elkiedee reading and reviewing in 2014
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2014
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1elkiedee
Hi to old friends and people I hope to get to know online this year.
I'm Luci, I live in London with my partner and two little boys. I didn't do very well at even listing my reads or keeping up with reviews last year, will give it another go but am making no promises!
I'm Luci, I live in London with my partner and two little boys. I didn't do very well at even listing my reads or keeping up with reviews last year, will give it another go but am making no promises!
2PaulCranswick
Always look for your thread Luci, in the hope that you'll share with us some of your prodigious reading and wonderful insight. Have a wonderful new year and, God willing, if I'm back in the UK at all next year it would be great to finally manage to meet-up.
6CDVicarage
I have your thread starred, Luci, and will be following and making the effort to comment. (That's my New Year's Resolution: to comment on threads not just lurk).
8elkiedee
Goodbye Elizabeth Jane Howard and Jack Woolley (what do you mean, the Archers isn't (or aren't) real?)
Here's an interview with EJH from just a few weeks ago:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/authorinterviews/10431293/Elizabeth-Jan...
Here's an interview with EJH from just a few weeks ago:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/authorinterviews/10431293/Elizabeth-Jan...
9sibylline
Oh Luci, thank you for posting that interview. Peggy (LizzieD) has been reading Cazelet and I am even more keen to start in on them (along with a million other books, of course!)
10elkiedee
1. 04.01.14 Liz Fenwick, The Cornish House 341 pp (3.9)
2. 06.01.14 Anton Disclafani, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls 391 pp (4.3)
3. 07.01.14 Doris Lessing, The Grass is Singing 199 pp (4.2)
4. 08.01.14 Christie Watson, Where Women Are Kings 432 pp (4.6)
5. 10.01.14 Domenica de Rosa, Summer School 374 pp (3.8)
6. 11.01.14 Tessa Hadley, Clever Girl 310 pp (4.4)
7. 14.01.14 Colm Toibin, The Testament of Mary 104 pp (3.8)
8. 14.01.14 Amanda Hodgkinson, Spilt Milk 292 pp (4.4)
9. 15.01.14 Elizabeth Speller, The Sunlight on the Garden 240 pp (4.3)
10. 18.01.14 Robert Dinsdale, Three Miles 230 pp (3.8)
11. 21.01.14 Essie Fox, The Goddess and the Thief 310 pp (3.6)
12. 24.01.14 Elizabeth Jane Howard, Marking Time 452 pp (4.5)
13. 24.01.14 Kate Lord Brown, The Perfume Garden 416 pp (4.3)
14. 28.01.14 John Lawton, Then We Take Berlin 419 pp (4.7)
15. 30.01.14 Elizabeth Speller, At Break of Day 390 pp (3.8)
4900 pp mtd, 4900- pp ytd
2. 06.01.14 Anton Disclafani, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls 391 pp (4.3)
3. 07.01.14 Doris Lessing, The Grass is Singing 199 pp (4.2)
4. 08.01.14 Christie Watson, Where Women Are Kings 432 pp (4.6)
5. 10.01.14 Domenica de Rosa, Summer School 374 pp (3.8)
6. 11.01.14 Tessa Hadley, Clever Girl 310 pp (4.4)
7. 14.01.14 Colm Toibin, The Testament of Mary 104 pp (3.8)
8. 14.01.14 Amanda Hodgkinson, Spilt Milk 292 pp (4.4)
9. 15.01.14 Elizabeth Speller, The Sunlight on the Garden 240 pp (4.3)
10. 18.01.14 Robert Dinsdale, Three Miles 230 pp (3.8)
11. 21.01.14 Essie Fox, The Goddess and the Thief 310 pp (3.6)
12. 24.01.14 Elizabeth Jane Howard, Marking Time 452 pp (4.5)
13. 24.01.14 Kate Lord Brown, The Perfume Garden 416 pp (4.3)
14. 28.01.14 John Lawton, Then We Take Berlin 419 pp (4.7)
15. 30.01.14 Elizabeth Speller, At Break of Day 390 pp (3.8)
4900 pp mtd, 4900- pp ytd
11gennyt
Only just found your thread, but now it's starred.
I only hear The Archers sporadically these days (though quite often now catch the Sunday omnibus since I'm not on duty all morning in church) so had not caught the news about Jack - but it was spoilerishly given away in an interview elsewhere on Radio4 about changing the actor playing Tony...
I only hear The Archers sporadically these days (though quite often now catch the Sunday omnibus since I'm not on duty all morning in church) so had not caught the news about Jack - but it was spoilerishly given away in an interview elsewhere on Radio4 about changing the actor playing Tony...
