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1jbeast
...but I'm on a roll so maybe will make it to 50 by the end of the year. If not, who cares.
I can't remember everything I've read this year, but it's not cheating, surely, to write down those I do recall:
1 After Dark by Murakami - only discovered him this year, now my favourite author. Am going to take his books slowly so I don't run out.
2 The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami - long and slightly disturbing
3 Out of the Ordinary by Jon Ronson - used to enjoy his Guardian column, liked the book too
4 East Wind Melts the Ice by Liza Dalby - relaxing, enjoyable non-fiction with an oriental focus
5 America Unchained by Dave Gorman - really liked this, travel writing at it's best
6 Tuk-tuk to the road - 2 girls travel from Bangkok to Brighton by tuk-tuk. Really enjoyed it and didn't want it to end, probably helped by the fact that I love Thailand, tuk-tuks, Asia, etc
7 Miss Chopsticks by Xinran - another enjoyable read, atmospheric and charming
8 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - disappointing, in fact I'd even go as far as to say boring. Nothing like the standard of Nineteen Eighty Four.
9 Spanish Steps by Tim Moore - thought I would love this... but didn't. Funny in places but a bit long-winded.
Won't go any further back in time, will start new posts starting with those fresher in my mind.
I can't remember everything I've read this year, but it's not cheating, surely, to write down those I do recall:
1 After Dark by Murakami - only discovered him this year, now my favourite author. Am going to take his books slowly so I don't run out.
2 The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami - long and slightly disturbing
3 Out of the Ordinary by Jon Ronson - used to enjoy his Guardian column, liked the book too
4 East Wind Melts the Ice by Liza Dalby - relaxing, enjoyable non-fiction with an oriental focus
5 America Unchained by Dave Gorman - really liked this, travel writing at it's best
6 Tuk-tuk to the road - 2 girls travel from Bangkok to Brighton by tuk-tuk. Really enjoyed it and didn't want it to end, probably helped by the fact that I love Thailand, tuk-tuks, Asia, etc
7 Miss Chopsticks by Xinran - another enjoyable read, atmospheric and charming
8 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - disappointing, in fact I'd even go as far as to say boring. Nothing like the standard of Nineteen Eighty Four.
9 Spanish Steps by Tim Moore - thought I would love this... but didn't. Funny in places but a bit long-winded.
Won't go any further back in time, will start new posts starting with those fresher in my mind.
2jbeast
Three books bought (3 for 2 from Waterstones), bank holiday weekend:
10 What I Was by Meg Rosoff. Really didn't like this. I thought it was kind of boring and dragged, despite it being very short. Been done before, all of it's themes. Remember being quite underwhelmed by How I Live Now but it wasn't as tedious as this. Disappointed.
10 What I Was by Meg Rosoff. Really didn't like this. I thought it was kind of boring and dragged, despite it being very short. Been done before, all of it's themes. Remember being quite underwhelmed by How I Live Now but it wasn't as tedious as this. Disappointed.
3jbeast
Not one of that 3 for 2, unfortunately none of his are on offer at the moment - Murakami number 3:
11 Norwegian Wood. Loved it loads, really did. Completely lived up to my expectations. Loved the atmosphere of it, and feel I learned a lot about Japan (though agree it could have been set in any era and didn't evoke the 60s much), and could completely sympathise, almost empathise with what he was going through.
My only 5star of the year so far.
11 Norwegian Wood. Loved it loads, really did. Completely lived up to my expectations. Loved the atmosphere of it, and feel I learned a lot about Japan (though agree it could have been set in any era and didn't evoke the 60s much), and could completely sympathise, almost empathise with what he was going through.
My only 5star of the year so far.
4jbeast
12 The Woman in the Fifth by Douglas Kennedy. Enjoyed it. Reviewed elsewhere by me.
13 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Started off ok, but didn't really grip me to the end. Heartrending and warm, though.
13 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Started off ok, but didn't really grip me to the end. Heartrending and warm, though.
5jbeast
14 The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Have some warped weakness for books about the end of the world as we know it. Read a lot of comments about this and was really looking forward to it. Wasn't disappointed. Gripping, loads of atmosphere, stylistically impressive, and the love between father and son shone through without being mawkish or sentimental. Plan to read it again. Found the ending hopeful and optimistic despite impossible circumstances.
6jbeast
15 After the Quake by Haruki Murakami. Loved these stories, almost as much as Norwegian Wood. Reviewed it so won't go on about it any more here!
