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1omphaloskepsis
I read 58 in 2008, which was more than my goal. I'm going to raise the bar this year and aim for 75, which I know will be a reach for me. But I'm going to try my best.
The stories so far...
1. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
2. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
3. The Pesthouse by Jim Crace
4. Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages by Ammon Shea
5. Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indriason
6. River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
7. The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
8. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
9. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
10. No Dominion by Charlie Huston
11. Drown by Junot Diaz
12. The Prone Gunman by Jean-Patrick Manchette
13. Half the blood of Brooklyn by Charlie Huston
14. Book by book: Notes on reading and life by Michael Dirda
15. The shape of water by Andrea Camilleri
16. The daughters of Juarez by Teresa Rodriguez
17. Maigret in Holland by Georges Simenon
18. Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock
19. The age of American unreason by Susan Jacoby
20. The full cupboard of life by Alexander McCall Smith
21. Every last drop by Charlie Huston
22. The terra-cotta dog by Andrea Camilleri
23. What was she thinking? (Notes on a scandal) by Zoe Heller
24. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
25. The Beats: a graphic history by Various authors
26. Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell
27. Go with me by Castle Freeman Jr.
28. Fool moon by Jim Butcher
29. Grave peril by Jim Butcher
30. Summer knight by Jim Butcher
31. The mystic arts of erasing all signs of death by Charlie Huston
32. The shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
33. The snack thief by Andrea Camilleri
The stories so far...
1. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
2. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
3. The Pesthouse by Jim Crace
4. Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages by Ammon Shea
5. Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indriason
6. River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
7. The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
8. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
9. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
10. No Dominion by Charlie Huston
11. Drown by Junot Diaz
12. The Prone Gunman by Jean-Patrick Manchette
13. Half the blood of Brooklyn by Charlie Huston
14. Book by book: Notes on reading and life by Michael Dirda
15. The shape of water by Andrea Camilleri
16. The daughters of Juarez by Teresa Rodriguez
17. Maigret in Holland by Georges Simenon
18. Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock
19. The age of American unreason by Susan Jacoby
20. The full cupboard of life by Alexander McCall Smith
21. Every last drop by Charlie Huston
22. The terra-cotta dog by Andrea Camilleri
23. What was she thinking? (Notes on a scandal) by Zoe Heller
24. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
25. The Beats: a graphic history by Various authors
26. Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell
27. Go with me by Castle Freeman Jr.
28. Fool moon by Jim Butcher
29. Grave peril by Jim Butcher
30. Summer knight by Jim Butcher
31. The mystic arts of erasing all signs of death by Charlie Huston
32. The shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
33. The snack thief by Andrea Camilleri
2debherter
>1 omphaloskepsis:
I believe in you omphaloskepsis! You can do it. In fact if you can come up with a login name like that, you can do anything! LOL
I believe in you omphaloskepsis! You can do it. In fact if you can come up with a login name like that, you can do anything! LOL
3cerievans1
Good luck Omphaloskepsis, I just made 75 last year coming from 50 read in 2007. It was a challenge for me but if you love reading, increasing your reading can only be a positive move! It isn't really about the numbers but interestingly, when I didn't keep a log of my reading on LT I read much less.
4FlossieT
Fabulous name!
Will be interested to see what you make of The Thirteenth Tale. I really enjoyed it despite finding it getting a bit silly in places, but I know others on here loathed it.
Will be interested to see what you make of The Thirteenth Tale. I really enjoyed it despite finding it getting a bit silly in places, but I know others on here loathed it.
5alcottacre
Welcome to the group!
6omphaloskepsis
Thank you for the warm welcome everyone! I love the challenge of reading 75, and I know I will enjoy every moment of trying to reach my goal.
7omphaloskepsis
Just finished: 1. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
This was a excellent choice for the first read of the year. I love Jane Eyre, so the echoes of Bronte's classic in Setterfield's novel heightened the enjoyment of the story for me. I admit that Margaret's twin visions were distracting and over-the-top at times, but I have to say that I became completely engrossed in the story of Angelfield and its denizens. Old-fashioned high drama in a good way. A fun start to my 75.