13elkiedee
1. 04.01.14 Liz Fenwick, The Cornish House 341 pp (3.9)
Library/Kindle Borrowed 2012, bought 07.01.14
Borrowed from the library (Camden) ages ago, then bought as a Kindle bargain just after I finished reading it
Library/Kindle Borrowed 2012, bought 07.01.14
Borrowed from the library (Camden) ages ago, then bought as a Kindle bargain just after I finished reading it
14elkiedee
2. 06.01.14 Anton Disclafani, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls 391 pp (4.3)
For review/Amazon Vine
For review/Amazon Vine
19elkiedee
7. 14.01.14 Colm Toibin, The Testament of Mary 104 pp (3.8)
Secondhand, bought 11.10.13 from Any Amount of Books (actually an immaculate review copy)
Secondhand, bought 11.10.13 from Any Amount of Books (actually an immaculate review copy)
20elkiedee
8. 14.01.14 Amanda Hodgkinson, Spilt Milk 292pp (4.4)
For review/Publisher (Penguin) ARC received 23.12.20
For review/Publisher (Penguin) ARC received 23.12.20
22elkiedee
10. 18.01.14 Robert Dinsdale, Three Miles 230 pp (3.8)
Library Borrowed 09.09.12 from Camden Libraries
Library Borrowed 09.09.12 from Camden Libraries
23PaulCranswick
Nice to see your reading is picking up its normal pace Luci. Trust that you have a lovely weekend in a slightly warmer London.
24elkiedee
It's not been that cold here, just wet - rain, rain, rain, although it's paused for the weekend - we might get to the park tomorrow (we would have today but we went to see my sisters/the boys' aunt (a great excitement for them).
25elkiedee
Ooh, I love Radio 4's definition of "young writer" - they just introduced a reading of a story from Emerald City by a "young American writer" - Jennifer Egan (born 1962).
26PaulCranswick
Ha! There is still hope for me too then Luci.
28elkiedee
Oops, I have neglected this thread totally - for more than 3 months.
The longlist for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award (linked to a crime fiction festival in Harrogate every July) has been announced:
Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer (I wasn't that taken with her first book)
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes (read, this was out of my comfort zone but I was quite impressed)
The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham (on my Kindle)
Like This, For Ever by Sharon Bolton
A Wanted Man by Lee Child - I've bought a couple of his Jack Reacher books though they don't appeal that much, after meeting him in person - he's such a nice guy (he joined a large group of people for dinner and suddenly insisted on paying the bill at the end for all 18 of us)
The Honey Guide by Richard Crompton
The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald - on my Kindle
Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths - on my Kindle
Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes
The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter by Malcolm Mackay
The Chessmen by Peter May - on my Kindle
I Hear The Sirens In The Street by Adrian McKinty - read, I liked this one but not as much as the first - would recommend but it's (2) of a trilogy
The Red Road by Denise Mina - read, one of my favourite series
Ratlines by Stuart Neville
Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin - read, Rebus is a must read for me
Children of the Revolution by Peter Robinson - read, another series I follow though I still haven't read a few of the earlier books (was introduced to it at #10)
Eleven Days by Stav Sherez - think I have on my Kindle
Weirdo by Cathi Unsworth - I think this is the best of the 6 I've read so far
The longlist for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award (linked to a crime fiction festival in Harrogate every July) has been announced:
Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer (I wasn't that taken with her first book)
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes (read, this was out of my comfort zone but I was quite impressed)
The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham (on my Kindle)
Like This, For Ever by Sharon Bolton
A Wanted Man by Lee Child - I've bought a couple of his Jack Reacher books though they don't appeal that much, after meeting him in person - he's such a nice guy (he joined a large group of people for dinner and suddenly insisted on paying the bill at the end for all 18 of us)
The Honey Guide by Richard Crompton
The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald - on my Kindle
Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths - on my Kindle
Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes
The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter by Malcolm Mackay
The Chessmen by Peter May - on my Kindle
I Hear The Sirens In The Street by Adrian McKinty - read, I liked this one but not as much as the first - would recommend but it's (2) of a trilogy
The Red Road by Denise Mina - read, one of my favourite series
Ratlines by Stuart Neville
Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin - read, Rebus is a must read for me
Children of the Revolution by Peter Robinson - read, another series I follow though I still haven't read a few of the earlier books (was introduced to it at #10)
Eleven Days by Stav Sherez - think I have on my Kindle
Weirdo by Cathi Unsworth - I think this is the best of the 6 I've read so far
29PaulCranswick
I have quite a few of those listed above Luci and will probably get to them all eventually. Banks, Rebus, Thorne, Reacher are all series I follow with some degree of avidity. Nice anecdote about Lee Child - I would have guessed he was a decent bloke.