7jbeast
16 The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller. Not bad, not great. Quite liked the beginning and end sections when Pippa is older, and the ending wasn't bad. But disliked the middle section which I found self-indulgent, and hated the character of Pippa as a young woman - what a thoroughly unpleasant person she was portrayed to be, had no sympathy with her whatsoever.
8jbeast
17 Real World by Natsuo Kirino. I reviewed it earlier today, can't be bothered to duplicate! Pretty good, not brilliant.
9jbeast
18 Scoop by Evelyn Waugh. Old, musty, slightly smelly original Penguin Classic (the orange ones) which I found on my dad's bookshelf. Great read, very charming and now I'm hungry for more Waugh. Thoroughly enjoyable and recommended.
Next - A Handful of Dust by him.
Next - A Handful of Dust by him.
10jbeast
19 Finished A Handful of Dust. Great book, unexpected and welcome chilling ending. Enjoyed it more than Scoop I think. Highly recommended, as others have said.
11jbeast
And now for something completely different...
...am half way through The Fermata by Nicholson Baker. Pretty weird stuff, more or less pornographic. Very well written, and I like the way he is (humorously) considering the alternative ways to get into the 'Fold' as he calls it.
Something very different, possibly to anything I've ever read. Entertaining for sure!
Will report back when finished...
...am half way through The Fermata by Nicholson Baker. Pretty weird stuff, more or less pornographic. Very well written, and I like the way he is (humorously) considering the alternative ways to get into the 'Fold' as he calls it.
Something very different, possibly to anything I've ever read. Entertaining for sure!
Will report back when finished...
12jbeast
20 Finished The Fermata. Pretty good, filthy, have to say it got a bit boring towards the end but definitely a worthwhile read. Cleverly done.
21 Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah. Really enjoyed this, extremely moving (much more so, I thought, than The Book Thief though this is prob a controversial view...).
Written in a simplistic style for kids which to me is probably why it captured the desolation of her situation at times so well. Maybe because I believed in her as a young child, stranded on her own in a cold boarding school feeling utterly abandoned.
To me she wasn't so much abused as neglected and ignored, which made the bits when her father and stepmother showed her minimal attention and compassion all the more uplifting.
The bit about her pet duckling was almost unbearable.
21 Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah. Really enjoyed this, extremely moving (much more so, I thought, than The Book Thief though this is prob a controversial view...).
Written in a simplistic style for kids which to me is probably why it captured the desolation of her situation at times so well. Maybe because I believed in her as a young child, stranded on her own in a cold boarding school feeling utterly abandoned.
To me she wasn't so much abused as neglected and ignored, which made the bits when her father and stepmother showed her minimal attention and compassion all the more uplifting.
The bit about her pet duckling was almost unbearable.
13jbeast
While having a look at my book collection have encountered some others I've finished this year...
22 We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver. Had to start it twice, the first time found it too bleak, the second team I managed to get into it. Very well written but disturbing and I'm not even a parent. Hard not to feel for the mother.
23 and 24 The Coroner's Lunch and Thirty Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill. Very enjoyable light reading. I was keen to read them because I've been to Laos and it's always fun to compare real places in your memory with fictional ones in books. Loved the characters, plots slightly dragged.
25 Frozen Tracks by Ake Edwardson. Formulaic police procedural set in sweden. Enjoyable enough, nothing spectacular.
22 We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver. Had to start it twice, the first time found it too bleak, the second team I managed to get into it. Very well written but disturbing and I'm not even a parent. Hard not to feel for the mother.
23 and 24 The Coroner's Lunch and Thirty Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill. Very enjoyable light reading. I was keen to read them because I've been to Laos and it's always fun to compare real places in your memory with fictional ones in books. Loved the characters, plots slightly dragged.
25 Frozen Tracks by Ake Edwardson. Formulaic police procedural set in sweden. Enjoyable enough, nothing spectacular.
14jbeast
And some more less recent ones:
26 The Stuff of Nightmares by Malorie Blackman. Young adult fiction, very dark and scary I thought. Not great.
27 The Thirty Nine Steps by John Buchan. One of the old classics. Short and exciting, though again nothing spectacular.
28 Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes. I love her, she's so brilliant. Think I've read them all apart from Angels which for some reason I don't fancy, and the new one (which I can't afford!). My favourite is Rachel's Holiday. Can't include them though cos read before 2008.