In progress: 2. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
This was a excellent choice for the first read of the year. I love Jane Eyre, so the echoes of Bronte's classic in Setterfield's novel heightened the enjoyment of the story for me. I admit that Margaret's twin visions were distracting and over-the-top at times, but I have to say that I became completely engrossed in the story of Angelfield and its denizens. Old-fashioned high drama in a good way. A fun start to my 75.
In progress: 2. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
8omphaloskepsis
Just finished: 2. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
Mma Ramotswe is in a funk. She doesn't know if and when her fiance will set a date for their wedding; her assistant, Mma Makutsi, is dejected about her inability to find a suitable male companion; her foster children are having problems of their own; and, worst of all, a rival detective agency has opened across town. In between worrying about all these things, Mma Ramotswe still finds time to tend to her clients and privately lament what she sees as the disappearance of the traditions of old Botswana.
I love the rhythm of McCall Smith's writing, which seems to distill the beat of his characters' speech and their outlook. Most touching is Mma Ramotswe's heartbreak over the rude, isolating rush of modern life, which is threatening to engulf the country she loves. (I wonder how McCall's books are received in Botswana?) But it's not at all a downer of a book. We know that all will end well (or will at least be temporarily resolved until the next book), and there will be laughs and smiles along the way.
This is the fourth book that I have read in this enjoyable series, and I will most certainly continue to pick them up and devour them when I get the chance.
In progress: 3. The Pesthouse by Jim Crace
Mma Ramotswe is in a funk. She doesn't know if and when her fiance will set a date for their wedding; her assistant, Mma Makutsi, is dejected about her inability to find a suitable male companion; her foster children are having problems of their own; and, worst of all, a rival detective agency has opened across town. In between worrying about all these things, Mma Ramotswe still finds time to tend to her clients and privately lament what she sees as the disappearance of the traditions of old Botswana.
I love the rhythm of McCall Smith's writing, which seems to distill the beat of his characters' speech and their outlook. Most touching is Mma Ramotswe's heartbreak over the rude, isolating rush of modern life, which is threatening to engulf the country she loves. (I wonder how McCall's books are received in Botswana?) But it's not at all a downer of a book. We know that all will end well (or will at least be temporarily resolved until the next book), and there will be laughs and smiles along the way.
This is the fourth book that I have read in this enjoyable series, and I will most certainly continue to pick them up and devour them when I get the chance.
In progress: 3. The Pesthouse by Jim Crace
9omphaloskepsis
Just finished: 3. The Pesthouse by Jim Crace
As soon as I heard the interview about "The Pesthouse" with the author Jim Crace on NPR's "Diane Rehm Show," I thought of the other recent successful post-apocalyptic novel, Cormac McCarthy's "The Road." I loved "The Road," so, for whatever illogical reason, I was expecting similar great things from Crace's novel. I was not disappointed, but I got something I didn't expect.
For starters, McCarthy's and Crace's styles could not differ more. McCarthy can be abrupt, in-your-face, blunt and writes with great velocity and fury (at least in "The Road"). Crace takes his time, unfurling the narrative at his own pace. He writes with a lyrical but curious remove from his story, a characteristic I noticed when reading "Being Dead." He can be cold and clinical at times.
The story of "The Road" proceeded at such a pace, and maintained such tension throughout, that it more or less kept me rapt and breathless cover to cover. But Crace unpacks his story slowly, building suspense in certain places, but never really putting it at the center of the story. Instead, his story is about coming full circle, about finding true direction and purpose.
I realize that it's unfair to compare the books, as they are such different beasts, but the fact that they were both set in an America reeling from some unspecified devastation, comparison was inevitable. Two writers imagining how the world ends?...
In progress: 4. Reading the OED by Ammon Shea
As soon as I heard the interview about "The Pesthouse" with the author Jim Crace on NPR's "Diane Rehm Show," I thought of the other recent successful post-apocalyptic novel, Cormac McCarthy's "The Road." I loved "The Road," so, for whatever illogical reason, I was expecting similar great things from Crace's novel. I was not disappointed, but I got something I didn't expect.
For starters, McCarthy's and Crace's styles could not differ more. McCarthy can be abrupt, in-your-face, blunt and writes with great velocity and fury (at least in "The Road"). Crace takes his time, unfurling the narrative at his own pace. He writes with a lyrical but curious remove from his story, a characteristic I noticed when reading "Being Dead." He can be cold and clinical at times.