30elkiedee
Paula Byrne, The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things 4.7
I'm normally a bit put off Austen bios by the number of them, and by what seems to be a lot of speculation, but this was Book of the Week last year, meaning 5 15 minute extracts were on the radio - BOTW is a non-fiction programme.
This isn't so much a chronological biography as one which looks at a different aspect of Austen's life chapter by chapter, using various objects which belonged to or were used by her as a starting point, including a shawl, notebooks, a subscription list, a royalty check, and a "laptop" (!) (actually a portable writing desk which you use on your lap - I have one which I inherited from my great grandmother Dorothy). She draws on Austen's letters, her published novels and her juvenilia, and challenges a lot of our preconceptions about Jane Austen, and a lot of previous biographies, including the one by Claire Tomalin.
Apparently Austen had 33 nieces and nephews by 4 of her brothers (11, 11, 8 and 3) and took her role as an aunt quite seriously, though she didn't appreciate being used as unpaid childcare. (Of course, she had her writing to do). And the family, including Jane, told each other some pretty dirty jokes.
My copy was a real Kindle bargain at 99p, but it's quite reasonably priced at the moment and I imagine libraries here will have at least one copy in the system.
One thing I liked about this was that I was able to click on the footnotes when they appeared, though you rather need a touchscreen device for this to work - I have a Kindle paperwhite and that feature worked really well, making it easier to read the footnotes than in a paper book. It probably would have driven me crazy on my first Kindle though (the Kindle Keyboard).
I'm normally a bit put off Austen bios by the number of them, and by what seems to be a lot of speculation, but this was Book of the Week last year, meaning 5 15 minute extracts were on the radio - BOTW is a non-fiction programme.
This isn't so much a chronological biography as one which looks at a different aspect of Austen's life chapter by chapter, using various objects which belonged to or were used by her as a starting point, including a shawl, notebooks, a subscription list, a royalty check, and a "laptop" (!) (actually a portable writing desk which you use on your lap - I have one which I inherited from my great grandmother Dorothy). She draws on Austen's letters, her published novels and her juvenilia, and challenges a lot of our preconceptions about Jane Austen, and a lot of previous biographies, including the one by Claire Tomalin.
Apparently Austen had 33 nieces and nephews by 4 of her brothers (11, 11, 8 and 3) and took her role as an aunt quite seriously, though she didn't appreciate being used as unpaid childcare. (Of course, she had her writing to do). And the family, including Jane, told each other some pretty dirty jokes.
My copy was a real Kindle bargain at 99p, but it's quite reasonably priced at the moment and I imagine libraries here will have at least one copy in the system.
One thing I liked about this was that I was able to click on the footnotes when they appeared, though you rather need a touchscreen device for this to work - I have a Kindle paperwhite and that feature worked really well, making it easier to read the footnotes than in a paper book. It probably would have driven me crazy on my first Kindle though (the Kindle Keyboard).
31gennyt
Sounds interesting. I haven't read any Austen biographies yet. Imagine babysitting for 33 nephews/nieces. And remembering all those birthdays! I thought I had a tough job with 6 godchildren...
32elkiedee
16. 01.02.14 Jo Baker, Longbourn 448 pp (4.7)
17. 01.02.14 Katy Regan, How We Met 449 pp (3.9)
18. 02.02.14 Jane Gardam, Last Friends (4.3)
19. 05.02.14 Nicholas Shakespeare, Priscilla: The Hidden Life of an Englishwoman in Wartime France (4.0)
20. 06.02.14 Sathnam Sanghera, Marriage Material (3.9)
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17. 01.02.14 Katy Regan, How We Met 449 pp (3.9)
18. 02.02.14 Jane Gardam, Last Friends (4.3)
19. 05.02.14 Nicholas Shakespeare, Priscilla: The Hidden Life of an Englishwoman in Wartime France (4.0)
20. 06.02.14 Sathnam Sanghera, Marriage Material (3.9)
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37elkiedee
15. 30.01.14 Elizabeth Speller, At Break of Day 390 pp (3.8)
39elkiedee
50 novels about conflict and displacement written by women, from the Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soniah-kamal/women-write-war_b_5662555.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soniah-kamal/women-write-war_b_5662555.html
40elkiedee
Kamila Shamsie, A God in Every Stone
Reviewed for Amazon Vine
In a year when there are many historical novels about World War I and its repercussions, Kamila Shamsie’s latest book stands out for several reasons. One is the high quality of Shamsie’s writing. Another is that the focus is very different – not just the fighting in Western Europe or the home front, but the impact of the war, and its aftermath, way beyond Europe, specifically in the area of British-ruled India around Peshawar (some years before Partition and the creation of Pakistan as a separate country). Shamsie is from Pakistan but has lived in Britain for the last few years, and so this isn’t just a historical novel written by a Westerner and set somewhere exotic – I do enjoy some of those but it’s interesting to read something with more substance.