Only one I was disappointed by was one I read in the US because for some reason it was translated into American English which completely ruined it for me. Not sure what the point was in translating it.
26 The Stuff of Nightmares by Malorie Blackman. Young adult fiction, very dark and scary I thought. Not great.
27 The Thirty Nine Steps by John Buchan. One of the old classics. Short and exciting, though again nothing spectacular.
28 Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes. I love her, she's so brilliant. Think I've read them all apart from Angels which for some reason I don't fancy, and the new one (which I can't afford!). My favourite is Rachel's Holiday. Can't include them though cos read before 2008.
Only one I was disappointed by was one I read in the US because for some reason it was translated into American English which completely ruined it for me. Not sure what the point was in translating it.
15jbeast
29 Happyslapped by a Jellyfish by Karl Pilkington. So funny. Read his books on the strength of The Ricky Gervais Show podcast (new series out today for anyone interested). Stupid nonsense, probably why I love it.
16jbeast
Now back to the present.
30 The Moon's a Balloon by David Niven. Great autobiog, very funny in places.
And now
Blindness by Jose Saramago. In the middle of it. Not easy to read because of writing style. Will have more to say when complete...
30 The Moon's a Balloon by David Niven. Great autobiog, very funny in places.
And now
Blindness by Jose Saramago. In the middle of it. Not easy to read because of writing style. Will have more to say when complete...
17jbeast
Oh, just remembered one:
31 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. REALLY didn't like this. At all. Felt like a children's book (to me). Forced myself to get through it, though it was short I found it deeply tedious. No harm done, at least I know not to read any more of his.
31 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. REALLY didn't like this. At all. Felt like a children's book (to me). Forced myself to get through it, though it was short I found it deeply tedious. No harm done, at least I know not to read any more of his.
18nancyewhite
jbeast - I didn't enjoy The Witch of Portobello at all either. It felt like a lecture or something. Somehow I felt guilty for hating it so much. Glad to have found a like-minded reader.
19jbeast
hi nancy - yes, exactly - he seems to have taken it upon himself to lecture the rest of us inferior beings! And i know what you mean, i felt a bit guilty too, which is a bit silly really since it's up to us to decide what we like to read and what is boring and pointless.
20jbeast
Still reading Blindness - definitely unpleasant and disturbing but well written (apart from the tricky punctuation, or lack thereof).
21jbeast
Finished it:
32 Blindness by Jose Saramago.
Ok, so I liked it, and thought it was really well written, and he captured the despair inherent in the situation brilliantly.
I couldn't help thinking though, that in the situation of everyone gradually becoming blind with no discernible explanation, civilisation wouldn't collapse that quickly. We are given no coherent timeline to follow, but they seem to be losing their inhibitions about bodily functions after very few days. I think people would hold onto their dignity for longer. Later, when they leave the asylum, several months have apparently elapsed, which left me feeling disjointed and confused. I don't necessarily believe in the plausibility of rape scenes either - wouldn't they just help themselves... Even if they are willing to extort money and valuables from others for food to survive, this shouldn't necessarily turn them into complete animals: I found it a leap too far.
Though perhaps this is the point - nobody knows what would happen, so it's open to debate and gets people thinking and discussing.
The writing style is not at all easy to follow, in my opinion much harder than The Road. Long paragraphs with little indication of proper speech don't work for me; I get bored trying to entangle them.
Saramago makes some very insightful statements and it's a very deep book. And I think the ending was great. Can't say I was blown away though.
32 Blindness by Jose Saramago.
Ok, so I liked it, and thought it was really well written, and he captured the despair inherent in the situation brilliantly.
I couldn't help thinking though, that in the situation of everyone gradually becoming blind with no discernible explanation, civilisation wouldn't collapse that quickly. We are given no coherent timeline to follow, but they seem to be losing their inhibitions about bodily functions after very few days. I think people would hold onto their dignity for longer. Later, when they leave the asylum, several months have apparently elapsed, which left me feeling disjointed and confused. I don't necessarily believe in the plausibility of rape scenes either - wouldn't they just help themselves... Even if they are willing to extort money and valuables from others for food to survive, this shouldn't necessarily turn them into complete animals: I found it a leap too far.
Though perhaps this is the point - nobody knows what would happen, so it's open to debate and gets people thinking and discussing.