The story of "The Road" proceeded at such a pace, and maintained such tension throughout, that it more or less kept me rapt and breathless cover to cover. But Crace unpacks his story slowly, building suspense in certain places, but never really putting it at the center of the story. Instead, his story is about coming full circle, about finding true direction and purpose.
I realize that it's unfair to compare the books, as they are such different beasts, but the fact that they were both set in an America reeling from some unspecified devastation, comparison was inevitable. Two writers imagining how the world ends?...
In progress: 4. Reading the OED by Ammon Shea
11Cait86
Hi Omphaloskepsis, I read The Road last week, and to say that I loved it would be an understatement :) so I will have to try are find The Pesthouse. Thanks for the review!
12omphaloskepsis
Thanks suslyn and Cait86. I credit The Road for reigniting my passion for fiction. For years before I picked it up, I read essays, histories, etc. exclusively. I'm pleased that I took a chance on that book on an impulse buy in Borders one day. One of the best purchases I've ever made because of its life-altering domino effect!
13LisaMorr
Nice review on The Pesthouse, omphalokepsis. I read it last year, and enjoyed it. It certainly has a slower pace than some post-apocalyptic novels, but I got through it very quickly.
I'll be reading The Road this year; from everything I've heard, I'm sure I will like it.
I'll be reading The Road this year; from everything I've heard, I'm sure I will like it.
14omphaloskepsis
Just finished: 4. Reading the OED by Ammon Shea
A coworker was almost breathless with excitement when he brought this book to my desk and told me that I had to read it. He said that it was slightly unorthodox in its arrangement, but nonetheless very funny, especially to people in the word business like we are. So I carried the treasure home and placed it at the top of my TBR pile.
The book is in the vein of the "A year spent doing..." genre that has become popular lately. The author, an avowed dictionary reader, decided to work his way through the Oxford English Dictionary, word by word. He sections the book A through Z, with each chapter starting with a humorous introduction, followed by a selection of words he deemed interesting.
Although Shea has a keen sense of humor, the format soon became tedious, and I found myself skimming through some words & definitions. It is useful to know that the definition of "set" takes up 25 pages of the OED, and that X is the slimmest section of the work. Words like "acnestis" ("on an animal, the point of the back that lies between the shoulders and the lower back, which cannot be reached to be scratched") and "unbepissed ("not having been urinated on") are also worthwhile additions to my linguistic arsenal.
But, having finished the book, I don't think I'll be eager to read another one like it soon.
In progress: 5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
A coworker was almost breathless with excitement when he brought this book to my desk and told me that I had to read it. He said that it was slightly unorthodox in its arrangement, but nonetheless very funny, especially to people in the word business like we are. So I carried the treasure home and placed it at the top of my TBR pile.
The book is in the vein of the "A year spent doing..." genre that has become popular lately. The author, an avowed dictionary reader, decided to work his way through the Oxford English Dictionary, word by word. He sections the book A through Z, with each chapter starting with a humorous introduction, followed by a selection of words he deemed interesting.
Although Shea has a keen sense of humor, the format soon became tedious, and I found myself skimming through some words & definitions. It is useful to know that the definition of "set" takes up 25 pages of the OED, and that X is the slimmest section of the work. Words like "acnestis" ("on an animal, the point of the back that lies between the shoulders and the lower back, which cannot be reached to be scratched") and "unbepissed ("not having been urinated on") are also worthwhile additions to my linguistic arsenal.
But, having finished the book, I don't think I'll be eager to read another one like it soon.
In progress: 5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
15omphaloskepsis
Just finished: 5. Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason
I forgot my copy of The Alchemist on my desk at work on Friday night, so I was forced to alter my reading list. I picked Silence of the Grave to fill in, and it was a wonderfully enjoyable substitute.
We pick up with Reykjavik detective Erlendur where we left off at the end of Jar City. The middle-aged man is living a lonely, unhappy existence. His police team, Elinborg and Sigurdur Oli, regard him and his methods with robust skepticism. His relationship with his troubled, estranged daughter, Eva Lind, continues to haunt him. Contact with his son, Sindri Snaer, and ex-wife, Halldora, remains nonexistent.