On a trip to an ancient archaeological site in Turkey in summer 1914, Vivian begins to look at a family friend in a new light. Her friendship with Tahsin Bey seems to be developing into an unspoken romantic understanding. Then the travellers receive news of the war in Europe, and Vivian has a telegram from her father – she must find a way to travel home immediately, with just a whispered promise from Tahsin Bey: “When the war ends, Vivian Rose”. Back in London she works as a VAD (volunteer nurse) for a few months, before setting off to Peshawar to see an ancient archaeological treasure, and hoping to meet Tahsin Bey.
There is plenty to explore there, but there is also simmering conflict between Indian nationalist aspirations and the repressive society of the British in India – the British take a dim view of a young woman wanting to lead archaeological expeditions with the local Pathan people. She returns to London but not before forming a lasting friendship.
Qaayum Gul is one of many Indian men who fought in Europe, and this novel is as much his story as Viv’s. They meet on the train to Peshawar in 1915, and then again in 1930 when Vivian returns.
World War I was a war which affected the whole world, in an era when so much of Asia and Africa was divided up between European powers and precarious empires. There is so much new to me historical background here that it gave me a whole list of things – places, events etc – I needed to look up. Shamsie doesn't lay everything out as chunks of fact that can really interfere with some historical novels, but her book is clearly informed by historical research and perspectives.
A fascinating and thought provoking story – this is the first Kamila Shamsie book I’ve read but I really must get to all her previous books very very soon.
Reviewed for Amazon Vine
In a year when there are many historical novels about World War I and its repercussions, Kamila Shamsie’s latest book stands out for several reasons. One is the high quality of Shamsie’s writing. Another is that the focus is very different – not just the fighting in Western Europe or the home front, but the impact of the war, and its aftermath, way beyond Europe, specifically in the area of British-ruled India around Peshawar (some years before Partition and the creation of Pakistan as a separate country). Shamsie is from Pakistan but has lived in Britain for the last few years, and so this isn’t just a historical novel written by a Westerner and set somewhere exotic – I do enjoy some of those but it’s interesting to read something with more substance.
On a trip to an ancient archaeological site in Turkey in summer 1914, Vivian begins to look at a family friend in a new light. Her friendship with Tahsin Bey seems to be developing into an unspoken romantic understanding. Then the travellers receive news of the war in Europe, and Vivian has a telegram from her father – she must find a way to travel home immediately, with just a whispered promise from Tahsin Bey: “When the war ends, Vivian Rose”. Back in London she works as a VAD (volunteer nurse) for a few months, before setting off to Peshawar to see an ancient archaeological treasure, and hoping to meet Tahsin Bey.
There is plenty to explore there, but there is also simmering conflict between Indian nationalist aspirations and the repressive society of the British in India – the British take a dim view of a young woman wanting to lead archaeological expeditions with the local Pathan people. She returns to London but not before forming a lasting friendship.
Qaayum Gul is one of many Indian men who fought in Europe, and this novel is as much his story as Viv’s. They meet on the train to Peshawar in 1915, and then again in 1930 when Vivian returns.
World War I was a war which affected the whole world, in an era when so much of Asia and Africa was divided up between European powers and precarious empires. There is so much new to me historical background here that it gave me a whole list of things – places, events etc – I needed to look up. Shamsie doesn't lay everything out as chunks of fact that can really interfere with some historical novels, but her book is clearly informed by historical research and perspectives.
A fascinating and thought provoking story – this is the first Kamila Shamsie book I’ve read but I really must get to all her previous books very very soon.
43elkiedee
19. 05.02.14 Nicholas Shakespeare, Priscilla: The Hidden Life of an Englishwoman in Wartime France (4.0)
44elkiedee
20. 06.02.14 Sathnam Sanghera, Marriage Material (3.9)
45kidzdoc
I'm glad to see that you enjoyed A God in Every Stone, Luci. I bought it in London in June, and I may read it as early as the end of this month. I loved her previous novel Burnt Shadows, but I haven't read anything else by her yet.
46gennyt
I too read and really enjoyed Burnt Shadows - I'm glad to hear this latest is good, too.
48elkiedee
Eek, it's been more than 4 months since I posted here. Must try to do better next year. Happy Christmas Darryl!
49drachenbraut23
Luci, I wish you a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope to see you again in 2015!