The writing style is not at all easy to follow, in my opinion much harder than The Road. Long paragraphs with little indication of proper speech don't work for me; I get bored trying to entangle them.
Saramago makes some very insightful statements and it's a very deep book. And I think the ending was great. Can't say I was blown away though.
22jbeast
33 Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Marukami.
Loved it, loved it, loved it. What is it about him??
Finished reading Blindness which was clever though kind of hard work. Then I opened Sputnik Sweetheart and it was like a breath of sea air following weeks spent in a 6 foot square dark cupboard. Ha ha, I'm exaggerating, of course. Still, really light and easy read, at the same time amazingly well-written, twisty-and-turny, profound, and contemporary.
Now reading Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and it's like it's by a completely different writer. Quite incredible author.
Loved it, loved it, loved it. What is it about him??
Finished reading Blindness which was clever though kind of hard work. Then I opened Sputnik Sweetheart and it was like a breath of sea air following weeks spent in a 6 foot square dark cupboard. Ha ha, I'm exaggerating, of course. Still, really light and easy read, at the same time amazingly well-written, twisty-and-turny, profound, and contemporary.
Now reading Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and it's like it's by a completely different writer. Quite incredible author.
23jbeast
After Sputnik and before Hard Boiled...
34 Gifted by Nikita Lalwani. Really liked this. Excellent debut. Felt bad for Rumi, and often wanted to give the other people in her life (esp mum and dad) a good smack. Found myself caring about her, and wanting her to succeed. Or more to the point, be happy (think the two were mutually exclusive in this case). Would highly recommend.
34 Gifted by Nikita Lalwani. Really liked this. Excellent debut. Felt bad for Rumi, and often wanted to give the other people in her life (esp mum and dad) a good smack. Found myself caring about her, and wanting her to succeed. Or more to the point, be happy (think the two were mutually exclusive in this case). Would highly recommend.
24jbeast
35 Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami.
A bit disappointing, dragged a bit and I looked forward to finishing. I partly enjoyed it though the style was hard to follow - the sci-fi was detailed and clever but I found some threads a bit confusing and insufficiently developed, which left me frustrated. Liked the atmosphere, though the tone was pretty depressing overall. Think I prefer his more realistic works, esp Norwegian Wood and Sputnik Sweetheart.
No idea what to read next...
A bit disappointing, dragged a bit and I looked forward to finishing. I partly enjoyed it though the style was hard to follow - the sci-fi was detailed and clever but I found some threads a bit confusing and insufficiently developed, which left me frustrated. Liked the atmosphere, though the tone was pretty depressing overall. Think I prefer his more realistic works, esp Norwegian Wood and Sputnik Sweetheart.
No idea what to read next...
25jbeast
Been neglecting LT for a bit, but still reading:
36 Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh.
37 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald.
38 Out by Natsuo Kirino.
Loved all of these.
Now halfway through The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
36 Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh.
37 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald.
38 Out by Natsuo Kirino.
Loved all of these.
Now halfway through The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
26jbeast
Def not keeping up to date with this, but still reading. Worried I will forget some!
39 Brideshead Revisited. Really enjoyed it. Writing style so different to the earlier and lighter works of his. Probably my favourite Waugh.
40 Purple Hibiscus. Excellent book, gripping, exotic and interesting. Wanted to stab her father!
41 Pies and Prejudice by Stuart Maconie. Very interesting and evocative non-fiction about the North of England. Would recommend (but maybe only if you know England quite well!)
39 Brideshead Revisited. Really enjoyed it. Writing style so different to the earlier and lighter works of his. Probably my favourite Waugh.
40 Purple Hibiscus. Excellent book, gripping, exotic and interesting. Wanted to stab her father!
41 Pies and Prejudice by Stuart Maconie. Very interesting and evocative non-fiction about the North of England. Would recommend (but maybe only if you know England quite well!)
27jbeast
42 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. Loved the atmosphere of these short stories, and the writing is so good.
28jbeast
43 Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.
Just finished this one, and can't describe how much it irritated the hell out of me! I found it so implausible in every imaginable way. Disappointed because I've been loving everything I've been reading. Ah well, I finished it, which it least says something for my ability to triumph against adversity.
Just finished this one, and can't describe how much it irritated the hell out of me! I found it so implausible in every imaginable way. Disappointed because I've been loving everything I've been reading. Ah well, I finished it, which it least says something for my ability to triumph against adversity.