A young boy discovers a skeleton in the foundation of a house in a new residential development on the outskirts of the city. Erlendur and his team are called in to investigate and subsequently engage an archaeologist to professionally excavate the scene. As the slow and painstaking dig proceeds, the author begins to tell a second story of an abusive marriage, disappointment and loss of hope. We know that this narrative of the past will dovetail with the present and each will explain the other, and Indridason keeps the streams running quickly forward until they meet.
Meanwhile, Erlendur gets a call for help from his pregnant, drug-addicted daughter. He doesn't know where she is, or what's wrong, but he sets off to try to save her, not wanting to lose her a second time.
As with the first novel I read by this Icelandic mystery writer, I was rapt and very pleased by the way the story is presented, unfolds and is resolved. His endings aren't the happiest, but that lends credibility to the tale. The bleak setting adds to the atmosphere, and the fascinating characters get more flesh put on their bones, building on their introductions in the first novel.
My one issue would be with the translation, which was awkward in places, and the editing, which missed some glaring errors in the edition I read. But I'll make allowances for such a thoughtful and talented author.
In progress: 6. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
I forgot my copy of The Alchemist on my desk at work on Friday night, so I was forced to alter my reading list. I picked Silence of the Grave to fill in, and it was a wonderfully enjoyable substitute.
We pick up with Reykjavik detective Erlendur where we left off at the end of Jar City. The middle-aged man is living a lonely, unhappy existence. His police team, Elinborg and Sigurdur Oli, regard him and his methods with robust skepticism. His relationship with his troubled, estranged daughter, Eva Lind, continues to haunt him. Contact with his son, Sindri Snaer, and ex-wife, Halldora, remains nonexistent.
A young boy discovers a skeleton in the foundation of a house in a new residential development on the outskirts of the city. Erlendur and his team are called in to investigate and subsequently engage an archaeologist to professionally excavate the scene. As the slow and painstaking dig proceeds, the author begins to tell a second story of an abusive marriage, disappointment and loss of hope. We know that this narrative of the past will dovetail with the present and each will explain the other, and Indridason keeps the streams running quickly forward until they meet.
Meanwhile, Erlendur gets a call for help from his pregnant, drug-addicted daughter. He doesn't know where she is, or what's wrong, but he sets off to try to save her, not wanting to lose her a second time.
As with the first novel I read by this Icelandic mystery writer, I was rapt and very pleased by the way the story is presented, unfolds and is resolved. His endings aren't the happiest, but that lends credibility to the tale. The bleak setting adds to the atmosphere, and the fascinating characters get more flesh put on their bones, building on their introductions in the first novel.
My one issue would be with the translation, which was awkward in places, and the editing, which missed some glaring errors in the edition I read. But I'll make allowances for such a thoughtful and talented author.
In progress: 6. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
16ladydzura
Oooh, Reading the OED appeals to my geeky, word-loving side. Maybe I'll pick up a copy to browse at me leisure. Looking forward to your thoughts on The Alchemist!
17alcottacre
#15: River of Doubt made my list of memorable reads for 2008. I hope you enjoy it!
18omphaloskepsis
River of Doubt is already thrilling a little more than a hundred pages in. It almost kept me up way past my bedtime last night, but the fact that I had to get up to make it to work (and use my brain) this morning prevailed. I can't wait to get home! :)
20omphaloskepsis
Recently finished
River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
It's impossible to imagine an ex-president embarking on a journey half this reckless today. Theodore Roosevelt, disappointed by his failed run for a third term in office, agrees to a lecture series in South America, with adventure in the Amazon as an added bonus. But Roosevelt does not take control of plans for the expedition, and soon he finds himself, his son, Kermit, and other men in more danger than they had ever imagined.
Millard draws us into the story with her style, putting dangerous waterfalls just around the next bend, skilled and curious native tribes in the forest's shadows, and fearsome animals in the river's murky depths. An excellent and fascinating read.
The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford has a secret. In fact, he has a 'sickness' which surfaced once in his youth, and he thinks it's going to surface again real soon. Ford meets a prostitute living in a house on the edge of town. He's supposed to run her out of town, but instead he starts down a path that brings nothing but trouble and death to his small Texas town.
