This topic is currently marked as "dormant"—the last message is more than 90 days old. You can revive it by posting a reply.
1ajaldous
I've been keeping track of books that I have read for a long time now and I couldn't resist joining LibraryThing when I came across it while trawling the web a few months ago.
I've only just got around to exploring the groups here and this one looks right up my street. Let's see how conscientious I am with this!
I've only just got around to exploring the groups here and this one looks right up my street. Let's see how conscientious I am with this!
2ajaldous
Books read in 2013 by ajaldous
January
1. The Boiler Plot by Emily McDaid
2. Dodger by Terry Pratchett
3. The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey
4. Bertie Plays the Blues by Alexander McCall Smith
5. Hothouse by Brian Aldiss
6. The Two Kinds of Decay by Sarah Manguso
7. The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
8. Transition by Iain Banks
February
9. The Manual of Darkness by Enrique De Heriz
10. 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); GOTO 10 by Nick Monfort et al
11. The American Bomber Boys by Martin Bowman
12. Dare Me by Megan Abbott
13. The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan
14. The Flight by M R Hall
March
15. The Folly of the World by Jesse Bullington
16. Farewell Horizontal by KW Jeter
17. Persian Fire by Tom Holland
18. The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund deWaal
19. Polystom by Adam Roberts
April
20. Obsession by Ramsey Campbell
21. Limbus Inc. by Jonathan Marberry
22. Dark Hollow by John Connolly
23. The Long Lost by Ramsey Campbell
May
24. In the Shadow of the Sword by Tom Holland
25. Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway
26. Sunshine on Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
27. Jack Glass by Adam Roberts
28. The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
29. I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
30. The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner
31. The Fear Index by Robert Harris
32. The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds by Alexander McCall Smith
33. Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds
34. Boneland by Alan Garner
35. Nod by Adrian Barnes
June
36. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
37. Zoo Time by Howard Jacobsen
38. A Conspiracy of Friends by Alexander McCall Smith
39. Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith
40. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
41. A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
42. The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart
July
43. Excession by Iain M Banks
44. Canada by Richard Ford
45. Raw Spirit: In Search of the Perfect Dram by Iain Banks
46. Harvest by Jim Crace
August
47. Dark Eden by Chris Beckett
48. The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin
49. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
50. TransAtlantic by Colum McCann
September
51. The Kills by Richard House
52. Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson
53. England's Lane by Joseph Connolly
54. The Method by Juli Zeh
October
55. Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw
56. Unexploded by Alison Mcleod
57. The Marrying of Chani Kaufman by Eve Harris
58. The English Monster by Lloyd Shepherd
59. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
60. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
61. News from Gardenia by Robert Llewelyn
November
62. Heartbreak Hotel by Deborah Moggach
63. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
64. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
65. Intrusion by Ken McLeod
66. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
67. The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan
68. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
December
69. The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
70. Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett
71. The City's Son by Tom Pollock
72. Ghostman by Roger Hobbs
73. Unusual Uses for Olive Oil by Alexander McCall Smith
74. Bugz:Contact Book Zero by David Jackson
75. The Bridge by Iain Banks
January
1. The Boiler Plot by Emily McDaid
2. Dodger by Terry Pratchett
3. The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey
4. Bertie Plays the Blues by Alexander McCall Smith
5. Hothouse by Brian Aldiss
6. The Two Kinds of Decay by Sarah Manguso
7. The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
8. Transition by Iain Banks
February
9. The Manual of Darkness by Enrique De Heriz
10. 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); GOTO 10 by Nick Monfort et al
11. The American Bomber Boys by Martin Bowman
12. Dare Me by Megan Abbott
13. The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan
14. The Flight by M R Hall
March
15. The Folly of the World by Jesse Bullington
16. Farewell Horizontal by KW Jeter
17. Persian Fire by Tom Holland
18. The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund deWaal
19. Polystom by Adam Roberts
April
20. Obsession by Ramsey Campbell
21. Limbus Inc. by Jonathan Marberry
22. Dark Hollow by John Connolly
23. The Long Lost by Ramsey Campbell
May
24. In the Shadow of the Sword by Tom Holland
25. Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway
26. Sunshine on Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
27. Jack Glass by Adam Roberts
28. The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
29. I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
30. The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner
31. The Fear Index by Robert Harris
32. The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds by Alexander McCall Smith
33. Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds
34. Boneland by Alan Garner
35. Nod by Adrian Barnes
June
36. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
37. Zoo Time by Howard Jacobsen
38. A Conspiracy of Friends by Alexander McCall Smith
39. Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith
40. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
41. A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
42. The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart
July
43. Excession by Iain M Banks
44. Canada by Richard Ford
45. Raw Spirit: In Search of the Perfect Dram by Iain Banks
46. Harvest by Jim Crace
August
47. Dark Eden by Chris Beckett
48. The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin
49. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
50. TransAtlantic by Colum McCann
September
51. The Kills by Richard House
52. Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson
53. England's Lane by Joseph Connolly
54. The Method by Juli Zeh
October
55. Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw
56. Unexploded by Alison Mcleod
57. The Marrying of Chani Kaufman by Eve Harris
58. The English Monster by Lloyd Shepherd
59. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
60. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
61. News from Gardenia by Robert Llewelyn
November
62. Heartbreak Hotel by Deborah Moggach
63. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
64. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
65. Intrusion by Ken McLeod
66. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
67. The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan
68. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
December
69. The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
70. Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett
71. The City's Son by Tom Pollock
72. Ghostman by Roger Hobbs
73. Unusual Uses for Olive Oil by Alexander McCall Smith
74. Bugz:Contact Book Zero by David Jackson
75. The Bridge by Iain Banks
4ajaldous
Yesterday I finished reading book 11 of the year, The American Bomber Boys by Martin Bowman.
This is a collection of reminiscences, letters and diary entries from American bomber crew members stationed in East Anglia during the Second World War and it's a thoroughly good read. It was made all the more enjoyable for me as it is a history set in my part of the world. I was born and bred in Suffolk and I still live here. Reading this reminded me of stories my grandparents and parents told to me as a boy.
The book is full of gems, with recollections of the funny things that happened when two cultures found themselves living on each others' doorsteps. Almost overnight, air bases sprung up around the East Anglian countryside followed by thousands of American servicemen to the bemusement of the local population.
The sadness and horror of war is also reflected in many of the entries with vivid descriptions of the tragic events that occurred on the bombing runs over Germany.
A fascinating and sobering read.
This is a collection of reminiscences, letters and diary entries from American bomber crew members stationed in East Anglia during the Second World War and it's a thoroughly good read. It was made all the more enjoyable for me as it is a history set in my part of the world. I was born and bred in Suffolk and I still live here. Reading this reminded me of stories my grandparents and parents told to me as a boy.
The book is full of gems, with recollections of the funny things that happened when two cultures found themselves living on each others' doorsteps. Almost overnight, air bases sprung up around the East Anglian countryside followed by thousands of American servicemen to the bemusement of the local population.
The sadness and horror of war is also reflected in many of the entries with vivid descriptions of the tragic events that occurred on the bombing runs over Germany.
A fascinating and sobering read.
5PersephonesLibrary
Hello and welcome! It's a great group with very nice people. The American Bomber Boys sounds interesting. How did you like the book by Ian Banks? I've got The Wasp Factory on my shelves and I plan to read it this year. Happy reading!
6ajaldous
Thanks for the welcome, PersephonesLibrary!
I've not read The Wasp Factory, but Transition was a great read - it's a science fiction type novel involving parallel worlds - great stuff.
I hope the reading goes well for you this year!
I've not read The Wasp Factory, but Transition was a great read - it's a science fiction type novel involving parallel worlds - great stuff.
I hope the reading goes well for you this year!
7PersephonesLibrary
Hello ajaldous, in that case I'll have to check Transition out! Have a lovely weekend!
8ajaldous
Over the last few years, I have aimed to read books that I wouldn't normally read and one great way to do this is to choose books short listed for various awards. My 'to read' list is pretty much full with such titles and that's how I got to read my twelfth book for this year, Dare Me by Megan Abbott which I borrowed from the public library. It was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Steel Dagger Award for best thriller 2012. It didn't win, but it's an interesting read.
This is a novel set in the world of cheerleaders in an American High School. I know extremely little about cheerleading and the cheerleading world, but this book certainly taught me a lot I had absolutely no idea about (speaking as a British chap who's only exposure to cheerleading is from watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The author expertly describes the interpersonal relationships within a group of teenage girls as events unfold.