29jbeast
44 Empire of the Sun by J G Ballard. Just OK. Kept wanting to give up. Didn't much like the characters, though the story was interesting.
45 Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Loved this, much more than The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Think it is my equal favourite with Norwegian Wood. Didn't really get it I don't think, but as usual I loved his writing, really don't know how he does it.
46 The Collector by John Fowles. One of my favourites this year, possibly ever. Very disturbing. Am astonished by the quality of the writing in this, very subtle, and don't know how he managed to make the two different characters appear as if they were written by different authors. Didn't want it to end.
45 Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Loved this, much more than The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Think it is my equal favourite with Norwegian Wood. Didn't really get it I don't think, but as usual I loved his writing, really don't know how he does it.
46 The Collector by John Fowles. One of my favourites this year, possibly ever. Very disturbing. Am astonished by the quality of the writing in this, very subtle, and don't know how he managed to make the two different characters appear as if they were written by different authors. Didn't want it to end.
30jbeast
47 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Not at all keen on this. Couldn't make much sense of it.
48 Lolita by Nabokov. Long, unusual, pretty shocking actually.
49 When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs. Good but not as good as I may have expected.
50 Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. OK, but too hopeful for my liking, I wanted it to be more like The Road.
51 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Can't praise this book enough. Totally brilliant.
52 A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Brilliant. Lives up to the hype.
48 Lolita by Nabokov. Long, unusual, pretty shocking actually.
49 When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs. Good but not as good as I may have expected.
50 Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. OK, but too hopeful for my liking, I wanted it to be more like The Road.
51 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Can't praise this book enough. Totally brilliant.
52 A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Brilliant. Lives up to the hype.
31billiejean
Congratulations on passing the 50 book mark! :)
--BJ
--BJ
32jbeast
Hey thanks BJ. Wasn't sure I would. May go for 75 next year, I've got plenty on the TBR pile to get thru!
33jbeast
Hey thanks BJ. Wasn't sure I would. May go for 75 next year, I've got plenty on the TBR pile to get thru!
34billiejean
I also might try for 75 next year, but I am not sure that I could make it. :) Having a big TBR pile makes life fun and exciting, doesn't it? So many possibilities! Will you join the 75 Book Challenge Group? Or just stay with the 50 Book Challenge Group? Or join both?
--BJ
--BJ
35jbeast
I think I will join the 75 book challenge group, to keep me on my toes! You should too.
I have so much I would like to read - apart from the books I already own there are hundreds I want to buy. Plus I have just re-joined the Folio Society, so lots of potential there. (I see you are a member, am most impressed by your Folio library).
I have so much I would like to read - apart from the books I already own there are hundreds I want to buy. Plus I have just re-joined the Folio Society, so lots of potential there. (I see you are a member, am most impressed by your Folio library).
36billiejean
Yes, I have quite a weakness for FS and my girls just encourage me in that department! :) Those books just feel great to hold and read. I guess I will join the 75 book challenge, too. It is really about the journey mostly. Have a great day!
--BJ
--BJ
37jbeast
53 Duma Key by Stephen King. Hmm...ok. Really enjoy his writing style though, he can be laugh out loud funny.
54 The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Excellent.
55 Strange Meeting by Susan Hill. Excellent too.
56 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Slow start but ended up really loving it. Amazingly uplifting considering the subject matter.
54 The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Excellent.
55 Strange Meeting by Susan Hill. Excellent too.
56 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Slow start but ended up really loving it. Amazingly uplifting considering the subject matter.
39jbeast
Last post for 50 book challenge before starting on 75 for 2009.
57 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. Wow, i really loved this, disturbing but outstanding. Wish I hadn't read it yet so I would still have it to look forward to.
58 The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole 1999-2001 by Sue Townsend. Christmas present. Hadn't read Adrian Mole for years. More of the same but enjoyable.
59 A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. I liked this, it flowed and I read it really quick. Nothing outstanding but well written.
60 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Really wonderful, couldn't put it down. Warmed my heart!
57 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. Wow, i really loved this, disturbing but outstanding. Wish I hadn't read it yet so I would still have it to look forward to.
58 The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole 1999-2001 by Sue Townsend. Christmas present. Hadn't read Adrian Mole for years. More of the same but enjoyable.
59 A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. I liked this, it flowed and I read it really quick. Nothing outstanding but well written.
60 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Really wonderful, couldn't put it down. Warmed my heart!