Thompson is economical with his language. Ford seems to know what's coming and still he moves steadily towards his own destruction. I questioned many of the character's choices in this book, which is why I think I didn't enjoy it as much as I have other books in its genre.
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
Where to start? Pietro Brwna is a doctor whose dark past just turned up in a hospital bed to turn his life upside down. As a teen, his grandparents meet a violent end which begins a series of events which leads him to a career as a hitman for the mafia. Things eventually go south, he gets out, but then he past walks right back in. To go into any more detail would be confusing and would ruin it for you.
Bazell keeps things zipping along with fast and funny dialogue and situations. The story jumps between the present day and the past that got Brwna where he is. I'm just hoping that Bazell, who wrote the book while he was a resident at UC San Francisco, didn't base too much of the hospital-set scenes on his real life experiences. Scary!
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
Finally, I get around to reading a Kurt Wallender mystery.
An elderly couple gets brutally slain in their remote farm in the Swedish countryside. There are few leads to go on. But the one clue the police do have sets off a firestorm, the word "foreigner" uttered by the dying wife. Inspector Wallender must rush to solve a mystery with few clues, while keeping a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment from boiling over into violence on the streets.
Add another depressive, lonely Nordic detective with marital problems, estranged children and a tendency to hit the bottle to my catalog. I love the loneliness of the setting and the invasiveness of the northern atmosphere and attitude that seems to saturate all the mysteries from this region. Will be returning to Mankell soon.
No Dominion by Charlie Huston
Rogue vampire and muscle/fixer for hire Joe Pitt is still doing his thing in Manhattan. But after pissing off the wrong people the last time, his money and blood stash are running a little low. He needs a job and goes to an old friend to get one. He's asked to help track down the source of a new drug that's taking root among new vampires. The trail leads to some unexpected and dangerous doors. Who can Pitt trust, if anyone? And what compromise is he willing to make to help himself and his ailing girlfriend?
I love Charlie Huston's style and characters. Punchy, straight-to-the-point prose pushes you from cover to cover.
Drown by Junot Diaz
Diaz's collection of 10 short stories is set in the Dominican Republic and New York/New Jersey. Immigrants finding their way in a new world, families struggling back home waiting for that letter that will summon them to a new life. Children struggling to adjust, to create their own identities, to understand their parents relationships and infidelities.
A quick read, and a good introduction for me to the author.
The Prone Gunman by Jean-Patrick Manchette
Martin Terrier is a hitman who wants to retire, return to his hometown and sweep his childhood sweetheart off her feet and into the sunset. If only it were that simple. From the second he walks away, waves of shady men with guns, dead cats and murdered ex-girlfriends begin to litter his path. His childhood sweetheart is far from what he envisioned her to be, and his nest egg isn't as safe as he thought it was. He's gotten himself into a jam that will take a lot of luck and a lot of blood to get himself out of.
Manchette dots his simple, very detailed prose with bursts of violent images, as Terrier tries to extricate himself from the mess he's created. This is my first French crime novel, and an enjoyable one. I plan to continue seeking out more European crime/noir fiction. I'm loving most of what i have read thus far.
Currently reading 13. Half the Blood in Brooklyn by Charlie Huston
River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
It's impossible to imagine an ex-president embarking on a journey half this reckless today. Theodore Roosevelt, disappointed by his failed run for a third term in office, agrees to a lecture series in South America, with adventure in the Amazon as an added bonus. But Roosevelt does not take control of plans for the expedition, and soon he finds himself, his son, Kermit, and other men in more danger than they had ever imagined.
Millard draws us into the story with her style, putting dangerous waterfalls just around the next bend, skilled and curious native tribes in the forest's shadows, and fearsome animals in the river's murky depths. An excellent and fascinating read.
The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford has a secret. In fact, he has a 'sickness' which surfaced once in his youth, and he thinks it's going to surface again real soon. Ford meets a prostitute living in a house on the edge of town. He's supposed to run her out of town, but instead he starts down a path that brings nothing but trouble and death to his small Texas town.
