a slow read. On the other hand, it was much quicker to get into. At it's root, this tells the stories of several overlapping families of children (and their parents), centering around the numerous Wellwood family.

I'd like to describe this more, but I think I'll have to come back to it.

53) The Blue Fox - Sjón
(Sept 2012, Reyjavik)

I had to buy some Icelandic fiction whilst I was out there as the Halldór Laxness book I'd ordered hadn't arrived yet. This has had all sorts of wonderful reviews, but I'm afraid it left me nonplussed. Starting with a priest hunting an elusive blue fox and working it's way back in time, telling the story of Abba a girl with Down's Syndrome, who is taken in by a naturalist. It's a simple story and, for the most part, beautifully told. But. The final chapter is a letter written by the naturalist, which seems to be there to explain everything and, for me, completely took away the magic of the rest of the book. Disappointing.

54) Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris
55) Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris
56) Club Dead - Charlaine Harris
57) Dead to the World - Charlaine Harris
58) Dead as a Doornail - Charlaine Harris
59) Definitely Dead - Charlaine Harris
60) All Together Dead - Charlaine Harris
61) From Dead to Worse - Charlaine Harris
62) Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris
63) Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris
(Oct 2012, Cambridge)

There was another Book People sale at work, which included a box set of the first 10 Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries for £10, so I decided to see what the fuss was about, given that even if I only read 2, I'd have saved money.

Well, I imagine pretty much all of you know about these - if you don't, they're the books on which the TV series "True Blood" is based - centering around Sookie, a blonde, telepathic, Louisiana waitress who gets embroyled in the lives of the newly "out" Vampire community (for starters anyway). Very silly, with 2D characters, but great, mindless fun when you're stressing about having to give a REALLY TERRIFYING talk (all done now, thank goodness).

...and you know me and series of books - I find it hard not to read the lot in one go for some reason. So, only 3 left, one unpublished currently...

Anyway. I'm now currently reading I, Claudius by Robert Graves (for book club, suggested by me); The Master by Colm Toibin (nothing like as speedy a read as Brooklyn) and (still) Les Miserables...

Thanks Roni ;o)

I'll try and keep a little more on top of things in the run up to Christmas (well, you never know!)

Welcome back, Fliss! I'm glad that we got to see you in SF earlier this month. I love the Iceland photos; will you post your SF photos here as well?

Are there any good bookshops in Kings Cross station?

Gasp! No Diana Wynne Jones books lately???

Hi Darryl - it was great to see you and meet Zoe too! Thanks re photos. I shall post SF photos (although there aren't very many), but unfortunately, my netbook has finally completely died, so uploading isn't quite as straight forward as usual... ;o)

Re bookshops in Kings Cross Station, now the station has been revamped, there's a really nice independent one near platforms 9 - 11 (called "Watermark" I think). Not very big, but with a well chosen selection.

Re DWJ ;o) I've had quite a break - I'll probably have to finish a couple at the weekend now life is back to normal again - provided I finish I, Claudius first...

Wonderful photos, Fliss, especially the Iceland ones! I'm still longing to go there one day. What's the green scene in the top right corner - can't tell if that's a distant or close view, stone or ice (green coloured) or moss or grass or what - but looks fantastic.

Shame the Blue Fox was a disappointment.

I'm reading Les Mis too - via audiobook. I'm off to catch a bus in the snow shortly, so I'll probably listen while I'm walking to the bus stop and waiting in the cold and dark...

Glitterfy.com - Christmas Glitter Graphics

I want to wish you a glorious celebration of that time of year when we all try to unite around a desire for Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward All. Merry Christmas, Fliss!

Merry Christmas to you and your family, Fliss! It was great seeing you in London and San Francisco this year, and I look forward to seeing you next year, hopefully in the spring.

Here's to a great new year ahead, Fliss!

Belated Christmas wishes and a Happy New Year Fliss!