Without spoiling the plot, the story centres on the protagonist witnessing the aftermath of a death and trying to keep her knowledge about it secret, all set against the backround of the new coach getting the team ready for the big performance at the final game of the season with a chance of trying for the Regionals next year.
I enjoyed this book, the relationships between the characters were well portrayed and I found myself muttering 'for goodness sake, just tell the truth' to myself at several points throughout! For me, it's not one of those 'read again' books, but I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it as a good read.
This is a novel set in the world of cheerleaders in an American High School. I know extremely little about cheerleading and the cheerleading world, but this book certainly taught me a lot I had absolutely no idea about (speaking as a British chap who's only exposure to cheerleading is from watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The author expertly describes the interpersonal relationships within a group of teenage girls as events unfold.
Without spoiling the plot, the story centres on the protagonist witnessing the aftermath of a death and trying to keep her knowledge about it secret, all set against the backround of the new coach getting the team ready for the big performance at the final game of the season with a chance of trying for the Regionals next year.
I enjoyed this book, the relationships between the characters were well portrayed and I found myself muttering 'for goodness sake, just tell the truth' to myself at several points throughout! For me, it's not one of those 'read again' books, but I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it as a good read.
9ajaldous
I finished reading The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan this week. I came across this title via The Kitschies 2012 awards site. Panopticon has been short listed for the 'Golden Tentacle', an award for the best debut novel.
My copy was borrowed from the public library. It tells the story of Anais, a fifteen year old girl who has been taken to the 'Panopticon', a home for young chronic offenders. She is suspected of putting a police woman into a coma.
Set in Scotland, the spoken language is grittily executed by the author. Anais has been in multiple institutions throughout her young life and she faces the threat of being sent to a secure unit until she turns eighteen.
The story of Anais and the people she meets in her drug fuelled haze gallops along, horrifying at one moment and tugging the heart strings in the next.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it difficult to put down. The winner of the Golden Tentacle will be announce on 26th February, and it will be interesting to see how it does. For what it's worth, in my opinion I think it would not look out of place on a Booker short list. Having enjoyed this novel so much, I've added the other shortlistees to my 'to read' list in the anticipation they may be as good as Panopticon.
My copy was borrowed from the public library. It tells the story of Anais, a fifteen year old girl who has been taken to the 'Panopticon', a home for young chronic offenders. She is suspected of putting a police woman into a coma.
Set in Scotland, the spoken language is grittily executed by the author. Anais has been in multiple institutions throughout her young life and she faces the threat of being sent to a secure unit until she turns eighteen.
The story of Anais and the people she meets in her drug fuelled haze gallops along, horrifying at one moment and tugging the heart strings in the next.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it difficult to put down. The winner of the Golden Tentacle will be announce on 26th February, and it will be interesting to see how it does. For what it's worth, in my opinion I think it would not look out of place on a Booker short list. Having enjoyed this novel so much, I've added the other shortlistees to my 'to read' list in the anticipation they may be as good as Panopticon.
10ajaldous
I finished reading The Flight by MR Hall in February and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
A top of the range airliner comes down in the Severn Estuary and Jenny Cooper, a Coroner, is called to deal with a girl's body washed up on the shore, the first victim of the crash to be found. Mysteriously another body is found nearby, but this man was not on the 'plane.
The story follows Jenny Cooper as she tries to get to the bottom of why the crash occurred. There are lots of twists and turns along the way. I found it very difficult to put down.
This is the first of this author's books that I have read and it's the fourth in a series involving Jenny Cooper, so that's another set to be added to my 'to read' list.
The Flight was shortlisted for the 2012 CWA Gold Dagger.
A top of the range airliner comes down in the Severn Estuary and Jenny Cooper, a Coroner, is called to deal with a girl's body washed up on the shore, the first victim of the crash to be found. Mysteriously another body is found nearby, but this man was not on the 'plane.
The story follows Jenny Cooper as she tries to get to the bottom of why the crash occurred. There are lots of twists and turns along the way. I found it very difficult to put down.
This is the first of this author's books that I have read and it's the fourth in a series involving Jenny Cooper, so that's another set to be added to my 'to read' list.
The Flight was shortlisted for the 2012 CWA Gold Dagger.