Thompson is economical with his language. Ford seems to know what's coming and still he moves steadily towards his own destruction. I questioned many of the character's choices in this book, which is why I think I didn't enjoy it as much as I have other books in its genre.
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
Where to start? Pietro Brwna is a doctor whose dark past just turned up in a hospital bed to turn his life upside down. As a teen, his grandparents meet a violent end which begins a series of events which leads him to a career as a hitman for the mafia. Things eventually go south, he gets out, but then he past walks right back in. To go into any more detail would be confusing and would ruin it for you.
Bazell keeps things zipping along with fast and funny dialogue and situations. The story jumps between the present day and the past that got Brwna where he is. I'm just hoping that Bazell, who wrote the book while he was a resident at UC San Francisco, didn't base too much of the hospital-set scenes on his real life experiences. Scary!
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
Finally, I get around to reading a Kurt Wallender mystery.
An elderly couple gets brutally slain in their remote farm in the Swedish countryside. There are few leads to go on. But the one clue the police do have sets off a firestorm, the word "foreigner" uttered by the dying wife. Inspector Wallender must rush to solve a mystery with few clues, while keeping a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment from boiling over into violence on the streets.
Add another depressive, lonely Nordic detective with marital problems, estranged children and a tendency to hit the bottle to my catalog. I love the loneliness of the setting and the invasiveness of the northern atmosphere and attitude that seems to saturate all the mysteries from this region. Will be returning to Mankell soon.
No Dominion by Charlie Huston
Rogue vampire and muscle/fixer for hire Joe Pitt is still doing his thing in Manhattan. But after pissing off the wrong people the last time, his money and blood stash are running a little low. He needs a job and goes to an old friend to get one. He's asked to help track down the source of a new drug that's taking root among new vampires. The trail leads to some unexpected and dangerous doors. Who can Pitt trust, if anyone? And what compromise is he willing to make to help himself and his ailing girlfriend?
I love Charlie Huston's style and characters. Punchy, straight-to-the-point prose pushes you from cover to cover.
Drown by Junot Diaz
Diaz's collection of 10 short stories is set in the Dominican Republic and New York/New Jersey. Immigrants finding their way in a new world, families struggling back home waiting for that letter that will summon them to a new life. Children struggling to adjust, to create their own identities, to understand their parents relationships and infidelities.
A quick read, and a good introduction for me to the author.
The Prone Gunman by Jean-Patrick Manchette
Martin Terrier is a hitman who wants to retire, return to his hometown and sweep his childhood sweetheart off her feet and into the sunset. If only it were that simple. From the second he walks away, waves of shady men with guns, dead cats and murdered ex-girlfriends begin to litter his path. His childhood sweetheart is far from what he envisioned her to be, and his nest egg isn't as safe as he thought it was. He's gotten himself into a jam that will take a lot of luck and a lot of blood to get himself out of.
Manchette dots his simple, very detailed prose with bursts of violent images, as Terrier tries to extricate himself from the mess he's created. This is my first French crime novel, and an enjoyable one. I plan to continue seeking out more European crime/noir fiction. I'm loving most of what i have read thus far.
Currently reading 13. Half the Blood in Brooklyn by Charlie Huston
21alcottacre
#20: River of Doubt made my list of memorable reads in 2008. Glad to see you enjoyed it.
I have both Beat the Reaper (library book) and Faceless Killers (I own it) here, so one of these days I may actually get them read. I hope I enjoy them as much as you did.
Edited to try and close Boldness! (but did not work, sorry)
I have both Beat the Reaper (library book) and Faceless Killers (I own it) here, so one of these days I may actually get them read. I hope I enjoy them as much as you did.
Edited to try and close Boldness! (but did not work, sorry)
23omphaloskepsis
suslyn: I fell behind in my mini-reviews and tried to bang them all out in one go. Trying to stay on the treadmill here!
alcottacre: Faceless Killers and Beat the Reaper could not be more different in terms of plot, pacing, believability and setting, but both were satisfying. I hope you enjoy them, too.
alcottacre: Faceless Killers and Beat the Reaper could not be more different in terms of plot, pacing, believability and setting, but both were satisfying. I hope you enjoy them, too.
24Prop2gether
Glad to hear someone else read both Thompson and Mankell. I love Kurt Wallender, simply because he is what he is--a dedicated detective who is his age. Thompson's book was a shocker in its day (and still is very effective), but I suspect some of the style is more common in today's writing.
I've also been reading a fair amount of TR's own writing, and find it fascinating. I have a couple of biographies on tap for the President Challenge, but River of Doubt is high on recommendation lists.
I've also been reading a fair amount of TR's own writing, and find it fascinating. I have a couple of biographies on tap for the President Challenge, but River of Doubt is high on recommendation lists.
25omphaloskepsis
A quick, long-overdue update:
13. Half the blood of Brooklyn - Charlie Huston
14. Book by book: Notes on reading and life - Michael Dirda
15. The shape of water - Andrea Camilleri
16. The daughters of Juarez - Teresa Rodriguez
17. Maigret in Holland - Georges Simenon
18. Knockemstiff - Donald Ray Pollock
19. The age of American unreason - Susan Jacoby
20. The full cupboard of life - Alexander McCall Smith
21. Every last drop - Charlie Huston
22. The terra-cotta dog - Andrea Camilleri
23. What was she thinking? (Notes on a scandal) - Zoe Heller
24. Mister Pip - Lloyd Jones
25. The Beats: a graphic history - Various authors
26. Down and out in Paris and London - George Orwell
27. Go with me - Castle Freeman Jr.
28. Fool moon - Jim Butcher
29. Grave peril - Jim Butcher
30. Summer knight - Jim Butcher
31. The mystic arts of erasing all signs of death - Charlie Huston
32. The shadow of the wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
33. The snack thief - Andrea Camilleri
I'm slightly behind where I should be if I'm trying for 75, but I'm enjoying the trip.
Highlights:
The shadow of the wind. Loved it! I had forgotten my weakness for soaring gothic stories like this. Can't wait to get to The angel's game.
What was she thinking? (Notes on a scandal) and the discovery of the novels of Andrea Camilleri and his Inspector Salvo Montalbano were high points, too.
Biggest disappointment:
I was really let down by Charlie Huston's The mystic arts of erasing all signs of death. His Joe Pitt novels are fun, but this novel drifted and ultimately went nowhere. I had no feelings for the unlikeable characters, and the problems and their resolutions were simply ridiculous.
13. Half the blood of Brooklyn - Charlie Huston
14. Book by book: Notes on reading and life - Michael Dirda
15. The shape of water - Andrea Camilleri
16. The daughters of Juarez - Teresa Rodriguez
17. Maigret in Holland - Georges Simenon
18. Knockemstiff - Donald Ray Pollock
19. The age of American unreason - Susan Jacoby
20. The full cupboard of life - Alexander McCall Smith
21. Every last drop - Charlie Huston
22. The terra-cotta dog - Andrea Camilleri
23. What was she thinking? (Notes on a scandal) - Zoe Heller
24. Mister Pip - Lloyd Jones
25. The Beats: a graphic history - Various authors
26. Down and out in Paris and London - George Orwell
27. Go with me - Castle Freeman Jr.
28. Fool moon - Jim Butcher
29. Grave peril - Jim Butcher
30. Summer knight - Jim Butcher
31. The mystic arts of erasing all signs of death - Charlie Huston
32. The shadow of the wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
33. The snack thief - Andrea Camilleri
I'm slightly behind where I should be if I'm trying for 75, but I'm enjoying the trip.
Highlights:
The shadow of the wind. Loved it! I had forgotten my weakness for soaring gothic stories like this. Can't wait to get to The angel's game.
What was she thinking? (Notes on a scandal) and the discovery of the novels of Andrea Camilleri and his Inspector Salvo Montalbano were high points, too.
Biggest disappointment:
I was really let down by Charlie Huston's The mystic arts of erasing all signs of death. His Joe Pitt novels are fun, but this novel drifted and ultimately went nowhere. I had no feelings for the unlikeable characters, and the problems and their resolutions were simply ridiculous.
26alcottacre
Boy, when you update, you really update! Some very good reading there - I am a huge fan of The Shadow of the Wind, too.
27avatiakh
I like your highlights, I've also discovered the Camilleri novels this year. Notes on a Scandal was a memorable read from late last year and I watched the movie soon after.
